The moment the sky began to brighten, the Flame Stone Tribe’s cave became as lively as if spring plowing had arrived early.
New firewood was added to the charcoal in the fire pit, and the orange-red flames leaped half a person high, making the Sun Totem on the cave wall seem to come alive.
In the center of the cave, the silver steel axe was placed on a flat bluestone slab, surrounded by Tribesmen,
Even A He, the sleepiest, was rubbing his eyes and squatting in the front row, resting his chin on his small hands and staring intently at the steel axe.
Elder Chi was the first to approach the steel axe.
He had woken up before dawn, his mind filled with the “Divine Axe” that had effortlessly split the oak wood last night.
Now he squatted before the bluestone slab, his withered fingers gently stroking the body of the steel axe,
The cold sensation and fine texture transmitted through his fingertips made him gasp—this was not stone, nor was it the occasional piece of brass ore found by the Tribe.
Its surface was so smooth it reflected his wrinkles, and the edge of the blade had no nicks, as if it could cut through air.
“Elder Chi, what does this ‘Divine Axe’ feel like?”
Mark couldn’t help but lean closer, wanting to touch it but daring not to, so he could only ask eagerly.
He had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, his mind full of the crisp sound of the steel axe splitting the oak wood; he kept thinking it was a dream.
Chi didn’t turn around, his fingers still resting on the steel axe, his voice trembling slightly:
“It’s cold, and smooth—smoother than the finest whetstone.
Look at this blade,”
he pointed to the edge of the steel axe,
“There isn’t even a single chip.
After splitting such a thick piece of oak, it’s still as sharp as when it was first made.
Our Tribe’s stone axe needs to be sharpened after splitting wood three times.
This thing…
shouldn’t exist in the mortal world.”
His words silenced the surrounding Tribesmen, and the curiosity in their eyes gradually turned into reverence.
Ashi swallowed and whispered, “Could it be a gift from the Sun God to Alex?
After all, Alex can create fire, and he can find salt.
Now that he has this Divine Axe, the Sun God must be protecting him.”
As soon as he said this, many Tribesmen nodded in agreement.
In their understanding, only deities could bestow such magical things—the ability to create fire, the salt used for seasoning, the axe that could split mountains and rocks.
These were all “miracles” they had never dared to imagine before, and Alex was the one who could connect with the deities.
“Make way, Alex is here!” Following a shout, the Tribesmen quickly retreated to both sides, clearing a path.
Alex was carrying a piece of freshly roasted dried fish.
As soon as he walked into the cave, he saw the densely packed crowd, and the steel axe being revered in the center.
He couldn’t help but smile:
“You’re all here to see the steel axe so early?”
“Alex!
Hurry up and use the Divine Axe to split something else!
We haven’t seen enough yet!”
A He was the first to jump up, tugging on Alex’s clothes, his eyes full of anticipation.
The Tribesmen echoed him, and even the Old Shaman walked over, leaning on his wooden staff, and said with a smile:
“Alex, let everyone widen their horizons again, and let the Sun God know that we will use this Divine Axe properly.”
Alex nodded and took the steel axe.
It felt heavy in his hand.
The walnut wood handle was warmed by the temperature of his palm.
He looked at the hard logs piled up in the corner of the cave—those were the iron birch logs that John and the others had carried back from the forest yesterday.
The wood was even harder than oak; a stone axe would only leave a white mark on it.
They originally intended to keep them as beams and pillars for the wooden houses, Visit g.com for the full chapter.
but because they were too hard, no one had been able to process them.
“Then let’s try this iron birch.” Alex carried the steel axe over, chose the thickest iron birch log, gripped the handle with both hands, aimed at the center of the wood, took a deep breath, and lightly swung the axe.
There was no effort involved, nor was there the dull sound of a stone axe chopping; there was only a soft “swoosh.”
The edge of the steel axe sliced into the iron birch as if cutting tofu, encountering almost no resistance.
Alex slightly lifted his wrist, and the steel axe continued downward with inertia until most of the axe body was buried in the wood before stopping steadily.
He let go and stepped back two paces.
The Tribesmen quickly gathered around.
They saw that the bowl-thick iron birch log had a neat split created by the steel axe, the edges of the split were so smooth that the wood grain was visible, without a single splinter.
John walked over and tried to pry the split open with his hands, but the iron birch didn’t budge.
But when he tapped the split with a stone axe, the wood snapped along the crack with a “crack” sound, and the cross-section was as smooth as the one created by the steel axe.
“This…
this is too divine!” John held up the broken iron birch, his voice trembling slightly,
“Yesterday, I chopped with a stone axe for half an hour and only left a few marks on it, but Alex, you split it open with one swing!
This Divine Axe really can split mountains and rocks!”
Elder Chi also leaned in, carefully examining the cross-section of the iron birch, and then touched the edge of the steel axe.
Suddenly, with a “plop,” he knelt before the bluestone slab and kowtowed three times to the steel axe:
“This old servant has lived for sixty years and has never seen such a formidable tool!
With this Divine Axe, our Flame Stone Tribe will no longer fear hard wood or frozen soil!”
Seeing Elder Chi kneel, the Tribesmen also knelt down one after another, devoutly kowtowing to the steel axe, muttering, “Thank you, Sun God,” and “Thank you, Ancestors.”
The Old Shaman stood at the very front, leaning on his wooden staff, his voice solemn:
“This Divine Axe is a gift bestowed upon the Flame Stone Tribe by the deities, a sharp weapon to protect our survival.
From now on, this Divine Axe shall be kept by Alex and can only be used when the Tribe needs it.
No one is allowed to misappropriate it privately, much less damage it!”
“Yes!”
The Tribesmen responded in unison, their voices so loud that flakes of rock dust rattled down from the cave ceiling.
Alex quickly helped Elder Chi and the Old Shaman up, saying with a smile:
“Everyone, you don’t have to do this.
Although this steel axe is powerful, it is also a tool meant to help everyone work.
As long as we use it well, we can build stronger wooden houses, cultivate more land, and hunt more prey.
That is the best way to thank the deities.”
Saying this, he picked up the steel axe and walked over to the pile of animal bones left over from yesterday.
Those were large bones left from hunting the Mammoth.
They were hard, and the stone axe couldn’t split them open; they could only be used to boil soup, and the meat stuck to the bones couldn’t be eaten.
Alex aimed at a thigh bone, and with a light swing of the axe, the animal bone snapped instantly, the cross-section revealing white bone marrow inside, along with many shreds of meat that hadn’t been cleaned off.
“Look, everyone,” Alex held up the broken animal bone,
“With the steel axe, these animal bones that we couldn’t eat before can now be split open to extract bone marrow and scrape off meat shreds.
From now on, we will have more food.”
The Tribesmen immediately gathered around, eagerly taking the steel axe to split the animal bones.
Mark split open a rib bone and shouted excitedly:
“There’s bone marrow inside!
Ashi also split open a leg bone, dug out the bone marrow, and handed it to the elderly person beside him:
“Grandfather, please try it.
This bone marrow is good for the body!”
The cave was instantly filled with laughter.
Soon, the aroma of animal bone soup wafted from the earthenware pot by the fire pit, the richness of the bone marrow mixed with the savory scent of fine salt made everyone’s mouths water.
The Old Shaman sat by the fire pit, watching the busy figures of the Tribesmen, then looked at the steel axe in Alex’s hand, his cloudy eyes filled with relief:
“Alex, you brought not just the Divine Axe, but also the hope of survival.”
Alex smiled and handed the steel axe to Elder Chi:
“Elder Chi, you are the person in the Tribe best at making tools.
Please study this steel axe thoroughly, and see if you can find similar stones based on its appearance.
If we can make more tools like this in the future, the Tribe will become stronger.”
Elder Chi took the steel axe, treating it like a rare treasure, carefully wiping the dust off the body of the axe, and nodded:
“Don’t worry, Alex!
I will definitely study it well.
Even if I can’t find the exact same material, I will make the most similar tool!”
Just then, the System’s notification tone sounded in Alex’s mind:
[Detected that the Host has strengthened the Tribe’s tool level through the “steel axe,” improving the Tribesmen’s production efficiency and survival confidence, establishing the cultural symbolic meaning of the “Divine Weapon,” meeting the standard of “Civilization Progress – Technological Breakthrough and Cultural Cohesion,”
rewarding Civilization Points: 80 points.
Current Civilization Points: 140 points.]
140 points!
Alex felt a surge of joy—although he had spent 500 points to exchange for the steel axe previously, he had now not only earned back 80 points but also laid the foundation for future searching for copper ore and developing metal tools.
He looked at the bustling scene before him: some Tribesmen were splitting animal bones, some were boiling soup, and others were gathered around Elder Chi studying the steel axe.
Everyone wore a long-lost smile, and he suddenly felt incredibly secure.
The sun gradually rose higher, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the cave, falling onto the steel axe and reflecting a dazzling brilliance.
The Tribesmen all called it the “Divine Axe” and treated it as a gift from the deities, but Alex knew, that this steel axe was not just a gift from the System, but also a ladder for the Tribe’s civilization to progress—with it, they could move from the Stone Age, step by step toward a higher civilization, toward the future belonging to the Flame Stone Tribe.
The animal bone soup in the fire pit was finally ready.
Yuna scooped out a bowl and handed it to the Old Shaman first, then to Alex:
“Hurry and taste it.
The soup boiled from bones split by the steel axe is much more fragrant than before.”
Alex took the bowl and took a sip.
The savory aroma of the bone marrow mixed with the salty fragrance of the fine salt spread in his mouth, and warmth spread throughout his limbs and body.
He looked at the Tribesmen around him; everyone was holding a bowl of hot soup, their faces showing satisfied smiles.
Elder Chi was still studying the steel axe, John was discussing with Mark about using the steel axe to chop wood for building wooden houses tomorrow, while A He was pestering Elder Chi nearby, wanting to learn how to make a “small Divine Axe.”
Alex knew that this “Divine Weapon” brought not only the innovation of tools, but also the enhancement of tribal cohesion, another kindling of the flame of civilization.
The wind was still blowing outside the cave, but inside the cave, it was warm like spring.
Alex held the hot soup, looked at everything before him, and thought silently: This steel axe is just the beginning.
Next, they needed to find copper ore, make metal tools, build wooden houses, and cultivate land, to let the Flame Stone Tribe truly establish a firm foothold on this desolate land.