Molding Clay to Create People (Please Vote and Bookmark)

Humans were always easily satisfied. After a day of labor, though they were exhausted, though it was hard, though it was fraught with danger, whenever they gathered around the Fire Pit and enjoyed delicious food, their hearts were filled with happiness and contentment, smiles hanging on every face.

There were two beggar's chickens wrapped in yellow mud—well, they could count as chickens. When the thick shells of mud were cracked open with sticks, the pale, tender meat inside was plump and juicy. There were no seasonings, only a smear of coarse salt, said to have been traded from another tribe and extremely precious. Two turkey-sized birds, three huge snakes, more than ten roasted bird eggs wrapped in mud, and fruit after the main course—it was a wonderfully satisfying dinner.

The delicious chicken won praise from everyone. Thinking about it, who could stand eating dry, tough roasted meat every day? Hopefully more of those pottery pieces would turn out successfully, so they could stew some soup.

Their after-dinner leisure time was not wasted either. The freshly skinned snake hides were torn into thin strips by the women, who copied Luo Chong and used them to tie up the children's hair. Once the hair was done, the women began weaving baskets. A full day of testing had proven that back baskets were indeed useful. Though there had been fewer people in the Gathering Team today, their harvest had actually increased. The women's enthusiasm for weaving back baskets rose by a great deal.

The moon hung high overhead. Two round moons, one large and one small, met in the sky and formed an eerie silver ring. Only moments later, they drifted apart once more.

The tribespeople in the cave were all fast asleep, Luo Chong included. After working all day, he had long since been worn out. After all, his body belonged to a ten-year-old child. But the main problem was still the lack of salt. After doing too much work, his body naturally could not take it.

The autumn wind swept fallen leaves along with it as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. Warm sunlight baked the dew blanketing the earth, raising a vast white morning mist into the air, just like Luo Chong's previous dream.

Luo Chong was already awake by then. Last night, he had not slept with the adults. Instead, he had continued sleeping in the haystack while holding the two little brats. Hugging little balls of flesh was actually quite comfortable, as long as they did not wet the bed.

The women's back baskets had all been completed. They had even exceeded the goal of one per person, so the children had each received animal hides last night. Though there was not enough for everyone to have a full set of clothes, if several children squeezed together, there was enough to use as a blanket at night.

After leaving the cave, Luo Chong first performed a set of Military Boxing. He skipped physical training and all that—without salt, he truly could not endure it. The Elder had said that other tribes had salt, so he would see whether they could trade some pottery for more.

By the time he finished the set of punches, the sun had fully climbed above the horizon and the mist had dispersed. The tribespeople emerged from the safe cave to greet another day of work, while Luo Chong went to inspect the results from the Pottery Kiln.

Lame immediately dragged the Elder over, babbling away to him in nervous gestures. Luo Chong was nervous too.

It has to work. My meat broth, my grand plan to trade for salt.

Muttering under his breath, Luo Chong touched the outer wall of the Kiln Basin. After cooling naturally for an entire night, the exterior of the Pottery Kiln was still warm. That showed the Kiln Basin's heat retention was quite good, and Luo Chong's confidence increased a little.

Under the baffled stares of the onlookers, Luo Chong lifted the earthen cover from the top of the kiln with the anticipation of smashing open a golden egg. He stuck his head over the opening and looked inside.

Heh heh, brothers, did you come here to rent a room?

Two huge snakes with black bodies and golden coin-like markings were entwined together in the Kiln Basin. Damn it, they had come here while it was still warm to rent a room.

If you break my pottery while you're getting it on, you're dead meat.

Just then, Lame made his move. With the crutch that never left his hand, he flicked the snakes out in one blow. The moment they landed outside, One-Ear and Stone killed them.

Only then did Luo Chong carefully inspect the inside of the Kiln Basin. The temperature really did seem too high. The surfaces of the pottery showed signs of melting, though it was not too serious.

Because they had not directly touched the firewood, the Pottery Bowls had taken on a vivid earthy red. The high temperature had caused their surfaces to melt slightly, but unexpectedly, they had become smooth, reflecting a faint glow in the morning light as though they had been glazed.

Lame snatched up a Pottery Bowl and let out an excited whimper. He stroked it over and over, up and down, as excited as a modern man playing with a piece of top-grade jade.

He threw aside the crutch that never left his hand, shoved through the crowd, and staggered all the way back to the cave. His nimble figure made people wonder whether his lame leg had been an act all along. Less than ten seconds later, he came running back with a bowl of water, howling as he displayed this beautiful vessel that could hold water to the tribespeople.

The tribespeople passed it around among themselves, while Lame ran back to watch Luo Chong continue pulling things out. He remembered that more than one piece had been put inside yesterday.

One piece of earthy red pottery after another emerged from the kiln, bringing shock and excitement to the tribespeople.

The four Clay Pots and four small Water Jars were thicker, so they came out perfectly. Their smooth surfaces did not have a single crack, making them a great success. Two of the four lids had cracked, perhaps because their thickness had been uneven, causing them to split during cooling. Of the eight spoons, only two were finished products. The rest had melted and stuck to the Pottery Bowls. Of the more than twenty Pottery Bowls, only twelve were usable.

This success rate was already quite high. As long as the firing time was shortened a little next time, there should be even more finished products.

Beast Tooth and Big Strength were the quickest. Each grabbed a jar and ran toward the river, returning shortly afterward with two jars of water.

Though the Elder was excited, he could still remain calm. He gestured and spoke as he asked Luo Chong how this had been made. Before Luo Chong could answer, the two little companions who had helped yesterday rushed to explain that it had been fired from earth.

But what Luo Chong cared about most was whether they could trade it for salt. He expressed the question to the Elder, who looked at him as though he were staring at a prodigal son.

Pointing at the pottery of all shapes and sizes, then at the adults and children in the tribe, he told Luo Chong in their native tongue, with such anguish that it pierced the heart, just how valuable these things were. Luo Chong was utterly stunned.

A small Water Jar could be traded for two adult women, or one adult man. A Clay Pot could be traded for one adult woman, or two boys about to come of age. A bowl could be traded for one boy about to come of age, or two girls. Even a spoon—well, the Elder did not yet know what a spoon was for, but at this rate, it could probably be traded for a little brat.

Holy shit, this was practically molding clay to create people. He was almost on par with Nuwa.

Living things all lived near water, and humans were naturally no exception. Yet containers that could hold water were exceedingly rare. Spending a lifetime grinding a single Stone Basin was commonplace. In order to obtain more containers, some tribes would not hesitate to trade people for them.

What use were more people? They only wasted food. If anyone thought that, then they were damn brain-dead.

Increasing the population consumed more food, but it also increased the amount of food they could obtain. It also increased the tribe's fighting strength, allowing them to hold greater bargaining chips in the brutal competition for survival. Those were only the most obvious benefits. There was also the fresh blood that joined them, unseen but no less important. At the very least, it could reduce the chances of children like Six-Finger being born.

How could he not trade when such a good deal was right before him? There were plenty of fish this year, and the cave was big enough. Luo Chong could afford to feed a few more people. Trade—they had to trade. Luo Chong immediately assigned the trading tasks.

Qing Shu observed the celestial phenomena last night and happened to discover that a lucky star had descended upon the world. Qing Shu guessed that the reader who cast the most votes and left the best comments must be that lucky star... Believe it or not, I believe it anyway. (////)