Allen stood before his workbench, placing a steel ingot into the work area of the "Artisan I" Alchemy Machine.

The Magic Power contained within the Middle-Tier Magic Stone spread along the Rune Circuits, and the machine began to awaken.

A faint blue energy field unfurled, enveloping the piece of steel.

Unlike when he had created "The Adjudicator," he didn’t shape the entire thing at once. Instead, he pulled up the list of designed parts.

Two hundred and thirty-seven standardized parts.

Gears, connecting rods, joint bearings, casing plates... The size and shape of every single part were clearly marked on the list.

Allen’s Spiritual Power reached into the Alchemy Machine, and he began to take control.

The steel ingot slowly deformed within the energy field.

The first batch of parts took shape.

Dozens of gears of various sizes floated above the workbench, their edges smooth and their teeth precisely spaced.

Allen took them out and placed them on a metal tray to the side, where they made a crisp clattering sound.

Then came the second batch, and the third.

The machine ran continuously. Ingot after ingot was fed into it, and batch after batch of parts was produced.

Two hours later, the workbench was piled high with metal components of all shapes and sizes.

Allen stopped and flexed his slightly stiff fingers.

Just then, a knock came from the door.

"Allen, may I come in?"

It was Vera’s voice.

Allen glanced at the table full of parts, then walked over and opened the door.

Vera was holding a stack of documents. She was about to speak when her gaze was captivated by the scene in the living room.

Hundreds of metal parts were stacked neatly on the workbench.

She stood frozen in the doorway, her mouth slightly agape.

"Allen, are you... taking something apart?"

"Not taking it apart."

Allen took the documents from her, answering casually as he flipped through them, "It’s standardized production. I’m making a Factory Servant."

"Standardized... production?"

Vera walked over to the workbench and carefully picked up a gear, looking at the uniform teeth along its edge.

"Are all these parts the same?"

"Parts of the same specification are identical."

Allen didn’t look up. "If a component gets damaged, I can just replace it directly instead of having to remake the entire Mechanical Body."

Vera blinked, nodding as if she only half-understood.

"That sounds... amazing?"

"Lower cost, faster repairs."

Allen picked up the folder and pulled out the student recruitment plan. "This month’s student recruitment plan is well done, and the screening criteria for new teachers are also very reasonable."

A smile appeared on Vera’s face.

"Colin and I discussed it. We’ll expand the mutual aid group to a hundred people first, then gradually expand further once the teachers are in place. More than one hundred and fifty apprentices have already signed up."

"Right. We need to control the pace."

Allen said, "Don’t recruit too many people at once. The quality of teaching is more important than the scale. I will personally vet the new instructors."

"I understand."

Vera glanced at the parts again. "Well, I’ll leave you to it then."

After she left, Allen returned to his workbench.

The parts were finished. Next was the core component.

He took a fist-sized black metal sphere with two protruding lenses from his storage bag.

This was a universal Factory Servant Control Core that he had spent one hundred Magic Stones to buy from the Apprentice Trading Market.

The core integrated a sensory module and a basic intelligent control module, and it came with a thin command manual.

It was said that crafting this kind of Control Core was advanced knowledge in the school of alchemy, something Allen had not yet learned.

Allen didn’t begin the installation immediately. DSeek’s virtual interface unfolded in his vision, projecting the "Firewall" Rune Array he had designed before his eyes.

This was a composite array made of eighteen basic Runes. Its purpose was to establish a permission barrier around the Control Core.

Only a Magic Power fluctuation authorized by him could activate this Mechanical Body, a continuation of his usual cautious approach.

He held the core in his hand, activated his first thread, and cast [Craftsman’s Hand].

Two translucent, force-field hands formed on either side of his body. One hand picked up the Micro-Engraving Light Pen, its tip glowing with a delicate green light.

The light pen descended. Allen’s breathing became long and shallow, his Spiritual Power highly focused.

The tip of the pen traced across the surface of the black metal sphere, leaving a groove thinner than a human hair.

His first thread controlled the other force-field hand, which simultaneously dripped Demon-guiding Metal Liquid precisely into the groove.

The liquid solidified under the guidance of the Rune, forming a shimmering, faint pattern.

Engrave, embed.

Engrave again, embed again.

Half an hour later, the "Firewall" Rune Array was complete.

The surface of the black metal sphere now had an additional ring of intricate runic patterns that gleamed with a faint blue luster in the light.

Allen set down the Micro-Engraving Light Pen. He looked at the Control Core, and a thought flashed through his mind.

’In my past life, how much manpower and resources did Yushu Technology have to gather to create a single humanoid robot that could walk, jump, and execute commands?’

’But here, an Advanced Apprentice of the school of alchemy who has only just begun his studies can accomplish all of this alone.’

’Rune Arrays replaced complex transmission systems, precision motors, and circuit boards.’

’This... this is the absurd manufacturing power that Witchcraft has granted me.’

Allen set the Control Core aside and began to install the power module.

He took out a Middle-Tier Magic Stone and a palm-sized metal frame. This was the power bay he had specially designed.

Its structure was simple: a slot to secure the Magic Stone, surrounded by a ring of a Demon-Guiding Rune Array responsible for stably outputting the energy from the Magic Stone to the Control Core and various functional modules.

But Allen didn’t stop there.

He had also left a port at the bottom of the power bay.

The specifications for this port were designed after he referenced the descriptions of a "Workshop Energy Core" in the Ironthorn Clan’s notes.

In the future, when he had his own Wizard Workshop, this port could be connected directly to the workshop’s "Magic Network."

At that point, "Ah Fu" would no longer need to rely on Magic Stones. Instead, it could continuously draw power from the workshop’s energy system, giving it unlimited operational time within the workshop.

With all preparations complete, the assembly began.

Allen lifted the skeleton with both hands, while the two force-field hands transformed into precision tools, unleashing a storm of assembly before him.

His main consciousness controlled the right force-field hand, which picked up a gear and fitted it into a joint.

His first thread controlled the left force-field hand, which precisely inserted a connecting rod into the gear’s axle.

CLICK.

The two parts snapped together in a perfect fit.

Then came the second joint, and the third.

There were no wasted movements, no pauses.

Time ticked by, second by second.

With two different operations being performed simultaneously, the parts on the workbench diminished at a visible rate. The skeleton gradually "grew" from a pile of loose components into a complete form.

Two legs, a torso, and two arms with different functions.

The left arm was a robotic arm, and the right was the designed cleaning module.

Allen embedded the modified Control Core into the head, secured the power bay inside the torso, and finally installed the casing plates one after another with fluid grace.

When the last casing plate snapped into place, Allen dismissed [Craftsman’s Hand] and took a step back.

"Ah Fu," his first Mechanical Body, stood silently in the center of the room.

Its appearance was simple and unadorned, without any fancy decorations. It was a uniform steely gray, with sharp lines and a seamless structure.

The left arm was a standard five-fingered robotic hand, while the right arm was a flat cleaning module fitted with soft, fine brushes and hard-bristled brushes along its edge.

Allen walked up to it, took a Middle-Tier Magic Stone from his storage bag, then opened the power bay on its back and inserted the Magic Stone into the slot.

The Magic Stone locked in place, and the surrounding Demon-Guiding Rune Array lit up in sequence.

He closed the power bay and looked at the motionless Mechanical Body, giving a quiet command:

"Activate. Execute initial self-diagnostic program."