As the pale moon rose high above the Jing Mountains, its soft light filtered into the cave where the remaining members of the Thundersky Brotherhood had taken refuge. In the quiet darkness, there was a rare air of warmth and optimism among the group. Though the cold winds of early winter had begun sweeping through the valleys, tonight felt hopeful, a fragile peace clinging to them in this secluded shelter.

Minho, wrapped herself snugly in a finely woven coat made of wool and cotton. It was a luxury among their new purchases, something that shielded her from the biting chill far better than the thin, worn winter clothes the others had donned. Her older companions, Gu, Shun, and Tao, had always pooled their money together to ensure that Minho had the best. Even when the Brotherhood had been prosperous, they saved on their own needs to provide her with every comfort. Their shared dedication to her well-being was a silent but unwavering testament to the bond they shared.

“Alright, we’ll head further in and keep scouting around the tunnels,” Gu announced, breaking the silence. Today, he and Tao planned to continue their exploration of the tunnels, hoping to find another route or possibly even unlock the vault.

“Remember to turn back at the first sign of danger,” Shun said firmly, his voice carrying both the weight of experience and the warmth of care.

“Of course, Brother Shun,” Tao replied, her tone light yet sincere. Minho offered each of them a brief but warm hug before they lit their torches and descended into the darkness, their faint figures swallowed up by the shadows beyond.

Shun, stayed behind as their lookout. He gave Minho a gentle pat on the head, a silent assurance of his watchfulness. “I’ll be near the entrance,” he said quietly, settling himself by the mouth of the cave.

Once alone, Minho exhaled softly, her breath visible in the cool night air. She entered her small hut and knelt down by her bed of straw. With a quick, excited glance around, she pulled her bag from beneath the hay. Buried within it was her most [Smartphone], the object from another time, another world, yet her tether to knowledge and discovery.

Turning it on, she watched as the screen came to life, casting a faint glow in the dim interior. A small smile broke across her face as she tapped open the [Browser]. Her finger hovered over the [URL Bar] thoughtfully. She had a plan in mind—one she had been mulling over for days.

Despite knowing their technology is primitive compared to this other world, Minho had a surprisingly ambitious idea. She needed a way to charge her [Smartphone] better, since the makeshift copper chain she’d rigged up often disconnected, requiring her to constantly adjust it. If she could create a stable somewhat connectable [USB Pin] with the help of a blacksmith in town, her phone would stay connected and charge more efficiently.

But there was a problem: metal resources, especially iron, was scarce and costly now. Shun had mentioned that scraps of iron were fetching a gold coin due to high demand in town. Minho’s mind raced as she realized that her dream of a reliable charging setup was quickly running into a wall.

A spark of curiosity ignited within her. “I know it might sound ridiculous,” she murmured to herself, “but it’s worth asking. Maybe the [Internet] has some clever ideas.”

She began typing carefully, concentrating on her words. The language barrier was still a challenge, and she often had to choose her words painstakingly. Minho poured every bit of her focus into crafting the query. Finally, she entered the words, each letter a small triumph.

“Make Iron Without Mining,” she typed, her fingers lingering over the keyboard before she hit [Enter].

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

a long list of [websites] appeared, filling the screen with options. Each link held a small promise of discovery, though some seemed more daunting than hopeful.

Determined, Minho clicked through site after site, deciphering each one carefully. Many explanations contained dense, unfamiliar terminology, foreign words blending together into an overwhelming blur. She pressed on, translating sentence by sentence, her frustration mounting with each page. The hours slipped by, and she began to feel the weight of hopelessness settling over her.

Just as she was about to give up, her eyes caught a peculiar title: “How I Made This [Katana] Sword in My Backyard!” The words were refreshingly straightforward, and many of them bore a striking similarity to Han script, making them easier to understand. Curious and with a faint spark of hope, Minho tapped on the link and opened the page.

The [website] that loaded seemed similar to the others, starting with the usual introduction. She sighed, dreading the usual fluff about the author’s journey, full of unhelpful details about their personal lives. But Minho couldn’t afford to skip any information, so she painstakingly worked through each sentence. Hours passed, and just when she thought she’d found nothing new, her eyes widened as a single line captured her attention.

The writer described using something called Black Sand gathered from a nearby riverbed. With this sand, they had successfully forged iron and ultimately created a weapon called a [Katana]. The method seemed simpler than most, and Minho was fascinated by how they managed to extract the metal. Reading on, she discovered the writer's clever approach: they used [magnets] to collect iron filings mixed with black sand from the riverbanks, then smelted the collected material into iron, which they shaped into a sword.

The concept was brilliant, though Minho found herself puzzled by one word: [magnet]. It was a term she hadn’t encountered before, so she quickly searched for it on the [internet]. The results filled her screen with images and descriptions that reminded her of lodestone—the natural stone Yuan had once used to navigate, explaining it held a strange attraction for iron. A pang of sadness touched her as she remembered Yuan, his lodestone tucked into his pouch for safe travels. But with Yuan no longer around, she’d need to find a way to acquire something similar.

Encouraged by her progress, Minho typed in another search. This time, she was hunting for ways to make a [magnet] herself, understanding she’d need one to gather black sand. After scrolling through a handful of explanations, her eyes lit up when she found a solution—a method for creating an electromagnet.

The idea of building a magnet from scratch seemed daunting at first, but the instructions were clear enough. She’d need a piece of iron wrapped in copper wire, through which electricity could be passed to create a magnetic field. Her mind raced with the possibilities. If she could rig up an electromagnet, she might be able to gather enough iron particles from the sandbanks to produce iron without having to mine for ore.

Minho sat back, a triumphant grin spreading across her face as she muttered to herself, “Tomorrow… tomorrow, I will make iron.” She could barely contain her excitement, her thoughts buzzing with anticipation.

With a satisfied sigh, Minho carefully powered down her [Smartphone] and returned it to its hiding place. She wrapped her coat tightly around herself, letting the warmth lull her as she lay down on her bed of straw. In her mind, she began mapping out the plan for the next day, drifting off with visions of molten iron and the glow of her very own iron filling her dreams.

The next morning dawned quietly in the small camp. Tao and Gu had returned from their search with little to show, but the group didn’t mind; they were grateful just to see another day in their modest refuge. The day itself drifted by at an easy pace. Tao was busily preparing vegetables for lunch, slicing through them with the precision and care of someone who treasured each resource. Shun, ever the industrious one, was hammering away to construct another hut for their expanding needs. The only one with idle time, as usual, was Gu.

Though Gu had matured over the past few weeks, stepping up to take on a leadership role when needed, he still seemed to find every opportunity to sneak in moments of rest. He had always been that way—a bit of a joker with a soft spot for quiet moments. But his rest was short-lived when a persistent tug on his shoulder woke him. He blinked his eyes open to see Minho standing over him, her hands on her hips and a fiery gleam in her eyes.

“Brother Gu! Stop being lazy and come help me with my new experiment!” Minho demanded with a grin.

He rubbed his eyes, looking bewildered. “What… what did you discover now?” His voice was groggy, but the curiosity was unmistakable.

Minho grinned even wider, folding her arms across her chest in a way that almost seemed triumphant. “Well, I won’t know for sure until we try!”

With a sigh, Gu rose to his feet. He was still reeling from her last experiment, where she’d somehow managed to figure out how to make sugar from wild plants and roots they’d found. To him, she was a mix of mad genius and bright-eyed child, and each new discovery of hers amazed and baffled him in equal measure. Though he’d been looking forward to a lazy morning, Gu couldn’t deny that spark of curiosity pulling him in.

“Alright, Xiao Minho, fine,” he said with a groan, though his smile betrayed his interest. “What do you need me to do?”

Her face practically lit up. “Follow me!” She motioned for him to come along, optimism radiating from her every step.

Gu trailed after her, his eyes flickering with amusement. There was no telling what kind of experiment Minho had concocted this time, but he had come to trust her instincts. She was sharp, innovative, and surprisingly resourceful for someone her age.