CHAPTER 174: PREPARING TO GO AGAIN

At the Thomas tribe, the present time.

Eric strolled around looking for Joseph, wondering if the Dwarves’ farming tools had been forged yet.

He went to his house, only to see the main door and windows still tightly shut.

Eric had to go around to his forging room to check for any activity. If he was busy with important steps, it wouldn’t be good to bother him now.

This time, Joseph’s house was no longer quiet as before; the sounds of him and Bruno arguing continuously echoed from inside.

"You idiot, I already told you this ratio is the best, why do you insist on adding so much!" This was Bruno’s voice.

Joseph immediately retorted angrily: "You’re the idiot! Last time, following your way was a miserable failure, have you forgotten?"

Eric couldn’t help but laugh. He peeked through the window. Sure enough, Bruno had also officially joined the ranks of research. The two seemed to disagree, arguing incessantly.

"Young Eric is here? Let auntie go call Joseph out for you." Liam, who was busy in the kitchen, saw him from the other window and hurried over to open the door.

After Eric entered the house, Liam intended to pull open the door of the workshop next to them.

"Will that disturb Joseph? Or I can just wait outside." Eric quickly stopped her.

Liam smiled and said: "It’s fine. If he was afraid of being disturbed, he would have hidden in the basement to work. He just brought this stuff up here yesterday to tinker with Bruno. Unfortunately, I’m not good at these things, can’t help at all."

No wonder when he came by two days ago, he didn’t see Joseph, only smelled a foul odor. Today, that smell was even stronger; it turned out it had been brought up here.

Eric couldn’t help but pinch his nose tightly. If it weren’t for the fact that he really couldn’t remember what saltpeter looked like, he wouldn’t have suggested this "smelly" method.

"These past few days, old Joseph has made the house stink so much, even my cooking doesn’t smell delicious anymore." Seeing Eric’s expression, Liam burst out laughing, then casually pushed open the door to Joseph’s workshop.

"Come out, quick! Young Eric is here, it must be for something." Liam called out to the backs of the two men who were hunched over their research inside.

Joseph took three steps and looked back once, reluctantly putting down the item in his hand before finally coming out.

"Young Eric, what’s wrong?" he asked while stretching his exhausted back.

Eric quickly covered his nose and moved a bit further away. As soon as Joseph stepped out, the smell became even stronger. Seeing Liam’s disgusted expression beside them, Eric was afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist clocking him one with the iron shovel in her hand.

"Have you forgotten? Once the farming tools are forged, we still have to go to the Ox-Head tribe’s place to complete the trade."

Joseph’s stretching hands froze in mid-air: "Oh no! How could I forget such an important thing!"

Liam slapped the back of his neck: "The tribesmen finished forging them all yesterday. I already told them to pack everything up; we’re just waiting for you to set off."

Joseph’s gaze kept lingering on the workshop door, clearly reluctant to leave his unfinished research. But the food trade was also extremely important and couldn’t be delayed, so he reluctantly nodded.

"Alright, then we’ll prepare and set off in the next day or two."

Eric saw his gaze and said with a smile:

"Making gunpowder can’t be rushed. When we get back, it will be just in time for Thomas Uncel to go look for sulfur with you. After we find all the ingredients, we’ll build a separate tent outside the tribe for you two to use, otherwise, it’ll be dangerous if you accidentally blow up the house."

Only then did Joseph perk up, replying cheerfully: "Yes, yes! We really need to build a separate tent, I forgot about that."

After saying what was necessary, Eric stood up: "Then I’ll come back when it’s time to leave. You two can continue your research."

Liam knew Snow Wolves had sensitive noses and that this smell was very uncomfortable, so she didn’t keep him. Heaven knows her appetite had dropped sharply these past few days because of this smell.

If Joseph hadn’t explained to her how important the thing he was making was, she would have thrown both Joseph and that pile of stinking dirt out of the house long ago.

Stepping out of Joseph’s house, Eric could finally relax his expression. He took a deep breath; even the bone-chilling wind felt lovely.

Wandering down the path, Eric began to calculate in his head when they should set off and whether they needed to bring any more goods.

Thinking it over, there didn’t seem to be much to trade. After all, their tribe had only narrowly escaped starvation this year; they didn’t have much surplus food.

The wine Eric had brewed was also limited; besides the portion kept for drinking, the rest had already been taken to the Red Grass tribe last time.

As for pottery, although it could be exchanged for a good amount of food, it was unfortunately made a bit late this year. Most of it had been supplied for the tribesmen to use, so the quantity that could be brought to the Ox-Head tribe for trade was insignificant.

In the cellar of his house, there was an empty space specifically used for drying green-formed pottery. This method took a long time, but pottery dried slowly like this would be of much better quality when fired.

This year, conditions were limited, and winter was approaching, so they could only make do. Next year, when building houses for the other Snow Wolves, perhaps they should build a separate shed for curing bricks and pottery, letting them dry slowly in there to ensure better quality.

Lost in thought, Eric had unknowingly walked out of the residential area and all the way to the brick kiln.

Although bricks were no longer fired in winter, the coal used by the tribe was still stored here. When the tribesmen ran out of coal at home, they would come here to haul some back with small carts.

With the addition of coal this year, the Snow Wolves’ homes had become much warmer. They just needed to light a stove, build a chimney, and remember to add coal, and it would be warm even in a beast-skin tent.

This made it easier for the cubs to survive the winter, and they also had more energy to run around. In previous years, during winter, the Snow Wolves’ tents or houses were not considered warm; cold drafts would even seep in through unsealed corners.

The cubs’ fur wasn’t as thick as the adults’, and every winter was a harsh trial. They could only curl up and shiver under their parents’ furry bellies to keep warm.

As the weather grew colder, the tribe’s demand for coal also increased. At this moment, two Snow Wolves were in their wolf forms, with wooden carts tied to their bodies, preparing to go dig for more coal.

Evan was also here, his gaze following the moving wooden cart.

"This kind of stone can actually burn; the Dwarves are indeed very good at finding different types of ores." Noticing Eric’s presence, Evan turned his head and said with a smile.

Eric nodded: "The arrival of the Du tribe has solved quite a few troubles for us. Like this black stone, it burns much longer than wood; it’s especially useful as fuel for the winter."

Evan said no more, his gaze turning back to the others who were coming to get coal.

The coal hauled back from the mine was mostly in large chunks. Users needed to break them into smaller pieces before they could load them onto their own wooden carts.

A few Dwarves who had come to transport coal home were about to take hammers from their carts when a female Snow Wolf came up from behind.

She chuckled and raised her fist. With just a few "thuds!", the huge chunks of coal shattered into small pieces.

She gathered the black stone fragments from the ground and, one by one, filled the small carts for the Dwarves.

The Dwarves all smiled gratefully at her.

One of them said happily:

"My luck is really good today, I don’t even need to use a hammer. When you’re free, come to our house for a meal!"