Chapter 388 - Melting Point.

Dark Blue Ores, a valued discovery. and based on a quick count, 3 Factions wanted to get their hands on it but failed while the 4th faction got their hands on it without actually aiming to in the beginning, which from other points of view can be listed as unfair, but for the little tribe of Ignites it can be listed as a blessing.

They have managed to find tens of Kilos of these magnificent Ores, but due to their unique nature it has become rather difficult to handle them. As a start, they are difficult to mine due to their durability. It takes 3-6 times more effort to break them compared to Iron ore. And furthermore it is hard to smelt them and turn them in to Iron due to the required temperature that can melt this tremendous metal ore.

But what tips the bucket in difficulty is the fact that making Tools, Armoury and Weaponry out of this ore is the hardest. Imagine trying to form an almost indestructible metal to one's desired goal, it is indeed difficult.

Even the Snow Ignites that once roamed this Hidden Domain, somehow failed to make tools out of these ores, perhaps this is why they blocked these mines, in a way perhaps labelling them as useless?

The only civilisation that shows legitimate use of these special ores, are the Snow Ignites that reclaimed Makemis. Although minor products, they actually managed to make something out of the Blue Ores after tremendous effort.

Specifically, a Dagger they made has been stolen from them. You can guess from who, but I will tell you instead. Mogranius stole it, and often he used the Dagger's durability to skin animal carcasses.

Locked in her private room in Section 2, room 1 at the right wing. Bittore Nardone, the Grand Leader of this tribe and undoubtedly the smartest individual here, is trying to think of a solution. She wants to utilize the Dark Blue Ores as fast as humanly possible. And there is no better way to think of an idea than being completely alone.

The main problem is figuring out a proper melting peak for the Dark Blue Ore, it obviously requires a lot. Coal can provide it but when you consider the amount required to melt one badge of these Dark Blue Ores, they would be better off tossing their finds down the mountainside.

She has collected a lot of information from both the Miners and Blacksmiths regarding this ore, most specifically how much power it would take to work with them. Now, she is holding her chin and blankly staring at the little chart she has made, she has been looking at this chart for over 3 hours now.

Blacksmithery has made Bittore inevitably think about her daughter, Osira Nardone. It isn't the hardest to link these two thoughts together but it is easy to determine that Bittore is tad procrastinating here now that a solution seems... As if looking for a flee in a wheat field.

"I wonder how she is doing... I didn't recieve a letter yet, I hope she is alright." Yes indeed she is trying to figure out a solution for her tribe, but after all family by blood matters more. And here where the only way of communication is a large fast man delivering them, they are rather isolated from each other.

As a row of thoughts, when she thought of Osira, she also thought of all that time spend together above the Carved Path, fighting off thousands of Soldiers from the ill.u.s.tratian Alliance for just a short period of months.

This thought, led her to thinking about the melting capacities against Men and Iron she hae seen tens of times in her experience of Guarding the Kingdom of Maleemia.

After a short battle of suffocating Soldiers, a handful of Fire Manipulating ladies would melt away the evidence of war. For example the first row of ladies would melt most of the portion, the second row would melt another considerable portion and the last row of ladies would melt what is left over, rarely leaving metal behind from Armour.

These memories led her to recalling an Ignite's average melting capacities against Iron! With 3-5 attempts, an Ignite can melt an entire Iron Plate Chest Armour, this can heavily depend on the Stamina put on it and can be achieved with 2 shots as well if the Stamina is extended all the way up.

It is important to remember that even a Level 3 Fire Controller can achieve these melting capacities, this could be the break through she has been looking for.

The thing to consider here is that, a Level 3 (Magician) Fire Contoller putting in mild effort against Iron, won't turn the Armour in to liquid but burn it in to ash instead. Based on this Calculation, Bittore thought of a Solution.

"Aha!" She spoke up with her tone reaching a high pitch, her mood instantly lifted up for the better and she thought it through further. "If a Fireball or blow with medium heat can turn Iron in to ash, than a controlled blow/continues fire could be helping to smelt the Dark Blue Ore. This can be our breakthrough here!"

Getting c.o.c.ky with herself no doubt, she murmured. "And they say Snow Ignites are smart! Pff... They can't think this well."

...

"Keep it slow and steady." Bittore spoke to Ella Angloma, as she glanced upon her blowing fire on Dark Blue Ore.

Ella typically is a Body Guard and isn't quite used of working in a forge, but everyone else is busy on different tasks and Ella as a young woman can put in more work compared to most Fire Controllers here.

"I'm trying." Ella responded, focusing the Firr that is blasting through her palm and already feeling herself becoming more and more sweaty, using her left hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Bittore asked Ella to blow fire on the ores, at a low heat. But neccesarily, low heat for a Fire Manipulator isn't exactly low, it would leave terrible wound marks unless the shot is meant as blank, like the Fire Wall move for example.

Bittore is glancing at the ores, from a distance of a meter, liking the warmth of the Fire actually. She can melt the ores herself but wants to see more specifically how this will play out.

The ores started heating up and is picking up a red colour, of course caused because of the heat. Thankfully the ores did not turn in to ash, which wound render them useless. In fact there isn't even any form of deformation on the ore yet.

Bittore glanced at it and ordered Ella, "Keep it going, we need to be sure if this pace can eventually smelt the ores."

About ten minutes passed, the room has become tremendously hot because of Ella continuously blasting Fire against the Dark Blue Ores, the whole Blacksmith team is sweating to the extent, actually missing the cold.

The Dark Blue Ore on the other hand, is starting to deform. Well it still hasn't turned in to liquid, but some of its parts are becoming softer and thankfully no part is being burned down in to ash.

"I think you have it easy to keep this flow going." Bittore broke the long silence in this room, making it a bit less boring.

"Considering Stamina, I can keep this up for 3-5 maybe even 6 hours. But honestly it gets more tiring to keep my arm up like this." Ella explained, letting out a little complain too.

"One problem at a time." Bittore answered with a smile, still keeping her own morale high here.

Afterwards she continued to guide Ella with a little request. "You can give just a little bit more heating power on your blast here, maybe 1/4th more of what you are already blasting."

...

Zelimia Hekz, Samantha Olem and Mollara Erk are nowadays often seen working together in various tasks. Now there is a bit more behind this fact. Quite frankly, Bittore assigned Mollara over them just to have a sense of control, wanting to steer them away from that "Supportive Behaviour".

At the moment, these three wonderful ladies are working in the mines of the third section or more specifically called the Dark Blue Ore mines! Originally they would lend a hand on carrying material, but with it scarce their main work has become just guarding the mines.

They still don't know what this tunnel can bring, and just in case of a collapse they would be here to help dig out the Victim which in a way increases the odds of survival.

"There it is, it's that weird sound again." Zelimia complained, having enough of it over the past weeks.

"I don't hear anything?" Mollara expressed, trying to pay more attention to this sound that Zelimia keeps talking about.

"I hear it as well, it is driving me crazy." Samantha added, showing that she has more sensitive ears.

"You two still fail to give a proper description of the sound for me." Mollara complained, hoping to know more and being stressed how she can't hear it.

"It just sounds like a smooth rock slapping the ground, but it brings a ear piercing sound after the base sound..." Samantha explained, but still barely making sense.