Raphael’s understanding of the construction industry was extremely vague.
He had originally thought that ten tons of timber could go a long way, but in reality, it was nothing to write home about.
Two hundred tons of timber…
He could only accumulate ten tons per head he cut off. How many people would he have to kill?
But for now, he should focus on building the wall first.
After a brief observation, Raphael found that Helzuo’s professional skills were indeed up to par.
Thus, after entrusting the site entirely to Helzuo, Raphael immediately rushed to the next location.
No.2 Employee Dormitory, first floor.
Xiugu and his four companions were arranged to stay in two vacant rooms on the first floor.
Safitiya couldn’t stop trembling upon seeing the dormitory from afar.
“Lord.” In the middle of the corridor, Xiugu was sitting on the floor near the door, studying a blueprint intently.
“So, can this loom be built?”
When Raphael had previously executed Lanse’s men, a high-grade loom design blueprint had dropped.
Last night, after delegating tasks to Safitiya, he had drawn out this blueprint.
To be fair, the System was still miraculous.
He, who could draw a snake swallowing an elephant and have it mistaken for a hat, was almost divinely aided when drawing this diagram.
The moment the pen touched paper, it was as if the one drawing was not him, but a god, or some powerful being.
The lines were smooth and fluid, the structure replicated perfectly in a one-to-one scale, every detail accurate to the millimeter.
After all, the naked eye could hardly distinguish anything smaller.
When the guard delivered this blueprint to Xiugu, the latter was utterly astounded.
The more one understood machinery and craftsmanship, the more overwhelming the feeling from this blueprint.
“How can there be such a connection method…”
“This won’t work… no, this is!”
“This is no mere blueprint. This is an epic of industry!”
Xiugu, who had mastered cutting-edge knowledge, had a perspective different from Raphael’s.
He deeply knew that if this blueprint were to be released, it would shake the entire academic world.
That seemingly nonsensical design was perfectly tight and integrated everywhere; one could not see traces of any past machine in it, and it was completely impossible for anyone to draw inspiration from it.
Moreover, what stunned Xiugu even more was that the materials and components used in this loom were basically the same as those in current looms!
And the additional parts were simple components that did not require high precision and could be easily made even by apprentices.
Divine craftsmanship… that word could no longer describe this loom.
A Divine Miracle. Xiugu could only think that way. It was a Divine Miracle, just like his own existence!
[Ding——!]
[Detected increase in Xiugu’s Loyalty!]
[Individual Name: Xiugu]
[Position: Chief Engineer]
[Loyalty: 85]
[Loyalty Change: 80 → 85]
Seeing this, Raphael scratched his head.
What was going on? Asking a question increases loyalty?
Then he might as well cosplay Arthur Morgan.
“Lord,” Xiugu stood up and said respectfully, “This machine is completely feasible. If we modify and upgrade it based on the old machines, the five of us can build ten a day! If some manpower can be allocated, it will be even faster!”
“Furthermore,” the respect on Xiugu’s face gradually turned to worship, “Lord, the production capacity of this machine can at least double the original! Moreover, the structure of this machine is more stable, and maintenance costs are greatly reduced compared to current equipment!”
This excitement spread from Xiugu’s face to Raphael’s heart. “Excellent. How many people will you need?”
“Lord, the factory is still in operation,” Xiugu pondered slightly, then had a flash of inspiration.
“How about this: every time we modify a device, we have the Hybrid in charge of that device join in. That way, we won’t affect normal production and it will be easier to control the numbers.”
“Great idea. I’ll leave this to you then.”
“By the way, Lord,” Xiugu took out a sheet of paper, “Based on the original equipment, we need these types of parts. They can all be made with a forge.”
“However…” Xiugu paused at this point.
He knew that the Prison did not have the corresponding raw materials.
Raphael saw the embarrassment on Xiugu’s face and asked, “What materials are needed?”
“Iron, preferably Refined Iron for ease of processing. Also Brass, which is relatively soft. Some parts for connections need Brass cladding. And some Timber for support structures…”
Refined Iron, Brass, Timber…
Raphael suddenly understood. “So that’s what he’s been waiting for!”
Using Absolute Authority to send Xiugu and Safitiya away, Raphael immediately rushed to the temporary workshop built for Xiugu.
With a thought, five tons of Refined Iron, five tons of Brass, and ten tons of Timber piled up the open space outside the workshop.
“We can officially start work now.” Returning to the dormitory building, Raphael smiled.
Xiugu was puzzled. His mind had just flashed, and when he came back to his senses, he heard Raphael say they could start work.
With doubt, Xiugu left the dormitory and went to the workshop.
When he saw the neatly stacked raw materials, the metal gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, it dazzled him so much he couldn’t open his eyes for a moment.
He walked up, reached out to touch the cold iron blocks, followed the direction of the stacked iron, and groped all the way to the rough grain of the timber. His mind went blank.
The noise outside the Prison’s high walls and the roar of the nearby factory seemed to sink into boundless silence at that moment.
Only his own heavy breathing kept him from mistakenly thinking he had gone deaf.
A wood splinter accidentally pierced his rough finger, scraping off a layer of skin. The slight pain finally brought him back to his senses.
Immediately after, an excitement as intense as a violent storm surged in his heart, like roaring rolling waves under thunderclouds.
It was absolutely true. This was reality, not illusion.
The various inexplicable experiences in the past could still be brushed off with the word “Divine Miracle.”
Now, this ironclad fact that had truly happened before his eyes, beyond dispute and impossible to dispute—if he were to dismiss it with just “Divine Miracle,” it would be nothing less than blasphemy against the divine existence that was Raphael.
That’s right. Xiugu had already come to this conclusion:
This series of miracles was all caused by Raphael.
If he insisted on calling it a Divine Miracle, then undoubtedly, the God was Raphael himself.
Of course, such worship and Faith, Xiugu would only bury in his heart.
Elevating someone to a god—an act akin to Heresy—could easily attract the attention of the Inquisition Tribunal if one wasn’t careful.
Xiugu didn’t want to cause Raphael unnecessary trouble, and he himself was not the type to enjoy flattery.
He was now only thinking about one thing:
Should he work himself to the bone, or should he make everyone else work themselves to the bone?
…
In the distance, Raphael, who had just returned to the Administration Building, sneezed.
“Ah…”
At the entrance of the Administration Building, Safitiya was squatting on the ground eating lunch.
The loneliness in her eyes dissipated the moment she saw Raphael, and then she turned her head away to look at the ground.
Raphael was somewhat helpless. It wasn’t hard to guess that Safitiya’s cultural lessons were not going smoothly.
She wasn’t even handling interpersonal relationships very well.
She was just short of taking her lunch box and sneaking off to eat in the bathroom.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
He decided to show some concern anyway.
Upon hearing this, Safitiya buried her head, her whole body radiating an aura of “It’s none of your business, go away~.”
“Don’t want to talk? But I heard…” Raphael paused. “Good children should be honest.”
“Good——”
Safitiya suddenly lowered her voice and muttered, “I’m not a good child.”
“Then there’s no helping it.” Raphael stood up and walked into the building.
The moment he stepped through the door, a small head suddenly popped up, accompanied by the girl’s shy murmur:
“Don’t misunderstand… This is work.”