Chapter 64: Glazed Glass

While Baifeng was looking for a mate for his Xiaoniu, the cement had already been successfully fired. The tribespeople were very surprised by this gray, powdery substance that turned into something like stone when water was added. They assumed everything could be fired, so they secretly dug another small kiln and threw various stones into it to see what they could produce.

Baifeng had used two different types of stones to fire iron and cement, but the tribespeople only managed to fire up stone slag with their different stones; it was completely useless. No matter if the ash was mixed with water or urine, it would not turn into anything hard.

So they began to try burning other things, increasing the temperature or decreasing it, just wanting to fire something useful. Of course, everything was done behind Baifeng's back. Baifeng was just randomly grabbing people to see if they were wearing their Masks, and he hadn't paid any attention to the extra small kiln on the mountain.

When Baifeng returned empty-handed, he obtained the cement he had dreamed of. After testing, it fully met the requirements. Baifeng was very satisfied and immediately wanted to choose a location to build a new house. He had had enough of this house where dirt fell from the roof day and night; who knew when the roof might collapse or leak.

With experience and better materials, the tribespeople were more adept at building houses. Moreover, it was just a small house of less than ten square meters for Baifeng, only three meters high, with a two-slope roof. With cement and Bricks, it solidified quickly and was more convenient to build.

Of course, before building the house, Baifeng carefully studied the house design. The necessary space had to be reserved; he could no longer be like before, where after the house was built, he still had to tear down walls and punch holes. Safety was one issue, and with their current tools, it would be very difficult to break through brick-concrete walls.

In the design, he reserved space for chimneys and kang vents. For the sake of lighting, Baifeng still chose to sacrifice insulation. To him, lighting in a house was the most important thing. If one lived in a room as dark as pitch, what difference was there from living in a Coffin? If it was cold, he could just burn more fire; Windows were not just holes, there were wooden windows too.

Although the Baifeng Tribe had not yet grown hemp, Dragon Beard Grass and Reeds could also be used to weave ropes, though they were not as good as hemp.

Using Dragon Beard Grass to spin thread—it was only after the women in the Weaving Department mentioned it that Baifeng found out. They couldn't stay idle, and they couldn't do other work, so they could only find Baifeng and ask him to provide the materials they mentioned so they could spin thread. They couldn't make cloth, but all the ropes used by the tribe were woven by them. Thus, Beast Skin Ropes were henceforth phased out by the Baifeng Tribe, otherwise, too much animal skin would be wasted.

The fine thread spun, plus an Iron Weight, made a level line. Pulling it taut could also control height. The Engineering Team of the Baifeng Tribe was becoming more and more professional, and their construction level was getting higher and higher. Baifeng was very reassured by them; he almost completely let go and let them do it after just explaining the construction requirements.

While Baifeng was still worrying about his Xiaoniu, an Artisan sent him a small green stone, which instantly shifted his focus.

Rushing anxiously to the kiln construction site, Baifeng discovered a small kiln he had never noticed before. This small green stone was something the Artisans had accidentally fired when they were trying to burn various stones and poured Agate into it.

Although they didn't know what they had fired, this greenish, smooth, and slightly transparent thing was definitely not the waste they had fired before. Even if used as a necklace, it was not much worse than the one hanging on Sui's neck.

So they hurriedly found the knowledgeable Tribal Chief Baifeng to identify what this thing was. Baifeng naturally knew that this thing was Glass, or rather, Glazed Glass, because the color was more vivid and it was not very transparent.

Baifeng did not blame the tribespeople for secretly opening a new kiln and hiding it from him, but instead praised the tribespeople who dared to try. He only warned them that if they wanted to do something in the future, they must tell him, and he would certainly support them. This actually made those tribespeople feel a bit embarrassed.

They used to think that Baifeng's success in these things was mostly due to luck, so they tried it themselves. If they succeeded, it would prove that they could do what Baifeng could do, and the Tribal Chief was not as god-like as imagined. They didn't expect that Baifeng not only recognized what the fired object was but also knew what materials were used to fire it.

In this place, the only material that could fire Glazed Glass was Agate, which was common and abundant. Ever since Sui wore a Qin Ziyu necklace, the tribespeople followed suit and picked out good-looking ones to string together and wear. At first, it was just those men making them for their wives, but later, almost everyone had one hanging around their neck.

Baifeng knew that sand could be used to fire Glass, but he was stuck at the stage of "being able to fire it." He had no idea how to fire it or what the process was. Moreover, even if Glass were fired, it didn't seem very useful, so Baifeng didn't mention it to the tribespeople at all.

For Glass Windows, they probably didn't have the ability to make large ones. Things like glass cups and bowls were complicated to make and not durable; one careless move and they would turn into shards. How could they be as practical as Pottery? Even if one accidentally broke it, couldn't they just go to the tribal warehouse and get another one? Anyway, the tribe was currently not lacking in Pottery at all. Even the chamber pots used for night urination were high-quality items with patterns and thin walls that other tribes lacked.

However, from the matter of firing Glazed Glass, Baifeng also discovered one thing: his tribespeople seemed a bit too idle. Since that was the case, while you are firing Bricks and Tiles, go ahead and fire Glass as well. This will also be the daily basic work of your team.

Firing Glazed Glass used colored gemstones, but firing Glass didn't need that; just fire sand directly. There was an abandoned riverbed near the tribe; otherwise, it would be impossible to have a dried-up salt lake nearby.

The fine sand in the riverbed was inexhaustible. It was originally only used to mix with Cement, but now they would increase the transport volume and send a dozen carts to the Pottery Team every day, letting them satisfy their craving for firing stones.

Although Baifeng knew that their ability to fire Glazed Glass was all luck, now that they had a little experience, as long as they explored a little more every day, one day they would fire satisfactory Glass.

Then Baifeng left the gloomy Pottery Team and walked away happily, playing with the small piece of Glazed Glass in his hand. It seemed the Windows he reserved were still too small; he might as well open them even larger. For now, he would make do with wooden windows, and there would always be a day when he could use glass windows.

Fortunately, the progress of the house construction site was slightly slower, and this new request he proposed was well executed. He just didn't know if those tribespeople building the house would think that their Tribal Chief, who opened such large windows, had a mental problem.

They wouldn't ask about these things; they just laid the walls as fast as they could and then used peeled and air-dried wood as roof beams. This house should be the most Advanced one of this era.