Sharath sat in the sunny workshop annex of the Darsha Palace, quills and drawings scattered across the highly polished wooden table, together with samples of magical runes and tiny mechanical bits. The list he had prepared at breakfast—of mundane tools that might be upgraded—had sparked him to go beyond paper ideas. Today, he would start prototyping inventions for ordinary professions, so craftsmen all over the Unity Empire could work faster, wiser, and safer.
"Today, even the most humble trade can benefit from magic and ingenuity," Sharath murmured, picking up a miniature razor prototype for testing. "Barbers, tailors, potters, shoemakers… everyone should experience the same ease we've brought to research and agriculture."
The Barber Prototypes
He started with his barber concepts. Small automatons, designed in the form of small apprentices, crawled across the table, cutting waxed hair mannequins with almost flawless accuracy. The prototypes were driven by a mixture of magical micro-motors and dexterity runes.
Sharath showed off the trimmer prototype: a streamlined device with self-sharpening blades that sensed hair thickness and scalp contour. It even tracked the desired hairstyle automatically. A tiny spell protected against any unwanted nicks, and a vibration-sensitive handle gave expert barbers tactile feedback.
Then, he addressed hairdryers and heat tools. The prototype expelled warm air in accurate streams, controlled by suspended magical runes that modified speed and heat in real time. Even intricate curls and braids could be dried within minutes, removing exhaustion from hours of working at the salon.
Tailor Tools
Next, Sharath saw betterments for tailors. Cutting and sewing cloth had long taken patient fingers and a sharp eye, but protos could make the difference.
Rune-guided sewing needles: Tiny enchanted needles that followed patterns sketched with magical ink and sewed seams in impeccable alignment.
Self-measuring tapes: The measuring tapes would scale themselves to the body's dimensions and send their findings through small floating indicators.
Heating regulation boards: Boards that created accurate heat zones, tracking along seams as needed, avoiding scorching or wrinkles.
Sharath observed a small mannequin suit being sewn by a duo of hovering needles. Every stitch was perfectly set and tiny magical sparks hovered around as quality control. He chuckled softly at the effectiveness, wondering about tailors' stunned responses.
Pottery Innovations
Potters themselves also discovered their works both fulfilling and strenuous. Sharath's designs attempted to simplify their work while maintaining artistry.
Self-turning potter's wheels: Wheels powered by small magical motors that regulated speed based on the touch of the potter.
Shape-directed clay modeling runes: When etched onto a tool, the runes controlled the potter's hands, recommending changes for balance and avoiding collapses.
Kiln temperature control: Small, computerized kilns with ideal firing temperatures, minimizing breakage and inconsistent finishes.
He set a vase of clay upon a wheel, tracing a spiral pattern with a wand. The runes softly glowed, coaxing the clay into form with a gentle pressure, creating perfectly balanced design. Sharath made subtle adjustments for varying densities of clay, jotting notes for future tuning.
Shoemaker Prototypes
Shoemakers, who worked with hard leather and delicate stitches, were given new opportunities by Sharath's innovations:
Enchanted stitching awls: Threaded, guided, and tension-controlled automatically for various materials.
Self-forming shoes: Reusable magical molds that molded footwear to the wearer's accurate foot sizes.
Polishing and finishing wands: Instruments that glided over shoe surfaces, polishing them evenly and buffing them to shine.
A test boot shone as the polishing wand swept across it, producing a sheen that was impossible for human skill to create. Sharath could envision the joy of cobblers when they learned of a tool that removed hours of painstaking toil.
Other Occupations
Sharath's thoughts drifted further. What of craftsmen in less traditional occupations? He drew up designs for:
Carpenters: Runes-guided saws, level meters floating above wood surfaces, and self-regulating sanders adjusting pressure.
Bakers: Measurement tools that provided ideal dough consistency, ovens with enchanted heat distribution, and rolling pins that rolled out dough evenly.
Weavers: Looms controlled by tiny magical helpers, automatically varying thread tension and pattern complexity.
Farmers: Tiny enchanted tools to plant, irrigate, and keep tabs on crops with minimal physical effort.
Each one served a dual function: efficiency and magical safety, so that human effort was supplemented, rather than supplanted.
Testing and Adjustments
Sharath spent the morning dashing among prototypes, practicing motions, and tweaking magical runes. A small chaotic sense of humor sprang from minor accidents:
A hovering sewing needle whirled out of control, sewing a sleeve onto an adjacent tapestry.
A potters' wheel, enchanted too powerfully, launched a clay bowl through the room, barely avoiding a pile of rolled fabrics.
A polishing wand went astray and buffed the handle of a sword rather than the shoe, making it shine unnaturally.
Every such occurrence was met with a combination of laughter and careful reprimand. Such trial-and-error was necessary, Sharath realized, innovation needed to be patient and creative.
Documentation and Planning
By late afternoon, Sharath had assembled a thorough record of day-to-day improvements, such as sketches, magical equations, and records of practical trial. He intended to spread blueprints and initial prototypes to some guilds throughout the empire. Each guild would try the inventions and offer critique, so the devices would not only be functional but genuinely of use to everyday professionals.
Sharath settled back, looking at the sun approaching the horizon. The thrill of moon forests, celestial travel, and magical computers had now converged with the mundane world of simple crafts. From shoemakers to potters, barbers to tailors, the people of the Unity Empire were poised at the threshold of a revolution in daily work.
A gentle tap on the door heralded the arrival of his personal assistant. "Lord Sharath, dinner is ready," he said, bowing ever so slightly. Sharath grinned, envisioning the morrow with even more refinements, new solutions, and giggles resulting from small magical blunders.
Innovation, Sharath came to understand, was not so much about grandeur or interplanetary accomplishments. It was also about making everyday life for every citizen better—taking simple tools and making them extraordinary tools of efficiency, creativity, and happiness.