The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

After being processed by the artisans in the territory, the magic stone is ready for use.

The next step is to test whether the magic power within the magic stone can be activated by the magic trigger in order to successfully activate the magic circle.

Although it had been experimented with countless times in Derek's notes, this was the first time Linde had actually used it. Linde chose the molten metal array, which had a simple rune structure and a clear magic transmission path and had been used many times in the territory. It was the same array that the craftsmen had used to smelt steel before.

With Lind's help, Lisha modified the magic trigger to look like a real trigger. Instead of being automatically activated when placed in the center of the magic circle, the magic trigger could be turned on and off by a knob switch.

Of course, this switch will also be optimized as part of the magic trigger in the future.

As Linde slowly turned the knob, invisible magic emanated from the crystal-clear black magic stone beside him, flowing slowly through the runes into the magic circle beneath the boiler. Crimson flames began to erupt, roaring with the heat to melt all things.

"It worked! We succeeded!"

The excited shouts didn't come from Lind, Lisha, or Lena, but from the old craftsmen present.

In fact, these old craftsmen had already been tormented by the formulas and theorems in Derek's notes, spending most of their lives using magic to adjust runes. And now you're telling me that I have to rely on mathematics to calculate the properties and positions of runes in my future work?

However, rune artisans are professionals after all, and they have a certain mathematical foundation. Even the most talented professionals need to construct a spell model when casting spells, and the model already includes the magical power to be mobilized, the launch angle, the launch force, and so on. If any of these variables are miscalculated, the spell will fail or even backfire.

Professionals actually learn basic mathematics when they study magic. For example, Rena, although she seems a bit dim-witted and has no political acumen, is actually the sixth-tier professional with the deepest understanding of Derek's Notes. However, most professionals don't realize that the spell models they learned can be converted into mathematical models.

Even though these old craftsmen were very unwilling, under the coercion and enticement of Lind and Lena, they still studied the revised version of Derek's Notes and spent more than half a month carving out this molten magic circle purely through calculation.

The most painful state is when you can barely understand something, but you still have to keep learning it.

However, this speed is already very fast. You have to know that although there were three geniuses, Lena, Lisha and Isa, there were no computers in this era, not even abacuses. The gray-collar workers completed the world's first rune array that could be used for practical purposes and was purely mathematically inscribed.

Linde also jokingly referred to these kinds of magic circles as "Olympiad magic circles," since mathematics is now considered magic in the true sense.

Of course, to prevent any accidents, before officially activating it, Linde had the old craftsmen use magic to verify the arcane magic circle, and only after confirming that it was correct did he officially activate it.

Looking at the glowing magic circle and the churning molten iron, the old blacksmith who was directing the blacksmiths to work exclaimed excitedly, "The temperature is constant, the flame is stable, it's incredible! We can adjust the size of the flame just by controlling the magic trigger output. If this continues..."

The old craftsman suddenly stopped, realizing just how terrifying his next words would be.

But Linde, standing to the side, continued, picking up where the old craftsman left off: "If this continues, even ordinary people can become rune craftsmen."

If ordinary people can become rune artisans, it means that as long as the supply of raw materials and magic stones is sufficient, gray-collar workers can operate at full capacity to continuously produce steel. Moreover, the applications of arcane arrays and rune triggers are clearly not limited to steelmaking.

However, the rune artisans with gray-collar jobs are not worried about losing their jobs. On the contrary, according to the documents Linde had drafted, these artisans have been reserved for management positions in the future. As long as their performance is not too bad, they will be able to sit back and count money in peace.

For rune artisans who can only assist mid-to-high-level professionals, who are at the bottom of the professional hierarchy and only ended up in the gray-collar category because of their own lack of skill, this is like Qin Shi Huang touching an electric wire—completely hopeless.

Actually, steelmaking isn't the main focus. At least for today's white-collar workers, the existing efficient steel production capacity can't even be absorbed, let alone the steel production that's starting to be industrialized in the magical realm.

The arcane array at the steel mill was more experimental; what Linde was going to inspect next was the important project for today.

That is to use arcane magic circles to simulate alchemy in order to create alchemical potions.

In chaotic times, what is most valuable besides food?

Those are weapons and medicine.

In this war-torn North, rife with bandits and adventurers taking advantage of the chaos, whether they are the first adventurers to arrive in the North in search of the secret treasures of an empire from a thousand years ago, the black-gloved bandits hired by lords, or even the personal guards of nobles, there is a huge demand for alchemical potions.

As mentioned before, the alchemists in this world are different from the alchemists of the Renaissance in the previous life. They do not believe that things can be made by simply stirring a cauldron. Instead, each alchemical school has its own unique transmutation magic, and each alchemical tool requires a different spell model for its transmutation magic.

This time, the rune magic circle will be used to replicate the most common technique in this world, known as the potion-making technique for alchemists' entry-level exam.

That's right, the name of this potion is Recovery Potion, exactly the same as the red potion in the transparent test tube in RPG games in both name and function.

Of course, reality is not like in the game where drinking this potion can heal any injury. The main purpose of this potion is to treat external injuries and restore physical strength. It can be used both internally and externally, and the materials required are very common. It is very popular among mercenaries and adventurers. Because it is a basic potion, spell models are everywhere, and there are even many modified versions.

"My lord, we can begin at any time."

Lisha stood beside the magic trigger, waiting for Lind's order. The alchemy device was still very primitive. Apart from mobilizing magic to develop runes and use the potion-making technique, all other operations still needed to be done manually.

For example, the stirring in the alchemical boiler, the mixing of materials, and the removal of the finished product and its storage in medicine bottles.

Fortunately, none of these steps require magic; only the most crucial mixing step requires training for the workers.

Industrialization is not something that can be achieved overnight. Right now, we can only build a shell, but it is already quite an achievement to build that shell properly.

"Well, let's get started."

With Linde's order, the trained workers began to mix the materials according to the proportions, stir them, open the magic trigger, and after a series of processes, a box of recovery potions was produced.

Isa opened a bottle of recovery potion, smelled it, and exclaimed, "The color is vibrant, and the smell is just right."

He then opened several more bottles of recovery potions, and after repeating the same action, exclaimed, "My lord, I don't know how to describe it. If the alchemy teacher at the academy were to evaluate it, he would definitely say that this is the most standard recovery potion imaginable, as if it were taken directly from the textbook."

"The most terrifying thing is that these recovery potions are almost identical in properties, as if they were all made by a tireless puppet that only repeats the same alchemy spells."

One can imagine how devastated the low-level alchemists who make a living by selling these recovery potions will be once they enter the market.

However, Lin Decai didn't care. It was good that things had collapsed. He could just come and work as a gray-collar worker because the newly built factory was constantly hiring. The territory had fallen into the same crisis as before, and there was a shortage of labor. You know, it wasn't the busy farming season yet. When the busy farming season came, there would be an even greater shortage of manpower.

Even if those unemployed alchemists are physically inactive and ignorant of farming, they are still perfect human computers, providing computing power for future research and disassembly of runes.