Slipping Away

Ever since he had been summoned here, Zhou Xu had been busy working for the survival and development of the tribe whenever he was awake. He truly had not wasted even a second.

With barely enough food to eat, life had been more than a little too fulfilling for Zhou Xu.

[Mm, this should be about ready. We can start trying to fire pottery.]

As he studied the small clay bowls laid out to dry, Zhou Xu had no real experience to draw on. He could only rely on instinct. Things like this required constant trial and error before they could slowly succeed.

"Go bring over some firewood."

There was no need for further explanation. Zhou Xu was preparing to fire the kiln.

"Butterfly, come help."

Hearing the summons, Butterfly said nothing. She set down the stone axe she had just finished polishing and ran over.

After going through the business with the stone axe, Zhou Xu had summed up some experience.

When facing things that neither he nor Butterfly and the others were very good at, he could completely trust Butterfly's deft hands a little more. If she researched it herself, she might well do a better job than he could.

Butterfly clearly understood that another task was about to be added to the handicraft team's workload.

Butterfly did not say anything, but Zhou Xu knew that the handicraft team's workload was indeed rather heavy. There were simply too many things in the tribe that needed them.

But there was no helping it. Doing these things required at least a little talent, and those who were clumsy had a hard time doing them well.

Because of that, Zhou Xu could only reduce their workload from other angles.

For example, from the very beginning, two people had been specially assigned to help the handicraft team strip bark and twist fine cord.

Now, after Zhou Xu's adjustments, he had increased the number of people responsible for helping with miscellaneous work in this area to five.

Tasks such as sorting stones and moving things were all handed over to these five miscellaneous workers.

Including the five members of the handicraft team, nearly one-third of their entire tribe was already gathered here.

At that moment, Zhou Xu was introducing the kiln to Butterfly.

He had built it by copying the design of an old kiln he had seen online while researching teacups in the past.

However, conditions were limited, so it had not been built very well. He was aware of that himself.

"This kiln is roughly divided into two areas. I built a platform here, and the bowls go on this side. This side is where we put the firewood."

As he spoke, Zhou Xu began placing the air-dried clay bowls inside the kiln.

Seeing this, Butterfly did not need Zhou Xu to say anything more. Drawing on the experience she had accumulated over the past two days, she naturally stepped forward to lend a hand.

Once they lit the fire, the kiln quickly began to burn.

After adding enough firewood and getting the flames roaring, Zhou Xu picked up the stones prepared nearby and blocked the kiln mouth. He then smeared mud into the gaps between the stones to seal the kiln and ensure a stable internal temperature.

He left only a small opening at the very top of the kiln mouth so they could check the fire and add more firewood when necessary.

"Find someone to watch this kiln around the clock. Fire it for three days first, then we'll see."

This was a time frame he had decided on long ago.

Based on the tiny bit of knowledge he had accumulated from playing around with teacups in the past, modern cup firing was generally divided into electric firing and wood firing.

Electric firing, in plain terms, relied on equipment. Its advantages were stability and high efficiency, with a batch generally finished in a dozen or so hours.

Wood firing was what was commonly called the traditional method. Its yield and efficiency were both inferior to electric firing, so it often required more time and effort.

He had zero practical experience with this. For his first attempt, he had already prepared himself for failure.

After arranging matters here, Zhou Xu sat down nearby, twisting bark cord as he tinkered with something new.

There was no need to explain. He was preparing to deal with that giant spider next.

When facing such a dangerous behemoth, what was the first thing Zhou Xu, a human, thought of under these limited conditions?

That was, of course, a ranged weapon!

He could kill the giant through long-range attacks while ensuring his own safety.

And when it came to ranged weapons, in this cold-weapon age, the first thing that naturally came to mind was a bow and arrow.

But even an idiot knew he could not make one right now.

Even if he managed to cobble one together, he could not guarantee the arrows' power or range. What use would such limp, feeble arrows be?

With that as the premise, in this primitive society, what simple-to-make ranged weapon could offer enough value besides a bow and arrow?

The answer was obvious: a sling!

As luck would have it, the hides they had saved from eating rats over the past two days were just the right size.

Using those hides and bark cord of a suitable thickness, Zhou Xu quickly made a sling.

In fact, to increase the attack range and stability, the stones would ideally be polished as well.

But where would they find the time for that right now?

For now, they would make do with stones of a suitable size.

Carrying the stones and the freshly made sling, Zhou Xu went outside the tribe, found a spacious area, and began testing it.

Using the centrifugal force generated by rapid rotation, he easily got the rat-hide pouch to whirl at high speed after two attempts.

Then, after lining up his target, he swung his arm! The stone projectile immediately shot out in a long parabola.

By his estimate, it had flown some fifty or sixty meters before landing. Zhou Xu was quite satisfied with the result.

This was his first time using it, so there were certainly many places where his technique had fallen short. With a little more practice, he should be able to do even better.

However, considering the environment of the Black Forest, they actually did not need such a long attack range.

Of course, he had thought about luring the giant spider out of the Black Forest and attacking it in the open Desolate Land.

But would fighting in the open Desolate Land really be a good thing for them?

Those black trees were indeed obstacles when they launched ranged attacks, but conversely, when the giant spider attacked, they could also serve as cover for them to hide behind.

Just as he was pondering this, the gathering team led by Dashan returned.

"Dashan, you came back at just the right time. Come try this new weapon."

Dashan had been feeling stifled because of what happened that morning. As soon as he heard there was a new weapon, his eyes lit up, and he hurried to Zhou Xu in two strides.

Without wasting words, Zhou Xu immediately explained how to use it.

The thing itself was not difficult. After listening, Dashan did not even need to try it before picking it up with ease.

Perhaps the Weapon Master talent was at work. With a single swing, he immediately broke Zhou Xu's previous record.

Fortunately, no one had noticed the distance of his throw, and Dashan himself had no idea how well he had done. He merely looked toward Zhou Xu with a slightly apprehensive expression.

Faced with this, Zhou Xu coughed twice and gave Dashan a few appropriate pats on the shoulder.

"Considering this was your first time using it, that was pretty good. Bring a few people from your team and practice more whenever you have time. This weapon will definitely come in handy later!"

"Rest assured, Chief. I'll make sure everyone practices hard!"

"Mm. Keep up this state. I have high hopes for you!"

[I'm slipping away, I'm slipping away...]

The update is here. Also, thanks to the reader 'Dudu Bird Afraid of Heights' for the tip!