The Cornflower Witch

April had just passed, and the weather had warmed slightly, bringing no small amount of hope to people.

Its exterior architecture, completely different from all past steam vehicles, along with the silent engine and the light, matte-black texture, all delivered an indescribable impact that made it impossible to look away.

For ordinary people, a steam vehicle might be a mode of transportation, but for another group, its main purpose was to satisfy the need for status and superiority. This model, far surpassing ordinary steam vehicles, with its eye-catching design and styling, struck a chord right in the hearts of certain crowds.

Now, to snap up the extremely limited supply of the "Mockingbird·Starry Sky," high officials and nobles from various regions were pulling out all the stops, leveraging connections unimaginable to most. Even though Sylutia was hiding in her tower reading, she would often receive letters from some big shot, hoping she could help reserve one for their child or family member.

Such requests were hard to refuse, after all, the other party wasn't forcing a sale; they would often pay an even higher price, and most of them had considerable status and strength.

"Sigh..." Sylutia sat at her desk, tore open a newly arrived letter, glanced through it briefly, then set it aside.

"Another request about the new car?" Cerise, dressed in a maid's uniform, walked over carrying tea and snacks.

"Yes." The young girl tucked her legs together, resting them on the crossbar under the chair, her knees holding up her skirt, revealing the lace-edged white socks around her ankles.

"We get letters like this almost every day. It makes selling even one through normal channels really difficult." She thought that if she gave all the newly produced cars to these connected people, the public sales would look terrible.

"How's the new production line coming along?" She asked Cerise.

"The machine tools and workshop buildings are initially set up, but it'll be a while before they can start production. Our new car's manufacturing process and craftsmanship are quite complex, requiring more training time before those apprentices can get the hang of it." Cerise set down the teacup and snacks.

"If I remember correctly, didn't we start training people two months ago?" Sylutia asked curiously.

"That's right, but you've been very busy during this time, so you might not know. Because the first production line is running at full capacity, we've had to constantly pull experienced hands to help, which has delayed the training work quite a bit."

"I see..." Sylutia picked up her teacup and drank slowly.

"There's no choice. The expectations from the outside are too high. If we can't churn out enough production to meet demand, dissatisfaction is cropping up in many regions. Some are even spreading rumors that we're being too arrogant, deliberately keeping people in suspense, or exaggerating our claims without actually delivering the new cars."

"All kinds of issues are surfacing." The young girl set down her teacup, then rested her head and arms on the table, staring sideways at the white porcelain coaster.

Lately, she had been dragged to the Mage Alliance's Parliament District, meeting one big shot after another. The names and resumes of those masters were too numerous to count, but each and every one was a veteran of the highest seniority. She couldn't afford to be perfunctory with them. So, she had been living in a state of tension and busyness until three days ago, when she finally left the Parliament District and returned to the Mishil District.

Fortunately, quite a few elites from the "Mithril Clock" and the "Carving and Casting School" were now stationed in the Mishil District. With their support and coordination, even though Sylutia was away, the work here was proceeding in an orderly manner.

To be honest, Sylutia hadn't expected things to develop to this point. In her original plan, she would probably intern in the Mishil District for a year or two, putting the mechanical knowledge and skills she had learned into practice. Even if she were to take over as the Tower Guardian here, it would be several years later. After working for a few years, she could then hand this position over to someone else.

But now, the outside world viewed her as the new star succeeding Master Sagna, believing she would lead the development of the Mishil District for the next few decades.

That expectation was incredibly high, putting Sylutia in a difficult spot. She didn't dare to say she might only stay for a few years before leaving.

You are not so indifferent to power. Even if that position brings vast wealth and honor, and even unimaginable influence, it's still a position.

Thinking this, Sylutia suddenly sat up straight. Her sudden movement made Cerise think something important was happening.

"What's wrong, Miss Mishil?"

"I need to cultivate a few suitable successors." Sylutia stated her thoughts.

You can't be trapped here for a lifetime, but you also can't just casually abandon your responsibilities.

"I see." Cerise breathed a sigh of relief, shook her head slightly, and stepped back. Those academic and technical matters were not her concern.

Soon after, the Mishil District issued an announcement, the gist of which was welcoming excellent mages from all over the Alliance to come to the Mishil District to participate in the research, development, and manufacturing of the new car. Furthermore, the Tower Guardian, Mishil, would personally teach and impart new technical concepts and knowledge.

Once this announcement was released, it immediately attracted many people. Numerous young Third Tier mages and capable Fourth Tier senior mages rushed over, hoping to participate in this great technological innovation. Among them were even several Fifth Tier expert-level figures.

Faced with this motley crew of applicants, Sylutia devised a set of test questions to weed out those with weak foundations and the unqualified. Then, she divided the remaining personnel into several classes for internships and instruction.

It had to be said, the mages who passed the exams were mostly quick learners with strong comprehension, far surpassing the previously trained personnel. Under Hedra's teaching and training, these recruited young talents and professionals from various regions quickly mastered the current manufacturing process for the new car and then threw themselves into production practice.

With their addition, the production volume of the new car finally rose. Originally estimated at 3,000 units per year, it was now projected to reach an annual output of 5,000 units. And by next year, production would increase even further.

Although not many had been sold to the public so far, the orders were already piled up beyond capacity. The best-selling vehicle in the history of the Mage Alliance was the "Golden Beetle" from thirty-two years ago, with a total shipment of over 34,000 units. The current "Mockingbird·Starry Sky" was priced three times higher than the "Golden Beetle" back then. Even so, many were still scrambling to buy it. And Sylutia had heard that the current auction price for a single car on the black market was over 200,000 gold coins, which made her jaw drop.

Based on current material and labor costs, the production cost of one car was around 8,000 gold coins. Her set price was 24,000 gold coins. She had thought that was already quite high, but she never expected it to often be resold for over 50,000 gold coins.

She really didn't know where the Mage Alliance got so many wealthy people. If it were her former self, she couldn't afford it.

Expanding production capacity was urgent.

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