When Ethan returned to the depot that afternoon the workers surrounded him anxiously Their eyes searched his face for the answer Did the council stop them Did the guild crush them Did the old world win

Ethan lifted his hand slowly and announced

We continue

The yard erupted into cheers Some workers nearly cried The apprentices hugged each other Blacksmiths shouted triumphantly The sound echoed through the district like a festival bell

Ethan raised his voice louder The Council has recognized ManaExpress as a provisional company We have one month to prove the value of our system One month to show this city and this kingdom what logistics can truly be

He looked at the rows of metal frames and rune plates sprawled across the depot

We begin expansion today

Darrin shouted What is our next goal Ethan More drones More routes More contracts

Ethan smiled All of it But we start with scaling operations If we want a stable system we need structure not chaos

He walked toward the chalkboard he created earlier and began drawing three large circles connected by lines

This is the first tier of the ManaExpress Network Three hubs Main depot at the center then north district and east district These will be our first auxiliary stations

The workers murmured No one had ever heard of multiple magic hubs linking to a central depot

Ethan explained The city will not rely on one warehouse Too much demand Too much risk Instead we build a network Each hub handles local sorting and dispatch The drones fly between hubs and the depot based on routing schedules

Darrin asked What is a schedule

A timed flight plan Ethan said Every hour fifty drones depart fifty return Movement in waves A constant supply pulse across the city

The workers stared at him as if he were describing a new form of life

He moved to the next phase of the board This week we produce one hundred drones Minimum

Gasps erupted Some apprentices nearly dropped their chisels

Ethan continued We will form three production teams Assembly Carving Testing Each with clear tasks No overlap No confusion We do not build drones randomly anymore We build them deliberately

He assigned workers by name He gave Darrin a supervisor role over assembly He placed the strongest blacksmith in charge of frame standardization He gave apprentices groups to mentor He even assigned a few retired depot workers to quality inspection

For the first time the depot felt like a real company

Then Ethan introduced the concept that shook workers even further

Training every drone with a flight script

Darrin blinked Flight script

Ethan held up a parchment with runes flowing in a loop This is a routing script A set of instructions encoded into the drone core It tells the drone how to stabilize in wind how to correct minor drift how to adjust altitude and how to return if lost

The apprentices stared We can teach drones

Yes Ethan said They are machines They learn through rules We write rules with runes

He placed the parchment on a table Everyone leaned in watching as he carved the sequence into a fresh drone core The runes pulsed in cycles shifting between pale blue and clear white

Darrin asked Is it safe

Ethan nodded It makes the drone safer than any mage guided familiar Because it does not panic It does not hesitate It only follows logic

By evening two dozen cores glowed with new scripts The assembly line produced twelve prototypes that looked sharper sleeker and more balanced than earlier models The testing zone sent four units flying around the depot with near perfect stability Even the guards watching from the entrance seemed impressed one whispering to the other These things move like soldiers on parade

Then a messenger arrived breathless He held a letter marked with the seal of the northern city of Luminford

Ethan opened it and read aloud To the inventor of the flying carriers We request immediate discussion to establish ManaExpress operations in Luminford We are prepared to offer contracts land rights and financial support for expansion

The entire depot froze

Darrin whispered Ethan Another city wants ManaExpress

Ethan nodded But he kept his voice steady as he said We do not expand until our system is perfect We strengthen Arclight first Then we take the world

A worker shouted If we are recognized in Luminford other cities will follow

Ethan nodded They will But only after we show them that we are the standard of speed and reliability

The workers surged with renewed motivation They hammered chisels faster They carved runes clearer They tightened every joint with precision as if building weapons for a revolution Because they were

As night fell the depot glowed like a forge of innovation Mana light seeds hovered above illuminating workers shaping the future The hum of drones filled the air like a steady living heartbeat

Darrin stood beside Ethan watching the production lines moving in harmony You made them believe Ethan They are not workers anymore They are pioneers

Ethan replied quietly They believe because they finally see what I see A world connected not by roads but by flight Not by old traditions but by engineered magic

He looked at the stars above The same sky his drones would soon fill

And he whispered

Tomorrow we build more than drones We build history