The Rise of a Primitive Civilization

Luo Chong planned to task the lame man with pottery firing, a complex task requiring much preparation. In the meantime, he assigned him to smoke the recently caught fish. Without salt and in the current weather, the fish would soon spoil. Luo Chong demonstrated the smoking process, which involved burning damp wood to create smoke. This method could preserve meat for years and was still used by some ethnic minorities in modern times.

Luo Chong quickly set up the smoker and left the lame man to manage it, focusing next on pottery. He needed a kiln, so he found a flat spot near the cave and began digging with branches and stones, crafting a simple three-tier kiln: two subterranean levels for ash removal and air intake, and a top level for placing pottery.

Mixing the excavated soil with water and straw to make mud, he shaped the kiln right over the pit, utilizing local resources to prevent the structure from cracking. The kiln measured roughly a square meter across and 1.2 meters tall, with a round top for efficient heat concentration.

Building the kiln took several hours, primarily because transporting water from the river to mix with the clay was labor-intensive. Luo Chong knew the effort would pay off once he could start firing pottery, making daily tasks like water storage much easier.

After constructing the kiln, Luo Chong left it to dry and headed to the riverbank to select clay for pottery. He couldn't delegate this task to the lame man without showing him a finished product first; otherwise, the man might continue focusing on his stone basin. Luo Chong knew showing successful pottery results would be crucial for gaining the lame man's cooperation.

At the riverbank, Luo Chong used a smooth, flat stone as a makeshift workbench. He processed the clay by kneading and shaping it into several pots and bowls. Each item was carefully smoothed and joined to ensure there were no gaps where breakage could occur.

By midday, Luo Chong had shaped four large pots and set them out to dry near the cave, under the watchful eyes of the tribe's children and a few idle pregnant women, with the lame man observing closely, intrigued by the potential of clay as a new material.

Later, Luo Chong added four double-handled clay pots and lids to his collection, adapting quickly to his role as a craftsman. His methodical approach aimed to ensure practicality over aesthetics, a necessity in the harsh survival conditions of their world.

By afternoon, the pots had dried sufficiently for firing. Luo Chong carefully arranged them in the kiln, using a systematic approach to maximize heat distribution. The largest pots went at the bottom, with smaller pots and lids strategically placed above to fill the space efficiently.

With the kiln loaded, Luo Chong kindled a fierce fire that would need to burn until evening. As the tribe's hunters and gatherers returned with their day's spoils—ranging from birds akin to turkeys to various small mammals and an abundance of fish—the community buzzed with activity and anticipation.

Luo Chong's leadership was evident not only in his innovations but also in how he engaged every tribe member in meaningful tasks. From teaching the pregnant women and children about food preservation to assigning the lame man a pivotal role in pottery, he was fostering a sense of purpose and interdependence among the tribe.

As night fell, the fire in the kiln died down, and Luo Chong planned to let the pottery cool overnight. The successful firing would not only supply the tribe with much-needed containers for food and water but also demonstrate the tangible benefits of embracing new techniques and leadership under Luo Chong's guidance.

In the warmth of the firelight, as the tribe settled around the cave, there was a palpable sense of a community transformed, looking forward to the fruits of their labor and the promise of a more secure and prosperous future.