Expanding the Refinery: Automation and Self-Sufficiency

With the lumber mill now operational and materials moving steadily along the river, attention has turned to the next critical piece of infrastructure: the refinery. Like many early builds, it served its purpose well enough in the past, but time has revealed its limitations. The rebuild of the refinery is not about spectacle; it is about efficiency, sustainability, and reducing manual labor where it no longer makes sense.

The centerpiece of this upgrade is the integration of a dedicated clay farm. Clay has long been a bottleneck for large-scale construction, especially as the realm shifts toward more refined materials. By producing clay on-site, the refinery gains a reliable source input for both terracotta and brick, two materials that have become increasingly important in modern builds.

Supporting this effort is a new redstone machinery layout designed to automate production. Clay is processed into terracotta, bricks are fired consistently, and storage is handled in a way that minimizes interruption. This is not automation for its own sake; it is automation that respects the player’s time. Builders should be building, not standing at furnaces waiting for progress bars to finish.

To ensure uninterrupted operation, the refinery will also receive a lava generator. Fuel scarcity has been an ongoing friction point, particularly during large production runs. By generating lava on demand, the refinery becomes largely self-sufficient, capable of sustaining extended production cycles without constant resupply. It is a small addition with significant impact.

Together, these changes mark a shift in how the realm approaches industry. The refinery is no longer a simple processing stop—it is becoming a production hub, capable of supplying cities and towns with finished materials at scale. When paired with river transport and improved road access, it fits cleanly into the broader vision of a connected and enduring Merica.

This rebuild reinforces a simple principle: strong realms are not built solely on grand designs, but on systems that work quietly in the background. Clay, brick, terracotta, and fuel may not draw attention on their own, but without them, nothing else stands for long. The refinery’s evolution is another step toward a realm that builds not just bigger—but smarter.