Chapter 355: Chapter 106: Steel and Magic

Falan explained the marvelous uses of the Magic Transmitter, then went on to explain the composition of the entire Magic Array to Robson.

Simply put, this Array was not a standalone structure. It was an array within a much larger Array.

This just so happened to confirm what Falan had said before: that Widder Peak and the world’s second-highest peak might actually be two different parts of the same Array.

As for what this Array was specifically for, Robson didn’t know. According to Falan, it might be purely for observing the stars, or possibly for monitoring things on this planet.

Hearing this, Robson felt it was like a piece of technology from his past life. ’A satellite?’

Of course, these things had little to do with the current Robson.

After they emerged from the Magic Array, the soldiers were chattering excitedly, clearly still affected by the scene they had just witnessed.

Lord Robson had no intention of explaining anything to them, nor did he plan on warning them not to spread the word.

There were over fifty men on site. Without professional training, you couldn’t keep people’s mouths shut.

Besides, the soldiers didn’t even know what this Magic Array was for. Even if they talked, other lords would probably just assume Robson had struck a treasure. As for the scenes the soldiers described, they would just be dismissed as the tall tales of ignorant Peasants who had never seen the world.

Given Lord Robson’s current prestige beyond the pass, it was unlikely anyone would turn on him over some unsubstantiated treasure.

Forcing them to keep quiet would only make things look more suspicious.

It just so happened that the recent propaganda efforts of his adjutants had already started to show some results. A trend of mythologizing him, Lord Robson, was already spreading throughout the territory.

When these soldiers brought the news back, it would fan the flames even more, strengthening their loyalty to his, Lord Robson’s, leadership.

After leaving the Magic Array, Robson and Falan discussed how to deal with the leaking Demonic Qi. Now that they had identified the source of the problem, things were much simpler.

Robson and Falan cast two Arrays. One was at the source of the leaking Demonic Qi—the Energy Conversion Pillar—to restrict its outflow. It was like putting a bandage on the Pillar’s wound.

The other Array was set up around the Energy Conversion Pillar, where Robson redirected a portion of the leaking Demonic Qi.

This portion of Demonic Qi was mainly to be used for feeding the Kobolds outside.

After all, having discovered this Magic Array, if there was one thing Lord Robson had in abundance, it was Magic Energy. To him now, the Energy Conversion Pillar was practically a semi-infinite power source.

Although the Kobolds could eat coarse grains, or even moldy food, it was best to rear them on Magic Energy.

One could tell just by looking at the Kobolds in the mines. After feeding on Demonic Qi for a few days, every one of them had become strong and sturdy, almost rivaling some short adult human males.

In the future, the physical condition of these Kobolds would be directly tied to Lord Robson’s iron ore output. Giving them some Demonic Qi now would ensure they could toil away for him, Lord Robson, later.

.....

Lastly, Robson added a third-tier Defense Array to the opening the Kobolds had dug out, with its power sourced directly from the newly discovered Energy Converter.

Once this was done, Robson specifically had General Gall’s legion relocate to the edge of the mine. Robson told them their mission was to coordinate with the Kobolds’ mining operations and to remain vigilant against any creatures or other strange people who might try to intrude.

Of course, there was another layer to their mission: to investigate whether there was anything else strange on that second-highest peak.

With the mine inspection complete, the next task was to figure out how to apply the Magic Array to steel production.

To this end, Robson had his soldiers summon some of the territory’s most skilled craftsmen to discuss the steps of steel production.

At first, the craftsmen were a bit nervous. After all, a nobleman was a nobleman, and a commoner was a commoner. Besides, they had never heard of any case where Magic was combined with iron refining.

Fortunately, under Robson’s patient guidance, they gradually opened up. When the discussion turned to their area of expertise, the floodgates of conversation burst open.

The general outline of the process was more or less what Robson had expected; the main differences were in the details.

The Iron Refining Array was based on the blast furnace from Robson’s imagination, combined with the local refining methods of this world.

The structure of the entire Array was quite similar to the previous "Waterworks No. 1." Perhaps most large Arrays had a similar structure.

The Array was divided into two parts. One was the Magic Energy Converter, used to draw in Magic Energy and convert it into kinetic energy in the physical world.

The other was the Magic Iron Refining Furnace, which had a practical effect on refining iron.

Originally, Robson’s plan for the Magic Iron Refining Furnace was to use Magic Energy as a supplement, with other fuels being the primary source.

But now that he had a temporary source of infinite energy, Robson changed his mind.

A furnace that used Magic Energy on a large scale could control its internal temperature much better than a traditional furnace, and it could also refine more steel at the same time.

After all, the two biggest labor costs in iron refining were controlling the furnace temperature and transporting the iron ore. To help the craftsmen better control the new furnaces, Robson even created a new unit of temperature.

He took it from Falan’s name, calling it a Falan.

For the Iron Refining Array and weapon production, Robson’s plan was to create a single, streamlined process.

Refining iron, forging, creating billets, and then manufacturing weapons, farm tools, and so on—it would all be handled right here on Widder Mountain, turning it into the future industrial heartland of his territory.

Compared to refining, the forging process was much more complicated. Even Falan had to spend a whole morning thinking it over.

The final design was still centered around the furnace, but it added a new section compared to the previous Iron Refining Array.

This was the forging area, where Magic Energy would be used to power automated forging equipment.

This part was rather complex; even Robson didn’t quite understand it.

But for Robson, whether he understood it or not wasn’t important. The most crucial things were the feasibility of the Magic Array and whether the blacksmiths could actually use it.

Once the blueprints were finalized, Robson immediately summoned the Mage Team and, taking advantage of the spring rains, began construction on Widder Mountain.

Widder Mountain bustled with activity for a while. Amidst the sounds of hammering and construction, the machines Robson had named "Iron No. 1" and "Soldier Weapon No. 1" gradually began to take shape under the watchful eyes of all.

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