TPWBI Chapter 48

The weather gradually became hot. The thick quilts had basically all been put away, and just a wool blanket or a coral fleece quilt was enough to resist the chill of the night.

During the day, everyone’s clothing had also changed into short skirts, with their upper bodies bare. Some women would make a bit of decoration on their chests, not to cover themselves out of shame, but simply for beauty’s sake.

No one felt that exposing their bodies was something shameful. Everyone was very open and natural about it.

When they saw Yang Yi always wrapping himself up tightly from head to toe, they only thought that he simply liked such a special style of dress, and wouldn’t think of anything else.

Ever since the large harvest of wool, wool blankets had gradually taken over the main role from coral fleece blankets.

Although for now they were only plain white, far less bright and beautiful than coral fleece blankets, they were just as light and warm.

And besides, snow-white had its own unique kind of beauty. More importantly, these were made by their own hands, unlike the coral fleece blankets, where they always had to worry that one day the gods might take them away.

Yang Yi keenly noticed that ever since the appearance of wool blankets, coral fleece blankets had started to gradually lose their color, becoming dimmer and thinner, their rate of wear far greater than that of normal coral fleece blankets.

At this rate, by next year, they likely wouldn’t be usable anymore.

The people in the tribe clearly noticed this as well. They more deeply understood the sentence that Yang Yi always emphasized, that one day the gods would take back all the things he had brought.

They became even more active in using wool to make blankets and clothes, not wanting to fall into the cold again once these things disappeared next year.

Cai Yun led the members of the wool-products group in actively developing the uses of wool. The wool blankets were something they had researched together, based on the illustrated books Yang Yi had given them.

At present, everything was still purely handmade. Although the efficiency was a bit low, the finished products were extremely exquisite and beautiful.

In just a short time, their skills had already reached a very high level.

Now, Cai Yun not only had excellent craftsmanship, but also, because she loved to study, she constantly pored over materials, making her one of the most outstanding in literacy within the tribe.

She was even working together with the carpentry group to research how to make tools, to use them to improve efficiency.

All of this was their own initiative. Before Yang Yi even had time to intervene, they already knew what they should do, saving him a great deal of worry.

This was also thanks to the tools Yang Yi had always advocated and provided, which let everyone see firsthand the convenience brought by good tools, making them feel the importance of tools all the more deeply.

As long as they grasped the techniques and understood how things should be done, they would actively think of ways to make use of tools to improve efficiency.

Not only did they eagerly read books, but they also made adjustments according to real circumstances.

Although most people’s ideas were still somewhat childish or fanciful, this kind of atmosphere allowed everyone to make rapid progress.

“Divine Envoy! Divine Envoy!”

Mao’s cheerful voice came. Just as Yang Yi looked up, the little one had already darted to his side.

Yang Yi rubbed his sore eyes and set aside the work in his hands for the moment.

“What is it…”

“Ah! Little White, stop messing around! I’m here to see the Divine Envoy!”

The sleeping Little White was awakened and immediately pounced toward Mao, making Mao dart around left and right, crying out for mercy all the while.

But Little White ignored him, still roughhousing with Mao just like always.

While dodging, Mao shouted, “Divine Envoy, the chief brought back a great gift for you! Hurry and go to the new temple of the gods… Ah! Damn, Little White, I said truce, and you’re still at it! Just wait, I’ll strip all your feathers off!”

Saying this, the boy and the goose, perfectly in sync, dashed out of the house and started a new round of scuffling.

Scenes like this played out almost every day. Yang Yi was already used to them.

Sometimes, when Mao had to accompany Lan Jian and didn’t come, Yang Yi even felt that the quiet around his ears was a bit unaccustomed.

At those times, Little White also seemed to lose some of his appetite, eating noticeably less than usual. Though, of course, that might also have been because he wasn’t burning off as much energy.

A gift from Hei Lie?

Why did he have to go to the temple of the gods? What kind of trick was that man pulling?

With doubts in his mind, Yang Yi made his way toward the new temple. From a distance, he could already see that many people had gathered there, the place bustling with excitement.

As soon as he appeared, the crowd very naturally parted to open up a path for him.

Everyone’s eyes were sparkling bright, filled with excitement, leaving Yang Yi even more puzzled.

“What’s with all this big fuss?” Yang Yi walked up to Hei Lie. “What gift?”

“It’s right in front of you. Just lift the straw mat on top and you’ll see.” Hei Lie grinned, his big white teeth shining brilliantly.

It was obvious that Hei Lie was in high spirits, his eyes glittering.

Yang Yi had also noticed this big thing earlier. He curiously lifted the straw mat to see what exactly Hei Lie had been acting all mysterious about.

“……”

“So? Do you like it? I promised you before, remember?”

The corner of Yang Yi’s mouth twitched. He really didn’t know what kind of reaction he should give.

It was a truly massive iron pot, with a diameter of four to five meters, looking extremely heavy and sturdy.

Yang Yi hadn’t had much of a concrete sense of the quality of iron before. But seeing this pot, he could clearly feel that it was much better than the iron pots he had brought with him.

But… could this really be considered a gift for him?

Seriously, even if he cooked one pot of food in it, they’d still be eating for months!

And yet the person in question looked extremely proud and smug about it, leaving Yang Yi completely at a loss for how to describe his feelings.

Of course, more than anything, he was happy.

Their tribe finally had ironware of their own!

After the ironworks had been established, production quickly began.

The iron ore was successfully smelted into molten iron. There were no signs of damage to the equipment, which made Yang Yi breathe a genuine sigh of relief.

Even though he had carefully checked everything before production to ensure there were no assembly errors, he couldn’t help but worry in his heart.

He hadn’t expected the first batch of ironware to be produced so quickly, and even more so that it would be such a gigantic pot.

The larger the object, the higher the technical requirements. And a good pot wasn’t just a matter of pouring molten iron into a mold to shape it and calling it done.

It still required countless hammerings and tempering before a good handmade pot could be forged. Only then would it be durable and long-lasting.

Looking at it now, even though this was their first time making ironware, they had already grasped the technique.

Yang Yi stroked the iron pot, his gaze changing, now filled with the same excitement that shone in everyone else’s eyes.

“This is a historic leap forward!”

Hei Lie’s smile deepened. “Very soon, we will be able to create more weapons. They will be far more lethal than the ones we currently have! By that time, our tribe will truly fear nothing.”

Yang Yi looked at him in surprise. Even though they had used modern technology and equipment to smelt iron, what came out was still fairly crude ironware, without any alloying or refining.

By all reasoning, their iron tools should still not compare to the ones he had brought with him.

But Hei Lie was not one to speak empty words. He had great respect for the things Yang Yi had brought, so for him to say this absolutely wasn’t exaggeration.

“These irons are different from the ones you brought. They’re harder, and their quality is better suited for making weapons.”

When the people heard this, they all broke into cheers.

“I thought that once the things the Divine Envoy brought disappeared, we’d return to how we used to be. Heaven knows how much I love the metal weapons granted by the Divine Envoy. But now we don’t have to worry anymore!”

Yang Yi was utterly astonished. Plants and animals being different was one thing, but now even metals were different from those on Earth?

Thinking of the natural cement, Yang Yi felt relieved.

In this world, whether humans or animals, everything was fiercer. Naturally, other materials, too, were of different quality compared to those on Earth. Now, it just so happened that metals had joined that list.

The tools Yang Yi had brought earlier had indeed greatly enhanced both their fighting power and their efficiency in labor and production.

But at the same time, he also realized that in the hands of these people, even without the restriction of the so-called transmigration god, the damage rate of these tools was still too high. They would soon be worn out and discarded.

This was also related to the environment here. Just handling a single prey—if Yang Yi himself were the one doing it—would basically require him to sharpen his knife after each use.

The locals fared much better, but even so, the wear rate was still very high. This was related to their strength, the way they used things, and their targets.

Yang Yi wasn’t too clear about the exact conditions of tool use back on Earth, but he could still feel that the rate of wear here must be much higher than normal.

The transmigration god had never clearly stated how long the items taken from the space would last. Only that it would not exceed three years.

This filled Yang Yi with a strong sense of crisis. Now that they finally had ironware, he could finally put his mind at ease. The iron here was sturdier and more durable than on Earth, better suited to this environment and its people.

He firmly believed that in the future, everything produced here would be more suitable than the goods he had brought from the marketplace.

“All of this is the gift of the gods! Without the guidance of the gods, we could never have gained any of this!” Hei Lie shouted loudly.

The onlookers all echoed him, giving thanks for everything bestowed by the heavens.

“My most respected Divine Envoy, please allow us to use this great pot tonight to cook the most delicious food, as a sacrifice in honor of the gift the gods have granted us.”

Hei Lie bent his waist before Yang Yi, very gentlemanly and courteous.

Such etiquette didn’t exist here. It must have been something he had picked up from a video.

Yang Yi quickly stepped into his role, straightening his expression. “The gods will be very pleased to receive such fine food.”

Privately, though, Yang Yi was a little worried: “Aren’t you being too high-profile with this? Didn’t we agree to keep things hidden from the Green Python tribe?”

This wasn’t a cooking pot for him at all. It was clearly meant for sacrificial use. It wasn’t even very practical for daily cooking.

The pot was far too big, and it raised the difficulty of cooking techniques as well. Especially when it came to stir-frying, it was even harder.

To make stir-frying possible, they had even specially made a giant iron spatula, and the cooks had to stand on stone blocks to stir the food. It wasn’t just a matter of skill, but also of strength.

If they had truly wanted to give him an iron pot, there was no need for one this enormous. The craftsmanship was more difficult, too. No wonder it had taken so long to bring back. This was clearly a deliberate display of pride.

Hei Lie said, “Excessively hiding our strength isn’t good for us either.”

“At the very least, we should wait until weapons can be mass-produced, until our armed forces grow stronger.”

Yang Yi was rather displeased. They had clearly agreed before, and yet this guy suddenly pulled such a stunt.

“We currently have the weapons you brought us. Although they aren’t as hard and sharp as the ones we make ourselves, they are more refined. So overall, there isn’t much difference.”

As he said this, Hei Lie cast a deep glance at Yang Yi.

“This move is also meant to divert everyone’s attention.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Green Python tribe has sharp intelligence. At the same time, they’ve traded away a great deal of goods from us. Though they don’t like getting close to other tribes, that doesn’t mean they have no contact. Now more and more tribes already know about us.”

Hei Lie paused for a moment, then continued, “This includes trading caravans from the Western Continent. They are very interested in our black pottery.”

Hearing this, Yang Yi immediately understood.

“You’re worried someone might plot against me?”

“No matter how careful we are, there will always be some oversight. I will ensure your safety, but at the same time, we must prepare for the worst. Rather than letting everyone keep their eyes fixed solely on you, it’s better to divert their attention.”

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