The Worker Bee Puppets and clay puppets under his command swiftly set to work, assembling the components according to Li Chen's instructions.
These puppets, endowed with intelligence, were exceptionally familiar with the procedures involved. In less than an hour, a simple experimental production line was complete.
Heavenly Pivot flipped the switch, setting the production line in motion.
Everyone watched as various spirit materials were automatically fed into the intake, then sorted, processed, and forged.
The greatest difference between this and the forging work of Puppeteer Apprentices and craftsmen was that the latter used magic power to melt and cast materials with effortless versatility, whereas this production line used an electric furnace.
They watched prepared pieces of iron enter the furnace, hover in midair as though supported by invisible hands, then rapidly heat up and melt into orange-yellow molten iron that remained suspended in the air.
Several recruited mortal craftsmen operated instruments resembling computers. Following the prescribed procedures, they activated the smelting programs, and the materials inside were swiftly refined, their impurities removed.
Before long, barrels, stocks, grips, and various other components took shape one after another.
Mechanical arms picked up components from different locations and moved them into the next stage of assembly.
Intelligent Machinery already handled the repetitive mechanical processes, while the factory workers took care of other tasks within their capabilities. Everything proceeded in orderly fashion.
Li Chen explained to his fellow Puppet Masters beside him, "Electric-furnace steelmaking primarily uses electric arc heat. Within the arc's active zone, temperatures reach four thousand degrees, more than enough to smelt ordinary steel, or even spirit iron and black iron. By incorporating techniques for infusing spiritual essence during this process, we can artificially synthesize low-grade spirit iron to meet ordinary magic artifact forging needs!"
"It employs electromagnetic stirring, using electromagnetic force