⛰️ Chapter 17: The Bones of the Mountain
🌍 January 29, 99 BCE – Late Winter ❄️
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🔧 Moving Mountains
Gunpowder freed the rock, but moving and shaping it was the next challenge. With Junjie's direction and Nano's guidance, the valley's hauling systems took a great leap forward. Heavy-duty wagons were reinforced with blackened steel, fitted with layered leather shocks and tightly wound springs to soften the ride. Rotating jacks and lever-winches allowed one person to lift a block that used to require six. Ox- and mule-drawn sleds dragged stone from the quarry to the worksite with new-found ease.
At the heart of this operation was the masons' pride and joy: The Claw Wagon. Wide and low, it carried a rear-mounted pivot crane and a chain hoist, powered either by mule gear or a foot-pedal crank. A mason could winch up a multi-ton block and swing it into place with a steady sweep of the arm. Attached to its side was a compact splitting rig — a set of steel wedges driven by a camshaft hammer. Drop in a slab, set the wedges, and crank — CRACK — the stone split clean. Rough shaping could be done right in the quarry, while precision cuts for lintels, corners, and carved faces were saved for the master craftsmen back at the village yard.
⚙️ Use, Not Perfection
Perfect square blocks were still a rarity, but they were no longer needed for every build. With strong mortar and careful fitting, even irregular stones formed walls as solid as any fortress. Chiseled joints became a badge of skill, and the walls rose faster than ever before. Some stone went straight into the kilns, burned down into lime for mortar, plaster, and whitewash; others were set aside for bridges, aqueducts, and towers.
Old bones, new teeth — the mountain gave up its strength, and the village grew from its marrow.
🌲 A Challenging Step Forward
Progress did not come without setbacks. One morning, while testing The Claw Wagon with a stone larger than any before, a misjudgment in weight caused the crane to buckle. The block slammed to the ground with a deafening thud, sending dust spiraling skyward.
"Too much strain on the frame," the lead mason muttered, crouching to inspect the damage. "We'll have to strengthen the base or lose it altogether."
Junjie's mind turned quickly, but Nano was faster. "Add a crossbeam to spread the load. It will carry the strain evenly," he advised. The change was made, and before long, the wagon was back in service, sturdier than before.
"We make mistakes," Junjie told the crew, "but we mend them quicker than we used to."
🪚 Masons' Pride
The stonework was more than mere construction — it was a legacy. Eren, the lead mason, came from a line of stoneworkers whose craft had nearly been lost when his father's shop fell to ruin. Here, in this valley, he vowed to leave something that would outlast the breath of its builders.
"Each stone laid," he said, his calloused hands feeling along the chiseled faces, "is a mark in the memory of this place. These walls will stand when we are only names."
Junjie met his gaze and felt the truth in it. They weren't just building for shelter; they were carving permanence from the mountain's ribs.
🔮 Nano's Forward Vision
Even as the present work pushed ahead, Nano whispered of what might come next. "There are many more devices we could make. For that, we will need more metal — and more hands to work it. When the season turns, we will begin again."
Junjie listened, his eyes on the quarry below. "When the season turns," he agreed. For now, the mountain gave them enough to keep every hand busy.
🌄 Building What Comes Next
Back in the valley, life thrummed with a steady rhythm. The air smelled of fresh-cut stone and warm hearths. Neighbors worked side by side, each effort feeding the next. Women mended cloaks and boots; beeswax was turned into candles, rendered fats into soap; and fewer shoulders shivered at night. The men pressed hard to finish before the frost returned.
They already had:
• A pottery kiln blazing day and night.
• Blacksmiths shaping iron into tools and fittings.
• Carpenters carving beams, braces, and frames.
• A weaving hall alive with looms and chatter.
• A communal kitchen serving steaming meals.
• The foundation of a glassworks rising at the camp's edge.
This was no longer a refugee camp.
It was a village.
And it was here to stay.