Chapter 37 - The Signal Beneath the Stone

Ren turned the stone in his hand, feeling the faint warmth pulsing from within.

It wasn't glowing like before, but it was still… alive. Not magic exactly. Something else.

He held it out to Sera. "You know what this is?"

Sera squinted at it, then reached out and brushed her fingers along its surface. "No idea," she admitted. "But it's humming with magic. That much I can tell."

"I have a theory," Ren said. "But it's a wild one."

"Go on. Wild theories are my specialty."

Ren knelt and unrolled the map on a flat patch of ground, smoothing out the creases. "This map. it's more than just a map. It reacts. When I'm near something old, buried, forgotten… it responds. That's how I've found everything so far."

Sera crouched beside him, her eyes narrowing. "Show me."

Ren pointed to different marks on the map. "Here, the mountain with the mural. Here, the ruined tower where we found the drill. And here, the tunnel we just found."

Sera nodded slowly. "Alright. So what now?"

Ren held up the stone again. "I have thoughts but never try it. What if place someting on the map? Will it show how to find it?"

Sera's brows lifted. "Only one way to find out."

He placed the stone in the center of the map.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the surface pulsed.

Once, twice.

The map breathing like something alive. Symbols flared. Glowing to one point.

A mountain, slightly north east of the Wasteland Tower. A place not marked before.

"There," Ren said, pointing his finger. "That is glowing. That's how I know. It only does this when something important is hidden there."

Sera stared. "But… there's nothing in that mountain. I've flown past it. Just rocks and wind."

"There's something. You just can't see it," Ren said. "Like the tunnel. Like the mural. Like the drill. It's not on your map, it's on mine."

Sera tilted her head, lips parting. "Who are you?"

Ren exhaled through his nose. "I guess it's time."

He told her everything. About the summoning. About the magic circle. About how the kingdom brought him here expecting a hero, and then tossed him aside when he didn't show any combat skill, magic affinity, or even a class.

Sera blinked at him. "So you're one of those summoned people from another world?"

He nodded once. "Yeah."

"And this whole time… no magic, no sword skill, nothing?"

"Just map."

She ran a hand through her hair. "Okay. That's a lot. That's… way too much for my brain."

Ren smirked. "You'll get used to it. Just follow me."

***

They walked back toward the village.

Dust curled beneath their boots. The sun had climbed higher now, casting a dry heat over the cracked earth.

Around them, villagers and Union workers were unloading crates, stacking tools, and checking supply lists. Despite the growing bustle, the air felt heavier than before.

Ren spotted Tobren crouched near the side well, squinting at a rusted valve. The pipe beside him wheezed and groaned like an old man refusing to work.

"Tobren," Ren called out.

The older man didn't look up, still wrestling with the wrench in his hand. "If you're about to tell me good news, save it for after this thing stops hissing at me."

Ren crouched beside him, eyeing the pipe. "How's the water system holding up?"

Tobren sighed and finally dropped the wrench with a heavy clank. "Two pumps working. One's barely pushing anything, the other's half-finished. The third? Still buried. We didn't have the hands or time to dig it out."

Ren rubbed his jaw. "So we've got one and a half pumps feeding a growing town."

"Which means we'll be dry by next couple months," Tobren said. "Especially if more people keep showing up."

Ren nodded, then glanced over his shoulder at the faintly glowing map resting on the table behind them.

Sera approached from behind, arms crossed. "And you think that glowing stone is going to save us?"

Ren stood. "I believe it is." he looked between them. "If I'm right, this stone isn't just some regular stones. It's a source of power. Something old, mechanical... maybe magical, but not in the way we understand."

He turned toward the distant mountain marked on the map.

"That mountain might have more. And if it does, I can build something better."

Sera narrowed her eyes. "Better how?"

"We're not just talking about water. We're talking about automation pump. Water that pumps itself. Systems that don't need a hands just to keep it alive or moved."

Tobren blinked. "That... sounds like a miracle."

Ren shook his head. "No. It sounds like a start." He paused, then added, "What about the seeds we planted? The ones we watered with that Greenwake potion?"

Tobren stood and wiped his hands on a rag. "They've already started sprouting. I'd give it two more days, maybe three, and we'll have the first round ready to harvest."

Ren's expression lit up. "That fast?"

"Yeah," Tobren nodded. "Lenna said she saw stems breaking the soil this morning. If it keeps up like this… we're going to have food."

Ren exhaled slowly. "Good. Then we've got a chance."

He looked back at Tobren. "I need something else. The list. The original registry, people who came here with us. Check if anyone on it used to work as a mechanic."

Tobren raised an eyebrow. "Mechanic?"

Ren nodded. "Anyone who knows how machines work, even a little."

Tobren scratched his beard. "Yeah, actually. Two of them. Used to fix wagons and farm rigs. Mostly wheels, axles, brake joints. Not fancy stuff."

"Call them here," Ren said.

***

A short time later, they gathered in the shade of the tower.

Ren, Sera, Tobren, and two middle-aged men, they both sun-weathered, and curious.

"This is the thing?" one asked, looking down at the drill on the table.

"Yeah," Ren said. "It was built for something. But I don't fully understand how yet. But I have a theory for this."

The second man crouched beside it. "Not like anything I've seen. It's got mechanical core, sure. But something else inside it. Energy."

"Magic?" the first guessed.

"Kind of," Ren said. "It uses something like stone as a source of power, and I think I can use it to build a water pump."

Both men exchanged glances. One shrugged. "Look, we fix wagons. Brakes, spokes, busted joints. This thing's way beyond us."

"But," the second added, "there's someone who might understand it."

Ren's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"There's a watchmaker," the first replied. "Old guy. Lives in a town not far from the central region. The capital used to commission him to fix royal timepieces, sometimes build custom gears for noble carriages. They say he even made a mechanical bird once."

Ren's voice was steady. "Think he'd come here?"

Both men hesitated. One of them asked, "How do you plan to convince a guy like that to cross the dead land and come to the Wasteland?"

Ren looked down at the drill.

"Bring this," he said. "Show him what it does. Tell him it powered itself. That there's something in here that shouldn't exist."

He looked up at them, eyes sharp. "If he's even half as curious as I think he is, that'll be enough to get him moving."

"And after that?" the other asked.

Ren smiled faintly. "I'll handle the rest."