章節 15: The Barren Mountain

Within the tribal camp, beside the blast furnace.

Brian handed over a stone hammer, saying, "Lord Priest, the furnace has cooled down, and the pottery can be taken out now."

Taking the stone hammer, Enzo broke open the sealed furnace and retrieved the pottery.

Most of the pottery was cracked and misshapen, but a few pieces were acceptable. The most satisfying piece was a 30-centimeter-wide pottery basin, which was intact and adorned with simple patterns.

Brian quickly sought recognition, saying, "Lord Priest, this one was made by me."

Enzo was somewhat surprised; he had initially thought Brian's skills lay in weapon crafting, but it seemed he was adept at pottery as well. It appeared that the appointment of Brian as the manager of the industrial area was a wise choice.

He then offered some advice, "Brian, next, gather some people to fire pottery in a cave. Besides the usual vessels for drinking water, make more of these large basins. Also, don't discard these flawed pottery pieces. Grind them into powder and mix them with clay to improve the yield."

Brian nodded eagerly, taking note of the instructions.

After breaking open the first furnace, Enzo didn't do the rest himself. Instead, he let other members of the tribe participate, allowing them to retrieve the pottery they had crafted.

Excited chatter erupted as everyone rushed to the furnaces, even Tia and Amy joining in.

With the commotion around the furnaces, Enzo found himself with a moment of peace.

Clara approached him, marveling at the pottery in his hands. "These are actually pottery? They are no different from what I've seen with traveling merchants, and the quality might even be better!"

"Traveling merchants? You've encountered other traveling merchants?" Enzo's interest was piqued.

Clara nodded, replying, "A few times, considering I spend most of my time outside the tribe."

Later, the two of them found a secluded spot, sat down, and Clara began to tell Enzo about some things regarding traveling merchants. Enzo didn't idle either; he ripened a potato, peeled it with his dagger, cut it into pieces, threw them into a pottery pot, then set it over a fire, added water to the pot, preparing to make some boiled potatoes to taste.

Clara was so intrigued that she spoke in fits and starts.

She wasn't particularly interested in the novel potato but was instead filled with longing for the silver-white dagger in Enzo's hand.

Such a sharp dagger, if used for hunting beasts, would surely easily pierce through the beasts' skins... not to mention dealing with people from other tribes.

Enzo noticed Clara's gaze wasn't quite right and asked, "Do you really want it?"

Clara nodded, then shook her head and said, "I saw such a dagger among the goods of a traveling merchant, but it wasn't as smooth and sharp as this one. That one was made very roughly, but even so, it would cost fifty Gold Leaves to buy."

"Gold Leaves, what are those?" Enzo inquired.

Although Clara was somewhat puzzled by Enzo's lack of knowledge, she still explained in detail, "Gold Leaves are the currency used for trading, issued by the Gold Oak Tribe. They are a major tribe in the barren mountain area, with tens of thousands of members. It is said that they have harnessed the totemic fire, but no one knows for sure. However, it's certain that the Gold Oak Tribe's priest is incredibly powerful, and he can sense the deaths of tribe members. Because of this, no one dares to challenge the Gold Oak Tribe's traveling merchants."

The barren mountain,Gold Oak Tribe...

Enzo gained a bit more understanding of this world.

Curiously, he asked, "How large is the barren mountain you mentioned?"

Clara shook her head, her smile turning bitter. "I don't know either. But from the top of the tallest mountain, as far as the eye can see, all belongs to the barren mountain... No one knows how large it is."

Upon hearing this, Enzo fell silent.

The barren mountain alone had such vast expanse.

What about the other areas, like the sea, grasslands, or deserts?

Enzo asked Clara again, but unfortunately, she didn't know. The farthest she had traveled was crossing over hundreds of high mountains, probably around two thousand kilometers, and that was the only time she went so far, to purchase ironware from the Gold Oak Tribe. But unfortunately, she didn't succeed.

Yet, this long journey was insignificant in the grand scheme of the barren mountain.

It was Enzo's first time truly perceiving the enormity of this world, giving him a clearer understanding of the insignificance of the Crimson Star Tribe.

The tribe's path to growth and development was indeed long and arduous.

At that moment, the water in the pottery pot began to boil and bubble.

Enzo used his dagger to carve out two sharp-tipped twigs, skewering the boiled potatoes. He handed one to Clara, saying, "Try this."

Clara took it, blew on it to cool it down, and then swallowed it in one gulp.

Her face lit up with pleasant surprise as she praised, "This potato tastes good."

Enzo, however, didn't feel the same way and expressed some regret, saying, "It's a pity we don't have salt; otherwise, it would taste even better."

"Salt?" Clara understood and felt around her body. She then pulled out a small leaf-wrapped bundle and opened it, revealing coarse yellowish salt grains. She then asked Enzo, "Is this what you're talking about?"

Enzo was astonished.

Curious, he asked, "Where did you find it? Also, you don't have any pockets on you, yet you manage to conceal a stone dagger and a small pouch of salt..."

Rolling her eyes, Clara replied earnestly, "Learning to conceal things is also part of combat."

She sprinkled a small amount of salt into the pottery pot and continued, explaining the origin of the salt, "I hunted an eight-meter-long black-striped python and brought it back to the Chagga Tribe. Crue rewarded me with this salt. As far as I know, Crue has quite a bit of salt in his collection. If you want some, I can bring it back for you."

Enzo nodded slightly, saying, "Let's see about that later."

At that moment, Tia and Amy also ran over.

The two caught the scent of the potatoes in the pottery pot and eagerly looked at Enzo until they got his permission. Only then did they impatiently start tasting.

Seeing this scene, Clara sighed, "Lucky little ones."

Compared to Tia and Amy, Clara was significantly older. With the average age in the tribe being over thirty, Clara had already lived two-thirds of her life, making her a mature warrior.

But strictly speaking, her age is quite similar to Enzo's.

Commenting on this, Tia retorted without hesitation, "I'm not a little one! Besides, I defeated you, so you should show me some respect."

Clara deliberately provoked Tia, saying, "I'm the instructor of the combat team."

Hearing this, Tia's momentum waned. Despite being the captain of the combat team, she still needed to participate in training at Enzo's request. The manner and difficulty of the training were all under Clara's jurisdiction. If Clara intentionally made things difficult for her during training and made her look bad.

Would Enzo think she was not suitable to be the captain of the combat team?

Poor girl Tia couldn't help but feel agitated inside.

Clara had a triumphant smile on her lips. Verbal provocations, which could be effective in real combat situations, especially insulting remarks, could drive enemies crazy and make them lose their composure.

That's how real battles worked, by any means necessary.

Meanwhile, the four of them leisurely ate the boiled potatoes, as time ticked away bit by bit. After retrieving all the fired pottery, Brian led the members assigned to the industrial area to dig caves and design them with unique structures. Underneath the caves, there were openings for adding charcoal.

Others were not idle either.

Sovita was in charge of the agricultural area. He ordered people to dig a pond and fill it with water from the small stream in the valley to serve as a source of irrigation for the fields.

As for Ward, he had already instructed people to chop wood and build simple shelters, complete with fences, to raise the young wild animals.

The hunting team set out once again, heading into the surrounding forests.

The entire tribe was bustling with activity, radiating a newfound vitality. Seeing this scene before her, Clara felt even more grateful for her choice. Only by following Enzo could she have a brighter future.

Everyone was working together for a better life, a scene rarely seen in the Chagga Tribe.

Lost in thought, Clara was suddenly interrupted by Enzo's voice: "Lie down. Let me heal your injuries. Your wounds haven't fully healed yet, and you still have training to do. I don't want anything to happen to our hard-found instructor."

Upon hearing this, Clara immediately lay down on the ground.

Enzo's palm was then placed on her smooth abdomen.