Tribesman's New Life

Chapter 32: White Stone

Aries' groundbreaking discoveries sparked a wave of new inventions. It came to light that the chief had stumbled upon the black stone while excavating the arid lands, while the forest, brimming with fire, thunder, and water stones, presented greater challenges to mining. To mitigate the risks, Aries assembled a dedicated mining team and scouted for a suitable site that would also be relatively close to their village. After just a few hours of carriage travel, they reached the chosen mining location. In contrast to the forest, the dry lands were lacking in magic stones. The forest, deemed a magical realm due to its association with beast waves and an abundance of magic stones, led Aries to formulate a theory. He speculated that the land within the forest was infused with some form of energy that facilitated the proliferation of magic stones and life, thereby granting the resident beasts enhanced strength compared to those outside its borders.

Accompanied by a small group of tribesmen and his trusted trio, Aries embarked on a journey with three carts to the designated mining site. Before long, their mining operation was underway. Initially, they found no traces of black stone despite utilizing pickaxes and shovels. Aries contemplated whether they needed to venture farther afield, but elected to persist given that only a single day had transpired since their commencement. They dug at a diagonal angle to facilitate their descent. The depth of their excavation was difficult for Aries to accurately gauge, as he lacked familiarity with real-world measurements. Nevertheless, he surmised that they had already surpassed his typical mining depth.

"Damn it, maybe the chief lied to me!" Aries exclaimed, his frustration palpable. While he had engaged in mining-themed games during his past life, the reality of actual mining demanded a formidable amount of effort and energy. His team of miners had been toiling for several days, yet not a single vein of black stone had come to light. The excavation site had morphed into a semblance of a cave due to their unrelenting digging.

Driven by his mounting frustration, Aries took a drastic step. He fired a couple of thunderstones inside the cavern they had carved out. The resulting explosion was so powerful that its shockwaves reverberated through the ground, creating a tremor that even those on the surface could feel. A billowing cloud of dust surged from the entrance, while the tribesmen working within the cave stumbled out, coughing and choking.

To the tribesmen, Aries was not only a shrewd commander in the face of the beast wave but also a young individual with a childlike side. They couldn't help but be reminded that despite his intellectual brilliance and maturity, he still possessed the impulses of a youth. In truth, Aries grappled with the mental baggage of a grown man, complete with its anger issues. It was then that they collectively decided to cease their efforts for the day, resting until the morning light.

"Damn, it's sweltering in here! I'd rather be back in the forest!" Aries yelled in exasperation, struggling to find respite within the confines of his carriage as he attempted to settle down for sleep.

With the advent of morning, Aries was roused from his slumber by an unexpected shaking of his foot. "Just dig..." Aries mumbled in his half-awake state. Mornings were often a time of rest for him, given his propensity for staying up all night tinkering with various projects. "Master, we've finally found the black stone!" First announced, breaking through Aries' drowsiness. Instantly, any remnants of sleepiness evaporated as Aries perked up. He wasted no time and dashed towards the cave, his excitement mirroring that of a child eagerly anticipating a new toy.

Upon arriving, Aries was greeted by the sight of black stone chunks scattered about. The force of the thunderstone explosion had seemingly cleared the area and disintegrated surrounding materials, but the black stones themselves had remained unaffected. Their conspicuous presence made them relatively easy to locate. As Aries and his team eagerly extracted the black stones, the cave seemed to shake incessantly, resonating with the intensity of their efforts. What was initially projected to be a weeks-long mining endeavor concluded in an astonishingly short five days, leaving their carriage brimming with more black stones than they had anticipated. However, amidst this trove of black stones, the most significant discovery Aries made wasn't the black stone itself, but rather a white stone.

Upon returning to the village, Aries hardly cast a glance anywhere else, his focus riveted on the path leading to his workshop. Knowing that he could not accomplish his tasks single-handedly, he sought out volunteers eager to learn the craft of blacksmithing under his tutelage. Leveraging his influence, Aries enlisted the aid of the most skilled tribesmen, who were already serving as craftsmen within the village. Over the ensuing weeks, Aries dedicated himself to meticulously training them in every facet of the art. Anything that failed to meet his exacting standards was subjected to revisions. Day and night, the resounding echoes of fiery forges and hammering reverberated from Aries' workshop, creating quite the cacophony throughout the village. However, the villagers understood that these disturbances were a small price to pay for the forthcoming benefits that Aries' efforts would yield.

Aries' passion for his craft remained unwavering, to the point that even as others slept, he continued to labor over his workbench. The white stone he had acquired was as clear as glass, yet possessed a hardness that defied conventional fire's ability to soften it, in stark contrast to the black stone. "I need a hotter flame!" Aries grumbled in frustration, realizing that ordinary flames wouldn't suffice to shape this remarkable white stone to his liking.