The So-Called Royal City

The Furnace of the Ancestors, the massive ancient machine groaned in pain. Its surface was dark with all heat-dissipating grids and signal lights lifeless. A deep, bizzare growling came from deep within, it sounded like a beast whimpering in its death throes. There was still scars of the earlier explosion on the outer armor that had suffered a vicissitude of fate. A clear obvious scar rent across the a good part of the outer shell of the reactor, almost cutting through almost one-third of the main body of the Furnace of the Ancestors, and smoke and sparks still shot out from the rents of the armor as if something was still operating within. But under these circumstances, getting the whole thing to fully shut down was much more reassuring than it trudging along on its last legs. Hao Ren was very afraid that it may explode again.