Chapter 111 - 111 Twilight Fortress
111 Twilight Fortress
“Ah?”
Sigmonds felt that he had probably heard wrongly; all he could utter was a simple syllable from the depths of his throat.
The Presiding Judge ignored him and only picked up the schedule from the enchantment table beside him.
“I already got them to demonstrate the current workflow of the enchantment factory. Your idea of separating the work processes is correct, but there are still many problems with the arrangement and connection between the various processes… For example, the processing speed of the enchantment of the Bandit constellation at Line 1 is twice that of the other lines. When this happens, you should add another line so as not to waste the efficiency of this process. In addition, when you set the schedule, you should put the process with a high failure rate in front and the successful ones at the back. This way, the problems will be exposed in the early stages of the process. You won’t let the people in front work for nothing. Such disorderly scheduling will lead to…”
As the Presiding Judge spoke, he flipped over the schedule and wrote down his opinions on the process optimization.
Sigmonds felt stunned when he heard that. It took him a long time to recover and ask, “Lord Presiding Judge… In other words, you don’t object to the current operations of the enchantment factory?”
“Why should I?”
The other party stopped what he was doing and looked at him in confusion.
“But isn’t this method akin to using an enchanter like a mason? Won’t this make you feel that this is blasphemy against the… sanctity of the enchanter profession?” Sigmonds asked uneasily.
William looked at the other party’s uneasy expression and patted his shoulder.
“The sanctity part of it solely lies in the job’s goal. Repairing the Twilight Fortress is indeed a very sanctified goal, but there’s nothing sanctified about the job itself. There’s only one criterion for the evaluation to be good or bad, and that’s the level of efficiency. If a mason’s experience can increase the efficiency of the job, it’s an experience worth drawing upon.”
Sigmonds was still in a daze as he digested the meaning of William’s words when the enchanters behind William surrounded him.
The enchanter who had complained to William complained, “But Your Excellency, this isn’t about efficiency anymore. It’s that we can’t withstand the intensity of this work at all. Nobody can withstand over ten hours of highly focused enchantment casting a day.”
However, William shook his head and said, “No, this is still a matter of efficiency.”
As he spoke, he waved the pen and paper in his hand and said, “This is also the second major problem in the operations here. Scheduling a reasonable number of breaks is also an important part of efficiency optimization.”
With that said, William wrote down other optimization suggestions.
“After optimizing the process according to my previous suggestions, I’ll change these four parallel enchantment routes to two assembly lines that are connected. The efficient segment allows a person to be in charge of two lines at the same time…”
Before William could finish speaking, the enchanters erupted in protest. The few enchanters who were requested to do more work because of their high efficiency started clamoring about quitting.
William made a thunderous sound in his throat that drowned out the enchanters’ noisy protests.
“However, I’ll split you into three teams and you’ll take turns using the enchantment facilities here. Every team only needs to work for eight hours a day, and the remaining time is enough for you to recover. Moreover, I’ll also adjust the remuneration for hiring you. Other than the promised remuneration that’s three times the market price, there will be additional rewards based on the number of Demon Sealing Talismans each of you handles. You can choose gold, rare alchemy materials, or enchantment knowledge of the same value.”
With that said, the crowd instantly fell silent as if they had been under the hold of a Great Peace Spell.
The enchanters looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.
“Think about it carefully. Today happens to be Sunday, so we might as well set Sundays every week as a day off in the future. Everyone, have a good rest.”
As William spoke, he stuffed the piece of paper filled with suggestions into Sigmonds’s hand and gestured for him to leave with him.
Before he could reach the door, questions kept coming from the enchanters behind him.
“Your Excellency, is this true?”
“I’ll do it! Your Excellency, can you let me be in charge of the intersection of the two lines?”
“Hey, didn’t you just say that you wanted to leave?”
“Shut up!”
…
After leaving the enchantment factory, William led Sigmonds to the Twilight Fortress. Halfway there, Sigmonds suddenly asked, “Presiding Judge, if we only retain two lines as you said and divide everyone into three shifts, the people here won’t be able to cover all the enchantment equipment.”
William smiled and replied, “No problem. I’ve brought the entire Enchantment Guild in Blacklight City over. You should be worried that there won’t be enough equipment here. However, you don’t have to worry too much about this. The corresponding equipment will be sent over in the future.”
Sigmonds asked in surprise, “But I heard that the Enchantment Guild in Blacklight City is all from Astral Lighthouse. They won’t serve anyone other than the Astral Council…”
“Don’t worry. Now that the Astral Lighthouse in Blacklight City has collapsed, they should know that times have changed. Oh right, remember not to be too polite when you order them around. You have to let them straighten out where they stand first. These people are considered unbearably arrogant even among magic chanters.”
At this point, William suddenly changed the topic.
“Oh right, your idea for an assembly line was really not bad.”
Sigmonds hurriedly said, “Not at all. Didn’t you see through so many problems at a glance?”
William shook his head and said, “You would have figured out these optimization problems in time to come. However, it’s indeed very rare for someone like you—who grew up in this world—to think of this.”
Then, William looked at the nearby Twilight Fortress and said, “Although it can’t even be considered a prototype now, do you believe that this thing will soon transform this world into something you can’t even imagine? I suggest you go to the enchantment factory when you have the time in the future to accumulate more operational experience for all the processes. It’s best if you bring a few people you trust and are smart to accumulate experience. With you as seeds, many changes in the future can be easily implemented.”
Although Sigmonds didn’t know what the Presiding Judge meant by ‘change,’ he still nodded.
Then, the two of them walked into Twilight Fortress in silence.
“Did you follow my instructions to prioritize the construction of the circuits for the Demon Sealing Runes in the Twilight Hall in the north of the fortress?” William looked at the incomplete Twilight Fortress and asked.
“Of course, the first project we completed is over there. It was completed half a month ago,” Sigmonds immediately replied.
William nodded, and with a flash of lightning, he disappeared from his spot. But less than five seconds later, he returned.
When he returned, he was holding a birdcage made purely of shadows, and a fat crow was squeezed into it.
“I’ve already told you everything I know. Please don’t kill me…” the deformed fat crow shouted at the top of its lungs.
William rolled his eyes inwardly.
Are you sure you’re not reminding me that you’re no longer of value? That I shouldn’t forget to kill you?
“I’m not asking you anything. I want you to bring me somewhere.”
As William spoke, he teleported to the Dusk Hall in the northernmost part of the fortress with Sigmonds beside him.
This was a circular hall without any gorgeous decorations. It was as simple as a tomb.
The material on the ground of the Twilight Hall was different from anywhere in the Twilight Fortress. It was made of limestone that looked like moss. Moreover, there were ancient carvings engraved on it. The carvings gathered in the hall and were precisely distributed in grooves in 12 directions like markings on a clock.
“Where? My Lord Father of the Crows’ Moon Realm domain, Black Crow Gaze? I already said that I don’t know where that place is. I’m a messenger that was directly molded in Nightmare Swamp…” the fat crow messenger looked around and said.
“Yes, I want you to bring me to the Nightmare Swamp.”
William nodded and took out Judgment 2 from his storage space. He walked to the groove at two o’clock in the hall and stabbed the sword into the groove.
An extremely strong magical power flowed along the path laid out here, causing the entire hall to tremble violently. It was as if the building had turned into a warship sailing in the storm.
The tremors lasted for about ten seconds. The scenery outside the window—which was supposed to be bright and beautiful in the morning—suddenly turned into a dilapidated evening scene.
The fat crow looked out the window in shock.
It could sense that they weren’t in Currere but in the Moon Realm.
The dusk outside the window wasn’t really dusk, but a projection of the concept of finality in the Moon Realm.
Looking at the other party’s shocked eyes, William pulled out Judgment 2 and said to the crow,
“This fortress in Currere is only an anchor to the Moon Realm’s coordinates. This is the true Twilight Fortress. Welcome to the true Twilight Fortress, the final fortress located in the Moon Realm’s finality.”
“You brought me to the Moon Realm? And you want me to bring you to the Nightmare Swamp?” the fat crow asked in confusion.
William nodded and replied, “That’s right. To be precise, I want you to take me to the bedroom of the Lord of Nightmare, Zamara. There are some things I want to talk to Her about in detail. As a messenger, can’t you do this?”
“Ah?”
Sigmonds felt that he had probably heard wrongly; all he could utter was a simple syllable from the depths of his throat.
The Presiding Judge ignored him and only picked up the schedule from the enchantment table beside him.
“I already got them to demonstrate the current workflow of the enchantment factory. Your idea of separating the work processes is correct, but there are still many problems with the arrangement and connection between the various processes… For example, the processing speed of the enchantment of the Bandit constellation at Line 1 is twice that of the other lines. When this happens, you should add another line so as not to waste the efficiency of this process. In addition, when you set the schedule, you should put the process with a high failure rate in front and the successful ones at the back. This way, the problems will be exposed in the early stages of the process. You won’t let the people in front work for nothing. Such disorderly scheduling will lead to…”
As the Presiding Judge spoke, he flipped over the schedule and wrote down his opinions on the process optimization.
Sigmonds felt stunned when he heard that. It took him a long time to recover and ask, “Lord Presiding Judge… In other words, you don’t object to the current operations of the enchantment factory?”
“Why should I?”
The other party stopped what he was doing and looked at him in confusion.
“But isn’t this method akin to using an enchanter like a mason? Won’t this make you feel that this is blasphemy against the… sanctity of the enchanter profession?” Sigmonds asked uneasily.
William looked at the other party’s uneasy expression and patted his shoulder.
“The sanctity part of it solely lies in the job’s goal. Repairing the Twilight Fortress is indeed a very sanctified goal, but there’s nothing sanctified about the job itself. There’s only one criterion for the evaluation to be good or bad, and that’s the level of efficiency. If a mason’s experience can increase the efficiency of the job, it’s an experience worth drawing upon.”
Sigmonds was still in a daze as he digested the meaning of William’s words when the enchanters behind William surrounded him.
The enchanter who had complained to William complained, “But Your Excellency, this isn’t about efficiency anymore. It’s that we can’t withstand the intensity of this work at all. Nobody can withstand over ten hours of highly focused enchantment casting a day.”
However, William shook his head and said, “No, this is still a matter of efficiency.”
As he spoke, he waved the pen and paper in his hand and said, “This is also the second major problem in the operations here. Scheduling a reasonable number of breaks is also an important part of efficiency optimization.”
With that said, William wrote down other optimization suggestions.
“After optimizing the process according to my previous suggestions, I’ll change these four parallel enchantment routes to two assembly lines that are connected. The efficient segment allows a person to be in charge of two lines at the same time…”
Before William could finish speaking, the enchanters erupted in protest. The few enchanters who were requested to do more work because of their high efficiency started clamoring about quitting.
William made a thunderous sound in his throat that drowned out the enchanters’ noisy protests.
“However, I’ll split you into three teams and you’ll take turns using the enchantment facilities here. Every team only needs to work for eight hours a day, and the remaining time is enough for you to recover. Moreover, I’ll also adjust the remuneration for hiring you. Other than the promised remuneration that’s three times the market price, there will be additional rewards based on the number of Demon Sealing Talismans each of you handles. You can choose gold, rare alchemy materials, or enchantment knowledge of the same value.”
With that said, the crowd instantly fell silent as if they had been under the hold of a Great Peace Spell.
The enchanters looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.
“Think about it carefully. Today happens to be Sunday, so we might as well set Sundays every week as a day off in the future. Everyone, have a good rest.”
As William spoke, he stuffed the piece of paper filled with suggestions into Sigmonds’s hand and gestured for him to leave with him.
Before he could reach the door, questions kept coming from the enchanters behind him.
“Your Excellency, is this true?”
“I’ll do it! Your Excellency, can you let me be in charge of the intersection of the two lines?”
“Hey, didn’t you just say that you wanted to leave?”
“Shut up!”
…
After leaving the enchantment factory, William led Sigmonds to the Twilight Fortress. Halfway there, Sigmonds suddenly asked, “Presiding Judge, if we only retain two lines as you said and divide everyone into three shifts, the people here won’t be able to cover all the enchantment equipment.”
William smiled and replied, “No problem. I’ve brought the entire Enchantment Guild in Blacklight City over. You should be worried that there won’t be enough equipment here. However, you don’t have to worry too much about this. The corresponding equipment will be sent over in the future.”
Sigmonds asked in surprise, “But I heard that the Enchantment Guild in Blacklight City is all from Astral Lighthouse. They won’t serve anyone other than the Astral Council…”
“Don’t worry. Now that the Astral Lighthouse in Blacklight City has collapsed, they should know that times have changed. Oh right, remember not to be too polite when you order them around. You have to let them straighten out where they stand first. These people are considered unbearably arrogant even among magic chanters.”
At this point, William suddenly changed the topic.
“Oh right, your idea for an assembly line was really not bad.”
Sigmonds hurriedly said, “Not at all. Didn’t you see through so many problems at a glance?”
William shook his head and said, “You would have figured out these optimization problems in time to come. However, it’s indeed very rare for someone like you—who grew up in this world—to think of this.”
Then, William looked at the nearby Twilight Fortress and said, “Although it can’t even be considered a prototype now, do you believe that this thing will soon transform this world into something you can’t even imagine? I suggest you go to the enchantment factory when you have the time in the future to accumulate more operational experience for all the processes. It’s best if you bring a few people you trust and are smart to accumulate experience. With you as seeds, many changes in the future can be easily implemented.”
Although Sigmonds didn’t know what the Presiding Judge meant by ‘change,’ he still nodded.
Then, the two of them walked into Twilight Fortress in silence.
“Did you follow my instructions to prioritize the construction of the circuits for the Demon Sealing Runes in the Twilight Hall in the north of the fortress?” William looked at the incomplete Twilight Fortress and asked.
“Of course, the first project we completed is over there. It was completed half a month ago,” Sigmonds immediately replied.
William nodded, and with a flash of lightning, he disappeared from his spot. But less than five seconds later, he returned.
When he returned, he was holding a birdcage made purely of shadows, and a fat crow was squeezed into it.
“I’ve already told you everything I know. Please don’t kill me…” the deformed fat crow shouted at the top of its lungs.
William rolled his eyes inwardly.
Are you sure you’re not reminding me that you’re no longer of value? That I shouldn’t forget to kill you?
“I’m not asking you anything. I want you to bring me somewhere.”
As William spoke, he teleported to the Dusk Hall in the northernmost part of the fortress with Sigmonds beside him.
This was a circular hall without any gorgeous decorations. It was as simple as a tomb.
The material on the ground of the Twilight Hall was different from anywhere in the Twilight Fortress. It was made of limestone that looked like moss. Moreover, there were ancient carvings engraved on it. The carvings gathered in the hall and were precisely distributed in grooves in 12 directions like markings on a clock.
“Where? My Lord Father of the Crows’ Moon Realm domain, Black Crow Gaze? I already said that I don’t know where that place is. I’m a messenger that was directly molded in Nightmare Swamp…” the fat crow messenger looked around and said.
“Yes, I want you to bring me to the Nightmare Swamp.”
William nodded and took out Judgment 2 from his storage space. He walked to the groove at two o’clock in the hall and stabbed the sword into the groove.
An extremely strong magical power flowed along the path laid out here, causing the entire hall to tremble violently. It was as if the building had turned into a warship sailing in the storm.
The tremors lasted for about ten seconds. The scenery outside the window—which was supposed to be bright and beautiful in the morning—suddenly turned into a dilapidated evening scene.
The fat crow looked out the window in shock.
It could sense that they weren’t in Currere but in the Moon Realm.
The dusk outside the window wasn’t really dusk, but a projection of the concept of finality in the Moon Realm.
Looking at the other party’s shocked eyes, William pulled out Judgment 2 and said to the crow,
“This fortress in Currere is only an anchor to the Moon Realm’s coordinates. This is the true Twilight Fortress. Welcome to the true Twilight Fortress, the final fortress located in the Moon Realm’s finality.”
“You brought me to the Moon Realm? And you want me to bring you to the Nightmare Swamp?” the fat crow asked in confusion.
William nodded and replied, “That’s right. To be precise, I want you to take me to the bedroom of the Lord of Nightmare, Zamara. There are some things I want to talk to Her about in detail. As a messenger, can’t you do this?”
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