Jiang Xuan walked over to the table and, under the tense gaze of the Wanderer, picked up the beautiful green stone.
He took one look and couldn’t take his eyes off it.
"Wow? This is... Malachite!"
Jiang Xuan was taken aback, turning the stone over and over to examine it several times, his emotions somewhat excited.
"That’s right, this is indeed Malachite!"
In his previous life, Jiang Xuan had bought a relatively large Malachite pendant and had specially learned quite a bit about Malachite.
The color of Malachite resembles the green spots on peacock feathers, hence its name Malachite.
The identification of Malachite is relatively easy due to its distinctive color and pattern, making it hard to mistake.
In the world of Jiang Xuan’s previous life, Malachite was mostly sold as a gemstone with ornamental value.
But Jiang Xuan’s excitement wasn’t because of this.
In fact, Malachite is quite brittle and not suitable for making Stone Tools; it can only be used as a decoration.
In primitive tribes, stones that can be used to make Stone Tools are considered good stones, while those only useful as decorations are not valued highly.
Jiang Xuan’s excitement was because Malachite is actually a type of Copper Ore, often found alongside other Copper Ores!
This means that if they can find the original location of this Malachite, there’s a high probability of finding other Copper Ore as well.
Jiang Xuan had long wished to produce Copper Artifacts, but had yet to discover Copper Ore.
The current situation was like searching high and low only to find it effortlessly!
The choice to smelt copper instead of iron was due to its much lower melting point and smelting requirements.
For example, copper’s melting point is around one thousand degrees Celsius, while iron’s melting point is above fifteen hundred degrees Celsius, far exceeding copper.
The difficulty of manufacturing Copper Artifacts is also much easier than Iron Tools.
The conditions within the tribe were too rudimentary, forcing Jiang Xuan to first tackle simple, manageable projects before considering more complex, difficult endeavors.
Jiang Xuan grabbed the Wanderer, excitedly asking: "Where did you find this?"
"Let go of me, I don’t want beast meat, this stone is a gift to you..."
The Wanderer was shocked and shouted while struggling, clearly thinking Jiang Xuan wanted to seize the stone.
Jiang Xuan realized his excitement had led to a misunderstanding.
But if he let go of the Wanderer now, he would surely run away.
Helplessly, Jiang Xuan forcibly held him and said: "Shut up and listen to me!"
The Wanderer struggled a few times but couldn’t break free, resigning himself despondently.
"Rest assured, our Vine Tribe values integrity the most; we would never steal your belongings in the trading area."
"I simply want to tell you, if you can lead us to find more of such stones, I’ll not only give you plenty of beast meat, but also let you join the Vine Tribe directly, so you won’t have to be a Wanderer again!"
Jiang Xuan’s words finally moved the Wanderer.
Becoming a member of the Vine Tribe was a great temptation for a Wanderer, for once he joined, he wouldn’t have to live a life of uncertainty any longer.
"Are you sure that’s true?" the Wanderer asked cautiously.
Jiang Xuan affirmed, "Absolutely true, I am the leader of the Vine Tribe. As long as you lead us to find more of these stones, you can become a member of the Vine Tribe."
The Wanderer gathered courage, looked up at Jiang Xuan, and said: "Okay, I’ll take you to find the stones!"
Jiang Xuan smiled, hopeful that the Wanderer would bring an even greater surprise.