Chapter 16: Chapter 14: Taking it one step further

-Alan POV-

*Dong* *Dong* *Dong*

I have already dedicated more than a day to iron processing.

I was still far from mastery, but I started to get the molding skill.

To give the tools you wanted the right shape, you needed to know where to hit and how strong. Using physics and fast approximations, I could predict to a certain extent the force and speed of the hammer I had equipped, which by the way, it was already made of iron.

*Mreow!*

Just in time, Hikari came with a small cart full of apples. Yesterday, as I was working on the metal processing, I was called out by Hikari. Looking at her facial expressions, it seemed as if she didn't want to be useless, so I decided to prepare a wooden cart with a unique handle, cats could use to operate it with ease.

That way, as I was busy, Hikari could recollect anything she found useful: strange apples, minerals, sticks...

I sat down on the wooden chair in front of the cave and I looked at the dead bear's body in front of me.

Yes, at some point I thought I had forgotten, but the subject size was quite a good reason to go back into reality.

The other excellent reason to take a course of action as fast as possible was to avoid the corpse getting rotten. If that happened, then it may be possible that other animals are attracted to it, because of the strong smell of blood and flesh.

So I looked at the inventory I had been concentrating on all my efforts this last day and today:

• 2 iron hammers
• 2 iron pickaxes
• 2 iron axes
• 1 knife or short sword
• 1 sword
• A pile of iron plates
• Iron molds

Those last two points were part of the furnace level up, and the steam engine project. At some point, I thought if the objective was to collect energy a water wheel should also work but seeing the intensity of the nearby river, the idea quickly disappeared from my mind.

The best thing I could do was to make a temporary steam engine that would produce enough kinetic energy to heat the metal-made furnace, so it could completely melt the iron and future bronze.

But going back to the 'bear?' problem, I first conducted evisceration (removing internal organs) with the knife, then I got rid of the blood excess by hanging it on a tree. Afterward, I removed the skin and split the raw meat into quarters, so it cooled down faster. Because of my lousy rookie skills, there wasn't much meat that could be used, but I still felt happy I could eat something else other than apples.

Also, I doubt this night it will be ready, but thanks to the recently obtained skin, we finally have something to give us heat protection!

Now I don't have to depend only on Hikari's fur!

As I looked at her, she somehow seemed disappointed...

...

Leaving aside the bear issue, and taking a break from the metal processing skill, I decided to do two of the more monotone but not tiring points I had in mind for some time after the sudden attack.

First: build a small fence around the cave. I don't have high expectations, but I hope this gives us some time to react.

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Second: improving the looks of the cave! Yes, they improved considerably with the new plank floor, but I am yet to be satisfied, I want to add something cozier...

And what I meant by that is that I wanted to polish the stone walls, and make them smooth. So, I took out this point with my good old friend the chisel (made with iron just now) and one of the two iron hammers I had in stock. It may be an exaggeration, but I got angry each time I went inside the cave just to see deformed stone walls. And while I was working, I also put up together a quick wood wall for the entrance, without a door, to avoid getting too much wind during nighttime.

As for the fence, it was mainly a simple wood design: 5 horizontally placed planks and one vertically placed at each side to hold them down. It took more time than expected because, for each vertical plank, I needed to make sure it was stuck on the ground firmly. Maybe this goes against the purpose of the wall, but I left some small openings to get through it. I will build all the entrances sometime in the future...

That was all for today, and we proceeded to go to sleep. I remember dreaming about the warm bear skin I was about to enjoy tomorrow...

...

The meat was already ready and for the moment I left it in the warehouse, and I was conflicted.

I wanted to eat meat, but I knew bear meat wasn't tasty. At all.

I just hoped this otherworld bear was an exception. Please.

Without further ado, I got right into designing the new iron steam engine and metal furnace. The furnace I was using wasn't bad at all, but it lacked heat resistance and power. I was in dire need of weapons, and shortcuts were necessary.

An iron furnace worked the following way: you deposited the mineral from the top, and the mineral melted because of the high-temperature air blasts coming from both sides of the bottom, and at the same time, below the air blasts the completely melted mineral should come out. The remaining hot gases come out from different openings located at the top. This specific model is called a blast furnace.

I will only use metal as a heat-insulating and resistant material, but the other parts will be mainly made out of rocks and mud.

After I got the final mind design ready, I got my hands on the work.

Starting with recollecting the approximate rocks, polishing them with the chisel, getting the mud in place, and melting some more iron plates.

I went from the base to the top, and because of its outstanding height, way over mine, I made a wooden ladder to climb to the top.

...

As the time for lunch was coming close, I decided to take a break and started cooking the meat with the also enthusiastic Hikari.

Skipping to the final results.

Man, IT WAS SO GOOD.

Maybe it was an illusion caused by my trauma of the only apple diet, but even I, a person who hadn't cooked bear meat in his whole life, found it delicious on his first try.

When I finish this meal, I will have to worry about the steam engine, but let's enjoy the present for the time being!

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