Chapter 74 - CH 73 - The Foundation of Forever

Winter's grip began to loosen, not with a dramatic thaw, but with a slow, steady retreat. The snowbanks surrounding the industrial park shrunk daily, revealing the grit and gravel beneath, a metaphor that was not lost on anyone at V&C. The stark, monochrome landscape gave way to the muted browns and greys of early spring, a time of transition that mirrored the subtle shifts within the shop itself. The frantic energy of the early days, the desperate scramble for survival, had been completely replaced by a profound, deeply rooted sense of permanence. They were no longer upstarts; they were an institution.