The next morning, after getting herself ready, she once again headed toward Chorong's cave.
"You're here? Come take a look at your pottery," Chorong said, waving her over.
All of Hayoon's pottery pieces had already been moved there and arranged neatly.
There were jars, storage pots, cooking cauldrons, containers, as well as pottery plates and bowls.
Of the forty three pieces she had put into the kiln, thirty four had survived intact.
Three more had small chips, but they were still perfectly usable, so she decided to take those home as well.
Faced with so much pottery, Hayoon had to struggle not to cheer out loud.
Including the two pieces she already owned, she now possessed thirty nine "family heirlooms."
Hahaha!
She hurried through the rows of pottery, occasionally picking up a piece to examine it before lightly tapping it.
The clear crisp sound that rang out was practically music to her ears.
"They turned out so well. They're far better than open fired pottery," Hayoon said sincerely, unable to put them down.
Chorong laughed.
"Far better than open fired pottery? Early this morning I went over and inspected everything carefully. The difference isn't huge, but this batch is definitely better than what we used to produce. Once we improve that pit a little more, we might increase the quality even further."
Hayoon nodded.
"I hope you manage to make even better pottery."
"Hahaha! With your blessing, we definitely will!"
As they were talking, Chief Baek and the others arrived.
They first thanked Chorong on behalf of the Ur-Shet Tribe.
Afterward, they explained that they planned to begin the journey home that very day.
Chorong asked, "What about Hayoon and Minho?"
Chief Baek replied, "Let them stay here one more day. Once we're sure everything on your side is settled properly, they can leave."
Chorong nodded.
"Alright."
Originally, they had wanted to have the patrolling werebeast escort them, but Chief Baek repeatedly waved it off.
"No need, no need. We already know the way. There's no need to keep sending people back and forth."
Before leaving, he reminded Minho to take good care of Hayoon.
He also divided Hayoon's pottery pieces and helped carry them back to the tribe using their spatial storage tools.
Hayoon thanked everyone and walked them a short distance.
Even though she had only been away for three days, watching their figures disappear into the distance still made her feel a faint sense of homesickness.
It's fine, she comforted herself.
She could go back tomorrow.
In the morning, Minho did not go hunting.
Instead, he stayed by Hayoon's side and watched as she taught the Voz-Karr Tribe how to weave.
Although many people had already learned, they still came to the open area to work together, partly because they wanted to spend more time with Hayoon.
Hayoon noticed that quite a few of them had dark circles under their eyes.
They were sitting on the ground, holding spindles, spinning thread mechanically.
She asked, "Have you used up all the thread?"
"Yawn..." a sub-werebeast replied sleepily. "Yes. I pulled my husband into weaving with me all night yesterday. We already used up all the thread I had prepared."
Someone else added, "Me too. We even cut fresh hemp grass on the spot."
Hayoon sighed helplessly.
"Isn't it tiring to stay up all night working?"
Everyone looked a little embarrassed.
"We just wanted to wear hemp clothes as soon as possible."
Thinking back, Hayoon remembered how the people of the Ur-Shet Tribe had also worked themselves to exhaustion when they first started weaving, day and night without rest. She shook her head and said nothing more.
Instead, she looked around thoughtfully.
Seeing her silent, Minho walked over and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"I want to make a batch of tools," Hayoon said.
"For weaving?"
"More accurately, for spinning thread. Spindles can work, but the efficiency is still a bit low, and it takes too much time and effort."
Chorong had not gone hunting either.
He was listening with perked ears.
He immediately said with full support, "Hayoon, what kind of tools do you want to make? I can help you."
Hayoon had said before that she would take responsibility for "after-sales support," and he had always remembered it.
As soon as Chorong spoke up, other sub-werebeast immediately chimed in.
"I can help too!"
"Me too!"
Hayoon pressed her hand down to calm everyone.
"Don't rush. The thing I want to make is called a spinning machine. It can spin thread faster and better than a spindle. Your tribe already has things like chopping knives, so it should not be hard to make."
"Ah..." Ahri looked troubled. "Sounds like something good. Then should we prepare the materials for you, and you go back to your own cave to make it?"
Although they were a little disappointed that they could not participate, they understood the idea of keeping valuable skills private.
They would not shamelessly try to learn Hayoon's techniques.
Unexpectedly, Hayoon smiled and said,
"No need to avoid it. You can all help me."
What she planned to make was a very simple wooden spinning machine she had seen in the countryside when she was young.
The elders in the village had mostly seen and used that kind of spinning machine.
By her generation, it had already been phased out.
There was not much entertainment in the village, so when she was bored, she would dismantle old spinning machines and reassemble them again and again, swinging the wooden frame around with great enthusiasm.
Although many years had passed and her memory was now a bit blurry, she still had a rough idea and was confident she could build it.
In the Ur-Shet Tribe, it had not been possible before, not only because she did not have time, but also because she lacked proper tools.
Now everything was ready.
There was no reason not to make it.
And because the structure of the spinning machine was simple, everyone could understand it after taking it apart once, so there was no need for secrecy.