Chapter two: The Search for Resources

The wilderness stretched endlessly before me with vast and untamed land full of towering trees, tangled vines, and unseen mysterious and possibly dangers lurking in the underbrush. It's been weeks since I first arrived, and in that time, I had established a small, defensible shelter, crafted rudimentary tools, and mapped out the immediate area. But survival wasn't my only goal, regaining the technology and resources that I've lost access to was my true goal. I had come too far and faced too many dangers in my old world to settle for simply existing. I intended to thrive. But to do that, I needed something beyond just wood and stone. If I was going to rebuild even a fraction of the technology I once had, I needed raw materials. Iron. Copper. Tin. Coal. Glass. With those, I could forge tools, construct advanced structures and advance weaponry. So what problems are getting in my way? To put simply, I had no way to process most of those materials yet. But that doesn't matter, at least for now. What matters first is, I had to find such resources on this unknown world full of unknown wildlife and plant life.

I left my cave shelter at dawn, my primitive pack strapped tightly across my back. My crude stone knife and makeshift spear were the only weapons I had, and while they were enough to fend off some of the wildlife, I knew that I could still be killed. Everything out here was either bigger, stronger, and more dangerous than anything I had ever faced in my old world. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and vegetation, the morning mist clinging to the undergrowth like a living thing. The trees stretched hundreds of feet high, their massive roots curling over the ground like the limbs of slumbering giants. I had read about primeval forests like this in pre-war biology texts, but seeing one with my own eyes? It was a different experience altogether. Despite the eerie silence, I moved carefully and quietly, my senses on high alert. I had already encountered predators in the area—some resembling prehistoric Earth creatures, others utterly alien in their design. I had no idea how many apex predators roamed this land, and I wasn't keen on finding out the hard way. My goal today was simple: find and mark locations where valuable resources could be extracted. Even if I couldn't mine them yet, I could at least catalog them for future use.

It didn't take long to find my first clue. As I navigated through a rocky hillside, I noticed an unusual glint beneath a loose layer of dirt. Kneeling down, I dug my fingers into the soil and pulled out a small, reddish-brown rock with streaks of greenish tint. Copper ore. I turned it over in my hands, feeling its weight. This was exactly what I needed. Copper was one of the most important metals for early technology—electrical wiring, alloys, tools, and even rudimentary circuits. If I could locate a larger deposit, I would be one step closer to advancing beyond stone and wood. I marked the area by carving a symbol into a nearby tree and pressed forward. Deeper into the hills, I found another promising sign—darker veins running through the rock, interspersed with silver flecks. I cracked open a smaller rock and examined the metallic streaks within. Tin. That was even better. Copper alone was useful, but copper and tin together meant bronze. And with bronze I could craft stronger tools, better weapons, and more advanced structures. I spent the next several hours surveying the area, marking potential mining spots, testing different rocks, and building a mental map of where my future operations would begin. I was finally making some real progress.

Hours passed as I made my way further into the hills. The sun had begun to rise higher in the sky, and the once-cool morning had given way to an unrelenting, humid heat. My synth body wasn't affected by temperature the way a human body would be, but even I could feel the weight of the air pressing down on me. Then, just as I was about to turn back toward my shelter, I stumbled upon something that made me stop in my tracks. A jagged cliffside, partially exposed from what must have been a recent rockslide. And running through it—thick, black veins embedded in the stone. It was Coal. As I prosses such information, I couldn't help but let a smile creep on to my face. This was critical. Coal was a more than just perfect fuel source for now, I could use coal for heating up high-temperature furnaces, metal smelting, and for industrial progress. With enough of it, I could build a forge capable of working iron, and once I had iron, everything would change. I took my knife and scraped some of the coal from the rock, testing its quality. It crumbled slightly under pressure, but the density was perfect. This was exactly what I needed. I marked the location and moved on.

After making my way back toward the river, I turned my attention to another essential material—sand. Glass was something many early civilizations took centuries to develop, but I had the advantage of knowledge. If I could find the right kind of silica-rich sand, I could eventually make glass for lenses, containers, and possibly even early optics. I followed the river downstream, scanning the banks for light-colored deposits. It wasn't long before I found what I was looking for—a bend in the river where the water had deposited fine, quartz-rich sand. I scooped up a handful, rubbing the grains between my fingers. It was smooth with a fine-textured, and free of heavy impurities. This would work. With this, I could begin experiments in glassmaking, another crucial step toward advancing my technology.

By the time I made my way back to my shelter, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. My pack was filled with samples—small fragments of copper, tin, coal, and sand, each one a promise of what was to come. I set the materials down by my work area, staring at them for a long moment. This was the foundation of everything. With copper and tin, I could make bronze. With coal, I could build a forge and smelt iron. With glass, I could create tools for chemistry and optics. These things weren't just for now, I was laying the groundwork for the future. I sat near my fire, looking up at the unfamiliar stars above me. "I've made it this far. There's no turning back now." Tomorrow, I would begin the next phase of my journey. The Stone Age was ending. And a new era was about to begin.

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End of Chapter Two