Chapter 371 - 161: First Forging
"I don’t know."
Sunday hesitated, considering his own understanding of the Great Tribe, the loss of nearly thirty warriors was already a significant setback.
This unexpected attrition would evidently affect the expansion trend of the Great Tribe, potentially disrupting their deployments and causing them to lose in subsequent conflicts.
Under normal circumstances, the Tribe Leader of the Great Tribe would hardly send another expeditionary force to investigate.
Yet, exceptions always exist, and Sunday was not sure of the Tribe Leader’s style. He only knew that the tribe had reached its current size in just over a decade, during which it annexed many small tribes, showing signs of unifying the Archipelago.
For a person like this, who differs from most Tribe Leaders, he couldn’t give Chen Zhou a definite answer.
Using his limited vocabulary, Sunday struggled to express his views and finally offered another conjecture—
If one or two warriors who participated in the tribal cannibal ritual survived, escaped in a canoe, and successfully returned to the Archipelago.
If they learned there was a Celestial God holding hostile intentions on the Big Island, the Tribe Leader of the Great Tribe would likely be too afraid to rally forces for another attack.
He would have to consider the consequences of more warrior casualties.
However, if all warriors and priests who landed were wiped out, this issue becomes uncertain.
Over the years, every time they held cannibal banquets on the island, it went smoothly. Only this time, no one returned, and there were no storms during the ritual.
What happened was too bizarre, yet did not show clear danger.
It is still possible that the Great Tribe may send more forces to the island in the future if they have the manpower.
...
On that day, Chen Zhou was only thinking about eliminating the threat completely, with no one left to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Unexpectedly, it could result in more severe consequences without leaving anyone to report back.
Sunday, having grown up in a primitive tribe and participated in indigenous conflicts, was once a prisoner in the Great Tribe. He considered the young man’s speculation quite credible.
...
"Troublesome as it is, but since everyone is already killed, it’s too late to regret now.
There’s no way I will send these two carefully cultivated helpers back to spread horror stories about the Big Island.
Besides, in the past, I was alone and with just a few modified flintlock guns, I could face ten enemies and rescue these two indigenous people.
Now that I have three people, in the future, I will build guns with greater range, faster firing speed, and might. Even if the Great Tribe gathers all their forces to attack, what is there to fear?"
"Moreover, looking at it another way, two laborers are never enough. If more indigenous people can be tamed, then more can be attempted.
However, I have provided life-saving grace to these two, and can intimidate them.
If capturing warriors from the Great Tribe, influenced by blood vengeance and belief, whether they would be as docile as these two is uncertain..."
Chen Zhou pondered inwardly, his expression unchanged, as if he was merely interested in probing indigenous tribe news, with no other intentions towards those cannibal tribes.
Despite showing no outward reaction, he remained vigilant against the potential arrival of the Great Tribe.
Currently in the rainy season, the ocean is temperamental. Only if the Tribe Leader of the Great Tribe lost his mind would he send indigenous people to the Big Island amidst such conditions.
During the dry season, with clear skies and calm seas, Chen Zhou plans to construct a watchtower and beacon near the mountain top, instructing Saturday to keep an eye while herding sheep nearby.
According to Saturday and Sunday’s account, indigenous people often land close to noon or afternoon for the cannibal ceremonies. As long as Saturday remains diligent, observing the islanding of indigenous people promptly is quite possible.
...
Of course, resistance meets the invasion, measures align with outcomes. Before the cannibal tribes land, Chen Zhou could not devote all energy to fending them off—
He had more important things to do.
...
The arrival of the rainy season forced the charcoal kilns to close temporarily, but indoor work was unhindered.
With sufficient manpower, Chen Zhou felt confident. While expanding the Forging Room, he occasionally took the two indigenous people to dig out the storage room.
The frequent rain spared the crops from irrigation, and the ever-growing flock of sheep, under Saturday’s months-long company, became tame and docile.
This allowed the duo to finish their daily tasks with less effort, freeing up more time for learning and assisting in expanding the "Divine Residence."
The expansion of the Forging Room proceeded alongside the stacking of load-bearing columns, the flooring and ceiling installations, external wall construction, and most importantly—the design and construction of the forge.
...
Much of what Chen Zhou had seen in reality could be vaguely recreated using his memory and knowledge.
However, the forge was outside his knowledge scope.
The only forge he somewhat knew was the one at the forge conference, but forges in those programs were mostly electric, even outdoor hand-cranked coal forges did not require a bellows, rather using blowers, offering limited reference value to him.
After some thought, Chen Zhou believed, whether it’s modern coal-fired forges or traditional ones, their basic structure should be similar.
They can’t stray from "combustion system," "heating system," "exhaust system" these three core structures.
At most, modern forges add a heat exchanger to preheat air for improved combustion efficiency, or install a water jacket in the insulation layer for residual heat recovery.