I Became The Chief of A Primitive Village

Su Bai spent a full half hour comparing the stones. He fortunately, and finally, found all the raw materials needed for making glaze. He was very surprised that there were so many minerals kept in the box. He had not expected that although the Old Shaman had passed away, he had been of great help.

“Xiao Yu, do you know where the stones in the boxes came from?” Su Bai curiously asked.

Yu Ying shook her head, looking at the table full of stones, “This is my first time being a Shaman Priestess. I don’t know much about the Old Shaman’s affairs.”

“Oh right. I’ll ask the Chieftain later then. Maybe he knows.” Su Bai suddenly realised, almost forgetting about this matter.

“Shaman, you said that soil can be made into ceramics, which I can understand because that soil is soft and can be moulded freely.” Yu Ying hesitated for a moment, then continued, “But these stones are so small, Uncle Shan Qiu probably can’t forge them into the ceramics you’ve drawn.”

“Haha… Of course not, we’re not forging with these stones. These stones are just auxiliary materials. In other words, things we add in small amounts of. They need to be ground into powder to be useful.” Su Bai laughed.

“I see.” Yu Ying nodded, seemingly understanding but not really. She still wondered what use these stones could have when grounded into powder.

“Go to Shan Qiu and ask if the things I’ve asked him to forge are ready.” Su Bai instructed.

Yu Ying suddenly smiled and said, “When I went to water the field this morning, I already asked Uncle Shan Qiu. He said he would have someone deliver it after lunch.”

Su Bai nodded in satisfaction and continued to study the stones on the wooden table.

The fox eared girl took her wooden basket to the other side of the wooden table and began sewing linen clothes.

[Malachite, blue vitriol…] Su Bai identified a few stones he recognised, [This one is corundum, it’s exceptionally hard.]

Yu Ying looked at those stones with a puzzled expression, thinking. [Aren’t all these stones the same? Why is the Shaman suddenly so fond of these stones?]

Su Bai continued to identify the stones on the stone table, getting more and more excited as he realised. [Ah! This is galena! So we have something now…]

Su Bai was so excited, he could not help but mutter, “What treasures!”

Yu Ying looked at those stones, becoming more confused. [The Shaman seems to think these stones are treasures, could they be used to make Shaman Bone Tablets?]

The fox eared girl did not understand what these stones could do. She only knew that the Shaman seemed very happy. She could not help but think of how she would collect some pretty leaves and be happy about it.

“Wow! Even the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ is here! The Old Shaman was really amazing. These things are really useful.” Su Bai became more excited as he identified the stones.

He did not know if it was his luck or what, but he happened to recognise all these minerals he had identified and knew of their uses.

“Shaman, what is a ‘Philosopher’s Stone’?” Yu Ying found this term new and interesting.

“The ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ is a nickname for cinnabar. When heated, it can produce mercury, which has many uses.” Su Bai’s lips curved into a beautiful arc.

[Mercury, also known as quicksilver, has a long history of uses and widespread applications. In the Middle Ages, it was considered one of the three primal elements in alchemy along with sulfur and salt. Mercury is commonly used in making barometers, thermometers, and other things. It can also be used as catalysts, mercury vapour lamps, electrodes, and explosives. Although such things are too advanced and this can’t be used now, there will definitely come a day when it will come in handy.]

Yu Ying’s mouth was slightly open. She wanted to say something but did not know how. After a while, she managed to state, “Shaman, I don’t understand.”

“Hahaha… You don’t need to understand these things right now.” Su Bai happily laughed. [Even I would need to ponder over these things for quite a while, let alone you, who knows nothing about them.]

“Okay.” Yu Ying responded softly and cutely, and continued to sew linen clothes.

Su Bai blinked his black eyes and continued to identify the stones on the wooden table, smiling, [Manganese, chalcopyrite, sphalerite… This is truly a treasure trove.]

The more he looked, the happier his expression became. Of course, in the fox eared girl’s eyes, these were just stones.

Many of the stones on the table could be used for chemical experiments to obtain more useful products. However, now was not the time for chemical experiments, especially since many of the necessary tools were still missing.

He suppressed his excitement and put all the stones from the wooden table back. However, not into the box. He sorted them and placed them in wooden baskets.

Two hours later, Yan Hua’s greeting came from the door. After getting permission, she stepped in.

“Shaman, I’ve come for lunch.” Yan Hua awkwardly said. She has been doing this often these days. After getting permission, she had been coming to the Teepee to eat, sometimes for lunch, sometimes for dinner. She had been coming so frequently that many people thought she had become another Shaman Priestess.

As soon as she entered, she saw baskets full of minerals in various colours – blue, red, yellow, and so on – all looking exceptionally beautiful.

“Good, Xiao Yu is already cooking,” Su Bai said.

“Ah’Hua, it will be ready to eat soon. I’m cooking instant noodles today.” Yu Ying looked up and smiled.

Yan Hua smiled and looked at the fox eared girl’s face covered in charcoal ash, saying, “Remember to wash your face later.”

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.” Yu Ying swished her fox tail and continued to add firewood.

“Shaman, what kinds of stones are these?” Yan Hua’s red eyes were fixed on those stones.

Su Bai put down the glaze making book in his hand and explained, “These are all treasures.”

“Treasures?” Yan Hua crouched in front of those minerals, partially sceptical. She picked them up one by one to examine.

“Ah’Hua, when the Shaman said these stones are treasures, I was just like you.” Yu Ying laughed.

Yan Hua put down the stones and looked back at them several times as she walked away, muttering, “If the Shaman says they’re treasures, then they must be treasures.”

The cow horned girl naturally believed everything Su Bai said. After all, since he became the Shaman, he had never lied. Although these stones really did not seem like they could be any kind of treasure, just like the stone they exchanged at the Spotted Deer Market, she believed it was just due to her own lack of understanding.

Ten minutes later, the fox eared girl had cooked a big pot of instant noodles, using three packs of noodles, with added Wolf Tail Grass Noodles.

This was Su Bai’s suggestion. Eating just instant noodles would finish a box quickly, but adding some Wolf Tail Grass Noodles would make it more filling and last longer.

The large iron pot contained not only noodles, but also meat, wild vegetables, and some Ocean Lily Fruit Peels, looking delicious.

“Shaman, here you go.” Yu Ying scooped a big bowl of noodles and handed it over.

“En, you eat too.” Su Bai nodded.

The fox eared girls had learned to use chopsticks these days and could now use them quite well.

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