Ethan went out for a walk. Soon, he found himself under the shade of a willow tree, gazing at the night sky as he pondered the path ahead.
As a lover of astronomy, his dream had always been to see humanity expand across the vast cosmos. Although he was now far from his native star, perhaps even in another universe, he did not want to forget his roots or the home he came from.
The nocturnal landscape remained the same: an infinite sky where the stars illuminated the vast darkness. Some of them, at the end of their life, burned with a desperate glow, an echo of the brilliance they once had, reminding him of the fragility and fleeting nature of existence.
In contrast, other stars shone with a serene calm, radiating a steady and reliable light. Both coexisted, weaving a celestial tapestry that seemed to whisper stories of endings and continuations, of lives that faded and those that persisted, immutable in time.
Ethan exhaled slowly and rested his back against the willow's trunk. The night breeze rustled the leaves above his head, producing a soft murmur. He closed his eyes, letting the gentle sound clear his mind.
He was in a strange world, surrounded by people whose vision of life was entirely different from his own. Here, strength was everything. The heavens dictated an individual's path, defined their destiny. But he… he was different.
His path was clear: he had to change his fate. If cultivators relied on spiritual energy to achieve the impossible, then he would rely on science and technology.
He opened his eyes and focused his gaze on the sky.
There was something comforting about the stars. Even though he was trapped in this world, the firmament was a constant, a bridge between his past life and his present. Each star in the darkness was a reminder of the universe's greatness, of how insignificant one person was compared to its vastness.
And yet, humanity had defied that insignificance. It had looked to the sky and refused to accept its limits. It had dreamed of conquering the stars, of understanding them, of transcending the planet where it was born.
Why couldn't he do the same?
If fate had thrown him into this world, relegating him to being just another mere mortal, a slave, someone destined to live in fear, then he would defy that fate.
But he needed more than ideas. He needed power. A force that would embody his purpose.
He murmured softly:
"Connection… Bond… Relative… Relative to the stars…"
The echo of his words resonated in his mind.
The stars… humanity's beacon, the inspiration of explorers, the dream of those who challenged imposed limits. They represented the unattainable, and at the same time, a guide, a goal, a destiny…
Astralis.
A smile formed on Ethan's face. An ambitious name, but perfect.
He lifted his gaze to the sky, but this tme with determination.
He had made his decision.
----
To the south of the city of Rong was a small, almost deserted village. Most of its former residents had left in search of new opportunities, leaving behind empty houses and abandoned lands. Only a few families remained.
Next to the village, a river wound silently through the lands. The inhabitants said it was a tributary of the Leiyun River (Thunder Cloud), a legendary body of water that marked the boundaries of the Yun Dynasty and one of the forbidden zones for humanity. Its current roared incessantly throughout the year, and in its waters, electrical storms appeared and vanished like wandering ghosts.
On the outskirts of the village, an old piece of land stretched out. Abandoned structures stood amidst the overgrowth, and the remnants of worn-down watermills lingered. Ethan, accompanied by Zhao Ren, carefully inspected the place.
Ethan surveyed the area. The space was vast, with structures that could still be put to use. A river ran a few meters away, providing abundant access to water.
He nodded. It was a good place, with little traffic, secluded from the village, and enough space for future expansions.
"We'll start with the construction of the smelting furnace. Unload the carriage and head to the village to hire some workers."
Zhao Ren nodded and hurried towards the village. Meanwhile, Ethan surveyed the land, analyzing the soil and the available materials. Although rudimentary, the smelting furnace needed to be sturdy enough to withstand high temperatures and enable steel production.
To begin, they needed a natural draft furnace, similar to those used in ancient times. It would be based on a pit and tower design made of refractory bricks, with a chimney high enough to generate the necessary draft and stoke the fire.
Ethan knelt and touched the ground. It was compact and rich in clay, which would facilitate the construction of the refractory bricks. They would also need:
Sand and straw to reinforce the clay bricks. Coal or charcoal to reach sufficiently high temperatures. Iron ore. Limestone to help remove impurities during smelting.
After a while, Zhao Ren returned with a group of six men, tools in hand.
"Good!" Ethan said.
"Listen carefully. We'll divide the work into three tasks: Digging a solid foundation. Crafting the clay bricks for the furnace walls. Gathering materials for smelting."
The workers nodded and set to work.
First, they dug a hole about one meter deep and compacted the soil. Then, they placed large stones at the bottom, creating a solid base to support the furnace's weight. On this base, they poured a mixture of clay and sand, forming a level surface.
Ethan and Zhao Ren oversaw the brick-making process. They mixed clay, sand, and straw into large piles, adding water until a thick paste formed. Then, they molded the bricks by hand and left them to dry under the sun. Although they wouldn't be as strong as modern bricks, they would withstand extreme heat.
"Once they're dry, we'll fire them in a small structure before using them in the main furnace," Ethan explained.
Two days later, the bricks were ready. They stacked them in a cylindrical shape, leaving an opening at the bottom for airflow and another higher up to load the iron ore and coal. They also built a tall chimney to improve air circulation.
The interior of the furnace was coated with a mixture of clay and sand to increase its heat resistance.
With the furnace ready, it was time to gather the smelting materials. Zhao Ren managed to obtain chunks of iron ore and bags of limestone from a merchant. They also acquired large quantities of charcoal.
"The first test will be crucial," Ethan murmured. "If everything works, we'll produce our first steel bars."
With the smelting furnace constructed, Ethan and Zhao Ren organized the materials for the first test. If the furnace failed, they would need to reinforce its design or adjust the smelting method.
"First, we'll light the fire and let the furnace reach the proper temperature," Ethan instructed.
Zhao Ren and the workers stacked charcoal at the base of the furnace and lit it with burning embers. Gradually, they stoked the fire with improvised bellows. As the heat increased, the interior of the furnace glowed with an orange radiance.
"We'll wait until it reaches the ideal temperature," Ethan said, observing the color of the fire.
After some time, when the temperature was sufficiently high, they began introducing alternating layers of iron ore and charcoal, along with small amounts of limestone.
The process was not immediate. For several hours, they controlled the airflow and adjusted the amount of materials added. Inside the furnace, the iron slowly melted, separating from the slag.
After a long refinement process, Ethan decided it was time to extract the resulting product.
"Open the bottom," he ordered.
The workers carefully broke a small opening at the base of the furnace, and a stream of liquid slag poured out first, leaving behind a glowing mass of spongy iron. With improvised tools, they removed the mass and hammered it to expel the remaining impurities.
"This is not steel yet," Ethan said. "We need to refine it further."
They placed the iron mass into a small forge and heated it again. Then, Zhao Ren and the workers repeatedly hammered it with heavy tools, folding it and eliminating the trapped slag.
This process of heating and hammering continued until the impurities were minimized, achieving a more uniform and durable structure. Finally, they shaped elongated ingots and left them to cool slowly.
Ethan took one of the ingots and inspected it under the light of the forge.
"This is our first steel."
Zhao Ren smiled, his face covered in soot.
Ethan turned the ingot in his hand, reflecting.
"This is just the beginning."
Zhao Ren nodded. He knew Ethan had grand plans, and this was just the first step.