"Now we mix them."
I took a deep breath. This was the most important moment. All the effort so far depended on this moment. Smelting furnace construction, crucible production, bellows production, tin smelting, copper smelting. Every process had been for this moment.
I lifted the tin crucible with the tongs and poured it into the copper crucible. I gripped the tongs firmly with both hands, and although my hands trembled, I endured it. It was heavy. A crucible filled with silver tin. About one kilogram. I put strength into my arm muscles.
I lifted it slowly and carefully. It could not shake. If it spilled, it was over. Every effort up to now would come to nothing.
I moved it above the copper crucible and positioned it. Exactly in the center.
"The ratio is important."
I explained to the people.
"Nine parts copper to one part tin. Exactly nine to one. It cannot be more, and it cannot be less."
"Why?"
Running Deer asked.
"What happens if there is more?"
"It becomes too hard and breaks. It shatters easily."
I answered.
"Then what if there is too little?"
Solid Rock asked.
"If there is too little, it is no different from copper. It bends and dulls."
"Ah, so that is why the ratio is important."
Fierce Eyes nodded.
"Only when it is exactly nine to one does the finest bronze come out?"
"Yes, exactly."
I nodded.
Slowly, carefully, I poured the tin. I tilted the crucible slowly, little by little. Silver liquid flowed out.
The silver tin mixed into the red copper. The color began to change. The moment they touched, the two metals reacted, and the red slowly grew lighter.
The color changed as if by magic. From red to orange, and from orange to gold. It was the moment two metals fused into one, the moment two different metals met and were born as a completely new metal.
"The color is changing!"
A man shouted.
"It is golden!"
Another man exclaimed in admiration.
"It is beautiful...."
A woman grew teary-eyed.
The people watched with bated breath. No one spoke, and only breathing could be heard. It was a historic moment. The moment the Peregrine Tribe's first bronze was born.
"Is that... bronze?"
Hot Hands asked in a trembling voice. His hands were shaking, and his eyes were full of tears.
"Yes, that is bronze. That is bronze. We made it."
I answered while looking at the golden liquid.
"It is truly beautiful...."
Tears welled in the old man's eyes. Although he had handled metal all his life, this must have been his first time seeing something like this. He knelt and gazed at the golden liquid.
"It looks like a gift from a god... no, a gift from the ancestors...."
"Now we need to pour it into the mold."
I brought over the mold I had prepared in advance. It was a knife-shaped mold made of clay, with the shape of a knife carved into it as a recess. I had made it yesterday with Hot Hands.
"Slowly... slowly...."
I lifted the crucible with the tongs and poured the golden liquid into the mold. I gripped the tongs with both hands, tilted it slowly, and took care not to spill a single drop. The crucible was heavy, and I put strength into my arms. About one kilogram of molten bronze.
Little by little, I tilted it slowly. The golden liquid began to flow out from the lip of the crucible, and the thick liquid flowed out slowly and smoothly. The liquid touched the entrance of the mold and soon entered. A thin stream continued without breaking.
The knife-shaped mold filled with bronze. The golden liquid that flowed into the mold spread along the shape of the knife. First, the tip of the blade filled, then the blade portion. Then the spine. Finally, even the handle portion.
The liquid filled every corner of the mold without a single gap. I poured slowly so no air bubbles would form. The mold filled completely, and the golden liquid reached the mouth of the mold. I could pour no more. I straightened the crucible, careful to the very last drop.
Ding!
『Bronze Casting in Progress』
→ Mold Fill: 100%
→ Awaiting Cooling…
"It is done!"
Running Deer shouted.
"It is a success!"
Solid Rock cheered.
"We made bronze!"
The people cheered, embraced each other, and jumped up. One man bumped shoulders with the person beside him, and another clenched his fist and shook it toward the sky. The women grew teary-eyed.
The children ran around excitedly. They did not know exactly what had happened, but because the adults were happy, they were happy too. One child clung to his mother's skirt and jumped, while another held hands with a friend and spun in circles.
The children ran around excitedly. They did not know.
"Now it only needs to cool. We only have to wait."
I told the people.
"How long?"
Solid Rock asked.
"It will take a day to cool completely. But the shape will set quickly. By tomorrow morning, it will be a knife."
I answered.
"Tomorrow morning? We have to wait until then?"
Running Deer asked.
"Yes. We must not hurry. If we take it out too quickly, it may crack."
I nodded.
"Understood."
We watched with bated breath. As time passed, the golden liquid hardened. First, the color of the surface changed. From bright gold to a gradually darker color.
For the first five minutes, the golden light still shone from the crucible. After ten minutes passed, the surface began to harden. The liquid was turning into solid. The outside was hardening, while the inside was still hot.
Fifteen minutes, twenty minutes. It grew darker and darker. From gold to brown. From brown to gray. After about thirty minutes, it could not be touched yet, but it had almost cooled and no longer shone. The surface slowly darkened first, the light vanished, and it hardened.
The people did not take their eyes off it for even a moment and stared hard at the mold. They even held their breath.
Ding!
『Quest Complete: Dawn of the Bronze Age』
→ Bronze Alloy Successful!
→ Reward: Level +3 / Combat Power +15 / Technology Points +5
Ding!
『Level Up! Lv.2 → Lv.5』
→ Combat Power: 18 → 33
→ Technology Points: 1 → 6
→ Civilization Level 1.0 → 1.5
'Ohhh....'
I had risen three levels at once. My Combat Power had almost doubled as well. From 18 to 33. It was an enormous increase.
Strength overflowed through my body, and it felt as though my muscles were being charged with energy. I could feel the muscles in my arms growing firm, and strength entered my legs too. My whole body grew light.
I drew in a deep breath. It felt as if my lung capacity had increased. More air flowed in. My heart beat powerfully.
Thump, thump.
My blood circulation quickened, and warmth reached all the way to the tips of my fingers and toes. At this level, it felt as if I could face ten Tiger Tribe warriors.
"Chieftain, what is wrong?"
Solid Rock asked. He looked at me with worried eyes. It seemed I had been standing there blankly.
"No, it is nothing. I was just thinking that it went well. We did it. We really did it."
I waved my hand.
"You are truly incredible!"
Solid Rock said with emotion.
"To truly create a new metal! I half doubted it at first, but you really did it!"
"It was hard for me to believe too!"
Running Deer cut in.
"But you did it, Chieftain!"
"It is not over yet."
I shook my head.
"We have to see whether it becomes a proper knife. A shape alone is useless. We need to confirm whether it is truly strong."
The next morning, I opened the mold.
The people had gathered from dawn, and everyone wanted to see the bronze sword. They began gathering one by one before the sky brightened. Most of them had slept poorly. Dark circles had settled deeply beneath their eyes.
"At last!"
A man shouted.
"The knife must be complete!"
Another man said.
"I want to see it quickly!"
A woman said excitedly.
"My heart is pounding."
Hot Hands said. His hands were trembling too.
"I could not sleep all night either."
"Yes, me too."
I took a deep breath. My heart pounded. Now it was time to confirm the result.
I carefully broke the clay mold. First, I examined the mold. Were there any cracks? Any broken places? It was intact and had hardened perfectly.
I picked up a stone hammer. A small hammer. I carefully chose the position.
Tap.
The first strike. I hit it carefully, aiming at the edge of the mold. A crack formed. A thin crack. A line appeared on the surface of the mold.
Tap.
The second strike. I struck the same spot again. The crack widened, and a gap formed.
Tap.
The third strike. A piece of clay fell away. A piece the size of a finger. Part of the mold came off.
I carefully tapped it with the stone hammer. If I struck too hard, the knife could be damaged. One piece at a time, slowly. With patience.
A golden knife appeared from within. At first, only part of it showed. The blade tip appeared first. A sharp blade tip. It gleamed gold and sparkled in the sunlight.
I broke more of the mold and removed more clay. The blade, the spine, and the handle portion revealed themselves in order.
The form of a complete knife. About forty centimeters long. The blade portion was thirty centimeters, and the handle was ten centimeters.
"Ohhh...."
Exclamations burst out, and the people gasped all at once.
"That is the bronze sword!"
A man shouted.
"It shines gold!"
Another man exclaimed in admiration.
"It is beautiful...."
A woman grew teary-eyed.
The sword sparkled in the sunlight. It was still in a rough state, but it was clearly shaped like a knife. The surface was uneven, marks from the mold remained, and the edge was not sharp. It had not been ground yet.
But the shape of the knife was perfect. The handle, spine, edge, and tip. Every part had formed properly.
Ding!
『Bronze Weapon Production Complete』
→ Bronze Sword (Unfinished) x1
→ Quality: Good
→ Next Stage: Grinding and Hilt Attachment
"Now we need to finish it. Sharpen the edge, attach the hilt, grind the surface smooth, and make it sharp."
I told the people.
"I will do it!"
Hot Hands volunteered. He clasped both hands and pleaded.
"I have done this work all my life. I will make it into the finest knife!"
"I am counting on you, old man. I trust you."
I nodded.
The old man, Hot Hands, received the knife carefully, as if handling a baby. He supported it with both hands and checked its weight. About eight hundred grams. Proper.
He examined the knife from every angle. The edge, the spine, the handle portion. He checked each one. He nodded, looking satisfied.
He brought a whetstone. A large whetstone. He wet the smooth stone brought from the river with water, moistening its surface.
He brought the whetstone and began sharpening the edge. He placed the knife against the whetstone and pushed it forward at a steady angle, about fifteen degrees. Slowly, with pressure.
Scrape.
The sound of whetstone and bronze rubbing together. He released the pressure and pulled it back.
Scrape.
Forward again.
Scrape.
The sound of the whetstone and bronze rubbing rang out. It was a rhythmic sound. Scrape, scrape. Scrape, scrape.
His hand movements were steady. Neither fast nor slow. At the same angle, with the same force. Once, twice, ten times, twenty times. He kept grinding.
Bronze powder fell away. Golden powder. It mixed with water and became like mud. The surface grew smoother and smoother, and the rough parts were shaved away. The mold marks disappeared. The edge grew sharper and sharper, and the rim grew thin. When it caught the light, it sparkled.