Chapter Eleven: Steel

After completing this fuel transport run, the tractor did not pause. It set off once more, spending over an hour to reach an open-pit iron mine that had been scouted in advance.

The area was rich with iron ore, but at this moment, Li Qingsong clearly lacked the capacity for large-scale mining. He could not even manage to crush the larger chunks of ore. For now, he could only pick up smaller pieces from the surface to take back.

Even by selectively gathering small pieces, the tractor’s trailer was full in no time. It held about ten tons—enough, at the current rate of consumption, to keep the blast furnace running for over a month.

The tractor roared as it hauled the ten-ton load back. Fortunately, the gravity on Luoshen Planet was relatively low. This ten-ton load weighed only about 800 kilograms, allowing the primitive steam tractor to pull it. On Earth, the boiler would have likely exploded before the machine could budge an inch.

When the transport finally returned, Li Qingsong’s heart was filled with excitement. The first step toward industrialization was finally underway! While he had previously used smelting and processing equipment brought from Earth to produce metal, that was Earth’s technology, not his own. Now, this entire smelting setup—the generator, the blast furnace, and the transport machinery—was something he had built himself. This meant the system was replicable and scalable; it was in a different league than the equipment brought from Earth.

The massive steam generator, with a total installed capacity of 130 kilowatts, was ignited. The boiler vibrated, humming silently. The heavy rotor began to spin, and as it continuously cut through magnetic field lines, a steady stream of electricity was generated and channeled to the adjacent blast furnace.

The first batch of 300 kilograms of iron ore was placed inside and gradually heated. Gases trapped within were released by the heat, and once the pressure rose sufficiently, they were vented out. With the gases gone, only the minerals remained.

Various elements were separated, and according to a specific formula, others were added—such as chromium and nickel. After a series of processes, steel plates—ten centimeters wide, three centimeters thick, and fifty centimeters long—slid continuously from the exit. These dimensions were perfect for his multi-functional metal processing equipment.

Watching this first batch of self-produced steel, Li Qingsong felt a genuine sense of joy. With initial steel production established, he repurposed the multi-functional metal smelting equipment. It stopped producing steel and shifted to custom-producing essential minerals he could not yet manufacture himself, such as nickel and chromium ore.

With steel production on track, Li Qingsong turned his energy to another area: metal processing capability. Currently, his processing was entirely dependent on that single multi-functional unit. However, that highly precise, advanced machine was designed for high-precision processing of special metals; using it to process crude steel was a waste. It had more important tasks, and he could not afford to squander its productivity on simple steel. He needed to develop his own metal processing capabilities.

Using the primary machine as a foundation and the steel from his home-built furnace, he produced a large number of components. With the help of his clones, he assembled them into individual metal processing machines. Cutting, stretching, grinding, bending, stamping, and drilling machines were soon laid out before him.

By the time all seven types of metal processing equipment were finished, over half a year had passed. The knowledge for building these machines was not in the Deep Space ship’s database, but that didn't matter; he had the fundamental principles. Over those six months, Li Qingsong had studied constantly while directing his clones on Luoshen Planet through trial and error. It was a bumpy road, but he had finally built them all.

At this point, Li Qingsong had a total of 27 bodies under his command. Five more clones were in incubation, expected to be ready in about four months. Looking at the seven pieces of processing equipment sitting in the open, powered by the large steam generator, Li Qingsong felt deeply gratified.

"Finally, I have my own metal processing capability. From now on, I can machine simpler, less precision-demanding metal parts myself."

Having reached this stage, he finally saw a glimmer of hope for a goal he had long anticipated: using his own industrial capacity to build a larger planting base. He had already exhausted the supply of fluorescent lights, planting racks, and specialized films brought from the Deep Space ship. To build a new base, he would have to rely on himself.

Meanwhile, the number of his clones would soon climb to 32, and in another six months, to 37. Thirty-seven clones was the maximum capacity the first planting base could support. Any more, and he wouldn't be able to feed them.

"This population is nothing; it’s nowhere near enough. I must solve the food supply problem once and for all." Li Qingsong secretly resolved, "If not a permanent solution, then at least one that keeps me free from food shortages for the next decade or more."

Finding a site for the new planting base was easy; there was a cave nearby with over 10,000 square meters of space, which was more than enough. Planting racks were also manageable now that he had steel production. Cables and power could be solved, too; there were copper mines on Luoshen Planet, so he could make copper wire. Although insulation was a challenge, he could use distance for temporary isolation. As for electricity, he would simply build more generators.

Only one problem troubled Li Qingsong: fluorescent lights.

You couldn't run a planting operation on Luoshen Planet without them. Unlike steel parts, fluorescent lights required specific technical expertise. "To make them, I first need to master glass tube forming, electrode manufacturing, and the production of ballasts and starters. I also need phosphorus powder, mercury, and noble gases," Li Qingsong calculated silently. "I understand the basic principles, but mechanized production is tricky."

After long contemplation, he gritted his teeth. "I should be able to handle the glass tubes with machinery. As for the rest—the electrodes, ballasts, and starters—if I can't automate them, I’ll just have to make them by hand."