33: Chapter 33 Basic Furnace

With the workbench ready, Lin Qiming immediately realized the next bottleneck: materials.

Most of the "scrap" he collected consisted of rusted metal sheets, broken parts, and mixed alloys. Processing these materials directly made it difficult to guarantee strength or precision, and it was easy to damage tools during the process. He needed to purify and remelt the scrap into relatively standard metal ingots or blanks.

"I need a furnace." He looked at the messy pile of metal in the corner and said to Hephaestus, "It doesn't need to be advanced, just enough to melt common metals like iron, copper, and low-grade steel, with basic temperature control."

[Basic smelting is the cornerstone of manufacturing,] Hephaestus responded. [The stc core database contains various simple furnace blueprints, ranging from primitive pit-types to primary electric arc types. Based on current material and energy conditions, I suggest building a 'Small Resistance-Heated Furnace'.]

The blueprint was transmitted into his mind. The principle was simple: use high-resistance materials (such as specific alloys or carbon rods) to generate heat through electricity, creating high temperatures to melt metal. It required a heat-resistant hearth (refractory material), heating elements, a power source, and a blower device (to assist combustion; although resistance heating mainly relies on electricity, blowing air can improve efficiency and discharge impurities).

Materials were an issue. Refractory materials... the Hive Bottom did not lack industrial waste, and some of it was fire-resistant. He needed to find something suitable.

"Hephaestus, scan the outpost and nearby areas for substances that can be used as refractory materials."

[Scanning... Discovery: 'Discarded Insulation Bricks' piled in a corner of the hidden room (suspected to be wreckage from an Ancient Ones building). The material is a certain Silicate Composite with excellent high-temperature resistance. Quantity: approximately twenty bricks, standard size.]

[In the common trash heaps of the lower B-Zone, there are large amounts of 'Blast Furnace Slag', which can serve as secondary refractory material or insulation layers.]

"Ancient Ones Insulation Bricks? Good stuff!" Lin Qiming immediately went to the corner of the hidden room and hauled out those dusty bricks. They were lighter than expected, with smooth surfaces and a crisp sound when tapped. Twenty bricks were enough to build a small hearth.

Referring to the blueprint's structure, he designed the hearth as a square with an internal space about the size of two fists, and a hole at the bottom for discharging slag. He used a type of heat-resistant clay he found (also a remnant from the outpost) as an adhesive to stack the insulation bricks. The process was like playing with building blocks, but it required everything to be airtight; otherwise, heat or molten metal leaks would be trouble.

"With my skills, building a furnace should be easier than repairing the workbench, right?" he said while applying the clay.

[Logical error,] Hephaestus pointed out heartlessly. [Workbench repair involves precision operations and circuit knowledge; it is technical work. Building a furnace is physical labor plus basic geometry. With your current Basic Manufacturing skill, the success rate is high. However, the sealing and thermal efficiency of the hearth depend on attention to detail.]

"Meaning I might build it crooked and cause the furnace to explode?"

[The possibility exists. It is recommended to strictly follow the blueprint dimensions and use the auxiliary unit for measurement and calibration.]

Lin Qiming obediently followed instructions. The auxiliary unit on his left arm projected virtual rulers and level lines, helping him adjust the position of every brick. After half a day, a crude but structurally solid small hearth was built.

Next were the heating elements. The blueprint suggested using "high-purity carbon rods" or "specific resistance alloys." He had neither. Alternative solution: use multiple strands of thick metal wire (stripped from large cables) tightly wound into rods to serve as heating resistors. However, these would have a short lifespan, oxidize easily, and have low heating efficiency.

"I'll make do for now and find better ones later." Lin Qiming made four of these "heating rods" and installed them into electrode slots on both sides of the hearth (the electrodes were made from thick copper rods).

The power was drawn directly from the outpost's energy core—this also required making voltage stabilization and current-limiting devices to prevent overloading and burning out the heating rods or causing accidents. With his previous experience making the workbench adapter, Lin Qiming produced a simpler power box even faster this time.

For the blower device, he modified a small electric fan he found (which was broken), repaired the motor, attached a metal air duct, and connected it to the air inlet at the bottom of the hearth.

Finally, the molds. He used relatively flat metal plates to create several simple open molds for casting ingots.

With everything assembled, the furnace looked like an ugly monster of metal and bricks, covered in wires and pipes, but it was structurally complete.

"Time for a test." Lin Qiming was a bit nervous. He first put in a small piece of scrap iron, closed the furnace door (using a metal plate as a temporary fix), switched on the power, and started the blower.

Hum...

The heating rods began to glow red, and the temperature inside the hearth rose rapidly. Through the observation hole on the furnace door (a piece of heat-resistant glass salvaged from some instrument), he could see the iron piece gradually turning red, softening, and finally melting into a bright red liquid.

Success! The temperature was high enough to melt iron!

He carefully controlled the power to maintain the temperature, keeping the molten iron liquid for a while to allow impurities to float or sink. Then he turned off the power, opened the bottom hole to let the slag flow out first (a small amount of blackish impurities), and then tilted the furnace body to pour the pure molten iron into the mold.

Sizzle—steam rose as the molten iron cooled and solidified in the mold, turning into a dark gray, rough but uniformly textured iron ingot.

[Basic Furnace test successful!]

[Item: Crude Iron Ingot (Common)]

[Quality: Common]

[Description: An iron ingot purified through preliminary smelting. It has a moderate impurity content and can be used to manufacture tools or parts with low strength requirements.]

[Manufacturer: Lin Qiming]

[Experience +300!]

[Skill Proficiency Increase: Basic Manufacturing proficiency +15%!]

[New Facility Unlocked: Basic Furnace (Crude)!]

Lin Qiming picked up the still-warm iron ingot and weighed it. It felt solid, and its quality was much better than the original scrap iron. This was a qualitative leap from trash to material.

"With this, I can manufacture more reliable parts and even try making simple weapons," he said excitedly. The furnace's energy consumption wasn't high (about 0.5 ENU per test), which was manageable.

He immediately went into production, smelting the heavily rusted but decent-quality scrap iron and copper he had on hand into several iron and copper ingots. His material reserves transformed from "a pile of junk" into "usable raw materials," increasing in value.

During the smelting process, he felt a more intuitive microcosm of the Hive Bottom's industry—using everything available to maintain basic productivity with the lowest cost and highest resilience. There were no pure raw materials or precision equipment here, only endless scrap and people (or beings like him) struggling to survive, trying to squeeze something useful out of the ruins.

"Hephaestus, record: New Calendar Day 33. Basic Furnace construction successful, achieving the preliminary conversion of scrap to metal ingots. Manufacturing capabilities have reached a new level."

[Log recorded.]

[Supplement: A key link in the base's production chain (preliminary material processing) has been completed. Overall efficiency is estimated to increase by 20%.]

[However, please note that furnace operations generate high temperatures, smoke, and potentially harmful gases. The current ventilation system can handle it, but long-term or large-scale smelting will require upgrading ventilation and filtration.]

"Understood." Lin Qiming looked at the fading embers in the hearth, planning his next steps: using these new metal ingots to try making more precise tool parts, or... that defense facility he had been thinking about.

After smelting and daily consumption, his energy reserves were down to 58 ENU. He was still 42 points away from the 100 ENU goal for the upgrade mission.

He needed more ancient ones relics, or... other energy sources.

He remembered the title in his mission list: "Old Kol's Secret Commission" (though it hadn't been triggered yet). Perhaps the turning point was there.

[Facility Interface Display]

Facility Name: Basic Furnace (Crude)

Type: Production Facility

Function: Smelts common metal scrap (iron, copper, low-grade steel, etc.), purifies and casts them into crude ingots.

Efficiency: Low (small batch size, takes a long time)

Energy Consumption: 0.5-1 ENU/use (depending on metal volume and melting point)

Durability: 25/50 (limited lifespan of refractory materials and heating elements)

Upgrade Options:

Replace with high-efficiency heating elements (Requires materials: high-purity carbon rods or specific alloys)

Add temperature control system (Requires blueprint and parts)

Expand hearth capacity (Requires more refractory materials)

System Evaluation: Upgraded from "picking through trash" to "washing trash." Although it's not washed very clean, at least it's presentable. The road to industrialization begins with boiling water (metal).