Two days passed.
The smelting furnace had dried completely. The surface had hardened, and when struck, it made a hollow sound. When I tapped it with a stone, a clear sound rang out.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I touched it with my hand. It was cold, hard, and had no moisture at all. The clay color, which had been damp at first, had now turned into a pale ocher. It had dried in the sunlight, so the color had brightened, and the surface had grown rough.
I scratched the wall. With my fingernail. A little powder fell away, but it did not gouge deeply. It was hard. The two days spent drying it slowly over a weak fire had been worthwhile.
Ding!
『Smelting Furnace Drying Complete』
→ Durability: Good
→ Maximum Temperature: 1,200 degrees reachable
→ Status: Ready for Use
"It seems to have dried well."
Hot Hands said with a satisfied expression. He stroked the wall of the smelting furnace with his hand. His bent fingers moved along the wall, checking the texture of the surface.
"This is perfect. It is the finest thing I have ever made in my life. I have never seen anything dry this evenly."
"Now we need to light a fire and harden it completely."
I looked at the smelting furnace as I spoke.
"This is the final stage. We apply heat and turn the clay into something like stone."
"How long do we fire it?"
Solid Rock asked.
"All day. Weakly at first, then gradually stronger. From morning until evening, we have to raise the temperature slowly. If we hurry, it will crack."
"Understood. I will handle it."
Hot Hands struck his chest.
"I have handled fire all my life, so I am the best at this kind of work. Temperature Control is my specialty."
"Thank you, old man."
I spoke sincerely.
"Not at all."
Hot Hands smiled.
"It is an honor to take part in such work. I never thought I would do something this great before I died."
The crucibles had also fully dried. One of the six had cracked, but five were intact. The cracked crucible had a fissure in its side. There must have been air left inside. It seemed I had failed to remove all the air while kneading it.
Ding!
『Crucible Drying Complete』
→ Crucibles x5 usable
→ Crucible x1 damaged
"One of them is ruined."
Running Deer said regretfully. Disappointment lay on his face.
"It's fine. Five are enough."
I answered with a smile.
"That is why I made several. I made spares. These also need to be fired, so let us fire them together inside the smelting furnace. If we put the crucibles inside the smelting furnace and fire them together, we can save time."
"Efficient."
Solid Rock exclaimed in admiration.
"We don't have time."
I spoke calmly.
"Fifteen days will pass quickly. Every day is precious. Do you know how many days have already passed?"
"Two... no, three days have passed."
Solid Rock answered.
"Yes. Already three days. We have a little over ten days left."
The bellows were complete as well. Soft Hands brought them over. She carried them carefully with both hands. Her face was filled with pride.
"Chieftain, they are complete!"
Pride was buried in her voice.
"Chieftain, we made them as you instructed. We worked all night."
Soft Hands added.
"We wanted to make them perfect. We made them without a single gap."
"Let me see."
I examined the bellows. The leather seams were woven densely, and each stitch had been sewn with care. The needle holes were even, and the thread was taut.
I ran my hand over the seams. They were smooth, with no uneven spots and no protruding parts. Pine resin had also been applied meticulously. Pine resin had been spread over every seam, and it glistened in the sunlight. The yellow pine resin completely filled the spaces between the leather. I pressed it with my finger. It was firm. It had hardened properly.
And handles had been attached to the wooden boards, while the bamboo tube was fixed firmly in place with pine resin.
I grasped the wooden boards. They fit my hands perfectly, neither too large nor too small. They were easy to hold. I examined the bamboo tube. The inside was smooth. I checked by inserting my finger. There were no rough places. It seemed air would flow well.
"They are truly well made. At this level, they are perfect."
I spoke in admiration.
"Shall we test them?"
Soft Hands asked with expectant eyes.
"Yes, try them."
Soft Hands grasped the wooden boards and opened and closed them.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Air came out of the bamboo tube, and wind spurted out strongly. The wind struck my face. It was cold and forceful. When I placed my hand before it, I could feel its strength. This was enough.
"Wow!"
The people nearby cheered.
"Wind is coming out!"
"How fascinating!"
"So that is what makes the fire hot!"
"Amazing!"
"Good. Perfect."
I spoke with satisfaction.
"This much wind is enough. We should be able to raise the smelting furnace temperature to 1,200 degrees."
"What a relief."
Soft Hands smiled brightly. Her face was full of pride.
"I am glad that what we made can help. Our hard work through the night was worth it."
Ding!
『Achievement Unlocked: Bellows Production』
→ Produced bellows for the first time!
→ Reward: Technology Points +1
→ Current Technology Points: 1
'Oh, so even this gives a reward.'
The system was more generous than I had expected. It gave rewards even for small achievements. If Technology Points accumulated, I would be able to use them usefully later.
Fire was lit in the smelting furnace.
At first, it was a small fire. A tiny flame no larger than a match flame. A few branches were burning. Blue and yellow mixed together and flickered.
Hot Hands controlled the fire skillfully.
"Slowly... slowly...."
Muttering, he added the branches one by one. His hand movements were precise, and he controlled the fire so it grew neither too large nor too small. He picked up a branch and lightly touched it beside the flame. Then the fire caught, and he slowly pushed it inside.
The flame grew a little larger. But it did not blaze up, and it maintained a weak fire. It was the skill of an artisan who had handled fire for decades.
"We must not hurry. If we rush, we will ruin the work."
Hot Hands said.
"What happens if the smelting furnace cracks?"
Solid Rock asked.
"We must make it again from the beginning."
Hot Hands answered firmly.
"How long would that take?"
Running Deer asked worriedly.
"At least three more days."
"Three days? Then we would be in serious trouble...."
"Yes. That is why we have to go slowly now. We must not rush."
"Right, old man."
I nodded as I spoke.
"Let us take it slowly. We have enough time. There is no need to rush."
I sat beside him and watched, sinking into thought as I looked at the fire. Seeing the flames flicker calmed my mind. In the modern world, there had been no reason to see a fire like this. I had only used gas stoves or electric ranges. This was the first time I had watched a wood fire for so long.
As time passed, the fire gradually grew larger. The inside of the smelting furnace heated red, the walls glowed red, and heat poured out. The crucibles were being fired inside it. The five crucibles were slowly hardening within the flames.
The heat burned my face, and if I went close, it felt as though my eyebrows would be singed. It was hot even from three meters away, and sweat ran down my face. My leather clothes were soaked with sweat, and my back was damp. Sweat dripped from my forehead.
"Chieftain, would you like some water?"
Solid Rock handed me a waterskin.
"Thanks."
My throat was dry and parched.
I drank water. Cool water flowed down my throat, and my mouth grew moist.
"Chieftain, are you very hot?"
Running Deer asked worriedly.
"I'm fine."
I waved my hand.
"This much is nothing."
"But your face is red."
"It's because of the heat."
I answered with a smile.
"You're red too."
"Truly?"
Running Deer touched his own cheek.
"It's hot!"
"That is why you should step back a little."
Solid Rock pushed Running Deer backward.
"If you stay too close, you will get burned."
"The flame color is changing."
Hot Hands said. He looked into the smelting furnace and checked. His eyes were focused.
"How?"
I asked.
"It was red at first, but now it has turned orange."
Hot Hands answered.
"What does that mean?"
Fierce Eyes asked.
"It means the temperature is rising. Red is about 700 degrees, and orange is about 900 degrees."
Hot Hands explained.
"It is that hot?"
Running Deer asked in surprise.
"Yes, so do not go near it."
"Good. Keep it in this state."
I nodded as I spoke.
"Maintain it until it changes from orange to yellow."
"Yellow? How hot is it if it is yellow?"
Solid Rock asked.
"About 1,100 degrees. Metal melts only when it reaches that temperature."
"Understood."
Hot Hands nodded.
"I will handle it. I will watch it through the night."
We fired it all night. Hot Hands guarded the smelting furnace through the night, and Solid Rock and Running Deer helped in shifts. They maintained the temperature by blowing the bellows in turns.
By the next morning, the smelting furnace had been fully fired. The interior was glossy like glass. I looked inside. When sunlight entered, it sparkled. The surface was smooth and glossy, like a mirror.
I reached in and touched it. It was smooth. The rough clay surface had completely transformed. The clay had melted and changed into a glassy substance. That was because, at high temperature, the silicon components inside the clay had melted and hardened like glass.
I scratched it with my finger. It was hard. Even when I scratched it with my fingernail, it did not mark, and it had become as hard as stone.
"We succeeded!"
Hot Hands shouted in joy. Overcome with delight, he jumped up.
Ding!
『Smelting Furnace Complete!』
→ Smelting Efficiency: +30%
→ Durability: Top Grade
→ Bronze Smelting Available
"It is a success!"
Hot Hands cheered. Tears welled in his eyes.
"I have never made anything like this in my life!"
The old man, Hot Hands, spoke with emotion.
"This is the greatest work of my life!"
"Old man, you are truly incredible!"
Solid Rock exclaimed in admiration.
"Old man, you worked hard watching the fire through the night!"
"Not at all."
At my praise, Hot Hands waved his hands.
"It is an honor to take part in such work."
"We helped too!"
Running Deer cut in.
"Right, you all worked hard too."
I spoke with a smile.
"It was thanks to you blowing the bellows all night."
"That is only natural!"
Fierce Eyes struck his chest.
"I will do anything for you, Chieftain!"
"Check the crucibles too."
I handed over the tongs.
He took the crucibles out with the tongs. Hot Hands carefully removed them one by one. He gripped them firmly with the tongs and slowly lifted them. Hot steam rose.
The first crucible. It was intact. There were no cracks.
"The first one is intact!"
Hot Hands shouted.
The second crucible. It was also intact, and the surface was smooth.
"The second one is intact too!"
The third, fourth, and fifth. All were perfect. All five were intact and had fired hard, making a clear sound when struck.
Tap. Tap.
I struck them with a stone. A clear, bell-like sound rang out.
Clink.
It was clear like metal, the unique sound of pottery.
"They are all perfect!"
Running Deer shouted.
"Not a single one has cracked!"
Hot Hands said as he inspected each crucible.
"All of them are perfect!"
"Truly?"
Solid Rock asked.
"Truly!"
"Can we make bronze now?"
Fierce Eyes asked with expectant eyes.
"Yes. Good. Now we can begin the real work."
I clenched my fist. At last, we could make bronze.
I gathered the villagers.
"Everyone, gather!"
I shouted loudly.
The people gathered one by one. Men, women, even children—all of them came. People came running from the pit houses, and those who had been working stopped their hands and gathered. The elders came slowly, leaning on their canes. Soon, about forty people had gathered. It was the entire tribe.
"Today, at last, we make bronze!"
I declared.
"From this moment, we will make history! This is the day the Peregrine Tribe smelts bronze for the first time!"
"Oooooh!"
Cheers burst out, and the people shouted in joy. They clapped their hands and stamped their feet in delight.
"At last!"
"Bronze!"
"We are making new weapons!"
"We can drive back the Tiger Tribe!"
"Long live the Chieftain!"