**Chapter 245: Brick Kiln Construction Complete, Bellows Emerge!**
After the first layer was fully paved, Lin Ye began applying another layer of cement to lay the second layer. This would create a gap between the first and second layers, which would be the space where charcoal would be burned later. Once the bottoms of these two layers of the brick kiln were completed, the sun had already set without them realizing it.
It wasn’t until after the sun went down and the sky suddenly darkened that Lin Ye noticed it was almost night. Seeing the remaining cement was not much, Lin Ye decided to use it all up before resting. He then turned and said to the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls, “You all go to the open space and start a fire to cook. I’ll be there in a bit.” With only a small amount of cement left, Lin Ye finished it in less than half an hour.
Upon hearing Lin Ye’s words, the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls all nodded, but few of them moved. Only Shi, with a few others, went to start cooking. The other Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls remained standing there, looking at the brick wall Lin Ye was building with great curiosity. Lin Ye, seeing their appearance, figured they were interested, so he let them watch as he continued to build, lowering his head. The Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls stood by, watching Lin Ye place each brick one by one. They occasionally lowered their heads and whispered. Lin Ye sped up his work, using up all the cement before nightfall.
After washing their hands with the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls, they came to the open space. Shi and her companions, seeing Lin Ye and the others arrive, smiled and said, “It’s just cooked, you’re back. I learned from Lin Ye today and made Gnocchi Soup, come taste it!” Upon hearing that Shi had made Gnocchi Soup today, the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls rushed over. Shi had already brought all their bowls there. Soon, everyone was enjoying the Gnocchi Soup cooked by Shi. Lin Ye, drinking a full pottery bowl of Gnocchi Soup served by Susu, noticed Shi looking at him expectantly. After taking a sip, Lin Ye smiled and nodded at Shi. Shi’s cooking tasted identical to Lin Ye’s own. They used the same ingredients, and as long as it wasn’t overcooked, it wouldn’t go wrong. Having a Beast-eared Girl like Shi in the tribe saved Lin Ye a lot of trouble. Perhaps due to Shi’s Talent Ability, Lin Ye found that Shi was becoming more comprehensive in her thinking and her thought process had broken free from the habits of primitive society. This was what Lin Ye was most pleased about.
After they had finished all four pots of Gnocchi Soup cooked by Shi, they all lay on the ground, patting their round bellies and looking at the moon in the sky. At this moment, Setsuna looked at the full moon. Although it wasn’t like the werewolves on Earth who transformed directly into wild wolves, she still felt a reaction to the moon. Her eyes were fixed on the moon, lost in thought. Only when the wolf cub she raised nudged her face did Setsuna come back to her senses. She gently pulled the wolf cub away from her face and softly scratched its neck with one hand, murmuring to herself, “Why does the moon change size? How wonderful it would be if it was always this big!” Lin Ye heard Setsuna’s mumble. Although he knew what was going on, he shook his head and didn’t explain it to Setsuna.
“Alright, let’s go back to the wooden house and sleep. We still need to continue building the brick kiln tomorrow!” After resting for a while longer, Lin Ye stood up and urged the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls. Then, they all walked towards the wooden house together. Grandma Nanrong was old and had already returned to the wooden house to lie down. As they entered the house, they saw by the bright moonlight that Grandma Nanrong was already asleep. So, they tiptoed back to their own beds and went to sleep. Lin Ye had spent the entire day laying bricks. As soon as he lay down, he fell asleep, sleeping soundly until the next day.
When they arrived at the place where the pottery kiln was being built, the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls were already busy. The water had already been fetched for Lin Ye and was placed on the ground. Lin Ye began mixing cement again. After the cement was mixed, he continued to lay bricks in circles, building upwards until it reached the height of his neck. Only then did Lin Ye stop. This height was sufficient. What Lin Ye needed to do next was cover the opening at the top but leave plenty of ventilation holes. Lin Ye took out the wooden boards he had prepared earlier and placed one every so often. Then, he began connecting bricks on top of the wooden boards. This time, cement was applied to the sides of the bricks. One by one, the bricks were connected end to end, covering the wooden boards. Once the cement hardened, even if the wooden boards were removed, these bricks would still be firmly connected. The wooden boards wouldn’t need to be removed either. When they began firing the bricks, these wooden boards would be ignited by the high temperature and burn away quickly.
Lin Ye emerged from the kiln opening he had left. He turned and looked at the completed brick kiln, a happy smile on his face. He then turned again and saw the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls still transporting bricks. Lin Ye immediately said to them, “Stop now, the brick kiln is built. Put these bricks there for now; they will be used later!” Hearing that the brick kiln was completed, the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls all excitedly looked over, dropping the bricks they were holding, and immediately rushed to the side of the brick kiln. Lin Ye smiled as he watched their curious expressions. After thinking for a moment, he reminded them, “Everyone, push the walls of the brick kiln. The cement hasn’t solidified yet, so the walls will collapse if pushed.” Hearing Lin Ye’s words, the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls seemed like startled deer, taking two steps back, afraid of knocking over the newly built brick kiln.
“This is a brick kiln?”
“Wow, the brick kiln is so much bigger than the pottery kiln.”
“Do you think this brick kiln looks like a wooden house?”
After this statement, the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls looked closely at the brick kiln. As a result, they found that the brick kiln did indeed look very much like a wooden house. Lin Ye then used the remaining cement to build two more positions for the bellows, as well as the door they had left earlier. In the future, bricks would be transported into the kiln through this door, and fired bricks would be moved out. After everything was done, Lin Ye saw that there was still some time before dark, so he directly went to the cave and took out two bellows. He placed them in the two newly built positions, and they fit perfectly.
The Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls saw Lin Ye walk over again with this thing they had never seen before. Most of them came to Lin Ye’s side. “Ye, what is this?” The Beast-eared Girls approached, and Sakura, with wide eyes, asked about the bellows. “This is called a bellows. You all try it.” Hearing Sakura’s question, Lin Ye realized that most of the Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls were curiously looking at the two bellows on the ground. So, Lin Ye let them try it first. Lin Ye knew that the Beast-eared Girls would be operating these bellows in the future, so he let them experience it now. This would also allow Lin Ye to see which of the Beast-eared Girls were more suitable for operating the bellows to heat the furnace during iron smelting later.
Upon hearing Lin Ye’s words, Xing was the first to try it. She pushed and pulled the handle of the bellows a few times, watching the rapid gusts of wind appear on the ground because of her pushing the bellows. Xing’s eyes instantly became shocked. She didn’t recover until the next Beast-eared Girl came to take over from her. She walked distractedly into the crowd, but the shocked expression on her face did not diminish at all. Then, one Beast-eared Girl or Winged Girl after another stepped up with a smile. Soon, they stepped down with shock. Lin Ye carefully observed each person’s reaction as they took turns experiencing the bellows. Finally, he realized that pushing and pulling the bellows required strength, so the Xing and Yun sisters were undoubtedly chosen. “Ye, did you make this bellows too?” “This is too magical. I just pushed the handle, and the wind immediately blew out.” The Beast-eared Girls and Winged Girls talked to each other in shock, looking at the wooden boxes.
