Add Charcoal! Add Charcoal! Add Charcoal!

[The muddy and damp red clay in the mud pond has the effect of isolating high temperatures. If you make Beggars Chicken with it, it won't cook properly.]

God of Gluttony's review.

Hearing this, Lin Baici's brow twitched.

Beggars Chicken, he knew, was made by cleaning and preparing a chicken, smearing it with grease and seasoning, wrapping it in lotus leaves and yellow mud, and then roasting it in a fire pile.

Recalling the way Song Li and the others died, Lin Baici immediately rushed towards the mud pond.

Splash!

Lin Baici made a dive, like jumping into water, and landed in the mud pond. He then began to roll around, getting covered in mud.

Even then, he wasn't satisfied. He started scooping up red clay and smearing it on his body, preparing to apply a layer.

"Brother Lin, what are you..."

18D was dumbfounded.

Lin Baici wasn't scared crazy.

"What are you waiting for? Come over and smear mud on yourselves, the thicker the better!"

Lin Baici urged.

No wonder the God of Gluttony had him choose a kiln near the mud pond. So that's what he meant.

Xia Hongyao strode forward with her long legs. After reaching the edge of the platform, she made a leap and jumped into the mud pond. After rolling around a few times, she grabbed a handful of red clay and smeared it on her face.

This girl with a high ponytail was very beautiful. Normally, ordinary girls would be repulsed by such a thing that damaged their image, but Xia Hongyao was having a blast.

She was like a Husky!

Hmm!

In terms of intelligence, Xia Hongyao was only slightly smarter than a Husky, perhaps?

Seeing this scene, Ma Yuan made up his mind.

Follow him!

With the meticulous thought and caution Lin Baici had displayed, how could he take risks?

Even if he did, He would have some confidence!

Follow him!

Victory is assured!

Ma Yuan picked up the clay figure and ran towards the mud pond, rolling like a wild boar to cover himself in mud.

The Clay Figure Monster looked at the four people expressionlessly, then its gaze fell on Lin Baici. Its lips curled, revealing a playful smile.

"Are there any more apprentices who want to step out?"

The Clay Figure Monster scanned the entire area.

The Man with Glasses looked at his wife's corpse, at her swollen belly. He held back, and held back again, but couldn't.

"Fuck you, OO!"

The Man with Glasses roared and charged madly at the Clay Figure Monster.

He had gone mad.

The Clay Figure Monster stood there, motionless. When the Man with Glasses ran over, it casually swung its large hand, slapping the Man with Glasses on the head.

Bang!

The Man with Glasses' skull shattered. Blood, Flesh, and Brain Matter, along with Bone Fragments, sprayed out in a radiating pattern.

Thud!

The corpse fell to the ground.

"Who else wants to challenge me?"

The Clay Figure Monster asked, casually flicking the Meat Scraps off its hand.

Killing someone was easier than swatting a fly for it.

No one responded. When the Clay Figure Monster's gaze fell upon them, they all lowered their heads, not daring to meet its eyes.

[What a bunch of useless trash. You can't seize the opportunities given to you. Ingredients like this are too low-end, even dogs wouldn't eat them!]

The God of Gluttony scorned.

"The first batch of apprentices was too small, not enough. Since you won't volunteer, I will select!"

The Clay Figure Monster pointed at random.

You! You! You!

It pointed at six people, making a total of ten.

Lin Baici took a look and recognized one of them – it was the middle-aged woman who had been playing Douyin loudly on the train.

"Yo, this attendant is quite pretty. Too bad she's about to be roasted into charcoal!"

God of Gluttony lamented, "Otherwise, steamed would be delicious!"

Among the six people, there was a woman, about twenty years old. She wore a red skirt on her lower body, a white short-sleeved shirt on top, and a red vest over it.

Her black stockings were torn in many places and covered in mud, and she had lost one of her low-heeled black leather shoes.

This was the uniform of a high-speed train attendant!

"You guys, hurry up and go to the mud pond to cover yourselves with mud!"

Xia Hongyao urged.

"Quickly choose a kiln. Ten seconds later, the assessment begins!"

The Clay Figure Monster urged and began the countdown.

At this point, the six people had no time to go. No matter how unwilling they were, they could only pick up the clay figures they had made and hastily find a kiln.

"Choose one close to the mud pond."

Lin Baici shouted, but no one listened.

The Clay Figure Monster's countdown was fast, making them panic, like helpless sheep being chased by hungry wolves. They all chose the kiln closest to themselves.

"You ten people, listen to my explanation and follow it strictly."

The Clay Figure Monster warned, "I will only say it once!"

The six people had no time to go elsewhere and listened attentively.

18D's nerves also tensed up, and he pricked up his ears.

"Heh heh!"

Lin Baici curled his lips. This old man has Eidetic Memory. As long as you say it once, I can memorize it and won't forget it for at least three years.

"Open the kiln!"

"Enter Kiln!"

The passengers didn't have to do it themselves. As the Clay Figure Monster announced, the clay figures they had made moved on their own, walked to the front of the kilns, and then jumped in.

"Ignite!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The charcoal in the furnace began to burn.

These charcoal pieces were palm-sized and an inch thick, with a very regular shape.

"Bellows to Raise Temperature!"

After the Clay Figure Monster finished shouting this fourth sentence, it fell silent.

The Passengers stared at it, muttering the four processes under their breath.

Lin Baici, meanwhile, observed the condition of the kiln.

Didn't it say "Bellows to Raise Temperature"?

Why was there no movement?

The next moment, Lin Baici understood. At this stage, he needed to operate it himself.

He immediately squatted down at the mouth of the furnace, gripped the handle of the bellows with his right hand, and pulled it with all his might.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Air was blown into the furnace, and the flames inside immediately surged, burning the charcoal even more fiercely.

Ma Yuan and Xia Hongyao reacted and also quickly pulled the bellows.

"Brother Lin, are you sure this step is correct?"

18D was worried and wanted to wait a bit longer, to see if the Clay Figure Monster had any new commands.

"I'm not sure."

Lin Baici didn't speak definitively. What if they made a mistake?

The other six people also started operating.

However, the Attendant was clearly a girl from a big city. She had never seen a tool like bellows, which were only found in remote rural areas. For a moment, she held it, completely bewildered.

Fortunately, her adaptability was quite good. After seeing how Lin Baici and the others used it, she also gritted her teeth and began to pull the bellows with all her might.

"Add Charcoal!"

The Clay Figure Monster commanded.

Beside the kiln, quite a lot of black charcoal was piled up. Everyone immediately grabbed a piece and threw it into the furnace.

Some black charcoal ash got on their hands, but no one cared about these trivial matters.

"How much should I add?"

18D threw in seven or eight pieces in one go before looking up. Seeing that the Clay Figure Monster hadn't spoken, he asked Lin Baici.

"I don't know!"

Lin Baici only added one piece of charcoal.

Although he didn't understand Clay Figure Firing, this kind of work was like Porcelain Firing, requiring strict control over the heat. So, he didn't rashly add more.

Besides, he was waiting for the God of Gluttony's critique, but the Mysterious Voice hadn't spoken.

"There were ten pieces of charcoal in the furnace at the beginning. How about we add ten more?"

Ma Yuan suggested.

The ten Passengers didn't need to worry, because the Clay Figure Monster spoke again.

"Add three pieces of charcoal!"

A clear instruction.

Everyone immediately threw in two more pieces of charcoal.

But 18D, Douyin Middle-aged Woman, and two other Passengers were dumbfounded. They had just thrown in several pieces all at once.

"Brother Lin, what should I do?"

18D cried anxiously.

"Add three more pieces, it should be fine, right?"

Douyin Middle-aged Woman's voice trembled.

"Do you think that's possible?"

Ma Yuan was speechless. This step was obvious. If they didn't follow the Clay Figure Monster's instructions, they definitely wouldn't be able to fire the clay figures.

"Then what should we do?"

Douyin Middle-aged Woman cried anxiously.

"Pull out the charcoal!"

Lin Baici's expression was solemn.

"Ah?"

Douyin Middle-aged Woman and 18D immediately looked around, but they couldn't find any tools to pull the charcoal out of the furnace.

"There are no fire pokers or shovels here either?"

18D complained.

There wasn't even a blade of grass on the red clay platform, let alone any other vegetation. 18D couldn't even break off a branch to use as a poker.

"Use your hands!"

Lin Baici knew this answer was cruel, but it was the only way.

"What?"

18D, the Douyin Middle-aged Woman, and the other two Passengers who had added extra charcoal were stunned.

Use their hands?

They looked at the furnace, where flames were raging. If they put their hands in there, would they still have them?

"There are no tools, so you have to use your hands. And you don't have much time to hesitate!"

Ma Yuan chimed in, "Because you added too much charcoal, the heat intensity is different from others, which will definitely cause problems with the clay figures you're making!"

The four of them looked panicked.

"Brother Lin..."

18D looked at Lin Baici, his face full of pleading, "Think of a way!"

"There's no other way!"

Lin Baici shook his head.

"Damn it, why didn't this guy say clearly when he mentioned adding charcoal earlier?"

The Douyin Middle-aged Woman cursed, but it was useless.

"Did I tell you to stop fanning?"

The Clay Figure Monster questioned.

Everyone was startled and quickly pulled the bellows.

"Add charcoal!"

"Three pieces!"

The Clay Figure Monster spoke again.

Lin Baici and the other five quickly grabbed charcoal and threw it into the furnace.

"I... I added six pieces just now. So I don't need to take any charcoal out, right?"

The Douyin Middle-aged Woman asked, surprised and delighted.

18D's face was pale. He needed to take out a piece, to match the quantity the Clay Figure Monster had mentioned!

[Four self-righteous fools. At this point, hesitation is impossible. It's too late for them to fix anything. The difference in firepower has already reduced the success rate of the clay figures being fired to seventy percent!]

The God of Gluttony sneered.

Seventy percent seemed high!

But they had to remember, the firing process had only just begun, and there were still many steps to go!

"If you want to live, follow this monster's instructions strictly. 18D, you'd better hurry up and take out the excess charcoal!"

Lin Baici warned.

18D stared at the furnace, illuminated orange-red by the flames, and couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Add charcoal!"

The Clay Figure Monster spoke again.

"Add charcoal!"

"Add charcoal!"

Within a quarter of an hour, the Clay Figure Monster had called for adding charcoal three times, and had not stopped the bellows, so Lin Baici and the other nine people worked hard, pulling the bellows.

After absorbing the Meteorite Stone and God's Remains at Longchan Temple, Lin Baici's physique had strengthened, and he could still handle this strenuous labor. Xia Hongyao and Ma Yuan were also fine, but the others were suffering.

Especially the delicate Attendant and the Middle-aged Woman, who took turns pulling the bellows with both hands, yet their arms still ached terribly.

"If this were a competition for square dancing, I'd take first place!"

The Middle-aged Woman grumbled.

Just as everyone was about to collapse, new instructions arrived.

"Reduce firepower!"

18D cried, like a student who, looking at their final exam paper, found they couldn't even answer the simplest bonus questions.

"How do we reduce it? We can't just dig out the charcoal from the furnace, can we?"