Leisurely Life in the Beast World - Chapter 347

“Yes, the pottery was finished firing, and I was about to take it out when these red stones were thrown into the basins and melted into liquid. I have no idea what this is,” the old beastman said regretfully, staring at the thick red liquid in the two ceramic basins.

Ji Nuan stood dumbfounded, staring at the so-called “water” in the basins.

This isn’t water. This is clearly some kind of melted metal ore.

Realizing the implications of what she was seeing, Ji Nuan quickly waved her hand to address the gathered crowd. “No one should spread the word about this. And whatever you do, do not let the beastmen from Rock Tribe hear about it. This is very important for our tribe. Understand?”

The beastmen, hearing such a serious statement from their shaman, nodded immediately without hesitation.

Exchanging glances, the crowd began to quietly disperse, refraining from any further noise or discussion.

Ji Nuan’s thoughts raced. Back in China, I once looked up the basic process of making iron tools out of curiosity. I remember watching a video where iron ore was heated in a high-temperature furnace until it glowed like a small fireball. Then, it was taken out and hammered to remove impurities.

Looking at the slightly viscous red metallic liquid in the basins, Ji Nuan wondered, Did we overheat it?

“Don’t wait any longer. Get these basins out of the kiln carefully. The liquid inside is extremely hot,” Ji Nuan directed the beastmen by the kiln.

The old beastman stepped forward, picking up a black rod from beside the kiln. Hooking it onto the edge of the basins, he carefully removed both basins from the kiln.

Ji Nuan had the basins placed in the corner of the room. “Leave them here for now. They’re too hot to handle. Let’s wait for them to cool and solidify a bit before we take a closer look.”

Seeing Ji Nuan’s serious demeanor, the old beastman instructed two others to stand guard by the basins. “This area is dangerous. Don’t let the cubs come near anymore. If one of them fell into the kiln or fire, it would be disastrous.”

The other beastmen nodded fervently, a cold sweat forming at the thought. The old beastman tapped the black rod in his hand and added, “Shaman, don’t worry. I’ll always have two beastmen guarding this area, and no one but those involved in the pottery work will be allowed in.”

Ji Nuan nodded. “Alright, then. You can go back to your work. I’ll stay here for a while.”

The old beastman glanced at Ji Nuan, who was seated on a beast hide mat, her eyes fixed intently on the basins, and then turned to leave with the other beastmen to continue their tasks.

Despite having fired a lot of pottery for the tribe, large ceramic items such as storage jars and pickling pots were still in short supply.

As time passed, the liquid in the basins gradually darkened as it cooled. Ji Nuan leaned forward and placed her hand above the basins. Though still very hot, the basins were no longer dangerously untouchable.

She turned to the two beastmen standing nearby. “Go find a very hard rock for me.”

She gestured with her arms, forming a rough circle. “About this size will do. Also, bring some of the better stone tools we have.”

The two beastmen didn’t ask any questions. Nodding, they turned and ran off to gather what Ji Nuan needed.

Their speed was impressive. Ji Nuan felt like she had only been watching the liquid in the basins cool for a short while before the two beastmen returned, carrying the requested items.

“Shaman, we’ve brought what you asked for. Is there anything else we need to do?” they asked, eager to assist.