Galactic Exchange: The Merchant Sovereign
Chapter 79: Echoes from the Iron Abyss

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Echoes from the Iron Abyss

The hallways of the Trelvix Deep-Drill Mining Station were narrow and saturated with a hum so low it felt like a pulse. Dust clung to the metal walls like skin, and the dim lights flickered with age and neglect. The elevator shaft screeched as it descended, carrying Silas, Kass, and the security escort deeper beneath the surface of Voralis-9.

Silas’ expression was tense. He had been underground on many planets before, but Voralis-9 felt... wrong. Like something was watching from beyond the metal. Every kilometer they descended made the pressure in his chest mount.

"How deep are we now?" Kass asked, tapping into the side console near the elevator’s wall.

"Almost nine kilometers," the escort replied. "Sector C-24. The seismic tremors originated near the core fracture zones."

"Wasn’t this shaft abandoned?" Kass pressed.

The soldier nodded grimly. "Officially, yes. But off-record, the Guild kept experimenting with ore siphoning in the unstable layers. Denser metals. Higher risk."

Silas narrowed his eyes. "So they lied. Again."

"Looks like it," Kass muttered.

When the elevator finally halted, the doors groaned open into a dark corridor. Emergency lights barely lit the pathway, giving it the look of a starless graveyard. A thick silence hung in the air, broken only by the crackling of static on the security comms.

"Movement detected," the lead officer murmured, checking a scanner. "Non-signature patterns. Could be tremor echoes... or something else."

They began advancing, rifles drawn. Silas unholstered his compact pulse-pistol and activated a drone orb from his inventory. The orb illuminated the tunnel ahead, scanning and mapping data back to his retina interface.

Suddenly, the corridor opened into a massive chamber—partially collapsed and revealing an ancient structure beneath the drill site. It was alien. Clearly not Guild-built. The walls pulsed with faint bioluminescent veins, spiraling in patterns that Silas recognized from his inventory logs.

"This..." he whispered. "This matches the design schema from that vault in Nebulan Sector Twelve."

Kass crouched, touching the carved floor. "These glyphs... it’s not just decoration. It’s a warning."

Silas activated his translator. As the ancient language unfurled before his eyes, a shiver raced down his spine.

"Here sleeps the Iron Maw. Bound not by stone, but by pact. Disturb not the deep, lest the price be soul and sun."

"’Iron Maw’?" Kass frowned. "That doesn’t sound friendly."

Before Silas could respond, the floor trembled violently. From the shadows of the alien temple, a low metallic growl echoed, like steel dragging across bone. One of the guards stepped back, raising his rifle.

Movement.

Then it lunged.

A construct of twisted metal, claws like scythes, surged from beneath the rubble. Its body was patchwork—part machine, part flesh, stitched together with unknown alloys and ancient tech.

"Contact!" the sergeant shouted. "Open fire!"

Pulse rounds riddled the creature, but it moved with terrifying speed. One soldier was swiped clean across the chamber. Another was crushed in a spray of red and sparks.

Silas activated his tactical overlay and locked onto the core exposed beneath the beast’s rib-like armor.

"Center mass! There’s a power node!"

He fired a plasma bolt, striking the node. The creature recoiled, screeching, but didn’t fall.

"We need more power!" Kass shouted. "My blade’s not even scratching it!"

Silas made a split-second decision. "Distract it. I’ll get the Artifact!"

He dashed past the creature, vaulting over debris and sliding into the fractured wall of the temple. There, hovering inside an energy field, was a glowing black orb—pulsating in time with the structure’s heartbeat.

He reached for it.

The moment his fingers brushed the surface, a jolt of pure knowledge surged through his brain. Visions—of stars being swallowed, of beings making pacts in language older than time, and of traders like him... wielding the artifact for dominion or doom.

The system voice rang in his mind.

[You have acquired: Heart of the Forge Maw]

— Unique Class Relic —

Rank: Mythic

Effects: Grants control over Forge-based entities, awakens hidden systems, and allows temporary fusion with ancient constructs. _{f|ree(w)ebn\o.vel.com}

Warning: Limited compatibility. Risk of corruption if overused.

The orb dissolved into his body, embedding itself in his chest. Pain flooded him for a second—but then a wave of clarity.

He stood, eyes burning with renewed purpose. The beast lunged at Kass—but this time, Silas was ready.

"Stop," he commanded.

The creature froze mid-air, body twitching.

[Forge Maw Resonance: Entity identified as Bound Sentinel-Class. Control enabled.]

Silas walked toward it slowly. The other guards looked on in awe and horror.

"Back down," he said calmly.

The metal creature lowered its head, almost... submissively.

"Silas," Kass whispered, her eyes wide. "What did you do?"

"I didn’t control it," he replied. "I... negotiated."

Silas turned to the chamber. The glyphs on the wall lit up in response to his presence, glowing brighter now.

A hidden doorway unsealed with a hiss, revealing stairs spiraling downward.

"The temple isn’t just a ruin," he muttered. "It’s a vault. A relic storage from before the Guild. Maybe even before the Intergalactic Concord."

Kass looked uneasy. "Should we really go deeper?"

"We came here for answers," Silas replied. "And I think this... is part of the Sovereign Road."

—

Meanwhile, in orbit...

The bridge of the Guild enforcement cruiser buzzed with activity. Officer Taryn paced, glancing at the surface readings.

"Unregistered energy surge. Sector C-24. That’s directly beneath the mining shaft," his aide reported.

"Silas Mercer," Taryn hissed. "He’s interfering again."

He turned toward the comms.

"Prepare the Arc-Class Interceptors. I want that station sealed off. If the Sovereign System has awakened again... we cannot afford to lose control."

The aide hesitated. "But Commander—won’t the council need to approve—?"

"I am the Council’s voice on this sector," Taryn snapped. "Do it. Now."

—

Back underground...

The stairs ended at a massive chamber filled with black pillars. Floating within each was a stasis-suspended artifact—some pulsing, some dormant, some flickering like dying stars.

Silas approached the nearest one. His system chimed again.

[New System Update Available]

Installing Patch: [Merchant Sovereign Protocol: Tier III Access]

New Features Unlocked:

— Galactic Bidding Halls

— Sovereign Relic Exchange

— Origin Market: Pre-Guild Trade Nexus

Kass gasped as her own interface blinked.

"You’re... you’re evolving," she said.

Silas stared at the chamber in awe. "This is no longer just trading. We’re rewriting commerce itself."

From deep within the vault, a voice echoed. Cold. Mechanical.

"Who dares awaken the Vault of Ten Thousand Echoes?"

Kass gripped her blade. Silas held out his hand.

"We do. And we’re not backing down."