CHAPTER 504: CHAPTER 482: I DECLARE, THIS PLACE SHALL BE NAMED THE RY COURT BARRACKS.

Despite there being nearly a hundred star-forged gears within the Mechanical Palace, only sixty are suitable for use in industrial production.

Four are used for the Spring-Powered Stone Cutter, producing 60 to 80 cubic meters of stone bricks each month, enough to pave a street 40 to 50 meters long.

Six have been turned into a Spring-Powered Sawmill, with a monthly output of 500 to 600 cubic meters of timber.

Currently, the paving stones on Autumn Dusk Island are all cut by the stone cutting machine, while the materials for temporary labor huts and countryside farmhouses are cut by the Spring-Powered Sawmill.

Seven are used for the Spring-Powered Textile Machine, which is essentially the Scroll spinning machine transformed into mechanical powered by a spring wheel.

This Spring-Powered Scroll Spinning Machine, modified by Hilov, has 500-800 spindles and can produce hundreds of yards of linen fabric per hour.

The textile workshops can collectively weave 7000 to 9000 yards of linen fabric per month, absorbing the entire linen production of Autumn Dusk Island with two months of idle surplus.

Horn calculated that each spring-powered textile workshop occupies around 800 square meters and requires 20 to 30 operators to monitor yarn quality, fix broken threads, and replace spindles.

For a manual workshop to achieve the same effect, it would require 150 spinning machines, 60 looms, 230 textile workers, with roughly the same area.

But there is nearly a tenfold difference in personnel.

The 70,000 yards of linen they weave can just meet the clothing market needs of Autumn Dusk Island for this year.

Given that people of this era typically wear one piece of clothing for ten years, since they already have it, market demand next year on Autumn Dusk Island is expected to halve.

The Beastman Kingdom of Daze Village is still changing to flax cultivation, causing the supply end of flax to increase next year.

The surplus, aside from internal digestion by the Beastmen, can only be exported to Langsande County’s market.

Horn can foresee that next year the market price of flax clothing might be pressed down to about eighty percent of the original.

And this is just for three spring-powered textile workshops.

If the raw material supply issue could be solved, Horn would grit his teeth to expand to thirty workshops, maintaining the same price, allowing one Autumn Dusk Island textile industry to meet the market demand of the entire Thousand River Valley.

By then, it would truly be the Autumn Dusk Island shocking the entire Thousand River Valley.

Unfortunately, the manufacturing method of star-forged gears remains a mystery.

Among the remaining star-forged gears, ten have been turned into a rotary water pump, and nine have been turned into a swing-arm crane.

"This set of three things basically serves the purpose of dredging the river."

Leaning against the wooden railing of the dam bridge, Horn gazed upon the muddy river channel before him and could see these three spring machines in action on-site.

The rotary water pump needs no further explanation; Horn focuses mainly on the swing-arm crane.

It stands about 8 to 12 meters high, arrayed along both sides of the river channel.

These swing-arm cranes, wholly made of oak and cedar, have L-shaped metal parts and black iron rivets that glimmer even on a partly rainy day.

The crane’s overall appearance resembles a tower, with a single arm extended from the top, equipped with a pulley system connected by ropes and hinges to the rotary holy machine.

The most eye-catching feature is the crane tower top’s fearsome triple-headed wooden sculpture, while the arm hangs a frame made from white beast bones in a hieroglyph shape.

Wood combined with metal sheet components, and even leather wrapping, with blood-red alchemical symbols inscribed on the leather.

With such a structure, Horn sometimes fears it might suddenly collapse.

This unique aesthetic blend of decay and barbarism stunned him as greatly as the face of Brother Huo—

Alas! His worst fear has come true...

The Black Snake Bay People and Beastmen have been mixed together!

Later, Horn always found himself speechless whenever encountered on the street, only managing to avoid with a blackened expression.

Despite its poor appearance, he had to admit this machine was indeed very reliable.

At this moment, the Alchemist Priest was using a large spring key crank to start the rotary holy machine, and as the roaring sound of the wheel arose, all ropes and hinges were taut.

Workers in wooden baskets swayed merrily with talk and laughter as they were lifted from the river channel to the ground by the crane.

In the past when Horn inspected, what they lifted was not people, but basketfuls of soil.

Workers pushed wheelbarrows to transport this fertile silt to the lakeshore of Daze Village, where Beastmen used it to fill swamps and connect roads.

If it weren’t for these swing-arm cranes, they wouldn’t even clear the silt at the river mouth.

Out of the twenty-four remaining star-forged gears, seven are used for spring-powered hammers, responsible for forging plate armor and percussion rods.

Another nine are installed on the spring lathes.

Wheel lathes are used for manufacturing the components of spring cases.

The lead screw lathe was used for threading and making helix triggers.

The wood and stone lathe was used to make high-end furniture.

Finally, eight were left in the Mechanical Palace, partly responsible for the operation of the Mechanical Palace, and partly for Hilov to research and design machinery.

Reflecting on what he had seen and heard on Autumn Dusk Island during this time, Horn suddenly understood why Hilov suggested renaming the town on Autumn Dusk Island to ry Court Barracks.

The ticking of springs, the roaring of gears, the Holy Father turning the wheel, brought forth a city where machinery replaces manual labor.

If this city isn’t called ry Court Barracks, what should it be called?

Strolling in the rain, Horn was about to say something with a feeling of emotion when Chap hurried over and interrupted him:

"Your Excellency, the gate-opening ceremony is ready."

Armand paid no attention, merely looking into Horn’s eyes, and Horn waved his hand: "Since we’re ready, let’s not keep everyone waiting."

From the dam, he returned to the high ground on the shore, where all the important figures of Daze Village were waiting.

Present were not only various officials, elders, officers, and students from Autumn Dusk Island, but also representatives of farmers and the Beastman Queen.

The moment Horn appeared, the crowd burst into cheers.

Horn waved and greeted everyone as he stepped onto the makeshift podium.

"It took us almost a year, and we paid with endless sweat and blood to build this dam and start the dredging project."

"To thank everyone who worked hard during this time, I’d like to invite everyone to applaud for a minute, celebrating those who worked tirelessly on the waterways."

Amidst the cheers, everyone present raised their hands above their heads, clapping continuously, and the sound was unanimous.

As for the laborers, they proudly puffed their chests, with some turning red-faced and others joining in the applause.

"Good, good..." Horn pressed his hands down slightly, "Labor deserves admiration, but the results of this labor must be tested, whether a mule or a horse, we need to take it out for a walk."

"Exactly." Armand’s arranged shill immediately echoed.

"Now, let’s have a collective prayer, and then ask the Holy Father for a judgment."

Horn folded his fingers across his chest, performing a moderate prayer.

After everyone had finished, he nodded to Chap and then struck the table with a wooden mallet:

"Officially open the gate!"

The wooden sluice gate, laden with heavy mud, began to rise slowly, and when it was halfway up, the crowd could visibly see the gate trembling.

Despite the laborers’ caution, one wooden gate was still knocked askew by the rushing lake water and broke away, unable to be retrieved.

It was as if a chariot was traveling through the sky, and Horn could hear the wheels rolling over the air.

The water level of Nanze Lake, already high, trembled as massive water pressure forced the water out through the openings, erupting violently.

The entire venue began to shake, with attentive observers even noticing a multitude of cracks appearing on the dam.

Fortunately, the dam reinforced with mortar held up, at least withstanding this impact.

The lake water surged forward with silt, pushing the centuries-old sediment to dissipate with screams under the inescapable waves.

The pent-up frustrations and pains of Nanze Lake, accumulated over centuries, were unleashed along the stone dike, washing away the black silt that seemed to suppress her forever.

The black silt never anticipated the once-calm lake water to turn so violent; it was as if the laborers had ignited flames in the lake water with spring mechanisms.

As white foam charged into the black silt, the water swayed to both sides, scouring the channel.

The once filthy riverbed gradually eroded, and the turbid lake water began to clear.

The fishy smell and the musty odor of mud dissipated with the wind, leaving Horn smelling nothing but the fresh scent of water vapor.

Nanze Lake, no, Daze Village, is about to embrace rebirth.

Facing the stunned crowd, Horn stood on a large dark rock.

Amidst the roaring sound of the lake behind him, he spread his arms wide, the wind pressing his clothes tightly against his back, his sleeves flapping like the sound of flowing water.

"Although it’s a bit sudden, I announce, in the renaming proposal for the town on Autumn Dusk Island, I cast my 11,537 votes for the name ’ry Court Barracks’!"

"From now on, the town on Autumn Dusk Island is officially renamed—"

"ry Court Barracks!"