I open my eyes and the first thing I see is the blue sky. I'm back and I have a game plan. With the new ring, I have a goal and that was to find the tin deposit, mine both tin and copper and then find a way to create bronze.
Since today was mainly a day of rest for most of the residents I instead consulted old man Hus about the future plans. Standing up and leaving Celine and the wolves I slowly walk over towards the first shelter we made. It had been converted into a storage house as well as a workshop near the front of the shelter. Both Lime and old man Hus were at the front sharpening the heads of the stone axes. As I approach them, old man Hus looks up and initiates the conversation.
"Lad, good job on making it back."
"Well, without the armor you made I think Howard and David wouldn't have made it back. Although, I am sorry about breaking them."
"Don't worry about it, lad. Armor is meant to break at some point and if it did it just means it's not strong enough yet."
"Yes, and that leads to why I am here. I think I have a way to acquire better material for both weapons and armor."
Hearing the topic, old man Hus puts down the ax head and focuses on my next words. Lime, noticing the change in atmosphere puts down what she was doing and listens in as well.
"Have you heard of bronze?"
"No lad I have not."
"Not surprising that you have not because it is a mixture of metals or an alloy. It combines copper and tin to create a stronger metal that can be used for weapons and armor. We can also use it for jewelry and create a currency of sorts from using the bronze you just need a hot enough fire so maybe the kiln will work but then I'm not too sure. We would have to test it and-"
"Lad. Lad. LAD! Stop right there. Explain it to me in more simple terms. What is copper? What is tin? What is an alloy? This old man does not understand these words you are saying."
"Oh, sorry old man Hus. I got carried away telling you about some of the plans I have already thought of."
"That is ok, lad. Just tell it to me slowly. I want young Lime to learn as well."
"Okay well for starters I'll explain what is copper, tin and bronze. Copper is a metal that we found in the depths of the encampment we had just come back from. It is a very soft metal that can be hammered into a shape without breaking or cracking. Tin is the same and by melting both of them and then mixing them you can create bronze. By combing these two soft metals you can create a harder and more durable alloy."
"Sounds very very interesting. However, I understand you have found copper but what about tin? You said it requires both of them lad."
Hearing the question I smile and hold out the ring on my finger. With the arrow pointing behind me, I move my hand left and right, making the arrow move slightly.
"This ring can find us a tin deposit. While it might not be a big deposit it should be enough for us. Bronze consists of mainly copper and only about 10-15% tin."
After staying quiet this whole time Lime chimed into the conversation.
"Ian, why are we still here let's go and mine!"
"Lime, I would love to do that but we have just gotten back from a very hard battle. I want to let them rest. Tomorrow I will take some of the goblins with me and scout out the area. Afterward, I will proceed to find a way to mine both the copper and the tin and transport them back to HavenFall."
"Transporting them along the river bank will be hard. Even with the wheelbarrow that old man Hus made. He told me you thought of the idea Ian, good job! "
"Not exactly all my idea...But I'll take the credit. Maybe I should flatten the ground somewhat further from the river and more alongside the canyon walls?"
"YEA! That's a good idea. Then you can place a fence made up of just branches so the person pushing the wheelbarrow knows where exactly where they can move it and the bronze will most likely be made down in the canyon anyways."
"Yep. Old man Hus are you up for the challenge in making bronze equipment?"
"Am I up for it? Lad, I don't know how long I have let to live in these old bones so every day you introduce me to something new it is a treat in itself. Learning new things at my age is a godsend. I thank you for that lad."
"It's ok old man Hus. I'm going to check up on other people now. I'll get you once I have all the material for the bronze work to begin."
With that comment, I leave old man Hus and Lime to continue with their repairs. I move around HavenFall and talk with some of the other residents.
Lucina's crops have started to sprout and small green stems can be seen poking through the soil. At the same time, Gobi and his team of goblins have created a second house next to the original mud house next to the Goblin Hut. Gobi had started their training already, the moment the house was completed he made all the goblins jog around the perimeter of HavenFall all the way until dinner.
Everyone came out for dinner and with a nice hot fish and vegetable stew inside everyone's stomachs, the day draws to a close.
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