Before long, Akomann walked over with a group of people.
"Follow me."
Wu Liang gave a mysterious smile, beckoned to them, and walked toward the depths of the valley.
The long, narrow canyon had exposed rock walls on both sides; strong winds blew year-round, and vegetation was sparse.
This kind of place often meant there were special mineral resources.
As Wu Liang walked, he carefully observed the structure and color of the rock layers on the walls.
"Hmm, the rock over here... is limestone."
Wu Liang reached out to touch a grayish-white rock, rubbing the powder between his fingers.
limestone—now this was a good thing!
When burned into quicklime, it wasn't just an important construction material, but a treasure used in many fields like agricultural improvement and leather tanning.
If he could find suitable clay, he could even directly produce the most primitive cement!
cement!
The cornerstone of the Industrial Revolution!
With cement, the infrastructure of the Black Rock Tribe would take a qualitative leap.
When that time came, Wu Liang could improve the structural integrity of their buildings.
City walls, houses, canals, roads... it was no exaggeration to say that Wu Liang could soon transform the Black Rock Tribe from a primitive stone village into an impregnable fortress city!
If he could manage reinforced concrete later... Wu Liang's heart began to thud wildly.
He continued further in, his eyes searching the ground.
Soon, he made another discovery in a gully washed out by rainwater.
These were some black rocks that had an oily sheen.
He picked one up and weighed it in his hand.
Then he scratched it with his fingernail, leaving a clear black mark.
"It really is a coal mine!"
Wu Liang's breathing grew heavy.
If limestone was the cornerstone of the Tribe's development, then coal was the fuel that would drive the Tribe's takeoff!
With coal, he could make the smelting blast furnaces produce better quality iron, or even steel!
This meant a leap in Wu Liang's industrial technology.
In due time, even the steam engines he built in the future would need this stuff to run.
"Lord Wu Liang!"
Just then, a Female Warrior responsible for searching ran over quickly, holding several rocks in her hands.
"Lord, look at this!"
"We found a lot of these black stones and these white stones in a cave deep in the valley."
Wu Liang took them and looked; they were exactly the coal and limestone he had just discovered.
"Well done!"
Wu Liang patted her on the shoulder.
"Where is that cave? Lead me there."
"Yes!"
Led by the Female Warrior, Wu Liang soon arrived at a cave deep in the valley.
The entrance wasn't large, but it opened up into a whole new world once inside.
It was a massive natural karst cave, with large piles of coal and limestone inside. The reserves were far larger than Wu Liang had imagined.
"Haha, we've really hit the jackpot this time!"
Wu Liang was ecstatic.
This was simply a natural treasure house!
"Are these stones useful?"
Akomann looked at the cave full of rocks, her face showing confusion.
"Akomann, do you think the firewood our Tribe uses for fires is enough?"
"Of course not."
Akomann answered without thinking.
"The Tribe's population has grown, and the daily consumption of firewood is a huge amount. Every time the hunting party goes out, they have to spare many people just to chop wood."
"This stuff is called coal; it's a fuel a thousand times better than firewood."
"With it, our Tribe will never have to worry about firewood again, and we can use it to forge even harder weapons."
Wu Liang picked up another piece of limestone.
"As for this, it's even more useful."
He looked at everyone and said word by word.
"After burning it and mixing it with some soil and sand, it can turn into a magical stone paste."
"Once this stone paste dries, it becomes as hard as rock—even sturdier than rock."
"We can use it to build houses and city walls."
"When that time comes, our Tribe will become an impregnable fortress!"
Listening to Wu Liang's words, they couldn't imagine what such a scene would look like.
But looking at Wu Liang's confident smile, they didn't doubt the truth of his words for a second.
This man could always create miracles beyond their understanding.
"Pass on my orders!"
Wu Liang's voice became incredibly majestic.
"From today on, Black Wind Valley is designated as the highest-level restricted area of our Black Rock Tribe. At the mouth of this valley, build high walls and lookout towers for me, and create a solid camp!"
"Black Wind Valley will henceforth be guarded by a detachment of warriors from the Black Rock Army. No outsiders are allowed to approach!"
"Furthermore, mobilize three hundred clansmen to bring tools and supplies. They are to come to Black Wind Valley immediately to begin mining coal and limestone!"
...Wu Liang's orders were swiftly carried out.
Akomann left behind a hundred Spearmen and fifty heavy crossbow users to garrison Black Wind Valley, and she personally planned the camp's defensive works.
The rest of the warriors, after cleaning up the battlefield and collecting all the spoils, escorted the skinned and butchered meat of the Wind Wolves back to the Tribe.
When this triumphant group returned to the Black Rock Tribe, all the clansmen flooded the streets, welcoming the return of the Black Rock Army with the most enthusiastic cheers.
As the creator of all this, Wu Liang did not immerse himself in the joy of victory.
His mind was now entirely filled with cement and coal.
After returning to the Tribe, Wu Liang immediately found Chief Steward Wula and a dozen of the most skilled Artisans for a meeting.
"Lord Wu Liang!"
As soon as she saw Wu Liang, Wula excitedly saluted.
She had already heard about the discovery of the magical stones in Black Wind Valley, and her heart had been itching with curiosity all the way back.
"You've come at the right time."
Wu Liang nodded and looked at Wula.
"Wula, the first thing is: you all pause work on weapons for a few days and put all your effort into producing pickaxes, shovels, and carts to supply Black Wind Valley."
"The second thing..."
As Wu Liang spoke, he placed the samples of limestone and coal brought back from Black Wind Valley on the table.
"Wula, look at these stones."
While speaking, Wu Liang began to draw on a wooden board with a charcoal pen.
"The first thing we need to do is build a furnace that can burn them thoroughly. I call it a lime kiln."
Wu Liang explained as he drew.
The structure of a lime kiln wasn't complicated; it was a cylindrical vertical kiln built from stone and mud.
There was a vent and a discharge port at the bottom, and a loading port at the top.
With the Artisans' current experience in building stoves, they could fully understand it.
"Your task is to build ten such lime kilns for me as quickly as possible according to this blueprint!"
Wu Liang tapped the blueprint on the wooden board heavily, his tone serious.
"Remember, the kiln walls must use fire-resistant clay, and the stones must be laid thick enough!"
"Yes, Lord Wu Liang, don't you worry, we have experience!"
Although Wula still didn't understand what burning this was for, she was full of energy.
What Wu Liang said was always right.
She immediately led the Artisans away and started working with great fervor.
After Wula left, Wu Liang called Eliza over.
"Eliza, organize some people immediately to help me find a type of clay by the river outside the valley."
"It must be fine and sticky."
"Also, dig up a large amount of river sand for me—the more the better!"
"clay and river sand?"
Eliza was puzzled.
"Don't worry about all that for now. Just get the materials ready for me, and you'll see when the time comes."
Wu Liang was concise.
"Alright, I'll get on it right away."
Eliza suppressed the questions in her heart and quickly gathered people to make arrangements.
Black Wind Valley soon became a massive construction site.
Some of the Black Rock Army warriors were responsible for mining, while others were on guard and transport duty.
The Artisans, led by Wula, were responsible for building the lime kilns.
And the large number of clansmen mobilized by Eliza were frantically digging up clay and river sand by the river.
Everyone was full of drive.
Three days later, the first lime kiln was successfully lit.
A large amount of limestone and coal were tossed in from the top of the kiln, and raging flames burned inside, making a loud roaring sound.