The Workshop

The morning sunlight had just spilled into Evernight City when Vivian was already standing on a newly built construction site in the western part of the city.

This place had once been ruins ravaged by war, with broken walls and rubble piled like mountains.

After months of uninterrupted clearing, leveling, and planning, it had transformed anew into a vast and orderly site, where dozens of craftsmen from various races bustled about—mighty minotaurs hauling massive stones, nimble goblin hands precisely masonry walls, and dwarf demon craftsmen hammering and calibrating metal components.

Everyone worked in orderly fashion, and at the center of the site, a sprawling, grand-structured building had taken initial shape, its towering framework casting long shadows in the dawn light.

“Lord Demon, according to your blueprints, the main structure is seventy percent complete.”

Lucia, supervising the progress, strode forward quickly and reported respectfully.

“It’s estimated that in another ten days, it will be fully completed, and some areas, like the core power zone, can begin preliminary testing and trial operation tomorrow.”

“Hm… good. Go attend to your duties; I’ll look around by myself.”

“Yes.”

Vivian nodded, her gaze sweeping over the building before her, and Lucia nodded in return before turning to leave—she still had several concurrent projects to oversee.

Vivian had originally hoped the workshop before her could start operations today, but for such a complex project, a slight delay was understandable; she could only wait patiently.

This “Magic Crystal Workshop” was the first industrialized production facility she had meticulously designed, a blueprint for industrialization—it completely abandoned the demon clan’s traditional reliance on individual craftsmen and handmade work, aiming for true “standardization” and “scale” production.

The entire building was clearly divided into three zones: the power zone, the processing zone, and the assembly zone.

The power zone used the mana from Evernight crystals as energy, converting it into mechanical power through specialized magic arrays. The processing zone was equipped with various improved tools—though not yet true “machines,” they were far more advanced than traditional handmade ones. The assembly zone handled final assembly and quality inspection.

Of course, in the later stages, energy would be drawn from the earth’s veins, with Evernight crystals serving as a temporary substitute.

“Fernando, how’s the laying of the mana conduction pipelines going?”

Vivian stepped into the construction site and found a dark-skinned dwarf demon craftsman with horns on his head, asking directly.

“Lord Demon!”

The dwarf craftsman exclaimed in surprise, then responded respectfully.

“Basically, they’ve all been laid according to your requirements; just the final procedures left.”

The dwarf elder pointed to the grooves on the ground.

“These pipelines can directly transmit energy from the Evernight crystals in the [Power Zone] to anywhere it’s needed!”

Looking at the engineering work before her, Vivian smiled satisfactorily.

This “mana conduction system” was inspired by her past life’s power grid circuits—though this world had no electricity, the principles of mana transmission were similar to electricity. Through specialized magic arrays and mana-conducting materials, long-distance energy transfer could be achieved.

Moreover, as far as Vivian knew, in more developed and prosperous demon territories and cities, similar equipment had long existed and was widespread. What was fully developed and accessible to all was the complete [Mana Net].

“Very good—by the way, has that batch of mana-guided machinery I wanted been produced?”

Vivian continued asking.

“It’s been made; it’s in the warehouse.”

Fernando led Vivian to the temporary warehouse nearby, scratching his bearded chin along the way and admitting frankly.

“But Lord Demon, honestly, I didn’t believe these things would work at first! But after making them according to your drawings and testing… it’s truly miraculous!”

Inside the warehouse, several oddly shaped devices gleamed with metallic cold light and magic runes, standing quietly.

One resembled a simple lathe from Vivian’s past life, but driven not by a motor but by a slowly rotating, softly glowing blue precision magic array that turned the chuck via gears and linkages.

Another was like a stamping press, its heavy hammer inscribed with strength-enhancement runes, clearly for rapidly shaping metal sheets. Yet another had multiple movable mechanical arms, complex in structure, seemingly for automated assembly.

“This is the combination of magic and mechanical principles.”

“Driven by mana, transmitting and converting energy through mechanical structures to achieve precise, repetitive, efficient operations—though it looks crude now, this is undoubtedly the first step toward industrialization.”

Gazing at the [prototypes] before her, she could even imagine how excited those fervent industrial enthusiasts from her past life would be seeing the sprouts of this “magical industrial revolution.”

‘If those industrial fans from my past life saw this, they’d probably jump with excitement—the magical version of the steam engine era. Just thinking about it gets me a little thrilled.’

Vivian thought secretly to herself.

“Lord Demon, what do you mean by industrial revolution?”

The dwarf craftsman Fernando beside her asked curiously.

“Uh…”

Vivian paused, thought for a moment, then explained.

“You can understand it as a fundamental change in production methods. The core is using more efficient methods and tools to replace traditional, inefficient manual labor.”

“For example, forging a qualified sword used to take a senior craftsman several days of careful hammering. Now, with these machines, it might take half a day, with more uniform quality. Work that required ten craftsmen before might now need only two or three operating machines—this is a leap in efficiency, hence ‘revolution.'”

“I see!”

Fernando’s eyes widened in realization.

“No wonder you’re sparing no effort to build this unprecedented workshop! This is to change the way we’ve done things for generations! Lord Demon, after this workshop is built, what do we plan to produce first?”

“The first batch will be improved farm tools and building materials.”

Upon hearing the craftsman’s words, Vivian immediately pulled out a list.

“Mana plows, mana waterwheels, standardized magic crystal bricks, and some basic hardware—these may seem unremarkable, but they’re key to boosting territory productivity.”

She pointed to the first item on the list.

“Look, this is the design for the ‘mana plow’—its blade is enchanted with a ‘sharpness’ effect, the frame optimized to greatly reduce resistance. Though costs are slightly higher, the key is a small energy-receiving array embedded in the body. The user just injects a bit of mana to activate it, and during plowing…”

It gains auxiliary power—one ordinary magic ox pulling it can match the efficiency of five pulling a traditional wooden plow, easily turning hard soil that was difficult to cultivate before. Efficiency will soar far beyond traditional tools.

“I call this—spending a little to achieve big results.”

Fernando took the blueprint and, with his decades of forging experience, immediately saw the ingenuity.

“Brilliant! This curved design really reduces traction force greatly! This miniature magic array is so clever—it softens the soil without excessive mana consumption, putting most people’s mana to use… Lord Demon, you’re a genius! In all my years of smithing, I’ve never imagined such a design!”

The dwarf elder’s praise was heartfelt.

“You’re too kind.”

Vivian waved it off, secretly amused inside.

These designs weren’t her originals; they were learned from textbooks and the internet in her past life—simple applications of Earth agricultural machinery and basic engineering.

But in this world, in a backward area like Evernight, they were indeed revolutionary innovations.

She wanted to change productivity and production methods, but this wasn’t just talk; it required practical tools—and this was the first step in her plan. She would start it, and the rest of the improvements and changes would depend on her people’s wisdom and practice.

“By the way, magic crystal brick production needs to ramp up soon.”

Vivian continued.

“City expansion requires large quantities of high-quality, uniform building materials. Traditional stone bricks rely on manual quarrying and polishing—inefficient with inconsistent quality. ‘Magic crystal bricks’ are made from scraps and low-grade stones from Evernight crystal mining, crushed, mixed, press-formed, and inscribed with basic solidification and energy-storage arrays. In my vision, they’re not only sturdy and durable but, when infused with mana, provide lighting, windproofing, warmth, and cold resistance—for basic illumination, micro-environment regulation, even simple protection. Multifunctional.”

“Understood! Lord Demon!”

Fernando nodded vigorously, his face full of vigor.

“I’ll immediately organize the most capable craftsmen to familiarize themselves with operating and maintaining these new devices! Lord Demon, rest assured—I swear on a dwarf’s hammer that this Magic Crystal Workshop will become the strongest heart of Evernight Territory, beating efficiently!”