That afternoon, Minho and the others returned from hunting.
After finishing what she was doing, Hayoon went over to find them and noticed Immo speaking quietly with the group about something.
The moment they saw her approaching, they all silently stopped talking and looked at her meaningfully.
Hayoon: "..."
Immo definitely told them about Chorong trying to poach her.
She could feel herself heating up in embarrassment again.
"How did the hunt go today?" Hayoon asked with a smile, deliberately changing the subject.
Beom immediately started explaining everything to her in detail.
Even Jisoo, who was usually quiet, added several comments from the side.
…Why did it suddenly feel like they were all trying especially hard to show off in front of her?
Actually, it was not her imagination.
Chorong's actions had given them an intense sense of crisis.
Even though they had always treated Hayoon well already, they had silently resolved themselves to make sure she truly felt valued.
They absolutely could not let the Voz-Karr Tribe succeed.
As Hayoon slowly realized what they were thinking, she could not help feeling both amused and helpless.
Hayoon had no intention of leaving.
The Ur-Shet Tribe had raised her and given her a home, and she truly did not want to go anywhere else.
That afternoon, Hayoon returned to her cave to rest for a while before heading back outside Chorong's cave.
The moment she arrived, she was stunned by the huge crowd gathered there.
"What happened?" she quickly asked.
Ahri hurriedly explained, "Nothing, nothing. They just wanted to come watch us weave."
One of the werebeast chimed in, "Yeah, we'll stand far away and stay quiet. We promise we won't disturb anyone."
"Hehe, I've been thinking about that cloth all afternoon. I couldn't even sleep in my cave. Please let us watch?"
"If there's anything we can help with, just tell us!"
"That's right!"
Hayoon broke into a smile.
"Then don't just watch. Why not learn as well?"
The moment she said it, the entire area erupted into an uproar.
"What? We can learn already?"
"Oh, Beast God! We can learn too?"
"Will you teach us?"
Hayoon shook her head and pointed at her first group of students.
"They've learned most of it already. Let them teach you. I'll stay nearby and supervise."
She had a bit of a selfish motive as well.
She did not want to repeat the same explanations over and over again.
Everyone cheered and repeatedly thanked Hayoon.
Before long, the crowd split into small groups.
The newcomers gathered around the first batch of students, carefully watching and learning from them.
Although there were many people, everyone spoke softly as if weaving were something sacred and untouchable.
In this way, the second group of students gradually began learning as well.
Hayoon felt like a proctor overseeing an examination, walking here and there, answering questions and helping solve problems.
The entire afternoon passed quickly.
Reluctantly, everyone put away their waist looms and began preparing dinner.
Like the previous evening, they planned another communal meal.
Working together, everyone prepared a rich and plentiful feast.
Hayoon still had the pottery kiln on her mind, so she sought out Chorong to ask about it once more.
After confirming that the kiln had cooled enough, she learned that they would be able to open it after sunset.
Like everyone else, Hayoon quickly finished dinner.
After cleaning up, the sun that everyone had been waiting for all day finally sank slowly behind the endless green mountains.
Warm crimson clouds spread across half the sky, creating a breathtaking view.
From time to time, flocks of enormous birds crossed the heavens, their distant cries echoing through the air.
Amid this vast and magnificent scenery, the werebeast transformed into their beast forms, carrying their mates, family members, and friends on their backs as they raced toward the pottery kiln.
Unable to contain her excitement, Hayoon climbed onto the back of the pure white giant python and joined the massive procession.
The path leading to the kiln had long since been trampled wide and smooth by giant beasts.
As they ran at high speed, the clouds of dust rose behind them.
Before long, everyone arrived at the kiln.
The sub-werebeast climbed down and the werebeast transformed back into their human forms.
"I'll take a few people to open the kiln," Chorong said with a serious expression as he focused on the task at hand. "The people from the Ur-Shet Tribe can come along as well."
Chief Baek and the others agreed.
Earlier that day, Hayoon had been the teacher.
Now, standing among the group, she had become a diligent student once again.
Everyone busied themselves in an orderly manner.
The fired pottery pieces were removed one by one and carefully placed in the open area outside.
Some pieces had failed during firing and had already shattered into fragments inside the kiln.
Seeing them made Hayoon nervous.
The idea of digging the pit beneath the steps had been her suggestion.
What if it had actually increased the failure rate?
Even if the Voz-Karr Tribe said nothing about it, she would still feel guilty.
With those thoughts in mind, she voluntarily took over the task of organizing the pottery.
She arranged the pieces neatly according to size, placing them in orderly rows.
In the end, the intact pottery pieces formed exactly seventeen rows and seventeen columns.
Everyone gathered around the open area, staring intently at the pottery on the ground.
There was no moon that night, and the light was dim, so they lit torches and held them high overhead.
Hayoon noticed someone weaving through the rows of pottery, counting them one by one while quietly muttering numbers under their breath.
The others either did not want to distract the person counting or were secretly counting for themselves, because almost no one spoke.
Hayoon quickly calculated seventeen times seventeen in her head and quietly said, "There are two hundred and eighty nine pottery pieces in total."
The werebeast's sharp hearing caught her words immediately, and dozens of heads turned toward her at once.