Industry began in 1937

The sky was completely dark. Chen Yuan slumped onto the wooden stool, his cotton-padded coat soaked with sweat, his heart pounding, his limbs weak, but on his face was the first truly relieved, even ecstatic smile he had shown since transmigrating.

He succeeded.

Under the most unlikely circumstances, he ignited the first spark.

The night was as dark as ink, and the mountains were silent.

Only the newly invented human-powered generator, with his vigorous stomping, emitted a steady and powerful sound of wind and a faint rustling of the belt, like the weak yet tenacious cry of a newborn baby.

When he was hungry, he would take a couple of bites of the dry, hard coarse grain cakes he had traded with from the village.

When thirsty, they would go to the mountain gully and drink a few mouthfuls of icy, bone-chilling stream water.

It's fortunate that it's winter, when the activity of bacteria in nature is greatly reduced; otherwise, his stomach, which has been "pampered" by modern industry, would probably have collapsed long ago.

He was so sleepy in the middle of the night that he couldn't keep his eyes open, so he lay down on the haystack in the cave, wrapped in his old cotton-padded coat and rabbit skin, and drifted off to sleep.

But the cave was bitterly cold, and I would wake up freezing every time, my hands and feet icy cold.

After waking up, he rubbed his hands together, breathed on them, gritted his teeth, and sat back down on the cold wooden stool to continue pedaling to recharge.

When the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness, illuminating the flywheel that had slowly come to a stop in the mountain valley, and Chen Yuan, who was slumped on a large rock beside it, almost exhausted, he realized that he had spent most of the night in such a numb state.

Sweat soaked and dried, forming a sticky layer of salt crystals on the skin.

My thighs and lower back ached so badly they felt like they didn't belong to me, and every breath I took was accompanied by a burning, stinging pain in my lungs.

The wound on the sole of my foot, which had just begun to heal, started to sting again with a familiar, teeth-grinding pain as I continued to stomp on it; it had probably been rubbed open again.

But when he looked up and saw the words "Energy: 0.87%" appear on the interactive screen of the "Flint" platform, all his fatigue and pain seemed to find some solace.

From 0.04% to 0.87%, he exhausted almost all his strength, stomping around all night, before finally charging up 0.83% of the battery.

With this amount of energy, let alone starting any slightly complex manufacturing processes, it probably wouldn't even be able to sustain the platform's basic scanning and interaction for long, let alone the tool upgrades and weapon manufacturing he was so eager to achieve.

The efficiency is too low!

Disappointingly low.

He struggled to get up, and his stomach started growling again.

But he had already finished eating all the dry food biscuits.

Right now, all I have is a small bag of mixed grain flour, weighing about three or four pounds, which I got from the village.

This is raw; it needs to be cooked before you can eat it.

Thinking about this, Chen Yuan suddenly realized that he didn't even have a single basic kitchen utensil!

There were no pots, no bowls, no kettles, and not even a decent cup.

He had always eaten pancakes made in the village and had never cooked a meal for himself before.

"We must solve the food problem first." Chen Yuan licked his chapped lips and made a decision. "Make a small pot, a few bowls, and a kettle and cups."

With these, at least we can cook raw food and have hot water to drink, which will greatly improve our quality of life.

Do what you want to do.

He estimated that making these cooking utensils wouldn't require too many materials or energy. He walked to the "Flint" platform and placed his palm on it.

"Using the available energy and surplus iron, design a personal cooking utensil. Requirements: practical, portable, and durable. Includes: a small pot with a lid for frying, stir-frying, and boiling; two round, lidded lunchboxes that can also be used as bowls and storage containers; a kettle; and a water cup."

Made entirely of iron, as thin and light as possible yet sturdy. Estimate the required materials and energy consumption.

The light screen illuminates, and a rapid response is initiated:

Personalized Cookware Set Manufacturing Solution

Checklist:

Portable mini cast iron pan: approximately 18 cm in diameter and 8 cm in depth, with a flat lid, can be used as a frying pan, and comes with a foldable iron handle. Weighs approximately 0.6 kg.

Two round lunch boxes with lids: approximately 12 cm in diameter and 6 cm in height, well-sealed, and stackable. Each weighs approximately 0.25 kg.

Flat, round water bottle: capacity approximately 1 liter, with screw cap and carrying strap loop. Weighs approximately 0.4 kg.

Water cup with handle: capacity approximately 300 ml. Weight approximately 0.15 kg.

Iron required: Approximately 1.7 kg in total.

Estimated energy consumption: 0.04%.

Post-execution estimates:

Remaining energy: 0.83%.

Surplus steel: approximately 11.15 kg.

Seeing that the energy consumption was only 0.04%, Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

This level of consumption is well within acceptable limits and can greatly improve living conditions.

"Confirm manufacturing. Prioritize ensuring the pot and lunchbox are airtight, and make sure the handles are secure," he instructed.

[Command confirmed. Manufacturing initiated. Estimated time: 35 minutes.]

A soft, continuous processing sound came from inside the platform.

During this time, Chen Yuan went down to the stream, used some clean water to treat the abrasions on his feet, and reapplied the medicine and bandaged them.

They also gathered some dry firewood for later use.

Manufacturing was completed on time.

The cooking utensils pushed out of the discharge port caught Chen Yuan's eye.

The small iron pot is entirely black, with uniformly thick walls and a flat bottom. It comes with a foldable iron handle that is comfortable to hold when unfolded, and the lid fits perfectly. When turned upside down, it can indeed be used as a small frying pan.

The two round lunch boxes are well-made, with simple snaps on the lids that seem to seal well, and they save space when stacked together.

The flat, round kettle has a sleek design with a screw-on lid and a hanging loop for attaching a cord. The cup has a crescent-shaped handle and is the perfect size.

He picked up the kettle, unscrewed the lid, and looked at the inside; it was smooth and burr-free.

I also tried the buckle on the lunchbox; it opened and closed smoothly.

The things made by the flint platform are really good. In the future, we can make these items for sale, especially the pots and kettles, which should be in high demand.

"Great! With these, I finally feel like someone who's living a proper life!"

Chen Yuan immediately took action.

They built a simple stove with stones, placed a small iron pot on it, poured in some stream water, added a small handful of mixed flour, and stirred it slowly.

Soon, the water in the pot boiled, the batter gradually thickened, and it released the most original aroma of grains.

Although there was no seasoning, the steaming hot liquid and the gradually solidifying paste made the ravenous Chen Yuan swallow hard.

Once the batter was cooked, he carefully took the scalding pot off the stove and used a wooden skewer as a spoon to scoop it into the lunchbox.

Holding the warm lunchbox, blowing on it, I ate the bland but warm and soft porridge in small bites. A warm current flowed from my throat to my stomach, dispelling the chill and fatigue that had accumulated overnight.

After a simple hot meal, Chen Yuan felt his strength return and his spirits lifted.

He carefully washed the pot and lunchbox, then carefully packed the remaining mixed noodles into the lunchbox and closed it.

The kettle was filled with stream water and hung at his waist.

Looking at the simple yet crucial cooking utensils on the ground, and then at the "flint" platform and human-powered generator standing quietly beside them.

Chen Yuan knew that the most basic survival cycle had been established: use human power to generate electricity, use electricity to manufacture and exchange for resources, and use resources to exchange for food and more raw materials, thereby supporting power generation and manufacturing for a longer period of time.