Chapter 94: Ice

Ethan scooped the ice into bowls, then layered on the red bean paste, diced fruit, and chewy dough balls, three colorful bowls lined up on the counter.

[Delicious Shaved Ice]

[A dessert made with red bean paste, shaved ice, fruits, and chewy dough balls. The hotter the weather, the more delicious it tastes.]

[Lowers body temperature upon consumption.]

[Grants heatstroke prevention effect upon consumption.]

[Delicious Effect: Stamina increased upon consumption.]

[Delicious Effect: Agility increased upon consumption.]

[Crafting Difficulty: ★★★]

"Done." Ethan checked the notification, then handed two bowls over.

Zharok and Pearl grabbed theirs and marched straight back to the furnace, eating ice-cold food while blistering heat blasted your face — that was the whole point, they dug in with gusto, looks of absolute satisfaction spreading across their faces.

"Mmmm..."

"Meow-ah~"

"How is it?"

"So refreshing, meow!"

"The red bean paste is really sweet, and the fruits are sweet and sour — so good!"

"The cream-flavored ice is the best part, meow!"

Watching the two of them eat, Ethan couldn’t hold back a grin, he scooped up a bite of his own. Sweet, fragrant bean paste, ice-cold shaved ice, tart-sweet fruit — all blending together in his mouth.

"Not bad at all." He took another bite, letting the cold sweetness wash over his tongue, the okara cookies added a satisfying crunch to the mix. "After we finish the shaved ice, we start smelting."

"Meow? Right now?"

"Extra practice never hurts."

"Alright, meow."

Zharok scraped his bowl clean and set it down. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Pearl smiled. "Of course there is, meow. Just you wait, meow."

"Hehe, looks like I can mooch another meal tonight."

"No problem. Dinner’s on me, just put in the work."

Smelting iron required charcoal, and good charcoal required the right wood, Ethan took Zharok into the forest.

"Meow! We have to use this kind of tree to make the charcoal, meow!" Pearl pointed from Ethan’s shoulder at a stand of tall, dark-barked trees.

"Then I’ll need you to chop these down," Ethan said to Zharok.

"And you?"

"Building a charcoal kiln."

There was a lot of work ahead. Pearl directed Ethan to a flat clearing outside the forest, he already had the mud prepared, mixed with stone powder for heat resistance.

"Let’s build it right here, meow."

"Looks like a good spot."

"Okay, meow! First, dig a shallow pit, meow, then build the walls up in layers, meow!"

Following Pearl’s detailed instructions step by step, Ethan shaped the kiln from mud, despite the winter chill, the sheer labor of hauling, mixing, and stacking had him sweating through his shirt before long.

Just as he finished the structure, Zharok emerged from the trees hauling a stack of freshly chopped timber. "Is this enough?"

"Meow! Plenty, meow! Stack it inside the kiln!"

Following Pearl’s directions, Ethan and Zharok packed the kiln full, layering the wood tight, Pearl circled the structure, inspecting every angle before nodding in satisfaction.

"Now seal the entrance, meow~"

Ethan and Zharok slathered wet mud over the opening, leaving only a small hole for adding fuel. Everything else was sealed shut.

"We have to burn it with a big fire, meow!"

"Fire of the Spirits it is." Ethan stuffed fuel into the hole, lit the kindling, and activated the flame, the tiny spark roared into a blaze, igniting the fuel inside, the temperature within the kiln began to climb fast.

"This is almost catching up to the smelting furnace," Zharok muttered, wiping his brow.

"Should be a touch lower," Ethan said.

"The fire’s spread to the wood inside, meow! Seal the fuel hole — now, meow~" Seeing the flames had reached the timber, Pearl gave the urgent command.

Ethan and Zharok moved fast, plastering the last opening shut, then they slumped to the ground, legs stretched out in the dirt.

"We are definitely eating well tonight."

"Yeah..."

Pearl looked down at them and smiled. "Making charcoal was never an easy task, meow, but charcoal has too many uses to put off any longer, meow."

"Once it’s done, let’s have roasted meat."

"Sounds great, meow~"

Two days later, the charcoal was finished.

Following Pearl’s guidance, they pulled the fired charcoal from the kiln and waited for it to cool, Ethan picked up a piece and turned it in his hand, pitch-black with a faint sheen on its surface, dense and solid, one glance was enough to tell it was quality stuff, Zharok let out a low whistle of admiration beside him.

[Camphor Wood Charcoal]

[Meticulously fired Camphor Wood Charcoal, containing purifying power.]

"Camphor Wood Charcoal?"

"Those trees are called Camphor Trees, meow, they’re perfect for making charcoal, meow~"

’So that’s why Pearl picked them specifically.’ Ethan nodded and set the piece down.

"Iron smelted with this charcoal will definitely be excellent quality, meow!"

"Then let’s start right now."

The next morning, they carried the fresh charcoal to the smelting furnace, Ethan loaded the first batch in and lit the flames with Fire of the Spirits, heat bloomed instantly, once the temperature stabilized, they began adding iron ore and charcoal in alternating layers, exactly the way Pearl directed.

"We need the charcoal to burn away the impurities in the ore, meow."

"That gives us molten iron, then we add more ore and keep heating — right?"

"Meow? How did you know, meow?"

Ethan had watched documentaries on the subject back on Earth, he recalled the information from those films, Pearl stared at him in surprise, then nodded.

"That’s right, meow, add more ore, keep heating, and that’s how we get refined iron with the impurities removed, meow."

"Complicated process."

"Did you think it was easy, meow?" Pearl’s whiskers twitched smugly.

Zharok shook his head from the sidelines, he didn’t look entirely convinced that metal smelted this way would amount to much.

"It’s precisely because of refined iron that humans overcame their lack of raw physical strength and grew powerful, meow."

"Hmm... is that so?" Zharok scratched his chin.

"Ethan, can you make something for me too?"

"Get in line." Ethan had a spear to forge for Vargan first, plus tools he needed for himself.

"Alright. Let’s begin, meow~"