14: Ironmaking in progress

After finishing the Bellows, Lu Fan didn't idle. He cleared and cultivated the ground around his camp, making the area in front of the Shelter flatter and more spacious.

Subsequently, he carried out repairs on the house and his equipment.

By the next day, Lu Fan's blast furnace was finally baked dry.

The blast furnace's exterior glowed with a faint, warm color, looking like freshly baked bread. He tapped it with his hand contentedly; the furnace emitted a dull thud. He muttered to himself, "This blast furnace baked quite well."

Next was firing the essential fuel for iron smelting—charcoal.

Lu Fan gathered a lot of wood and used sharp stones to cut them into wood chunks of roughly the same size.

"This wood looks more like it was smashed apart rather than cut..." Lu Fan couldn't help but mock himself; after all, the tools were too crude.

Then he placed the wood into the blast furnace, packing them tightly together. He lit the fire from below and sealed the opening once they started burning to prevent over-combustion.

While the charcoal was firing, Lu Fan began making molds.

He found some soft clay, used his hands and a wooden stick to crush and knead it evenly, and then fashioned clay bricks.

Looking at the amount of iron sand he had, Lu Fan decided to make a dagger and an Axe.

He carefully carved two hollow grooves into the clay bricks in the shapes of a dagger and an Axe.

As he carved, he mumbled, "I have to mold these well. Otherwise, when the molten iron is poured in, what comes out will be a 'mishmash'."

The viewers in the livestream room watched Lu Fan make the molds, flooding the chat with comments: "Lu Fan's craftsmanship is amazing; he even knows how to make molds."

"This dagger and Axe are going to be so cool."

Yu Rui also leaned toward the screen, her eyes sparkling. Over the past two days, she had become a total fan of Lu Fan.

Wang Tao: "It looks like Lu Fan is going to become a 'Wilderness Artisan'. He's too impressive."

Once the molds were finished, the charcoal was also nearly ready.

Lu Fan began preparing for the iron smelting. He first pressed his palms together in prayer: "Bodhisattva bless me, this must succeed."

He first got the charcoal in the furnace burning and used the Bellows to continuously blow air from underneath.

The furnace fire immediately roared to life, making crackling sounds.

Slowly, the flames transitioned from dark red to orange-red, and the temperature rose sharply.

Seeing this, Lu Fan felt a surge of joy; the smelting temperature had basically been reached.

He placed the iron sand into the groove in the Central Government of the furnace. The groove led directly to the outside of the furnace, something Lu Fan had reserved in advance.

As Lu Fan pumped the Bellows incessantly, the furnace fire grew more and more intense.

At the same time, he focused intently on the changes inside the blast furnace, occasionally adjusting the strength and angle of the Bellows to ensure the iron sand was fully heated.

The viewers in the livestream room stared tensely at the screen. Wang Tao said excitedly, "Look at Lu Fan's technique, it's so professional!"

Zhao Hangjun analyzed, "Smelting iron requires reaching a certain temperature, usually between 1200 and 1500°C. The Bellows's role is to help reach that temperature while providing sufficient oxygen."

Yu Rui also became nervous: "Lu Fan, you must succeed. I'm sweating on your behalf."

When the iron sand turned glowing red, Lu Fan quickly added some pre-prepared charcoal powder onto it.

The charcoal powder acted as a reducing agent; when the iron sand reacted with the carbon, iron would be extracted.

Squatting in front of the blast furnace for a long time made Lu Fan break out in a sweat.

Finally, after nearly half an hour of burning, the iron sand in the blast furnace finally began to melt, turning into molten iron.

Looking at the molten iron he had produced, Lu Fan was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

He carefully placed the molds at the exit of the groove, and the molten iron flowed along the groove into the molds.

At the same time, he muttered, "Don't mess this up for me."

He checked the temperature of the molds from time to time to ensure the molten iron cooled evenly.

The viewers in the livestream room cheered: "Wow, he did it! Lu Fan successfully smelted iron!"

"So amazing, Lu Fan is truly a genius!"

Wang Tao praised excitedly: "Contestant Lu Fan is truly incredible. He actually smelted iron. This is almost a historic moment."

Zhao Hangjun couldn't help but applaud: "Contestant Lu Fan has created a miracle!"

The molten iron gradually cooled, solidifying into the shapes of a dagger and an Axe. Their exteriors were pitch black, yet they revealed a metallic luster.

Lu Fan smiled with satisfaction: "This is great. With iron tools, I'll be much more proficient in the wilderness."

He picked up the dagger and the Axe and inspected them carefully. Although they were a bit crude, they had the basic shape and functionality.

Lu Fan found a hard stone and began to carefully sharpen the iron tools.

He started with the dagger, holding the base of the dagger in one hand and the stone in the other, grinding back and forth along the edge.

After grinding for a while, the dagger's edge gradually became sharp. Lu Fan tried lightly slicing a nearby leaf with it, and the leaf was easily cut open.

He nodded in satisfaction: "This is ready for use."

Next, Lu Fan began sharpening the Axe. The Axe's edge was thicker and wider than the dagger's, making it more strenuous to sharpen.

He gripped the Axe with both hands and repeatedly rubbed the stone against the edge.

As the sharpening progressed, the Axe's edge also gradually became sharp.

After sharpening the iron tools, Lu Fan began to fit them with wooden handles.

He found two suitable wooden sticks and carved them into the appropriate shapes.

Next was handling the dagger.

He shaved one end of the wooden stick flat, then used tough vines to tightly bind the dagger and the wooden stick together through the small hole reserved at the end of the dagger.

He checked as he bound it, ensuring the dagger's handle was firm and reliable.

Once finished, he tried gripping the dagger; it felt comfortable in his hand and easy to use.

Next, he also fitted a handle onto the Axe.

The viewers in the livestream room watched Lu Fan's entire production process, flooding the chat: "Lu Fan's craft is too good; he can even make his own weapons."

"This dagger and Axe must be very powerful."

Zhao Hangjun analyzed happily: "With a dagger and an Axe, Contestant Lu Fan's productivity and safety will be greatly enhanced."

After finishing everything at hand, Lu Fan was exhausted. He had been busy almost the entire day with hardly any rest.

The sky gradually darkened.