Before they headed over, the trio carefully moved the completed construct onto a specialized transport cart, securing it in place for delivery.
As Lassim followed them toward the warehouse, he thought about how he had seen this building countless times since arriving, but he’d never once been inside. He had assumed the warehouse was simply for storage, perhaps filled with crates and supplies.
Rlyis placed her hand on a rune-marked panel beside the warehouse entrance, infusing it with a pulse of her mana.
The surprisingly heavy stone doors began to shift, rumbling softly as hidden mechanisms pulled them open. The rich scent of treated metal, aged wood, and charged mana greeted them as the doors swung wide.
"Come on in, Lassim," Rlyis beckoned with a faint smile.
Lassim stepped forward, his eyes adjusting to the bright interior as the lights flickered to life.
The warehouse was immense, a multi-tiered room with rows of metalwork stations, machines, and a vast array of storage shelves. Dominating the center was a large, intricate structure—a web of metal tracks, belts, and conveyor platforms that stretched the length of the warehouse.
It took Lassim a moment to understand what he was looking at: a single, massive production line that was currently inactive. He took a few more steps, his gaze traveling from one end of the line to the other.
Dozens of interconnected stations with all manner of enchanted tools and machines were lined up along the path, each one positioned to perform a specific function. Arrays etched in silver lined the walls, casting faint glows that illuminated the dim metal surfaces.
"This is our enchanted production line," Rlyis said, giving Lassim a moment to absorb the scene. "It took a lot of effort to set up and a lot of resources from the Lightning sect to build. It’s designed to manufacture constructs at a speed and scale no single workshop could achieve by hand. With this we’re able to complete our initial order of one thousand constructs in a fraction of the time it would take if we did it with just us three."
Lassim’s eyes widened as he took in and somewhat understood what the the intricate layers of arrays and glowing energy channels that were embedded in almost every surface were designed to do. His studying was paying off from the little bit he’d learned so far. He could even recognize the mana conduits woven into the very floor beneath the machines, each one flowing like rivers of light, linking the entire system together.
"This… this is incredible," he murmured, unable to keep the awe from his voice. "I didn’t know something like this was even possible. I mean, I’ve seen the building of floating castles but back then all they did was make it float. This feels so much more complicated now that I can sort of make sense of what the arrays are trying to do."
Rlyis nodded, clearly pleased by his reaction. "A lot of work has gone into making it possible. The production line combines standard mechanical assembly with array engravings. Each machine is layered with preprogrammed arrays we designed and calibrated ourselves, so it can replicate every detail of the prototype model we insert into the scanning chamber, right down to the smallest engraving on each array."
Eno, standing nearby, gestured toward a set of runic symbols etched along the length of the conveyor tracks. "The system also integrates our mana signatures directly into each construct. This means every construct produced here will have the same quality and stability as the prototype we completed yesterday. There’s a bit of quality loss with some metals’ forging during the process, but our detection arrays catch most defects before they go out."
Rlyis led him closer to the beginning of the production line. "Let’s start at the beginning," she said, motioning to the line’s first station, where a towering furnace sat with an intricate array panel positioned above it. "This is the casting station. The furnace is connected directly to a mana-powered smelting system that draws raw ore from a storage chest linked to the line."
She beckoned to Eno, who walked over to the far side of the room and opened a large, rune-covered chest.
Within, Lassim could see masses of glinting metal ore, neatly stacked and seemingly untouched by time or tarnish.
"Eno designed this chest to keep our ore stockpile organized and preserved," Rlyis explained. "The chest is linked to the furnace, so the ore is automatically drawn into the system when we begin production. No need to worry about running back and forth for materials."
Eno tapped the side of the chest, and a faint hum resonated from within. "I’ve already prepped it with enough ore to produce our initial order of one thousand constructs. The smelting process takes care of any impurities, breaking the ore down into pure ingots and matching the exact percentages I set. From there, it’s moved to the next station, where the ingots are shaped into the main components of the construct."
Lassim watched as Rlyis gestured to the series of conveyor belts and mechanical arms that lay ahead of the furnace. The entire line seemed to extend for at least the length of a small town square, filled with machinery, each station precisely arranged to carry out its part of the assembly process.
Rlyis took him to the casting area, where the conveyor platforms began. Here, a large, rune-etched crucible was set into the floor, flanked by massive gears and levers. "This is where the smelted ingots are poured into molds," she explained, pointing to a set of molds lying ready on the conveyor track. Each mold was engraved with intricate runes, marking the contours of the parts that would form the thick-body construct’s main frame.
"The molds are set with cooling arrays," she continued, "so each piece solidifies almost instantly after it’s cast. From here, they’re sent down the line, where they’re refined and etched."
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Lassim marveled at the precision that would be required for such a process. "So each part is cast, cooled, and moved along the line, all without a single person doing anything?"
"Exactly," Rlyis said. "The enchantments take care of the fine details, ensuring every cast is consistent. It’s faster than any smith and area master combo could hope to manage, and the end result is still great, even with the minor defects."
They moved further along the line, where the next set of machines waited. Here, rows of mechanical arms were outfitted with engraving tools, each tool positioned above a conveyor belt loaded with cast metal parts.
"This station is for array engraving," Eno explained. "Each part passes under these engraving arms, where the arrays are etched directly onto the surface. The process is delicate, but with the right mana input, the arms can engrave even the most complex array in seconds. It doesn’t mean your efforts to be an array master in the future would ever get replaced though. We’d still need array masters to create the initial designs. Think of this as just a way to be more creative and then let the machines mass produce your ideas to benefit the sect as a whole."
Rlyis pointed to the thin, glowing lines embedded within the machines. "The arms are linked to detection arrays here that monitor the mana density within the lines and their flow. If an array doesn’t meet our specifications set by the initial scan within 5% of the initial readings, the part is flagged and removed from the line."
Rlyis turned to Lassim. "All that’s left is the final assembly at the end, but that’s pretty much it. Now that you’ve seen how each stage works, we’ll initiate the first test run. You’ll see the entire process from start to finish."
They returned to the control console to which she then placed her hand on a rune-inscribed panel that lit up and had rune symbols with directions in the common tongue on the raised holographic screen that hovered in the air.
They moved the new thick-body construct into the scanner, standing upright after being lifted from the workshop cart with the help of Eno and Lassim.
With a few taps, adjustments, and a quick pulse of mana that scanned the entire construct from top to bottom, the line roared to life, a soft hum filling the warehouse as gears, belts, and arms sprang into motion.
The conveyor tracks glowed as mana surged through them, illuminating the entire line with an ethereal blue light.
The furnace at the start of the line heated instantly, and Lassim watched as the raw ore was pulled from Eno’s enchanted chest, flowing into the furnace where it melted and separated into pure ingots. The molten metal poured into the molds, casting each piece with a flawless finish, before cooling and hardening in seconds.
Piece by piece, the ingots were cast, shaped, and etched, moving down the line as the automated arms lifted, adjusted, and assembled each component with precise, almost fluid movements.
Lassim watched as the arms traced a series of glowing lines onto one of the metal plates, perfectly replicating the engraving Rlyis had created. The speed and accuracy were astounding.
He could see each line appearing as if by magic out of the arms, forming intricate designs with a precision and speed that even he believed he’d would struggled to achieve if he ever became a true array master.
The parts continued down the line, passing through various stations that assembled, inspected, and fine-tuned each component. It was a seamless process, each step flowing naturally into the next, with arrays ensuring every part was aligned, fitted, and prepared for activation.
Finally, Rlyis led him to the end of the line, where completed constructs were assembled. Here, an array of arms and clamps lifted each part, aligning and securing them into place with a series of small, controlled jolts of mana. The construct was coming to life, the pieces joining seamlessly, until the final form of the thick-body model stood before them.
At last, standing upright as its arrays lit up with energy, Rlyis walked up to the newly assembled construct and examined it closely, her eyes scanning each array, each plate, and joint. She even used her own mana this time to test and briefly power on the construct.
"No resistance," she noted, satisfied. "Mana flow is stable, and there’s no sign of overheating. It’s ready for mass production."
With a final check from Eno on the individual castings, Rlyis turned back to the console and activated the full-scale production sequence.
Instantly, the line began to operate at a faster pace, nearly three times the speed, producing a steady stream of constructs that moved down the line in perfect synchrony.
As each construct reached the final station, it was then moved off the conveyor to a separate area by a team of odd looking four-armed constructs that Lassim didn’t even realize it was there until it began lifting the first ones off the line, forming neat rows of identical models.
Lassim watched in awe as the warehouse transformed into a symphony of motion. Constructs emerged from the line one after another, each one a perfect replica of the prototype, each one imbued with the precision and stability that Eno and Rlyis had painstakingly designed.
After each construct was assembled and in their organized rows, they performed a final check.
Rlyis and Eno lifted branding irons from a nearby rack and pressed them against the back of each construct’s shoulder plate, marking each one with their own signature mana. The iron left a faintly glowing seal, signaling the construct’s manufacturers and approval.
The marked constructs were then carried by the same constructs toward a series of opened magic chests lined up against the wall.
Rlyis turned to Lassim. "These magic chests will store our constructs until they’re ready for shipment. They should max out around 50 total constructs for the amount of space they hold, but we’ll most likely reduce that and organize each batch according to the needs of the outposts we’re supplying, so every outpost will receive exactly what they need."
She continued, "1000 of these constructs should take around three days to fully complete, but we can leave the warehouse running for that time without worries."
She then put her hands on her hips, "And with that, welcome to the future of our work as array masters, Lassim," Rlyis said, her voice filled with pride.