The Exploration of the Lake Kingdom, Flint, the Yome Tribe, and God Mountain

Bright campfires burned on the plain, reflecting a metallic gleam into everyone's eyes. Yet before the flashing gold and silver, the drab, blackened flint seemed utterly unremarkable, carrying an ordinary silence.

Old militiaman Chiwako stared at it for a while and, for some reason, felt the flint looked familiar. He asked hesitantly.

"Flint that symbolizes the ancestors? Stones that can burn?"

"Exactly! This is a gift from our ancestors, the fire kindling the brave and decisive divine frog took from the ancient God Mountain! The kindling was scattered through the earth by the Spiny Rat, letting even stones burn. And the souls of our ancestors watch over us from within the flames!"

Chief Kalan shook his head, his face filled with longing, as if he were communing with ancestors from the distant past.

"The flint in the mountains is a gift from our ancestors, and also their blessing! We Mayo use flint to make fires and cook, drive off wild beasts, withstand the cold tides from the north, and even smelt these stones that shine with golden light. And flint is easy to dig up, with strong firepower too—much easier than cutting trees. With it, the tribe doesn't need to spend too many tools or people on felling trees and burning firewood!"

"Easy to dig, very strong firepower, able to smelt gold and copper."

Puapu had been keeping his ear turned, straining to listen. A moment later, he recalled what he had seen at the Black Rock Mountain mine, and realization suddenly dawned on him.

"Main God bless us! This 'flint' thing, isn't it the coal His Highness talked about?! The Black Rock Mountain mine uses this black stuff to burn that whatever hard-to-burn iron. Every time, it has to be transported over from the Tingambato mining district, and I