The successful invention of paper shocked and delighted the entire tribe.
After such a long period of basic education, everyone was very clear about the significance and far-reaching impact that paper would bring.
From the moment the papermaking group was first established, everyone already believed that what they were doing was extremely sacred.
The books in the reading room were all regarded by everyone as the most sacred objects.
While everyone eagerly flipped through them, they were also extremely careful, afraid that their own strength might damage the fragile books.
As a result, some warriors who considered themselves a bit reckless only dared to stand behind others, observing, and did not dare to touch the books themselves.
But this was also very troublesome, especially in the early days when few could read, which greatly affected efficiency.
Before flipping through any book, everyone would conscientiously wash their hands thoroughly, fearing that they might soil the pages.
Some even took paper and brushes home, specifically copying the texts before beginning their study.
However, those papers were not only limited in quantity but would eventually disappear, leaving everyone still feeling uneasy.
So even if no one demanded it, they would first memorize the contents by heart.
But in the end, the number of books was simply too great; memorizing everything was extremely difficult at this stage. Passing down knowledge was very arduous.
Now it was different. They had paper! Their tribe had made it themselves, paper that would not be reclaimed by the gods!
As long as their tribe existed, they could continuously create paper, using it to record their civilization and their history.
Even if they died and disappeared, they could still leave behind their stories, showing that such people once existed.
The ink and brushes for writing had already begun to be developed and even produced before the invention of paper.
Yang Yi assigned this task to Han Bing, who loved to draw. He was very interested in it and had a natural talent.
At first, he made charcoal pencils, pressed from crushed charcoal powder mixed with clay in a certain proportion.
Although they were still far inferior to the graphite cores used in pencils on Earth, they were sufficient for writing and very convenient to carry.
They could be used for temporary notes, which could later be copied with more stable ink in a convenient place.
Charcoal pencils were only meant to provide convenience for beginners or those who frequently recorded things on the go; they could not serve as the main method for recording texts, because they were too easily erased.
After the charcoal pencils were produced, Yang Yi had Han Bing begin making ink.
At night, most places in the tribe used tung oil lamps.
By now, the tribe had enough tung oil for use. The collecting team had previously harvested the entire tung forest, accumulating a large area of tung seeds, piled up like mountains.
Moreover, the oil-pressing team had now added more manpower, and the daily oil output was considerable.
As a result, everyone in the tribe could have a tung oil lamp. They only needed to apply for one to receive it.
The only requirement was safety. If anyone accidentally caused a fire, they would be punished by being prohibited from having a lamp for a certain period, and their food and welfare could be delayed or reduced.
Safety was absolutely the top priority. Yang Yi was very strict about this management. He insisted on instilling this awareness from the very beginning to prevent negative consequences as more and more items appeared in the future.
Especially fires. They would be catastrophic. Even on present-day Earth, with all sorts of advanced equipment, fires are often difficult to control.
Fortunately, these people had all previously lived in the forest and were very aware of the power of fire.
Most people were still very careful. Accidents did occur, but they were quickly extinguished and did not cause much damage.
Otherwise, everything would still be thatched huts, which, once caught fire, would spread continuously.
However, the person responsible was still punished. Before the screening of the animated film, Yang Yi pulled him in front of everyone for criticism, making him publicly reflect on his actions.
These rough and carefree primitives, although they did not fully understand the concept of embarrassment, still recognized that this was not a good thing.
When the new residences were being constructed, Yang Yi had also considered this issue.
Each building was required to maintain a certain distance from the others. Nearby, there were always fire-extinguishing devices.
The buildings were not tall, and people here could safely jump from the upper floors. So while safety passages existed, there was no need to create too many.
Yang Yi had put a lot of thought into the design of the tung oil lamps.
First, they needed to be difficult to tip over and cause a fire. Second, they had to be able to burn oil to produce smoke.
Ink was made from carbon black combined with glue. Tung oil smoke could be used to obtain carbon black.
Although it was difficult to obtain enough carbon black for the entire tribe’s writing through daily lighting, specialized burning of oil to produce smoke was still necessary. But this was a twofold benefit, so why not do it?
As for the solidified glue, it was made by boiling animal hides such as cowhide. Fish skins could also produce very good glue. Although cowhide and other animal hides had wider uses than fish skin, using fish skin was more economical.
This was also one of the reasons Yang Yi was eager to start fish farming. Not only could it enrich everyone’s meals, but all parts of the fish could be used to make other items.
The ratio for smoke glue had always been a closely guarded secret since ancient times. The proportions would also be adjusted according to climate and other conditions, directly determining the quality of the ink.
During the ingredient-adding step, in addition to the solidified glue, medicinal herbs would also be added.
At present, Yang Yi did not need to be so extravagant, so the process was relatively simpler.
All these specific technical operations, including later pounding, molding, and so on, were assigned by Yang Yi to Han Bing for research and experimentation.
Han Bing was extremely interested in these tasks. Since he was literate and more capable than ordinary people, he could study and experiment based on books by himself, without Yang Yi guiding him step by step.
This allowed Yang Yi to completely step back, without having to spend much energy here.
After Han Bing successfully developed ink that was more stable, wrote smoothly, dried quickly, and met the writing standards, Yang Yi began constructing the ink workshop.
At that time, papermaking had also just started, so both projects could proceed simultaneously.
When large-scale ink production truly began, it was necessary to build a dedicated kiln to obtain more carbon black. Pine wood was used, producing pine soot ink.
Pine was one of their commonly used fuels, so it was not difficult to obtain.
“Always remember to let the pine resin flow out first before cutting it. Otherwise, the ink produced will have impurities and will not write well.”
This was the only instruction Yang Yi gave. Everything else was left to Han Bing.
As Yang Yi’s assistant, Han Bing was also among the earliest and most thoroughly educated individuals and was relatively better at self-learning than ordinary people.
When problems arose, Han Bing could correct and compensate based on book references by himself without requiring Yang Yi to look up materials and then teach him a second time.
Many times, Yang Yi himself was also learning on the spot without conducting in-depth research.
He had too many things to consider, so his understanding of many matters was only superficial. This also meant that when teaching, he could only instruct on the simplest and most basic aspects. The finished products often turned out somewhat rough.
To create better quality items, one had to slowly study and experiment on their own. For those who were not very literate, this became extremely difficult, and efficiency was much lower.
This made Yang Yi even more determined to cultivate more talent.
“Divine Envoy, this is the latest ink we’ve produced. Would you like to try it?”
The joy on Han Bing’s face was impossible to hide, clearly showing how satisfied he was with this result.
Yang Yi also had some knowledge of inkmaking, having previously read quite a few materials and watched videos on the subject. But he was far behind Han Bing.
Yang Yi could only be considered a casual enthusiast, while Han Bing was moving toward professionalism.
When Han Bing spoke about inkmaking, he was articulate and thorough, even more professional than Yang Yi.
Whenever the topic came up, Han Bing seemed like a completely different person, his eyes radiating passion.
“All right.”
If Yang Yi didn’t try the ink now, he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep all night.
Hearing this, Han Bing immediately ground the new ink stick for him. Yang Yi picked up the brush on the table made from the tail hair of a weasel, which was legendary as a wolf hair brush, and dabbed it in ink on the white paper spread out on the table to begin writing.
Yang Yi had learned calligraphy from his grandfather when he was young. His brushwork was fairly good. During festivals, he would write the couplets for his home.
A large “Fu” character landed on the paper—bold, strong, and precise.
“Indeed, it’s a huge improvement over before,” Yang Yi praised. “The writing is much smoother. Last time, the ink still had a bit of roughness, and the color wasn’t as pure as it is now.”
Han Bing puffed out his chest proudly, clearly very pleased with himself.
“This ink is much more resistant to fading than before. When writing, you must be careful. Once it stains, it’s very hard to wash off.”
Yang Yi then tried writing with a quill and found it equally smooth and fluid.
Although brushes were excellent for fully expressing the beauty of Chinese characters, they weren’t very beginner-friendly. So Yang Yi also created quills.
The one he held now was made from Goose King’s feathers, exceptionally good for writing. It is far superior to quills made from other animals’ feathers.
Just a dab could absorb a substantial amount of ink, allowing him to write many characters before needing to refill.
Other geese’s feathers didn’t have this effect. Now, Yang Yi had instructed the farm staff to keep a constant watch on Goose King. If it lost a feather, they were to immediately pick it up, wasting none.
Goose King itself seemed fully aware of how valuable its feathers were. It had grown even more arrogant and proud.
A few days ago, it even flew over to Yang Yi and snatched away the paper written with its feathers.
Yang Yi then had Han Bing use a goose-feather quill to paint Goose King and sent the portrait back. Now, the painting hung in the most prominent place at the farm.
According to the farm staff, Goose King didn’t just walk to the painting every day to admire its own grandeur. It also led a group of subordinates over to pay respects to its portrait.
Every time a wild animal was caught attempting to steal, it would be brought in front of the painting. The entire goose had grown even more arrogant and proud than before.
However, aside from constantly wanting people to look at its portrait, it caused no other trouble and had even become braver.
Little White was frustrated for several days because it was too small; its feathers couldn’t be used for writing.
Whether it was Yang Yi’s imagination or not, he noticed that in the past few days it had clearly grown noticeably larger.
Could a little stimulation make it grow?
Yang Yi thought Little White might be even more remarkable than the Goose King.
“How efficient is the production of this ink? Can we maintain quality while ensuring output?”
At this, Han Bing looked even prouder.
“Compared to before, efficiency has improved by eighty percent. I believe it can still be increased in the future. I’ve split the process into separate steps, so even people who don’t fully understand many of the procedures can still participate in production.”
Yang Yi nodded. “This level is sufficient for current use. Let’s mass-produce at this standard and make sure everyone has enough ink for writing.”
As for the inkstones, they didn’t need supervision. Everyone could make them from suitable stones themselves.
Not long ago, they were still in the Stone Age, so this work was not unfamiliar to them.
“Yes.” Han Bing hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Divine Envoy, I think I can make even better ink.”
Yang Yi smiled. “I thought you should already know my attitude.”
He never hindered the pursuit of excellence and encouraged it, as long as the current basic supply could be guaranteed.
Han Bing also smiled. “I won’t hold back the work here!”
The success of papermaking had made the ink workshop even busier, preparing everyone for the upcoming full-scale literacy campaign.
“Divine Envoy, I’ve already set the date and decided to hold the celebration five days from now. That day will be calm and sunny, perfect for the occasion. What do you think?” Jiao asked.
While the paper was being produced, the new temple was fully completed, and other houses were having their roofs installed around the clock.
A large workforce was assigned to the roofing, aiming to have as many people as possible move in after the celebration.
Moreover, a large wave of fruits, vegetables, and root crops in the fields had begun to ripen, marking the tribe’s first true harvest.
Now the entire farmland was literally overflowing with produce. Yang Yi’s favorite place had become the fields. Looking out over the seemingly endless rows of ripe fruits and vegetables gave him an indescribable sense of happiness that made him want to sing.
According to Qing’s current statistics, just this batch of fruits, vegetables, and grains like rice and wheat would be enough to feed the entire tribe for a whole year.
And since it was just the beginning of summer, they still had time to plant a second batch, meaning this year their storage could be filled to the brim with food.
What pleased Yang Yi the most was that all the crops they had planted had survived and successfully borne fruit.
As for the fruit trees, although they were still saplings, Qing’s estimates indicated they would survive and bear fruit without issue.
Many of the plants were typically unsuited to this climate and originated from completely different regions on Earth.
Yet they were all growing successfully, requiring no special greenhouses or other cultivation methods. This completely amazed Yang Yi.
He felt this was the greatest gift this world had given him.
Just imagine picking apples and cherries here, then mangoes and durians over there. What a joyful life it would be!
Although the fruit trees would take several more years to bear, Yang Yi could already feel the joy that awaited him then.
Now, the vast fields of vegetables and fruits were enough to make Yang Yi extremely excited. Every night, he went to sleep with a smile on his face.
Every day, he strolled through the fields, picking a tomato here and a strawberry there. By the time he finished a round, his stomach was full.
Just the tomatoes alone, Yang Yi had planted a wide variety. The large ones were as big as a child’s head, and the small ones were cherry tomatoes. Their colors varied as well, from traditional red to yellow and more.
Clusters hung heavily on the vines, so full that without the support of the trellises, they would have completely fallen to the ground.
There were also watermelons, cantaloupes, Hami melons, and other fruits that would ripen in succession. Seeing the fields filled with all kinds of melons, Yang Yi almost wanted to lie down among them and never leave!
Corn, loofah, pumpkin, winter melon, okra, chili peppers, and more covered all the fields with their bounty.
Wheat and rice stalks were also heavy with plump grains. Before long, a great harvest would arrive, ensuring there would never be a shortage of staple foods again.
Underground crops like groundnuts, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and peanuts had also begun to enter the harvest stage. If they weren’t waiting for the temple’s completion for the celebration, many of the early-maturing crops could already have been picked.
This land was extraordinary, perfectly fulfilling anyone’s longing for a pastoral life.
It was unaffected by geography or climate, allowing them to grow whatever they wanted. Just seeing it was an immense satisfaction.
Not just Yang Yi, but everyone in the tribe felt elated as they watched the fruits slowly develop and grow.
Every time someone walked through, no matter how many times, they would exclaim, “This is a divine miracle!”
The workers from the Green Python Tribe were green with envy. There was nothing they could do but admire.
Now, no one thought they were digging holes aimlessly or causing trouble. While there were indeed many fruits in the jungle for them to gather, nothing compared to the sheer spectacle before them!
These plants grew neatly in rows—no weeds, no thorns, no lurking beasts or poisonous snakes.
They stretched out in vast patches, looking so tempting that one couldn’t help but want to embrace them.
“Our tribe must also look very beautiful now.”
The people of the Green Python Tribe thought of how, although their tribe hadn’t planted vegetables and fruits, they had cultivated many of the flowers Yang Yi had given them.
The flowers in the Spark Tribe had also flourished. Though not as numerous as the crops, they still bloomed in colorful masses, gorgeous and vibrant.
Various flowers decorated the entire tribe beautifully. But the overwhelming impact of the fruits and vegetables made people somewhat overlook the beauty they brought.
Many of them had now been transplanted into the new residential area, making the whole neighborhood lively and full of life.
The lotus seeds planted earlier had also bloomed into lotuses—sheet after sheet, stunningly beautiful.
Many who loved beauty went out of their way to pick flowers to decorate themselves or their homes.
Almost every girl in the tribe wore one or more pretty flowers in her hair, or a flower-woven crown on her head. Some men who loved beauty also adorned themselves with flowers.
The men and women of the tribe now washed themselves almost daily, taking cleanliness as beauty, which made everyone appear even more attractive.
Thanks to their racial traits, this group already had very high natural looks. Now, with even a little self-adornment, each of them appeared elegant and radiant.
Especially now, with good food, restful sleep, no fears or worries, and days filled with happiness, everyone’s beauty shone from the inside out.
Yang Yi felt that just walking down the road and seeing them was a kind of enjoyment.
This outcome had caused the pregnancy rate in the tribe to increase greatly in recent days, which was something truly worth celebrating.
For the tribe to develop in the long run, reproduction was of utmost importance.
The Green Python Tribe had planted far more flowers than the Spark Tribe. Aside from the first batch of seeds Yang Yi had brought to them, they later sent people over to exchange for more.
Now, Yang Yi hardly had any flower seeds left in his storage space. Most had been taken away by the Green Python Tribe.
Yang Yi hadn’t actually purchased that many flower seeds to begin with. It only seemed like a lot because of the wide variety.
If not for branch cuttings and transplanting, the Spark Tribe wouldn’t have had nearly as many flowers as they do now.
The Green Python Tribe was stunningly beautiful. After growing their first flower, they went crazy planting. By now, they were probably overflowing with blossoms.
Back to the point. Yang Yi had no objections regarding the date of the celebration. He trusted Jiao’s judgment.
Jiao now had a disciple named Qing Tian, who could sense the weather. Her predictions were even more accurate than a weather forecast.
Although she could only predict up to five days ahead, her accuracy was extremely high. Within two days, she could pinpoint the exact time rain would fall down to the minute.
Qing Tian was a beautiful girl in her teens, one of the survivors rescued from the Fang Tribe.
She had once suffered humiliating abuse and had even watched helplessly as her twin brother was eaten before her eyes, leaving her body and mind deeply scarred.
She was far more timid than ordinary people. When she first came to the tribe, she was like a frightened little rabbit, trembling uncontrollably whenever she saw tall people.
Seeing how pitiful she was, Jiao kept her close, letting her help with tasks that didn’t require too much contact with others.
Bit by bit, Qing Tian adapted and grew to love the Spark Tribe, and her natural abilities gradually began to reveal themselves.
This brought tremendous convenience to the tribe. Ever since the vegetables had begun gradually ripening, especially the bumper harvest of chili peppers, they needed to be dried under the sun.
Now that the light-rain season had passed, sudden downpours still happened often, which was extremely troublesome for the drying work.
With Qing Tian, however, this problem was solved. It also made it easier for different departments, especially those going out, to arrange their tasks, and was of even greater help to farming.
“This celebration is bound to be spectacular.” Just thinking about the scene, Yang Yi couldn’t help but smile.
So far, no one had officially begun harvesting the fruits and vegetables. They had only picked a few early-ripening ones to taste.
Even though everyone was greedy with desire, they all insisted on waiting until the temple was completed before officially entering the harvest season.
During the celebration, they would harvest all kinds of fruits and vegetables and place them one by one on display in the large square in front of the new temple.
The temple’s square was even larger than a football field. Not only did it enhance the majesty of the temple, but it could also be used for assemblies or as a drying yard in daily life.
The tall temple also had an extended platform, from which one could overlook the entire square below.
Hei Lie said, “This time, apart from the Green Python Tribe, there will also be other tribes visiting the celebration.”
This news had already been passed along earlier from the Green Python Tribe. The destruction of the Fang Tribe had spread word of such a tribe’s existence.
The rise of a powerful tribe always drew attention.
The Fang Tribe had dominated for so many years, and yet was wiped out just like that, making everyone cautious about underestimating the Spark Tribe.
And the appearance of black pottery made people even more curious about them.
To be able to create pottery better than what the caravans from the Western Continent brought was truly shocking!
Therefore, for this celebration, some of the tribes relatively close by all wanted to come and see for themselves.
“I wonder how many tribes will actually come this time,” Yang Yi mused, stroking his chin.
Hei Lie squinted slightly. “The Western Continent trading caravans will definitely come. Wherever there’s excitement, they always appear first.”
Yang Yi remained cautious about the Western Continent trading caravans. While they brought business opportunities, they also brought risks.
“Jiao, make arrangements for accommodations. Ensure they feel completely welcome, but also make sure they don’t go where they shouldn’t or do what they shouldn’t.”
Their tribe was still developing and not yet strong enough, so technical knowledge would not be shared freely.
Yang Yi could be generous, but he was also very frugal. He would never hand over technology without careful consideration.
In fact, every achievement in the tribe was the result of collective effort, careful study, and painstaking work. It wasn’t something that could be accomplished solely by the knowledge Yang Yi had brought.
Theory and practice are always different. Moreover, many things here differed from Earth. Yang Yi’s knowledge was a guide. Success still required everyone to think and experiment.
From any perspective, Yang Yi simply couldn’t hand everything over.
“Divine Envoy, don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything,” Jiao said.
Hei Lie added, “During the celebration, the hunting team members won’t go out. They will temporarily serve as a guard unit to ensure the tribe’s safety.”
“Have them all switch to the weapons we made ourselves,” Yang Yi paused. “I think we have enough by now, right?”
Hei Lie’s expression was smug. “Enough. Although I’m still not entirely satisfied with the quality, it’s sufficient to intimidate anyone.”
