“We have managed to smelt iron. The beastmen who took part in the iron-smelting process will receive it first!”
Roar!
The beastmen rejoiced, their cries of joy causing the layer of snow on top of the trees to fall to the ground with a thud. No matter how hot it was in the iron-smelting room, it couldn’t surpass the beastmen’s energy.
Becoming stronger was the males’ lifelong goal!
Bai Qingqing was about to go to bed when she heard the beastmen’s howls from outside.
After a while, Winston returned home smelling strongly of wood and smoke.
“You’re finally back. The food’s in the kitchen,” Bai Qingqing said upon seeing him, worried that he was hungry. She didn’t notice what he was holding.
When Winston entered the house, Bai Qingqing caught a whiff of the scent on his body, and her beautiful eyebrows knitted together slightly. “You didn’t shower?”
Winston could hardly hide the happiness on his face as he held the piece of iron in front of her. “We’ve managed to smelt iron. I wanted to show you immediately.”
Bai Qingqing was shocked and gasped.
Damn. They really managed to smelt iron!
She held the piece of iron and looked at it. It should be of terrible quality since it was so crudely made. After all, it took thousands of years of development for modern iron-smelting technology to refine iron as well as it did. But, this piece of iron was dense.
Bai Qingqing didn’t know much about iron and steel, but she knew that this was definitely different from modern-day metals!
“Can I throw it?” Bai Qingqing asked.
Ancient metals were either too brittle or too soft. Such a solid piece of metal was definitely hard enough. She just didn’t know if it was durable enough.
Winston replied confidently and without hesitation, “Go ahead.”
Even he couldn’t bend this piece of metal. How could a female break it by throwing it on the ground?
Bai Qingqing took a deep breath before forcefully throwing it on the stone floor.
The piece of iron hit the ground with a bang before it wobbled and made clattering noises. It was still in one piece.
As expected, it really is different!
“Hngh~” An’an, who had been sleeping on the bed at the side, was jolted awake and waved her arms like a turtle.
Bai Qingqing quickly stopped the clattering noises from the piece of iron by stepping on it with her foot. Winston crouched down and roughly patted An’an’s face.
“Be good, child,” Winston said stiffly.
Parker had added sufficient firewood to the bed-stove. When he heard An’an’s cries, he immediately jumped through the window and into the house. He picked An’an up and put her to sleep in half a minute.
Bai Qingqing wasn’t as good as Parker when it came to putting the children to sleep.
“Did you guys succeed?” Parker carried An’an, his eyes spirited as he looked at the piece of iron. He was so excited that his hand transformed into its beast form, revealing its sharp nails.
“Mm.” Winston replied, “Starting tomorrow, we’ll be refining this ore on a large scale. Since iron can only change its shape under high temperatures, I plan to build another house for making metal tools.”
Bai Qingqing said, “It’ll probably be harder to forge iron.”
Winston and Parker exchanged a glance. Both of them had the same expression in their eyes—disdain and even wild arrogance.
Everyone in the tribe was skilled at forging stone tools. Forging iron was doing the same thing at high temperatures. No one in the tribe would be daunted by this, much less them.
“No difficulties can stop me!” Winston said.
Bai Qingqing did an encouraging hand gesture, then smiled and said, “You can do it!”
“Mm.” Winston’s eyes softened upon seeing the encouragement written all over her smiling face. He couldn’t help but reach out to stroke his mate’s head.
Bai Qingqing immediately dodged and sat back down. “Quickly go and shower. You stink,” she said.
Winston smiled and walked out.