The Limits of Flesh #
Marcus narrates the failure of traditional power. The water wheels sit motionless in dried-up creeks, and the oxen refuse to move the massive drive shafts. "The beasts are strong, but they eat the grain we are trying to buy."
Inside the factory, rickety wooden linkages snap under the strain. Gaius looks at the broken machinery: "We built a giant, Marcus. But we forgot to give it a heart."
Marcus turns to the Stone with a desperate plea: "We have the will. We have the machines. But we lack the force to move them. We need the strength of giants, Ulysses."