Chapter 1424: Chapter 1263: Ancient Beast World 29
Shuangshuang had been out for a full three days. With her now strong witch power, she was incredibly fast, running a great distance over these three days.
Calculating the time, Shuangshuang felt it was about time to head back. But after taking only a few steps, she sensed something quickly flying towards her head.
Shuangshuang swiftly turned her foot and slightly retreated, and that object brushed past her, crashing to the ground with a "pop." It turned out to be a blackish-brown fruit about the size of a human head.
It was a fruit she had never seen before, which instantly piqued Shuangshuang’s curiosity. She picked it up and found it unexpectedly light.
Considering its size, Shuangshuang thought it would be quite heavy, but it turned out to be easy to lift. The fruit was smooth and had no visible opening.
Shuangshuang wondered if it might be like a coconut with three easy-to-open eyes, but it wasn’t, and its shell was not as hard as a coconut’s.
She knocked the fruit against a nearby stone, and without much effort, the blackish-brown shell cracked easily.
Inside was not fruit flesh, but something white and fluffy like cotton, with considerable density. Shuangshuang broke open the shell and pulled out the white cotton-like material, tugging it in her hands.
This thing not only looked like cotton but felt like cotton as well. Shuangshuang raised her eyebrows slightly—could her luck really be this good? Had she just solved her long-standing problem of finding cotton and fabric?
Initially, Shuangshuang had thought about breeding silkworms for silk weaving, but she gave up on it. After all, silk was impractical.
This was primitive society, where basic needs like food and warmth hadn’t been fully addressed. Silk, though beautiful, was useless.
It wasn’t warm, nor durable, and required a lot of manpower to produce—a waste for those busy filling their bellies day to day.
But cotton was different. Whether spun into fabric for clothes or made into quilts, it had great utility and could even be made into bandages for wounds.
Shuangshuang took out her Fire Stick and tried to ignite the white cotton-like material. Its ignition point was very low, making it not very flammable, which was good news.
Next, Shuangshuang tried twisting some of the white cotton into thin threads, a process that was not easy and required meticulous attention.
While working on the threads, she recalled how spinning wheels were made. Truth be told, Shuangshuang only had a vague concept; she had seen spinning wheels but didn’t know how to make them.
However, spinning wheels were fairly simple to construct. As long as she remembered their appearance and worked patiently, she could surely recreate one.
She had also seen weaving looms before, and unlike spinning wheels, she had once come across the method of making them during a visit to a folk culture site, although the details had faded over time.
Yet Shuangshuang was confident she could create both the loom and spinning wheel. The threads she had painstakingly twisted were surprisingly strong, far exceeding that of cotton threads.
Shuangshuang tilted her head to look at the tree from which the black fruit had fallen. It was large and tall, with a dense crop of fruit, quite abundant.
She collected some vines to weave a net, then climbed the tree to pick fruit. When Shuangshuang returned to the tribe, the first thing people noticed was not Shuangshuang herself.
From a distance, what came into view was a huge vine net filled with black fruits, and initially, the tribe members were stunned because the net made Shuangshuang’s figure almost disappear.
If it weren’t for the good eyesight of the Beastmen, they might not have seen the person beneath the giant net at all. It was like an ant carrying a boulder, completely disproportionate.
If these black fruits had been heavy, the sheer quantity Shuangshuang brought back could have crushed her into a human pancake.
"Great Witch, what kind of stuff have you brought back?" Two Beastmen hurried over to help take the net from Shuangshuang.
They had expected the large vine net to be heavy, but taking it from her, they found it surprisingly light, not as heavy as a big horned sheep.
Shuangshuang, in a good mood, headed back to the tribe, "This is something good—I found cotton fruit. The cotton inside is a treasure, especially when the cold season comes, you’ll understand its value."
Indeed, Shuangshuang had simply and crudely named the fruit she found "cotton fruit," perfectly aligned with its purpose as a cotton substitute.
The two Beastmen only partially understood what this black cotton fruit was, but they trusted the Great Witch.
If the Great Witch said it was good, it must be good. Thinking this, the two Beastmen were immediately delighted, excited that the Great Witch brought back something valuable.
They were instructed to carry the stuff to her dwelling in the cave, and Shuangshuang began working on making the spinning wheel and loom.
Shuangshuang’s new cave was quite large, providing ample space for her projects. Over the next few days, it was filled with all kinds of wood shavings.
The beastman responsible for cooking had been using Shuangshuang’s failed attempts at spinning wheels and looms as firewood for several days.
It took Shuangshuang two weeks to complete the spinning wheel and loom from her memory, given she had a rough idea and knew most of the components.
After Shuangshuang weaved her first piece of cloth and made a dress, a month had passed.
She gathered everyone in the tribe to announce the good news of her successful cloth-making.
After making some fabric, Shuangshuang went on to make simple clothes and quilts, now displayed on the high platform in the square.
The gathered Beastmen, now encircling the platform, were excitedly touching the quilts, clothes, and cotton fabric, almost as if in pilgrimage.
Shuangshuang generously let them try on the clothes and wrap themselves in the quilts, experiencing the benefits of fabric and cotton firsthand.
Without Shuangshuang even having to explain, the Beastmen could feel the advantages—the fabric was soft and snug, light, and breathable, cooler and more comfortable than snakeskin.
During summer, wearing these clothes would be ideal, and as for the quilts, they felt as if covered with clouds.
Even in this heat, thinking about wrapping oneself in these quilts by the fire in the cold season sounded extremely comfortable.
Even Yan Ming, who had seen much in the Super Tribe, was astonished by these fabric products, having never seen something so soft.
After looking at the cotton cloth, quilts, and clothes, and hearing Shuangshuang talk about teaching them to spin and weave, the Beastmen were more enthusiastic than ever.
The male Beastmen eagerly followed Shuangshuang to learn how to make the spinning wheel and loom, while the female Beastmen busied themselves with learning to spin and weave.
