Raising all of humanity: Starting with a backyard pool world

Chapter 65 [The First Exploration Team]

The atmosphere in the tribe was tense.

Kahn and his followers had gathered on one side of the village, separating themselves from the others.

They gripped the newly made weapons tightly in their hands: three iron spears and five iron daggers.

The weapons were crudely made, with spearheads barely attached to wooden poles, but the metallic sheen emboldened them.

Their eyes revealed a fanatical fervor, a readiness to prove themselves through force.

Kahn looked around at his brothers, his voice low but persuasive:

"Ignore the safe zone drawn by that short guy; it's the boundary for the weak. True wealth lies hidden deep in the forest, waiting for the strong to claim it."

"We bled yesterday, and today we'll make up for it with the blood of our prey!"

Ignoring Terra's advice, he waved his hand and led the youngest and strongest members of the tribe, bypassing the hunting route suggested by Balin, and headed into the unknown depths of the dense forest.

Deep in the forest, the light was dim.

A wild beast was gnawing on a thick, fleshy plant.

Its muscles bulged, and its two curved horns were jet black and shiny, with the tips covered in dirt and dried blood.

In the past, any hunting party that saw a creature of this size would choose to avoid it.

But today is different.

"Go!" Kahn roared.

Three young men wielding iron spears charged out from three directions simultaneously.

It raised its head and swung it towards one of them.

Following Kahn's training, the young man did not try to withstand the attack directly, but instead threw the iron spear with all his might.

"Pfft!" The spearhead successfully pierced through the thick skin and flesh of the neck.

The intense pain spurred it on, and it recklessly hurled the young man away, shattering his sternum.

But two other iron spears arrived as well, one piercing its side and the other stabbing into one of its forelegs.

Blood flowed out, and the intense pain and restraints slowed its movements.

The hunters, armed with iron daggers, swarmed forward and stabbed wildly at its ribs and joints.

This was a bloody siege.

Half an hour later, the big guy in the forest finally collapsed with a thud.

Cheers of victory echoed through the woods.

Kahn stood atop the massive corpse, raising his blood-stained hands.

His standing in the eyes of his young followers rose even higher at this moment.

As dusk fell, Kahn's squad returned in triumph, dragging their enormous prey.

The huge success made the whole village excited.

This large amount of meat is the most direct and powerful proof of Kahn's approach.

This victory did not come without a price.

At the back of the group, two seriously wounded soldiers were carried back.

One had a sunken chest and was breathing weakly; the other had a pierced thigh, and blood soaked through the makeshift bandages.

Because the weapons were too crude, an iron spear broke in two while being thrown; the blade of a dagger also chipped when it was chopping cow bones.

The smell of blood from battle mingled with the aroma of food in the tribe.

While Kahn went out hunting, Mason led another group to learn from Balin.

They worked hard, sweating profusely beside the newly built furnace, and Bahrain was a strict teacher.

He had Mason's men practice using the bellows repeatedly.

The rhythm of pushing and pulling must be kept even and powerful.

"Idiot! Not enough air, the furnace temperature won't go up, and all that'll come out is a lump!" Balin rebuked mercilessly in his broken tongue.

Under his guidance, they successfully improved the valve design of the double-person bellows, making the airflow output more stable.

While the furnace was burning brightly, they used Professor Baling's method to mix a second batch of clay with straw fibers and built a second, more efficient furnace.

When Kahn returned to the village with his prey and glory, he saw Mason and the others, their faces covered in soot, straightening up beside the newly built No. 2 furnace.

Kahn's followers looked at the group with disdain in their eyes.

Anya played the role of mediator.

She took a stone knife and walked to the buffalo carcass. Her voice was calm as she faced the arrogant young hunters.

"Hunters need meat to restore their strength, and craftsmen need meat to fill their stomachs."

She showed no favoritism and fairly distributed meat to everyone in the tribe, ensuring that those who quietly built the furnace also received the necessary supplies.

She then arranged for the women of the tribe to use clean strips of cloth and herbs to re-treat the wounds of the injured men that Kahn had brought back.

With her uniquely feminine resilience, she carefully maintained the nearly broken rope within the tribe, preventing it from completely disintegrating.

The dwarf Balin leaned to one side and watched it all.

He acknowledged Kahn's bravery; he was indeed a warrior.

But when his gaze fell on Mason, that approval turned into admiration.

Mason ignored Kahn and the others' boasting and did not complain about the food distribution.

His entire attention was focused on the newly built No. 2 furnace.

He was carefully using a stone to fix an uneven patch of adobe on the furnace wall.

That focus, that dedication to the craft, reminded Bahrain of the dwarf artisans.

As evening fell and celebratory bonfires lit up the village, Balin approached Mason, who was studying the furnace alone.

He took a small knife from his pocket and handed it over.

It was a skinning iron knife with no runes and an ancient design.

The blade is long and narrow, forged through countless hammer blows, and gleams with a restrained, cold light. This is the tool he has used for many years and is most comfortable with.

Bahrain pointed at Mason, then at himself, and finally patted Mason on the shoulder forcefully.

He grinned, revealing a rare smile.

This gift transcends a simple contract; it is an acknowledgment from one craftsman to another.

Terra, the tribe's leader, sat in the main seat by the campfire, deep in thought.

He looked at his tribesmen who were cheering for their share of meat, then at the two seriously wounded men groaning in pain not far away, and finally, his gaze fell on the two furnaces standing side by side, representing different choices.

Kahn's plundering and Mason's construction both seem to be only temporary solutions.

The prey will eventually be wiped out, and a stronger wall will only trap them more tightly.

If the tribe wants to grow stronger and avoid being destroyed by the next herd of beasts or the next harsh winter, it cannot remain trapped in this narrow river valley forever.

They need more resources, a safer environment, and to understand the world.

His gaze passed over the campfire, landing on the vast and unknown world beyond the valley. Behind the eastern forests, rolling mountains stretched out, their outlines blurred in the night.

The revelry at the bonfire party that night gradually subsided.

Terra stood up.

He first acknowledged Kahn's bravery and then praised Mason's contributions.

Then, he changed the subject.

"We'll have meat, and soon we'll have better weapons. But then what?"

His gaze swept over everyone, and whether they were Kahn's radicals or Mason's moderates, they all fell silent under his watchful eyes.

"Should we hunt bigger beasts until there is no more living creature in the forest? Or should we build higher walls until we can no longer see the sky?"

"None of these are the answers."

Terra turned abruptly, pointed to the dark forest to the east, and the faint outline of mountains in the distance.

"We must go out and see the world!"