Mage Fang Ka's departure did not attract the attention of the players because Mage Fang Ka frequently traveled between the Ancient Castle, taking and returning books.
To these players, their performance was naturally monitored and recorded by the system.
At that time, the distribution of the reward pool would surely be allocated according to the system's records.
Mage Fang Ka's presence might slightly increase their favorability but would have no other impact on them.
Therefore, the players were working hard, unaffected by whether Mage Fang Ka was present or not.
All the way back to the Ancient Castle, Mage Fang Ka came to a room on the second floor.
The room housed an iron pot, shaped somewhat like a tripod, but without the feet underneath.
At the edge of the iron pot, there were four rings with four iron chains descending from the ceiling, connecting the rings and suspending the iron pot in mid-air.
This pot was not an ordinary pot but was Kain's Alchemy Platform.
It was indeed very different from a conventional Alchemy Platform.
The usual Alchemy Platform for crafting Alchemy Potions, which Mage Fang Ka had read about in books, was a rectangular shape with a deep recess in the central area on top.
A bit like a stove.
Kain believed that times were advancing and one should not be bound by convention; it should be comfortable and convenient.
Hence, this 'pot' came into being.
According to Kain, this pot was his proud creation and was top-notch among Alchemy Platforms.
The Alchemy Platform is actually crafted from dozens of specific Magic Materials, which when mixed together and infused with Magic Power, create Magic Resonance, producing special Magic Waves.
These specific Magic Materials also vary in quality; the higher the quality, the stronger the special Magic Waves produced, and the better the alchemy effect.
It's worth noting that the frequency of Magic Power input impacts the different effects of these special Magic Waves.
Hence, alchemy is not an easy task.
The frequency of Magic Power that should be input for different Magic Potions has extremely strict requirements.
In the past, Kain often had him assist and observe various alchemy experiments.
Although Kain never taught him the Meditation Skill or allowed him to become a Mage, he unreservedly taught him various alchemy knowledge.
During this time, whenever he read books, he would split his attention to microscopically manipulate the Magic Power within himself.
Therefore, he felt quite confident about this alchemy attempt.
Especially since this Alchemy Potion was the most basic low-level Alchemy Potion for enhancing these Undead Skeletons, it was really not difficult.
Mage Fang Ka first took the Magic Potions gathered by the players.
All these Magic Potions needed to be processed.
The only thing that didn't need processing was the blood.
After categorizing and arranging these Magic Potions beside him, he then brought ten jars from an adjacent room.
After finishing these tasks, Mage Fang Ka began to infuse Magic Power into the pot in front of him and process the Magic Potions nearby.
The process went very smoothly.
If he failed to craft even this most basic and low-level Alchemy Potion, he reckoned he'd slap himself.
After assisting Kain for over ten years, observing countless alchemy experiments, and learning so much alchemy knowledge from Kain, it wasn't for nothing.
Upon completion, Mage Fang Ka divided the potion into ten parts, pouring them into ten jars, then adding a liter of blood into each jar, thus thoroughly completing this Alchemy Potion.
Looking at his accomplishments, Mage Fang Ka nodded with satisfaction, then went to the Underground Library to fetch two books, and stepped outside the Ancient Castle.
It took him about an hour to craft the Alchemy Potion, so by the time he returned to the construction site, the players hadn't finished digging the foundation yet.
Mage Fang Ka went to the lounge chair, sat down, and resumed reading.
Time quickly flew to the evening, and by then, the players were visibly excited.
They were not even in a hurry to go offline to eat. Each took the first batch of already qualified brick molds and started putting them into the kiln for firing.
"Brother Zhou, how long will this take to fire?" Sea Flip asked excitedly, looking at the flames inside the kiln.
Mr. Zhou spoke with faux gravity, "How long does Tai Shang Laojun take to craft Elixirs?"
Sea Flip paused a bit, then answered hesitantly, "Forty-nine days?"
Mr. Zhou clapped his hands, "Aha, perfect answer. So, the bricks need to be fired for seven days and nights, then sealed in the kiln to cool for another seven days and nights."
Grandpa Qian of Bone-Touching pulled Mr. Zhou's shoulder close, "Xiao Zhou, you're not joking, are you? That long? And how many bricks do we need to build a Divine Hall?"
Mr. Zhou replied seriously, "I'm not joking, and there's a method to firing bricks. For the first two days, use low temperatures and a gentle flame to heat slowly to prevent cracks from fast heating."
"On the third day, after reaching a certain temperature, increase the fire to burn intensely, maintaining high temperatures for three continuous days."
"By the seventh day, seal the skylights, floor vents, and kiln door with mud, fill the trough on the kiln roof with water, and use a stick to insert water from the trough into the kiln."
"This allows the water to slowly flow into the kiln, achieving cooling in an anaerobic condition, and only after internal cooling can the kiln door be opened to retrieve the fired bricks."
"So, my suggestion is, we should continue building kilns, and every time we finish drying a batch of bricks, we fire a batch."
"Let's try to ensure there's no time gap in between. This way, we can maximize brick production for our use."
Flatulence looked somewhat wistfully at Mr. Zhou, "I suddenly feel like going back to mining stone might be better."
Mr. Zhou grinned, "This is primarily to ensure brick quality. You wouldn't want Mage Fang Ka to deduct your favorability for a shoddy project, would you?"
"Besides, mining stone is even slower, right? Think about it, I've got this Divine Hall planned out, and it requires a lot of materials."
"We only have twenty-five players; mining stone is slower and more exhausting."
"Yes, even though we can't feel tired, it somewhat wears down our bones, no?"
"Well, unless new players join, but if new players do join, why not have them help with firing bricks too? It would also increase the efficiency of brick production, wouldn't it?"
"In conclusion, firing bricks is the best method for us."
"And are you sure that once the Divine Hall is built, Mage Fang Ka won't have us build other structures?"
"Look at this desolate Island. Clearly, it's up to us to build it up brick by brick!"
"Trust me, if we stockpile bricks now, later on, house building will be super fast. Task completion and rewards will come in no time; isn't that appealing?"
"We need to pursue sustainable development, brothers."
Sea Flip gaped, "Brother Zhou, have you been part of a multi-level marketing scheme before?"
Iron Black Pot gave Mr. Zhou a thumbs-up, "You've successfully convinced me. It's a pity if you don't go into stand-up comedy with your eloquence."