I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 180 Making a Millstone

Bai Ling had many things to do, so after spending some time shooting arrows with Yue, he had to go back.

Arrows are scarce in the tribe right now, and each person can only get a limited number of them. Even though Yue wants to practice archery more, there aren't any extra arrows for him.

After he had shot all the arrows, he had to retrieve them before he could begin the first round of practice.

With Bai Ling not around, Yue had no interest in practicing archery, so the two of them returned to the tribe together.

The hunt wasn't particularly dangerous, but there were still many interesting things that happened. Bai Ling told Yue about the fun things that happened in the tribe, and the two of them chatted and laughed as they returned to the tribe. When they met tribesmen on the way, Bai Ling would greet them with a smile and chat with them for a few minutes, while Yue would simply greet the tribesmen briefly and then remain silent.

The two returned to the tribe. Yue and Bai Ling went back to the carpentry group together. Yue didn't have anything to do for the time being, so she simply came with Bai Ling and watched him work.

Bai Ling was working, while Yue held a large leaf in her hand and gently fanned Bai Ling from the side.

Neither of them spoke or made eye contact, yet the atmosphere between them was so intimate that no third person could possibly enter.

This made the beastmen who worked with them envious and jealous. They also longed to have a partner by their side to fan them and pour water for them. Even if they were tired or hot, they would feel that it was a wonderful thing.

With Yue by his side, Bai Ling suddenly felt an inexhaustible energy, and his work speed increased significantly.

*

Even though Yue is back, the two can't be together all the time. Yue has to take care of her fields, and Bai Ling has to make the millstone and flail.

The stone roller can be used not only for threshing but also as a millstone, making it a dual-purpose tool that can be taught to orcs from other tribes.

This time, Bai Ling is making a millstone, which is different from the first stone mill he made. The millstone is much larger than the stone mill, and its structure is also different. Moreover, what Bai Ling is making this time is a millstone that can be pulled by livestock.

There are already several Kengchi beasts at home, and several in the tribe as well. Bai Ling is going to start taming them, and the first step in taming them will be pulling a millstone.

Bai Ling had already made a stone mill, so he had experience in making large stone tools. He led the orcs from several other tribes to find suitable stones, and then brought them back to the tribe to begin polishing.

Making a millstone wasn't difficult. Bai Ling first led them to draw simple blueprints, and then each orc was given a stone and began to polish it with tools.

Bai Ling had prepared ample tools, and now the furnace in the iron smelting room was burning day and night. With the improvements made by Bai Ling and his people, in addition to farm tools, many small tools were also made.

The beastmen also approached the making of millstones with wholehearted hope and enthusiasm.

With a millstone, food can be ground into powder, and even unpalatable foods can become delicious.

Soybeans, for example, used to taste terrible when boiled. But after being ground into powder, they can be steamed, boiled, or even soaked in water—and the taste is significantly better. Sorghum, on the other hand, used to be eaten whole, husk and all. With a stone mill, the outer husk can be removed, making it much tastier when boiled. And radish, after being ground on a stone mill and dried into a white powder, is also delicious.

There's also wheat, which Ling says is the best food, but it only becomes the best food when it's ground into flour using a stone mill.

Among these orcs were orcs from the Great River Tribe. The orcs of their tribe used to dislike eating wheat because it could only be boiled, which was not only very difficult to cook, but also tasted bad. The husks were also very rough on the throat, making it difficult to swallow. The orcs in their tribe would gather wheat and boil it with bones, only able to eat it with the aroma of the bone broth.

Now that Ling has a way to turn wheat into the most delicious food, all the orcs in the entire High Tree Tribe are eager to try it, waiting to taste it after the wheat is harvested in the fall.

The beastmen trusted Bai Ling a lot. Bai Ling could make so many delicious things. He even said that flour made from wheat was the best, so it must be the best.

No one doubted Bai Ling; they all believed in him.

Besides, wheat can be made into maltose. The orcs of the High Tree Tribe had already planned that after the wheat was harvested, they would come to the tribe to learn how to make maltose from Bai Ling, so that the tribe would have sweet candy to eat throughout the winter.

*

When they first started making the millstone, Bai Ling told them that this millstone was different from the stone mill in the Gaoshu tribe.

The stone mill that Bai Ling made last year was moved out of the cave in the spring and placed in the village square.

The orcs from other tribes had also seen it; when using that stone mill, the ground food would flow down from the tilted millstone, and they all knew how to use it.

The millstone that Bai Ling brought them to make was different from this stone mill. The millstone had a larger, flat grinding disc, and instead of a grinding disc, it used a roller.

The millstone is flat, so the food ground won't be as fine and it can't be used to make cassava flour. However, this millstone also has its advantages: it grinds grain faster and is more suitable for the orcs in the tribe to share.

Since the millstone had not yet been made, even if the beastmen had a general idea, they really couldn't figure out how to use livestock to pull it around, or how to get the planted crops out of it. Was it also a millstone that went round and round?

These questions could only be asked of Bai Ling. Bai Ling put down his tools and gestured with his hands to the beastmen. He told them that a hole needed to be drilled in the millstone, a piece of wood needed to be drilled in, and then another piece of wood needed to be used to surround it. The wood was then connected to the hungry beast with a rope, and then the millstone could be pulled along.

The beastmen seemed to understand, but they all knew it was a very useful thing, so they didn't slack off at all. They talked to Bai Ling while their hands kept working.

During the day, Bai Ling had to lead the beastmen to break stones, and he only had time to be with Yue in the morning and after dinner.

The two would take walks together, usually in places with few people. If they were in the mood at night, they would transform into their animal forms and chase and roll around in the grass.

Sometimes the two would go fishing at night. Bai Ling had not been trained, but his instincts as a wild beast were still there. After transforming into his beast form, he was quite a big guy, and he looked quite impressive as he splashed around in the water trying to catch fish.

As for how many fish he can catch, that depends on Bai Ling's luck that day.