Chapter Ten: Expanding the Search

The cave-in had forced me to reconsider everything. I had assumed the mine would provide all I needed for my continued progress, but that assumption had nearly gotten me trapped underground. Now, I knew better.

If I wanted to push further, if I wanted to build more than crude machines and furnaces, then I needed to expand beyond my immediate surroundings. Aluminum, lithium, rare-earth metals. These were the next steps toward advanced circuitry, efficient power sources, and lightweight structural components. I had to look elsewhere.

Standing atop the ridgeline near my settlement, I mapped out my next move. My best chance of finding what I needed lay beyond the terrain I had already explored. The mine was only the beginning.

I packed my tools carefully, my tungsten-edged pickaxe, my iron spear, and a set of stone markers to leave as waypoints. Food and water weren't a concern. My body didn't need them. But extreme conditions were still a threat. If I were frozen solid or set on fire, I could still die. Preparation was key.

I set out west, toward the distant hills I had only observed from afar. The terrain gradually shifted into a thick jungle thinning out into rolling hills, the trees taking on a more alien quality. Their bark had a metallic sheen, their roots burrowing deep into the rocky soil.

On the fourth day, I found something unexpected.

I had been following a dry riverbed when I noticed a glint of something unusual embedded in the cliffside. At first, I assumed it was quartz, but as I approached, I realized the coloration was wrong. The stone had an iridescent quality, shifting between hues of deep red and violet as I moved around it.

I knelt, brushing away the loose dust. The surface was too smooth, unnaturally so. It wasn't quartz, iron, or anything I had worked with before.

Caution overrode curiosity. Touching an unknown material, even with gloves, was a risk I wasn't willing to take.

Instead, I quickly fashioned a pair of makeshift tongs from two sturdy sticks, a rock, and some strong fiber. It wasn't elegant, but it would keep my hands from making direct contact. I carefully gripped the mineral, lifting it free from the rock wall.

It was heavier than it looked. More than just dense—it had an odd balance to it, as if the weight wasn't evenly distributed. I rotated it under the light, watching how its colors shifted. No heat, no immediate reaction to exposure.

Still, that meant nothing. Some materials reacted over time, others under pressure. This was staying isolated until I could test it properly.

I marked the location and stored the sample securely in a thick cloth pouch before moving on. I would deal with it later.

With the discovery logged, I pressed forward. If this planet held unknown materials, what else was hidden beneath its surface?

By the time I returned to my base nearly a week later, my perspective had shifted. I had been thinking too small. The cave-in had been more than just a setback, it had been a lesson.

I needed to expand. The world was bigger than just my mine, and I had only scratched the surface.

Tomorrow, I would begin again. With a new plan. A new search. A new frontier to explore.

Because this planet had secrets. And I intended to uncover every one of them.

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End of Chapter Ten