Bruce knows how precious iron tools are in this world. Iron ore itself is considered a rare resource, and in this world, even cutting down trees is incredibly difficult, let alone mining iron, which is even more advanced than wood.
Why do only medium-sized camps have iron tools?
Because without a strong person at the Earthripper Realm, even if you discover iron ore, you can't extract it; and iron and coal are like a family, having only iron without coal, the heat produced by burning wood is not enough to smelt iron tools.
In Harper Camp over the years, only Thomas had half an iron tool—a stone axe—which was lost when Thomas was killed.
Moreover, Bruce also knows that Thomas's axe was exchanged for lots of wood with a familiar person from Rogel Camp's hunting team.
This shows that iron tools are not only rare but also strictly controlled by those medium and large camps, prohibiting them from going out.
How Taylor Camp got their blades, Bruce is unsure. But one thing is certain, this blade is extremely precious to them.
When first encountering Taylor Camp hunting the Snow Mane, that person, before dying, threw the blade to the leader, showing how precious it was.
Such a precious thing, yet the people from Taylor Camp allowed it to be lost in the snow.
Initially, Bruce thought Henry and his group might have crossed into Harper's territory on their own and ended up encountering something terrifying, resulting in their deaths.
But he soon realized that wasn't the case. If that were the case, other people from Taylor Camp would certainly come looking for them.
Even if not for Henry, they would do so for the sake of this blade. However, judging by the thickness of the snow covering Henry's corpse just now.
It was clear that no one from Taylor Camp had come looking for them.
This suggests that it's very likely the entire Axeheart team was present, and Henry's group was perhaps too slow to escape, resulting in their deaths while others managed to flee.
And those people fled so hastily that they couldn't even care about the blade.
The Axeheart team from Taylor Camp consisted of thirteen people, and among them were two archers. With such a configuration, they still ended up in disarray.
Linking this to the strange red dots on the foreheads of the other three corpses, Bruce could almost conclude that they had encountered a Mimicking monster.
The group that escaped were either eventually killed or so terrified by the monster that they didn't even have the courage to come back and check.
Regardless, Bruce realized he couldn't stay in the same spot any longer. Moreover, these four died on Harper Territory. Does that mean the Mimicking monster has now settled in this area?
This is why Bruce not only led everyone back to the camp but also stated that in the coming time, there would be no Axeheart or hunting.
Encountering that Mimicking monster again, let alone whether their lives could be saved, the hard-earned possessions they had accumulated would likely be lost in no time.
Rushing back to camp was mostly for safety reasons. A small part was also due to this blade that they accidentally picked up.
Sitting by the campfire, Bruce's eyes were filled with delight as he held the blade.
[Resources: wood 670 coal 0 iron 60 silver 0 gold 0]
The moment he picked up the blade at Redwood Ridge, the reason his face lit up with joy was that this blade, when converted into system iron resources, amounted to a staggering 60 units.
"I was wrong, the trees in this world are different, naturally, the iron is different too. This blade doesn't look large yet weighs six hundred kilograms.
No wonder it requires the Earthripper Realm, now even if an iron deposit was placed in front of me, with my current strength, I couldn't budge it a bit."
Bruce didn't have much knowledge of metals, but judging by its volume and weight, the iron in this world, like the trees, bore no resemblance to the previous world—it was an entirely different substance altogether.
Six hundred kilograms equals sixty units of iron, which means ten kilograms of iron converts to one unit of system iron resources.
To acquire iron resources in such an unexpected and lucky manner made Bruce happy, but what thrilled him more was that he could finally modify the buildings in the system.
To say the system hasn't been useful would be untrue.
After all, the small torch provided by the Bonfire gave Bruce the ability to hunt, indirectly helping the camp cultivate seven Axeheart Realm personnel.
Yet it's a fact that in over two months, the system had shown no changes. Bruce was plagued by this, but there was nothing he could do.
He wasn't lacking in wood—on the contrary, with the increasing number of Axeheart Realm personnel, the camp was overflowing—but as for iron, he genuinely didn't know where to get it.
Taylor Camp has it, and Rogel Camp even more so, but it's evident they wouldn't sell it to him, and even if they did, what could he exchange for it?
The most critical issue was that he didn't even know the location of Rogel Camp.
Having the system but no resources, unable to upgrade or unlock new buildings left Bruce feeling overwhelmed.
If it wasn't for the daily steady improvement of the camp, he might have already contemplated taking risks to obtain iron.
The long-desired resource, acquired in such a dramatic fashion, made Bruce feel as though he were dreaming.
However, important matters remained at hand.
Suppressing his excited heart, he opened the system interface:
[Small Bonfire (Level 1) Upgrade Conditions: 200 Wood 50 Iron]
[Wooden Mannequin, Construction Conditions: 100 Wood 20 Iron]
Two choices: unlock the new building Wooden Mannequin or upgrade the Small Bonfire.
Wooden Mannequin?
Bruce frowned slightly, as he was familiar with this—it was a type of martial arts apparatus, meaning this building was likely an aid for training in martial arts.
Of course, being a system product, the Wooden Mannequin surely wasn't just a simple martial apparatus, but from the function of the Small Bonfire as a comparison, it was likely not far off.
Bruce shook his head, quickly dismissing the notion of building the Wooden Mannequin.
The greatest difficulty with Axeheart Realm cultivation was the Cold Beast Meat, and it wasn't significantly related to martial arts training.
Furthermore, his own martial arts skills were quite high, so he had no issue practicing individually or even guiding others.
The Wooden Mannequin could wait for later. The Small Bonfire, however, was different.
Aside from warmth, in terms of functionality, it had a suppressive and damaging effect on primary monsters, and right now, the camp was most fearful of that Mimicking monster.
The torches produced by the Small Bonfire could also assist the camp in hunting.
More importantly, the bonfire required wood. And currently, Bruce had an excess of wood.
From the perspectives of both function and resources, upgrading the Small Bonfire was evidently a wise choice.
Having made up his mind, Bruce didn't hesitate any longer. Looking at the campfire in front of him, he chose to upgrade the Small Bonfire.
Boom…..
Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling sound.
The Bonfire in the middle of the cave, as if doused with oil, suddenly rose another meter from its original height of two to three meters, and the surrounding temperature rapidly increased at a speed perceivable by the human body.
"Did someone add fuel? How did the fire suddenly grow?"
"It seems warmer too."
"Truly, it's much warmer even outside."
---
Bruce paid no heed to the exclamations of the camp members, instead focusing on the attributes of the Small Bonfire after the upgrade.
Iron Refining Furnace (Level 2): Can significantly increase the temperature within a hundred-meter radius by using coal, greatly enhancing the suppression and damage effect on primary monsters, but also more strongly attracting Cold Beasts.
Can consume coal to smelt iron tools.
Special Function: For every 10 units of wood burned, a small torch can be generated, offering similar functionality to the Small Bonfire and portable;
Every 100 units of wood burned can produce a portion of solidified fire oil, harmless to humans but ignites upon contact with Mimicking monsters, having a strong lethal effect on them.
Upgrade Conditions: 2000 Wood 5000 Iron
After reading, Bruce was immediately filled with excitement.
The small Bonfire, after upgrading to an iron refining furnace, has its effectiveness greatly enhanced.
The range of temperature increase expanded from the original ten meters to a hundred meters;
The deterrence and damage capability have greatly improved, although the standard is not yet clear;
It can directly use coal for iron smelting;
The small torch function remains;
And most importantly, there's the newly added special item, the Solidified Fire Oil.
Ignites upon touching Mimicking monsters!
The memory of the first time summoning a small fire pit, turning the fake Thomas into ashes in an instant, resurfaced in Bruce's mind, and he was instantly filled with anticipation for the function of the Solidified Fire Oil.
This Solidified Fire Oil is simply the perfect weapon for dealing with Mimicking monsters!
Honestly, even though he's been to Redwood Ridge many times during this period, each time, Bruce still feels somewhat anxious.
He's basically not afraid of the Cold Beasts encountered on the periphery, as the number of people in the Axeheart Realm of the camp increases, but when it comes to Mimicking monsters, he feels uncertain.
Of course, the small torch can also be used, but the problem is that the number of small torches is limited, and at most, it's just held in hand to scare Mimicking monsters; you can't expect the monster to stand still and let it burn.
Moreover, the burning time of a small torch is limited to only fifteen minutes.
Solidified Fire Oil is different, as the liquid is not only easy to carry but also inconspicuous.
The most crucial part is that it's harmless to people and ignites upon touching Mimicking monsters.
Just these eight words alone are enough to make a big fuss about.
As the flame shrank, the originally rudimentary fire pit made of dirt blocks had somehow transformed into a circular furnace over a meter in diameter and two meters high.
"Hey, how did this fire pit become a furnace?"
The first person to see it exclaimed, drawing everyone over to watch.
People gathered around the furnace, feeling its warmth, and when they looked at Bruce, there was noticeably much more fervor in their eyes.
When disaster struck the cave earlier, the scene where Bruce summoned flames out of thin air, though seen only by a few, spread by word of mouth until almost everyone in the camp knew.
However, most people only heard about it, with many thinking it was made up and didn't really believe it. This time, however, was different.
The bonfire turning into a furnace happened right in front of everyone's eyes, suddenly elevating Bruce's status a notch higher in their hearts.
Bruce naturally wouldn't bother to explain anything. While deification is inadvisable, it does depend on the situation.
In these critical times when the Harper Camp is on the brink of despair, a skilled and inscrutable leader can be invaluable for rallying the group and bolstering confidence for the future.
The people in the camp aren't too bad, Charlie, Tony, and the seven in the Axeheart team, having witnessed the power of the small torch and his martial prowess against Cold Beasts, held even more fervent emotions towards him than the others.
Everyone in the Harper Camp unconsciously developed a concept in their hearts:
Bruce is powerful and wields some mysterious force.