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“…We encountered what appeared to be other elves in the forest, about a four-day journey to the west.”

“What? Other elves?”

Elma’s statement caused everyone to murmur in surprise.

I see.

Until now, they had been so focused on agricultural development that they hadn’t encountered elves from other villages.

Even though it had been four years, and many elves, including Muwan, had already started meeting and interacting with each other.

Lasi’s village had prioritized internal stability, which meant fewer people were sent out.

Also, the geographical distance played a role.

Even with elves’ ability to walk through the night and the fact that a day on the elf planet was 36 hours long, it still took six days to reach the nearest village.

Considering the distance, it was quite far.

They had to traverse an undeveloped forest for several days with only a few warriors.

It made sense that they hadn’t found anyone in four years.

But now, things had changed.

They had encountered other elf villages.

It seemed like the timing was perfect, as those elves had also started expanding their range of activities.

“We hid and observed them without being noticed… It felt like there was a village nearby.”

“I see. Other elves.”

Lasi seemed deep in thought upon hearing this.

Naturally, she would be.

Instinctively, she might know they could be friendly, but she couldn’t be sure.

As the village leader, she needed to make a cautious decision.

“Understood. They don’t know our identity, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The other elves had not yet noticed their presence.

Given the distance, it would be hard to discover them unless they intentionally went looking.

With that in mind, they decided to hold off for now.

“Still, just in case, please strengthen the external patrols.”

“Understood.”

With that, Elma’s report concluded, and Dro, the Construction Chief, reported that more houses had been built for the elves.

Construction techniques had evolved rapidly, moving from simple huts made of wooden poles covered with plants and leaves to proper wooden frames with walls solidified using a mix of mud and dried grass, creating earthen houses.

Additionally, they had discovered a plant resin that acted like a glaze, preventing the mud houses from collapsing in the rain.

In just four years, their construction technology had advanced significantly.

Thanks to this, the elves could now live in homes that were almost impervious to wind and rain, allowing them to keep fires burning inside and live more warmly and safely.

Finally, it was Rakus, the Production Chief’s turn.

I had a feeling this would be interesting.

“Regarding the special stone we discovered earlier, it seems it’s not just an ordinary stone.”

After discovering fire, the elves had tried all sorts of experiments to see what they could do with it.

Recently, while mining graphite for writing, they had found a peculiar stone.

A very shiny, greenish-yellow stone.

When struck against a rock, it left a blue mark.

Moreover, instead of breaking or chipping, the part of the rock it struck seemed to dent inward, like pressing into a fruit.

Attracted by its unique beauty, they wondered if they could make tools from this stone.

Since they were still using stone tools, they thought they could definitely create something with it.

So, they brought the stone back and immediately put it into the furnace.

The elves had learned that heating stones in the furnace before splitting them made the process much cleaner and easier.

The furnace itself was originally created to maintain fire for long periods and quickly cook meat or crops.

They built it using compacted mud, similar to how they constructed their homes. Although they didn’t know the exact temperature, the furnace could reach up to 1400 degrees Celsius.

When they placed the stone into the furnace, they were startled to see the greenish-yellow stone melt instead of merely heating up like other stones.

Panicked, the elves quickly removed it, and as it cooled, the stone turned a more intense yellow.

What could this be?

A substance that melts when exposed to fire, loses its blue hue, and turns yellow.

While the elves were seeing this for the first time, I knew exactly what it was.

Copper.

A smooth, yellow metal known for its excellent conductivity, commonly used in electrical wiring and various electronic devices.

Its low melting point allowed some regions to enter the metal age earlier by creating bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, even before the iron age.

It seemed they had stumbled upon a copper vein while mining for graphite.

Actually, calling it a copper vein might be an understatement.

I had designed this planet with an abundance of useful metals like copper, tin, iron, silver, and others.

Copper veins were so plentiful that they could be found just by digging around a bit.

Despite being softer than iron, copper was easier to work with in the early metal age and remained crucial for electronics later on, so I made it readily available.

Had they finally discovered it?

Finding it while mining for graphite was quite a serendipitous event.

Moreover, I had also deposited a significant amount of tin nearby, which was relatively rare on Earth. If they found that, they could easily create bronze, a much stronger alloy, and quickly advance their metalworking capabilities.

Well… even without tin, they could still make tools from pure copper, then eventually discover iron and transition to the Iron Age with the help of a blast furnace.

But discovering copper already?

It took humanity on Earth roughly 4,000 years to move from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, so this is almost 1,000 times faster?

The ease of finding raw materials and the rapid growth of elf civilization must be factors.

In any case, entering the metal age quickly would be beneficial.

Whoever mastered metal first would essentially become the dominant force on the elf planet.

Muwan and the other elves I had been keeping an eye on… not yet, it seems.

Considering that Lumolasi Village discovered copper while mining for graphite for writing, it makes sense they were the first.

If Muwan had discovered it, he would have immediately crafted weapons from this metal, which is heavier, harder, and easier to work with than stone.

“It melted into a malleable state and then hardened again as it cooled, retaining its shape. The blue hue disappeared, and it turned a deeper yellow, becoming even harder.”

“I see… It becomes easily moldable when heated and hardens again, even stronger?”

Lasi, always focused on community stability, saw a different use for it.

“If it’s harder and easier to work with than stone, we should try making farming tools with it.”

She looked at Selian, the Harvest Chief.

“Stone sickles are hard to make and feel more like tearing than cutting. Plus, stone tools for tilling the soil break easily and are tough to use.”

Indeed, as Lasi pointed out, stone farming tools were barely functional, just slightly better than using bare hands.

But if they had a metal that was harder and easier to shape?

They could make much better farming tools, significantly increasing work efficiency.

“It could also help in making weapons and shields for the warriors.”

“A stronger material would be great for making tools like hammers for construction, or sturdy clubs for cutting wood…”

Warrior Chief Elma, not wanting to miss the opportunity, spoke up, and Construction Chief Dro did the same.

Of course, copper was softer than iron and heavier, making it less practical in some ways.

And since they hadn’t reached the age of electricity yet, its full potential wasn’t realized.

But even so, it was far superior to using ground stone.

If they could create various tools and arm their warriors with copper, they would gain an unimaginable advantage over other elves.

“There seems to be an abundance of this greenish-yellow stone, so we should be able to make everything you’ve mentioned. But… Rakus, do you think it’s feasible?”

Ultimately, it was up to Rakus, who oversaw the production of various tools, to decide.

Fortunately, Rakus responded enthusiastically.

“It’s perfect. The soul of a craftsman is burning within me. The fact that it becomes malleable and then hardens even more… We can do so much with this.”

He was a production enthusiast with the soul of an artisan.