Hei Wa sat on a stone, staring blankly at the pattern the divine child had drawn on the ground.
The pattern resembled a mutated 'y,' something Hei Wa had seen before. The sharp iron spear that Shang often carried had a similar shape.
That's right—Han Cheng's first batch of bronze implements were bronze spears.
The decision to forge a bronze spear was based on several factors. First, the structure of the bronze spear was relatively simple. Second, bronze spears were smaller in size compared to heavy tools like plow heads, making them easier to forge. This was ideal for a tribe like the Green Sparrow Tribe, which was still beginners at metalworking. Third, Han Cheng wanted to initiate an upgrade in the tribe's weaponry.
For any group—whether a nation or a tribe—strength shouldn't just be based on soft power; hard power must also be strong. Moreover, hard power is the foundation for the growth of soft power. Regardless of the time or situation, military strength in a tribe should always be prioritized.
When surrounded by enemies with little to no resources, one must prioritize military development, even if it means tightening their belts elsewhere. Only by building up military strength can a tribe secure its safety and space to build and grow in other areas.
When a tribe grows stronger and wealthier, its military might must grow alongside it. A man without fault may hold a precious stone, but without the strength to protect it, any advancements will be undermined. Facing enemies who value strength over reason, without the necessary military strength, all the beautiful things developed will only benefit others.
Although the Green Sparrow Tribe's military strength was already impressive and, within Han Cheng’s knowledge, no other tribe could compare to them, the introduction of bronze still motivated him to forge a batch of bronze weapons. After all, no tribe would consider itself too strong.
Moreover, while bronze farming tools would take time to show their benefits, bronze weapons would immediately enhance the tribe's combat abilities as soon as they were forged and placed into the hands of the warriors.
At his feet lay several clay molds for bronze spears that he had shaped. These molds seemed quite good to clay workers, but Hei Wa was unsatisfied.
Over the years, his expertise in pottery had made him proud of his craftsmanship. Even though the molds were not traditional pottery, Hei Wa still felt it was unacceptable for him to fail at creating a good mold.
He was lost in thought, wondering how to make a mold quickly and adequately.
In the past, Hei Wa would have practiced tirelessly to improve his craft, but now, he was thinking of using a new tool to solve this problem.
Over the years in the tribe, he had seen how the divine child used new tools to overcome difficulties. Hei Wa himself had simplified and perfected pottery-making by inventing and using a potter's wheel.
Sometimes, with the aid of tools, one could achieve levels that pure handcrafting could not reach, a truth Hei Wa deeply understood.
Han Cheng didn’t know much about making simple tool molds, but as someone from a later time, he had been exposed to many things. His thinking was active and full of advantages that were rare in people of this era.
Thus, after failing with pure hand-made clay molds, Han Cheng was also considering how to improve and already had a preliminary idea. However, he didn’t immediately share his thoughts with others to test it out.
Because he saw Hei Wa, who was sitting there in a thoughtful posture.
As the tribe developed and grew, more and more things emerged, and the systems that came with them multiplied. A person's energy is always limited; clearly, one person couldn’t handle all these things independently.
Even if it were possible to do so, Han Cheng still wouldn’t.
Because if he took on everything by himself, wouldn’t he be overworking himself to death?
And after he wore himself out, where would the tribe go from there?
So, for many matters within the tribe, Han Cheng would only start them, creating something from nothing, and then leave them to others to continue working on.
This made things easier for him. On the other hand, it allowed more capable individuals within the tribe to emerge, ensuring that the things brought about by his arrival would continue to thrive after he was gone. This way, these things wouldn’t be forgotten or faded after a hundred years.
In a way, it was similar to raising children. When a child is young, they need careful nurturing. But as the child grows, you can no longer be as hands-on. You need to give them space to experience challenges and setbacks independently.
Success, failure, and the warmth or coldness of human relationships on the journey are all essential experiences.
So, as the guide of the Green Sparrow Tribe, Han Cheng's occasional laziness and “irresponsibility” were very necessary.
Such behavior wouldn’t harm the tribe but would benefit its development.
Of course, there were times when Han Cheng wanted to slack off, but it was clear that his so-called laziness wasn’t truly laziness—it was for the tribe's good...
Being able to present laziness in such a fresh, unorthodox, and justifiable way was enough to show that his identity as a time traveler wasn’t for nothing.
Hei Wa's thinking continued. As he meditated, he occasionally bent down, molding the clay in his hands into various forms as if confirming the thoughts in his mind.
The whole day passed, but Hei Wa hadn’t yet come up with solid conclusions.
However, Han Cheng wasn’t in a hurry. He was patient enough to give the tribe's members time to think and grow.
After all, they were in a slow-paced primitive society.
The second day quickly passed, and Hei Wa still hadn’t made any significant breakthroughs. Meanwhile, those shaping clay molds had already created some crude bronze spear molds. Though they were not very regular, they had made progress.
Hei Wa didn’t care about these results. He was focused on finding a better solution. This alone made it evident who was striving for more.
On the third day, the breakthrough finally came.
The breakthrough came from the lump of clay in Hei Wa’s hand, or more precisely, the marks left by his fingers on it.
Such marks were the most common thing for a potter. It’s easy to leave handprints on the clay balls when shaping clay.
However, this time, these very ordinary handprints were anything but ordinary in Hei Wa's eyes.