Zhuo Mu finished earlier than Wen Ze. 

He came back once to ask what Wen Ze was planning to do next. 

Wen Ze thought for a moment and asked, “Are there any thick wooden stakes on the mountain behind our cave?” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “Yes, there’s an old tree that was struck by lightning. Only half of the charred stakes remain.” 

Wen Ze asked, “The edges of the stakes should be uneven, right?” 

“Yes.” 

“Can you help me trim off the excess wood and smooth it out? I’m planning to bring a group over later to dig a larger water ditch.” 

Without hesitation, Zhuo Mu agreed, “Sure, I’ll go now.” 

If possible, Wen Ze didn’t want to bother him with this task either. 

Previously, when they made the weaving frame, they had some leftover wooden boards, but they weren’t wide enough. 

A larger water was needed for washing the pulp, so he came up with the idea of digging one into the stump. 

Fortunately, it didn’t require cutting down trees, and the dug-out ditch could be reused in the future. 

Once Wen Ze finished cleaning up, he led a few half-beastmen to the mountain to find Zhuo Mu. 

A sharp whistle cut through the forest, and Zhuo Mu quickly responded. 

When they arrived, they saw that he had already smoothed the large tree stump, which was too wide for one person to wrap their arms around. Wen Ze gave him an appreciative look, then turned to the half-beastmen and said, “One last thing. Can you help me dig out a ditch?” 

The half-beastmen happily agreed, “Sure! Our claws are sharp and perfect for the job!” 

They all worked together, and Zhuo Mu, who couldn’t help much at this point, returned to the cave to do his household chores. 

Once the ditch was finished, Wen Ze and the others went back down the mountain, and it had already gotten dark. 

Everyone who helped out received a weaving frame in exchange for the materials they had contributed, and they also received sausages and meatballs from Wen Ze. 

After waving goodbye to Wen Ze, they happily returned home. 

For dinner, they had sausages and meatballs as well. Worried that just meat would be unbalanced, Wen Ze also prepared a shredded radish. 

Not only was the dish quick to make, but it was also very refreshing. Everyone agreed that it was a nice touch. 

After dinner, they rested briefly before taking the paper pulp that Zhuo Mu had prepared and heading to the newly dug wooden ditch on the mountain. 

Wen Ze rolled up his sleeves and, using his uninjured right hand, directed, “First, we need to pour all the paper pulp into the ditch.” 

Zhuo Mu quickly grabbed a stick and poured the paper pulp. 

“Next, use this,” Wen Ze handed him the finely woven square mesh frame made from grass. “Stir the pulp thoroughly to make it float in the water.” 

Zhuo Mu took the frame. “I’ll do it.” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Okay.” 

Yin He obediently stood to the side, holding a torch, and curiously watched them. 

Zhuo Mu swung his arm and moved the mesh frame, causing the pulp to make a loud swishing sound. 

Wen Ze closely observed the state of the pulp, then signaled for Zhuo Mu to hand the frame back to him. 

However, this time Zhuo Mu didn’t listen. “Your hand is still injured. Don’t touch the water tonight. Tell me how to do it, and let me try first.” 

“Alright then…” Wen Ze demonstrated the motion of scooping the pulp with the net. “Just scoop the pulp like this, and the bits will stick to the surface of the net. Try to keep your hand steady.” 

“Got it.” 

With the light from the torch, Zhuo Mu lowered his head, laid the frame flat, and steadily scooped up a batch of pulp fragments. 

When the water drained from the frame, the fragments indeed formed a thin layer! 

Wen Ze’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, that’s it! But this layer is still too thin. We’ll need to scoop a few more times.” 

Zhuo Mu faintly curled his lips. “Mhm.” 

He repeated the motion four or five times, and Wen Ze spoke again. “It should be good now. Gently peel the layer of paper off and set it aside.” 

Zhuo Mu followed his instructions. 

After that, the actions of stirring the pulp and making the paper were repeated. 

Yin He was very curious about new things and the more he watched, the more eager he became. He couldn’t help but ask to try. 

Wen Ze and Zhuo Mu didn’t discourage his enthusiasm and handed him the paper-making frame. 

Yin He’s technique wasn’t as good as Zhuo Mu’s, and he wasn’t as fast either. 

It was getting late, and the more he worried about causing a delay, the worse he did. Finally, he lowered his head and said:  

“Brother Zhuo Mu, how about you do it this time? I’ll practice again next time.” 

Zhuo Mu looked at Wen Ze but did not respond. 

Wen Ze kindly reassured him, “It’s okay. Whether the paper turns out well or not, it can still be used, as long as it doesn’t tear. We’re not in a hurry today, so try again.” 

Yin He was immediately encouraged by his words. His black eyes sparkled as he nodded seriously. 

He focused on stirring the pulp and making the paper. As he repeated the motions, his technique improved, and his hands became steadier. 

Wen Ze occasionally praised him, saying, “Not bad. This sheet of paper is better than the previous ones.” 

With the encouragement, Yin He made rapid progress and finally created a smooth, beautiful sheet of paper! 

When he carefully peeled the wet paper off, he cheered happily, “Brother! I did it!” 

Wen Ze couldn’t help but smile, his eyes squinting with joy. “Hmm! Yin He is awesome, as expected from my little brother!” 

Yin He laughed out loud. 

After that, Yin He and Zhuo Mu took turns, and they smoothly turned most of the pulp into paper, leaving only a little that couldn’t be scooped, which remained in the water ditch. 

Wen Ze asked them to carry the wet sheets of paper and return to the cave. 

The paper they made was about a meter in length and width, and after it dried, they could cut it. 

“Zhuo Mu, can you bring over a large stone to press on the paper and squeeze out the excess water?” Wen Ze said. 

“Okay.” 

“Thank you, I’ll go take a bath first, and we’ll deal with the rest when I come back.” 

“Mhm.” 

Since Wen Ze had injured his arm and hand, bathing wasn’t very convenient, and it took him a little longer than usual. 

When he returned, the first thing he did was check the paper under the stone. The edges had already dried a bit in the evening breeze. 

“This wind drying isn’t good…” He touched the edge of the paper. “It’s stiff, brittle, and uneven.” 

Zhuo Mu thought for a moment and asked, “What about using fire to dry it? I happen to have a stone slab at home that’s about the right size.” 

Wen Ze glanced up. The moon had already risen to its peak. 

“It’s too late. I’ll do it myself. You and Yin He should go rest,” he said apologetically. 

This was his first time making paper, and he hadn’t expected such a troublesome step of ‘fire roasting’ to come up. 

He had already put in so much effort to make the paper, and he couldn’t give up at this final step. 

But to his surprise, Zhuo Mu said, “Let Yin He go. I don’t need to; I can just sleep in a little later tomorrow morning.” 

Wen Ze gritted his teeth. “Alright! Let’s hurry.” 

Yin He said, “I’m not tired either. I’ll stay with you! I can help you with the fire!” 

They quickly got to work. Wen Ze asked Zhuo Mu to move the stones down, and then carefully tore off the paper, laying each page flat on the clean, even stone slab. 

In the stove pit, there were still some remaining charcoals bits. Zhuo Mu added a few dry twigs to the fire to ensure it wasn’t too strong, so it could evenly heat the stone slab. 

As the moisture evaporated from the paper, a fresh, natural grassy scent filled the air. 

The paper dried faster than Wen Ze had expected, and it was visibly smoother than when air-dried. 

He slowly peeled the paper off, his hand lightly brushing over it, feeling the texture of the plant fibers left on the surface. 

As the paper moved, it made the familiar rustling sound. 

Although it wasn’t as white and smooth as modern paper, it was more than good enough for writing or drawing with a charcoal pencil. 

The paper was highly absorbent, and when stacked together, it was quite durable. 

While he was inspecting the paper, Zhuo Mu had already laid out a new sheet and was slowly roasting it. 

Wen Ze flicked the paper, making it rustle, and happily said to Zhuo Mu and Yin He, “Our paper is ready!” 

Yin He raised his hand and jumped a little on the ground, “That’s great!” 

Zhuo Mu also gazed at Wen Ze and smiled faintly. 

Wen Ze daydreamed, “Although the whole process took a bit longer, the steps aren’t too difficult, right? We can keep soaking tree bark and grass stalks to make paper. Not only can we use it for writing or drawing, but we can also use it to clean off dirt!” 

He silently added to himself: Like using it as toilet paper. 

When he first came to this beast world, there was no paper, and it bothered him so much. It took him several days to adjust. 

Yin He, hearing this, was surprised. “Such good paper, and you’re going to use it for cleaning?” 

As they were talking, the second sheet of paper was ready. 

Zhuo Mu lifted the dry paper and laid out a wet sheet. “What your brother means is that making paper is easy, and it’s convenient to use. After we make more, it won’t be such a rare thing.” 

Wen Ze gave Zhuo Mu an approving look. “Exactly!” 

Yin He nodded. “I understand! From now on, I’ll keep throwing some tree bark into the pond to soak. We can make batches of paper!” 

Wen Ze praised him for his cleverness. 

The three of them sat around the warm stove, with the clear night sky above. The Milky Way spread across the vast sky, glowing brightly. 

On the stone slab, paper was roasting, and in the charcoal fire, roots were buried. 

They chatted, did some work, and had a bite to eat. 

Although the paper was completely dried by the time it was late into the night, they felt relaxed, their bodies stretched out, and their bellies satisfied. 

Whenever they recalled this night in the future, the memory would always be warm and beautiful. 

Because it was so late, Wen Ze carefully put away the dried paper and went to sleep. 

The next day, as expected, he woke up late. 

After washing up, working, and having breakfast, he took out the paper they had made the night before. In the sunlight, he smiled and looked at it for a while. 

The paper, with no special treatment, had a light gray color and some raised fiber lumps on it. 

But to him, this was the most beautiful and fragrant paper. 

A smile spread across his face as he used a black silver knife to cut the large, square paper into smaller pieces. 

The uneven outer edges were cut to the size of facial tissues, to be kept for wiping or for other things. 

The inner portion was cut into palm-sized pieces, which he folded into a booklet. Using a bone needle, he punched holes on one side and then bound it with hemp thread. 

In this way, a small booklet of a perfect thickness was completed! 

Wen Ze flipped the booklet in his hands, the sound of the pages rustling was like music to his ears. 

He picked up a piece of black charcoal from the stove pit, opened a page of the paper, and carefully wrote the two characters “Wen Ze” in the lower-right corner. 

The neat Chinese characters and the familiar name made his nose slightly tingle with emotion. 

He hugged the booklet to his chest and winked up at the sky. 

Life was definitely getting better and better. 

“Wen Ze, are we going to the kiln?” Zhuo Mu’s voice came from behind him. “Wu Ye sent word that the kiln has cooled down and is ready to be opened.” 

Wen Ze quickly adjusted his expression and turned to reply, “Sure! Are you coming with me?” 

Zhuo Mu replied, “Mm.” 

His deep gaze swept over the small booklet Wen Ze was holding. 

Wen Ze proudly raised the booklet: “Do you want to take a look?” 

Zhuo Mu nodded and extended his hand. 

The booklet was placed in his palm, and he flipped through it with care. 

Noticing the charcoal marks on it, Zhuo Mu asked softly, “What’s this?” 

Wen Ze almost spoke, then hesitated and said, “It represents me. You can think of it as my name.” 

Zhuo Mu stared at the two characters for a moment but didn’t ask further. 

Once he finished, he handed the booklet back to Wen Ze and sincerely said, “It’s really light and convenient. Could you make one for me as well? I’d like to use it for drawing herbs.” 

Wen Ze readily agreed, “Of course! There’s still plenty of leftover paper!” 

Zhuo Mu turned into a large white python and gestured for Wen Ze to climb on. 

On the way, Zhuo Mu asked, “The paper tears when it gets wet. Should we add two pieces of animal hide to the front and back of your booklet?” 

Wen Ze’s eyes brightened: “You mean a cover? Sure! That would protect the paper inside!” 

Zhuo Mu’s magnetic voice carried a smile: “I’ll see if I can find suitable animal hide when we get back.” 

Wen Ze nodded eagerly, “Mm, yes!” 

He looked over the neatly arranged, glistening snake scales of the giant python and reflected that while he often had ideas, he didn’t always think things through completely. 

Luckily, Zhuo Mu was there to fill in the gaps. 

It was really great to have him around. 

When the two arrived at the kiln, many people from the tribe had gathered, including Sang Hui, Wu Ye, Bai Xia. 

Wen Ze also saw an unexpected person—Tribe Leader Yi Yan! 

“Leader!” He greeted him enthusiastically. 

Yi Yan leaned on his cane, smiling warmly and kindly. 

Wen Ze’s gaze swept across his hair, noticing that there was even more white than the last time they met. 

“I saw the cloths drying in the altar square when I came over this morning. They look really beautiful,” Yi Yan praised. 

Wen Ze smiled happily as well. “I’ll go check them later. Once they’re dried enough, we can move on to the next step.” 

Yi Yan nodded repeatedly. “Good, good, I trust you with it. The reason I came over this time is to see the bricks you’ve fired.” 

“Mm, we’re going to open the kiln soon.” 

While he was filled with anticipation, his heart was also racing with nervousness. 

He quietly exhaled a breath and said to Zhuo Mu and the others, “Everyone, follow me.” 

Soon, the kiln was opened, and a strong earthy smell wafted out from inside. 

The smell was unpleasant and very different from the pottery shard they had encountered last time. 

Wen Ze suddenly had a bad feeling, and his expression darkened slightly. 

When he saw the large and small, shattered bricks inside the kiln, his vision went dark. 

None of the bricks had been properly fired! 

“How could this happen?” Sang Hui gasped in disbelief. 

After a brief moment of shock, Zhuo Mu quickly regained his composure. 

He looked at Wen Ze with concern and softly said, “Let’s move these bricks out and take a look.” 

Wu Ye called out to everyone, “Come on, everyone, let’s get to work.” 

Although Wen Ze had injuries on his hands, he still used a basket to move bricks several times. 

Throughout the process, he spoke very little. 

The kiln was dimly lit, and the others couldn’t clearly see his expression, but they could sense the heaviness in the air. 

About an hour later, everyone stood in the open space outside the kiln, with the shattered bricks piled up in front of them. 

Wen Ze stood at the front, his gaze unfocused, as if lost in thought. 

The other onlookers who had gathered to watch suppressed their surprise and comforted him. “It’s alright if it didn’t work this time. Let’s figure out what went wrong, and we’ll try again next time. We’ll get it right.” 

“These pieces are halfway fired, at least.” 

“Yes, don’t be discouraged.” 

Wen Ze turned around and smiled at everyone, “Thank you, everyone.” 

Yi Yan walked over, patted his shoulder, and said gently, “Come on, let’s take a look together.” 

Wen Ze gave him a grateful look and nodded. 

It wasn’t just the two of them; Zhuo Mu and the others also bent down to inspect the broken bricks. 

After examining several of them, Wen Ze noticed that the surface had been fired well, but the inside had cracked. 

In other words… 

“Firing bricks is probably different from firing pottery; the clay has to be dried first,” Yi Yan said beside him. 

Wen Ze thought to himself that, as expected from the experienced and knowledgeable tribe leader, he immediately noticed the problem. 

“Right!” The disappointment on Wen Ze’s face disappeared in an instant as his dark eyes lit up. “The problem is that it wasn’t dried properly!” 

He straightened up and said apologetically to everyone, “I did think about drying out the moisture when firing the bricks, but I never considered drying them first! It’s all my fault. Not only did I waste so much firewood, but I also wasted everyone’s energy and time. I’m really sorry.” 

If it had been just his own failure, Wen Ze wouldn’t have felt as bad as he did now. 

Dragging the whole tribe down made him feel especially guilty and stressed; he just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. 

After his words, Zhuo Mu frowned and immediately said, “How can you blame yourself? This is your first time firing bricks, and you wanted to succeed too.” 

Sang Hui nodded. “Yes, it’s completely normal for problems to arise. You didn’t waste our time and effort. We volunteered to help, and whatever the outcome, we’re all okay with it.” 

Li Shui spoke kindly, “Yes, don’t feel bad. No matter how many times you try, we’ll be with you every step of the way.” 

Wu Ye, with his loud voice, added, “Wen Ze, just don’t feel upset! It’s really no big deal! No one will blame you!” 

Wen Ze’s gaze swept over the sincere faces, and his heart, filled with emotion, grew even more bittersweet. 

“Thank you, everyone. Truly, thank you.” 

Zhuo Mu stood beside him, pressed his hand on his shoulder, and when Wen Ze looked up, their eyes met.  

He said firmly, “You’ve already figured out the problem. You’ll definitely succeed next time. We all believe in you.” 

Wen Ze’s eyes widened, and his nose suddenly felt sore. 

The others echoed Zhuo Mu’s words: “Wen Ze, we all believe in you!” 

“You’ve already done great to get a half-finished product on your first try!” 

“As for the clay and firewood, we have plenty in the territory! When you need it, we’ll help you dig the clay, make the bricks, and fire them!” 

“Yes! Don’t worry!” 

“Cheer up, you’re the smartest person in our tribe!” 

The more Wen Ze heard, the warmer his eyes became, and his lips trembled. Moved, he said, “Thank you, everyone…” 

The beastmen and half-beastmen around him patted him encouragingly, making Wen Ze feel the strength being passed to him. 

Yi Yan stood a little further back, watching the scene with a smile of satisfaction. 

Zhuo Mu asked, “How long do the new brick molds need to dry before we can start firing?” 

“I’m not sure, but I feel like they need to be placed in a cool place to dry for about a month.” 

Zhuo Mu was taken aback and murmured, “Then the house won’t be ready until a month later…” 

He sincerely hoped that Wen Ze would succeed, but couldn’t help but feel a little pleased about the extra month. 

Wen Ze didn’t catch the hidden meaning in his words, and simply nodded. 

“Ah, that’s still a long wait,” Wu Ye frowned and suggested, “Then let’s make new brick molds today.” 

The others responded eagerly, “Alright! We’ll follow the original plan. I’ll go gather the sand!” 

“I’ll dig up the clay!” 

“I’ll fetch the water and mix the clay!” 

The younger ones, Yin He and the others, shouted excitedly, “Then we get to stomp the clay too!” 

Wen Ze beamed a bright smile and said loudly, “Alright! Thank you, everyone!” 

The adults remained relatively calm, while the little ones were ecstatic. “Great! Once we finish the work today, we’ll get little red flowers again!” 

Everyone got to work right away, just like the other day, splitting up and taking action. 

Since the wooden boxes and straw shelters were already set up, it saved a lot of trouble. 

Before noon, the brick molds Wen Ze needed were finished. 

He let out a breath, clapped his hands, and said, “It’s done! We’ll start firing them in a month!” 

Sang Hui stood beside him and said, “During this time, we can repair the kiln and make some pottery. Not only our tribe but also several neighboring tribes really like our new pottery.” 

Li Shui added, “And the autumn harvest festival is coming up soon. We need to bring the new pottery to the gathering to show more people.” 

Wen Ze nodded, “Yes, this is a big and good thing. We should also make some charcoal.” 

Sang Hui agreed. “Yes, for the first few times, I might need you to help keep an eye on it. 

“No problem. Let’s focus on firing the pottery in the afternoon.” 

Zhuo Mu said, “I’ll come along. Once I learn, I’ll take over and lead everyone to fire it.” 

Bai Xia and the others said with great enthusiasm, “Not just you, we’ll all learn well!” 

Wu Ye added, “Exactly! We can’t let Wen Ze do all the work alone!” 

The little ones chimed in, “We can help too!” 

The sight of everyone, both adults and young ones, all pulling together as one, gave Wen Ze great confidence and encouragement. 

Even though their lives weren’t rich, advanced, or free from uncertainty, with these kind and lovely people by his side, he believed that no matter how difficult or dangerous the road ahead might be, they would make it through! 

“I will teach everyone well too,” Wen Ze said with a smile. “It’s getting late. Everyone, help me move these bricks to the front of Zhuo Mu’s cave. I still need to check the fabric drying on the altar square.” 

“Okay!” 

With so many people, one basket each wasn’t enough to go around. 

Even the task of filling the baskets didn’t end up falling to Wen Ze. 

Seeing how enthusiastic everyone was, the failure earlier that morning from burning the bricks seemed to completely fade away. 

Just as he was waiting for Zhuo Mu to shift into his beast form to carry him, the man suddenly grabbed a brick and turned to look at him. 

“Wen Ze, what do you think this is?” 

“Huh?” 

Isn’t it just a brick? 

Wen Ze walked over, only to be temporarily blinded by a flash of light from the brick! 

The brick was made from earth and wasn’t glazed. How could it be reflecting light? 

Wen Ze’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly closed the distance, took the brick, and looked at it closely. 

The surface of the brick had small, slightly translucent, light-reflecting crystals… Are these glass shards? 

Wen Ze’s heart raced. He scraped one of the crystals off with his nail and held it up to the sunlight. 

“Glass, it’s really glass!” he said excitedly. 

The commotion drew everyone’s attention. 

Zhuo Mu lowered his gaze and asked, “Glass… is it a good thing?” 

Wen Ze felt goosebumps rise all over his body, and he barely held back a scream, “Yes! It’s a good thing, it’s really amazing!” 

“Beast God, Zhuo Mu, we’ve accidentally made glass!” He held up the glass shard, his eyes red, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ahh, this batch of bricks wasn’t burned in vain!” 

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