Chapter 53: The Pottery Workshop

The only way to truly learn pottery was to get your hands dirty.

Sora could explain the process all day, but if Clare and Zainabu wanted to make something that actually held water instead of collapsing into a muddy pancake, they had to practice themselves.

So after the demonstration, she stepped back and let them work.

As for herself...

She still had a very long shopping list.

"My kitchen still isn’t complete," she muttered, counting on her fingers.

"I need spice jars for salt and cooking oil..."

"A proper water storage tank..."

"A bigger cooking pot..."

"Oh—and a bathtub."

Lucas looked up.

"...A what?"

"A bathtub."

The men blinked.

They had no idea what that was.

Sora sighed dramatically.

"You people have never experienced the joy of soaking in hot water after a long day."

The five beast husbands exchanged puzzled glances.

Was sitting in hot water... enjoyable?

Sora nodded to herself.

Now that she had access to enough clay, she could finally make one.

She’d simply heat water in a large pot and pour it into the tub.

A proper hot bath.

Especially now.

Being on her period meant cold water was her mortal enemy.

Back in the apocalypse, anyone who willingly took a freezing bath during their cycle either possessed nerves of steel...

...or a death wish.

Thankfully, the people of the savannah were built like walking fortresses.

Still, Sora refused to test her luck.

"Besides," she added with a mischievous grin, "I need a few decorative pieces."

Ace raised an eyebrow.

"Decorative?"

"Vases."

Everyone looked confused again.

"What are those for?"

"You put flowers in them."

Silence.

Lucas scratched his head.

"...So..."

"...You make a container..."

"...to hold plants that are already growing outside?"

Sora pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That’s called romance."

Blank stares.

She sighed.

"I have a lot of work to do."

Primitive men truly had no appreciation for interior decoration.

She also planned to make a large ceramic vat specifically for refining salt.

If she wanted to improve everyone’s quality of life, she’d need more than one cooking pot.

Fortunately, she wasn’t working alone.

Lucas, Ace, and Xavier had already become an efficient production team.

One dug clay.

Another kneaded it smooth.

The third rolled neat coils and delivered them beside Sora before she’d even asked.

Watching them move was like watching workers in a well-run workshop.

Ryan, despite claiming he’d only come to observe, quietly copied Sora’s techniques.

To everyone’s surprise, he was incredibly skilled with his hands.

Within an hour, he’d produced several sturdy bowls and storage jars that looked remarkably professional.

Lucas peeked over.

"...First time?"

Ryan nodded.

Lucas clicked his tongue.

"Some people are just annoyingly talented."

Ryan didn’t bother replying.

Sora, however, was delighted.

"These are excellent."

Ryan glanced away, pretending not to hear the compliment.

Still...

The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

By midday, an impressive collection had formed beside them.

Large storage jars.

Cooking pots.

Water tanks.

Oil containers.

Salt jars.

Wide basins.

Elegant flower vases.

And several strangely shaped creations that left everyone staring.

Clare finally pointed at one.

"...What’s that supposed to be?"

Sora smiled mysteriously.

"You’ll understand later."

No one did.

Not even Sora’s husbands.

Lucas leaned toward Ace.

"I think she’s inventing things now."

Ace nodded solemnly.

"I stopped trying to guess weeks ago."

Once the last piece had been shaped, Sora clapped her hands.

"Time to fire them."

Lucas immediately gathered dry firewood.

Xavier arranged the larger logs.

Ace carefully stacked the pottery inside the firing pit according to Sora’s instructions.

Ryan silently adjusted a few pieces to make better use of the space.

Sora noticed...

His arrangement was actually better than hers.

"..."

She narrowed her eyes.

"You’ve definitely done engineering in another life."

Ryan simply looked confused.

"I’ve done what?"

"...Never mind."

The fire roared to life.

Orange flames slowly surrounded the rows of freshly shaped pottery.

Nearby, Clare and Zainabu proudly carried over their own creations.

Although they couldn’t match Sora’s speed or Ryan’s neat craftsmanship, their pots were surprisingly well made for beginners.

Sora inspected each one carefully before smiling.

"Not bad."

"Especially for your first attempt."

Clare grinned from ear to ear.

"I actually made a bowl!"

Zainabu hugged her lopsided pot like a precious treasure.

"It doesn’t even look ugly!"

Lucas coughed politely.

"It... has character."

Everyone burst into laughter.

The pottery workshop had officially gained two enthusiastic new apprentices.

After Sora finished shaping the last of her pottery, the others were still hard at work, elbows deep in red clay.

Judging by the sun, she figured it was about lunchtime.

"Time to feed the workers," she announced.

Immediately, every head turned toward her.

Apparently, hearing food had become more effective than beating a drum.

Since nothing edible grew on the red clay flats, Sora had come prepared. She untied a leather pouch hanging from her waist and pulled out several handfuls of finely ground maize flour she’d prepared back in the village. Ever since deciding to slim down, she’d been grinding maize almost every evening. She now had enough flour stored away to feed an entire hunting party.

After washing her hands in a nearby stream, she poured the flour into a small ceramic bowl, added a pinch of salt, then slowly mixed in water from her bamboo flask until the mixture became soft and fluffy.

She kneaded it patiently into a smooth, elastic dough before covering it with broad green leaves to let it rest.

While the dough rose, she pointed toward the river.

"Lucas. Xavier. Ace. Catch us a few fish."

The three exchanged amused looks before disappearing toward the water.

It wasn’t long before they returned carrying several fat river fish.

After gutting and cleaning them, Sora rubbed them with salt and wild herbs, skewered each one on sturdy branches, and planted them upright around the fire so they roasted evenly.

By then, the dough had puffed up nicely.

With no rolling pin in sight, she flattened it over a smooth stone lined with fresh leaves.

Then came the performance.

She tossed the dough into the air.

Pulled.

Twisted.

Stretched.

Folded.

Pulled again.

Before long, thick ribbons had transformed into long strands of fresh noodles dancing between her fingers.

Everyone stopped working.

Even Ryan—who rarely reacted to anything—raised an eyebrow.

Clare and Zainabu stared with their mouths hanging open.

"...Is she... fighting the dough?" one whispered.

"I think the dough lost," the other muttered.

Lucas burst out laughing.

"I don’t care what she’s doing. If it smells like that, I’m eating it."

Ace, Xavier, and Lucas simply grinned.

After spending so much time with Sora, they’d learned one important lesson.

Whenever she started doing something that looked completely ridiculous...

...it usually ended with the best meal they’d ever tasted.

Lukan watched quietly, admiration flickering across his usually calm face.

Ryan folded his arms.

He still couldn’t understand how stretching flour like that was supposed to become food.

But after seeing salt come from dirty water and clay become beautiful pottery...

He wisely kept his doubts to himself.

Sora brought a clay pot of water to a boil before adding the roasted fish, creating a rich, fragrant broth. Once the soup was bubbling, she slid in the fresh maize noodles one handful at a time.

Within moments, the aroma drifting across the clearing made everyone’s stomachs growl in perfect harmony.

Since no one had brought bowls, they folded large leaves into makeshift cups.

Nobody complained.

Not after tasting the soup.

The noodles were soft and springy.

The broth was rich with roasted fish and fragrant herbs.

The sweetness of the maize balanced perfectly with the savory stock.

Silence settled over the camp.

The kind of silence that only happened when everyone was too busy eating to speak.

Clare lowered her leaf bowl and looked at Zainabu in complete disbelief.

"...I was actually going to cook."

"So was I."

The two women quietly shoved the baskets they’d packed farther behind them.

No point embarrassing themselves now.

Compared to Sora’s cooking...

Their roasted roots suddenly felt like punishment.

By the time everyone finished eating and cleaned up, dusk had painted the savannah gold and crimson.

Just like the last pottery trip, the clay still needed to bake through the night.

Although they’d arrived much earlier this time, Sora had made far larger pieces—a massive water storage jar, several oil and salt containers, a huge bathing tub, and enough pottery to stock an entire household.

The larger the pottery, the longer the firing.

Looks like another night under the stars.

No one minded.

This time everyone had come prepared.

Ace, Lucas, and Xavier spread thick animal-hide blankets across the warm ground with practiced ease.

Clare, Zainabu, and their husbands did the same.

Only one person remained standing.

Ryan.

He looked around the camp.

Then at everyone comfortably settling down.

Then back at the empty ground beneath his feet.

"..."

Lukan noticed first.

"You didn’t bring a blanket?"

Ryan answered honestly.

"I didn’t think I’d need one."

Lucas immediately covered his mouth.

Ace looked away.

Xavier’s shoulders started shaking.

They knew exactly what was coming.

Clare smiled innocently.

"Oh, that’s easy."

She pointed at Sora.

"Since you and Ryan are practically a couple now, why don’t you two just share hers?"

The entire camp fell silent.

Even the fire seemed to crackle more quietly.

Sora froze.

Again?

How did every conversation somehow end with people trying to marry her off?

She hadn’t even finished denying the last rumor!

Across the fire, Ace leaned onto one elbow, grinning like a hyena that had spotted fresh gossip.

"Oh?"

"This should be interesting."

Lucas immediately stopped pretending to sleep.

Even Xavier cracked one eye open.

Nobody was about to miss this.

Sora sighed internally.

She had absolutely no intention of inviting Ryan under her blanket.

More importantly...

She was counting on him to refuse first.

After all...

Wasn’t this the same man who had looked at her like she’d personally offended his ancestors?

Surely he’d reject the idea before she even had to speak.