Beside a small stream, Jiang Xuan, along with thirty Warriors and a guiding Wanderer, rode Black Wind Rhinoceroses upstream in search of malachite.
This forest lies to the northwest of the Vine Tribe, about a day’s journey away. Due to sparse vegetation, the Tribal Warriors’ hunting routes do not pass through here.
"Are you sure it’s here?" Jiang Xuan couldn’t help but ask after half a day’s trek.
The Wanderer, sitting on another Black Wind Rhinoceros with a Vine Tribe Warrior, heard Jiang Xuan’s question and replied, "It’s definitely here. I wouldn’t remember it wrong."
"Alright then, let’s keep moving forward to the place where you collected the stones."
The group continued forward for about another half an hour when they suddenly heard a loud sound of water ahead.
Walking over, they saw a cliff ahead with a small waterfall cascading down from a height of seven to eight meters, crashing into a pool below with a roar.
The Wanderer’s eyes lit up, pointing at the pool, and said, "I picked up the stone right here, I remember it clearly!"
Jiang Xuan perked up and said, "Let’s go take a look."
Jiang Xuan and the others dismounted from the Black Wind Rhinoceroses.
The Wanderer led Jiang Xuan to the edge of the pool, then pointed to a shallow area, and said, "The stone was picked up right here."
Jiang Xuan took out the palm-sized piece of malachite from the large pocket of his Beast Hide Clothing.
This piece of malachite was the one the Wanderer had taken to the trading area for trade. It was oval in shape, with a very smooth surface, resembling a pebble.
This matched the situation described by the Wanderer.
Apart from being artificially polished, only areas that have been washed by water for a long time can have such smooth stones.
Jiang Xuan raised the piece of malachite and said to the Warriors, "Spread out, and look for green stones ."
The Vine Tribe Warriors responded and then began searching for malachite around the pool and nearby.
Jiang Xuan and the Wanderer also carefully searched by the water, hoping to find more malachite in similar locations.
The stream was very clear, allowing one to see the bottom easily. There were some small fish swimming in the water, but no big fish could be seen.
Soon, Jiang Xuan suddenly noticed a hint of green among the stones underwater, making him rejoice.
He reached in, through the icy water, turned over the stones, and felt a stone larger than his palm with his hand.
Jiang Xuan lifted the stone and was immediately delighted.
"It’s malachite, there really is malachite here!"
This piece of malachite was even larger than the one the Wanderer had picked up, although it was broken and not round, but its patterns were equally beautiful.
Seeing Jiang Xuan had already found a piece, the Warriors sped up their search, hoping to quickly find such beautiful stones themselves.
One Warrior was diligently searching in the water when he suddenly found a stone that looked different. He hastily took it out of the water.
However, upon picking it up, the appearance of the stone greatly disappointed him.
The stone was uneven and bumpy, with a very poor appearance. Most of its surface was dark brown, with only a small amount of green, which was completely different from malachite green.
The Warrior was greatly disappointed and was about to throw the stone away.
Just then, Jiang Xuan happened to see the unsightly stone and his attention was drawn.
The Warrior was about to throw the stone when he saw the leader swiftly approaching, so he paused his action and looked at him in confusion.
"Let me take a look."
Jiang Xuan reached out, and the Warrior had to hand the stone over to him.
Jiang Xuan took the unsightly stone, turned it over and over for a moment, then held it in both hands and exerted force to twist it.
Jiang Xuan was a Four-Color Warrior, incredibly strong, capable of breaking ordinary stones with his bare hands.
However, this unsightly stone did not make the crisp sound of a stone breaking. Instead, it bent, revealing a metallic luster of purple-red under its cracked surface.
"Natural copper, this is natural copper!"
Jiang Xuan became excited, his face showing a look of pleasant surprise, even more so than when he saw the malachite.
The biggest difference between copper and iron is that in nature, relatively pure copper can be found, known as native copper, which can be forged into tools without smelting.
However, pure iron does not exist in nature. Iron ore must first be smelted, then forged into iron tools.
This is why Jiang Xuan was so excited.
He had never personally tried smelting copper and was somewhat unsure if he could succeed.
However, if enough natural copper could be found, it could be directly forged into various copper artifacts.
Of course, pure copper tools, despite being quite malleable, are too soft and can only be forged into items like copper bowls and pots, but not weapons.
The Warrior who had picked up the natural copper and almost discarded it was at a loss, seeing Jiang Xuan’s ecstatic expression.
He cautiously asked, "Leader, is this stone also a treasure?"
"Of course, it’s a treasure. In my eyes, it’s even more valuable than these two pieces of malachite!"
The Warrior awkwardly replied, "I almost threw the treasure away like a worthless stone."
Jiang Xuan laughed and said, "It’s okay, you didn’t recognize natural copper. It’s normal to mistake it for a worthless stone. Keep searching."