Chapter 37: CH 37

Although Aze brought a lot of animal skins, at the rate of one whole pelt for one salt stone, it was only just enough to trade for Axu’s large bag of salt stones.

Chen Qi used ropes to tie up the animal skins and hide backpacks. He had Aze show Axu and his brother how to use a wooden stick as a pole to lift the two large bundles of goods. Axu touched his chin and exclaimed, “This is the first time I’ve seen someone carry things like this.”

“Brother, their way of carrying things is so convenient. A single person can carry so many things.” Ashu excitedly walked around Aze for two rounds. After thinking for a moment, he went over to Chen Qi and handed him all the extra salt stones the male had returned. “Here, take these.”

“No, that’s not right.” Chen Qi refused, “We only have this many animal skins and backpacks, so we don’t have enough for the rest of these salt stones.”

“Just accept it.” Axu was curiously running his hands over the ropes used to tie up the bundles. They are very strong and I can’t imagine what kind of plant grows like this. “The skins you’re trading us are enough for our winter use. We can’t trade for flint this year, and these salt stones are not going to be brought back. Just treat it as us trading them for your ropes.” Axu said, twisting the end of the rope, causing it to swirl.

The flint used by the beast people was different from the flint that Chen Qi knew of. The flint here was not a silica-filled rock, but instead, some kind of fire gets absorbed into the rock under a specific condition in nature. When it was necessary to start a fire, two flints were struck against each other to guide the fire within it out, thereby producing fire. Moreover, this kind of flint had a lifespan to it. The principle behind it was somewhat similar to the lighter used in the modern era.

Flint can normally be used for two or three years. Its lifespan is not calculated by the number of hits it’s taken, but rather, it was based on time. Even if the flint was brand new and had never been used before, once it was far away from its birth place, it would not be able to hold a fire for more than three years. This was also the reason why the beast people needed to trade for flint at the annual gathering.

“I can’t take your things for nothing.”

“We have traded for enough animal skins. These salt stones are definitely not coming back with us.” Ashu continued trying to convince him with the point that they’d also already traded for some pottery ware two days ago and really couldn’t bring so many things back to the tribe. “Originally, we thought we would get to trade for flint, so we brought a lot of salt stones. This time, many of our tribespeople are here. All those who’d wanted to trade for our salt stones have already done so. If you don’t need these salt stones, we would just end up wastefully throwing them away.”

Crossing  to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP)  is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.

“Do you really need flint?” Chen Qi was a little persuaded, but he didn’t want their  things for nothing.

“Yes”. Ashu’s shoulders drooped down a little sullenly. “Many of our tribespeople had used up their flint before the first snow, and now they have to be very careful not to let their fire get extinguished.”

Intrigued by Chen Qi’s question, Axu looked at him thoughtfully, “Do you have any extra flint?”

Chen Qi only had Aze’s two flints. Naturally, there were no extras. He shook his head. “I don’t have any extra flint, but I know of a way to start a fire without flint. It’s just a little troublesome. I can teach you if you’d like.”

Axu’s beautiful blue eyes flashed with a gleam of excitement and could not help reaching out to hold Chen Qi’s hands. “Really? Please, you must teach us. The others from our tribe still have more salt stones. We can give them all to you.”

Ashu was so excited, he wanted to run back to the place their tribe assembled at to find a comrade to fetch the salt stone, but he was also worried that Chen Qi would teach it now.

For a moment, Aze’s eyes were stuck on where Chen Qi’s hands were being held by Axu, before he quickly shifted his gaze away. Axu had a beautiful pregnancy pattern on his wrist.

Azhang also looked at Chen Qi. Although the Rock-Mountain Tribe still had some spare flint, if they could learn a way to start a fire without flint, even if they couldn’t wait for the Flame-Hill Tribe to arrive, they would not have to worry about any shortage of flint. “Chen Qi, can I learn too?”

Chen Qi drew his hands back from Axu and turned to Azhang with a smile. He nodded and said, “Of course. But I need Aze’s help to do it.” Chen Qi looked towards the man who’d already hidden himself away from the crowd, helplessly beckoning him over.

Aze felt for Chen Qi’s lighter that was in his pocket, held it in his hand, but did not come forward. Starting a fire without flint? Is Chen Qi going to ask me to hand over the lighter to that female named Axu? He’d clearly said that he was giving it to me.

Chen Qi couldn’t have guessed what Aze was thinking right then. If he could, he would’ve had to knock open the other’s head to see what it was full of. Chen Qi led the few people next to the fire where they’d piled up some dry wood and picked out a palm-wide board, and a wooden stick about as thick as a finger. Then he gathered a small pile of hay that had been collected to feed the fire and tossed it a few times to make it fluffier and put it aside for later use.

He raised his head and saw Aze was still standing at the same spot. He called out helplessly, “Aze, come over here, I need your help.”

The others all turned their heads to look at the man standing off to the side. Aze looked at Chen Qi, feeling a little ill at ease, hoping that the other would change his mind. However, Chen Qi steadily looked towards him. A sense of distress and powerlessness welled up in his heart in an instant. He lifted his feet, step by step, and walked to Chen Qi’s side. The hand holding on to the lighter tightened unconsciously.

Chen Qi handed the just-sharpened wooden stick to Aze, then dug a shallow hole in the board with the dragon-horn knife, and set a piece of flat stone under the board to catch the glowing embers that would be produced.

That’s right. Chen Qi planned to teach them how to drill into wood to start a fire.

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Chen Qi gestured his directions to Aze as he said, “Aze, put this wooden stick into this gap in the board and keep rubbing the wooden stick like this until I say to stop.”

Aze dazedly acted according to Chen Qi’s directions, inwardly sighing in relief. As long as I don’t have to hand over the lighter.

Crossing  to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP)  is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.

To drill into wood to start a fire was not just a matter of knowing how to do it, but it also required enough strength to incessantly drill the wood to generate friction. Although Chen Qi, who grew up in modern society, knew how to drill into wood to make a fire, this would still be his first time putting it to practice. Apart from being afraid that his body, which had sat in an office setting for several years, would not have the strength to persist with the drilling to generate sparks, he also wanted Aze to have a chance to perform in front of others.

Everyone watched Aze’s movements with bated breath. Apart from letting the wooden stick slip a few times in the beginning, Aze slowly got familiar with the movements he needed and the speed of his drilling became faster and faster. The wooden board started to emit smoke earlier than Chen Qi expected and the drilling caused a circle of black sawdust to appear around the small hole.

Seeing that the conditions were almost ready, Chen Qi stopped Aze. He then poured the glowing embers from the board into the previously prepared pile of hay. Chen Qi picked up the hay in his hand and carefully blew on the glowing embers amidst the hay, observing the glowing embers while blowing.

Soon, the hay in his hands began to emit a large amount of white smoke, and then flames suddenly started to rise. Chen Qi put the burning hay into a small pile of sticks that had been prepared. Before long, the sticks ignited and a small fire was completed.

Axu was the first to return to his senses. “Can I try this method of yours?”

Chen Qi nodded. Axu did not take the board and wooden stick that Aze had just used, but found two similar-looking pieces from the woodpile nearby. Ashu went to a nearby area and brought back a large pile of hay. Although he did not understand why Chen Qi had fluffed the hay a few times, he followed suit.

At this time, the two females from the Rock-Mountain Tribe who’d gone trading also returned. Azhang called out to the two of them and dragged them to the side, also intending to give it a try.

There was no technical content in drilling into wood to start a fire. The two men successfully drilled the burning debris before long, but at the stage where they placed them into hay, Axu’s glowing embers went out before a flame ignited, while Azhang succeeded on his first try.

“Be careful when blowing the glowing embers. You can’t keep blowing without stopping. You need to give the glowing embers some time to react.” Chen Qi looked at Axu’s unlit hay.

Axu nodded, “I’ll try it again.”

“I’ll try it too.” Ashu also ran to the side to pick out the materials and began his own attempt.

The two men’s attempts went very well and managed to start fires.

Crossing  to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP)  is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.

“Chen Qi, you are really amazing! The fire is really rising!” Ashu excitedly held the blazing hay in front of Chen Qi. He only reluctantly threw the hay into a nearby fire when it was about to burn his skin.

The two from the Rock-Mountain Tribes that’d just returned witnessed this method of making a fire for the first time and were amazed. They took Azhang to the side and planned to try it themselves.

The strange actions from these few people naturally attracted the attention of other nearby beastmen. A brown-haired female beastman came over to Chen Qi and asked, “What were you all doing just now?”

Before Chen Qi could answer, Ashu had already excitedly explained to the female, “We are starting a fire with wood.”

Starting a fire with wood? The female who asked the question was puzzled, and several others, who looked like companions to the female, also came over. After hearing what Ashu said, someone directly asked his own question, “How can wood start a fire?”

Chen Qi beckoned to Aze, and said to the newcomers with a smile, “Aze, please show it to them again.”

The prior years that Aze attended the Lion-Wolf Tribe’s gathering, he’d almost always immediately left after trading what he needed and would even spend the night out in the wilderness. Therefore, the people of the Lion-Wolf Tribe did not know Aze. Hearing Chen Qi’s words about letting Aze demonstrate, the female who’d first asked the question turned towards Aze and nodded to him with a smile, “Then can we trouble you to show it to us?”

Aze looked at Chen Qi and Chen Qi gave him a nod to encourage him. Aze nodded slightly to the inquiring female, “Okay.”

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