Yong City, Cloud Rest Manor.
The manor is located in a remote area on the outskirts of the city and is shrouded in thick black smoke all year round.
From afar, one can often see a mass of black clouds swirling above the manor, as it is the largest ceramics workshop within several hundred miles.
The ceramics and pottery produced are sold in various cities and are renowned throughout the Zhao Kingdom.
Outside the gates of Cloud Rest Manor, a convoy of carts pulled by mules had arrived.
The drivers were all covered in black soot and had lean physiques.
Through the gaps in the loosely covered gray cloth on the carts, one could see that the cargo was irregular lumps of coal.
"Steward Zhao, this batch of coal has arrived, totaling thirteen carts. Please verify the goods." The black and thin middle-aged man leading the convoy respectfully greeted a slightly plump man ambling forward.
The slightly plump man, dressed in a blue silk robe, glanced at the dirty and soot-covered carts with so distaste, pinching his nose: "You’ve been an old client, what’s there to check?
Go register at the accounts office, and co back at the end of the month for settlent."
"Alright! Thank you, Steward Zhao, for the favor!" The black and thin man looked around.
He subtly handed him a cloth bag, leaning close to the man in blue clothes.
The man in blue weighed the bag in his wide sleeve, his expression eased considerably: "Only Old Shi can handle things properly; I trust you. The coal has never had any issues.
Unlike that Old Wang, with his bad temper and frequent mistakes, he only has a good niece..."
The two chatted idly for a while.
As the steward was about to leave, the black and thin man handed him another cloth bag.
Seeing the suspicious look of the steward, he rubbed his hands and smiled ingratiatingly: "I have two distant nephews who want to co to the manor to learn ceramics crafts."
The man in blue asked: "Do you know the rules of the manor?"
"Yes, yes, five years of apprenticeship without returning ho, no family visits allowed, life and death are their own responsibility..." The black and thin man quickly said.
The man in blue nodded with satisfaction, took out a ledger from his chest.
He wrote on it with a charcoal pencil for a while, then tore off a yellow sheet of paper and handed it to the black and thin man, instructing loudly: "Rember to go to the accounts office to collect twenty taels of silver and send it to their families."
"Alright! Ah Shu, Ah Hai, quickly pay your respects to Steward Zhao!"
Two strong young n imdiately stepped forward, bowing to Steward Zhao.
"Rember, once inside, observe less, speak less, do more work." Steward Zhao said blandly, leading the two into the manor.
Outside, other laborers were helping the manor’s people unload the cargo, with faint sounds of conversation:
"Two people going into the manor for twenty taels, isn’t that ten taels per person?"
"Ten taels per person, equivalent to two or three years of inco for a common family, not low at all.
Now that demon beasts are launching large attacks on our Zhao Kingdom, prices are soaring, aren’t you happy to have a place that provides food and shelter?"
Then, the two youths who followed the man in blue inside.
The taller one bowed his head uneasily, rembering the steward’s words, not daring to make any gestures or speak.
The slightly shorter one, however, was calm and seed not at all nervous.
"Handle with care, these are tributes for the royal family! Break one, and even selling your entire family won’t be enough to compensate!"
On their way, they saw people carrying beautifully fired ceramics out.
The stunning ceramics with intricate colorful patterns made the tall youth’s face faintly reveal a hint of longing.
"Brother Shu, do you think we can stay after five years and beco real ceramic craftsn?"
"As long as you learn the techniques well and don’t slack off, I think definitely you can."
"Mmm, I definitely won’t slack off!"
Hearing the pair’s whispering conversation, the man in blue walking in front said nothing but a sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.
Little did he know that his every gesture was closely observed by the shorter youth behind him.
The shorter youth was Lou Yi, using his Disguise Talent.
At this mont, he was pretending to be a lean village youth no taller than 1.7 ters.
The reason he didn’t force his way into Cloud Rest Manor.
Was due to discovering a powerful array hidden within the manor, impossible to crack in a short ti.
A sudden outbreak could cost him dearly, even pose a significant threat to his life.
Thus, he decided to first infiltrate internally, then find opportunities.
He happened to encounter a group of villagers delivering coal, and under the enchantnt of his Disguise Talent, they took him as one of their own.
The lead man with the surna Shi inexplicably gained a distant nephew.
He decided to recomnd Lou Yi and his real nephew, Shi Hai, together to learn ceramics inside Cloud Rest Manor.
Soon, Steward Zhao brought the two to a courtyard inside the manor and handed them over to an elderly craftsman for training.
"You two newcors, co over and listen!" The old master was holding a handful of wet white clay, repeatedly kneading it in his palm, "This is local white clay, soft in nature, absorbs water, using it alone for crafting easily causes cracking.
Need to add red iron powder for the clay to be obedient, able to withstand pulling and kneading..."
The tall youth showed a focused expression, attentively nodding and listening.
While the shorter youth, although equally attentive, occasionally had a faint red light flash through his eyes.
Lou Yi certainly wouldn’t actually study any ceramic craft here.
Instead, he opened his Eye Acupoint, activating the Attribute Panel’s area scanning feature, imprinting the paths, conversations of each person in the manor into his mind, soon gaining a clear understanding of the manor’s layout.
However, the center area of the kiln still had a small section, like shrouded in mist, unclear.
But this already revealed the uniqueness of the location, clearly obscured by an array, it should be the true core domain of the Yellow Springs Sect.
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