NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Charcoal
It's been a few days since I started tanning the wolf's hide, and while I waited, I decided to go to the open magnesite mine to gather more material. I filled my primitive backpack with ease, and it made me realize how strong I've become. However, upon returning, something worried me: I'd never smelted metal or done blacksmithing before. I knew a little from some videos I'd seen, but I'd never done it in practice.
"Well, it'll be a matter of trying," I muttered, determined.
The first thing I needed was charcoal, since wood wouldn't reach a high enough temperature to smelt metal. I also needed a furnace, but that's the easiest to fix: a clay one would do.
I gathered mud from the river and with a stick I dug a shallow hole. Then, I used the mud to make the walls and formed a dome-shaped structure. Now all that's left to do is wait for it to dry to light a fire inside, cooking the mud and removing the moisture.
- That should do it - I said to myself as I looked at my creation.
The tricky part was finding coal. In all my explorations, I hadn't found any. I decided that the best thing to do would be to climb the mountain to see if I could find some. I loaded up my backpack and my primitive spear, and began the climb. The terrain was steep, but I continued until I reached the middle of the mountain. There, I finally saw what I was looking for: black spots on the rock. Coal!
- Bingo! - I exclaimed excitedly.
But collecting it wouldn't be easy. I used a rope to tie myself up and with a stick I managed to break off fragments. With that taken care of, I returned loaded with coal, ready for what comes next: melting the metal. All that remains is to wait until tomorrow, when the furnace is completely dry.