Time is the most expensive fuel in the world, and Allen had extravagantly burned through a month and a half of it.

On the lands of Zone 18, the wind and sand were still biting. The once-flimsy workshop, however, now resembled an awakened steel behemoth, devouring and spewing out vast quantities of ore and materials every day.

In the workshop’s core, the massive Magic Power furnace emitted a low, steady hum, like the heartbeat of the behemoth.

Allen leaned on the control console, his deep blue eyes reflecting the scene in Assembly Bay One before him.

There, three colossi stood in silence.

They stood four meters tall, their bodies entirely covered in matte-black heavy armor. It was twice-refined Black Patterned Magic Steel, its hardness enough to make the vast majority of Low-level Witchcraft and Magical Beasts despair.

Although they were not equipped with melee weapons and their main cannons had been swapped out for standard Official Wizard-grade Transformation Crystals, the oppressive presence they exuded was still enough to make one’s breath catch.

Pacifist Mass-Production Model: PX-1.

"This is the smell of Magic Stones."

Allen took a deep breath. The air was filled with the unique aroma of machine oil and various metals mixed together. To him, it was more captivating than any perfume.

A month and a half.

The "Scorpion-Spider War" he had single-handedly orchestrated lasted for a full fifteen days before a basic truce was reached, followed by a month of sporadic, small-scale conflicts.

The two species slaughtered each other across the wasteland, leaving the ground littered with corpses. Meanwhile, like a greedy vampire, he feverishly extracted the ore veins from underground, converting them into assembly line parts.

"Jarvis, report the current armaments status."

[Yes, Commander.]

Jarvis’s voice echoed through the workshop.

[Current active units are as follows:]

[Core Combat Power: One PX-0 (Prototype), five PX-1s (including one PX-1A).]

[Conventional Combat Power: Fifty-two Spider Slayer Mk. II units in total.]

[Expendable Units: ’Jumping Spider’ self-destruct Golems, two hundred in stock, one thousand deployed.]

[Logistics Units: Nine Mining Golems, twenty Factory Servants (Blessing Series), one transport Floating Ship, and five Demon Eyes.]

[Defensive Installations: Eight standard Magic-guided Turrets, providing fire coverage for the workshop and mines within a one-kilometer perimeter.]

As he listened to the string of numbers, a smile gradually spread across Allen’s face.

Fifty-two Spider Slayers, combined with the Pacifists... If this force were deployed, it would be enough to instantly flatten the territory of a small Wizard Clan.

’It’s not enough. Still not enough.’

Allen turned and walked toward the holographic tactical table behind him. ’Right now, we’re a heavily armed security detail at best. We’re still a long way from being a true Golem Legion.’

With a wave of his hand, the light and shadow in the air twisted, and countless blue lines intertwined in mid-air, constructing a massive "unit tree."

This was the ultimate blueprint he had devised in the last few nights, combining the military concepts from his past life with the alchemical knowledge of his current one.

’To establish order in this zone, I can’t just rely on big brutes.’ Allen’s finger slid across the holographic screen as he re-categorized the jumbled Golem models.

[Reorganizing Legion structure...]

As he worked, six bold category labels emerged.

Category One: Guard Series Golems.

’The Pacifist series is a good example. They emphasize flexibility, versatility, and single-unit power. They’re the elite units on the battlefield, built with the latest and greatest technology. Their mission is to ensure my survival and execute high-difficulty operations.’

Category Two: Reconnaissance Series Golems.

’The current Demon Eyes are barely adequate, but they lack offensive capabilities. I’ll need to develop "combat recon" units later—not only should they be able to see, but they must also be able to take a bite when it counts.’

Category Three: Main Combat Series Golems.

These Golems must be able to form organized corps adapted to the battlefield environment. The Spider Slayer barely counts as one such model.

Allen’s finger paused here. This was currently the biggest gap in his arsenal.

The Spider Slayer was useful, but its role was awkward. It was neither a pure scout, nor did it have any area-of-effect offensive capabilities.

’I need two new models.’

He pulled up two recently sketched design schematics.

The first schematic showed a six-legged Mechanical Body carrying a massive box launcher. It possessed no melee capabilities at all; its entire carrying capacity was dedicated to the absurdly large, Hive-style pod bay on its back.

[Project Codename: Inferno]

[Role: Ranged Fire Coverage / Area Denial]

[Design Philosophy: Truth lies only within range. It will use hybrid warheads of alchemical explosives and Low-level Fire Element Crystals to conduct saturation bombing. Precision is unnecessary; it only needs to fulfill its fire-coverage mission.]

[Estimated Cost: Five thousand Low-Level Magic Stones]

’Against swarming Magical Beasts like the Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions or the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders, point-to-point sniping is too inefficient.’

A cold glint flashed in Allen’s eyes as he looked at the design. ’I want to scour the earth, a map-wide bombardment. I want to violently shatter the flesh and blood beneath their hard carapaces.’

The second schematic, in contrast, depicted something much more nimble.

It was a Golem resembling a sixth-generation fighter jet. It had a streamlined fuselage, Alchemy Bombs mounted on its belly, and a retractable Magic Power ray gun under each wing. The biggest difference from the aircraft of his past life was the absence of landing gear and engines; it relied purely on Anti-Gravity Runes and flight Runes to fly.

[Project Codename: Storm Falcon]

[Role: High-Mobility Air Superiority / Escort / Rapid Support]

[Design Philosophy: Air superiority grants the initiative. Sacrificing some armor in exchange for extreme speed and a higher service ceiling.]

[Estimated Cost: Ten thousand Low-Level Magic Stones]

The Inferno is a ground-based long-range strike unit, while the Storm Falcon is an air strike unit. They both specialize in one thing: bombardment!

’Besides, the supply lines to the mining area are too long. If they’re harassed by Magical Beasts, ground troops won’t be able to provide support in time.’

Allen’s brow furrowed. ’The Storm Falcon must enter production as soon as possible, even if I only build two prototypes for testing to start with.’

Neither of these main combat Golems focused on frontal assault capabilities. The first reason was that the local Magical Beast populations had astonishingly high defenses, making melee combat foolish. The design philosophy should be based on beyond-visual-range engagement, launching long-range strikes from both the ground and air to prevent casualties.

The second reason was that Golems without melee capabilities saved significantly on material costs. Despite possessing Wizard-level destructive power, they were far cheaper to produce than a standard Level 3 Golem.

Of course, this design was made considering the fact that there are very few Flying Magical Beasts on this plane.

Further down the list were several more locked icons.

Category Four: Special Operations Series Golems.

Micro-sized, submersible, and burrowing types for stealth, infiltration, assassination... ’My current tech base is insufficient. I’ll shelve this for now.’

Category Five: Logistical Support Series Golems.

Battlefield repair, transport, and command. Previously, he had handled all command decisions himself, but now Jarvis could lend a small hand.

In the future, he would need dedicated signal relay stations and command-node Golems to help ease his command burden.

Considering his transport needs, he had designed and built a Floating Ship over the last couple of days. Thanks to his knowledge of Anti-Gravity Runes, it wasn’t difficult at all.

However, due to cost considerations, the Floating Ship was not fitted with any weapons. A single vessel cost about 3,000 Magic Stones.

Category Six: Production and Construction Series Golems.

’Speaking of production...’ Allen opened a preliminary design for a new production Golem.

’The current Mining Golems are barely adequate. I’ve bought the blueprints, but I lack a way to prospect for new ore deposits.’

Allen shook his head. "Jarvis, put the design for the Exploration Golem on the schedule. It should be relatively simple, so you can handle the design work. Open-pit mines are rare, after all. We need to find more deposits. This Black Patterned Iron mine alone can’t support this money-devouring army."

[Added to R&D queue. Estimated processing power requirement: 20%.]

Looking at the densely packed project list, Allen felt a bittersweet sense of fulfillment.

Unlocking each icon would require vast amounts of Magic Stones and resources.

His funds were holding steady for now, thanks to selling refined iron ingots, but it was only enough to cover the ongoing maintenance of his existing Golems. He couldn’t afford to expand production capacity any further.

’Magic Stones...’

Allen let out a long sigh. ’How is it that even after being reincarnated in another world, I’m still stuck with the life of a wage slave? The only difference is that this time, I’m working for myself.’

[Warning.]

[Decrease in Magic Power fluctuations detected.]

[In the direction of Three-way Canyon, the Magic Power fluctuation index has dropped below the set threshold.]

Allen’s gaze instantly sharpened.

On the screen, the Crystalized Forest, which had been ravaged by war for a month and a half, was now terrifyingly quiet.

The once-omnipresent webs were now in tatters. The ground was littered with shattered crystal carapaces and dried ichor. At the edge of the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders’ territory, most of the bizarre crystalline trees had been snapped in half.

"Is it over?" Allen asked in a low voice.

[Yes, Commander. Based on observations over the past twelve hours, the subsequent small-scale conflicts between the two sides have ceased. The Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion swarm has retreated deep into the canyon, and the Dream-Weaving Demon Spiders have also withdrawn to the core of the forest.]

[Preliminary Assessment: Both sides have suffered heavy losses and are now entering a recovery period.]

"Heavy losses on both sides..." Allen mulled over the words.

’This wasteland doesn’t need two weakened overlords. It only needs the voice of a single, absolute power.’

’Before, I could only hide in a hole like a rat, surviving by throwing stones to sow discord between them.’

’If I let them rest and recover their strength, they’ll go right back to being the masters of this land.’

’Then what was the point of all this?’

Allen decided it would be best not to give them a chance to restore their numbers.