After a brief silence, the classroom erupted into a discussion even more heated than before.

"What the hell? An external box? It’s so crude!"

"This is an insult to Alchemy! How is this any different from a blacksmith hanging a bell on a suit of armor?"

"There’s no aesthetic at all. And that Rune Paper... it’s a one-time use thing, right? You have to replace it after one or two uses? What a shameless profiteer!"

Victor immediately sneered.

"Allen Wesren, you call this an upgrade? This is nothing more than a shoddily made, patched-together consumable!"

"What are the farmers supposed to do when your little box runs out of energy, or when that flimsy Rune Paper fails? Spend more money to buy a new one? You’re not solving a problem—you’re just milking them dry, trapping them into sending you money for the rest of their lives!"

His words were inflammatory and immediately won the support of most of the apprentices.

In the eyes of apprentices from the traditional schools of Alchemy, an excellent Alchemy Creation should be a work of art—durable, stable, and preferably something that could be passed down as a family heirloom.

Allen’s "consumable" design was practically blasphemous. It was heresy!

"You’re right."

He looked at Victor and calmly conceded, "It is a consumable. And that is precisely where its strength lies."

Ignoring the crowd’s astonishment, he waved his hand again, projecting a massive and complex data report into the air.

The report’s title made Victor’s pupils shrink.

A Comparative Report on the Comprehensive Costs and Strategic Value of Two Technical Paths for Upgrading Agricultural Defense Systems.

"Let’s scale up the problem a bit."

Allen’s voice was as steady as ever, carrying a magical quality that commanded the entire room.

"Let’s assume our client is an entire agricultural plane. Based on the average number of registered farms on such a plane, we’ll calculate with approximately one hundred thirteen thousand."

He pointed to the first column of data in the report.

"Let’s take Victor’s replacement proposal. We would need to produce 113,000 ’Field Guardian Mk. II’ units. Based on his most optimistic estimate of seventeen Magic Stones per unit, the initial procurement cost for this agricultural plane would be 1,921,000 Low-Level Magic Stones."

"This exorbitant sum far exceeds the revenue from ordinary crops. Furthermore, it would require the construction of at least three Alchemy Factories, with a construction period of at least a year. During that year, the farmlands would remain unprotected."

"Now, let’s look at maintenance costs. If the core of a ’Field Guardian Mk. II’ is damaged, the entire unit, worth over ten Magic Stones, needs to be sent back to the factory for repairs. The farmer would once again face a defensive gap lasting weeks, or even months."

The string of precise numbers quickly cooled the doubtful voices in the classroom.

Allen’s finger slid to the second part of the report.

"Now for my modular upgrade plan. The initial procurement cost is for 113,000 upgrade kits, at a unit price of 9.1 Magic Stones, for a total of 1,028,300 Low-Level Magic Stones. The cost is almost half of his proposal."

"As for the production cycle, the clasps and signal wires can be subcontracted to any small workshop. The only component requiring centralized production is the defense module. I estimate that a single small Alchemy Workshop could fulfill the entire order in one month. The defense systems for all farms could be initially deployed within three months."

"And as for maintenance,"

a smile touched the corner of Allen’s mouth.

"if a defense module is damaged or runs out of energy, all the farmer needs to do is spend a few Magic Stones to buy a new Energy Storage Magic Stone or Rune Paper and plug it in themselves. The entire process takes less than a minute."

"The purpose of upgrading the Field Guardian was never to kill enemies—that’s not the job of a Mechanical Body at this price point. It’s for warning and intimidation. As long as it can shoot something and make some noise, it has fulfilled its purpose."

At this point in the report, the superior choice was obvious.

But no one present had yet realized that what Allen was about to reveal was his true ace in the hole.

"Finally, and most importantly—strategic expandability."

Allen switched the report page, which was now filled with illustrations and text.

"Let’s assume that two years from now, the threat to the farms is no longer demonic beasts on the ground, but plague locusts from the sky. Magic Missiles would be like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito against them."

"In this scenario, a kingdom using Victor’s system would face a disaster. They would have to scrap 113,000 ’Field Guardian Mk. II’ units, worth nearly two million Magic Stones, and then reinvest a huge sum to design, produce, and deploy a brand new ’Field Guardian Mk. III.’ It would be a catastrophe of both time and money."

"But under my system..." Allen’s voice became resounding and powerful.

"All that agricultural plane would need to do is place a new order with the Alchemy Workshop: ’Please produce 113,000 Plague Dispersal Modules compatible with the standardized mounting interface.’ Then, the farmers would only need to unplug the old Magic Missile module and plug in the new Plague Dispersal Module. The entire nation’s defense system would be fully upgraded to counter the new threat overnight."

"Victor, you are selling one fixed-function product after another. But I, from the very beginning, was building a ’platform’ and an ’ecosystem’ that is infinitely compatible and infinitely expandable."

"Your Alchemy serves the perfection of a single creation. My Alchemy serves mass production and application."

When his voice fell, the entire classroom was dead silent.

Victor Iron Flame’s face was grim.

His proud family heritage, his unwavering belief in elitist principles—they all paled in comparison to Allen’s ugly, cheap, yet incredibly realistic "strategic report."

It was as if he were selling a Nokia, while Allen had already defined the App Store.

Victor was no fool; he instantly understood the logic behind Allen’s plan. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

His mass production cost of "seventeen Magic Stones" was nothing compared to Allen’s "nine Magic Stones."

What sent a chill down his spine was the realization that Allen wasn’t selling a Mechanical Body at all, but "consumables."

That single-use Rune Paper module was the real money-printing machine!

Once a farmer purchased that negligible clasp, they were locked into Allen’s system of consumables.

Every beast attack, every missile fired, would generate a continuous stream of profit for Allen.

’Is this kid a devil?’

At this moment, Master Mercer finally spoke, his voice as placid as ever.

"Victor’s plan solves a product problem. It has superior performance, is sturdy and durable, and meets the consistent quality standards of the Tieyan Clan. For certain key applications, it is an excellent choice."

The Teaching Golem paused, its gaze focusing on Allen.

"Allen’s plan solves a market problem. It pushes costs to the absolute minimum, making widespread adoption possible, and generates long-term revenue through low-cost entry and high-frequency consumption."

"So, let’s reveal the answer. The beast-repelling solution that the Myriad Things Alchemy Association is currently implementing across the major agricultural planes is, in fact, a combination of both of your plans."

"Alright, the theoretical lessons of Fundamentals of Mechanical Bodies are meaningless for you two now. Your design and manufacturing skills are sufficient. Each of you will create a Factory Servant. Once you are finished, you may graduate from this course early and study Golem creation with me."

"Class dismissed."