The Island-Banished Noblewoman - Chapter 13 (Patreon)

Hunting (1)
The structure of the furnace was extremely simple.

First, there was a grate positioned slightly above the ground. When firewood is placed on top and lit, air flows in through the intake below the grate and rises toward the top of the furnace.

This flow of air makes the fire burn hotter, allowing the temperature to reach the levels needed for pottery. That's the basic mechanism.

So for now, instead of placing the firewood on top of the grate, it's placed directly on the ground, with a modest fire burning there. This is to ensure the furnace is fully dried.

By lighting the fire below the grate, air isn't drawn in from below, so the fire doesn't flare up too much. It's just the right amount of heat for drying.

"Hmm... I wonder if I need to make a blower first,"

Marylia thought, somewhat worried as she checked the dryness of the furnace.

While the furnace had been built, it might not be providing enough airflow.

To create better pottery, a higher temperature is needed. And to achieve that, more air is required.

Without air, fire won't burn. A system that consistently supplies ample air and blows the fire upward in the furnace is essential.

With that in mind...

"Well, let's at least make a basic one for now."

Marylia decided to make a blower while the furnace was heating up and drying.

The blower isn't a particularly complex device. It only involves making a rod with a few blades attached to spin and generate wind, and a container-like part to collect the wind and direct it out of the blower's outlet.

The rod, which functions like a fan to generate wind, is made by attaching about six thick leaves folded onto a straight wooden branch. It looks like a windmill or waterwheel, but its function is the opposite—spinning to create wind rather than being spun by it.

The exterior of the blower was made from clay. Since it didn’t need to be fully dry right away, this will do for now, though eventually, it will need to be fired.

... Now then.

"Let's try firing it, shall we?"

Feeling nervous, Marylia decided it was time to move the pottery into the furnace.

The top of the furnace should ideally be covered with a roof, but since there wasn't any non-flammable material available, the top was left open. She placed the firewood on the grate, and the firing process began.

As Marylia held her breath, the fire caught on the wood above the grate... and suddenly,

"Whoa, amazing."

Even without using the blower, the fire flared up significantly. Air was naturally being drawn in, and a current of air had already formed near the intake.

"... Let's try using the blower."

Taking advantage of the situation, Marylia spun the rod of the blower. As it spun, the blades turned, generating wind. The wind gushed out from the blower's outlet, intensifying the fire.

"This is great. Heh, it's tiring, though."

Marylia thought about improving the design, so the rod could be spun by pulling a string. For now, though, she kept turning the blower diligently.

... After about two hours,

"Hmm, I think that should do it. I can't see very well, but..."

Marylia peeked into the furnace from the top and confirmed that the pottery was glowing red amidst the flames.

Once the pottery turns red like that, it should be fine. Probably. Believing that, Marylia stopped adding firewood.

"I hope it's fired properly... It shouldn't explode, but..."

She gazed into the furnace, but couldn't see inside clearly. There were limits to what she could observe from the top. It's entirely possible that the pottery had cracked or collapsed out of sight. She hadn't heard any explosive sounds, but pottery can break quietly. At this point, it's a matter of luck.

"Well, watching it won't make it cool down any faster. Maybe by evening, it'll be cool enough..."

In any case, it would take time for the fire to die down and the furnace to cool enough to check the pottery. Until then, she wouldn't know how the pottery had turned out.

"I need to gather more firewood. There's not enough for a second batch..."

Marylia stood up and decided to gather firewood for the next firing. If she could collect a large amount of already-dried wood that could be used as firewood right away, she could get the furnace going again soon.

If any of the pottery was cracked after it was finished, she would have to remake similar pieces and try again. For that, she would need plenty of clay and firewood!

And so, Marylia's 12th day on the island came to an end. At the same time, her food supply was running low.

While collecting firewood, she also gathered some berries and apricot-like fruits. However, it's hard to feel full on just fruit.

"... I guess I'll have to find another Man-Eater or some other monster..."

Marylia thought, biting into an apricot-like fruit. It was very sour, but had a somewhat invigorating taste.

"Tomorrow, I'll explore a bit."

With that in mind, Marylia lay down on her bed.

The next morning.

"Now, I wonder if it turned out well..."

As soon as she woke up, Marylia headed to the furnace.

The furnace, which had cooled overnight, was now easy to handle, and she had no trouble taking out the pottery inside.

As she pulled out the stacked pieces one by one, she found that some had indeed cracked.

"Ah, two plates didn't make it. But the pots look good... As long as they don't leak, it'll be perfect, but I wonder how they'll hold up."

The finished pottery that remained intact consisted of three pots, one plate, and two bowls. The broken pieces included two pots, two plates, and two bowls. All things considered, this was quite successful. Marylia had been prepared for the possibility that none of the pots might survive.

"And so... how about the golem parts?"

There was one more thing. Something more important than the tableware.

It was the golem parts, especially the chest plate where the commands were engraved. Whether or not this was done correctly would greatly affect Marylia's exploration today...

"... It's done."

What Marylia took out was somewhat chipped and cracked, but it had retained its proper shape.

The Terracotta Golem's chest had been completed.

"I s-somehow managed to save parts for one golem..."

And so...

Marylia carefully assembled the undamaged parts from the three sets of Terracotta Golem parts she had taken from the furnace and managed to create a single golem.

On the chest of the Terracotta Golem was engraved, "Always follow your master and await further instructions." It was a standard command often seen in golem creation. With this engraving, the golem could be used as an attendant.

"Looking forward to working with you. Hehehe..."

The Terracotta Golem was only about as tall as Marylia's chest. There wasn't enough clay to make anything larger.

But this was enough. Though it might not compare to Marylia, it could generally do what a human could do, and the golem could respond to commands without needing constant rewriting. Its size was a trivial matter.

Smiling down at the smaller golem's head, Marylia decided to have breakfast.

For breakfast, she ate wheat porridge.

It was made by simmering the fish she had caught and wild herbs together with seawater, fresh water, and wheat, and it was fairly tasty. She was truly grateful to have found the wheat.

After filling her stomach, she took a bite of one of the apricots she had picked yesterday...

"Well, let's head out to look for food."

Marylia smiled brightly as she commanded the Terracotta Golem and stepped out to begin her exploration.

… But.

"Ouch!"

She hadn't even taken one step.

… It was probably something that had fallen from the remains of the campfire used for cooking breakfast. She had stepped forcefully on a piece of charcoal. It hurt. It hurt a little.

"... It didn't break the skin, did it...?"

She hurriedly checked the sole of her foot. No injury. She was fine. But, well, it did hurt a bit. Just a bit.

"... Footwear comes first."

And so, before starting her exploration, Marylia decided to weave some footwear.

Heading towards the river, she found the plant stems she had previously submerged swaying in the water. The tissue had decayed, washed away by the water, leaving behind the fibers.

Of course, the fibers hadn't been completely stripped of tissue, so to remove the remaining rotted material, she spent some time gently massaging and washing the fibers.

"It feels like linen on touch. Hehe, this is great~"

The fibers, still wet, appeared a grayish-brown color. But once they dried, they would likely take on a lighter shade, similar to the linen Marylia was familiar with.

"Now then, let's carry this... Oh my."

As she removed the weights and lifted the bundle of fibers, Marylia remembered that the Terracotta Golem was with her.

"... Alright, you carry this."

She gave half of the bundle to the golem, and with a gentle start, began walking. The golem, holding the bundle, followed Marylia obediently.

"... This really is convenient."

Her load was halved. Or, she could carry twice as much in one trip. This was incredibly important. Once again, Marylia's life had become a little easier.

Marylia, now in high spirits, decided to return to her base. The Terracotta Golem followed her properly, and for some reason, she found it rather cute.

Though it was just a golem without a will... Well, finding it cute was a good thing. Thinking this, Marylia cheerfully hurried back to her base.

For the rest of the morning, Marylia spun the fibers into thread and then tirelessly wove the thread into sandals.

The thread made from properly processed fibers was supple and strong. It was easy to weave and felt good against the skin. It was also durable. Additionally, one common trait of plant fibers like these was that they didn't lose their durability when wet. Marylia was currently weaving with wet fibers, but the sturdy fibers were easy to handle and a joy to work with.

And so, a little past noon, she finally finished weaving the sandals. The sandals were tied around the ankle with string, so while they weren’t the most comfortable, they were durable.

"Even though they're still wet, it doesn't matter. I'll just wear them."

Without further ado, she tied the half-dry sandal strings around her ankles and tried them on.

… For Marylia, who had been barefoot for nearly two weeks, it was a somewhat refreshing sensation!

"... It feels like it's easier to walk barefoot, though."

Having grown completely accustomed to being barefoot, Marylia felt a slight discomfort but continued to walk around in her sandals with a plodding, padding motion.

"Ahh~ It might take some time to get used to... But I’ll probably forget the discomfort while exploring..."

… As Marylia lamented while plodding and padding around, three slimes watched her, jiggling quietly.

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