The apprentices had no idea what Kroya was wrestling with.
They were busy shaping lumps of white soft mud, gradually building a white factory from nothing.
Perhaps because they came from poor families, most knew a little about climbing onto roofs to repair them or patching walls.
In any case, they were remarkably practiced at the work.
The white soft mud was essentially oversized modeling clay.
The apprentices only had to spread it flat on the ground, build upward step by step, and shape it with magic to make it stable and sturdy.
The hardest-working apprentice of all was... Jamie.
"Over here!"
The apprentice-no, the now First-Level Mage Jamie-had climbed to the highest level, building as he shouted for his companions to bring up more materials.
The blueprints Kroya had given him were as clear as a 3D model in his mind, every pillar, every crossbeam...
It really was like stacking building blocks. He could always put each piece of material exactly where it belonged.
With him working so hard, the factory naturally went up very quickly.
Watching the tall building gradually take shape under his and his companions' hands filled him with an indescribable sense of achievement.
That fulfilling joy drove him to work even harder.
He carried basket after basket of white soft mud to the higher levels. Magic gathered at his fingertips, wisps of blue light winding around the mud.
Floors, walls, ceilings...
He soon became completely absorbed. His movements grew increasingly efficient, and he did not even notice the white soft mud smeared all over him.
He looked just like a laborer who had spent an entire day pouring concrete on a construction site, without a trace of a mage's noble reserve.
The other apprentices kept working, but relaxed a little and began chatting:
"Jamie really