Chapter 373 - 161: First Forging (Part 3)
If it were modern times, with blowers and chain grates to help, one person could leisurely handle the tasks of forging.
But here, to ensure the first forging goes smoothly, he still needed to train two capable assistants.
...
Unknowingly, Saturday and Sunday have lived on the island for nearly a hundred days.
Unprecedented happy life, ample food, balanced nutrition, enough sleep time, and exercise have transformed the two Tribesmen as if they were reborn, completely changing their appearance.
They grew taller, their skin became whiter, and obvious muscle lines appeared on their bodies.
Perhaps due to the influence of knowledge and domestication, the faces of the two no longer showed much of the ferocious air typical of Cannibal Tribes, instead becoming more like the Huaxia People, with a gentle and resilient quality subtly appearing in their features.
...
Over the course of more than ninety days of interaction and education, the two have learned most of the Chinese vocabulary.
Moreover, their ability to write characters has steadily increased.
Chen Zhou often ate with them, and during work breaks, he would occasionally ask them questions or tell them traditional Hua Xia mythology stories.
Such as Pangu creating the world, Nuwa creating humans, Nuwa mending the sky, Kuafu chasing the sun, and Hou Yi shooting down the suns.
Although the two Tribesmen learned that crops are grown from the ground and sheep are born by ewes, gaining a basic understanding of natural laws, they did not come to think "there are no gods in the world."
They fully believed in the content of the stories Chen Zhou told.
After all, the history of Hua Xia culture is so long and profound, with a mythology system far richer than the primitive gods they used to believe in.
And the detailed nature of the mythology stories is an important pillar for establishing a complete image of the God.
...
Preaching can be addictive.
Gradually adapting to the role of "teacher," Chen Zhou, when telling stories to the two Tribesmen, would always analyze the spirit conveyed by the stories in the end, breaking down the essence of the mythology stories to feed to Saturday and Sunday.
The spirit of exploration and breaking through conveyed by Pangu’s tale, his sacrifice transforming into the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and seas;
The spirit of fighting against nature and striving without rest conveyed by the tales of Gun and Yu controlling the flood;
And stories like Kuafu chasing the sun, Hou Yi shooting down the suns, Jingwei filling the sea, all instilled the belief of humans triumphing over nature, tenacity, and selflessness in the two native individuals.
Chen Zhou was unsure of the extent of influence these stories would have on the two Tribesmen.
He only felt comforted, in the midst of a lonely challenge, by the company of two helpers who increasingly aligned with his ideals, resembling people from his homeland.
...
Long-term acquaintance inevitably breeds a kind of unspoken understanding.
With a few simple instructions, Chen Zhou could make the two Tribesmen grasp the essentials of work, as they attentively observed Chen Zhou’s every move, adding coal and fanning the flames.
The temperature in the furnace chamber soared.
Outside, it was raining; inside, the heat was intense.
Before attempting the forge, Chen Zhou took off his coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and picked up the tongs.
For the first forging, his requirement for himself was simple—
No need to forge a qualified finished product; as long as he could successfully change the shape of the iron block and complete the quenching process, it would be considered a success.
...
The bellows drew in air, continuously spouting it into the heat exchange zone beside the combustion area, where it underwent preliminary heating before surging into the furnace chamber.
The temperature of the charcoal fire increased, its bright color resembling a small sun.
Sweat trickled down Chen Zhou’s forehead as he observed the flame’s color, estimating the temperature, his eyes filled with the intense glow of the flames.
Judging the timing to be about right, he used the tongs to fix the iron block and placed it into the furnace for heating.
...
"Faster!"
"Too fast, slow down a little."
Sweat evaporated in the high temperatures, and the working forge was like a wild beast showing its fangs, displaying its ferocity and power.
Chen Zhou occasionally directed Sunday, who was operating the bellows, to control the firepower.
Saturday, who was adding coal, wasn’t idle either, as he had to constantly smash large chunks of charcoal into smaller pieces to add them to the combustion area.
...
Under the continuous licking of the flames, the metal block turned a bright red, indicating it was ready for the next stage—hammering.
The shortcomings of the short tongs became evident now, as Chen Zhou exerted considerable effort to extract the metal block from the flames and placed it onto a "temporary anvil" made from a whole piece of rock.
The relentless heat waves emitted by the iron block distorted the surrounding air, and being the closest, Chen Zhou could feel its scorching heat and danger.
Whew~
He exhaled deeply.
A bit worried about getting hurt during work, one hand tightly gripped the tongs holding the metal block, while the other hand picked up the hammer, carefully adjusting the angle, and Chen Zhou struck the first hammer blow.
His long labor improved his body control immensely.
Though it was his first time forging, Chen Zhou’s hammer strike was both precise and strong, causing a slight indentation on the metal block’s surface.
Encouraging himself silently, he reminded himself to relax while being mindful of safety and struck the second hammer blow.
...
Muscle memory gradually formed, even though the hammer in hand was not a professional blacksmith’s hammer, it couldn’t withstand Chen Zhou’s firm strength.
Layer upon layer of scaly oxidized skin continuously peeled off the iron block, while its bright red color rapidly dulled, indicating its temperature was dropping.
Before the iron block completely turned black, Chen Zhou placed it back into the forge.
Add coal, press the bellows, increase the temperature, the same steps repeated over and over.
The metal block softened, accepted hammering, and gradually flattened, like a wild horse difficult to tame, transforming into a fine steed under the whip of the hammer.