Qinghe opened the tested reserve circuit. The central gauges climbed, held, then matched the return readings on both frames. Gu confirmed the temperature. The engineers read the coil count aloud from each side of the bay.
Yan kept both hands on the inner ring. The current pressed hard through his palms, but the reserve bank took more of it with each count. He waited until Qinghe checked the independent meter.
“Full load,” she said. “Stable output.”
Gu confirmed the return temperature. Qinghe watched the central gauge through one more beat, then gave Yan the signal. He lifted his hands and stepped clear.
The central furnace remained steady. It was the first time the reserve had carried the whole load without Yan’s anchor. The coils had a finite window, but the tested transfer gave him a path to the Registry.
Gu wrote the start time in the reserve sheet. Qinghe entered the same time in her gauge book. The ten-minute clock began only after the full load transfer had been confirmed and Yan had lifted his hands.
Yan left a weak Soul-Lantern projection at the prepared console lamp. It could watch the gauges and send a warning, but it had no anchoring power and could not fight at full strength. He asked it to repeat the return threshold.
