I've been transported to the orc continent.

The cave was dimly lit; even with torches, they could only illuminate a small area.

Bai Ling used a seashell to scoop a piece of soil from his basket. He first looked down at the straw rope he had tied beforehand, then bent down and gently scattered the soil from the seashell onto the ground.

Yue and he worked together very well. As soon as Bai Ling looked up slightly, Yue would shine the torch in the direction Bai Ling was looking.

Apart from the slight sound of the wind, there was no other sound in the cave. The two were very close, with Yue standing only a foot away from Bai Ling. At such a close distance, Bai Ling could almost hear Yue's soft breathing.

Bai Lingtu spread the soil very slowly, partly because he needed to carefully consider how to draw the smoke duct, and partly because he wanted to spend more time with Yue.

Such opportunities to be together openly and so close are rare.

Bai Ling chatted with Yue as he scattered yellow soil on the ground. Actually, Yue wasn't as aloof and unapproachable as he seemed on the surface. Once you got to know him, you'd find he was quite easy to get along with. He loved to laugh, a gentle, soft smile that made his eyes crinkle into crescents. He loved good food, his eyes squinting slightly when he ate something delicious. He was very curious about new things. He also loved cubs; during their last trip to the Great River Tribe, he caught several insects to play with the cubs. He was very strong, a warrior among the top in the surrounding tribes. His father said that all the young beastmen in the tribe now looked up to Yue as a role model, hoping to become as strong as him. He was also very friendly to his tribesmen; their first formal meeting was when he went to the river to catch fish for his people…

Yue's merits are countless; his handsome appearance is not his most outstanding quality.

Bai Ling fell in love with Yue at first sight because of Yue's appearance and temperament. However, the longer they spent together, the more precious shining points Bai Ling discovered in Yue: gentleness, strength, kindness, courage... These wonderful qualities made Bai Ling fall deeper and deeper into Yue's heart, and now he is hopelessly infatuated.

Bai Ling also knew that many young males in the tribe had feelings for Yue, but Yue did not have such feelings. He treated every tribesman the same, and even if a tribesman pursued him, he would reject and distance himself from him immediately.

Therefore, Bai Ling dared not reveal his true feelings at all. He could only use other things to get Yue to spend more time with him. For example, today, Bai Ling used the excuse of building a kang (heated brick bed) for the tribe to get Yue to come and help him.

*

Bai Ling kept talking as she worked, and Yue would occasionally chime in with a few words.

"Moon, once I find lime, building a house will be much easier. If I apply it to the bricks, the house will become very sturdy."

Yue asked from the side, "What is lime?"

“It’s a stone with white patterns,” Bai Ling said. “That kind of stone is very brittle and loose; it can be broken with a single drop. The inside of the stone is bluish-white or white. This kind of stone is limestone. After finding limestone, you have to burn it. After burning for a period of time, the limestone turns into quicklime. Quicklime mixed with water becomes slaked lime. When building a house, slaked lime can be used as an adhesive, making the house more sturdy.”

This time, Yue didn't respond, but instead seemed lost in thought. Bai Ling glanced at Yue, said nothing, and continued doing her own thing.

After waiting a while, Yue said, "Ling, the limestone you mentioned, is it a gray stone? If you break that kind of stone, a lot of white powder will come out, and it's very pungent."

Holding a torch in one hand, Yue gestured with the other: "There are those kinds of stones in the tribe's territory, but not on this side of the low mountain, but on the mountain to the west. Those stones are very common, and we don't even use them to make stone tools."

Bai Ling stood up and asked in surprise, "Yue, are you telling the truth?"

Yue said, "If you're talking about that kind of stone, then it should be it."

Bai Ling asked directly, "Yue, the kang (heated brick bed) is ready. Can you take me to see that kind of stone? We can also look for other special stones; maybe we can find something even more useful?"

Yue asked doubtfully, "Ling, besides limestone, are other stones also useful? Besides making stone knives and axes, what else can stones be used for?"

“Stones are certainly useful, extremely useful,” Bai Ling explained to Yue. “Many stones contain minerals, minerals can be refined into metals, and metals can be used to make many, many things. Once we find stones like copper ore and iron ore, our tribe will become completely different.”

The transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age represents a qualitative leap in civilization. After finishing her tasks in the tribe, Bai Ling will begin searching for more useful things within the tribe.

Seeds and minerals were his main focus, with the search for minerals even surpassing the search for seeds.

He already had wheat, sorghum, and soybean seeds, enough for food. He wanted to farm, craft various tools, and improve his life; metal was essential.

Finding ore will be his central task going forward.

Yue didn't understand what Bai Ling meant by minerals and metals, but that didn't stop him from remembering what Bai Ling needed: "Ling, what do stones with minerals look like?"

Bai Ling thought for a moment and said, "The first is color. Mineral stones are different from ordinary stones. The second is feel. Mineral stones have a rougher surface. The third is hardness. Minerals may be harder or softer than stones. Most minerals simply cannot be polished into stone tools because they are either too hard to polish or too soft to be usable even if polished into stone tools."

Yue kept Bai Ling's words firmly in mind. He nodded and said, "Ling, I remember what you said. If I see any unusual stones in the wild, I will definitely bring them back for you."

A smile bloomed on Bai Ling's face: "Yue, thank you."

Yue's promise gave Bai Ling a premonition that Yue would definitely give him a surprise, but he didn't expect the surprise to come so quickly.

*

The villagers were already able to build walls, but they still needed Bai Ling's guidance to build the kang (heated brick bed). This cave was particularly large, and they needed to build the kang and fire wall, so it wouldn't be possible without Bai Ling.

This cave will house most of the tribespeople. Bai Ling plans to build two kang beds in the cave, one for the female tribespeople and one for the male tribespeople, with a fire wall separating the two kang beds.

He also wanted to build several more earthen stoves, leaving one fire pit on the fire wall side and another on the earthen kang (heated brick bed).

The cave was quite deep, so they had to light more torches while working. Bai Ling personally led the tribesmen in the work. They didn't work quickly, but they were very careful.

The kang (heated brick bed) that was built at the beginning has almost dried out. Because of the continuous burning of the kang these past few days, the cave is unbearably hot. Every time the villagers cook in the cave, they are covered in sweat.

None of the tribespeople who were able to cook complained.

It's good that it's warm in the cave; warmth means the kang (heated brick bed) is working, and with a kang, their winter won't be so difficult.