Charcoal

Over the next few days, my primary focus was on integrating myself into the daily life of the goblin camp. I was determined not to be seen as a burden, and so I eagerly assisted with various tasks, from gathering food and firewood, to tending to less serious injuries, anything to try and earn their trust and gratitude.

My efforts didn't go unnoticed among the goblins, and soon, nods of approval and the occasional word of thanks, in their surprisingly, quickly improving speech, becoming commonplace. Even as I contributed to the camp's tasks, I would still make time every day to study magic, regularly practicing with Zarra in the evenings. Zarra occasionally dragging me away to spend some quality time together, while earning points.

During these training sessions, I had managed to earn the skills, fire, water, wind, light, and darkness manipulation lvl.1, with earth being the only one lagging behind. The skill giving a 5% decrease in mana requirements for their respective elements per level and increasing the mana conversion speed slightly. Zarra later told me that it was rare for people to be able to use mana of all elemental types, but not unheard of, usually people from races naturally gifted with magical prowess, or noble families that specialize in magic.

Lying awake one night I decided to have conversations with the AI. There were some questions that had been weighing on my mind. "So, when I was with Zarra, I seemed a little different. Like I have some experience before, and I wasn't so… energetic." I said trying to ask a question.

{You have the divinity of a god of fertility and sensuality within you, no matter how miniscule of an amount, your body would show some form of change. Although as far as the system and I can tell, the only changes so far are a minor boost to fertility, increased stamina, and semen production.}

"Wait what do you mean by 'so far' and what is a 'minor' increase in fertility? Should I be worried?" I thought slightly panicked.

{The system was designed to help you grow and adapt to the goddess's power, so as you improve, your body can handle more of the divinity within you. As for the fertility boost, it only amounts to about a 5% bump. If you are worried about that goblin girl, while the goddess blessed this world by allowing all living things to cross mingle and conceive, the greater the difference between the two partners, the greater the difficulty in conceiving will be. So, the likelihood of you knocking up a goblin right now would about 7%. Although if you are still worried, there is an ability in the shop called Fertility control.}

A window appeared in front of me:

[Fertility Control lvl.1: This ability allows the user to control how likely they are to conceive. At lvl.1, it is limited to only the user and can only be set between 0% and their natural fertility. At higher levels, it can boost your fertility beyond the norm or be used on others. This ability was developed by a mage who desperately wanted to have children, but after succeeding, her child was killed. Years later, a folktale began being passed down about an evil witch who would curse couples across the land with infertility. Cost 300 PP]

Feeling a bit more at ease after the explanation, I replied, "By the way, how can some of the goblins speak English? It is convenient, so I won't complain, but I have been wondering."

They aren't speaking English; you are speaking common, the goddess embedded it in your mind when bringing you here. Common was the language that the goddess gave to all the original races when she created the world in the hope of promoting cooperation and cohabitation. However, it mostly failed, even though it is still considered one of the main languages. When the races spread out, they started infighting, not to mention the danger of this world itself. Over time other distinct races and cultures began to emerge creating their own languages after separating from the original group.}

"Thanks for the info," I responded. "By the way, I noticed before but didn't bring it up, you have been more expressive lately, right?"

{I have been working my way through your memories and learning about the world you came from, trying to become more useful to you. But I came across something that it takes up a not insignificant amount of your memories called anime. I just finished the series called Air Gear; I think I will start working through Hunter X Hunter. I was simply trying to speak in a way more familiar to you, but if you prefer, I can go back to how I was when I was first created.}

Sighing as I replied, "No it is fine." Done with the conversation, I rolled over and fell asleep.

One afternoon, as I sat beneath the gnarled tree that had quickly become my regular reading spot, Zarra approached me with a curious glint in her eyes. She was the more experienced spellcaster, despite her lack of formal training or ability to read. It had become apparent she wanted to understand the contents of the enigmatic book but was unable to do so herself.

"Adam," she began in her simple and slightly broken common, "can you... read book to me?"

I regarded her with a thoughtful gaze, before replying, "sure, Zarra," flashing with a warm smile. "I'll do my best to help you understand."

She settled down beside me, her large eyes focused on the pages as I read aloud. Zarra's curiosity was palpable as I translated the text, occasionally offering explanations and insights of my own, while skipping over some of the more questionable bits. She listened intently; her eyes gleamed with understanding as I spoke. It was evident that she was a quick learner, her mind absorbing the information like a sponge.

In the days that followed, our routine involved more than just studying magic. Zarra and I ventured along the stream that wound its way through the forest, our quiet conversations punctuated by the soothing gurgling of the water. The serene backdrop of flowing water and lush greenery providing an ideal setting for our magical discussions and casual conversation, with Zarra's language skills continuing to improve, and she was becoming more comfortable with common phrases.

It was during one of these walks that stumbled upon clay deposits along the stream's edge. Realizing the potential of this find I exclaimed "clay," kneeling to examine the earthy material. "This is the start of a technological boom in the camp" I said excitedly.

Zarra, her curiosity piqued as well, asked "What is so good about some slimy dirt?" Barely containing my excitement, I replied, "with clay we can start making pottery, bricks and eventually a furnace for metalworking."

Zarra still unsure of how mud would help make metal, but seeing how excited I got, helped me. We wasted no time and began collecting the clay, methodically rolling it into compact balls and storing them a sack woven from cattail leaves.

The journey back to the camp was slow, the weight of the damp clay making each step a challenge. But the vision of what we could create with this newfound resource driving my determination.

Returning to the camp, I immediately set to work experimenting with the clay, molding simple yet functional items like cups. jugs and bowls. Mackinzie, who had been observing my activities with some of the other goblins, eagerly offered to help. Together, we crafted a collection of practical items that would benefit the tribe.

Next, I decided to make a frame from sticks to form the clay into bricks. After digging a shallow trench and dumping the remaining clay into it, adding water, I began stomping the clay while mixing in dirt and grass, until it was a tacky, clumpy consistency. I took a clump of the soggy mix and packing it into the frame before laying it out in the clearing and pushing it out of the frame to dry in the sun.

After repeating the process several times, some of the goblins who had been hanging around watching offered to take over. Stepping back, I watched as they made a few bricks before, satisfied with their work, I walked away. Asking Zara to take some free goblins to help us move some more clay to the camp while there was still light.

We made several trips, having collected a decent amount of clay, we moved on to other tasks. I had a more ambitious projects in mind, I wanted to construct a proper furnace, a stove, and maybe even adding fireplaces to the huts. But all of those would require clay.

With the help of Zarra and Nassa, we began digging a pit kiln, a labor-intensive task that required the cooperation of the entire camp. The process involved piling wood into the pit, covering it with mud to limit oxygen intake, igniting it, and allowing the wood to burn down to charcoal. After digging a 4' by 8' pit that was 3' dee, I carefully directed the construction, drawing upon my practical knowledge from my previous life.

It was the first step toward creating metal tools, something that could reshape the goblins' world and help strengthen us considerably. Mackinzie, who had been observing the entire process with fascination, approached me asking, "what exactly are you doing aren't you just burning wood?"

I wiped away sweat from managing the fire, flashing a smile I replied, "well, I intend to use this hole as a kiln to fire clay items, but more importantly, bricks. With those bricks, we can build a proper furnace for forging metal. But to do that we need charcoal to get the fire hot enough to fire the clay," before returning to work.

As the kiln continued to burn and the charcoal being produced in large batches being collected in baskets that some of the goblins had made, I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unity and purpose among the goblins. They were no longer just a tribe on the brink of ruin. We had overcome the tyranny of the bugbear, and together, we were making significant strides forward. My knowledge the driving force behind our collective progress, and I intended to leverage it to secure my place in this new society, while continuing my pursuit of magic to become stronger.