398 Beterian Steel

Opening my menu and setting a birdseye view, I made sure to open a tab that outlined all the numbers for production of raw resources, manufacturing of the simple parts, ratios for everything and how much of everything was either left alone or produced at the end of the factory.

Just like I assumed, despite how big it already was, not even a half of the raw resources production was consumed by my machines, because when I was setting this factory in the first place, I didn't have enough base materials to make it as big as I wanted!

With all of the refugees already inside the small dimension, I could let the reins of my creativity go free while adding floors to all the main parts of the compound, doubling the output for the basic parts at almost no cost. Only when absolutely all raw materials were turned into basic parts with maximum efficiency I allowed myself to move to the higher-tiered stuff.

If I wanted to create a proper social structure in my own dimension, picking an honoured place for the house was not nearly enough. Just like I did with levelling up Gabriel's home, I had to do the same for every other leader of the neighbourhood, and go one step further for the higher ranks in the hierarchy. 

But it was easy only on paper. 

Turning raw resources into primary parts could be done efficiently with just some simple splitting and merging, but all my attempts at raising the complexity level of the factory to make it produce just basic tier two stuff like upgraded iron plates or modular plates required some trouble with both the math and belt work that would put said math into use.

Thankfully, compared to the nightmarish stuff of even higher levels, after just a few hours of slaving around inside the factory creating system, my factory almost doubled in size. To make sure that the items produced on the highest floors could be transferred directly to the warehouse area located all the way on the bottom level and slowly turning into the biggest part of the entire factory, I had to create two additional towers, serving only as elevators for the items, with one helping them up, while the other one guiding them from the highest floors all the way to the storage area.

With all that done, I could finally close most of the windows that were swarming my field of view after all the work I had to do, limiting myself to the one I opened first, outlining the total production and consumption of all the items and resources.

While modular plates could be used to build a higher levelled building like assembly hall or even better factory parts, upgraded plate required to level up already existing houses and kinetic plate being the backbone of all electricity production in both the factory and my small world, it pained my heart to waste all three of them away only to be able to craft myself a weapon, but with the looming threat of not only the overlord and his allies but also those mysterious guardians of the lands, I couldn't allow myself to roam the world without a proper tool to defend myself!

Speaking about the material of choice for my crafting, I went with Beterian steel not only because it was one of the only materials I could craft without dabbling in tier four and five productions in my factory that would easily make it beyond the limits of my stronghold hiding barrier, but also amongst the items I could create with the limited area and production capabilities of my factory, it simply had prop[erties most suited for my use.

Compared to other possible materials, it was fragile, couldn't be really sharpened and had no additional perks like resistance to fire, but it had a single saving grace that made me chose it over way better materials.

High conduciveness of energy.

I wasn't a warrior. Even with the skills from the Executioner path that allowed me to claim that title in most of the underdeveloped societies, as soon as I would meet with a real sword practitioner… Dropping my sword and pretending it was a nuclear bomb would yield better chances of success than trying to duel him!

if I wanted a tool that could actually augment my real strength, I had to create something akin to the mage's stick I had before it shattered upon the interdimensional jump. And with my new production line, my wish would soon be fulfilled!

Watching as the numbers on the counting window slowly started increasing from the top to the bottom, I started rejoicing the moment all the other three, tier two items finally were made… Only to disappear in the belly of the last manufacturer, capable of turning them into Beterian steel!

Unable to just sit back and relax while waiting for the results, I ran through the complicated net of stairs, holes and elevators only to approach the final machine that would soon be renamed to the source of the doom for the Overlord's people.

Compared to the games of the similar feel to the factory tool, I had on me now, the process of merging two or more items together wasn't just a simple animation, but a proper set of actions that machine had to take. 

Starting with the upgraded plate, it was bent at ninety- degrees angle right in the middle of its length, before a kinetic plate would be inserted in the middle of the already existing angle. As soon as the process of melding those two together would be done, a strip of small plates that could connect with each other at all sorts of angles were separated from nine connected parts into three strings with three parts each, only to be turned into triangular spikes, placed with the side on the upgraded plate and their spike aiming at the kinetic one.

By the time all of those steps were done, the other machines already produced four times the amount of resources needed to create a single Beterian steel ingot, yet the crafter in front of me was still working! With the suddenly increased input of the energy, it violently pressed the two sides of the upgraded plate, while heating up the parts inside. 

With how delicate the kinetic plate was, it almost instantly melted down, covering the spikes that were then clamped together with the upgraded plate. After this step, the entire machine started working at compressing the thick object with too many protrusions and impurities all over it to even start describing its shape. 

After what seemed like an eternity, this indescribable object turned into a small ingot, still red from how hot it was. Only with the two minutes of constant and forceful cooling it down with loads and loads of water that instantly turned into a vapour that almost managed to scald the skin of my face due to how closely I was observing the process.

But with all of that, the machine finally spewed up its content, pushing the Beterian steel ingot on the belt, while swallowing yet another dosage of the materials necessary to craft another one.

Despite how I had to wait for a damned fifteen minutes for the entire process to finish, how I almost turned from the handsome cultivator into deformed monstrosity due to my own carelessness, the statistics I saw when the ingot finally fell to my hand made up for all the troubles!