Only then did Ji Nuan realize what he was talking about, gave an embarrassed chuckle, and pulled her small paw back from the large one. Her eyes lingered greedily on the green clay surrounding the fire pit.
She had originally thought it was carved from a single stone.
Under the heat of the Fire Seed, the green clay took on a pure emerald color, smooth and shiny. It looked so real that one might mistaken it for a high-grade jade stone.
After observing the green clay, Xiu Yan and Ji Nuan bid farewell to the old woman before exiting the cave.
Now, Ji Nuan held in her hand a piece of the green clay from the fire pit, it was still warm and as smooth to touch as it appeared. She couldn’t help but find it pleasurable.
The beauty of the green clay made Ji Nuan reluctant to let it go.
The small female cub’s ears atop her head twitched slightly, and her round cat eyes turned into crescent moons out of joy. Her fluffy tail swung gently behind her. Her adorable appearance would make any Orc want to hold and rub her.
Seeing her in this state, Xiu Yan asked in a good mood, "Do you like it?"
Ji Nuan nodded with a smile in her eyes, "Yes, it’s really pretty!"
She held the clay piece tightly in her small paws and gave it a tug, "It’s very solid, it could probably be used to make bricks and tiles."
Her fair small paw reddened a little with the force she used. Xiu Yan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, he took the green clay piece from her hand, transformed his right hand into a sharp claw and made a swipe.
Ji Nuan nervously watched the clay, but saw that his swipe had only left a mark of a few centimeters on the clay. She opened her rosy little mouth in surprise at the hardness of the green clay.
She turned to look at Xiu Yan, who had retracted his sharp claw, "Brother Xiu Yan, how much strength did you use?"
Amused by her surprised look, Xiu Yan chuckled, "I probably used about eighty percent of my strength. Even if I use all my strength, I wouldn’t be able to pierce through this green clay all at once."
Ji Nuan looked at Xiu Yan with sparkling eyes, he was simply a lucky star!
If such a tough piece of green clay could be made into bricks and tiles, it would be incredibly solid. She could already see a beautiful house waving at her.
Feeling a bit shy under the gaze of the cub’s bright cat eyes, Xiu Yan turned his attention to the green clay, "Do you want to use this green clay to make the bricks and tiles you mentioned?"
Ji Nuan hid her excitement and nodded, "Yes, I want to fire a multitude of bricks and tiles, then build a courtyard, so I don’t have to worry about the cave collapsing anymore."
Xiu Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, "A courtyard? That’s for living?"
Ji Nuan nodded, her hands and feet were filled with excitement, "Yes, I want to build a big house with a kitchen, bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a large heated bed. In winter, it would be warmed up, and I wouldn’t have to worry about getting frostbite."
The joy of potentially having her dream house made Ji Nuan forget herself in her excitement, leaving Xiu Yan confused by some of the terms she used.
However, the last sentence about not fearing frostbite in winter caught his attention.
Was this thing called a house really that magical?
Other than hunger, the most frightening thing in winter was the cold. Many cubs and females died from frostbite and illness every winter, and even some Orcs could not avoid it.
If this house was really that magical...
Looking at the small, thin-bodied cub, Xiu Yan’s eyes brightened.
He would definitely help the cub build a house. In this way, the little one should be able to safely survive the winter, right?
"Brother Xiu Yan, do you know where to find the green clay? Let’s go get some and start making some utensils." Ji Nuan’s bright eyes looked at the towering Orc beside her.
Xiu Yan nodded, "I can go alone. The clay is very heavy, you can’t carry much. I can use a basket to collect it, it will be quick."
Looking at her thin small arm, Ji Nuan agreed. If she tagged along, it would be more of a drag.
After sending Ji Nuan back to the cave, Xiu Yan went to gather the green clay with two baskets.
Ji Nuan skillfully cleaned up a plot of land not far from the cave and laid a few flat stone slabs on the ground.
She quickly made another carrying basket, put it on her back, and headed towards the edge of the forest.
The firewood in the cave was almost used up. Ji Nuan wanted to burn a batch of pots, bowls, spoons, and other utensils with the green clay first to see how high the success rate was.
Since the Orcs here rarely use Fire Seeds, there were plenty of fallen dried branches on the ground, making it effortless to gather a basketful.
"Ji Nuan!" Ge Ye ran over to Ji Nuan with a violet fruit the size of a basketball in her hand.
The Clan Leader had just awakened. Although he still couldn’t get up, he was not in too much pain thanks to Ji Nuan’s Sharp Tooth Grass Powder. After having a bowl of porridge made by Aunt Naima, he fell asleep again.
Today, Song Yu went hunting and intentionally picked a purple fruit from the back mountain for Ge Ye to play with. The Purple Fruit was pretty, and its insides were filled with shiny granules, a food that most birds loved.
The females liked to remove the small granules from the Purple Fruit and use it to decorate their caves. The color of the Purple Fruit can last up to a year without fading, making it a much sought-after decoration for the females.