The tantalizing aroma of whiskey proved too much for Jagged Beard to resist. Reluctantly, he growled his acceptance of Felix's terms.
"What do I have to do?!"
Felix hesitated, scratching his head.
Truth be told, he also had no clue. Felix strode to the factory's towering crimson doors, which opened with a hiss of pressurized air. Jagged Beard followed closely, despite his earlier grumbling.
Inside, the facility was a technological marvel. Conveyor belts crisscrossed the floor, flanked by chanical arms poised to assemble sothing grand. Massive slters and forges humd with latent power, waiting for activation. A steel ladder led to a console room on the upper deck, and its direction was marked by a polished signboard.
Felix climbed the ladder with Jagged Beard close behind. At the top, they found a sleek control console outfitted with four oversized buttons:
- Build Infantry
- Build dic Infantry
- Stop
- Self-Destruct
Both Felix and Jagged Beard stared at the description of every button for a mont before the latter yelled, "WHY IN THE ELVEN HELL DO YOU HAVE THE SELF-DESTRUCT BUTTON?!"
"I have no idea, okay?! This is my first ti building it!"
"YOU FOOL! REMOVE THIS THING!! OTHERWISE, SOONE MIGHT PRESS IT!!"
Fortunately, the self-destruct button was covered in a plastic-like cover, shielding everybody from pressing it by accident. However, its presence made everybody uneasy.
Felix shifted his gaze to the side computer monitors, which also featured another console. He noticed the prompted ssages and cleared his throat, trying to divert the attention.
"Here, here. Master Dwarf! You simply need to press your right palm on the blue screen over here, and the entire facility will register you as the manager. Only after that can you press those buttons. Even if soone wanders around here and sses with this place, they won't be able to change the order or press that."
Jagged Beard gave Felix a aningful look. Although the self-destruct button was still gnawing in his mind, he believed that he could avoid touching it. For the sake of the delicacy, Jagged Beard followed Felix's instruction, touching the blue panel on the side computer.
*DING*
The computer screen changed, showing the status nu of Jagged Beard, displaying his na, his manager status, the updated facility's material supply, and the current construction order.
Jagged Beard couldn't read anything at first. But after a while, the language on the nu changed to his mother language, which made him overjoyed.
"Ah! Finally, I get to read sothing intelligent! You and your stupid scribbles confused ! Next ti, use our refined language when you write sothing to , got it?!"
Without waiting for Felix's instructions, Jagged Beard studied the computer screens and the side consoles, learning their functions.
Felix observed Jagged Beard on the side. For 10 minutes, the dwarf patiently read through the terms and conditions of this facility. Then, he proceeded to the 200 digital pages of the manual, spending two hours reading everything thrice. Experience new stories on empire
After he was done, Jagged Beard turned to Felix and chased him out, "I get it. Very simple task! It's the sa as smithing, but I simply need to observe and control the temperature of the slter and the quality of the materials! Now, you're getting in the way! Get lost! Let work and leave alone! And don't forget to leave so jerkies and a keg of those, you hear?!"
Felix shrugged and left behind a crate, full of daily necessities, water supply, dry food, and a keg of newly made whiskey. He then left the dwarf alone. Felix continued touring his island and assisted in the training.
.
The next morning, Jagged Beard appeared at Felix's doorstep, dragging sothing behind him. His face was contorted in frustration, and he banged on the barrier protecting the house.
"DAMN BRAT! CO OUT AND EXPLAIN THIS SS!"
Felix, who had barely slept last night due to the intense mother-daughter activities, exited the house in his thin boxer. His body was still reeking the sweet sll of passionate Lamias.
Jagged Beard's expression twisted in disgust as he tossed a lifeless android at Felix's feet.
"What in the elven hell did you make build?! A golem?! It doesn't even have a mana crystal or core! Is your factory broken?!"
Felix rubbed his eyes, yawning as he examined the android.
As the dwarf claid, it was a marionette-like figure with no functionality. When Felix tried to stand it upright, it imdiately collapsed into a heap.
Sothing was clearly wrong. Opening the factory's nu, Felix scanned for issues. A new screen popped up, visible only to him.
.
War Machine Factory Status
Buildable Units:
- Infantry Gunner
- Infantry dic
Active Units:
- None
Inactive Units:
- None
.
Felix frowned. The unit hadn't registered. Turning to Jagged Beard, he hesitated to bla the dwarf directly, opting instead to consult Jessica through his ntal link.
'Jessica, what's wrong with the unit?'
Suppressing a groan, Felix sighed and gestured for Jagged Beard to follow him.
"Let's fix this. You pulled it out too early."
Jagged Beard scowled but complied, hauling the android back toward the factory while complaining in his mind.
Walking to the deepest part of the factory, the conveyor belts paused while the other machine monitors showed the error warnings. At the last destination of the conveyor belt, a casket had been waiting for the product. The monitor screen on the site detailed the instructions.
[Please restart the process or return the product to the previous checkpoint.]
Felix sighed deeply and glanced at Jagged Beard. He warned the dwarf, "Don't take out the unfinished product before it enters the casket. It still needs to undergo the last software installation procedure to activate the golems."
Jagged Beard was taken aback. He indeed took the unit from this conveyor belt because he wanted to inspect its quality by hand. However, he didn't expect the entire facility to stop.
Embarrassed, Jagged Beard snorted, "You never told about this!"
Felix sighed, "Didn't you read the manuals?"
"T-THAT DETAIL DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS!!"
The manual did, but Jagged Beard forgot. He was too tipsy this morning, and he was so curious about the machines that he delayed the production process for hours.
Felix forgave him since it was his first ti. After all, everybody made mistakes. He arranged the infantry gunner in the casket and tried pressing the resu button on the machine's console.
The entire facility rebooted. The machines scanned the product in the casket for a minute, and all lights turned green. The conveyor belts resud their functions, and chanical arms continued working on android parts.
The casket then was transferred to a slider, which rowed toward a glowing green wall. Upon touching the wall, the casket disappeared.
Jagged Beard raised an eyebrow and looked at Felix.
"Subspace storage? Brat, this building has one?"
"What, you don't?" Felix asked.
"Pfft. I have one, but don't expect to use it in front of you! I'm not a stupid elf-born like you idiot! Humph!"
Jagged Beard stomped away, concealing his guilt and embarrassnt.
Felix shook his head and went back to his house. He still had work to do.
After the little incident in the factory, Jagged Beard stopped intervening with the conveyor belts and chanical machines. He only observed by the side and assisted the forging machine slting white mithril. Though he pocketed a few ores, he soon returned them to the factory as he couldn't slt them with his homade forge.
This ti, every 12 hours, one infantry gunner was produced. Each consud 100 units of each material, which didn't cost a lot.
Just like that, two weeks passed by since the paladins and lamias had started their firearm training.
…
BANG!
BANG!
A precise rhythm of gunfire echoed across the shooting range, a row of ten black-haired paladins lying prone on the ground, each ticulously aiming at the tallic scarecrow targets 200 ters away. Their breaths were steady as they pulled the triggers of their custom rifles.
DING!
A sharp chi confird a successful hit. One paladin, acting as a spotter, focused her aura-enhanced eyes on the distant targets. Her pupils glead faintly as she scrutinized the results.
"Hit on the left stomach," she reported.
The sniper inhaled deeply, calming her nerves. She shifted her aim slightly, adjusting her position with practiced precision.
BANG!
DING!
"Hit. Left chest!"
The shooter exhaled in relief, setting her rifle aside montarily. She reached for a clipboard and pen, ticulously recording her scores. Once finished, she dusted herself off, slung her rifle over her shoulder, and vacated the firing line.
No sooner had she left than a dragonewt stepped into position. Towering over the paladins with her larger, muscular fra, the dragonewt moved with surprising grace as she assud the prone stance. Her thick tail curled slightly behind her, providing balance as she prepared her gear.
Her spotter, another black-haired paladin, knelt beside her, circulating her aura into her eyes to monitor the dragonewt's performance.
Across the range, the other shooting slots were equally active. Each participant took their turn, the rotations seamless. When soone ran out of ammunition, they rose, collected their equipnt, and allowed the next team to step forward.
In the lobby behind the range, the resting teams remained busy. So carefully dismantled their rifles, ticulously cleaning the parts with oil and brushes. Others quietly reviewed shooting techniques, discussing ways to improve their aim or how best to synchronize with their spotters. A few relaxed on benches, hydrating and conserving energy before their next turn.
The training atmosphere was a disciplined mix of precision, focus, and camaraderie. Each participant understood the stakes.
This wasn't rely a drill. It was preparation for a world where their marksmanship could determine the difference between survival and failure.
Felix watched over the girls with a bright smile. He no longer instructed them as he let these girls bond through training and competition. Moreover, they picked up the skills faster than regular humans as their stamina surpassed professional soldiers on Earth.
Soon, the new army would be ready for real action.
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