Chapter Bonanza (5/5)

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For the beastmen, making clay cooking pots is a major undertaking.

In the past, these pots could be traded for a wealth of goods, such as food, animal hides, and salt.

If they make them well and in large quantities now, they might be able to trade the pots for food later on if things get too tough.

The Beast God Continent is so vast; they’ve only traveled from the Central Continent to the Eastern Continent and haven’t even covered it all yet. There must be places with plenty of food.

By the end of the day, the beastmen had barely finished the one they were working on.

They were all quite good; after repeated adjustments by the beastmen, the shapes were already quite suitable.

Over the next few days, they continued digging for clay and shaping the pots. Lin Qiu pitched in as well. By the time the beastmen had fully mastered the technique, the first batch of clay pots had already dried completely.

“Qiu, let’s make more—one pot per person,” said Lang Mo.

Lin Qiu: “Don’t you find that too much trouble?”

Lang Mo: “Not at all. We can trade them for food.”

The beastmen in the cave nodded.

By now, Lang An and the others had woven dozens of fish traps, and they couldn’t even lift them all every day. Seeing Lin Qiu busy over here, they pitched in to help.

Lang An was the most skilled; he picked up the technique after just one demonstration, and every clay pot he made looked like a work of art.

He said, “We really should make more.”

Lin Qiu: “There’s a little game these days. Which tribe has extra food to spare?”

“We know one!” Lang Mo exclaimed, accidentally pinching a dent into the clay bowl he was shaping.

Lin Qiu noticed his hair stand on end.

“Which one?”

“That Wild Grass Clan!”

“They’re called the Wilderness Clan,” Lang Xi said quietly.

“It’s Wild Grass!”

“Wilderness.”

The two beastmen bickered back and forth like that.

Lin Qiu was puzzled.

Lang An explained slowly, “The Wild Grass Clan is also a clan from the Central Continent. Their clan priest, Yun Du, is the most powerful priest on the Beast God Continent. He can communicate with the Beast God and cure many kinds of illnesses—even our own priests acknowledge his medical skills.”

“After food became scarce, many, many clans perished. Priest Yun Du said it was because the Beast God was angry, and only those clans that offered food to the Beast God could survive.”

“Don’t listen to his bullshit!”

Lang Mo was furious; his ears perked up, and his fur stood on end.

“He’s just tricking those clans without priests into making offerings! There’s no food to begin with, yet some clans still believe him—they tighten their belts and feed the Wilderness Clan until their bellies are so full they can’t even walk!”

“They even tried to force themselves on us before, demanding we join their clan, but the priest sent them packing,” added Lang Xi.

Lin Qiu: “It sounds like we’re sworn enemies. Can they still trade?”

Lang Mo: “The Beast God Continent is so vast; surely some clans still have them.”

Lin Qiu looked at the cave, which was nearly overflowing with clay bricks. “That should be enough.

Clay bowls, clay cooking pots, clay jars, basins—even wolf figurines casually molded by the beastmen—were all there.

The beastmen chorused, “Not enough!”

Lin Qiu: “……”

He realized the Wolf Clan beastmen always liked to be greedy.

“The first batch is ready to be fired.”

The beastmen turned their heads and set their sights on the pots, bowls, and clay cooking pots in the farthest corner—the ones meant for the cubs were about right.

Lin Qiu: “Let’s try it first and see if the kiln works.”

The beastmen nodded. Lang An suggested, “Qiu, the cave is almost full. Should we dig a new one?”

Lin Qiu: “No need to go to all that trouble. Just build a few more wooden racks—something like the ones in the Priest’s Cave will do.”

The kiln was only so big; the number of items that could be fired at once was limited.

“Then have Lang Shi and the others do it. They’re just lying around all day anyway,” Lang Mo said.

Lin Qiu: “Then let’s start by gathering dry wood and preparing for the first firing.”

Lin Qiu finished shaping the ceramic cup in his hands—a palm-sized water cup with two pointed wolf ears molded on. As soon as he set it down, the beastmen immediately looked at it, their eyes lighting up, and they already had an idea of what to make next.

Lin Qiu made himself a complete set of tableware, from dinner plates, bowls, and chopsticks to drinking cups and spoons…

It was a bit of a side project after finishing the larger pieces.

The beastmen followed his example, happily shaping their clay forms.

Lang An said, “There’s wood everywhere around here; don’t bother gathering it. This afternoon, Lang Mo and the rest of you should go to the Black Forest and bring back some good wood.”

Lang Mo agreed.

Lin Qiu still had to take his medicine, so he left as soon as the cup was finished.

The priest checked his head again, said nothing, and didn’t make him take any more medicine.

Lin Qiu pursed his lips and held his breath, not wanting to taste the bitterness in his mouth.

He’d been taking it for half a month; finally, he could stop.

That afternoon, Lin Qiu had just woken up when Lang Mo called out from the cave entrance.

“Qiu, are you coming to the Black Forest?”

Lin Qiu shifted aside, cradling the cub lying on top of him, and emerged from the grass nest.

Now Lin Qiu insisted on taking a nap every day at noon, and Lang Guo was growing increasingly confident in him, simply tossing the cub into his den to sleep alongside him.

Lin Qiu was afraid he might crush them.

Once outside the cave, Lin Qiu first went to inform Lang Guo. After watching the sub-beastman enter the cave, he asked Lang Mo, “Where is the Black Forest?”

“Over there. ”

Lang Mo pointed toward the southeast of Wolf Mountain.

From this vantage point, the forest looked dense, with nothing particularly notable.

Seeing the other beastmen of Lang Mo’s small squad heading this way, Lin Qiu said, “Wait a moment; I need to change my shoes.”

He turned and went into the cave to put on his animal-skin boots.

They were long, reaching just below the knees.

These were made from an extra piece of animal hide that Lang Yan had allowed him to take last time; Lin Qiu had retanned it and crafted a new pair.

By the time he came out wearing the boots, the beastmen had already gathered.

They were still from Lang Mo’s squad—eight of them in total.

The beastmen were very friendly toward Lin Qiu, smiling at him the moment they saw him. They also noticed the leather boots on his feet and couldn’t hide their curiosity.

“Qiu, why are you wrapping your feet?”

Lin Qiu: “There are bugs in the woods.”

The beastmen nodded. Qiu was different from them; his skin was too thin, and a single cut from a blade of grass would leave a gash.

As for bugs, they’d crush them with a single step.

The beastmen set off toward the Black Forest.

Lin Qiu wondered why the beastmen called this part of the forest by that name, but once he arrived there, he understood immediately.

This forest had recently suffered a massive fire.

It must have happened not long ago; only slender saplings had sprouted in the woods, while vast swathes of ferns covered the ground, looking quite lush.

Looking up, towering trees stood charred black, reaching tens or even dozens of meters high. Their branches and leaves had all been burned away, leaving mostly bare, gnarled trunks. Like a row of standing tombstones, they gazed silently toward the sky.

Endless rows of fire-scorched deadwood—no wonder it’s called the Black Forest.

The beastmen were clearly familiar with this place; as soon as they arrived, they immediately began selecting.

It had to be completely dead and thoroughly dried out.

The beastmen burned a lot of firewood and were quite knowledgeable in this area.

Lin Qiu followed behind, with Lang Xi standing close beside him. After standing there for a short while, Lang Xi leaned his body against a nearby tree trunk.

Lin Qiu pulled him back. “It’s dirty.”

Lang Xi grabbed a leaf, pressed it between his shoulder and the tree trunk, and said with a smile, “This way, it’s not dirty anymore.”

Lin Qiu nodded, his gaze lingering briefly on Lang Xi’s leg before quickly looking away.

Lang Xi had a large wound on his leg; though it had healed, the scar was grotesque. He also lacked strength in his leg, which was why he often clung to Lang Mo.

No matter how towering the beastmen were, they looked exceptionally small amidst this primeval forest scorched by raging flames.

Lin Qiu watched as they selected a tree as thick as a man’s waist, gave it a tap, and set to work.

The beastmen used stone axes and wolf claws to chop down the tree.

The massive black wolf scratched and gnawed at a tree—a somewhat comical sight, but it proved quite effective.

The beastmen’s claws and teeth were weapons for hunting, exceptionally sharp; a single swipe of a claw left a deep gash. 

Stone axes weren’t nearly as handy; with every swing, if they applied even a little too much force, the stone would shatter.

The beastman pulled a new one from the vine tied around his waist and continued chopping.

Lin Qiu watched the wood shavings fly, and the notch gradually grow larger.

Whatever the method, as long as it works.

Lin Qiu couldn’t help but look, though he wasn’t particularly interested in this dark forest. Seeing that Lang Xi had leaned against a tree and sat down, Lin Qiu asked, “When did this forest catch fire?”

“Last rainy season,” Lang Xi replied. He patted the fallen log beside him, motioning for Lin Qiu to sit. Lin Qiu tore off some leaves to use as a cushion and scanned the surroundings, looking for something edible.

“This happens often during the rainy season. Sometimes it burns down several mountains, sometimes just a few trees. But don’t worry—there’s a big river in front of Wolf Mountain, so it won’t spread.”

Lin Qiu nodded. In just a moment, the beastmen in the distance had pushed over the trees. In fact, the ground was littered with fallen, rotten trees, crisscrossing the landscape. Moss covered the trunks, and ferns and fungi sprouted from them. Lin Qiu’s gaze paused.

“Mushrooms?” Lang Xi followed Lin Qiu’s gaze and nodded. “White-eared mushrooms. They’re edible, but they taste pretty strange.”

“How do you eat them?”

“Raw.”

Lin Qiu stood up. Seeing that the beastmen had already begun cutting up the dead trees, he picked some long-stemmed leaves and quickly wove a simple basket.

“I’ll go gather some.”

“I’ll help you.”

The wolf beastmen didn’t like the taste of white-eared mushrooms; they always found it a bit musty. But he believed that Qiu would make it taste good. 

The beastmen called them white-eared mushrooms, a name derived from their color and shape. It was actually a cluster of oyster mushrooms, growing extremely densely. After breaking off a clump, Lin Qiu had to hold it with both hands. 

Lang Xi: “Qiu! There’s plenty over here.”

The beastmen chopping wood saw the white-eared mushrooms Lin Qiu was holding and knew there would be another tasty meal coming; one by one, they chopped with even more vigor. 

By the time Lin Qiu had filled four baskets with various mushrooms—not wide varieties, but Lang Xi said they were all edible—he kept them all.

Once the beastmen had finished chopping the firewood, they piled it all at the edge of the Black Forest. They were all solid logs; even when dry, they were still quite heavy. It was nearly dark, and they could no longer stay in the woods.

“Woof—”

A loud wolf howl echoed from the direction of Wolf Mountain. Lin Qiu recognized the call: the hunting party had returned and was summoning them home for dinner.

“Woof-woof!” 

The gray wolf waiting here to load the wood onto Lang Mo’s back raised its head to answer. The truth was, a few beastmen simply couldn’t carry all that wood back. Lin Qiu was carrying baskets in both hands, but he still felt a backpack would be better. The rattan baskets woven by the gathering party—the kind slung diagonally across the front—tended to dig into his shoulders and cause pain.‌

They still didn’t have enough tools. The wood was hard to carry, so the beastmen were used to shifting into their beast forms to carry more. But even if they secured the wood with vines, it would still roll off.

If only they had a cart…