Chapter 407: The Secret of the Black Iron Pit
I conveyed the design through a model and left the rest to the Earth Folk. Oh, I’ll make the doghouse myself! Not out of ebony, but from the reddish core of cedar. I learned from the Earth Folk that it’s relatively resistant to decay.
“Soleil of the Island of Water and Stone,” called Gamri of the Black Iron Pit. After I showed him the island’s waterways, he started addressing me like this.
“What is it?”
“Thanks to the repeated offerings of the Goddess’s Great Tree, Spirit Silver, and technologies unknown to us, we cannot express our gratitude enough!”
“Cannot express enough!”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
As usual, the representative’s statements were echoed by the others in a sort of round, their low voices resonating pleasantly in the cavern.
“I’m just doing this to get various things made, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“We shall respond with our creations in exchange for the materials! However, for the provision of technology, we shall return it with technology!”
“For the provision of technology, we shall return it with technology!”
“With technology!”
“With technology!”
Continuing the conversation takes time! This way of speaking seems to represent the collective will of the settlement rather than individual opinions.
“We, the Black Iron Pit, have decided to show you, Soleil of the Island of Water and Stone, our clan’s workshop.”
“We have decided to show our clan’s workshop.”
“To show our workshop.”
“To show our workshop.”
“Come along, Soleil of the Island of Water and Stone!”
“Come along!”
“Come with us!”
“Come with us!”
It seemed that was settled, so I quickly followed Gamri, who turned his back and started walking.
It was Gamri and his assistant, a bearded fellow who spoke the second longest phrases. It’s hard to tell them apart with so many black-bearded faces around.
We ventured deeper into the winding cave.
“Excuse us,” I said, as we appeared to traverse through what was clearly someone’s living space. The Gamri didn’t mind and marched on, but I felt the need to greet them. Sorry for interrupting your family time.
Eventually, we arrived at a vast space made of pitch-black stone.
“This is a relic from the era when the Earth Folk thrived the most. In the past, we built a kingdom underground.”
“Oh, I see.” It felt very dwarven. I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
We continued down the black stone passage, descending further.
“The glory of the kingdom has faded, and many technologies have been lost to time. We live relying on the fragments and remnants of what once was. —Now, here it is.”
As Gamri opened a heavy metal door, a burst of orange light flooded my vision. A massive rock shaped like a dragon’s face, its half-open mouth glowing with orange light.
It wasn’t fire or lava. It was simply an overwhelming heat.
The eyes of the rock dragon opened. No, the rock wasn’t moving. It seemed as if a spirit, shaped like the rock, was overlaying it.
As the rock dragon spirit let out a puff of breath, the orange glow intensified. Its half-lidded gaze reminded me of a big rock uncle.
“This is the legacy of a kingdom that once reached its peak. It is the secret of the Black Iron Pit.”
“A furnace?”
“It is both a furnace and not a furnace. It melts iron but does not burn wood. In fact, the Goddess’s Great Tree, which was entrusted to the Island of Water and Stone, is dried here once more,” Gamri explained.
“How did you bring it in!?”
Even after being processed into timber, it was still quite long and large, right!? When we brought it to the Island Tower, I had to use [Storage] because it couldn’t fit through the stairs!
“There exists a treasure box with abilities similar to those of Soleil of the Island of Water and Stone.”
“Is there a storage box or something…? Be careful, as it might attract heroes or those targeting heroes if discovered.”
“Indeed. Soleil of the Island of Water and Stone must also be cautious.”
The treasure box I was shown resembled a rustic wooden box containing wine. It was stacked alongside ordinary wooden boxes with no special effects. If you want to hide wood, do it in the forest! I couldn’t tell the difference between treasures!
Since I was there, I tossed in some ebony to dry it out. The rock dragon was quite large, but the great tree was even bigger, so I couldn’t leave it as a log.
“Wow. That’s strange.”
It didn’t burn; it simply dried out at an incredibly high temperature. The wood shrank, its grain tightening without distortion.
“It also becomes highly heat-insulating. The influence from the moisture in the air is minimal, so the wood hardly expands or contracts. It’s excellent!” Gamri said.
The moisture in the air, huh? It must be good that the timber doesn’t swell or shrink here. It makes it easier to handle.
Thinking about wood expansion and contraction reminded me of the azekura (storehouse) construction of the Shosoin. Previously, it was believed that wood would shrink or swell due to weather conditions, creating gaps or closing them to regulate the indoor environment. Although the causal relationship was denied through environmental observations, I still felt a sense of romance about it.
But most of this ebony is planned for the doghouse in the desert, so humidity doesn’t matter! Wait, will it get humid since Es comes with the flowing river?
…Since it’s the Earth Folk’s recommended super high-temperature processed ebony, I don’t think it will deteriorate, but I’ll bring in some stone blocks and set it up on top of them.