Before the morning mist had fully dispersed, many Tribesmen had already gathered in the open space below the South Mountain Slope.
New firewood was added to the charcoal in the fire pit, and the orange-red flames leaped half a person high, reflecting a cold gleam off the stone materials on the nearby bluestone slab.
Elder Chi squatted in front of the slab, clutching a coarse, polished grindstone, repeatedly rubbing it against a piece of grayish-blue flint.
This was the “Azure Flint” that Ashi and Mark had pried from beneath the cliff face in the Eastern Valley yesterday.
Its texture was three times harder than the ordinary flint commonly used by the Tribe, and its surface shimmered with a fine luster, making it the “good material” Elder Chi had spent half a day selecting.
“Elder Chi, can this stone really make a hoe blade better than before?”
Little Shi, squatting nearby, couldn’t help but ask.
He was Elder Chi’s newly accepted apprentice.
Yesterday, when he was searching for stone materials with Elder Chi, he thought the Azure Flint was too hard and feared it couldn’t be chipped open; but now, looking at Elder Chi’s focused expression, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
Elder Chi didn’t look up, only tapped the Azure Flint with his finger, listening to the crisp ‘clink’ sound, a hint of certainty flashed in his cloudy eyes:
“This stone is sturdier than ordinary flint, and the edge ground from it won’t chip easily.
It’s best for digging hard soil.
Before, the Tribe’s stone hoes would dull in less than three days.
The one made from this material can last at least half a month.”
Alex walked over, just in time to hear their conversation.
He carried a newly carved hardwood handle, nearly a foot shorter than the handles of the Tribe’s previous stone hoes, and the end of the handle had been specially smoothed into a rounded curve:
“Elder Chi is right.
Azure Flint is hard enough, but when grinding the edge, be careful not to make it too sharp.
Leave a little thickness, and the durability will be better.”
Saying this, Alex placed the wooden handle on the bluestone slab, picked up a piece of broken flint, and drew an arc on the slab:
“Look, if the hoe blade is made with this curvature, like a crescent moon in the sky, when digging, it can follow the soil’s grain, requiring less effort while loosening the soil more effectively.”
Elder Chi stared at the arc on the slab, frowning in thought for a moment.
The Tribe’s previous stone hoe blades were all flat.
When digging, they either got stuck in the hard soil, or couldn’t turn over clumped soil.
He had long felt something was wrong but hadn’t figured out how to change it.
The arc Alex drew now looked simple but hit the nail on the head:
“This method is great!
A flat blade is like hitting a wall, a curved blade is like pushing a boat—it definitely saves effort!”
The surrounding Tribesmen also gathered, looking at the arc on the slab and discussing it animatedly.
Ashi scratched his head: “If the hoe blade is curved, won’t it cut the roots when digging yams?”
“No,” Alex explained with a smile.
“The curvature of the curved blade is just right to follow the yam’s roots, pulling the soil apart, making it less likely to damage the root.
Once it’s finished, we’ll go up the slope and try it out.”
As they spoke, Yuna also walked over, carrying a clay pot.
Inside the pot were softened animal sinews—she had specially boiled them this morning, making them tougher than raw sinews, perfect for securing the hoe blade and wooden handle.
“Elder Chi, do you think these sinews are enough?
If not, I can boil more.”
Elder Chi took the clay pot, squeezed the sinews, and nodded in satisfaction:
“It’s enough.
They’re soft from boiling, so they won’t break easily when binding.
Little Shi, go bring the grindstones, both fine and coarse ones.
Ashi, help me hold the Azure Flint steady; I’m going to chip the blank.”
Little Shi and Ashi immediately sprang into action.
Little Shi brought three grindstones, arranged by coarseness.
The coarsest would be used to chip off the edges of the stone material, the medium one for shaping, and the finest for grinding the edge.
Ashi squatted beside the bluestone slab, holding the Azure Flint firmly with both hands, afraid the stone material might slip when Elder Chi struck it.
Elder Chi took a deep breath and raised the stone hammer in his hand—it had a hardwood handle he made, with a small piece of flint embedded in the head, making the strikes steady and accurate.
He aimed at the edge of the Azure Flint and tapped lightly.
A piece of scrap material fell off immediately, exactly the shape he wanted.
Next, following the arc drawn by Alex, he slowly chipped away the excess stone, his movements slow but precise.
With every strike being just right, the outline of the Azure Flint gradually transformed into a crescent-shaped hoe blade blank.
“Elder Chi’s hand is so steady!”
Mark stood nearby, his eyes wide with amazement.
He had tried chipping stone materials before, but they either shattered too much or ended up crooked. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
He had never seen anyone, like Elder Chi, chip a blank that perfectly matched the drawn line.
Elder Chi didn’t speak, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Chipping the blank was the most critical step; one wrong strike and the entire piece of stone material would be ruined.
He wiped his sweat, switched to a medium-coarse grindstone, and began smoothing the edges of the hoe blade, grinding away the rough edges left by chipping, making the curve more fluid.
The sun slowly rose, the mist dispersed, shining on Elder Chi’s hands, allowing them to see tiny stone chips falling onto the slab like scattered snow as the grindstone passed over the material.
Alex was also busy.
He picked up the nearby hardwood handle and meticulously polished it with sandpaper.
He had already carved the handle to a thickness suitable for a single-handed grip.
Now, he needed to grind a groove into the head of the handle, to facilitate the subsequent installation of the hoe blade—the groove was sized perfectly to hold the tail of the blade, which would then be secured tightly with animal sinews so it wouldn’t loosen.
“Alex, what are you polishing that with?”
Old Shaman walked over, leaning on his wooden staff, and asked curiously, looking at the sandpaper in Alex’s hand.
He had lived his whole life only seeing things polished with grindstones, never this rough ‘cloth.’
“This is called sandpaper.
It polishes wood faster than a grindstone.”
Alex handed the sandpaper to Old Shaman.
“Touch it.
The small grains of sand on it smooth out the wood grain, so it won’t hurt your hand when you hold it.”
Old Shaman took the sandpaper, squeezed it, and rubbed it against the wooden handle.
Sure enough, the previously rough handle instantly became smooth.
“What a great thing!
With this, making wooden handles will save a lot of effort.”
Old Shaman exclaimed,
“Before, when the Tribe made tools, we always thought ‘good enough’ was fine.
Now, with you and Elder Chi, even the wooden handles have to be polished to be so comfortable to use.”
About an hour later, Elder Chi finally finished grinding the hoe blade.
The crescent-shaped hoe blade shone with a grayish-blue luster.
The edge was thin and sharp; touching it lightly with a finger, one could feel the distinct sharpness, yet it wouldn’t cut the hand—Elder Chi had deliberately ground the edge to be “sharp on the outside, dull on the inside,”
making it easy to dig while preventing the edge from chipping during use.
“Time to attach the handle.”
Elder Chi handed the hoe blade to Alex.
Alex carefully slotted the tail of the blade into the groove in the wooden handle.
Yuna immediately handed over the softened animal sinews.
Alex held the hoe blade while Elder Chi and Little Shi helped bind the sinews.
They wrapped the sinews around the connection point between the blade and the handle, tightening them forcefully with every turn, ensuring it wouldn’t loosen.
Near the end of the wrapping, Yuna added a small piece of soft animal hide to the end of the handle, making it more comfortable to grip and less likely to slip.
Finally, the first improved stone hoe was complete.
The stone hoe was grayish-blue overall.
The crescent-shaped blade was about one foot long, and the hardwood handle was two feet long.
It felt just right in the hand—neither too heavy nor too light.
The curve of the wooden handle fit the palm, and the arc of the blade was perfect.
Alex held up the stone hoe and examined it against the sunlight.
The blade reflected light evenly, and the animal sinews were bound tightly.
He couldn’t help but praise:
“Elder Chi, your craftsmanship is truly superb!”
Elder Chi looked at the stone hoe he had made and smiled.
This stone hoe was more refined than any he had made before.
It wasn’t just the craftsmanship; it also contained Alex’s ingenuity—the curved blade, the comfortable handle, the anti-slip animal hide.
Every detail showed ‘careful thought.’
“Looking good isn’t enough; we have to test how well it works.”
John walked over, carrying a stone spear.
He had just returned from the Hunting Team’s training ground and came specifically to see the new stone hoe after hearing it was finished.
“Come on, let’s go to the South Mountain Slope and dig yams.
We can test if this hoe can do the job.”
The Tribesmen immediately responded.
Alex carried the new stone hoe and led Elder Chi, Yuna, Mark, and several Tribesmen from the Gathering Team,
The snow on the slope had mostly melted, revealing damp black soil.
Old holes were still left where yams had been dug before.
Alex chose an area that hadn’t been dug, gripped the new stone hoe with both hands, aimed at the ground, and gave a light chop—the blade easily sliced into the soil, and the curved edge turned the earth over, also bringing out a yam buried in the soil.
He chopped again, and there was another yam.
It was much less effort than using the old stone hoe, and the clumps of soil turned over were finer and less likely to stick together.
“It’s so easy to use!”
Alex said excitedly.
“It’s at least twice as fast as the old stone hoe, and it requires no effort!”
Mark quickly took the new stone hoe and tried digging too.
When he used the old stone hoe, he had to exert all his strength for one chop, and often couldn’t dig deep; now, with the new stone hoe, a light chop was enough to dig in, and turning the soil was easy.
He couldn’t help but shout:
“Elder Chi!
Alex!
This hoe is incredible!
It used to take me an hour to dig half a sack of yams, but now I bet I can fill it in half an hour!”
The women of the Gathering Team also took turns trying it, and everyone praised it highly.
Before, using the old stone hoes often left their palms raw and even blistered; now, the new stone hoe’s wooden handle was smooth, and the animal hide prevented slipping, so holding it for a long time didn’t hurt.
The blade was sharp, and when digging yams, it helped avoid cutting the roots.
Elder Chi stood aside, watching the Tribesmen easily dig yams with the stone hoe he had made, tears welling up in his cloudy eyes.
He had made tools his entire life, but never before had he felt, like today, that his craftsmanship could truly help everyone—the Tribe used to lack food and clothing, and tools were barely adequate, forcing the Tribesmen to tough it out.
Now, with good tools, everyone’s work was easier, and there were smiles on their faces.
Just then, the familiar system prompt sounded in Alex’s mind:
[Detected that the Host led and Elder Chi executed the successful creation of the first Improved Curved stone hoe, optimizing tool structure, significantly enhancing the Tribe’s agricultural production efficiency, meeting the criteria for “Civilization Progress – Tool Innovation (Agricultural Category).”
Awarding Civilization Points: 70 points.
Current Civilization Points: 260 points.]
Alex felt a warmth in his heart—260 points.
He looked at the busy Tribesmen on the slope, and at the smile on Elder Chi’s face, knowing that this stone hoe was not just a tool, but the first step for the Tribe toward agricultural civilization.
“Elder Chi,”
Alex walked up to Elder Chi and patted his shoulder,
“In the future, let’s make more stone hoes like this.
When spring arrives, we can use them to cultivate the land and plant grain, so we won’t have to fear not having food in the winter anymore.”
Elder Chi nodded heavily, his eyes full of determination:
“Good!
I’ll take Little Shi and the others to make them tomorrow.
We’ll aim to make twenty, so every Gathering Team has a new stone hoe!”
As the sun set, the Gathering Team returned to the Tribe with two full sacks of yams.
When the Tribesmen saw how large and intact the yams dug up by the new stone hoe were, they gathered around to ask questions.
Mark and Ashi excitedly recounted how easy the new stone hoe was to use, making everyone eagerly look forward to it.
By the fire pit, Elder Chi had already started preparing the stone material for making hoes tomorrow, and Little Shi was helping him organize the grindstones.
Yuna was wrapping animal hide around the new wooden handles.
Alex, meanwhile, discussed the plan for cultivating land in the spring with John and Old Shaman.
The firelight reflected on everyone’s faces, warm and bright, just like the Tribe’s future—with good tools and united Tribesmen, even the hardest times could gradually lead to hope.
That night, the Tribe’s cave was exceptionally lively.
The Tribesmen gathered around the new stone hoe, discussing the next day’s work.
Even A He pestered Elder Chi, saying he wanted to learn how to make stone hoes in the future, so the Tribe could have more useful tools.
Alex leaned against the rock wall, listening to the laughter of the Tribesmen, and thought silently:
This first stone hoe is just the beginning.
Next, they must make more improved tools and cultivate more land, allowing the Flame Stone Tribe to sink deeper roots into this wild land.