Integrated Core Zone.
The concentrated ore site at the edge.
Hao Fan had zero desire to mine with a weapon, so he borrowed an iron pickaxe from the guild workers.
But Chen Qianyu proved with real action that weapons were faster than a pickaxe.
"Didn't expect that, did you? I've got a sword style specifically for dealing with stone," she said smugly.
"Leave the rest to me. Swords are quicker!"
Watching Chen Qianyu whirl through the ore site like a storm, swinging her two dumb-looking swords with terrifying efficiency…
Hao Fan stood there, his pickaxe slipping from his hands and clattering to the ground, his face filled with exhaustion.
"Damn it. Terra people are just born to be workhorses…"
He couldn't help complaining.
Turns out Andre's earlier suggestion was based on reality—making Hao Fan look like the one overreacting.
Ore was a widely distributed key resource on Titan II, and it had to be attacked to be harvested.
It also had many uses: supporting the growth of integrated industry, and—after processing—helping with exploration.
While Hao Fan mined, Andre was busy running inspections.
That was to prevent the worst-case outcome: forcibly activating the Protocol Resonance Tower and burning out every Originium device in the region.
As for the Administrator and Perlica?
They were busy running cables, laying relays, and delivering power to the Protocol Resonance Tower located at the Hub Base Power Station.
Since Chen Qianyu wasn't good at that kind of work, she came to help Hao Fan mine instead.
Side note:
South of the Integrated Core Zone was the Hub Base Power Station.
East of the Hub Base Power Station was the Under-Construction Zone; farther east was the Hub Zone Base.
Therefore, the Integrated Core Zone lay to the northwest of the Hub Zone Base, with the Under-Construction Zone in between.
All of these areas were part of the Hub Zone within Valley No. 4.
That was the full extent of what Hao Fan currently knew about the geography.
Meanwhile…
The Administrator stared at a power cable that was this close to reaching the next relay—and fell into deep thought.
"Why is the cable so short?"
…
After finishing his inspections, Andre watched Hao Fan and Chen Qianyu bring over a large pile of mined Originium ore. He nodded in satisfaction.
"This amount is enough."
"Kid, we can start making crystal casings now… first up: the refinery furnace."
The Protocol Core could manufacture all kinds of industrial equipment.
Industrial equipment could process different raw materials to produce industrial materials and finished goods.
A refinery furnace corresponded to the refining process.
Its typical output was crystal casing, produced by loading Originium ore into the refinery furnace.
Put simply: a refinery furnace was a high-temperature refining device. It stripped away, reshaped, and transformed material until it emerged renewed.
Sounds high-tech, right?
Normally, manufacturing a basic production device like that would be a hassle.
But with the Protocol Core successfully deployed, all you needed was:
the appropriate equipment blueprint/template, and
the required materials.
"The materials to build one refinery furnace are just five units of ore… done."
Andre stored the ore in the Protocol Core's warehouse, did some quick operations in the industrial equipment interface, and produced a refinery furnace that could generate crystal casings.
The "Minecraft crafting table" vibe got even stronger.
Hao Fan complained internally.
Chen Qianyu, meanwhile, stared in awe.
"Wow… this feels so convenient. Is this what's so impressive about the Integrated Industrial System?"
Her eyes shone with excitement; the azure dragon tail behind her swished nonstop.
Andre focused on the task.
He placed the newly produced refinery furnace on open ground in the Integrated Core Zone.
Then he laid conveyor belts:
from the Protocol Core's output port to the refinery furnace's input port,
then from the refinery furnace's output port back to the Protocol Core's input port.
With that, ore in the warehouse would be automatically transported into the refinery furnace, continuously processed into crystal casings, and then automatically shipped back into storage—forming a simple production line.
Side note:
Conveyor belts were a basic logistics device used to transport materials between machines.
In simple terms, they were a logistics tool for moving solids.
And by Endfield's regulations, conveyor belts could only be built within the Integrated Core Zone.
"Fat Big Bird, why isn't the production line moving?" Hao Fan asked, seeing the belt completely still.
"Relax. We're missing one tiny detail," Andre replied.
He opened the Protocol Core's industrial interface again, checked the conveyor logistics readout, and set the output port's exported item to Originium ore.
Then he used another five units of ore to manufacture a power pylon, providing the refinery furnace with electricity.
Only then could the fully automated production line officially start up.
Side note:
As long as a power pylon was placed inside the Protocol Core's Integrated Core Zone, it automatically connected to the grid and provided wireless power to all devices within its range.
Wireless power was Endfield Industry's biggest technological breakthrough—an extension of protocol technology—and the operational foundation of the entire Integrated Industrial System.
Most equipment needed a power pylon's supply before it could function.
The method was simple: place the device within the power pylon's coverage range, and it would be powered.
That was basic operation for the system.
"Done," Andre said.
Watching ore stream into the refinery furnace and continuously convert into the needed industrial product—crystal casings—he nodded with satisfaction.
Next step:
Use the crystal casings produced by the furnace to manufacture a grinder.
This was a heavy device that could pulverize various materials, corresponding to the crushing process.
It only required five units of crystal casing to build.
Its typical output was Originium powder (by crushing ore), but using it to crush buckwheat flowers into buckwheat powder was also a very practical application.
So Andre repeated the same workflow, set up another production line, and quickly crushed all the buckwheat flowers Hao Fan had collected into buckwheat powder.
The amount was now enough to cover the shortfall in medical supplies.
"So fast?!" Hao Fan stared, dumbfounded.
This was the first time he'd directly grasped how convenient the Integrated Industrial System truly was.
But because both the ore and buckwheat flower inventories were now depleted, both production lines stopped. They'd need fresh materials to keep running.
Meanwhile…
After laying relays the whole way, the Administrator finally connected the power cable from the Protocol Core to the Protocol Resonance Tower.
She casually wiped the fine sweat off her forehead and said proudly:
"Easy. Just like I expected—OVO!"
…
Hub Base Power Station.
Andre and several guild members arrived to see the activated Protocol Resonance Tower. Through wide-area Originium activation, it successfully restored normal operation to the Hub Zone Base.
Andre couldn't hide his excitement.
Even though the anchor-fall damage still hadn't been fully repaired, the hardest stage was over.
Hope showed clearly on everyone's faces.
But such a huge commotion also drew the attention of people with bad intentions.
"Report to the Head—Endfield has arrived."
A group of Earthsplitters gathered on a distant high slope.
Staring at the activated Protocol Resonance Tower, they didn't seem surprised at all. Among them stood a particularly special leader—
A Bonegrinder Flamecaster.
An Earthsplitter combatant who wielded Originium Arts.
They could manipulate energy-conversion-type Originium Arts, scattering flame across the battlefield—a high-threat target, without question.
Compared to a Bonegrinder Executioner, they were clearly much stronger.
"That legendary Administrator really did notice us…" the Flamecaster rasped.
"The boss's predictions… all came true."
....
My Patreon : patreon/RuneA
If you want to read the novel in advance, you can subscribe for early access. I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length. If you're following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it