Chapter 80: The Compass - Teacher Yu's Mini-Class Begins
The courtyard gate was open. Heng Qing had the rest of his tribe unload the iron ore, while he transformed into human form, carrying a magnet on his back, and walked through the gate.
"How are Cheng Liu and Zai Zai doing lately?" Yu Yan asked.
When asked about her partner and child, Heng Qing smiled and said, "They're both doing well. He's pregnant now and can't travel that far, so he asked me to give you his regards. He also packed some food from our tribe for you; it's all in the basket."
Yu Yan: "Yes, thank you."
Once inside the courtyard, Heng Qing took off the basket from his back and began taking things out one by one.
The foods listed above are all fragile and easily crushed, so they are carefully wrapped in layers of cloth.
Below are magnets, filling half a basket.
Yu Yan said in surprise, "You brought so much?"
Heng Qing laughed and said, "We were afraid of making a mistake, and we were also afraid that you wouldn't have enough, so we simply brought everything we could find."
Yu Yan: "Wait for me."
He took an iron object from under the eaves, bent down and placed it against the magnet, and it was quickly and firmly attracted.
“It’s definitely a magnet!” he said happily.
After trying them, he found that some magnets were strong while others were weak.
He picked out the one with the strongest magnetism and prepared to use a file to shape it for later use.
Heng Qing asked, "Are you going to use a magnet to make something? Let me help you."
Yu Yan: "No need. There's one essential material that the Qingqing tribe hasn't delivered to me yet."
"I see..." he asked cautiously, "Then may I come and see how you're building the house?"
Yu Yan nodded: "Sure."
Heng Qing was very happy: "Then I'm leaving! Blow the whistle to call me if you need anything!"
He had just rushed out of the yard when he transformed into his black panther form and ran away with a series of thuds.
Yu Yan shook her head helplessly: "You have to transform into beast form for just two steps? How impatient are you?"
Lanxiu was organizing building materials, while Ruihua and Fenggui went out on a date.
Yu Yan grabbed a stool and patiently used tools to repair the magnet.
When Feng Gui and Rui Hua returned in the afternoon, Yu Yan had already shaped the stone into a long strip.
"Yu Yan, we're back."
"Are you grinding stones? Your hands are all red from grinding. Why didn't you wait for us to come back?"
Yu Yan smiled and said, "I did this little job in no time."
Seeing that Shuyu and Tannian had come over together, Yu Yan asked, "Is the needle I asked for ready?"
Shuyu: "Yes, we sent over five in the first batch. See if that's okay."
Yu Yan stood up, took the small cloth bag he handed her, opened it, and found five glittering silver needles inside.
He picked one up, examined it against the sunlight, and said with satisfaction, "It's very well made."
Just by looking at the color and texture, you can tell that it contains very few impurities.
“You must have spent a lot of time forging and polishing it,” Yu Yan said.
Shuyu didn't mention her own hardships at all, and said with a smile, "As long as you can use it, that's fine."
Yu Yan: "I need it today. Who can go and call the kids over?"
Ruihua: "I'll go."
He transformed into a snow-white swan, flew into the sky, and let out a long cry.
Soon, the sound of orcs taking off could be heard in the distance.
After Ruihua landed, Yu Yan remembered to ask, "Father, did you meet Chief Shuyu and the others on the road?"
Ruihua: "No."
Feng Gui smiled and said, "The multi-seeded fruit of the Qingqing tribe is ripe. Chief Shuyu invited us to come and pick some for you to try."
He pulled a basket over from behind and removed the leaves from it: "Look, we picked so many."
Yu Yan looked down and saw that it was a pomegranate! It was much bigger than the wild pomegranates he remembered.
Not only are they round and plump, but their color is also a delightful bright red.
"It smells delicious, and it looks appetizing." Yu Yan smiled at them. "Thank you, Father and Uncle, thank you everyone from the Qingqing Tribe!"
Tan Nian: "You're welcome!"
Yu Yan: "I'll take it and cut it up!"
Shuyu paused for a moment, then said, "No need to cut it, just peel it with your hands and eat it."
Yu Yan: "You'll see in a bit, it's much easier to eat this way!"
The people of the Qingqing tribe looked at each other and figured that Yu Yan hadn't eaten many seed fruits and didn't know how to eat them.
When Yu Yan returned with a plate of sliced fruit, they asked in surprise, "You can do that?"
Yu Yan cut the fruit into petals and arranged them on the plate like flower petals!
"Come on, everyone, let's share." Yu Yan took a slice for herself and then handed the plate to everyone.
Tan Nian asked, "Yu Yan, how did you cut this?"
Yu Yan demonstrated with her hands: "First, make a small opening at the top, then cut downwards along the internal lines, and then break it open, that's it."
Everyone nodded repeatedly, indicating that they had learned something.
The people of Qingqing Tribe joked, "We've been eating multi-seeded fruit for so many years, but we're still not as good as you, hahaha."
As they were talking, the tribe's children arrived, and Yu Yan shared the sliced pomegranates with them.
"Thank you, Brother Yu Yan~" the little ones said their thanks in a cute and adorable way.
Lan Xiu, Heng Qing, Cang Feng, and the other adults also came along.
"Yu Yan, do you need to see the kids?" Cang Feng asked.
Yu Yan said with a smile, "I'm going to lead them in a little game."
Xin Yu asked curiously, "What game?"
Yu Yan: "If you want to see it, you can see it too."
He moved a table into the yard, scooped up a bowl of water, and placed it on the table.
Next, take out the long, thin magnet and the thin wooden piece, and open the small cloth bag containing the needles.
The children gathered around the table, while the adults stood on the periphery, all curiously watching the things on the table.
Shuoxing asked, "Brother Yu Yan, what are all these for?"
Yu Yan, with her slender and graceful figure, stood behind the table and introduced herself to everyone.
"Everyone, watch closely. Next, I'm going to rub the needle with a magnet."
Yu Yan pressed the needle onto the table and rubbed it in one direction with a magnet.
After twenty times, he pinched the needle and stuck it to the small iron knife hanging at his waist.
"Snap!" The needle got stuck to it!
The babies immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! It's sucking on it! How could this happen?"
Teacher Yu Yan explained with a smile: "As I just said, a magnet is magnetic. By rubbing it repeatedly in one direction, the needle also becomes magnetic."
The children were completely captivated: "It's amazing!"
The adults were also seeing this phenomenon for the first time, and they stared at it intently.
Next, Yu Yan picked up the thin wooden piece and pierced the magnetic needle through the center of it.
He put the wooden piece, along with the needle, into a bowl of water. The wooden piece floated on the surface, swayed for a moment, and then came to rest.
The child and the adults stared at the contents of the bowl, not understanding what they were going to do.
Yu Yan looked at the children and asked with a smile, "Who wants to help me demonstrate?"
Qiu Ze was the first to raise his hand: "Me! Me! Me!"
"Okay, then Qiu Ze, come over here."
Qiu Ze ran happily to Yu Yan's side, tilting his head back and waiting obediently.
Yu Yan gestured for Qiu Ze to reach out, and then placed the bowl in Qiu Ze's hands.
"Don't move yet."
"Mmm." Qiu Ze stood straight, not daring to move.
After a short while, the wood chips in the bowl came to rest.
Yu Yan asked, "What did you discover?"
The children stared at the wooden piece, their faces filled with confusion.
Seeing several adults staring wide-eyed in surprise, Yu Yan shook her head at them calmly.
The adults remained silent, staring at the wooden shards in the bowl as if witnessing some kind of miracle.
Yu Yan said gently, "Didn't anyone notice? Then I'll give you a little hint. Just now on the table, which way was the needle pointing?"
Shuoxing reached out: "This way, and that way too."
Yu Yan: "Hmm. And now?"
“Now…” Shuoxing’s eyes widened, “it’s in the same direction!”
“Qiu Ze, take a few steps forward, turn around, turn a little more, that’s fine, yes, move around.”
"Okay, let's stop."
Qiu Ze did as Yu Yan instructed, his eyes fixed on the wooden shard in the bowl.
The water calmed down from its sloshing motion, and the wooden pieces also came to a standstill.
Akizawa is no longer in the same position as before, but the needle is still pointing in the same direction!
The children realized what was happening and cried out, "Brother Yu Yan! The needle was always pointing to these two sides!"
Yu Yan: "Which two sides?"
The children looked around and eagerly shouted, "South and North!"
Yu Yan nodded: "That's right."
"Oh my god, but how could this happen?"
"Isn't this just ordinary water and ordinary wood chips?"
Yu Yan patiently guided her: "What do you all think is the reason?"
"The needle...it's a magnetic needle!!"
Yu Yan looked over approvingly: "That's right! It's a needle. After gaining magnetism, it has directionality."
The people of the beast world didn't quite understand the "principle" he was talking about.
But they can see the facts right in front of them.
Ruihua, in particular, was already wide-eyed in astonishment, her heart pounding.
Is this the "solution to a poor sense of direction" that Yu Yan once mentioned?
The adults watching couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Yu Yan, can this needle be used both day and night?"
He replied, "It can be used anytime, anywhere, whether it's day or night, windy or rainy, and it always points north and south. We call this a compass."
Cangfeng: "Won't you point to the wrong person?"
Yu Yan: "If there are no external influences, such as the needle losing its magnetism or interference from iron objects, it will not point incorrectly."
Although Shuyu and the others knew that Yu Yan would use the needles to determine direction when they were making them, they were still extremely shocked when they actually saw this scene.
"This compass is so useful!" Tan Nian exclaimed.
Shuyu nodded emphatically: "It can save lives."
He looked at Yu Yan and said, "These past few days we asked the people in the tribe and learned that even among adults, there are those who are not good at sensing direction. For example, they are prone to getting lost in a lake that seems to have no end in sight, or on the beach."
"The little ones can easily get lost if they run into the deep mountains and dense forests."
"If we had a compass, the danger would be greatly reduced."
Yu Yan: "Yes."
The people here may not know, but he does know how much the invention of the compass greatly promoted navigation.
When he was a child, he saw a very sophisticated nautical compass at home.
Shuoxing asked hopefully, "Brother Yu Yan, can I try it too?"
"Okay, you can all give it a try."
"That's great! Thank you, Brother Yu Yan!"
The children swarmed around, carrying bowls, walking back and forth in the yard, excitedly saying, "Try standing a little higher!"
"Wow, it also refers to the north-south direction here!"
"Watch me spin this piece of wood until it gets dizzy!"
"Stopped...stopped...still in the south!"
"Compasses are amazing!!"
They played non-stop, and the adults were also deeply moved, finally understanding why Yu Yan had called the children over.
What may seem like "playing games" is actually teaching the kids something.
If Yu Yan said it, this is called "learning through entertainment".
Cangfeng glanced at Ruihua and asked Yuyan, "This compass of yours is probably for Ruihua, right?"
Yu Yan: "Yes."
"Could we use the remaining needles to make a communal compass for the tribe? It would be wonderful if we could make one for each of the children."
"Yes, my plan is to prioritize the children. Once we have more needles, we can make them for anyone in the tribe who needs them."
The people of the peninsula tribe looked at Yu Yan with gratitude.
Shuyu: "Yuyan, we kept two needles, and we also want to make a compass."
Yu Yan: "Okay, you can pick a magnet to take with you later."
Heng Qing said anxiously, "Could you bring us two back too? When we came, we really didn't know that magnets could be so useful."
Yu Yan chuckled: "Of course you can."
"Thank you, thank you so much." Heng Qing then looked at Shu Yu, "Clan Chief Shu Yu, could you please help us make some needles? Please."
Shuyu smiled and said, "Chief Hengqing, there's no need to be so polite. The iron ore comes from your tribe, and the white charcoal comes from the peninsula tribe. Our tribe only contributed some effort. If you need it, we will definitely make it for you."
He turned to his companions behind him and said a few words, “How about this, we’ll give you one needle, you can use it first.”
Heng Qing repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Chief Shuyu, on behalf of the Highland Tribe, thank you."
Shuyu: "We're all friends, no need to thank me."
Heng Qing gazed at the handsome and friendly faces, overwhelmed with emotion.
In the past, there was very little communication between tribes.
If he hadn't brought Cheng Liu to seek medical treatment, the Highland Tribe would never have been so closely connected with other tribes.
The magnificent scene of tribes helping each other without expecting anything in return is absolutely unheard of.
And all of this...
Heng Qing looked at Yu Yan, who was standing in the crowd, smiling and with a gentle expression.
It's all because of this clever and kind-hearted sub-beastman.
Everyone lined up to try the compass, and Yu Yan found herself next to someone. Feng Gui approached with a smile and said, "With such a useful compass, your father won't have to worry about not being able to come home when he goes out alone in the future."
Yu Yan asked Ruihua, "Has Father learned how to use it?"
Ruihua: "I've learned it. From now on, I'll take the needle, water, wooden pieces, and bowl with me wherever I go."
Yu Yan laughed and waved her hand: "I'm just doing this to make it easier for everyone to demonstrate. Iron needles are always soaking in water, which makes them prone to rusting, and it's also inconvenient to use a bowl to hold the water."
Ruihua asked in confusion, "Then what should we do?"
"I'll make a waterless compass, or rather, a dry compass, once I've made one."
Yu Yan then looked at Cang Feng, "It's for communal use in the tribe. I'm planning to make something called a 'Sinan' (司南). It works on the same principle as a compass, but I'll just grind a magnet into the shape of a spoon and place a smooth metal plate underneath. The plate can't be made of iron ore. This way, the handle will automatically point south, and the tip can point north."
"I've already decided where to place the compass; let's put it in the new altar plaza."
Cang Feng's eyes gleamed: "Great!! We'll take care of polishing this spoon!"
Yu Yan nodded with a smile.
He told Cangfeng and the others to get on with their work, and before they left, he reminded the children to listen to Yu Yan.
The kids: "Okay~"
Seeing this, Shuyu and the others were extremely envious. They said to Yu Yan with a hint of resentment, "If we had known you were going to teach the kids something today, we would have brought our tribe's kids too."
Yu Yan: "Anyway, you've already learned how to make a compass, so it's the same as telling them when you get back."
Tan Nian confidently declared, "It's different. You've spoken the most vividly, and the kids like you the most and listen to you the most."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment."
...
After seeing off the people from the Qingqing tribe, Yu Yan went to the warehouse and found a tiger bone plank.
He exchanged this wood with someone else; it has high density, stable properties, and is not easily deformed. He usually doesn't take it out to use.
Lan Xiu stood beside him, helping him with his tasks.
Yu Yan took a charcoal pencil and a wooden stick, which she propped up into a sharp point.
He stuck the stick into the wooden board, twirled the charcoal pencil in his hand, and a perfect circle quickly appeared on the board.
Lan Xiu exclaimed in amazement, "So beautiful! You painted so fast!"
Yu Yan smiled and said, "Yes, this method makes it very easy to draw a circle."
He then drew a smaller concentric circle inside the larger circle, pointing to the area covered by the larger circle and saying:
"We need to dig out this part, and carve out the small circle in the middle to make a 'heavenly pool' for installing the magnetic needle. The whole thing needs to be polished smooth."
"I'll do it."
Lanxiu sat down and used a knife to carve out a round wooden board and a sky pool, patiently and meticulously polishing it until it was smooth.
Yu Yan and he worked together to create a bone bearing.
They also took a piece of glass that was the lightest in color from the fire and asked a skilled orc in the tribe to help them polish it into a thin sheet.
After Lanxiu finished processing the disc, Yu Yan took out the magnetic needle and installed and adjusted it.
After adjusting it, he used a knife to carve the markings representing "South" and "North" on the disc, filled it with ink, and then cleaned the disc surface. This way, the markings would be very clear.
In the final step, he assembled all the components, creating a small, simple, and beautiful compass.
During the work, he and Lanxiu didn't communicate much. With just a glance, Lanxiu knew what he wanted, showing a great understanding between them.
At that moment, he stood up, holding the compass, and called out, "Father, I'm done! Come and try it!"
After he finished speaking, he realized that the sun had already set.
I was so focused on working that afternoon that I didn't even notice when the others left.
Ruihua walked out of the house with a smile: "Finished with work? Come on, let's go eat."
Yu Yan sniffed the air, then belatedly realized, "Did they fry something? It smells so good."
Ruihua: "Your father-in-law did as you said, and fried lotus root sandwiches with lots of your favorite meat filling."
Yu Yan: "I want to eat!"
He shoved the compass into Ruihua's hand and ran off quickly.
Ruihua, holding the compass, watched his retreating figure and smiled with particular pride.
During dinner, Ruihua barely touched his chopsticks, keeping his compass in his hand and looking at it repeatedly.
Feng Gui said helplessly, "Let's eat first, or it'll get cold."
Ruihua appeared calm on the surface, but his eyes were filled with joy as he said, "Okay."
Then, after taking a couple of bites, he picked up his compass again.
Feng Gui: "..."
Yu Yan held the bowl and laughed rather unkindly.
Feng Guiliang glanced at him, and he immediately thought through all the unhappy things from both his lives before he managed to suppress his laughter.
"Ahem, Lanxiu, when are you planning to build the house?" He changed the subject.
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