Chapter 212 - Alchemy Factory
As more fundamental rune arrays were analyzed and were simplified into generalized rune base plates, the Cecil soldiers’ equipment naturally underwent an upgrade. In Gawain’s vision, a complete version of the Cecil soldier equipment should consist of a set of systems.
Energy system: The Combat Field Pack that was fitted with a high-efficiency honeycomb magic web and magic capacitor. It could recharge a large number of magic crystals and also have a surplus of magic to sustain all sorts of modules for the soldiers.
Defense system: The steel armor pressed by machines would be used as a carrier. Inside the armor, it would be engraved with various defense magic circles and support magic circles. It would be able to achieve an overall defense against foreign magic, poison, and physical attacks. The traditional magic-imbued armors were extremely expensive, but using magic circles to achieve the magic-imbued effects could greatly reduce the cost. At the same time, the Forcefield Shield from the vambrace was also considered a part of the defense system.
Weapons system: It was mainly the heat-ray gun installed in the vambrace and also the blades in the soldiers’ hands. The former had already achieved mass production, while the latter didn’t have any ideas for improvement yet. In Gawain’s vision, even if the bladed weapons were reserved for the soldiers, the Cecil soldiers’ blades must also go through a modernized improvement too. Traditional steel weapons would obviously be powerless against the aberrations and Beyonders. Various types of magic-imbued effects were necessary.
As for the exact details on improving the traditional blades, there was a need to have a good brainstorm.historical
Apart from those systems, Gawain hoped to achieve instant communications on the battlefield.
It was needless to talk about the importance of communication technology. Every soldier should be able to receive commands from their commanding officers on the battlefield, and every commanding officer should be able to understand the changes in the battle situation promptly. An army that had modernized communication technology would have combat strength that was unimaginable to traditional armies. As such, the inclusion of a communication system was of the utmost priority for the “Cecil Combat Suit”. However, it was regretful that there were no ideas on how to achieve it as of now.
There were communication spells, and the Mithril Vault was able to create a communication device like the Mithril Ring, but in Gawain’s point of view, the specialized spell was like a kind of “black box technology”. Its magic principle had yet to be analyzed by anyone, and the rune structure in the magic circle also used an irregular array. Jenni’s rune logic wasn’t comprehensive enough and wasn’t able to simplify such magic with unknown principles. This meant that they couldn’t reduce the cost of the communication magic tools, and there was no way to use them on the soldiers..
After adding the Forcefield Shield module into the combat vambrace, the appearance didn’t look any different. Gawain then assembled the outer shell of the vambrace again. After hearing the distinct clunk sound, he looked at Rebecca and said, “The vambrace can still integrate more modules. Also, add in more components that can be replaced. Right now, it has offense and defense capabilities. You can consider adding in a support capability, like a Grade 1 ‘secondary clarity spell’ or a trivial spell like ‘magic light’ to be used for illumination. These are low consumption spells but can have great use..”
It was unknown when Rebecca and Jenni had taken out a notebook as they listened and wrote on it. Halfway through, Jenni couldn’t help but lift her head to ask, “But Your Excellency.. If we add in so many functions, will this vambrace still be a ‘heat-ray gun’?”
“That is why I mentioned it in the beginning. The vambrace is just a carrier, and the heat-ray gun is just a part of the vambrace and not its entirety.” Gawain smiled and gave a clear explanation of his initial concept to these two girls. Only now did they completely understand the meaning of the so-called modularity. “We should give this vambrace an individual name.. I shall name it as ‘Magic Transmission Terminal’. According to the different modules fitted in the terminal, it can be a heat-ray gun, an energy shield, a communication tool, or medical equipment. It can even be a lightning transmitter or a Fireball launcher. Different soldiers can use different functions of it. In fact.. we can even develop a civilian version.”
Rebecca finally reacted. “It turns out that.. this is the real idea you had since the beginning?”
Gawain nodded and laughed helplessly. “If I were to tell this to everyone back then, most of the people probably wouldn’t have understood or even been able to imagine it.”
Jenni looked at Gawain while feeling amazed. She suddenly developed a strange feeling. This person standing in front of her didn’t seem like an ancient hero that was from 700 years ago, nor was he the Cecil Clan’s feudal lord that lived in the current era. This duke’s wisdom didn’t belong to this society, and he didn’t have a presence that belonged to this world. He was using an observer’s perspective to monitor the development of this land and was conducting a project on that foundation. This project was so grand that it was beyond the cognition of the people in the present age. Even if he was to casually mention a single step of this plan, no one would have been able to understand what he wanted to achieve..
However, the sensation only lasted for a fleeting moment because Gawain suddenly raised his hand to knock on Amber’s head as she was sneaking in from the side of the table. That amiable and approachable feudal lord who had a peculiar sense of humor had returned.
“Why are you sneaking around?” Gawain glared at Amber who suddenly emerged from the side of the table. The latter was obviously planning to scare Gawain, but she never expected for her stealth effects to suddenly deactivate due to the stimulation from Gawain’s protective aura. After getting hit on the head, the half-elf young lady covered it and felt wronged. “I am here to report something. Did you have to hit me..?”
“Stop playing around. Would someone enter with Shadow Walk to report something?”
“Tsk.” Amber’s mouth twitched as she asked, “How long do you need to stay here? Pittman asked me to inform you that the Alchemy Factory’s first reaction vessel is ready. They are waiting for you to inspect it.”
“Ah, I had forgotten about it!” Gawain slapped his head. He knew that the Alchemy Factory was going to complete the first reaction vessel today, but when Rebecca and Jenni delivered the first batch of rune base plate and designs for the magic-conducting armor, he had totally forgotten about it. Now that Amber reminded him, he immediately stood up and placed the vambrace down. “Jenni, Rebecca, I will go over to the Alchemy Factory first. As for the design work on the generalized base plates, you can arrange it when you return. The current progress is rather good. I am very satisfied.”
Jenni obediently tidied up the blueprints, base plates, and vambrace on the table, but it was obvious that Rebecca wasn’t going to obediently return to the research center. She went over and grabbed Gawain’s arm and swung it forcefully. “I want to go too! I want to go too! I want to go to the Alchemy Factory too! I have yet to see what it looks like over there..”
Gawain looked at the foolish girl and asked, “Why do you want to go there? It is just a completion of the reaction vessel. It isn’t a celebration ceremony for the completion of the factory. Furthermore, you don’t know anything about alchemy.”
“I can go over and release two Fireballs to liven things up! Shouldn’t there be fireworks for something that is worth celebrating..?”
Gawain immediately glared at her and said, “If you dare to release a Fireball at the Alchemy Factory, I will throw you out like a Fireball!”
“I mean to throw it into the sky..”
“Not even into the sky!”
Rebecca stuck her tongue out and obediently raised one hand. “Then I swear on the name of the Cecil Clan’s ancestors, I will obediently—”
Gawain wanted to nod at first, but he suddenly came back to his senses. “I am your ancestor!”
Rebecca: “..”
Amber sneaked beside Jenni and whispered to her, “Don’t you feel that when these two are conversing, their brains seem to have pits?”
Jenni had already adapted to the atmosphere of the Cecil territory, but she wasn’t adapted to Amber’s mouth. She didn’t know how to continue this topic. “I.. I don’t know what to say..”
“Tsk. Boring.” Amber looked with contempt at the Runemaster who couldn’t even be a supporting character before she turned to look at Gawain. “Old dumpling, are you not going to leave yet? It is interesting to bicker with your granddaughter..”
Amber’s words had successfully diverted Gawain and Rebecca’s attention, while the latter stopped protesting..
In the end, after Rebecca’s constant pestering, Gawain still brought this overly curious and foolish girl with him. Along with Rebecca, the trio headed to the Alchemy Factory that was located at the borders of the town.
Even with the “black technology”-class construction techniques, the Alchemy Factory was far from completion. Right now, there was only the No. 1 Workshop and its related warehouse. Inside the No. 1 Workshop, there was only one reaction-vessel set that was completely assembled. In Gawain’s conception, this place would need at least three workshops and twelve reaction vessels to fulfill the production of basic medicine alchemy — like catalyzers for plants to be used in agriculture, soil improvement serums, weed control serums, druidic medicine for human use, inferior magic medicine, and various types of medication for illnesses. There were over a dozen types of fundamental medicines. For traditional alchemists, these medicinal potions were all refined in small alchemy labs and were done with a small alchemy table and a few reaction control bottles. However, such an operation obviously wasn’t suited for the factory. The reaction vessels in the factory would be operated continuously; be it the addition of materials or of finished-product output, they would be constantly produced in batches. Apart from a few rare situations, each medicinal potion would have a specialized reaction vessel.
As such, by referring to the properties of the fundamental medicinal fluids, Pittman had sorted them into 12 “production lines” and three different workshops. The different workshops isolated and formed different sections to ensure that the produced medicinal fluids wouldn’t be mixed together and cause accidents. In fact, if it was according to Gawain’s request, the medicine for ordinary people, medicine for Beyonders, and medicine for agriculture wouldn’t have been produced in the same factory. However, due to the restricted conditions of the territory, the costs to open three Alchemy Factories at the same time would be terrifyingly expensive. Furthermore, the Druid medicines had different characteristics compared to the “agricultural chemicals” that Gawain knew of. The fundamental medicinal fluids that were scheduled for production didn’t have too much of a contamination risk; therefore, Pittman was permitted to put the three workshops in the same factory.
However, he had also made a special request to Pittman. In the future, if they had to produce a higher grade of medicinal fluid that had a better effect and fewer harmful side effects, they would do a completely isolated production process. There must not be any possibility of cross-contamination from the raw material to the half-finished product to the finished product.
The tall and big reaction vessel stood in the middle of the spacious production workshop. Pittman and the apprentices that he had trained, along with the ordinary workers, were busy working on the brand new installation. This was an apparatus that was unprecedented, and it was unlike any alchemy setup in this world. It was also unlike any of the magic-conducting machinery that had been developed in the territory. Of course, it was also unlike any chemical industry equipment in Gawain’s otherworld memories.
At the center was a two-meter tall vertical metal vessel, and there were several bending pipes that connected the metal vessel together with a few smaller reaction vessels, forming a star-shaped atomic structure. The pipes weren’t just for the distribution of materials and gases, they were also a part of the magic circle. At the connecting parts between the “piping magic circle” and the reaction vessels, there were glittering Druid theurgy runes and all sorts of magic runes reflecting off each other. On a portion of the reaction vessel’s surface, there were magic circles of various sizes that were glowing faintly. On the “foundation” of the entire equipment, there was a cement platform that was a few centimeters higher than the surface of the ground. On the surface of it was a crucial detail: the Inversion Circle.
It was able to extract the magic from the underground magic web and transmute it into a “natural divine energy” that could be used by the Druid’s theurgy circles. Through this miraculous transmutation process, the humans had control of the power that once belonged to gods.