I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 117 Burning Bricks

The fire cannot be extinguished for too long when firing the kiln, meaning that regardless of whether it is day or night, someone from the clan must be on duty at the brick kiln.

Bai Ling kept watch during the first day and night, but he was worried about not being there when the clan was firing the kiln for the first time.

*

Bai Ling didn't know how long the brick kiln would need to be fired. Fortunately, he had left several observation ports when he built the kiln. Now that he didn't need to fire the kiln, he would open the observation ports from time to time to take a look. On the fourth day, the bricks turned red, and Bai Ling began to slowly add water through the small hole on the top of the kiln.

To fire green bricks, water must be added during the firing process.

This was Bai Ling's first time firing bricks, and he wasn't sure how much water to add. On the first day, he added very little water, on the second day he added more, and on the third day, he saw through the observation port that the bricks had turned bluish-green, so he added even more water.

The fire in the brick kiln burned for seven days and seven nights before finally stopping, but Bai Ling didn't stop adding water to the kiln.

Although the fire in the brick kiln has been extinguished, the kiln temperature is still very high. Slowly adding water to the brick kiln can lower the temperature, allowing it to be opened a day earlier.

*

On the day the brick kiln was opened, all the clan members came. Zhan stood at the front. He first glanced at Bai Ling, and seeing that Bai Ling's gaze was firm, Zhan's eyes also became more determined.

He personally stepped forward and opened the door of the brick kiln.

A faint wisp of smoke mixed with a burnt smell wafted out, and Zhan immediately sneezed several times.

Orcs have a very keen sense of smell. After the kiln was fired, it was left to dry for a day and a night before being opened. By then, most of the smoke had dissipated. Moreover, the brick kiln was used to fire clay bricks, so there was almost no burnt smell, only a smoky smell. However, Zhan was still strongly aroused by the smell.

He stepped back a few paces and waited until all the smoke and smell in the brick kiln had dissipated before leading his clansmen inside.

After seven consecutive days of firing, the clay bricks turned a light blue-green color, like a faint blue-green left after washing green many times.

Zhan picked up a brick, and the feel of it against his skin was completely different from that of a mud brick. He could clearly feel that the blue brick was more solid than the mud brick.

"Ling, is this the blue brick?" Zhan asked.

Bai Ling replied, "Yes, this is brick."

“If you use this to make a kang (heated brick bed), it will definitely be more sturdy than mud bricks,” said an elderly clansman standing next to Zhan.

The other members of the tribe also started talking amongst themselves. They all felt that these bricks were more durable than mud bricks, but they didn't know how well they would work.

Bai Ling led his people to bring out all the fired bricks. Some of these bricks were well-fired, some were badly fired, and some even broke in two as soon as they were picked up. Overall, the ratio of good to bad bricks was two to one, which was already very good for the beastmen who were firing bricks for the first time.

After the bricks were successfully fired, the clan chief Zhan gathered all the clan members together to ask for their opinions on whether they wanted to learn how to fire bricks and build houses with Bai Ling.

After Zhan finished speaking, many of the tribesmen shouted loudly, "Of course we want it! I've already cut down the trees and am just waiting to build a house with Ling."

“I’ve already figured out what the house I’ll build with bricks will look like. I’m just waiting to move in with my partner and kids. How can I not build a house with Ling Xue?”

“I heard that houses are much warmer than caves. My father has bad legs and suffers a lot in winter. Living in a warm house will definitely make him feel better. Anyway, I’m going to build a house.”

…………

Bai Ling has brought many changes to the tribe. When the tribe learned that Bai Ling was going to build a house, the tribespeople immediately took action. Now every household in the tribe has cut timber and is peeling the bark off the trees and drying them, just like Bai Ling. Now when the chief asks if they want to build a house, the answer is self-evident.

Zhan knew that his clansmen would definitely want to build a house, but since this was a big deal, he still had to ask them as a formality.

Zhan waved his hand, and the beastmen quieted down considerably, though many were still whispering among themselves.

Zhan said loudly, "In that case, let's build houses together with Ling."

“I asked Ling, and the first and most troublesome thing to do when building a house is to fire bricks. Building a house requires a lot of bricks, so we have to fire bricks first.”

“One or two people can’t make bricks. I plan to set aside a team of tribesmen for Bai Ling to lead. This team won’t need to go out hunting and gathering. They can just stay in the tribe and make bricks. They can eat more animal meat every day and also get some food from the tribe, just like an ironworks.”

The orcs were eager to sign up, but Zhan only called out the names of ten orcs.

These ten orcs all came from families with only adult orcs and no elderly or young children to care for. Such families didn't have much of a burden. Their coming to help Bai Ling burn bricks didn't prevent their families from hunting and tending to the newly planted fields.

Moreover, these ten orcs were all relatively young, all under one hundred years old.

For orcs with a lifespan of up to three hundred years, a hundred-year-old orc is indeed very young.

Zhan patted Bai Ling on the shoulder and said, "Ling, lead these people to do a good job and try to make sure that everyone in the clan can live in the kind of houses you mentioned."

Bai Ling answered Zhan very seriously: "Clan leader, I will."

*

To provide spacious and bright houses for the entire tribe, relying solely on small brick kilns built with mud bricks was too slow. Bai Ling decided to fire bricks several times and then use the bricks mixed with mud bricks to build a large brick kiln.

The fire in the brick kiln soon burned day and night again, and Bai Ling began to spend all her time in the kiln, no longer having time to see Yue as often.

Both of them had their own things to do, and Yue also had to go hunting. Fortunately, Yue hunted near the tribe both times, going out early in the morning and returning when it was almost dark.

The two can only exchange a few words in the morning and evening. In fact, because Bai Ling is in charge of the brick kiln, they now take evening walks near the brick kiln.

The weather has warmed up completely, and insects have already started to appear.

The spring breeze gently caressed the two of them. The bright moon hung in the sky, and soft grass sprouts lay beneath their feet. All around them were the gentle sounds of the wind and the occasional chirping of insects. Neither of them said a word.

We just walked slowly like this.

After walking around for a long time, Bai Ling said, "Yue, let me take you back. You must be tired from hunting today. Go back and get some rest."

Yue asked, "Ling, are you tired?"

“I’m quite tired too,” Bai Ling said. “And more than the physical exhaustion, my heart is tired. The clan chief entrusted me with such a heavy responsibility, and I’m afraid I won’t do a good job and will disappoint the clansmen.”

Although Bai Ling knew that even if she didn't do well, or even if she didn't build a house, her people wouldn't blame her and would even comfort her, she was still a little nervous.

This kind of tension is simply uncontrollable; when you take on a heavy burden, tension is inevitable.