Chapter 038: Initiating the Bronze Age

Rome wasn't built in a day, and although Luo Chong's construction plans were modest compared to an amphitheater, they had to be approached one step at a time. After a dreamless night, Luo Chong resumed his rigorous daily training regimen early the next morning, bolstered by the tribe's sufficient food and salt reserves.

Having survived a cannibal tribe incident, Luo Chong had come to fully appreciate the perils of this world—not only from wild beasts but also from human threats. While large-scale wars were nonexistent, small-scale conflicts were inevitable, born not out of ambition but necessity for survival.

After completing his morning exercise, Luo Chong joined the tribe members who were already gathering for a day packed with tasks. Due to the scale of the workload and a shortage of hands, Luo Chong suspended all food gathering activities for the day.

Cripple was tasked with pottery production, the children continued to gather and bundle grass under Luo Chong's guidance for better storage and transportation, and four men—Big Mouth, Monkey, Big Hair, and Second Hair—were sent to the back mountain to harvest saplings suitable for making spears from the carnivorous trees.

The women split into two groups: the larger group headed to the valley Luo Chong had first explored to harvest agave leaves, which could be harvested massively without concern for depleting the plants, as they would regrow the next year. Wood Boar, assisted by six Blue Antelopes with large baskets, was responsible for transporting the harvest.

The smaller group of women went to the jungle to scrape bark from wax trees. These trees attract wax insects that feed on the tree sap and secrete white wax, a substance used historically to make candles. Instead of using this wax for candles, Luo Chong planned to use it to create molds for casting bronze.

The remaining men undertook the physically demanding job of cutting trees with stone axes. These trees would provide wood for constructing animal pens and making charcoal, crucial for copper smelting. Luo Chong emphasized the importance of preparing a substantial charcoal reserve to sustain future metalworking efforts.

Once all the tasks were distributed and the tribe members set to work, Luo Chong focused on his own set of tasks, beginning with charcoal production. He constructed several large charcoal kilns by covering wood piles with mud and leaving air holes to control the combustion process, ensuring the wood would smolder into charcoal.

He then prepared high-quality clay mixed with ant-hill soil to create crucibles and ladles for purifying and alloying metals. Luo Chong also crafted molds from fire-resistant clay to cast standardized bronze bars, resembling chocolate bars, which would allow for easy adjustment of copper-tin ratios depending on the required tool.

Bronze, a copper-tin alloy sometimes containing lead (which Luo Chong avoided due to its toxicity and because he lacked it), has been widely used since the Xia and Shang dynasties for various tools, weapons, and ceremonial items. The properties and production techniques of bronze were so advanced that some ancient methods have yet to be surpassed even by modern standards.

Different proportions of copper and tin yield bronzes with varying properties: more copper makes the alloy softer and more malleable, ideal for large bells or mirrors; more tin results in a harder but more brittle alloy, suited for sharp-edged weapons like spears and arrows but not for cutting tools.

After preparing the materials and tools, Luo Chong built a simple smelting furnace out of clay mixed with pottery shards and straw. He constructed four such furnaces, anticipating that operating them simultaneously would significantly expedite the smelting process.

Without the capability to construct a complex bellows system due to the lack of metal tools, Luo Chong improvised with python skin to create a manual air-pumping device to enhance the furnace's airflow.

As Luo Chong tested his setup and the tribe members carried on with their assigned tasks, the foundation for initiating the Bronze Age in this new world was laid. The stage was set for transforming their society with the power of metal, marking a significant leap forward in their technological and cultural evolution.