"Idiots, stop pumping the bellows!"
Ma Yuan bellowed, warning the others at the same time.
After shouting, he hurriedly glanced at the Clay Figure Monster. It didn't seem to be planning to punish him for what he'd said, which put him at ease.
"Right! Right! We can do that!"
18D suddenly understood.
Everyone stopped and rubbed their aching arms, finally able to catch their breath.
But less than two minutes later, the Clay Figure Monster spoke again.
"Lower the heat!"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
They'd already stopped pumping the bellows. How were they supposed to lower the heat now?
There was another answer: rake out the charcoal. Less charcoal meant weaker flames. But the problem was...
That stuff was scorching hot!
Lin Baici looked at the glowing furnace and picked up the Pine Torch, planning to use it like a poker.
[These furnaces burn fiercely. Anything thrown inside other than the fire tender will be reduced to ash.]
The God of Gluttony warned him.
Lin Baici frowned deeply. Did that mean...
I have to use my bare hands?
"Baici, hurry up and get the charcoal out. When you're done with that Torch, let me borrow it!"
Ma Yuan urged him on.
"If you use the Torch or anything else, you'll die!"
Lin Baici warned him.
"Huh? Then what are we supposed to use?"
Ma Yuan thought Lin Baici was being overly cautious.
"Our hands!"
Lin Baici glanced at his left hand, wrapped in a thick layer of Red Clay, then swiftly and decisively reached into the furnace.
Whoosh!
Lin Baici hooked his index and middle fingers around a piece of charcoal and yanked hard.
Clack!
The charcoal was pulled out of the furnace and dropped onto the muddy ground.
"Holy crap!"
Ma Yuan gaped. Did he really have to be that reckless?
He had a Torch, but just because there was a possibility of danger, he wouldn't use it. He was taking the charcoal out with his bare hand?
What a tough bastard!
A real tough bastard!
Ma Yuan figured that in two or three years, this Male Student would be a household name among God Hunters!
"Not bad. It doesn't burn!"
Lin Baici curled his lip. "You all hurry up and take some out, too!"
"I think Xiao Bai's concern makes sense!"
Xia Hongyao said, then reached in for the charcoal.
With her exceptional physical abilities and National Martial Arts training, her movements were so swift and nimble that even Lin Baici could barely follow them.
No wonder she was a Strength Speed Double A High Ponytail!
"Mm, it really doesn't hurt. Looks like coating our hands with Red Clay was the right call!"
Xia Hongyao let out a relieved breath. Without that layer of Red Clay, her whole hand would have been burned.
When 18D saw Ma Yuan take out the charcoal and lower the heat, he gritted his teeth and reached into the furnace, raking out a piece himself.
"Hey? I'm not hurt!"
Seeing that his left hand was fine, 18D was overjoyed, as if he'd just gotten something for free. "Brother Lin, your predictions are incredible!"
The others immediately ran toward the Mud Pond, hoping to coat themselves in Red Clay.
[Anyone who fails to lower the heat by removing charcoal within five seconds will be deemed to have failed!]
[Those who fail will die!]
The Clay Figure Monster announced.
Everyone froze at its words, their faces instantly draining of color.
They didn't have enough time to reach the Mud Pond, let alone coat themselves in mud.
The watching travelers were afraid, but also relieved they weren't among the first group.
Quite a few of them even ran toward the Mud Pond and began smearing mud over themselves, just in case there wasn't time later.
The Douyin Middle-aged Woman was afraid of dying. She still wanted to play mahjong every day, dance in the square, and collect free eggs at the supermarket. So she shouted and stuck her hand into the furnace, raking out a piece of charcoal.
"Ah!"
The Douyin Middle-aged Woman screamed. Her entire hand had turned red from the heat, especially the three fingers that had touched the glowing charcoal. They were covered in blisters the size of grapes.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
The Douyin Middle-aged Woman cursed, hopping up and down in pain.
"Hurry and coat yourself in mud from the Mud Pond!"
Xia Hongyao called out.
The Douyin Middle-aged Woman took off running.
"Quick, there's hardly any time left!"
Xia Hongyao urged her on.
"Damn it, here goes!"
The female attendant steeled herself and was just about to reach into the furnace when flames suddenly erupted all over her body.
The Clay Figure she'd made in the kiln had been set alight because it had cooled too slowly.
Any harm done to a Clay Figure was fully inflicted on its maker.
"Ah!"
The female attendant writhed on the ground in agony.
Her red uniform, hair, and shoes were all on fire.
The other three Unlucky Ones had no time to remove the charcoal either. They all caught fire, turning into human-shaped torches as they ran around and rolled about in panic.
But before long, they were lying motionless on the ground.
Seeing their charred, smoking bodies, the Douyin Middle-aged Woman suddenly felt that the blisters on her hand weren't quite so painful after all.
"Remove charcoal and lower the heat!"
The Clay Figure Monster spoke.
With their previous experience, everyone was calmer this time. The Douyin Middle-aged Woman was the only one suffering, yelping in pain from her burns.
"Add charcoal! Pump the bellows!"
The Clay Figure Monster clearly didn't want the travelers sitting idle.
18D and the others scrambled to pick up the charcoal. Just as they were about to toss it into the furnace, Lin Baici stopped them.
"Wait. Use New Charcoal, not these pieces that have already burned!"
Lin Baici reminded them.
Ma Yuan understood at once. Lin Baici was worried that if they didn't need to remove charcoal and lower the heat next time, a piece of charcoal that had already burned wouldn't produce as much heat as a fresh piece.
That could cause a discrepancy and make the Clay Figures turn out badly—or even fail to fire properly.
"This kid's got nerves of steel!"
Ma Yuan marveled.
This was Rule Pollution, where death could come at any moment, yet Lin Baici could still think calmly. He was incredible.
Another twenty minutes passed. After a series of complicated, hectic tasks, the fourth firing stage finally ended.
"Remove the charcoal!"
"Put out the fire!"
"Open the kilns!"
The Clay Figure Monster's voice rang out melodiously.
"I survived! I survived!"
The Douyin Middle-aged Woman burst into tears of joy, but her expression soon twisted into a grimace of pain.
She was soaked in sweat from head to toe, as if she'd just been pulled from the water. Her entire left arm was badly burned, covered in densely packed blisters the size of grapes. It looked revolting.
After the five of them pulled the glowing pieces of charcoal out, the kiln opening went BANG—
And opened!
A wave of heat and sparks burst out.
"Take out the Clay Figures!"
The Clay Figure Monster urged them on.
The furnace was scorching hot, but they had no choice. They could only take the Clay Figures out with their bare hands.
Thankfully, the Red Clay from the Mud Pond had insulating properties, so the four of them wouldn't be burned. But the Douyin Middle-aged Woman was out of luck.
If she reached in with that arm, it would be ruined. So she immediately ran to the Red Clay Mud Pond to coat her arm in mud.
As she ran, the Douyin Middle-aged Woman kept her eyes on the Clay Figure Monster.
If it didn't allow her, she would stop at once.
But this time, she was lucky. The Clay Figure Monster didn't stop her.
The four of them took out their Clay Figures.
[That self-important lowly creature is doomed. The residents whose sleep has been disturbed over the years by the music she played while dancing in the square can finally crack open the champagne!]
After coating herself in a thick layer of Red Clay, the Douyin Middle-aged Woman ran back to the kiln. Gritting her teeth and bearing the pain, she reached her arm into the kiln and grabbed for her Clay Figure.
The next instant, the Clay Figure suddenly moved. It grabbed the Douyin Middle-aged Woman by the wrist and yanked her back!
That was what happened when you didn't take your Clay Figure out right away.
"Ah!"
As the Douyin Middle-aged Woman screamed, she was dragged into the kiln. Her agonized screams and cries for help followed.
The travelers on the Earth Platform were all pale with fear.
Gulp!
18D swallowed nervously as he stared at the Clay Figure belonging to him, which lay on the ground.
The Clay Figure Monster raised its right arm, then lowered it horizontally in front of itself.
"The people to the left of my arm will be the second batch. Your trial begins now. Pick up your Clay Figures and wait in front of a kiln!"
The selected Unlucky Ones looked dejected. They cursed and complained, but there was nothing they could do. They had no choice but to follow the Clay Figure Monster's instructions.
With Lin Baici and the others as examples, they had some experience now. They rushed to claim kilns near the edge of the Mud Pond, shoving and arguing over them.
A kiln in a good spot could improve their odds of survival, so nobody bothered with gentlemanly behavior. Some even came to blows.
Some travelers ran into the Mud Pond again and scooped up the wet mud to smear over themselves.
"Open the kilns!"
"Clay Figures, enter the kilns!"
The travelers' Clay Figures immediately sprang into action, jumping into the nearest kilns.
Some people who were still in the Mud Pond smearing themselves with mud heard the command and hurried back. They still had their Clay Figures in their hands, but it was too late.
"Light the fires!"
At the Clay Figure Monster's command, the kiln lids slammed shut, and the charcoal inside ignited.
The Clay Figures that hadn't made it into the kilns developed cracks in an instant, then shattered with a series of brittle snaps.
Their owners couldn't even cry for help before they shattered into pieces, just like their Clay Figures, and died where they stood.
Scarlet blood flowed across the Earth Platform, dampening the soil.
"Thirty-six dead!"
Ma Yuan sighed. Most of the dead were women. They'd only thought about coating themselves in Red Clay to avoid getting burned. As for the kilns, they'd assumed they were too small and weak to fight for one, so they'd planned to just pick whichever kiln they could.
But hadn't they considered whether the Clay Figure Monster would give them enough time to reach a kiln?
The Clay Figure Monster began issuing instructions.
Every traveler did their best to follow them perfectly.
They were mentally prepared now, so they didn't hesitate when it came time to remove the charcoal. With Red Clay on their arms, they only felt some warmth and weren't burned.
That reassured them.
They could survive!
Every traveler's eyes were filled with hope.
Lin Baici checked the Rolex on his wrist against the Clay Figure Monster's commands.
"Why do you keep looking at your watch?"
18D asked worriedly. "Is something wrong?"
"No!"
Lin Baici answered, his brow furrowing.
Something was wrong.
It was time to remove the charcoal and lower the heat, so why hadn't the Clay Figure Monster given the command?
Lin Baici looked up at the people standing in front of the kilns, listening intently and waiting for the Clay Figure Monster's instructions.
If this went on,
They would all die!
"It's time to remove the charcoal!"
Lin Baici shouted, keeping his eyes on the Clay Figure Monster. If it didn't allow him to speak, he would shut up immediately.
Before you continue