The surroundings were silent, with only the faint crackling sounds of the flames burning.

Shaman's eyes widened, mouth agape, revealing his gapped teeth; Shitou's mouth was open, and his eyes were wide; and Lame also had his mouth open...

The onlookers gathered around to witness the miracle, and all wore expressions of astonished disbelief.

Of course, this wasn’t because the Kongming lantern had fallen and was immediately burned after Shitou let go.

The Kongming lantern didn’t drop; after Shitou released it, it remained roughly the same position, swaying slowly about ten centimeters above the ground.

However, it also didn’t rise.

After shifting slightly on the ground, the clay bowl containing the fireball stopped moving entirely.

Han Cheng had anticipated this outcome before the experiment was conducted.

It wasn’t because he was trying to cover up the current embarrassment; he was genuinely prepared for the possibility that the Kongming lantern wouldn’t fly.

After all, this was intended mainly to prove whether his proposed solution was feasible.

As the resin-soaked hemp cloth continued to burn, one of the leather strips finally burned through when it was about to extinguish.

This result fell well within Han Cheng's expectations.

Although the Kongming lantern didn’t take off and the rope burned, this demonstrated the feasibility of this approach.

What remained to be done was to improve upon this foundation continually.

The improvement method involved making the bowl that contained the flame larger and lighter.

A larger bowl would accommodate a bigger bundle of hemp cloth, producing a more significant flame to provide more energy while keeping the leather strips on the rim away from the fire.

A lighter bowl would help reduce the weight of the Kongming lantern, allowing it to ascend more effectively.

Making the bowl both larger and lighter seemed contradictory.

Since the bowl was made of clay, increasing its size would inevitably add to its weight.

This was when the skill of the potter, Hei Wa, would be put to the test.

Han Cheng carefully supported the Kongming lantern, which had tilted somewhat after one of the ropes snapped, to prevent it from being burned by the flames below.

Finding two such large snakes to skin for the Kongming lantern would take a long time.

Looking at the surrounding people, who had all closed their mouths and tried hard to maintain calm expressions—resulting in their faces twisting a bit—Han Cheng couldn’t help but sniffle.

‘These guys...’

Shitou, returning to his senses, eagerly rushed over to replace Han Cheng in holding the Kongming lantern.

Although the lantern hadn’t soared into the sky as he had imagined, leaving him somewhat disappointed, he had seen the clay bowl being moved just a moment ago.

It was those few movements that had given him immense hope.

People capable of accomplishing astonishing feats tend to be very committed; perseverance is necessary.

Even though they might break down and cry during the process, they still strive toward their desired direction after wiping away their tears.

Shitou was undoubtedly one of those people.

Since he had dreamed of flying due to Han Cheng’s Cowherd and Weaver Girl story a few years ago, he had never abandoned his desire to soar into the sky.

Despite the numerous setbacks and the suffering he had endured, he never once thought of giving up.

If he could persist through such circumstances in the past, there was no way he would falter now, especially since he had seen hope from Han Cheng!

Han Cheng was surprised by Shitou’s reaction; he had expected to explain further, but it seemed Shitou had already come to terms with it.

Feeling satisfied, Han Cheng smiled. From Shitou’s response, he believed that seeing a hot air balloon drifting across the sky of this primitive society in his lifetime wasn’t out of the question.

Without saying much more, after Shitou had securely ensured Shitou held the Kongming lantern, he picked up two handfuls of soil from the ground. He threw them into the clay bowl to extinguish the fire inside.

Then Han Cheng took Shitou and Shaman, who had some free time, to find Hei Wa to make new bowls.

Lame also wanted to tag along to take a look. Still, after glancing at the broken farming tools, he decided against it. He stayed behind to repair them with the other two.

Hei Wa's skills were undoubtedly top-notch. After listening to Han Cheng's requests, he immediately patted his chest and assured them he would do the job well.

He then began to knead the clay and mud.

Initially, Shitou wasn’t very interested in pottery, but he observed from the side, occasionally wanting to pitch in.

The smooth stone slab rotated continuously, and the shapeless clay quickly took form under Hei Wa's deft hands...

The newly crafted clay forms came in several sizes: a standard bowl that was larger and thinner, a shallow open bowl that was half the depth of a regular bowl, and one that resembled a small frying pan.

Compared to bowls of the same weight, the frying pan-like form had a larger surface area, allowing it to hold more resin-soaked hemp cloth and generate more upward airflow for the Kongming lantern.

Once the clay forms were ready, they couldn't be fired immediately. Even if they were in a hurry, they needed to be dried by the fire before being placed in the kiln for firing.

Shitou squatted there, unwilling to leave, watching Hei Wa's every move.

These items are directly connected to flying, so he was naturally very concerned. He even picked up some clay from Hei Wa to learn pottery-making.

After watching for a while, seeing that Hei Wa and the others were making good progress, and realizing that the pottery couldn’t be fired today, Han Cheng returned to the tribe to dig a pit for his stone flower bed.

Everyone needed their tasks to do, right?

The flames burned, transmitting intense heat, while blue smoke mixed with the rising air currents, flowing upwards and filling the Kongming lantern.

The connecting ropes tightened, and the thin, frying pan-like object at the bottom wobbled a few times.

Under Shitou’s tense gaze, with his eyes wide open and fists clenched, forgetting to breathe from the nervousness, the wobbling plate finally managed to leave the ground, slowly floating upward.

The eyes of the onlookers were firmly drawn to the Kongming lantern as it ascended.

After a moment, their gazes moved upward to where the lantern was level with their heads. It stayed there for a while before starting to descend.

When their eyes finally returned to the lowest point, Shitou instinctively cupped his hands around the snake-skin Kongming lantern without Han Cheng's command.

Han Cheng picked up a handful of dirt and extinguished the smoldering flames.

The few participants in this excellent flight experiment—Shitou, Shaman, Lame, Hei Wa, and others—were incredibly excited. The items they helped create had flown!

Han Cheng, however, didn’t share their joy because he had previously released a Kongming lantern himself.

A Kongming lantern resembling the stars could soar high into the night sky.

This tribe member barely exceeded head height; the difference was too vast, leaving him with little reason to celebrate.

He casually picked up a grass stem and pulled the still-smoldering hemp cloth from the lantern.

This was one of the reasons why the Kongming lantern didn’t fly very high.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay