Lan longed for her homeland, the mixed-race clan in the forest.
Jiang Yunlan lit a fire, her half-closed eyes fixed on the orange-red flames, before belatedly realizing that she was also getting sleepy.
She hadn't washed the mud off her hands yet, and dared not rub her eyes. She just yawned and turned to urge the beastmen to go to sleep. She wanted to personally oversee the firing of the first batch of pottery.
The exhausted orcs didn't refuse; they carried the two lemming orc cubs back to the fire in the cave and lay down to sleep. A ring of stones surrounded the fire, keeping it out of the flames, so they didn't have to worry about accidentally touching it.
A few seconds later, snoring filled the cave. The orcs were exhausted today and fell asleep quickly.
Qiu Guo, who had been sitting by the fire, didn't sleep. She stopped sharpening her stone knife and picked up a vine from the side, recalling Lan's words as she wove a vine basket. Her movements were very gentle, producing only a soft rubbing sound.
"Lan." Maple Sugar, leaning on the wooden cane that Lan had made in her spare time, walked with difficulty to Lan's right side and sat down.
After her injured left leg healed, she always felt weak in it, as if she had never seen her leg before. Fortunately, after three seasons, the strength in her leg gradually returned.
Jiang Yunlan took a few seconds to process what was happening, her brain finally registering that Maple Sugar was calling her. She turned her head and saw Maple Sugar gesturing, asking if she wanted to go to sleep. She shook her head, urging Maple Sugar to go to sleep instead.
The clan's fire is watched over by Maple Syrup and Autumn Fruit in turns. Now it's Autumn Fruit's turn to watch the fire, so she can go to sleep now.
Maple Syrup didn't go to rest. She fought off her overwhelming drowsiness and stayed by the fire in the earthen kiln, and by watching over Lan.
Jiang Yunlan was so sleepy that she simply took the half-finished vine basket she hadn't finished that afternoon and started weaving it while watching the fire. Maple Syrup, who had nothing else to do, took out some kneaded red clay and started shaping bowls and plates.
The fire crackled and popped as the branches burned.
The flickering fire illuminated Jiang Yunlan's face as she finished finishing the vine basket in her hands.
Slowly completing the final step, she casually moved the large basket aside to add firewood to the kiln, glancing at 022 beside her. 022 hadn't gone out that night; she was staying by her side, watching the birth of the first batch of pottery.
022 was very quiet today, not uttering a single word of its observations. She felt puzzled, her sleepy mind unable to process anything, so she kept staring at the transparent slime ball. Since 022 didn't speak, she rarely heard the familiar Chinese, and a strange sense of loneliness washed over her.
In just a few days, she actually got used to 022's self-talk, and when she couldn't hear it, she felt that the surroundings were quiet.
She missed Earth a little, and she missed China, the land where she had grown up. Her hometown.
The tiny squirrel-like beastman cub was lost in thought when it unexpectedly met 022's gaze as it turned to look at it. The two stared at each other for a long time, confusion gradually settling over 022.
Its transparent body slowly traced flowing question marks, and finally spoke, "022 doesn't understand, what is it about 022 that makes you stare at it for so long?"
She used to never stare at it, but she's becoming increasingly strange.
022, I don't understand.
Jiang Yunlan was brought back to her senses. She looked away and slowly stuffed a bunch of branches into the fire, saying softly, "I was wondering why you suddenly stopped talking."
It paused for a moment, not quite understanding why she would say such a thing, as if she wanted to hear its voice.
022 felt a very strange sensation, like the feeling it had when it first touched the warm current in a glacier. It was indescribable and incredible.
Aside from their own kind, only the creatures chosen as their partners can hear and see them. In all its memories, up to its generation 022, the only exception was encountering someone like Jiang Yunlan.
It was not a witness, and Jiang Yunlan was not its partner, yet it could see it and talk to it.
It was probably because Jiang Yunlan bumped into it while it was jumping through space when it fell off the cliff, and it happened to be dragged here by the obsession of the squirrel beastman cub from the beast world, and coincidentally it was brought here as well.
Thus, a connection was formed between the human and the magical creature.
022 suddenly realized that Jiang Yunlan had long been influenced by it. Whether it spoke or not, this civilization was already being driven by it to some extent.
"Can you go back to Earth? Can you take me back?" Jiang Yunlan asked.
She didn't know what answer she would hear; she just suddenly wanted to ask. Even if it was just to put her mind at ease, she wanted to know if she could ever return to Earth.
"...Our race can travel freely through the universe, but we do not have the ability to carry other beings in space jumps. Even if we carry their souls."
Capturing or carrying the souls of living beings is something explicitly forbidden by the subject. By the time it develops self-awareness, that ability has already been eliminated by the subject long ago.
Jiang Yunlan lowered her eyes and hummed in agreement. This was an expected answer; she wasn't surprised, only slightly disappointed.
The fifth day since she transmigrated to the beast world. From now on, she will spend the rest of her life in this world.
Jiang Yunlan slowly exhaled, and after the initial disappointment, a sense of calm settled over her. Surprisingly, she wasn't very sad, perhaps because she only had a few casual acquaintances and no close friends on Earth. Right now, she was more concerned about how many of the pottery pieces about to be fired would be intact.
She wanted earthenware bowls, earthenware pots, and a round plate for frying meat.
Filled with anticipation, the weary Jiang Yunlan sat up and looked at the two moons overhead, calculating the time.
She waited and waited, until the time she had calculated in her mind arrived, then extinguished the fire at the bottom of the kiln. She waited patiently for a while longer, until it was time to open the kiln. Excited, she patted the maple syrup beside her, urging it to quickly open the seal.
The kiln is ready to be opened!
Maple Syrup lifted the seal, and Jiang Yunlan used two long, sturdy wooden sticks to pry out the pottery inside. There was a ceramic pot, several bowls and plates, and a few bowl lids.
Seeing that one of the pottery jars in the kiln had cracked, Jiang Yunlan grunted and placed another unfired pottery jar into the empty kiln. It didn't matter; she had another one. There was no shortage of red clay here; she could make many more, it just would take some time.
The fire in the earthen kiln lit up again, and Jiang Yunlan squatted down to count the successfully fired red bowls, plates, and lids.
"The fifth day of the Primitive Beast World Observation Record, evening. The mixed forest race clan successfully fired pottery for the first time, producing 3 red bowls, 2 red plates, and 2 bowl lids. Recorded by 022." 022 began.
It decided to revert to its old habits.
Upon hearing its voice, Jiang Yunlan suddenly opened her half-closed eyelids and smiled slightly.
She turned to face the kiln, a relaxed smile on her lips, and whispered something, her voice only slightly louder than the crackling sound of the fire burning.
"Once the earthenware bowls are finished, the beastmen will be able to drink boiled water every day. If we could also get earthenware pots, we could bring them to fill with water tomorrow."
The clan didn't have many bamboo tubes, and to conserve resources, she hadn't boiled water; the beastmen continued to drink raw water from the river. There was a large rock in the cave that could hold water, which the beastmen would put in the water they brought back. She hadn't drunk from that water yet; she wasn't thirsty after eating fruit and didn't need to drink.
022 heard what she said clearly, and landed lightly on her left side to wait with her for the kiln to be opened.
Jiang Yunlan, exhausted from staying up all night, quickly closed her eyes and fell asleep. Maple Sugar, who was beside her, noticed that her body was swaying as if she was about to fall, so she quickly let go of the red clay in her hand and reached out to catch her.
The earthen kiln was burning warmly. Lan wasn't cold, so Maple Sugar quietly laid Lan down, letting her rest her head on her lap. She held Lan in one arm and used the other to add more firewood to the fire.
The moon sets and the sun rises; dawn breaks.
Jiang Yunlan, who was sleeping on the semi-circular platform, was awakened by the sunlight. She struggled to open her eyes, her mind still foggy.
She hadn't slept enough, and her mood wasn't great. She desperately wanted to take a nap to calm herself, her consciousness constantly shifting between sleep and wakefulness, when she suddenly realized she was lying on the lap of some orc. She snapped awake, and sleepiness skipped away.
She stiffly straightened up and looked back.
Maple Syrup stayed up all night with her by the fire, and when she saw her turn to look at her, she gave a sleepy smile, "Lan."
Upon hearing Maple Syrup's voice, her eyes darted around, and she replied dryly, "...Good morning, Maple Syrup."
Jiang Yunlan grabbed a handful of hair, took a deep breath to shake off her unease, and gestured to ask Maple Sugar if she was in pain. Maple Sugar had deep scars on her legs, and it was very likely that her legs shouldn't be pressed down. She didn't know how she had vaguely leaned over there. She clearly remembered that she didn't sleepwalk and didn't like to move around much in her sleep.
She gestured for a long time before Maple Sugar finally understood what she meant and shook her head.
“Lan!” Maple Syrup pointed at the earthen kiln that could be opened a second time, looking at Lan with bright eyes.
The former chieftain had told her about these round, water-holding objects. The chieftain had seen them when he visited the Medicine Clan. She had heard the chieftain say that the Medicine Clan obtained them from other clans by trading herbs; they were valuable water-holding objects.
Unfortunately, most of the clans in the forest left, including the bowl-making clan.
Many snow seasons ago, the various clans of beastmen in the forest migrated here from other places because of the appearance of giant beasts. Now, with the discovery of giant beast tracks near the forest, the beastmen have no choice but to migrate again.
Maple Syrup thought to herself that she would leave this place with her people after the snow season and the flower season. Lan was very capable; she would surely find a new habitat quickly.
Actually, it doesn't matter if T-Lan doesn't find a habitat soon. They will always follow Lan and never leave Lan.
Hopefully, the snow and wind of the winter season will cover up everyone's scent and prevent the giant beast from discovering this place.
Looking at the earthen kiln containing the birth bowl, Maple Syrup wasn't exactly relaxed. The second kiln of red pottery was ready to be opened.
Jiang Yunlan, unaware of Fengtang's worries, smiled with relief. She helped Fengtang to her feet and had her remove the seal from the earthen kiln. She wasn't strong enough to hold the seal firmly, but Fengtang could easily remove the seal from the half-circular pot lid with just one hand.
New red pottery was laid out, and the pottery jar was made.
Jiang Yunlan looked at the intact pottery pot, her smile brightening, her obsidian-like eyes sparkling like luminous gemstones.
The beastmen, who had all risen late, emerged from the cave and immediately spotted the bowls and plates on the semi-circular platform. They stared in astonishment at the dramatically changed red pottery, then excitedly ran forward to carefully touch the fragile vessels.
Feng Hong knew these things could hold water, like bamboo tubes, and excitedly kept calling Lan's name. Hei Tu stared blankly at the bowl, forgetting to utter a sound. Mian Hua reacted even faster than her; he and the other orcs called Lan's name together, releasing their joy.
The joyful voices, like waves, washed away the hazy feelings that Jiang Yunlan had been suppressing in her heart, taking away the sadness of being far from home and leaving only the sweetness rising like sparkling water.
"Bowl, this is called a bowl." She picked up a red bowl, her eyes slightly curved into a beautiful smile.
The beastmen heard it several times and learned the word. Pointing to the bowl, they said to her, "Lan! Bowl."
Lan! I love the bowl!
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