C8 Original Inventor

An elder named Jiewu, after examining the pottery, spoke up, "High Priest, I've encountered such pottery in the Silk Rain Tribe. They claim it was brought back from the Golden Land after a journey over countless mountains and rivers. A single plate like this cost them five pieces of gold. It's remarkable that our tribe can now produce such fine pottery. We truly owe a debt of gratitude to our ancestors for their blessings!"

The High Priest, however, had no time for such reflections; he was eager to discover the creator of the pottery. His gaze shifted to Jiemen, but before he could inquire, a voice from outside interrupted, "High Priest, Patriarch, someone's been hurt!"

"What?"

All eyes turned toward the door where a bloodied warrior stumbled before the High Priest, gasping, "High Priest, the hunting team was ambushed by a spirit animal. Captain Jie Luo has sustained grave injuries and is unconscious. He's been brought back to the tribe!"

In the face of the emergency, the matter of the pottery was instantly forgotten. At the High Priest's command, everyone, Jiemen included, dashed out of the courtyard. A few steps later, the High Priest turned sharply to Jiemen, "Take those pieces of pottery to my house for now. Have Jieying come to see me when she returns."

"Understood!"

Jiemen acknowledged and rushed back to the courtyard, where he found several clean animal hides to securely wrap the pottery. As he did so, he pondered what the High Priest's reaction might be upon learning that a child had crafted these pieces. The thought sent ripples of anticipation through his mind.

Yuan Ge, for his part, had already cast aside thoughts of the pottery. He was on the grass, readying his bow for archery.

Having returned with the Gorewood the day before, Yuan Ge had set to work crafting a bow and arrows. The Gorewood's natural resilience made it an ideal bow frame. He simply needed to trim the excess with a stone knife and string it with a tendon. The arrows were simpler still.

In the courtyard lay numerous animal bones from which he selected the sharpest points. He ground these on a stone to form arrowheads. The shafts required more precision. Yuan Ge had sought out several dozen straight branches from the forest at the tribe's edge, each about a meter in length and roughly as thick as a fingertip. After meticulous preparation, he affixed them to the arrowheads, completing his task.

Yuan Ge had a solution for the arrow feathers as well. Wild pheasants and ducks often rested by the river near the tribe, making gathering feathers a breeze.

After placing the finished arrows into his beast skin bag and slinging the bow over his shoulder, Yuan Ge couldn't help but feel like a legendary hunter from the tales. Little did he know, the creation of this bow and arrow was about to significantly alter the course of the world.

Good eyesight is a fundamental requirement for archery. Before testing his arrows, Yuan Ge set up a straw target and stepped back a hundred meters. Squinting, he found the target remained clear, without a hint of blur. Pushing himself an additional fifty meters, he looked back to find the target still in sharp focus.

Ordinarily, a person's vision would blur when viewing an object from a hundred meters away. Yet, Yuan Ge had walked three hundred meters and could still see the straw target clearly, albeit as a small dot. This confirmed that the body he now inhabited possessed exceptionally keen eyesight.

Having completed the vision test, Yuan Ge returned to a position fifty meters from the straw target. This was his inaugural use of a true bow and arrow. He nocked the feathered arrow, drew the bow with one hand, and listened to the "crack" of the Gorewood bending, feeling his arm muscles surge with power.

Yuan Ge's first attempt at archery was fluid and swift. He took aim at the straw target and gently released his fingers. The arrow tore through the air, parting the grass beneath it as it flew.

Before the bow had ceased its quiver, the arrow had already reached its mark, embedding itself deeply into the straw target in the blink of an eye. Yuan Ge observed his shot and could only offer a wry shake of his head. While he had the strength, his accuracy left much to be desired.

The issue of accuracy wasn't solely a matter of technique; the bow itself was partly to blame. Given the limited materials available for crafting, creating a standard bow and arrow was no small feat. Yet, Yuan Ge didn't dwell on this obstacle. As the adage goes, practice makes perfect. With enough repetition and a thorough understanding of the bow's characteristics, he was confident that his accuracy would improve.

Yuan Ge notched a second arrow onto the bow, and this time, drawing the bowstring felt much smoother than before. Gorewood was particularly well-suited for bow frames, primarily due to its excellent flexibility and elasticity. Yuan Ge had initially considered bamboo for the bow frame, but Gorewood proved to be superior. The main issue with bamboo was that over time, it would lose its natural elasticity, which would significantly diminish the bow's power. Gorewood, on the other hand, improved with use; its elasticity and resilience enhanced the more it was drawn.

After the first draw, the Gorewood underwent subtle changes. Its internal grain became denser, and both its elasticity and resilience increased. Consequently, Yuan Ge's second arrow struck the straw target deeper than the first. Despite the distance, Yuan Ge's keen eyesight allowed him to observe the difference clearly.

Yuan Ge continued to fire arrow after arrow, not stopping until they had completely penetrated the straw figure. Although his accuracy was still lacking, he was beginning to grasp the bow's unique properties. With more practice, he was confident he would achieve flawless precision with every shot.

Engrossed in his archery, Yuan Ge was oblivious to the dozen or so children who had gathered to watch him. They were clueless about the object in his hands, only aware of its incredible speed, seemingly too fast to see. They had never considered Yuan Ge to be any different from themselves, perhaps even less skilled than some. Yet, seemingly overnight, Yuan Ge had transformed. From a peculiar stump that could send rabbits flying to this mysterious new device, Yuan Ge seemed to possess an endless array of curious and extraordinary items.