Development

Brian swallowed hard. He knew that when Fran invoked the name of the Deity, it meant that she had no intention of backing down on this issue.

But reason still told him that the barren land Fran had chosen was completely barren and a terrible choice, detrimental to the Sect's development.

"But, Proxy, that place is really too remote, and there's not a soul around. We simply can't develop our Sect there."

"Besides, even if that's a sacred site designated by the Deity, it would still require a lot of manpower to build. We can develop in White Flower City first."

Brian offered his opinions with utmost sincerity, practically stating outright that the area was a wasteland and what could one possibly do there?

"Brian, you don't need to say anything more, my decision is final."

Brian's expression stiffened for a moment, then returned to a polite smile, showing no sign of resistance.

"Then let's obey the orders of the Proxy."

He was careful with the tone of his voice, not expressing any dissatisfaction, as if he hadn't been the one who had just opposed Fran's decision.

Fran smiled and then said.

"Actually, I know that under normal circumstances, that place is indeed not a good place."

"But you also know that the reason we believe in our Lord is precisely because our Lord has this power to change things, isn't it?"

Brian blinked, and his clenched fist opened slightly.

"If our Lord could bring warmth to believers in the Northern Territory, why can't He do something similar here?"

"Logically, we should indeed stay in White Flower City and convert the entire population to our faith, but staying there is better for our Sect ..."

Brian seemed thoughtful. Although he still had many questions, he knew that Fran had already done a great job explaining these things to him, so he immediately lowered his head.

"You're right, Proxy... I still have things to do, so I'll be going now."

After receiving Fran's permission, Brian walked towards the door.

After Brian left, Fran turned her gaze to the huge machine on the table.

What she's making now isn't Steam Engine, but a type of mining equipment.

After Anna took control of the mine, Fran needed a way to acquire a large quantity of the minerals inside. The thing in front of her was an experimental version that Fran had created herself.

"We still need to use magic to assist us, otherwise the materials used in the mechanical structure alone won't be strong enough, and even if they were, the cost would be quite high."

Fran also discovered while making these things that if she insisted on copying some classic designs from her previous life, she might encounter problems with the materials.

Although she might find suitable materials if she spends more time, it doesn't necessarily mean the cost will be cheaper.

Therefore, she might as well use magic to assist her now, just like her mentor Harbos, who used magic to powerfully maintain the operation of the machinery.

However, the situation is very different from that of Harbos. Harbos has strong Mental Power and uses much larger machines, which can be operated with Mental Power with only a simple mechanical structure.

However, Fran definitely can't keep using Mental Power to maintain this after that. She has so many things to do. If she has to maintain all the things she makes with Mental Power, then even if she adds a dozen or so Profession to increase her Mental Power, it won't be enough.

Therefore, she had to consider a transitional form of mechanical structure, and a stable form after that, or even a complete departure from magic, since she was the only mage here...

"Following that, there are devices for smelting and processing steel, and manufacturing various small parts..."

Fran got a headache just thinking about it. She had to make all of these things herself, step by step. As a mage, her handcrafting speed was probably faster than making a crude machine.

"Let's take it slow. We still need to find someone to teach us some relevant knowledge, otherwise, if I have to do all the manufacturing and maintenance myself, that would be..."

Fran turned her gaze to the newly built machinery. Looking at it thoughtfully, she seemed to think that there were still many apprentices of the Forge School in the City of Apprentices.

Fran blinked; it seemed she could write a letter to the City of Apprentices and summon a few apprentices.

Coincidentally, Fran remembered that the last time she communicated with Harbos after obtaining a Tier 3 material, Harbos had suggested in his letter that she take on a few apprentices who were about to advance in their ranks.

These apprentices have passed the apprenticeship assessment, completing a test for their advancement to Formal Mage.

But even Harbos himself didn't know if this method of advancing to Formal Mage, pioneered by Fran, was missing something.

There shouldn't be any problem with magic; the problem lies in the knowledge he possesses. Even Harbos himself isn't entirely confident that what Fran left behind is enough for others to advance to the Formal Mage.

After all, considering that Fran was able to build Steam Engine, her knowledge in this area may have been far more extensive than the book Fran left behind.

Therefore, Harbos wanted Fran to mentor a few apprentices who were about to be promoted, to see if she could help these apprentices supplement their knowledge.

Fran replied that she was busy and mentioned that Iris would be taking her to the Floating City soon, and told Harbos to wait until she returned from the Floating City before continuing.

But Fran really needs some help right now, otherwise it would be too much trouble for her to do it all by herself.

Perfectly, what Fran wanted to do matched exactly what these apprentices wanted to learn...

Just then, a gray square tile that Fran had placed on the table slowly lit up, and a blue glow illuminated the texture of the tile.

"Anna and her group have taken over that mine, so I have to leave too."

Fran didn't continue writing the letter; instead, she immediately began packing her things and went outside.

As she walked out, she glanced at the enormous machine slung over the table.

"If only I could take this thing with me there, so I wouldn't have to make one by hand when I get there."

Fran sighed. She knew that there was no way she could bring the thing she had made there intact.

Because she had no safe means of transportation at all, if she really used an ordinary horse-drawn carriage to transport it there, she didn't know what would happen to the internal structure.

So Fran decided to go there herself and spend some time rebuilding it.

Having already created one, and given her extremely high Mental Power, creating another one would probably only take less than an hour.

Fran rode her Black Horse for a while and came to a mine entrance with a gate that looked like it had been smashed by something.

Anna was already waiting there. She saw a black shadow rushing towards her at an incredible speed from afar, stopping in front of her and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"How is the situation?"

Fran dismounted and asked Anna.

"Things are alright, no one has escaped... As for missionary work..."

"Some of the guards seem to have been 'persuaded,' but that remains to be seen, while the miners are currently very resistant."

Fran wasn't surprised by the result. If she could have convinced all these people to believe in the Lord of Radiance in the two hours she rode there, Fran missionary abilities would have made her relinquish her position as the Proxy...

"Keep those guards locked up, and bring all the miners out to work. After a few days, some will naturally convert..."

Fran's strategy was quite simple: if no one had eliminated their gang of bandits for several days, some people would naturally waver.

Moreover, Fran planned to exchange work for food, and those who didn't work wouldn't have anything to eat. Under these circumstances, coupled with the guidance of the believers Fran brought, it was estimated that after a week, they could basically all be considered as believers of the Lord of Radiance.

"You bring a group of miners to the mine in a little while, and the rest of you find some time to set up some houses at the spot I've designated..."

Anna didn't ask Fran what she was going to do, because she knew Fran was probably doing something that only a mage could do, so she simply turned around and started walking up the road.

The open-pit mine was full of pits and hollows, with soil and gravel mixed together, and metallic luster could be seen in the gaps between them.

Fran chose a relatively flat spot, manipulated the Earth Element to clear away the dust and sand, and then began her operation.

She drew her Purple Shortsword, which glowed red, and then she took a few steps toward a large rock to the north, cleaving it in two with a single strike.

She melted the Ore with Dragon Flame, and because of the Dragon Flame's wondrous effects, Fran was also unaware of the unique mechanisms of this other world.

In any case, the metal formed after being forged in Dragon Flame has higher strength, which is more obvious in some metals with low basic strength.

She then processed the metal into a component and assembled it on the slightly flattened piece of land.

"Hey, I brought the person, but something went wrong. These people probably thought we were going to drag him out and stew him..."

Anna led a group of dark-faced men over. They wore only dirty, tattered clothes, and their fingernails and faces were stained black from years of mining, making their original skin color almost unrecognizable.

Some of them were brought here by the lord because they had to serve in the army, while others were thrown here for committing crimes.

Their faces showed terror, as if they had not yet adapted to this sudden change, so when Anna brought them out, they were almost all prepared to die.

I just don't know why they had to be brought into the mine.

Fran turned around and then spoke slowly.

"Listen, I'll only demonstrate once."

Fran pointed to the two-meter-tall machine that had just been built beside her, its core completely exposed.

She placed her hand on the machine, and with the help of the small wheels underneath, she successfully propelled it to a large rock.

She manipulated a lever on the machine, and a rotating rod extended from the front of the machine, drilling into the stone, which immediately cracked open.

"Okay, you guys give it a try. Be careful not to break it; it might malfunction on its own. I haven't tested it thoroughly yet..."

The miners who had been driven there looked puzzled. They didn't understand what this thing was or how it could drill through the hard Ore so easily. In the past, it might have taken one person an hour to break through this rock.