"In a way, yes."
Hot Hands smiled with satisfaction.
"My lifetime of experience was not in vain."
I lit a small campfire in front of the smelting furnace.
It was a very weak fire.
The flames flickered no larger than a palm, and thin smoke rose.
It was small, but steady, with blue and yellow mixed together.
Only three or four branches were burning, and I did not add more.
Keeping it at this size was important.
The flames leaned slightly toward the smelting furnace, and heat rose along the wall.
Then water vapor began to rise little by little from the surface.
It was proof that the damp clay was slowly drying.
"Is this size enough?"
Solid Rock asked.
"Yes, exactly this much. It must not get larger."
"Why?"
Running Deer asked.
"Doesn't a larger fire dry it faster?"
"I told you it cracks if it dries too quickly."
I answered with a smile.
"Ah, right!"
Running Deer struck his own head.
"I forgot."
"We will dry it with this much heat for two days."
I spoke while looking around at the people.
"The fire must not go out overnight. If the fire goes out, the temperature will drop sharply, and the clay will contract. Then it will crack."
"Overnight?"
Fierce Eyes asked in surprise.
"Then does someone have to watch it all night?"
"Yes. We have to keep it at this size continuously. Neither larger nor smaller."
"I will watch it."
Solid Rock said.
He gripped his spear and sat beside the fire.
"No, take turns."
I shook my head.
"If you stay up all night alone, you will collapse tomorrow."
"But, Chieftain...."
"You cannot watch it alone for two days and nights."
I spoke firmly.
"Understood."
Solid Rock lowered his head.
"Take turns with Running Deer and Fierce Eyes. The three of you will rotate. Three or four hours per person."
I pointed at the two of them.
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
"I will take the first watch!"
Running Deer raised his hand.
"No, I will go first."
Solid Rock said.
"You ran around earlier, so you must be tired."
"I'm fine. I have good stamina."
Running Deer struck his chest.
"You are always trying to step forward."
Fierce Eyes said with a laugh.
"That's who I am!"
Running Deer smiled brightly.
"Good. Then Running Deer takes the first watch, Solid Rock the second, and Fierce Eyes the third."
I set the order.
"Understood!"
The three answered at the same time.
The next work was making crucibles and bellows.
"Crucibles must withstand high heat, so they have to be made in a special way."
The people gathered in the clearing, and a little over ten men looked at me with curious eyes.
Expectation and curiosity were mixed in their gazes.
"Crucibles? What are they?"
Running Deer asked.
"They are vessels for melting metal. We put copper and tin inside them and melt them."
I explained.
"Ah, I see."
Running Deer nodded.
"But why do they have to be made in a special way?"
Solid Rock asked.
"Will ordinary vessels not do?"
"No. Ordinary vessels crack under high heat. That is why we need to make them with special materials."
"What materials?"
Fierce Eyes asked.
I mixed sand into clay.
I placed clay inside a large wooden bowl, added sand little by little, and stirred it with my hands.
First, I scooped three handfuls of clay and placed them in the bowl.
It was sticky and brown, and it clung thickly to my hands. Then I scooped one handful of sand and added it. It was fine sand brought from the riverside.
I scattered the sand over the clay, then began mixing it with my hands.
At first, the clay and sand were separate, and I could feel sand between my fingers.
I kept mixing.
Pressing with my palms, turning it over with my fingers, kneading it with my fists. Then it gradually mixed together.
"Why do you mix in sand?"
Hot Hands asked.
He knelt and carefully watched my hand movements.
"Because it becomes stronger against heat. Pure clay cracks under high heat. But if you mix in sand, it can endure."
"Why?"
Running Deer asked.
"Clay alone cannot withstand the temperature of molten metal."
I stopped my hands and explained.
"Because it reaches 1,100 degrees."
"1,100 degrees?"
Solid Rock asked in surprise.
"How hot is that?"
"Hot enough that flesh burns in an instant if it touches it. Even bone melts."
I spoke calmly.
"Such a hot temperature?"
Running Deer asked in shock. His face turned pale.
"Yes. That is why sand is needed. Sand is originally broken stone, so it is strong against heat."
I nodded.
"Ah, I see!"
Running Deer slapped his knee.
"So that is why it becomes hard like stone!"
"What is the ratio?"
Hot Hands asked again.
He held a branch, ready to take notes on the ground.
"Three parts clay to one part sand. To be exact, three handfuls of clay and one handful of sand. And we need to knead it well to remove the air."
I showed the ratio with my hands.
"Remove the air? Why?"
Fierce Eyes asked.
I demonstrated it myself.
I kneaded the clay mixture with all my strength, worked it, and threw it.
Then I lifted the mixture with both hands.
I raised it high above my head, and the muscles in my arms pulled tight.
Then I slammed it hard onto the ground.
THUD!
The clay struck the ground, and a dull sound rang out.
It flattened.
I picked it up again and threw it again.
THUD!
I threw it again.
THUD!
The mixture slapped against my palms, and my hands were covered in clay.
The muscles in my arms pulled tight.
Sweat ran down my forehead, and my hands ached.
But I could not stop.
The texture, which had been crumbly at first, gradually turned firm and sticky, and the mixture became smooth.
As the air bubbles escaped, it became solid.
When I pressed it with my hand, I felt elasticity, and the marks of my fingers remained, then slowly returned.
This was enough.
"Wow, so you have to knead it like that."
Running Deer exclaimed in admiration.
"That looks hard, doesn't it?"
Fierce Eyes said.
"But it looks fun!"
Solid Rock said with a laugh.
"If air remains inside, it will burst when heated."
I stopped my hands and looked at the people.
"Someone could get hurt."
"Burst?"
Running Deer asked in surprise.
"Yes. When air bubbles receive heat, they expand."
I spoke with a serious expression.
"Then the crucible explodes. Molten metal splashes everywhere. If it hits you, you die."
"It explodes?"
Fierce Eyes asked with a worried expression.
"Yes. That is why we have to do it carefully. We must remove all the air for it to be safe."
I spoke firmly.
"It is dangerous."
Solid Rock nodded.
"That is why we have to be meticulous. We must not do it carelessly. We absolutely cannot rush this work. Slowly, and properly."
I looked around at the people as I spoke.
"Understood."
The people answered at the same time.
Once the mixture had been kneaded enough, I began shaping it into a vessel.
It was shaped like a small jar with walls about as thick as a finger.
I rounded the clay with both hands and shaped it into a ball.
It was a little larger than a fist.
I pressed the center with my thumb.
Slowly, carefully. If I pressed too hard, the bottom would break open.
A hole formed, and I widened it gradually.
I rotated my thumb and pushed the walls outward.
A jar shape formed, and I widened the mouth, made the walls thinner, and smoothed the bottom flat.
I carefully turned my hands so the wall thickness stayed even, pressing the inside and outside with my fingers at the same time to check the thickness.
If it was too thin, it would break. If it was too thick, heat would not transfer properly.
Exactly one finger joint thick. About two centimeters.
Ding!
『Crafting Progress: Crucible』
→ Materials: clay + sand (3:1 ratio)
→ Quality: Good
→ Heat Resistance: High
"So you make it by hand like that."
Running Deer exclaimed in admiration.
"The shape is pretty."
Fierce Eyes said.
"We put molten metal inside that?"
Solid Rock asked.
"Yes, exactly."
I nodded.
"This should be enough."
I carefully set the finished crucible on the ground.
I tapped the bottom flat and made sure it did not tilt.
"You have excellent hand skill."
Hot Hands said in admiration.
He examined the crucible closely.
"The wall thickness is very even. With this, it should receive heat evenly."
"I did a lot of pottery workshops when I was young."
I answered without thinking.
"Pottery workshops?"
Running Deer tilted his head.
"Pardon?"
That was dangerous. I had almost talked about the modern world.
I remembered the pottery workshop I had visited during an elementary school field trip.
"Ah, no. I practiced a lot in my dreams. The ancestors held my hands directly and taught me."
I quickly changed my words.
"Ah, I see!"
The people nodded.
Fortunately, none of them seemed suspicious.
"This also needs to dry slowly, then be fired."
I pointed at the crucible as I spoke.
"It takes longer than the smelting furnace."
"Why?"
Running Deer asked.
"Because a crucible is thinner and more precise, so we have to be careful. It cracks if we make even a small mistake."
"How many days?"
Solid Rock asked.
"Three days to dry, and one day to fire."
I explained while counting on my fingers.
"On the first day, in the shade. On the second day, in partial shade. On the third day, in the sun. We have to dry it in stages like that so it does not crack."
"Time will be tight."
Fierce Eyes said worriedly.
"That is why we have to make several. One might break. We need spares to feel safe."
I nodded.
"How many will you make?"
Solid Rock asked.
"About six. Then even if one or two break, it will be fine."
I shaped five more crucibles.
I repeated the same process.
Kneading, shaping, smoothing.
My hands ached, but I could not stop.
The second was faster than the first, and the third was faster still. My hands grew used to it.
Six crucibles stood in a row.
Their size and shape were almost identical.
The people watched quietly. No one spoke to me, and no one disturbed me.
They even held their breath and focused, trying not to miss a single movement of my hands.
Ding!
『Crucible Production Complete』
→ Crucibles x6 produced
→ Awaiting Drying
→ Estimated Completion: 4 days later
"This should be enough."
I stood while dusting off my hands. My knees were stiff, and my back ached.
"Chieftain, you are truly incredible."
Running Deer exclaimed in admiration.
"To make six identical ones like that. I do not think I could make even one."
"If you practice, you can do it too."
I answered with a smile.
"Truly?"
"Yes. No one is good from the beginning."