CHAPTER 278: CHAPTER 269 IRON!_1

Although she didn’t understand why the four cubs had suddenly started calling her "baby."

But the four little cuties suddenly smiling and calling her "baby" was enough to make her very happy.

Si Yan found a spot and sat down. Bei Ji clung to her, Nan Mo latched onto her other arm, and Dongchi and Xi Qing settled on either side of her.

Si Yan smiled and touched the four little cuties’ faces, saying, "What’s with you all today?"

Dongchi pointed at a male nearby and said, "Mother, that male over there said that if we call you baby, you’ll be happy."

Xi Qing looked at her expectantly, "Baby, are you happy?"

How could she not be happy?

Si Yan grinned and said, "Happy."

Bei Ji laughed, "That’s great! You are my Si Beiji’s baby!"

Dongchi added, "And my Si Dongchi’s baby too."

Nan Mo blushed slightly, a bit shy: "Mother is also Si Nan Mo’s baby."

Xi Qing chimed in, "And me! Mother is also my Si Xiqing’s baby."

She Wang had been quite annoyed, but hearing this, he still asked, "Si?"

Dongchi glanced disdainfully at their rotten father and said, "Don’t you get it? ’Si’ is the surname. We’re a family, so we take our mother’s surname, which is ’Si’."

She Wang fell silent for a moment, then said, "Si Wang?"

Dongchi burst into laughter.

She Wang’s aura immediately turned cold. He glared at his cub.

Dongchi couldn’t help but laugh, "HAHAHA, our rotten father is called Disappointment, Disappointment."

Si Yan tapped his head. "Dongchi, don’t make fun of your beast father."

Dongchi covered his head and stopped talking.

Si Yan gently detached the cubs. Seeing She Wang was unhappy, she gave his arm a little tug.

Fortunately, this Beastman was easily consoled. When she tugged his arm, she could clearly feel his mood improving.

Si Yan asked with a smile, "Do you also want to share my surname?"

The Beast Husband looked up at Si Yan with his enchanting amethyst eyes and said, "You are the Mistress. If a family needs a shared surname, it should be yours."

"I am also willing to take your surname."

The Beast Husband continued, "It’s just a surname; there’s no need to consider homophones. I originally had no surname, only a given name. Si Wang, it’s quite good. I accept."

Si Wang, Si Wang.

Si Yan mulled over the name for a few moments.

As long as one didn’t consider the homophones, the name indeed sounded quite nice.

She Wang carefully handed the steamed bun to Si Yan, who took it and started eating in small bites.

On the other side, Jin Yao of the Golden Dragon clan was eating voraciously.

Jin Yang asked with some surprise, "Yao Yao, have you been eating a bit more these past two days?"

Jin Yao felt something was amiss. "Fourth Brother, I don’t know why, but I just have such strong cravings, and I’m always hungry."

Jin Yang looked at the large, meaty bone she had discarded after finishing and felt something was off. "Why would you feel hungry?"

He frowned in thought for a good while before his eyes suddenly lit up. "Yao Yao, could it be that you’re pregnant?"

Although Jin Yao already had several Beast Husbands, she hadn’t had any cubs yet. If she were pregnant, this would be her first.

With that thought, Jin Yang pushed a large pile of food from his plate toward Jin Yao.

"Yao Yao, eat, eat more. If it’s not enough, Fourth Brother will make you more."

Jin Yao frowned slightly. She had indeed eaten quite a lot, but she still felt a bit hungry.

Could she really be pregnant?

Her belly was already beginning to swell.

Uncertain, yet unable to resist the temptation of food, she continued to eat heartily.

After finishing her bun, Si Yan sneakily glanced at Jin Yao.

Jin Yao’s belly might be bigger than mine by tomorrow.

Si Yan touched her own rounded belly and couldn’t help but laugh.

After the meal, Si Yan began to prepare for the next step.

"Tai Seng, Jin Tong, use this iron ore to smash against each other. Try to break it into smaller pieces; it will be easier to melt later."

"Got it!"

Tai Seng and Jin Tong picked up the iron ore and started smashing it.

The iron ore was very hard, but fortunately, Si Yan didn’t require them to smash it too finely, just to make it a bit smaller.

Meanwhile, Si Yan was already thinking about what iron tools to make.

Iron was very useful, and countless tools could be made from it.

However, facing so many Beastmen, she only wanted to make a few of the most practical ones.

The most practical tools right now would be an axe, a hammer, and a chisel.

Alright, I’ll make three iron tools first.

Thinking of this, Si Yan took out some unfired clay from beside her and began to create molds.

Fortunately, the molds for an axe, hammer, and chisel were easy to make, and she quickly shaped them.

When the iron ore was smashed enough, Jin Tong came running over with a smile. "Si Yan, what do we do next?"

Si Yan said, "First, put these iron pieces into the charcoal and heat them up."

Under high temperatures, the iron oxides in the iron ore would undergo a redox reaction with the carbon (C and CO) from the charcoal. This would produce some iron (Fe), carbon dioxide, oxygen, and other harmful gases.

Jin Tong and Tai Seng immediately started a charcoal fire in a stove and then threw the smashed iron ore into it.

Si Yan cautioned, "It will produce certain harmful gases, so don’t get too close."

"Okay."

The sweet potato starch, which had been roasting nearby, was now dry.

Si Yan didn’t have time to process the sweet potato starch today, so she had Tai Seng and Jin Tong store it in a ceramic jar.

Compared to the sweet potato starch, she was more focused on the iron before her.

It should work. In theory, there should be no problem.

They burned it for a long time, until all the charcoal in the stove was consumed. Jin Tong and Tai Seng then cleared away the earthen furnace, and Si Yan used a wooden stick to push aside the remaining charcoal.

She was a little nervous.

After clearing away layers of charcoal cinders and ash, she saw tiny beads of iron on the ground.

Si Yan’s heart pounded fast. She was nearly unable to think, her excitement and nerves palpable.

Jin Tong exclaimed in surprise, "What is this?!"

"Iron, this is iron!!" Si Yan was even more excited than Jin Tong, her voice trembling with emotion.

"It works, it’s possible, no problem!!!"

Seeing Si Yan’s excitement, Tai Seng knew that what she had intended to make was a success. His large tail wagged happily, and he asked excitedly, "Si Yan, what do we do next?"

All of this felt as magical as a divine skill.

Grey Parrot and the others had gathered around, not daring to utter a word.

They didn’t know what Si Yan was attempting, and the phrase "impressive but incomprehensible" was probably insufficient to describe the feeling at this moment.

It was incredibly impressive, beyond imagination!

Grey Parrot watched Si Yan in silence for a while before cautiously asking, "Si Yan the Wise... what is this..."

This was a moment more exciting than the unearthing of pottery!!

Si Yan, as if emerging from a dream and too excited to notice Grey Parrot’s question, said with a flushed face, "Tai Seng, be careful. Use a piece of pottery to collect these iron beads into this ceramic container. Then, we need to melt a lot of iron, a whole lot of it."

"This amount of iron isn’t enough. We might need a lot of time and patience. I need more, much more iron. But time is a bit tight."

A lot of molten iron would be required to make even a single iron tool.

Tai Seng immediately said, "Don’t worry. Jin Tong and I will stay up all night if we have to, but we’ll get what you need done."

Jin Tong also nodded vigorously. "You can count on us for that."

He and Tai Seng began to gather the iron beads.

Jin Tong looked up and said, "You’re still pregnant. You should get some rest. Have She Wang take you back."

After speaking, Jin Tong called out loudly, "Wang, take Si Yan back to rest!"