As the morning sun just began to climb over the rock face of the South Mountain Slope, the sounds of “ding-ding-dang-dang” echoed from the open ground of the Flame Stone Tribe.
Elder Chi squatted in front of a bluestone slab, a flint in his hand, repeatedly comparing it to the blade of the steel axe.
The steel axe was polished to a brilliant shine, its silvery-gray metallic luster glinting coldly under the sun.
In contrast, the flint in Elder Chi’s hand, no matter how smoothly it was ground, still had a rough, earthy brown texture.
Placed together, they were like a firefly compared to a bright moon.
“Still no good.”
Elder Chi sighed, tossing the flint aside.
His withered fingers gently traced the edge of the steel axe.
“The color and hardness of this divine axe are unlike any stone in the mountains.
I’ve tried flint, bluestone, and even the black iron ore we found last time, but I can’t make an edge this bright or this hard.”
His words silenced the Tribesmen gathered around.
Ever since the steel axe appeared, the Tribe’s work efficiency had increased severalfold.
Using it to chop trees, they could gather enough wood for a hut in half a day.
Using it to split beast bones, they could easily extract the marrow.
Using it to refine stone tools, a stone hoe that used to take a whole day to grind could now be finished in two hours.
But there was only one steel axe, and whenever the Tribesmen needed to use it, they had to queue up.
When both hunting and building a house required it simultaneously, they even had to politely defer to each other.
“If only we had ten or twenty divine axes.”
Mark leaned against a nearby oak tree, playing with a newly ground stone spear in his hand, his eyes full of envy.
“Last time I went hunting with Chief John, we encountered a wild boar.
If we had two divine axes, we would have cut it down long ago, instead of chasing it for half an hour.”
John also walked over.
He had just finished checking the traps with the Hunting Team, and he was still carrying a few pieces of hardwood on his shoulder to reinforce the traps.
Hearing Mark’s words, he nodded:
“The steel axe is indeed useful, but there’s only one, not enough to go around.
If we can find the material to make divine axes, and have Elder Chi make a few more, the Tribe’s strength will greatly increase.”
The Tribesmen’s discussions reached Alex’s ears as he and Sister Yun were organizing dried yams.
Hearing the words “find materials,” Alex’s heart stirred.
He had originally planned to use the steel axe as a model to have the Tribesmen search for copper ore.
Now that the Tribesmen brought it up themselves, it was the perfect opportunity to push this matter forward.
He had originally planned to use the steel axe as a model to have the Tribesmen search for copper ore.
Now that the Tribesmen brought it up themselves, it was the perfect opportunity to push this matter forward.
Alex put down the dried yams, walked to the open ground, picked up the steel axe from the bluestone slab, and said to the Tribesmen who had gathered around:
“Don’t worry, everyone.
The material for making divine axes might be found in the mountains.
It’s just that this material is hidden deep, and we need to search for it together.”
“Really?”
Elder Chi’s eyes instantly lit up, and he quickly walked to Alex’s side.
“Alex, do you know what this material looks like?
Where can it be found?”
“I know what it looks like.”
Alex held up the steel axe so that all the Tribesmen could clearly see the color of the axe head.
“This material is not a solid-colored stone.
It’s either green, like tender grass sprouting in spring, or red, like dried beast blood.
Its surface might also have shiny, fine grains.
It feels heavier and harder than flint.
What we’re looking for is this kind of colored stone.”
He deliberately described the characteristics of copper ore in simple, straightforward terms.
The Tribesmen of the primitive Tribe had no concept of “copper” or “ore”.
But they were very familiar with descriptions like “green,” “red,” and “shiny.”
For example, chlorite, common in the mountains, is green, and hematite is red.
Although these are not copper ores, they could help the Tribesmen first establish a “color recognition” awareness, slowly eliminating incorrect options.
John frowned in thought.
“Last time in the eastern valley, on the rock face, I saw a patch of green stones.
They felt quite hard when touched, but I don’t know if they are the kind you’re talking about.”
“Whether it is or not, we’ll know once we bring it back and look.” Alex said with a smile.
“From now on, whenever everyone goes out, whether hunting, searching for water sources, or digging yams, if you see green or red stones with shiny surfaces, pick them up and bring them back.
Even if they’re not the right ones, we’ll learn about another type of stone, and eventually, we’ll find the correct one.”
“I’ll go to the eastern valley right away!”
Mark said, about to shoulder his spear and leave, but John stopped him.
“Don’t rush.
Today’s Hunting Team is going to the western forest.
You come with us and just keep an eye out for stones along the way.
For the eastern valley, I’ll have Ashi take two people to check it out and inspect the fish traps we set up earlier.”
John was always thorough in his work and quickly divided the Tribesmen into several groups.
When the Hunting Team went out, he would lead them, and they would also search for uniquely colored stones in the forest.
When the Gathering Team went to the South Mountain Slope to dig yams, Sister Yun would be in charge, and they would pay attention to the rock crevices on the slope.
Elder Chi, meanwhile, took two young Craftsmen to specifically search through nearby rock piles.
After all, he was more sensitive to the texture of stones and could differentiate them faster.
Once the tasks were assigned, the Tribesmen immediately sprang into action.
Elder Chi found a clean animal hide, spread it in a bamboo basket, and prepared it for holding the stones they would find.
Sister Yun committed Alex’s description of “green, red, and shiny” to memory.
She even specially picked a tender green leaf and a reddish-brown clod of earth to make it easier for the Gathering Team members to compare.
John handed the steel axe to Elder Chi for safekeeping, then shouldered his stone spear and led the Hunting Team towards the western forest.
Alex wasn’t idle either; he followed Elder Chi to the nearby rock piles.
This was where they had found a water source last time, and it was piled with many gravel that had rolled down from the mountain.
There were flints, bluestones, and some unknown colorful stones.
Elder Chi squatted in the pile of gravel, searching like he was looking for treasure, flipping through them one by one.
When he found a green or red stone, he would pick it up, weigh it in his hand, and then scratch its surface with his fingernail.
“Alex, look at this.”
Elder Chi suddenly held up a green stone, about the size of a fist, with a dark green luster on its surface.
“This one is green and shiny, but it feels lighter than the divine axe.
And when I scratch it with my fingernail, green powder comes off.”
Alex took the stone and examined it.
This was chlorite.
Although its color resembled malachite, its texture was soft and completely unsuitable for making tools.
He handed the stone back to Elder Chi, smiling:
“This isn’t it.
The stone that can truly make a divine axe won’t shed powder when scratched with a fingernail.
And it’s heavier than this one.
Try tapping it; the sound will be crisper than this.”
Elder Chi did as Alex said, tapping the chlorite against the bluestone slab, producing a dull “thud.”
He then picked up the steel axe and tapped the slab, producing a clear “clang.” The contrast was obvious.
“So that’s how it is!” Elder Chi suddenly understood.
“From now on, I’ll use this method to identify them.
If it makes a dull sound and sheds powder when tapped, it’s not what we’re looking for.”
Meanwhile, Sister Yun and the Gathering Team also made a discovery while digging yams on the South Mountain Slope.
A young woman pointed to a red stone in a rock crevice and shouted:
“Sister Yun, look at this!
It’s red and shiny!”
Sister Yun quickly walked over and carefully pried the stone out of the crevice.
The stone was dark red, with tiny reflective particles on its surface, and it felt heavy in her hand.
Sister Yun scratched it with her fingernail as Alex had instructed; no powder came off.
Then she tapped it against a nearby stone, producing a “clang” sound, somewhat similar to that of the steel axe. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“This might be it!” Sister Yun’s heart rejoiced.
She carefully wrapped the stone in animal hide.
“Let’s finish digging the yams first, then go back and let Alex take a look.”
In the evening, the Tribesmen who had gone out returned one after another.
The Hunting Team hadn’t found any special stones but brought back two wild rabbits and a pheasant.
The Gathering Team had dug half a bag of yams and also brought back the dark red stone.
Elder Chi, meanwhile, brought back three green stones and two red stones.
Although none of them were copper ore, there was no hint of disappointment on his face.
Instead, he was full of excitement—he had grasped the method of identification and knew what to look for next time.
The Tribesmen all gathered around Alex, waiting for him to appraise the stones.
Alex first picked up the dark red stone that Sister Yun had brought back, weighed it in his hand, and then gently scraped it with the edge of the steel axe.
Only a shallow mark was left on the stone’s surface.
Its hardness was indeed not low, but he knew it was iron ore, not copper ore.
“This stone is very hard and shiny; it’s a good stone.” Alex handed the stone to Elder Chi.
“But it’s not the material for making divine axes.
However, we can keep it; it might be useful someday.”
Next, he picked up the stones Elder Chi had brought back, appraising them one by one.
The green ones were chlorite, and the red ones were hematite.
Although none met the requirements,
Alex showed no blame; instead, he encouraged them:
“Everyone did very well!
To bring back so many similar stones on the first search is already very impressive.
What we’re looking for is a treasure hidden in the mountains; how could we find it in one go?
As long as we pay attention every time we go out, we will find the right one someday.”
Elder Chi neatly arranged all these stones on the bluestone slab and even drew markings on the slab with charcoal.
For the green ones, he drew a leaf; for the red ones, a drop of blood, noting beside them, “Not divine axe material.”
“This way, next time everyone picks up similar ones, they’ll know just by looking at the markings, and won’t have to trouble you for appraisal, Alex,” Elder Chi said.
John looked at the stones on the slab, then at the motivated Tribesmen around him, and said with a smile:
“From now on, every time the Hunting Team goes out, two people will specifically look for stones.
The Gathering Team will do the same; if you see unusually colored ones, pick them up and bring them back.
I refuse to believe that in such a vast forest, we can’t find the kind of stone Alex described!”
“Right!
We’ll definitely find it!”
The Tribesmen responded in unison, their voices full of confidence.
Although they didn’t find their target today, they knew what to look for and how to look for it.
With a direction in their hearts, they would not feel lost.
Alex looked at the scene before him, his heart also filled with warmth.
He knew that finding copper ore wouldn’t happen in a day or two, but the Tribesmen’s enthusiasm had already laid the best foundation for this endeavor.
Now they would pay attention to every green and red stone, remember the identification methods, and next time they encountered malachite, they wouldn’t miss it.
The setting sun gradually descended, painting the stones on the open ground golden.
Elder Chi was still organizing the stones brought back today, muttering about going to the northern rock slope tomorrow to search.
Sister Yun was recording nearby, committing the characteristics of the stones found today to memory, preparing to explain them to the Gathering Team members again tomorrow.
John was already arranging tomorrow’s tasks, sending the Hunting Team to more distant forests to expand the search area.
Alex leaned against the oak tree, watching the busy figures of the Tribesmen, gently caressing the handle of the steel axe in his hand.
He knew that this steel axe was not just a tool, but also a “lighthouse” for finding copper ore—it guided the Tribesmen’s direction, and also guided the Flame Stone Tribe from the Stone Age, step by step, towards the future of the Metal Age.
Night slowly fell, and the bonfire in the cave’s fire pit was lit again.
The Tribesmen sat around the fire pit, eating roasted wild rabbit and discussing their plans for finding stones tomorrow.
Everyone’s face was filled with anticipation.
Although the “Bronze Axe” hadn’t been found yet, on the path of searching, they had already gained more confidence and camaraderie—and these were precisely what the Tribe needed most for its development.