Surviving in the Beast World with a System

Chapter 501 - 386: Qingcao’s Big Rump (Part 2)

Lord Wuyue had always been benevolent and magnanimous toward the slaves. This was the first time she had spoken so clearly about their status.

Chang Ye knew that when it came to raising chickens, they had been wrong.

Even though it was the hot season, and a blazing fire still roared in the nearby brick and tile kiln, it was as if all that sweltering heat had been sealed away by some invisible force.

He felt as if he had been thrown into the ice and snow of winter, a cold so deep he couldn’t help but tremble and shrink into himself.

Wu Yue, standing before him, naturally saw Chang Ye’s trembling and cowering.

Coming from a more egalitarian society, Wu Yue had always felt a subtle resistance to the very existence of slaves. Because of this, she had always treated the slaves in the tribe as if they were ordinary tribe members.

But Wu Yue knew her views were hers alone. The tribe members tolerated the slaves having their own food and belongings only because she had commanded it.

Therefore, whatever they owned could absolutely not exceed what the ordinary members of the tribe had.

"If you want to own more possessions and food, then you must work hard to contribute. Remember my words."

Wu Yue’s voice was as gentle as ever, pulling Chang Ye from the cruel winter of his fear back to the present.

As he relaxed, beads of cold sweat rolled down his cheeks and dripped onto the ground, leaving small pits in the dirt.

"Get up. I have something for you to do."

She led Chang Ye to the area where the slaves were shaping clay.

When the slaves saw Wu Yue approach, every one of them lowered their heads and bowed, their reverence clear.

They had all heard her words to Chang Ye moments before and now hardly dared to look at the Lord Wuyue who had always been so kind to them.

Wu Yue simply gave a faint nod, then led Chang Ye to a more spacious area.

"I need a type of pottery container. After you’re done firing the bricks and tiles, you can start shaping them. This piece of pottery is rather large, so it will be somewhat difficult. Go get some prepared clay, and I’ll show you how it’s done."

As she spoke, Wu Yue rolled up her sleeves.

Having just felt the weight of Lord Wuyue’s authority, Chang Ye didn’t dare to dawdle. He immediately got up and went over to the other slaves. A moment later, he returned with two of them, and together they carried over two full back-baskets of prepared clay.

"First, take a lump of clay to make the base."

As she spoke, Wu Yue began to work with a lump of clay on the wooden board, one easily the size of a basketball.

Wu Yue first slowly molded it into the shape of a large bowl. Then, on another wooden board, she took fresh clay and rolled it into a long strip as thick as a child’s arm.

She then used her shell knife to cut half-centimeter, sawtooth-like notches into the rim of the large bowl, before slowly coiling the arm-thick strip of clay on top of it.

After pressing it down slightly, she carefully used her shell knife to scrape the clay strip, fusing it with the rim of the bowl below.

The entire process was very slow. By the time Wu Yue finished scraping, she felt her arm begin to ache. She wasn’t very tired, but because this was her first time making a large vat, she had been a bit too tense.

When she turned back, she saw that Chang Ye had already copied her actions and rolled out an identical strip of clay.

Wu Yue felt increasingly satisfied with this former tribesman, and a smile touched her face. "Very well done. Give it to me."

Lord Wuyue showed her first smile since arriving, and the heart that had been lodged in Chang Ye’s throat instantly dropped.

A simple, earnest smile appeared on his face as he quickly handed over the clay strip.

"The middle of the vat needs to be thicker, so you have to coil the clay strips here like this."

As she spoke, Wu Yue coiled the clay strip in her hands onto the structure.

"As you coil them on, strip by strip, you flare each one out a little. See?"

Wu Yue wiped the sweat from her forehead and said to Chang Ye, who was beside her.

She had coiled on strip after strip, explaining as she worked, and the vat was already as high as her calf.

’This detailed, hands-on demonstration should be clear enough.’

Chang Ye nodded. "Lord Wuyue, I’ve memorized it all."

He clenched and unclenched his hands. Although he understood Lord Wuyue’s method for making this pottery vessel—a ’vat,’ as she called it—he had never tried it himself, so he was still a little apprehensive.

Wuyue nodded. "Good. We were flaring it outward just now. The next step is to bring it back in."

Hearing this, Chang Ye nodded and quickly resumed rolling clay strips.

Wuyue watched him hand over the new strip and couldn’t help but feel impressed. ’I don’t know how he does it,’ she mused, ’but the strips he rolls are perfectly even.’