Wizard: Building a G Chapter 86 - 83: My Cost Is Lower Than Yours

Chapter 86: Chapter 83: My Cost Is Lower Than Yours

Victor Iron Fla’s brow was furrowed.

At first, he too found the problem utterly absurd. But the mindset of an heir to an Alchemy Family only allowed that feeling to last for a mont.

He imdiately realized the test wasn’t about the upper limits of technology, but about the ability to compress costs to the absolute extre.

And that was precisely his weakest area.

The Tieyan Clan’s emblem represented power, quality, and indomitable performance—not so cheap trinket used to scare off coyotes in a field.

But as a proper heir, he had to prove he could solve this kind of "low-end" problem as well.

anwhile, when Allen heard the words "budget cannot exceed ten Low-Level Magic Stones," his expression grew much more serious.

DSeek had already helped him establish a new analysis project:

’[Project Na: Low-Cost Agricultural Defense Unit Upgrade Plan]’

’[Core trics: Cost Control, Mass Replicability, Low Maintenance]’

’[...Initiating modeling of technical paths and supply chain costs.]’

"I’ll do it."

As the classroom descended into noisy debate, Victor Iron Fla’s voice rang out clearly, instantly silencing all discussion.

He strode to the front of the room, his posture erect and his bearing poised. He looked less like he was in a class and more like he was at his family’s new product launch.

"Instructor, fellow students. I believe that upgrading an already finalized, crudely built ’Field Guardian I’ within a budget of ten Magic Stones is a false premise."

With his opening words, he directly refuted the foundation of the problem.

"Any attempt to add an energy-emitting module to such a fragile wooden fra is irresponsible. It would cause structural imbalance and massive energy transfer loss. Furthermore, after multiple firings, the entire chanical Body would fall apart from the energy impact."

"Therefore, the correct approach isn’t an upgrade, but a replacent."

Victor held up two fingers. "First, structural optimization. We design an all-new ’Field Guardian II.’ Its fra will be made of hardened ironwood, which is both cost-effective and increases its structural integrity by more than three tis—enough to support subsequent composite function modules."

"Second, functional integration. We abandon that shoddy piece of iron that can only light up and instead design a brand-new ’composite function module.’ This module will simultaneously integrate ’Magic Power Perception’ and a simplified ’Magic Missile’ Magic model. When it perceives a threat, it will draw Magic Power directly from its built-in Magic Stone to fire. This integrated design will minimize energy loss."

He looked at his classmates, his tone laced with hidden arrogance.

"As for the cost, admittedly, the material cost for a single ’Field Guardian II’ is about twenty Magic Stones. However, if we mass-produce them in units of one hundred thousand, leveraging the Tieyan Clan’s channels to procure raw materials in bulk and implenting a standardized assembly line, I am confident we can compress the final cost per unit down to seventeen Magic Stones."

"By sacrificing a little on the budget, we get a brand-new product that is superior in every aspect of performance, structurally stable, and has a longer lifespan. This is a truly responsible and elegant Alchemy Technology solution for the user."

When Victor finished presenting his plan, a wave of sincere admiration swept through the classroom.

"As expected of the Tieyan Clan’s heir. He tackled the problem directly from a production and supply standpoint."

"His thinking is so clear. We’re still stuck on how to carve Runes into wood, and he’s already thinking about the mass-production cost for a hundred thousand units."

His approach was clear and comprehensive. Not only did he solve the technical problem, but he also demonstrated a business and production mindset far beyond that of an ordinary apprentice.

Transforming a seemingly impossible "upgrade" problem into a feasible "replacent" plan was, in itself, a brilliant approach.

Even rcer’s Golem form nodded slightly. Its tallic face was expressionless, but its voice carried a tone of approval.

"The logic is sound, and the plan is complete. A classic ’total replacent’ approach. It accounts for the cost-amortization effect of large-scale production. Although it exceeds the budget, it qualifies as a mature industrial concept."

Then, it turned its gaze to the back of the classroom, to the other student who had not said a word from the very beginning.

"Allen Wesren, let’s hear your thoughts."

Allen stood up, not refusing the instructor’s invitation.

He remained where he was, not grandstanding like Victor. He simply extended a hand and used his Magic Power to project his design into the air.

It wasn’t a new scarecrow.

It was... a rather ugly, palm-sized wooden box, along with a simple-looking wooden clip.

The apprentices, who had just been praising Victor, now wore expressions of confusion.

’What is this? A crude piece of woodwork?’

"My plan doesn’t require replacing anything."

Allen’s voice reached everyone’s ears clearly.

"The upgrade cost per unit is 9.1 Low-Level Magic Stones. A junior apprentice with basic training can complete the installation on-site in under ten minutes."

He pointed to the wooden box and explained:

"I call it the ’Universal Defense Module.’ Its internal structure is very simple, containing only three things."

"First, a low-grade Energy Storage Magic Stone to act as an independent power source. It only provides enough power for a single shot before being depleted. Wholesale market price: three Magic Stones."

"Second, a single-use sheet of Rune Paper. It’s inscribed with a Rune Array that has one-third the power of a standard ’Magic Missile’ model. I chose one-third power because Witchcraft at this energy level has the lowest material requirents for the paper, allowing for mass printing on the cheapest grade of rune-engraving paper. Total cost per sheet: five Magic Stones."

"Third, a simple Magic Pulse trigger that connects the Rune Paper to the power source. It has only one function: to complete the circuit upon receiving an activation signal. Cost: one Magic Stone."

Next, he pointed to the clip.

"This is a standardized mounting bracket. It can be made from ordinary wood, so the cost is negligible. We just need to fasten it to the scarecrow’s crossbeam arms with two screws. The defense module can then be slotted in like a drawer."

"Finally," Allen drew a line in the air, connecting the scarecrow’s iron-plate head to the wooden box, "this is a signal transmission wire, worth 0.1 Magic Stones. Its purpose is to transmit an activation signal to the defense module’s trigger whenever the scarecrow’s ’Magic Power Perception’ detects a fluctuation exceeding the alert threshold."

"And then, BANG!" Allen made a firing gesture.

"The scarecrow is still the sa scarecrow. In my plan, it only serves two purposes: an existing sensor and a free fra. All offensive functions are handled by this independent, external, and replaceable module."

"After it fires, a farr just needs to walk over, pull out the old module, and slot in a new one. The entire process takes less than a minute."

The entire classroom fell into thought.

If Victor’s plan was to "reforge" a sharper sword, then Allen’s was to strap a disposable blade to a fire poker.

One was a work that pursued balance and perfection.

The other was... a cheap, industrial product that pursued the ultimate in cost-effectiveness.

Two completely different design philosophies had just brutally collided in the most stark and direct way imaginable.