Chapter 1100, The Feeling from an Animated Film

Translator: Silavin

 

Min Zhi led Su Bai through to the rear of the workshop, where a large open area had been cleared for storing finished work.

 

He lifted away a thick mat woven from bundled dry grass, and there it was, a square glass structure the size of a small room.

 

It resembled a miniature house, perfectly square, complete with windows and a door.

 

“Does it match the drawings, Shaman?” Min Zhi asked, inclining his head at once.

 

Making the seat had taken him considerable study. Producing individual sheets of glass was not especially difficult. The hard part was joining those sheets together.

 

Min Zhi had initially planned to make each piece separately and assemble them afterwards, the way one might piece together a puzzle. He had quickly found it impossible. Once a sheet of glass cooled, it could not be reshaped. But when the next molten piece came into contact with it, the heat destroyed the one that had already set.

 

The primary materials for glass were quartz sand, soda ash, and limestone. Sourcing for those materials had not been an obstacle. The formula was straightforward enough as well. They just needed to measure the ingredients according to the planned batch recipe, combine them evenly, and begin the melt.

 

The batch mixture was heated in the pool furnace at temperatures kept between 1550 and 1600 degrees, which explained perfectly well why the workshop felt the way it did. Once the raw materials had been heated enough, they fused into a uniform, bubble-free molten glass, ready to be shaped.

 

After that came cooling and forming. The molten glass was drawn out of its fluid state into a solid object with a fixed shape. The method here was to pour the molten glass into a mould and wait. The shape of most glass objects was determined at exactly this stage.

 

It was at this step that Min Zhi had found his solution. He had made a square mould in the shape of a seat first, then poured the glass liquid into it.

 

“The workmanship is very precise. No cracks anywhere, and the thickness is good. Well done.” Su Bai did not hold back the praise.

 

The square glass room before him was genuinely well made. There was nothing to fault.

 

“As long as the Shaman is satisfied. Should the workshop produce more using this finished piece as the model?” Min Zhi asked respectfully.

 

“Make four more to match this one. They can be mounted directly on the Ferocious Beasts’ backs.” Su Bai said.

 

“Yes!” Min Zhi nodded at once.

 

“Shaman, don’t we only have four Grey Feathered Giant Birds? We already have one small room done, so why do we need to make four more?” Sha Lan asked curiously.

 

Su Bai gave Sha Lan’s head a gentle rub. “You always need a spare, you silly girl. Come on, let’s go and get the seat fitted.”

 

He walked out of the glass workshop, smiling. He himself did not mind the heat, but the girls were already damp with it. One look at Sha Lan’s soft blue hair, now sticking to her forehead, made it obvious enough.

 

“En.” Sha Lan was indeed quite ready for some air.

 

*Step step step…*

 

Under the escort of Ye Jiu and the others, Su Bai and the group boarded a carriage and set off toward the forest outside the Tribe. The Grey Feathered Giant Birds were kept there, roaming freely.

 

Half an hour later, they climbed down from the carriage and summoned the Grey Feathered Giant Birds.

 

*Coo Coo Coo…*

 

The moment the birds caught sight of Su Bai, they pressed in close, rumbling softly. The sound was low and affectionate. Given their enormous size, all Su Bai could really do was reach up and stroke the feathers along their bodies.

 

“Let’s try it out.” Su Bai gave the nearest Grey Feathered Giant Bird the instruction to lower itself, so the seat could be fitted.

 

*Coo Coo Coo…*

 

The Grey Feathered Giant Bird settled obediently onto the ground and spread its wide wings flat. The others looked on with curiosity.

 

Ye Jiu, Sha Lan, and the rest worked together to lift the small glass room. Totem Warriors had strength far beyond that of an ordinary person. So, they were needed for this task.

 

The Grey Feathered Giant Bird was perfectly still. In fact, it had an easier time than the Totem Warriors. The others had to strain a lot when lifting the glass room, since it was not light. Being made entirely of glass, and thick glass at that, it was really heavy.

 

After a lot of effort, they managed to set it onto the Grey Feathered Giant Bird’s back. The underside of the glass room had been fitted with grooves, sized specifically to match the Grey Feathered Giant Bird’s back, and the fit was close.

 

“Shaman, is this all that needs to be done?” Yan Hua asked.

 

“Not quite. The seats still are not secured, so there’s a real risk of them toppling. We need to fix them in place.” Su Bai explained.

 

“I noticed there are holes left in the underside of the glass room. Those would be for the securing, right?” Sha Lan asked.

 

“Exactly. Chains from the blacksmith’s run through those holes, fasten around the Grey Feathered Giant Bird’s body.” Su Bai directed.

 

Before leaving the workshop, he had sent someone to fetch the chains from the blacksmith. He had ordered a quantity made in advance precisely for this moment. Given the size of the Ferocious Beast and the size of the glass room, iron chains were the only thing that would properly hold it in place.

 

“I’ll help.” Yan Hua volunteered at once and hoisted up one of the heavy chains.

 

The chains were thick. Each individual link had roughly the diameter of an adult’s thumb, strung together into a long run of them.

 

How strong they were was obvious. Naturally, that also meant that the weight could not be underestimated.

 

Still, Totem Warriors trained at lifting and strength work every single day, and the chains were within what they could manage.

 

Sha Lan and Ye Jiu each took hold of an end and began threading the chain through. The holes left in the underside of the glass room neatly accommodated the chains. And those openings had been reinforced. The glass around each hole was made thicker specifically to account for the friction between the chain and the glass.

 

Yu Ying had wanted to help but found that her strength simply was not up to the task. She could only stay to one side and watched.

 

*Clank clank clank…*

 

The sound of iron against glass rang out steadily. Yan Hua and the others worked with focus. The Grey Feathered Giant Bird did not move once.

 

When it was done, the chains ran from all four corners, looping over the bird’s neck, around its wings, and beneath its tail. The glass room sat firmly against the bird’s back.

 

The whole thing had a shape to it now. A great Grey Feathered Giant Bird carrying a clear glass house on its back. It had the quality of something from a ‘Miyazaki Film’, similar to the show: ‘Totoro’.

 

“Great. This looks perfect.” Su Bai found the words coming easily.

 

“Finally finished.” Yan Hua dusted off her hands with equal satisfaction.