Chapter 9: The Iron Age, A Matter of Life and Death

Chen Fan’s lips involuntarily curled into a slight smile. Without saying a word, he closed the workbench and casually placed it on the ground nearby.

Immediately after, he crafted two furnaces, evenly dividing the freshly mined iron ore into two portions, placing each into a furnace, and then added several pieces of coal.

While waiting for the smelting process, Chen Fan followed the direction in which Yang Keli was heading.

The cave’s path was lined with torches, brightly illuminating their way. Occasionally, Chen Fan’s footsteps stirred loose stones, producing faint sounds.

After a few steps, they saw Yang Keli diligently mining the iron ore embedded in the cave wall.

“Keli, how many have you found?” Chen Fan asked.

“Not many, only two pieces so far. If this were Minecraft, we’d already be decked out in full iron armor,” she replied.

Chen Fan shrugged helplessly. “Hmm, let’s craft iron weapons first before going deeper—there are still two hours before nightfall.”

Suddenly, a few bats were startled by their noise, fluttering overhead. Yang Keli nearly cried out in fright.

“Don’t be afraid; they’re just bats,” Chen Fan reassured her, raising his torch higher to keep the creatures at bay.

Meanwhile, in the wooden cabin, Rem was carefully boiling seawater. As the flames burned steadily, the seawater gradually evaporated, leaving behind a layer of pristine white salt crystals at the bottom of the pot.

Rem cautiously scraped the salt crystals off with a stone axe and placed them into a small prepared wooden bowl.

Back in the cave, after smelting all the iron ore into ingots, Chen Fan and Yang Keli forged two iron swords, two iron pickaxes, and two iron axes.

With four ingots remaining, Chen Fan decided to hold onto them for later use as needed.

Both discarded their stone tools from their quick-access slots and equipped the new iron tools.

As they continued walking, they came upon a fork in the path.

They paused, contemplating which way to go.

Yang Keli pointed left. “This path looks wider; maybe we’ll find more there.”

“But the right path seems to have a faint breeze. Maybe it leads somewhere special,” Chen Fan analyzed.

After some discussion, they chose to explore the right path first.

After proceeding a bit further, they heard the gentle sound of flowing water.

“Could there be an underground river ahead?” Chen Fan’s heart leapt with hope. If so, they wouldn’t have to worry about their water supply.

Previously, the small cave’s water was barely enough for two people, but now there were three of them—it simply wouldn’t suffice.

The cave’s terrain seemed to conceal unknown dangers, its silence tinged with an eerie feeling.

Chen Fan and Yang Keli moved cautiously, wary not to let their guard down.

Sure enough, a clear underground river appeared before them.

The water shimmered under the torchlight, and small fish could be seen swimming within.

“Great! With this river, we won’t have to worry about water,” Yang Keli said excitedly.

As they prepared to mark the spot for future water retrieval, a low growl suddenly echoed from across the river.

Alert, they looked up to see a colossal spider creeping from the opposite bank.

This spider was nothing like the ones they had encountered in Minecraft; its body was as large as a big truck.

Its six eyes glowed like blood-red gems, radiating a terrifying aura of death, as if a single glance could freeze one’s soul.

It boasted an astounding 240 health points—truly monstrous.

“Bad news, it’s a giant spider monster! Keli, run!” Chen Fan shouted, grabbing Yang Keli’s hand and sprinting back the way they came.

Loose stones scattered beneath their feet, and the torchlight flickered wildly against the cave walls.

The spider monster pursued relentlessly, its heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble with each thud, as though it were treading on their very hearts.

Chen Fan glanced back while running; the spider’s enormous form was nearly filling the entire passage.

Yang Keli was panting heavily and beginning to stumble, but Chen Fan held her firmly, refusing to let her slow down.

Suddenly, a protruding round stone appeared ahead. In panic, Yang Keli stepped on it and nearly fell forward.

Chen Fan quickly pulled her back, preventing her from collapsing.

The spider was now dangerously close; its mouth sprayed a viscous slime that splattered just behind them, hissing as it corroded the stone, filling the air with a pungent stench.

Chen Fan’s heart burned with urgency. He knew they could not stop now.

They pushed themselves to the limit, rounding a bend in the path.

Chen Fan’s sharp eyes spotted a narrow recess in the cave wall. He hastily pulled Yang Keli inside.

He quickly sealed the entrance with round stones. As he placed the last stone, darkness engulfed them.

They pressed close together, holding their breath.

The spider’s footsteps grew nearer. Each heavy “thud” sounded like a countdown to death.

Chen Fan held Yang Keli tightly. Apart from their breathing, their pounding heartbeats echoed clearly in the confined space.

Yang Keli trembled with fear, clutching Chen Fan’s waist tightly, whispering softly, “Chen... Chen Fan, are we going to die?”

Chen Fan gently stroked her head, lowering his voice, “Don’t be afraid. It might not find us. I’m here.”

He felt warmth against his chest—no need to guess, Yang Keli was crying.

Had it been another girl, she might have screamed in terror.

Yang Keli’s resilience was likely due to her strong-willed nature.

The spider monster slowly approached. Its massive body seemed even more terrifying in the narrow passage.

It seemed to sense something and stopped at the recess, its six blood-red eyes scanning vigilantly.

Chen Fan and Yang Keli’s hearts rose to their throats, sweat soaking their backs.

Just as the spider prepared to attack the sealed entrance, a strange noise came from afar, like something heavy being dragged.

Distracted by the sudden sound, the spider turned and crawled toward it.

Chen Fan and Yang Keli exhaled in relief, though they knew the danger was far from over.

Chen Fan carefully removed one of the stones sealing the entrance and cautiously peeked out.

Once certain the spider had left, he quickly cleared the rest of the stones, and they emerged from the recess, sprinting back the way they came.

After a long run, they finally glimpsed the cave entrance leading to the wooden cabin.

Feeling a great sense of relief, they hastened up the stone steps. Chen Fan made sure to reseal the cave’s entrance behind them.

He even made a sign and posted it on the stone wall, boldly warning: “Giant Spider Monster Here!”

Upon returning to the cabin, Rem saw their disheveled appearance and asked with concern, “Master, what happened?”

Chen Fan recounted their encounter with the spider monster. Rem’s expression turned grave.

Looking out at the rain outside, Chen Fan sighed, “This cave is a lost cause. For the next few days, let’s just rest at home.”

At least they had mined some iron, which significantly increased their defense against zombies and skeletons.

During the remaining time, they evaporated all 120 liters of seawater, extracting the salt within.