I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 331 Making Fine Salt

Yu personally led Bai Ling to the fire pit. Bai Ling picked up the jar of salt and said to Yu, "Chief Yu, I need a flat stone slab, a wooden stick as thick as a wrist (the bark of which needs to be peeled off), two earthenware basins, one earthenware pot, and one earthenware bowl."

Yu quickly told the tribesmen to prepare these things, as they were all very common items. They needed to find stone slabs and wooden sticks, but earthenware pots, pans, and bowls were available here.

The fish tribe quickly found a stone slab and several wooden sticks about the thickness of a wrist. The sticks and stones had been cleaned and were ready to use.

Bai Ling poured the salt from the earthenware jar onto the stone slab and rolled it back and forth with a wooden stick: "If you want to make fine salt, the first step is to crush this salt, the finer the better."

Yue and Chen also squatted down to help, and Yu and the tribesmen found a stone slab and, imitating Bai Ling, crushed the salt.

Bai Ling put the crushed salt into a ceramic basin and added water: "The salt needs to soak for a while, stir it with a wooden stick, and wait for the dirt in the salt water to sink before proceeding to the next step."

The beastmen gathered in a circle, watching Bai Ling. The salt water in the earthenware basin had been stirred thoroughly. Bai Ling put down the wooden stick in his hand and said, "We'll have to wait a while before we can proceed to the next step."

The aquatic beastmen were puzzled when they saw Bai Ling put salt into the water. One of the fish asked, "Ling, salt disappears as soon as it's put into water. There's no salt in the earthenware basin now, it's all water. How can you conjure up salt again?"

Bai Ling smiled and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Bai Ling took out the steamer she had brought and showed it to the fish chief: "Chief Fish, this is a steamer woven from thin branches. Does your tribe have anything similar? It would be best if it were woven from grass. I'll be using this steamer to filter salt water later. You could also make one to filter the salt water."

Yu brought over the steamer, glanced at it twice, and said, "We don't have this in our tribe, but it's similar to a basket, and we can weave it."

After he finished speaking, he said a few words to an orc, who got up and left. He returned quickly, carrying a bundle of hay.

The orc took the steamer in his hand, looked at it, and then began to weave something out of wild grass.

*

The salt water has been settling. Bai Ling picked up the earthenware basin with both hands and poured the salt water into another earthenware basin: "Pour the water slowly, only use the clean salt water on top, not the dirty salt water at the bottom."

Bai Ling slowly poured the salt water into the earthenware basin. He then placed the steamer on top of the earthenware pot to compare the size. The steamer was a bit too big, so Bai Ling tilted it over the pot. He used an earthenware bowl to scoop up the salt water and poured it onto the steamer. The salt water dripped from the gaps in the steamer into the pot. Brown sediment slowly accumulated on the steamer. Bai Ling rinsed the steamer with clean water and then continued filtering the salt water.

The earthenware pot was more than half full of salt water. Bai Ling said, "We can start boiling the water now."

Chief Yu personally lit the firewood, and as he tended the fire, he asked, "Ling, if we just keep burning firewood like this, will the brine turn into salt?"

Bai Ling nodded and said, "Yes, you can make the fire burn brighter at the beginning."

The fire under the earthenware pot burned brightly, and none of the beastmen left; they all gathered around the fire pit, their eyes fixed on the earthenware pot on the fire.

The water in the earthenware pot slowly turned white and then became viscous. Bai Ling took a wooden stick and began to stir it: "Once the water in the earthenware pot becomes viscous, you have to start stirring it."

When the salt water in the earthenware pot had almost turned into a paste, Bai Ling said, "Chief Fish, don't burn a big fire anymore, burn a small fire now."

Yu pulled the burning firewood out and put it into another fire pit, leaving only a few burning charcoal pieces. Bai Ling stirred it constantly, saying, "At this time, you need to use a small fire, and you can't stop stirring."

As darkness fell, orcs lit torches, their light illuminating the earthenware pots and the glistening white salt inside.

The beastmen stared at the salt in the earthenware pot, almost unable to believe their eyes. It turned out that the salt from their own tribe could really be turned into pure white salt.

The aquatic orcs know about white salt. When the sky orcs pass through the tribe, they sometimes bring that salt with them. However, that salt is very precious and requires a lot of goods to exchange for it. Moreover, the sky orcs don't bring salt every time they come.

Only orcs with children at home would exchange items for a little white salt, which they would then use to cook a small amount of fish for their children.

Now, the beastmen are not only surprised, but also incredulous, that they can make delicious and precious white salt using the salt collected by their own tribe.

But even if they still couldn't believe it, the stark white salt was right in front of them, leaving them no choice but to believe it.

The salt was still slightly damp. Bai Ling took the earthenware pot off the fire pit and said, "Chief Yu, the fine salt is ready. It's still a little damp, but the residual heat of the pot will dry it. Or we can dry it in the sun tomorrow."

"Oh, by the way, you can also make fine salt by sun-drying. After filtering the brine, put it outside to dry on a sunny day, and you can get fine salt in the same way."

After Bai Ling finished speaking, Yu lightly dipped her little finger into the salt, then put it in her mouth and carefully tasted its flavor.

The first taste is salty, and there is no other flavor besides saltiness. If you taste the fish carefully with your tongue, you will not taste any bitterness.

His breathing quickened, and he said to Bai Ling, "Ling, it really is salty salt, without any bitterness."

*

The torches in the square burned until midnight. Yu personally led the orcs of the tribe to remake them twice more, following Bai Ling's method.

This was not a complicated matter. Bai Ling explained each step very clearly. Even though it was their first time making it, Yu and his tribe were able to produce white salt.

This greatly excited all the orcs working. Fish's face trembled with excitement. He remained silent for a long time, simply watching his people leap with joy, watching them pinch the white salt between their fingers and taste it, watching the satisfied and happy expressions on their faces...

After the tribespeople had finished laughing and making a ruckus, Yu said, "Ling taught us the technique of making fine salt. We should give him the most precious thing in the tribe. What do you all think?"

The beastmen readily agreed, and Yu immediately led several elderly members of their tribe to select gifts, as Ling and the others would be leaving tomorrow, and they needed to prepare the gifts quickly.

*

Just as Bai Ling finished packing, Yu came over with several tribesmen, each carrying a basket on their backs. When Yu and the tribesmen saw Bai Ling, they bowed and thanked her, saying, "Ling, thank you so much."

“If you teach us the technique of making fine salt, our tribe will be able to eat white salt every day from now on.”