The Metamorphosis of the Stone Age

While the Shell Insect brought the hope of the ocean to the people of the tribe.

Boer also began learning, under his elder brother's guidance, how to command the other insect that symbolized the earth—the Bobbit Worm.

But he clearly did not possess Ned's talent.

That Bobbit Worm of his.

Under his commands, it was like a dull-witted, sluggish idiot child.

Even when it heard the order, it would respond half a beat late, and its movements were noticeably slower than its companion's.

Thus, trying to manipulate it to level land or carve through stone mountains was simply impossible.

Boer squeezed his eyes shut, furrowed his brow, and extended both hands toward the Bobbit Worm.

As if he were straining with all his might, cold sweat beaded on his face.

And after holding this stance for a while.

That dazed Bobbit Worm finally seemed to sense something, wriggling its body as it crawled sluggishly toward its master.

Ned watched and shook his head.

"Is it really that hard?"

"First, do this... then do that."

"Finally, do this, and it's done."

Faced with his brother's rather abstract instructions.

Boer could only force a bitter smile.

"Brother, this is really difficult for me. I'm not like you—someone recognized by the Messenger of the Gods. Maybe..."

But Ned promptly cut off his brother's words.

Ned patted his brother on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, just practice more and you'll get it."

As someone who seemed naturally gifted at this.

Though he couldn't truly understand Boer's frustration.

He still offered encouragement.

He hoped his brother could use this to change the stubborn elders' opinions a little, rather than always letting him steal the spotlight.

Although Boer's progress in controlling the insect was painfully slow.

The tribe's Artisans, however, had made a major breakthrough in studying the other two Bobbit Worms.

Even though Chief Boer had already told the people in advance not to offer any tribute to the Bobbit Worms, since they didn't like that kind of food.

Some tribe members still placed fresh fish and Brown Rat meat before the giant beasts.

But.

They acted as if they hadn't seen it at all, completely unenticed.

Because this was a wondrous insect that fed on rock.

The Bobbit Worm would secrete a strange, pale blue viscous liquid from its mouthparts, spitting it onto certain rocks, and the massive stones would continuously crack apart.

Then, using the hooked claws on its sharp mouthparts, it would scoop up the broken rock fragments and swallow them whole.

At first.

People simply thought the Bobbit Worm was a helper sent by the gods to clear more farmland for the tribe and make better stone tools.

But after Chief Boer gathered the elders and scholars and began collecting their droppings.

They noticed that the Bobbit Worm's excrement also had peculiar properties.

After several feedings.

The Bobbit Worm would return to the surface and excrete strange, rock-like black pellets.

The droppings had no odor.

They were just like ordinary stones, with no real difference.

The only distinction was their color.

"Their droppings are rocks too?"

Someone curiously poked at the black stuff the Bobbit Worm had excreted.

It was noticeably harder than ordinary stone.

"But they're so small—can't be used to make tools, right?"

The person said in confusion.

Such tiny black pellets couldn't possibly be used to craft anything.

The man collecting the feces shook his head.

"But Chief Boer said that after Bobbit Worms eat rocks, they can transform the rocks into even more peculiar substances, so all their excrement must be brought back for the scholars to study further."

After collecting all the excrement, the scholars began their research.

Some bold scholars recalled the precedent of Rot Spirit Insects being used for medicine.

"Maybe it's edible?"

"Want to give it a taste?"

The scholars clearly couldn't contain their curiosity; they tried dipping their fingers in the feces and swallowing it.

Then, without exception, they all lay in the Healer's care for a long time before gradually recovering.

But some people still held a stubborn obsession with whether this substance could be eaten.

They believed it needed to be roasted over a flame before consumption.

Just like food couldn't be eaten raw.

So, by accident, they threw it into the blazing fire of burning charcoal.

After the flames died out.

They were utterly astonished to see.

That some of these tiny black particles had quietly fused together, forming larger, blacker clumps.

Thus.

The tribe, by sheer luck, discovered that the excrement of Bobbit Worms underwent a wondrous change under fire.

This discovery filled the people with inspiration.

Once they found the right direction, everything became much easier. The tribe's scholars and Artisans quickly threw themselves into related research.

Under Boer's naming.

These larger, hard black lumps, formed from individual grains of excrement coalescing in fire, were called [Black Stone].

[Your civilization has discovered and named a new material.]

[It is a strange new substance formed from ore blocks undergoing continuous processes inside the Bobbit Worm's body.]

[They are harder than rock.]

[Under a certain high temperature, they gradually melt, then regain their hardness upon cooling.]

[A new industry has appeared on the Tech Tree.]

[Civilization Tech Tree Unlocked: Smelting Industry]

[The budding of the Smelting Industry has begun to take shape.]

Mona noticed the movement on the Drawing Board.

He dipped his Paintbrush into the color.

Just as he thought.

[Black Stone] was essentially a metallic substance.

Bobbit Worms could absorb certain ores and convert them into this strange metallic substance, excreting it as if reducing the metal from the ore.

Its melting point should be lower than iron.

In fire, it could be made to fuse.

But its hardness was comparable to iron, and its corrosion resistance was decent.

As long as people conducted further research and raised the flame temperature to melt it into [Black Water], it shouldn't be too difficult.

"After Animal Husbandry, is there going to be another unusual industry like Smelting?"

Mona chuckled softly.

It seemed that before long, before entering the sea, the tribe would undergo a comprehensive evolution.

He took the tech points on hand and, in the [Temple of Eternity], lit the corresponding nodes for the people.

[Consume Light of Technology?]

[Consumption successful!]

[You have consumed: Light of Technology*15]

[You have lit the Smelting Industry for the tribe!]

[Research upcoming: Earthen Blast Furnace]

[Research upcoming: Crude Bellows]

[Research upcoming: Crucible]

[Research upcoming: Mold]

After the deity quietly lit the path ahead for the people.

The tribe also avoided many detours.

Once all the corresponding tools were developed.

The long Stone Age in this civilization's history seemed destined to end early.

The people's lives were about to undergo earth-shattering new changes.