Rong carried her signature pair of large battle axes, a bright smile on her face, swaggering over in an especially flamboyant manner.
Not far behind her was a group of people carrying their prey. As they drew closer, the smell of blood grew stronger. This had been a bountiful hunt.
Rong and Jing were husband and wife. Originally, Hei Lie had planned to assign her to where Jing was, but she refused and instead applied to come here, taking sole responsibility for the food supply and safety in this place.
Although there were also lifelong couples here, perhaps due to the influence of the overall environment, they weren’t as inseparable as couples on Earth. They tended to be more independent.
Once the supply of dried wood had been secured, the couple was still able to see each other often.
Ever since Rong had gotten her battle axes, her combat power had grown increasingly fierce, her progress remarkable. She had now risen to the rank of a Level Three Warrior.
This was also one of the reasons she didn’t want to stay with Jing. She believed she was fully capable of guarding a territory on her own.
The fact that the pottery group could now eat their fill and eat well had a great deal to do with her.
She was an exceptionally skilled hunter whose favorite thing was to wield force. Her whole body is brimming with inexhaustible strength. On top of that, she had learned from Hei Lie how to rally the masses, so every time the hunting team went out, they returned with a considerable harvest.
Hei Lie stepped forward to greet Rong with a fist bump to the shoulder; this was the standard greeting among warriors, with no taboos between men and women.
“Divine Envoy, I guarantee I can protect everyone here!” Rong said with great confidence.
It was not blind faith in her own strength, but because they had deliberately chosen this location, easy to defend and hard to attack.
“I’ve already found a route to the swamp. If an enemy comes that we truly can’t withstand, we can escape through there. No one will be able to catch us.”
The swamp all looked the same, but it was full of traps; a single misstep and one would sink, never to return.
At first, they had thought about trying to pull the animals out to use as food, but soon found it to be extremely difficult.
Especially since those animals kept struggling desperately, causing themselves to sink even faster. Most of the time, they could only watch as such a huge chunk of meat slowly vanished right before their eyes.
Every day, aside from going out to hunt, Rong would go study that stretch of swamp.
Their team had far too many elderly, weak, sick, and injured members whose combat ability was lacking. Directly facing the enemy head-on was a last resort.
Although Rong loved combat and appeared carefree and bold, she was in fact very meticulous and cautious.
Before departure, Yang Yi had especially reminded her that possessions were unimportant. People were what mattered most. This had made her even clearer about what her main mission was.
Their team was destined to be large in number yet weak in fighting strength.
So from the very first day they arrived here, she began studying how to make use of the surrounding natural environment in the event of danger—how to lead a large group of people to quickly retreat in a crisis.
Yang Yi became interested. “Take us to have a look later.”
“Let’s go right now!” Rong couldn’t wait for “later” at all. She immediately set off, eager for everyone to see her discovery.
The evacuation route wasn’t far from the main gathering area, which made it easier for people to withdraw quickly.
With the swamp at their back, they could avoid being attacked from both front and rear. There were also slopes on either side; as long as they held the narrow pass, they could block the enemy.
If they felt they couldn’t hold out, they could swiftly get people to retreat first.
They also had a watchtower and binoculars, allowing them to detect any abnormalities at the first sign.
“You must be careful. Follow exactly in my footsteps. One wrong step and you’ll sink.” Rong led the way in front, giving careful instructions.
Yang Yi tried poking the ground with a stick, only to find that it quickly sank in on its own. Pulling it out with force was impossible. He could only ease it out gently. You couldn’t wrestle with a swamp.
Yang Yi walked with extreme caution, afraid of taking even a single wrong step.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you sink in,” Hei Lie assured him from behind.
That deep, calm voice had a soothing effect, gradually settling Yang Yi’s nerves. Even so, walking was still incredibly difficult, and their pace was painfully slow.
“Isn’t this too dangerous? In an emergency, would people really be able to recognize the way? If it were nighttime, it would be even harder to tell, right?”
Rong was very confident. “No problem. I’ve already planned to train everyone on how to escape, until they can walk this route with their eyes closed.”
Crisis drills were common in later generations. Children were taught from kindergarten how to evacuate in case of fire, earthquake, and so on.
But here, Rong had come up with this method entirely on her own, which was truly remarkable.
It took the group over an hour to reach a relatively safe area.
“Up ahead are two forks in the path. I haven’t decided which route to take yet. Divine Envoy, Chief, since you’re here, you can help me take a look.”
Hei Lie asked, “What’s the difference?”
“This one here still leads through swamp, even harder to traverse than before. Honestly, I can’t guarantee that I can make it through safely every single time. Even now, if I’m careless, I’ll sink in.”
Rong’s spirits had dropped. “But I’m still trying. I just need more time.”
“And the other one?” Hei Lie asked.
“That’s a death zone. Step into it and you’ll sink without fail. Many ferocious beasts have died there, including a giant Thorned Dragon.”
One of the accompanying warriors laughed. “Rong, have you lost your mind? How can this be considered a route?”
“The death zone isn’t that wide, only about thirty meters. On the other side is solid ground. As long as we can cross it, we’ll be completely safe.”
Rong’s gaze shifted to Yang Yi, her attitude clear.
Just because we can’t think of a solution doesn’t mean the Divine Envoy can’t! After all, he’s a man of great wisdom.
The others understood as well. One by one, they turned their eyes to Yang Yi.
Yang Yi, however, didn’t rush to answer. “Let’s go take a look at this death zone first.”
The so-called death zone was an area where the soil was even stickier and more viscous.
The earth there was obviously different from the rest, streaked with strange, faint red patterns. Though sparse, they were enough to make one wary.
Yang Yi had never seen such soil before. He felt it was something that simply didn’t exist on Earth.
It clearly looked looser and more viscous than normal clay, and the terrain was lower, sunken about a meter down.
He stepped on the ground at the edge; the soil here was still firm. On the other side of the death zone lay a dense forest.
“We can build a bridge in the middle.”
“A bridge?”
No one understood what that was.
“Yes—like this. This is a bridge. More precisely, it’s a hanging bridge.” Yang Yi roughly sketched the appearance of a bridge.
At each end stood a thick, sturdy wooden post. Between them hung a bridge made by binding together ropes and wooden planks, suspended from the posts.
“With a suspension bridge, we can cross to the other side. Once all our people are across, we can cut the ropes of the bridge. The people on the opposite side won’t be able to come over. Even if they can build their own hanging bridge, by then we’ll be long gone. Or, if they come one by one, we can deal with them as they arrive.”
Rong immediately cheered. “I knew the Divine Envoy would have a way! The moment I saw this place, I knew the Divine Envoy could solve it!”
Someone else suddenly realized, “This is just like the Divine Envoy’s hammock! How did we forget about that?”
Hei Lie, however, was curious. “But how do we build such a bridge? We can’t get to the other side, can we?”
“With arrows.”
“Arrows?” Hei Lie was momentarily stunned. But before Yang Yi could explain, a spark of understanding flashed in his eyes. “I get it!”
“Wait—you get what? I don’t get it at all. Tell me quickly!”
Rong hurriedly pressed him, and the others also looked completely lost.
Hei Lie didn’t answer directly. Instead, he took the recurve bow from his back.
“Divine Envoy, please grant me a safety rope.”
Yang Yi took a coil of safety rope from the mountaineering bag on Hei Lie’s back and handed it to him, inwardly marveling at how quickly the man’s mind worked. Just a hint, and he instantly understood what to do.
Hei Lie tied one end of the rope to the tail of an arrow, then set it to the string, drew the bow, and aimed toward the far side of the “death zone”, the arrowhead angled slightly upward.
Swish—
The arrow, carrying the heavy safety rope with it, shot swiftly toward the opposite bank and buried itself deep into the trunk of a large tree.
Hei Lie held the other end of the rope in his hand, gave it a light tug, and the line went taut.
“Wow—”
Everyone was stunned.
The long arrow had sunk entirely into the tree trunk, even dragging in a short section of rope along with it. What incredible strength that was.
Yang Yi could only feel pure admiration.
“We can shoot a bit more rope over to ensure safety, then have someone lighter in weight slide across. They can check over there for a suitable tree to serve as a post. If there isn’t one, we can cut a tree and dig a hole to make one ourselves.”
Once the ropes were set up, they could lay wooden planks across them, and the suspension bridge would be complete.
Of course, there were still many details to work out and refine. Yang Yi only knew the general idea. Everything else would have to be figured out through practice.
“But before that, it’s best to test it somewhere safe. See how much weight the suspension bridge can hold, how many people can cross at once, and whether it’s truly safe. We can’t start building immediately. We can’t risk losing someone over this.”
“Divine Envoy, don’t worry. I’ve understood everything clearly. I will definitely build the suspension bridge.”
With the major problem solved, Rong was so excited that her mind was already working through the specific steps of construction.
Before leaving the death zone, Yang Yi found a relatively low spot, crouched down, and scooped up some of the strange clay with his hand.
“The stickiness is incredible!” Yang Yi exclaimed in amazement. It was practically like glue. Nothing like ordinary mud.
Rong quickly urged, “Divine Envoy, hurry and wash your hands. Once this stuff dries, it’s hard to get rid of. Someone once accidentally got a bit of it in their hair and ended up having to cut it off.”
Hei Lie quickly took out his water flask to rinse Yang Yi’s hands.
“Even if it dries, water can’t dissolve it?”
“No. Once it dries, it’s as hard as stone. I even soaked it in water for a long time, and it didn’t change at all. When we get back, I’ll show you.”
Some animals had been lucky enough to escape from here, but because they didn’t know how to wash it off immediately, they eventually died, unable to remove the hardened shell.
Yang Yi’s eyes instantly lit up. Wasn’t this natural cement? And it wasn’t even prone to pollution!
He thought to himself: I’ll test it later. If it doesn’t contain any substances harmful to humans, we can use it in place of cement.
“When setting up the wooden posts, we can first dig a large hole, then pack the sides with this mud. After inserting the post, fill the hole with more of this soil. Once it dries, it’ll be extremely sturdy.”
Before, Yang Yi had been thinking about stability, which was why he planned to use existing trees.
But now that they had ready-made cement, they could make their own posts and place them wherever they wanted.
“When we head back, we can take some with us to line the well.”
From Yang Yi’s perspective, their wells still weren’t up to standard. Some didn’t have their walls reinforced. Since their soil was quite loose, it easily made the water muddy.
Using stone was far too labor-intensive; they would have to go far away to quarry it and then transport it back.
Now that they had natural cement, everything would be much easier.
And it wasn’t just for wells. There were countless other places where this natural cement could be put to use.
This discovery made Yang Yi extremely happy. Otherwise, making cement would require finding limestone, iron ore, and coal, and it would heavily pollute the environment.
On top of that, river sand would also be needed to mix in. Yet, with natural cement, that step could be skipped.
Still, to know exactly how useful it could be, he would need to take some back and study it further.
The find had him so excited that on the way back, he was no longer moving with such extreme caution; his pace was much quicker, and he didn’t need Hei Lie to carry him.
As soon as they returned to the pottery site, Yang Yi went to find Hui to resume the conversation they hadn’t finished earlier.
Right now, most of what they produced were clay bowls or relatively small jars and similar containers. They still couldn’t make large clay vats.
Yang Yi planned to wait until their skill with small pieces had matured before teaching them how to make larger ones.
Clay vats were still very important in daily life, as they could store a great many things.
At present, they were growing vegetables in large quantities. The harvest should be quite substantial when the time comes.
Yang Yi hadn’t yet experienced the winter here, but judging from the spring temperatures, it was likely to get quite cold in winter, possibly even snow.
That would make finding fresh greens in winter extremely difficult.
They would need to prepare vegetables in advance. Aside from drying them, they could also pickle some to make the dining table more varied.
“Firing a clay vat is different from making ordinary pottery. Because it’s larger, we need to make it in two sections, then join them together, using a wooden mallet to pound it tightly from both inside and outside.”
Hui suddenly understood. “So that’s how it’s done! We had thought about making larger pieces before, but the wheel couldn’t handle much height, so we could only coil strips of clay upward by hand. We forgot it could be done like this!”
“This will take a lot of practice. Otherwise, if the sizes don’t match, the pieces won’t fit together well. Also, if the mouth is relatively small, you can first fire a clay ring to support the inner wall, then hammer it from the outside with a wooden mallet.”
Hui listened attentively, committing every single word to memory.
At this moment, he especially regretted not having learned more characters. If he could write, he could record it all in a notebook and never worry about forgetting any detail.
“Is firing a clay vat the same as making small pottery?”
“Not quite. Clay vats aren’t built on flat ground. They should be built on the slope of a hill. If you’re building several, connect them together, with each kiln set higher than the one before.”
Hui was surprised. “There’s even such a rule?”
“Doing it this way prevents water from collecting and allows the heat to gradually rise upward.”
“Good thing we have hills nearby. No wonder, Divine Envoy, you chose this place,” Hui said in sudden realization, then asked, “Is the kiln itself different from the ones we make now?”
“They’re mostly similar. After the dome of the kiln is built, you need to spread a layer of fine soil about ten centimeters thick over the top. Every two meters, make an extra smoke vent. The kiln doors should be set on opposite sides, opening toward each other.”
“Alright, I’ve got it all memorized.”
“And one more thing. The smallest pottery pieces go in the lowest kiln, and the largest go at the top. Arrange the clay bodies in that order. Remember to start firing from the bottom kiln upward.”
Clay vats required more manpower to complete, and also consumed more firewood.
If there was no plan to assign extra workers for now, Yang Yi guessed they probably wouldn’t be making vats anytime soon.
“Besides that, you should also prepare to start firing some tiles.”
“What’s that?” Hui had never heard those two words before. Yang Yi had spoken them in Chinese.
“They’re used in building houses. They make the structure sturdier.”
With cement, it would be possible to construct brick houses, and even make floors solid and smooth.
Although Yang Yi wasn’t planning to use bricks for now, he would stick to the earlier plan of compacting earth to build walls for houses.
After all, firing bricks was still far too time-consuming and labor-intensive for their current situation. They couldn’t afford that kind of luxury yet.
Earthen walls could also be extremely sturdy; even ancient city walls had been made by compacting earth with wooden pounders.
Still, Yang Yi wanted to make tiles for roofing. Using grass simply wasn’t durable enough, nor could it effectively keep out rain or snow.
Tile-making was easier than making clay vats, but it was still a physically demanding job with multiple steps, and the entire process took about ten days.
“Making tiles is much like firing pottery. When the time comes, we’ll make special molds to press the clay blanks. Tiles are thin, so when firing, they need to be stacked; and when you stack them to dry in the shade, remember to sprinkle fine soil over them so they won’t stick together.”
“Alright, I’ll assign dedicated workers for that when the time comes.”
Hui immediately understood and began making plans in his mind.
While everyone worked hard to make pottery blanks, some inevitably had less skill. These people would be perfect for making tiles.
Yang Yi wasn’t worried about their craftsmanship. If they could fire black pottery, making tiles would be no problem at all.
“Your workload will be heavy. Even with new hands sent over, it won’t really ease the burden. You’ve worked hard.”
Hui smiled. “Being able to have work that keeps us busy—that’s very important to people like us.”
Yang Yi left the pottery-making site and headed over to where clay was being dug. A group of people were working there, sweating profusely.
These workers were mostly ordinary people with no combat ability.
They had found their place here and didn’t feel the work was hard—each face showed ease and contentment.
Looking at how the pottery group had already formed a decent scale in such a short time and seemed on track to improve even further, Yang Yi couldn’t help but sigh:
“Relying only on wood as fuel is never quite enough.”
Hei Lie didn’t agree. “We have plenty of trees. Clearing some of them will also make the area around us safer.”
Yang Yi glanced at the dense forest in the distance. With the number of people they had now—even if that number doubled or tripled—there’d be no shortage of wood.
Still, Yang Yi hoped for other options.
“If we had coal, it would be even better.”
He wondered if the ground beneath them held coal deposits like Earth did.
“Coal?”
“It’s a black, solid, combustible mineral buried underground. Put simply, it’s a kind of rock you can burn. It can be used as fuel and burns for a very long time.”
Hei Lie was intrigued. “That really does sound like a good thing. No need to chop down and dry wood.”
Yang Yi nodded. “But it has its downsides. It’s very polluting to the environment.”
“Is environmental pollution that important?” Hei Lie had already heard Yang Yi use that term several times.
“In the world I come from, environmental pollution is severe. It causes disease, species extinction, and much more.”
“But your world still uses it.”
“Yes. Because it really is a good thing, and it greatly benefits development. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. It’s just that nothing should be overused. You also have to think of ways to solve the problems it brings.”
After saying this, Yang Yi couldn’t help but smile. With their small population here, it would be hard to cause any serious pollution.
This place had enough self-recovery ability, but it was still best to be cautious. Otherwise, harm to the body could still happen.
Originally, he had planned to stay with the pottery group for just one day before leaving, but he temporarily decided to help them finish building the suspension bridge before heading off.
The ropes were made from the safety rope provided by Yang Yi. He had considered using iron chains, but after testing, he found the safety ropes strong enough—and they would be easier to cut off if needed—so he abandoned the idea.
The suspension bridge’s planks were made from the golden nanmu boards they had dried earlier. They were tied down piece by piece, forming a swaying walkway.
Still, everyone walked across steadily, without even needing to hold the waist-high hand ropes.
Looking at the bridge, Yang Yi sighed inwardly. If this bridge were on Earth, it would definitely be a tourist attraction. These people were so extravagant, using top-grade golden nanmu to make a suspension bridge they could discard at any time.
When it was time to leave, the transport team arrived, ready to travel back to the tribe with Hei Lie and Yang Yi’s group, bringing the pottery with them.
Following Yang Yi’s instructions, they wrapped the finished pottery in bundles of dry grass and stacked them on carts lined with a thick layer of dry grass.
The carts had also been modified. Previously, the bed was flat for carrying long logs.
Now they had tall railings added, making it easier to transport pottery.
Since they were carrying fragile goods, many of the people pushing the carts were ordinary folk, so the speed was much slower than on the way there.
With so many people traveling together, there was generally no risk of a beast attack. So everyone was more relaxed, chatting and laughing along the way.
“Put me down, I can walk on my own now.”
Seeing how things were, Yang Yi didn’t want to make himself an exception.
“Your foot isn’t suited for walking such a long distance,” Hei Lie rejected him outright.
Yang Yi’s mouth twitched. Did this guy think he was that weak? Back in college, he had even done a night climb of Mount Hua.
And that time, after walking an entire day, he’d not only carried his own gear, but had also helped carry the thick cotton coats his female classmates had been tricked into renting ahead of time.
Sure, compared to these people—whose soles were practically like steel plates—his feet were nothing special, but they weren’t that delicate.
Yang Yi had once considered making shoes for them, but they found going barefoot more comfortable. Only the elderly who couldn’t bear the cold or those physically weak liked wearing them.
“You’re making me into some special case, setting me apart from everyone else.”
“You are special. That’s the truth,” Hei Lie said seriously. “You’re the Divine Envoy, so you should be special, especially since your combat ability is practically zero.”
Even if Yang Yi didn’t have all those strange things with him, he would still stand out in the crowd.
For one, his appearance was different. Similar in some ways, but with clear distinctions.
Not to mention, he was so weak it was almost outrageous. He didn’t even have as much strength as Mao, that little brat—yet he looked perfectly healthy.
Their skin looked more or less the same, but it was obvious these people were like wild hares—far tougher and thicker-skinned than he was.
The same cut that would barely scratch them would have an entirely different effect on him.
In this world where martial strength was supreme, it was simply too dangerous.
Even if the people around him had no ill intentions, the surrounding animals would keenly sense that the weakest one in the group was him. If a beast attacked, it would definitely rush toward him first.
Every time he thought of this, Yang Yi’s heart roared in frustration.
That so-called transmigration god had really screwed him over!
“I thought you didn’t like the customs of the Western Continent.”
“It’s not that I dislike them,” Hei Lie said calmly.
“Besides, you’re different. You’re the Divine Envoy, a representative of the god. The Gods are supreme, entirely different from ordinary people. You are his envoy, so of course you’re not the same as everyone else.”
With things said to this extent, Yang Yi stopped being stubborn.
Honestly, he didn’t really want to walk that long anyway.
Ever since his junior year of college, he’d been a homebody. After graduating, he could go months without stepping outside.
It was just a faint sense of pride that had made him put on a show earlier.
Since they didn’t mind, and no one else showed any contempt, he might as well accept it.
The pottery group had far better craftsmanship than the accompanying warrior escorts. They adjusted his carrying chair for him and even set up a sunshade, making it so comfortable he could have a nice nap.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
“It’s no trouble. You’re lighter than two rabbits,” Hei Lie said indifferently.
