Alfostrog spoke with a smile, "How have you been old friend."The person in question was another dwarf with bald hair and long silver beard smoking from a pipe, "Still kicking but why have you been here for?"
Alfostrog pointed toward Zeus as he spoke, "This person you see is my newest apprentice, and I need some iron ore as such I brought him with me."
The man nodded as he spoke, "You boy come over here.", as Zeus approached him the man the man pointed towards a pickaxe as he spoke, "Pick that up and start swinging boy."
Zeus picked up the hammer as he spoke, "Excuse me senior but as much as I wish to collect the iron ore, how will I identify them from normal rocks?"
The old man sighed as he spoke, "The iron is much darker red than normal stones and now go and swing that pickaxe and do not step out until you are told to stop, and if you have some more questions just ask the people inside. Now shoo."
Zeus looked at the person incredulously as he entered the mine, he was startled to see no was present in fact the entire mine seemed to be abandoned, but as he went further in he could hear sound of metal striking on stone.
Zeus used "Observe" on the pickaxe.
[NAME: PICKAXE
TIER: COMMON
LEVEL REQUIREMENT: NONE
STRENGTH REQUIREMENT: 50
ATTACK: +5]
Zeus used observe on various nodes as he pa.s.sed them, most of them were only impure and a rare few normal, he went further inside the number of people increased as the heat increased as well, but the normal node had also increased, but he did not stop at that he went even deeper, the heat increased as the number of person fell, until he was alone it was very hot, as he moved his eyes fell on two nodes, as the word [PURE] was on them.
Zeus did not venture any further raising his pickaxe he rained blows after blows on the node, as the pickaxe hit the nodes, grey colored words floated above it.
[+5 Iron ore]
[+5 Iron ore]
[+5 Iron ore]
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[+5 Iron ore]
Zeus noticed that the node depleted after 20 strikes, "I see it takes 20 strikes for it to disappear, and each strike gathered "5" iron ore as such I got 100 ores in a single sitting."
He finished the two nodes as he went as he searched for more, but he found none as such he went towards a [NORMAL] node started using his pickaxe on it.
[+3 Iron ore], [+2 Soil]
[+3 Iron ore], [+2 Soil]
[+3 Iron ore], [+2 Soil]
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[+3 Iron ore], [+2 Soil]
He frowned at that as he a.n.a.lyzed the situation," So I will get "soil", with each strike, hmmm also it seems that the number of strikes before it collapses is 30. It seems I need much more testing it."
As such Zeus did not wait and for the next couple of hours he mined as many nodes as he could get his hands on came to the conclusion, "[Impure] gives 1Iron ore and 4Soil but allowing for 40 strikes thus gaining at least 40Iron ore in a single sitting, [Normal] gives 3Iron ore and 2Soil but allowing for 90 strikes thus gaining at least 40Iron ore in a single sitting but the Pure gives 5Iron ore and but allowing for 40 strikes thus gaining at least 100Iron ore in a single sitting. Oh well I have all the time let"s start working." with that he resumed his job of gathering iron ore.
It has been a few hours since he had entered the mine, he was tired and thirsty only for one of the miners approached him as he spoke, "The boss is calling you from outside." with that the person left.
Zeus simply shrugged as he made his way towards the entrance, the old man as well as his master were both waiting for him patiently, as Zeus approached he spoke with a smile, "I have finished collecting the "Iron ore", so what now."
The old man spoke with clear mirth in his voice, "Show me what you got lad."
Zeus went and removed every piece of Iron Ore he had inside his inventory in front of Alfostrog as he piled them in front of him, over 2000 Iron ore, Alfostrog smirked as he spoke, "Good good, now let us go we other things to do."
With that Alfostrog waved his hand as he escorted his student back to the city as he spoke, "Well since we have already got the Iron ore now let me tell you about your duties. From tomorrow onwards you will be gathering Iron Ore, and make sure it is not less than a 50, as well as you will cut trees and gather wood which will be converted into charcoal. Now follow me I will teach you smelting today."
Zeus followed the Dwarven Blacksmith in order to learn how to use smelter to smelt all those Iron ore into Iron Ingots.
Zeus watched like a hawk, before he got a chance to use the smelter.
Alfostrog: "Take a deep and calm yourself down before you try to help me, it does not matter if you make any mistake, as you will be doing it for the first time as such it is fine if you mess up I will point out your mistakes."
Zeus nodded as he watched Alfostrog roasting the iron ore, and then broke them into small pieces, as he ordered Zeus, "Go and stand by the bellow, start pumping the bellow when I order you to."
Zeus watched like a hawk as Alfostrog, prepped the smelter with charcoal while Zeus began pumping using the bellow, as the temperature rose Alfostrog used the small pieces of the roasted iron ore and mixed with broken pieces of charcoal before pouring them in the smelter.
A long time after, Alfostrog removed a part of the smelter and let the slag flow out before removed a lump of glowing yellowish piece of rock, "Wrought iron" which he then placed on an anvil as he spoke, "Child, hold the tongs hard.", as Zeus held the lump of glowing rock hard, Alfostrog hammered it hard shaping it to a big square then he used a axe to split the wrought iron before he hammered it creating five iron ingots.
Alfostrog then smiled at Zeus showing his pearly white teeth as he spoke, "Now get start creating ingots while I watch.", with that he stood to the side giving Zeus the command of his smelter.
Zeus nodded at that as he sighed tiredly, "It will be a long day."