I am a Primitive Man Chapter 927: The Lame Bellows
Previously on I am a Primitive Man...
“Whoosh~ whoosh~”
The furnace burned with intense heat.
Heiwa crouched next to it, energetically thrusting and drawing back a rod using both hands.
Attached to the rod's opposite end was the pot cover that he had convinced his wife, Zhuang, to give him after persistent requests.
This cover was just a bit narrower than the inner width of the hollow tube.
In order to focus the air current and direct it into the furnace, Shitou had fixed a clay tube at the outlet, drawing from the Divine Child’s earlier “wind gurgle” design, and stretched it right up to the furnace's rim.
The clay tube narrowed steadily as it approached the furnace.
Clay sealed the connections where the tubes met, stopping any escape of air.
“Whoosh!”Heiwa thrust the rod forward, applying pressure to the cover, causing it to slide within the tube.
A rush of air flowed through the system of clay tubes directly into the furnace, causing the flames to surge upward with a roar.
On the surface, Heiwa’s creation looked highly effective and useful.
Yet, as he drew the cover backward, an issue emerged.
During the pull, the fire in the furnace diminished, and with too much pull, the blaze even got drawn back into the tube…
This outcome was far from Heiwa’s intention. Following several tests with different strengths over a period, he quit, sitting down to mull over the difficulty.
Judging by how the furnace fire responded to the thrust, his concept had evidently succeeded.
The remaining challenge was figuring out how to retract the cover without drawing air out from the furnace.
After pondering for some moments, Heiwa rose, scooped out some clay from a connection point in the linked tubes, and parted them a little to form a narrow opening.
He thrust the cover once more, forcing air toward the furnace.
On this occasion, when he retracted it, the flames no longer got pulled into the tube, though now a different issue surfaced: a large portion of the air escaped via the opening, reducing the fire's strength.
Following additional trials of thrusting and pulling, Heiwa halted, crouching to gaze at the space between the tubes and contemplate.
Should the tubes remain fully sealed during the thrust, with the opening appearing solely during the pull, everything would function ideally.
He tested this by hand, yet operating it manually proved awkward and slow. The air flow lacked smoothness.
After further attempts, he dropped this method and kept brainstorming.
Should the opening activate and seal itself naturally with each thrust and pull, the process would simplify greatly…
Heiwa recognized this as a tough challenge.
Were the Divine Child present in the tribe, his cleverness would undoubtedly resolve it…
Recalling the Divine Child’s location in Jinguan City, Heiwa shook his head. He couldn’t rely on the Divine Child to fix all issues.
Besides, this concerned the production of porcelain, and as the tribe’s top potter, it fell to him.
Heiwa persisted with his trials, but none yielded success.
That evening, he lingered until deep into the night, heading home worn out and unable to rest.
He consumed a herbal calmer provided by Zhuang and at last drifted into uneasy slumber.
The following morning, Heiwa visited the woodworker, Lame, describing the dilemma and the benefits it might bring if overcome, in hopes that Lame would lend a hand.
Lame, experienced in intricate crafting, felt instant interest.
Tackling difficulties could be taxing, yet triumph delivered profound joy, akin to savoring heavenly brew. He readily consented to collaborate.
Lame examined the apparatus, grasped its mechanism, and then went back to his workspace.
After reflection, he set to work using his implements. Before long, a empty rectangular wooden container took shape under his fingers.
He selected a rectangular form since fashioning a round barrel from planks was overly challenging, though the apparatus’s workings weren’t tied to its form.
Next, he fashioned a wooden plunger to match the inside of the empty container. Initial thrusts and draws didn’t go smoothly, given the open side permitted the plunger to slide free.
Lame blocked the distant end using a plank.
With that done, the thrusting and pulling performed better, though air still seeped past the space between the plunger and the container’s side.
To address this, he bored a opening at the base. The presence of the hole made handling far simpler.
At this point, Lame encountered the identical hurdle that had stumped Heiwa: how to have the space—or the base opening—activate and seal on its own.
This proved tricky, otherwise Heiwa wouldn’t have turned to him for aid.
Lame labored through the entire day and bounced thoughts off Heiwa, yet remained without an answer.
Inspiration arrived on the subsequent day.
A chilly breeze stirred as vivid red persimmon foliage clung tenaciously to limbs, until one finally twirled earthward.
Youngsters dashed forward, snatched the leaf, and chuckled while leaping about.
They devised a fresh pastime: positioning the leaf beneath their noses, breathing in to hold it attached, and competing to maintain the attachment longest. Suction alone qualified; sticky discharge didn’t count.
Lame, his thoughts burdened by the unsolved puzzle, halted to observe the kids at play, allowing the sight to soothe his mind.
Abruptly, his gaze brightened—a spark of insight hit him. Thrilled, he hurried to his workspace quicker than most could keep pace.
Rather than employing the leaf, he sliced a scrap of beast skin broader than the base opening in the wooden container.
He fastened one edge of the skin across the opening using copper fasteners, keeping the opposite edge loose.
Seizing the wooden plunger, he drove it ahead. The resulting air force raised the skin, permitting passage of the flow.
When he drew the plunger rearward, the skin naturally flattened against it, blocking the space.
Lame felt elated—he had crafted an implement where the space opened and sealed instinctively with the plunger’s motion.
Nevertheless, another difficulty arose: drawing the plunger back demanded force, and too much could drag the skin inside, disrupting its automatic function.
Evidently, the implement required polishing and wasn’t yet complete.
“Consider adding a further opening at the base,” Heiwa proposed, coming over from the pottery area.
After weighing it, Lame concurred and made a second opening close to the initial one.
The thrusting and pulling enhanced a touch. Some air leaked via the additional opening, but the leftover concerns were addressable and would sort out gradually.
In short order, Lame applied skin over the fresh opening, securing it along one edge.