Smelting Copper with Fire

The second year.

The bitter winter finally left people's lives when spring arrived in full bloom.

During the previous winter.

The members of the Yang Clan had not been idle. Instead, they had used their spare time to crazily build houses, workshops, weaving workshops, and other important facilities.

At the same time.

After the tribe had stabilized, Yang Yu chose to marry Lin Er.

Yang Yu stood beneath the cliff behind the tribe, overlooking the tribe below, where cooking smoke curled into the air. A trace of amusement lingered in his eyes, but faint worry clouded his brow.

"System."

Standing atop the mountain, Yang Yu softly called out to his system.

He had been in this world for so many years.

The system that had brought him to this era had appeared only once, then never shown itself again.

"Host, is there something you need?"

The projection of the Star System appeared before Yang Yu. It stood with him atop the mountain, overlooking the beautiful scenery below.

That was the origin of civilization.

"I'm starting to wonder whether you're really a system from a novel."

Yang Yu looked at the System Spirit before him and spoke.

"Oh? Should I be like those dull System Spirits?" Xingchen's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible light.

Yang Yu looked at Xingchen in surprise. "Since you're the Star System from Civilization Rise, shouldn't you provide some materials to help advance civilization?"

"That's all..."

Xingchen stared at the tribe below in disbelief. "Host, please don't joke with the system. This primitive tribe is still in an era that hasn't even reached pre-nuclear civilization. Those technological materials would be useless."

One had to understand.

Even the lowest-level technology controlled by the empire required one to reach the peak of pre-nuclear civilization before it could be used.

And yet, a primitive tribe was asking her for such advanced technological knowledge?

This world was insane.

"No, I really can't use those materials. But I—I don't know how to smelt copper."

Yang Yu awkwardly scratched his head.

Chemistry had never been his strong suit. Besides, so many years had passed—how much could he possibly remember?

He had long since returned everything he had learned to his teachers.

If he were asked to raise pigs or build houses, he could probably manage it. But smelting copper was something he truly didn't know how to do.

Every field had its own specialty.

The Star System: "..."

So he had come to her just for this information.

Seriously...

She sighed softly, then pointed at Yang Yu from afar. "These are the methods for smelting copper and iron, as well as the methods for making molds. Absorb them slowly. They'll be enough to carry you into the industrial age. I hope you can activate the system's mainline mission within a thousand years."

With that.

Xingchen said nothing more. She gave this world one lingering look, and her figure slowly vanished into the universe, as if she had never appeared.

As Xingchen disappeared, Yang Yu felt an enormous amount of information surge into his mind. His entire head seemed ready to explode, and intense, swelling pain swept over him.

He staggered several steps, collapsed onto the ground, and then passed out.

When Yang Yu woke again, he had already returned to the tribe.

Lin Er looked at him worriedly. "Yu, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

Yang Yu shook his head to stay conscious and asked, "Why am I here?"

"You fainted atop the mountain. Lie discovered that you were unconscious and unable to wake, so he notified the warriors mining the copper ore. They carried you back to the tribe."

Lin Er explained what had happened. "You have been unconscious for three days."

"Three days?"

Yang Yu was extremely surprised.

Three days.

He had only been unconscious for three days?

He had spent a full three years in that dream.

During those three years in the dream, he had done the same work over and over.

Smelting copper and smelting iron.

That had been his work.

"Sorry for the trouble."

Yang Yu looked at his wife and gently stroked her black hair. He said softly, "From now on, I won't make you worry again."

With that.

Yang Yu rose from the bed and asked, "How has the tribe been lately?"

"Nothing has happened in the tribe recently. It has been operating according to your plans, husband," Lin Er said.

"Good!"

Yang Yu nodded.

Just after getting out of bed, Yang Yu seemed to remember something. He raised his head and looked at her. "What about the copper ore?"

"Husband, ever since you fainted atop the mountain, the mining of copper ore has been put on hold," Lin Er said quietly.

Ever since her husband had fallen unconscious, the Hunting Team's morale had gradually sunk.

They had also stopped mining the ore.

"Put on hold?"

"How can this be put on hold?"

Yang Yu's expression changed slightly. "No. The matter of the copper ore absolutely cannot be put on hold. It concerns whether our Yang Clan's future will become better."

With that.

Yang Yu strode outside his house.

Seeing their awakened chieftain, the members of the tribe all greeted Yang Yu, joy appearing in their eyes.

After all, everything they had came from their chieftain.

In their hearts, the chieftain was truly the heavens. He considered the tribe in everything he did.

His fainting had been an extremely heavy blow to the entire tribe.

"What are you doing here?" Yang Yu asked sternly when he saw Yang Yun, who was responsible for the copper ore, training with the Hunting Team's warriors.

"Ch-Chieftain."

Seeing their awakened chieftain, joy appeared in Yang Yun and the others' eyes. They immediately set down their work and walked over to him.

But after hearing the chieftain's words, they looked utterly bewildered.

"Yun, didn't I order you to mine the copper ore?"

Yang Yu looked at Yang Yun before him with a dark expression and spoke sternly.

"Chieftain, you were unconscious, so we didn't dare mine the copper ore. A-And the clan elder ordered us to train in the tribe in case raiders attacked our tribe."

Yang Yun immediately explained, "The incident with the Moon Clan cannot become an example for our tribe."

"Forget it, forget it."

Yang Yu thought for a moment, then sighed. "Go and bring over some boulders. While you're at it, take some clay from the storehouse."

Smelting copper with fire.

It required many things.

Since they would not mine the copper ore for now, they would first build a furnace for smelting the copper ore and charcoal.

He had built this thing countless times in the dream, so he was confident he could make the furnace.

"Yes."

After receiving the chieftain's order, the Hunting Team warriors under Yang Yun's command began to move.

Some went to the storehouse to carry silt dredged from the river, while others went to where the boulders were piled up and began hauling them.

Yang Yu turned his gaze to Yang Feng and the others and said, "Feng, next, I need you to go to the mountain behind the tribe and cut some wood."

"Chieftain, how much wood should we cut?"

Yang Feng did not waste words and directly asked how much wood they needed to gather.

"The more, the better."