The corpses of the snow wolves were frozen solid by morning. Rian ordered them to be skinned immediately. The thick white fur would now clothe his freezing miners, and the meat would keep them working.
But Rian didn't have time to celebrate the victory. He was staring at a piece of charcoal, sketching furiously on a rough wooden table.
"My Lord," Hance approached cautiously. "The guards are asking... when will you fix their swords? They are afraid the wolves will return."
"Fear is good. It keeps them alert," Rian muttered, not looking up. "But tell them the 'Furnace of Rebirth' begins construction today."
Rian tapped his temple.
[Ding! Daily Intelligence Report - Day 5]
[1. Resource Location]
The white cliffs visible to the East (2 miles away) are composed of 92% pure Limestone.
Utility: Essential Flux for iron smelting. Will remove sulfur impurities.
[2. Construction Insight]
The Red Clay dug by Serf Kael has a high silica content.
Notice: If mixed with 20% sand and fired at high temperature, it will form Refractory Bricks (Heat-resistant bricks) capable of withstanding 1500°C.
No blueprints. No free tools. Just information.
The System didn't tell him how to build a furnace. Rian had to rely on his mechanical engineering degree for that.
The Courtyard
Rian stood amidst the snow, surrounded by Kael and his team of ten muddy serfs.
They had spent all day mixing the red clay with sand, pressing them into wooden molds, and baking them in a makeshift kiln. The result was a pile of rough, reddish-orange bricks.
"Kael," Rian asked, picking up a brick. It was still warm. "Are these all of them?"
"Yes, My Lord," Kael wiped the sweat/soot from his forehead. "We made 200 fire-bricks. But... what are we building? A chimney?"
"A stomach," Rian smiled. "A stomach that eats rocks and spits out steel."
Rian grabbed a shovel and drew a circle in the snow.
"We build here. A tower. Two meters high. Hollow in the middle."
Rian directed them like a foreman. He didn't just watch; he worked. He showed them how to layer the bricks with wet clay to seal the gaps. He explained where to leave holes at the bottom for the air pipes (Tuiles).
The serfs watched their Noble Lord getting his hands covered in mud. Usually, nobles wouldn't even touch a shovel. Seeing Rian work alongside them lit a fire in their hearts hotter than any coal.
"Work faster!" a serf shouted to his partner. "The Lord is carrying bricks! Don't let him outwork you!"
The Expedition
While Kael built the tower, Rian took three guards and a sled to the East.
The wind was biting, but the wolf-skin coat (freshly cleaned) kept Rian warm.
They reached the White Cliffs. To the locals, these were just useless chalk rocks.
"My Lord, these are soft rocks," a guard said, kicking a piece of limestone. "You can't build walls with these."
"We don't build with them. We burn them," Rian said, picking up a chunk of white stone.
In smelting, Iron Ore has impurities (like sand and sulfur). If you just melt it, it stays dirty and brittle. But if you add Limestone, it acts as a "Flux." It grabs the dirt and floats to the top (Slag), leaving pure iron at the bottom.
It was basic Chemistry 101. But in this world, it was alchemy.
"Fill the sled," Rian ordered. "Every white rock you can carry."
Sunset: The Tower Rises
By the time they returned, the Blast Furnace stood tall in the middle of the courtyard.
It wasn't pretty. It looked like a giant, angry beehive made of dried mud. But to Rian, it was beautiful.
Kael had also finished the clay pipes. Rian connected them to the bottom of the furnace and attached a large leather bellows (which he had ordered the village tanner to stitch from old cow skin).
"Hance," Rian stood before the structure. "Bring the coal. Bring the broken swords. Bring the white rocks."
The entire population of the castle—96 people—gathered around. They had no idea what was happening. They just saw their Lord building a mud tower and asking for rocks.
Rian climbed a ladder to the top of the furnace.
He poured a layer of Charcoal (Fuel).
He poured a layer of Broken Iron Swords (Metal).
He poured a layer of Limestone (Flux).
He repeated the layers until the furnace was full.
"Light it!" Rian commanded.
Kael shoved a burning torch into the bottom hole. The charcoal caught fire.
"Pump!" Rian yelled at the guards manning the leather bellows.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Air was forced into the fire. The temperature began to rise. 500°C... 800°C...
Black smoke poured out of the top. Sparks flew into the night sky. The mud walls of the furnace began to glow a dull red from the heat inside.
The serfs stepped back in fear. It looked like a dragon was waking up inside the mud tower.
Rian stood there, his face illuminated by the orange glow. He wasn't using magic. He wasn't using a system cheat. He was using the power of civilization.
"Keep pumping!" Rian shouted over the roar of the fire. "Do not stop until the flame turns white!"
Tonight, they wouldn't just fix swords. Tonight, Fort Blackiron would enter the Iron Age.
End of Chapter 7