On a clear, cloudless evening, the first smelting blast furnace on the North American continent belched out roaring flames. The pungent volcanic fumes, accompanied by the oxidation of pyrite, billowed from the furnace opening. The first plume of smoke from the Iron Age thus began to officially contaminate this sky and sea, which had remained pure since ancient times!
"This is the flame of iron smelting, and even more so the Chief Divine's divine guidance into a brand new era... May the Chief Divine bless us!"
Miki the Sage prayed murmuringly while patiently waiting. Heating the furnace and adding iron ore was only the beginning of iron smelting. During this era, even smelting just a few hundred pounds of ore couldn't be completed within a day or two.
