Soon, the drill bit cut a circular copper piece slightly larger than a coin from the metal plate, clamping it tightly. Then, the piece was transferred to the adjacent grinding machine, which began to polish the copper.
A moment later, the circular disc, both sides now polished smooth, was manipulated by magic to approach the miniature engraving knife. The blade began to etch the magic rune according to the pre-set template. This process was quite lengthy, as the knife not only had to carve the patterns into the material but also had to infuse magic at a stable and uniform rate.
However, at this stage, Alan discovered a problem: due to the subtle vibrations generated during the lathe's operation, the miniature engraving knife connected to the frame also vibrated. This instability caused slight discrepancies in the engraved magic rune.
After a while, the engraving was finally complete. The round copper piece was once again guided to the grinding machine for a final polish. The finished product was a bright metal disc with engraved magic runes, slightly larger and considerably thicker than a normal coin. Alan removed the amulet and examined it carefully. As expected, the spell patterns were much thicker than anticipated, and there were inconsistencies in the line weight.
"I don't know if it can still be used, but I can sense magic fluctuations from the finished product."
After observing it for a moment, Alan decided to test it. He took the amulet to the testing range and fixed it to a humanoid target. "Stupefy!"
He cast the spell at the amulet, and as the light approached, the metal disc immediately erected a circular shield, which collided squarely with the Stunning Spell. Then, the shield shattered.
"The stress magic rune is effective, but the power of the Protego is compromised—greatly reduced, in fact. I wonder if the lathe's vibration can be solved with a ripple-expelling spell. If not, I'll have to separate the miniature engraving knife from the main body of the lathe; otherwise, the engraving accuracy will never improve."
"Moreover, the processing efficiency is a concern. It took twenty minutes just to produce one Protective Amulet. At this speed, only three can be produced in an hour, which is seventy-two in a day. That isn't particularly fast. The magic runes on the Protective Amulet are relatively simple. If it were a more complex product, it would be even slower."
"Engraving the runes takes the longest. To improve efficiency, I'll need to install more miniature engraving knives. Making them requires goblin-forged steel, a precious material I have other uses for. I'll just make one more for now to increase the production rate."
"In any case, it's confirmed that the lathe works normally when connected to the circuit. Today's gains are significant enough. Problems in the processing are minor troubles that can be adjusted."
Alan summarized his experiments, feeling that he might be being a bit too greedy. The magic converted by electrifying the Wild Lightning rune could now drive the lathe, and the tools produced were functional, confirming his long-held hypothesis. As long as the lathe could be debugged for stable production, his alchemy workshop was officially a reality.
In the following days, Alan focused his energy on improving the machine. He engraved a ripple-expelling spell on the frame and installed an additional automatic engraving knife. After several more rounds of testing, the magic lathe was finally able to process tools with relatively stable quality. Although the finish could not reach the standard of his handmade pieces, they were sufficient for normal use. A mass-produced Protective Amulet could now withstand a spell of up to eighty points of intensity. Since a standard Stupefy cast by a wizard is only about forty points, these amulets could, on average, block two hits.
Just as Alan completed the final debugging, Moody and Arthur arrived as planned.
"Haha, Alan, your house is really not bad! Speaking of which, you've been living here for so long and only now remember to invite me over. That's really not cool."
Moody was his usual boisterous self. As soon as he entered, he leaned on his cane, touching and inspecting everything in sight, not forgetting to tease his host.
"That's my fault, but ever since I moved in, I've been swamped. You and Arthur are the first guests to visit me. By the way, what would you like to drink? I have a few unopened bottles of red currant rum here." Alan leaned over to the wine cabinet and added, "Of course, these were left by the previous owner. I don't have a habit of drinking myself."
"Hehe, you don't need to tell me that specifically. I don't care if you drink or not, but you're over sixteen now, right? In our world, that's practically an adult." Moody chuckled as he approached the coffee table, took the glass Alan handed him, and sniffed it ecstatically. Then he glanced to the side. "Arthur, come and sit down! You have good wine here and don't even appreciate it. By the way, why did you bring a child to Alan's house?"
"Alan is Ginny's godfather. It's been a year since they last met, so I brought her along to see him," Arthur replied casually. Then he turned, "Ginny, let go, don't keep pulling the dog."
Arthur hadn't come alone; he had brought Ginny with him. And Ginny, upon arriving, had immediately set her sights on Hog.
Hog's tragedy began. He had planned on a quiet day of sunbathing by the living room window, but he was rudely yanked awake from a nap. When he saw it was Ginny, his soul almost fled his body. This was a true encounter with a sworn enemy; his most terrifying nightmare this past year had been this young girl. Ginny, surprisingly, remembered him perfectly. She grabbed his tail and held on tight, just like last year.
"Let go, Ginny, you're going to pull all the fur off his tail," Arthur said helplessly, squatting beside her to persuade her.
"No, I want the doggy! The doggy to play with me," Ginny pouted, her eyes fixed on Hog.
"It's alright, Arthur, just let Hog play with Ginny for a bit. Although he's big, he won't bite," Alan said with a smile, looking at the dejected wolf. Then he leaned over and held out a hand. "Hi, Ginny, do you still remember me?"
As soon as Ginny saw Alan, she immediately let go of Hog's tail and rushed straight into his arms.