"It is stone mixed with copper."
Solid Rock answered.
"It is a beautiful color, is it not? Seeing stones like that means the copper vein you mentioned, Chieftain, must be nearby."
"Oh, you knew."
I said in surprise.
"I remembered what I heard from the Previous Chieftain."
Solid Rock answered.
"When I was young, your father taught me, Chieftain. He said, 'When you see blue stone, there is copper.'"
Blue stone. Malachite.
It was a mineral that served as an indicator of a copper vein. It formed when copper oxidized and was commonly found near copper veins. Its chemical formula was Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂. Copper carbonate hydroxide. It had a beautiful blue-green color. Seeing this was certain proof that there was a copper vein nearby.
"Good. Let's go that way."
I spoke as I took the lead.
"If we follow the direction where those stones increase, we will find the vein."
We climbed while following the malachite. More and more blue stones appeared. Even so, there were still only a few fist-sized pieces scattered here and there.
When we climbed a little farther, there were more, and blue spots could be seen on every rock. When we climbed higher still, there were far more, and now blue color was spread all over the rock surfaces. As if paint had been sprayed across them. No, it looked like a work of art made by nature.
The sensation from Exploration Technology also strengthened. The pull became powerful. At first, the sensation had been thin as thread, but now it was as thick as rope. It was almost certainty. It was right ahead.
"Chieftain, all the stones here are blue!"
Running Deer shouted in surprise. He stroked the rock with his hand in admiration, his eyes wide.
"The vein must truly be close!"
"Here."
I stopped walking.
We stood before an enormous rock wall. Patterns of blue and green mixed across the rock surface, and brilliant colors like a peacock's feathers embroidered the cliff face.
It was a massive rock wall about ten meters wide and five meters tall. Glittering in the sunlight, it looked almost alive. Its color changed depending on the angle of the light, from blue-green to emerald and then to blue. It took my breath away. It was beautiful. And precious.
Ding!
『Large Copper Vein Discovered!』
→ Estimated Reserves: Large
→ Purity: Good
→ Mining Recommended
"Is this... all copper?"
Fierce Eyes asked while touching the rock with his hand. He placed his hand against the rock and rubbed it, and the surface was smooth. It was different from ordinary rock.
"Is this... a copper vein?"
Running Deer asked as well. He looked unable to believe it, staring up at the rock wall with his mouth open. He slowly turned his head left and right, examining the whole thing.
"Yes, all that blue is copper."
I answered.
"To be precise, it is oxidized copper, but if we melt it, pure copper will come out."
"Wow...."
They exclaimed and approached the rock wall, touching it with their hands. Each of them touched it in turn, as carefully as if they were touching something sacred. Their hands were filled with awe.
"It really is soft!"
Running Deer exclaimed.
"It feels different from stone!"
Swift Wind scratched it with his fingernail, and the surface peeled away slightly. Blue powder fell. It felt much softer than ordinary rock.
"How much would this amount to?"
Solid Rock asked.
I was estimating the size of the rock wall. I spread my hand and measured the distance. One span, two spans. I measured the width. Then the height as well. I raised my head and looked up, stretching out my hand to judge its height.
"We can make dozens of knives."
I answered.
"No, perhaps even a hundred. If the vein is this large."
In reality, there would be even more. What we could see was only this much, but there would be more inside the rock. Ore veins usually extended from the surface deep underground. Dozens of meters, sometimes hundreds. With this much exposed on the surface, there was a high chance an enormous amount was buried underground.
"Truly?"
Running Deer asked in surprise.
"A hundred blades?"
They asked again in shock, eyes widening. Their mouths hung open, and their expressions said they could not believe it.
"Yes. I understand why Father kept this place secret."
I said while looking at the rock wall.
"It is an enormous treasure. If this vein becomes known, other tribes will try to seize it. It could even cause war."
This was a resource that would determine the tribe's survival. A strategic resource. In modern terms, it was like oil or uranium. It was valuable enough to start a war over.
Ding!
『Achievement Unlocked: Large Copper Vein Discovered』
→ Discovered a resource that will change the tribe's future!
→ Reward: Technology Points +2
→ Current Technology Points: 4
'Good. My Technology Points increased again.'
Now I had four points. They would be useful later.
"Now, let's mine the ore."
I spoke to the warriors.
"Only as much as we can carry. If it is too heavy, we will not be able to descend the mountain. We must mine an appropriate amount."
We must not get too greedy. If the weight was too much, we might be unable to come down the mountain. Around ten kilograms per person would be appropriate. Since there were five of us, fifty kilograms. That much copper ore would be enough.
"Understood!"
"We will begin!"
The warriors took out their stone axes and began breaking the rock. Solid Rock swung his axe first.
CLANG!
The axe struck the rock, and a metallic sound rang out. It was a different sound from striking ordinary rock, higher and clearer.
CLANG!
The second strike. A crack formed.
CLANG!
The third. A piece fell away.
The sound echoed through the mountain.
CLANG! CLANG!
It was like the sound of a clear bell. Fragments flew, and blue powder scattered. Blue dust spread through the air and glittered in the sunlight.
If the flying powder entered the eyes, it would be dangerous. One could even go blind.
"Be careful! Do not let it get in your eyes!"
I shouted.
"Yes!"
The warriors worked with one eye closed. They turned their heads slightly and squeezed one eye shut. They looked only through the other eye. Running Deer covered his eyes with his hand and looked only through the gaps between his fingers. Fierce Eyes covered his nose and mouth with a piece of leather to avoid inhaling the dust.
The work continued.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The rhythmic sound rang across the mountain. When one man struck, another rested. They worked in shifts to conserve their strength. If one man kept striking continuously, he would tire quickly.
Swift Wind gathered the ore pieces that fell. He sorted them by size and separated the good pieces from the bad. The ones with a deeper blue color had higher purity. He placed only those into the sacks.
I also joined the work. I drew the Bronze Sword and wedged it into a crack in the rock, using it like a lever. When I put strength into it, a large chunk broke away. A piece of ore the size of two fists rolled down.
"Chieftain, be careful!"
Solid Rock shouted.
"The Bronze Sword must not be damaged!"
"It is fine. This much will not hurt it."
I checked the blade. Fortunately, the edge had not chipped. Bronze was harder than stone.
How much time had passed?
The sun had tilted far. Six leather sacks were full, each packed tightly with copper ore. The weight was considerable. When I lifted a sack, it was quite heavy. About ten kilograms per sack. The blue stones rattled inside the sack, and I could feel the weight.
Ding!
『Gathering Complete』
→ Copper Ore x47 acquired
→ Estimated Output: 8-10 Bronze Swords
"That was exhausting!"
Running Deer said as he wiped away his sweat. He swept the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, but his entire face was covered in sweat.
"My arms feel like they are going to fall off."
His arms were truly trembling. His muscles were cramping. It was because he had swung the axe for too long.
"I am tired too."
Fierce Eyes cut in.
"I have blisters on my hands."
"Same here."
Swift Wind showed his palms. They were swollen red, and there were places where the skin had peeled.
"But it was worth it!"
"You all worked hard."
I looked at the warriors as I spoke.
"With this, our tribe will become stronger."
"Will this much be enough?"
Solid Rock asked. He looked at the sacks and judged their weight.
"For now. If we need more, we will have to come again."
I nodded.
"Next time, we will bring more people and mine in large quantities."
After the war ended, I would begin large-scale mining. I would mobilize ten people, twenty people. And we would need to make a transport system too. Sledges or stretchers. We needed tools to carry more ore efficiently.
"It looks heavy."
Running Deer said while looking at the sacks.
"At this rate, we will get tired quickly."
"We can divide the loads."
I looked around. The sun had begun to sink, the shadows had lengthened, and the sunlight had weakened. The western sky was dyed red, and sunset was beginning. There was no time. We had to descend quickly.
"Let's hurry."
I spoke to the warriors.
"We need to descend the mountain before sunset. It will be dangerous once it grows dark. We will not be able to see our footing."
Descending a mountain at night was suicide. If we slipped, we would roll down. On top of that, beasts were active at night. Spending the night in the mountains was the worst choice.
"Yes!"
"Let's go down quickly!"
We divided up the sacks of ore. One sack each. Solid Rock chose the heaviest one, and Running Deer chose a large one as well. Fierce Eyes and Swift Wind took relatively lighter ones.
I carried two sacks. Because my strength had increased through leveling up, the two sacks were heavy, but I could handle them well enough. Combat Power 36. Three times an ordinary person. This much weight was not a problem.
"Chieftain, I will carry more."
Solid Rock said. He was already carrying one sack.
"I am fine. This much is easy."
I waved my hand.
"A fight might break out. If you carry more, it will be hard for you to fight later."
We had to preserve the warriors' strength. We did not know when a fight might break out.
"But...."
"I said I am fine."
I spoke firmly.
"Let's go."
We began descending the mountain. Our speed slowed because of the heavy loads. Each time I set down my foot, my center of gravity swayed and pulled backward. It was difficult to balance. Every step required caution. If I stepped wrong, I would roll down.
I bent my upper body forward and shifted my center of gravity ahead to keep my balance.