The next day began with a loud knock on my door It was not the gentle tap of an apprentice or the polite call of a guard It was heavy and firm as if someone wanted the entire building awake I opened the door and found three carpenters two stone cutters a metal shaper and a young mage holding a stack of glowing blueprints Apparently the council wasted no time pushing the project forward

The young mage introduced himself as Leron and said he was assigned to assist me with construction He held out the glowing sheets I had drawn on the wooden boards the day before but now they were rewritten in magical runes and drawn with far cleaner lines He explained that he used a rune technique to convert my sketches into stable magical blueprints I thanked him and told the workers to gather inside the warehouse

When everyone assembled I explained the structure layout again but this time with more detail I pointed at the main reaction chamber location then showed where the airflow runes would sit and how the sorting corridor needed reinforced walls to prevent stray sparks The workers asked many questions They were skilled craftspeople yet none of them had built anything involving magic flow management before They treated the project like building a temple with unpredictable quirks

The carpenters marked the positions for wooden beams while the stone cutters traced the lines for the foundation runes Leron followed behind them activating each section with a soft glow that spread like ink through water The reaction chamber took the most time Its floor needed multiple rune layers to stabilize chaotic magic If the layers failed the entire station would collapse in a burst of unstable energy

By midday the air grew thick with dust saw particles and the faint taste of magic growing stronger with each activated rune Workers ran back and forth carrying wood stone crystal shards and metal sheets Everyone sweat heavily though the warehouse stayed cool The hum of the growing structure filled the space like the distant echo of a storm

Then a sudden shout broke through the noise One of the workers had accidentally opened a sack filled with red category dust and glowing fragments Sparks erupted and small arcs leapt in the air The workers backed away but I sprinted toward the sack I grabbed a protective cloth from my belt and covered the opening The sparks died instantly

The workers stared at me with wide eyes Leron asked if such accidents were common I nodded and reminded them how dangerous unsorted waste could be I told them the accident was a perfect example of why we needed the new system I asked the workers to always ask me or Leron before touching any raw waste They nodded nervously and went back to their tasks

Construction continued through the afternoon The sorting corridor walls rose first sturdy thick and covered with protective runes Next the airflow channels were carved across the upper beams These channels would move contaminated air into a set of enchanted filters that could trap and neutralize magic residue Leron tested the system by releasing a small puff of glowing dust into the corridor The channels pulled it upward smoothly The workers clapped quietly impressed by the simplicity

Shortly after sunset the main frame of the station stood complete It was not pretty The walls were rough the beams slightly crooked and the reaction chamber glowed with uneven runes Yet it was the first structure in the kingdom designed entirely to control and process magic waste I felt a strange pressure in my chest a mix of pride and fear

Night fell completely but none of us wanted to leave just yet Workers sat on the ground wiping sweat from their brows Carpentry tools lay scattered across the floor The faint shimmering glow from the runes made everything look like a forgotten temple Leron approached me holding a small piece of purified metal from yesterday’s test He said he never imagined magic could be controlled with simple ideas like flow balance and stable zones

I smiled and told him that waste treatment on Earth required the same principles It did not matter if the energy source was electricity chemical reaction or wild magic Energy always behaved better with boundaries

Just as we prepared to leave a guard entered breathless He said someone saw two cloaked figures near the warehouse earlier They disappeared when approached We exchanged uneasy glances Even though the station was not finished the black market seemed interested already

After the workers left I walked slowly through the warehouse touching each beam and checking each rune I whispered to myself that tomorrow we would test the full system I could almost imagine the station humming with stable magic and producing clean materials

Then I heard a rustling sound near the storage corner I lifted my lantern and stepped closer Something small scurried behind a pile of unused planks I pulled the planks aside and found a tiny creature It looked like a rat but its fur shifted colors like a living spell Its eyes glowed bright green It stared at me then squeaked softly

The creature trembled as if sick I recognized signs of magic contamination It probably came from the Old City tunnels I scooped it gently with cloth It whimpered but did not resist I placed it inside an empty basket and covered it

If even small animals suffered from magic pollution then this kingdom needed the station more than ever I left the warehouse with a heavy mind ready for the next day