Han Cheng had nothing to say about Lame's craftsmanship despite the wailing.
In Lame's hands, the iron knife that felt awkward in Han Cheng's grasp seemed to come alive, and after a series of clicking sounds, a thin and delicate bamboo strip appeared as if it had been effortlessly made.
With Lame around, Han Cheng didn't need to do much; he could provide theoretical guidance and supervise the work from the side.
The Kongming lantern frame was quite easy to assemble. A few thin bamboo strips could be tied together to create a larger top and a smaller bottom frame.
This task was no challenge for Lame, whose rough, calloused hands moved expertly. Soon enough, a frame that exceeded Han Cheng's expectations came into view.
After finishing this, Lame and Shitou looked at Han Cheng with eager anticipation, wanting to know the next step.
From Shitou, Lame had already learned what the Divine Child intended to create—a flying object. The idea of something that could soar into the sky was truly astonishing to them.
In their understanding, the sky had always been a mysterious realm. It rained, snowed, and produced terrifying noises and flashes of light, and it was said that deities resided there.
Besides birds with wings, they believed that only the Cowherd, who wore the skin of a talking cow, and his two offspring could ascend to the heavens.
If someone else had mentioned creating something that could fly, Lame would have scoffed, but coming from the Divine Child, it was entirely different.
Even if the Divine Child said the earth was edible, Lame would unhesitatingly take a bite to taste it.
As he waited anxiously, Lame also thought about telling everyone the news later. This was a rare opportunity to witness a miracle.
And it was more wondrous than any miracle seen before!
Without Lame needing to speak, Han Cheng could tell what he was thinking.
He didn’t know how to tell Lame not to news, so after contemplating for a moment, he decided to let it go.
If the Kongming lantern truly couldn’t be made, he could always bring out the kite as a backup weapon. It wouldn’t result in total failure.
In theory, given the current situation, a kite was undoubtedly easier to make than a Kongming lantern.
Han Cheng had held back on making a simple kite as a fallback because the Kongming lantern was better suited for the current tribe and matched Shitou.
Unlike the Wright brothers, who were inspired by seeing kites fly and aspired to build airplanes, even if Shitou's determination was as solid as stone, he could never create an airplane.
Even with Shitou’s sons and grandsons, it wouldn’t be possible.
The eras they belonged to were completely different. One was a small tribe just stepping into agriculture, lacking even a single wire.
The other was during the age of colonial expansion and great geographical discoveries, when various sciences and innovations sprang up like mushrooms after rain, arising from thousands of years of human societal development culminating in the industrial era.
There was simply no basis for comparison between the two.
A larger version of the Kongming lantern as a hot air balloon was much simpler than the highly demanding and technologically advanced airplane.
Of course, even if it was simple, it might not be accomplished within a lifetime.
However, in contrast to the distant dream of an airplane, this could spark some expectation.
Even if Shitou couldn't achieve this feat, it could be passed down to the next generations, Shitou II, Shitou III, and so on.
As long as these descendants remained steadfast in pursuing this goal, it was quite possible for them to fly in a hot air balloon for a while within ten generations.
Of course, the premise is that the Green Sparrow Tribe can continue to thrive and become stronger and that more new things will come.
At this moment, the difference between the Kongming lantern and the kite seemed negligible; they both appeared to be mere playthings. However, as time progressed, they would diverge into two vastly different paths.
As a person from the future, Han Cheng often had the foresight to understand many things ahead of time.
It was precisely because he recognized the vast difference between the two that he still chose to pursue the Kongming lantern, even knowing how difficult it would be to make.
Unfortunately, such heartfelt intentions could not be shared with outsiders; he could only be moved alone.
After assembling the Kongming lantern frame, the next step was, of course, to paste the snake skin on top.
Watching the two who had rushed off to collect pine resin, Han Cheng couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional, his eyes feeling warm.
It was understandable for Shitou to run quickly, but for Lame, an adult with a limp, to keep up with him at such speed was somewhat absurd.
After all, it was said that a lame man should reach for the sky.
Feeling resentful about the Kongming lantern, Han Cheng looked toward the two who had darted off and couldn’t help but vent some of his frustrations through complaints.
Complaining aside, he still had to finish the tasks at hand.
After his complaints, Han Cheng picked up the hoe and continued to dig the earth to create a flowerbed.
While digging, he also pondered how to solve the problem of fire-resistant material for the Kongming lantern.
He was digging and thinking, not because he was particularly diligent with his time but rather to avoid verbal assaults from Bai Xue.
Her innocent and naive expression and unintentional yet pointed remarks could be extremely hurtful; each word was like a critical hit.
Moreover, he felt helpless against her, especially since his child was still in her belly.
Such a situation was the most distressing.
As Han Cheng had anticipated, Lame's big mouth had never disappointed anyone.
Having gone with Shitou to gather some pine resin, the news that the Divine Child would create a flying tool had already spread throughout the tribe.
Even in later times, flying was a noteworthy event that warranted national celebration, let alone in the current context.
As soon as the news spread, it quickly swept through the entire Green Sparrow Tribe like the chilly spring breeze, with even the slaves and drooling three-year-olds hearing about it and showing great curiosity.
Everyone endured the wait, and finally, as the sun set, they quickly gathered their things and rushed back to the tribe.
Upon returning, instead of flocking to the rice storage as usual, they gathered around the Divine Child as if Han Cheng had suddenly become the center of attention.
It wasn’t until Han Cheng, feeling like a monkey being gawked at, lost his patience and kicked a few front-line spectators that the matter was temporarily put to rest.