I Transmigrated Into A Fantasy World To Farm And Build Houses!-Chapter 159: The Knitting Genius

Eric tried to rummage through his memory, explaining to Joseph what he knew about the rudimentary formula for gunpowder:

"Saltpeter soil can be found around old latrines. Mixing it with plant ash can refine potassium nitrate. Charcoal is just the black rock we use to fuel the forge. As for sulfur, it’s a type of yellow mineral with a distinct rotten egg smell. Find all three, and we can start experimenting."

He frowned slightly, trying to recall more details: "Sulfur often appears near hot springs, volcanoes, or next to geysers. It probably won’t be too hard to find."

"Rotten egg mineral... black rock... and saltpeter soil..."

Joseph muttered as if in a daze. The fire in his eyes seemed even hotter than the forge. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table, shot up, and rushed outside.

"Hot springs and volcanoes have sulfur, right? I remember now! There’s a volcano we used to mine minerals at! I’m going right now!"

Eric didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, quickly grabbing the elder who was fired up like a newly forged iron bar.

"Joseph! You should at least prepare your luggage and tools! Besides, I only know the ingredients, not the exact ratios. We have to experiment slowly. We can’t rush this!"

It took great effort for him to convince Joseph to cool down.

Eric instructed him to focus on researching how to refine potassium nitrate from saltpeter soil and plant ash for now. Hearing this, Joseph reluctantly postponed his plan to head to the volcano immediately.

Eric secretly felt lucky that the Dwarves had a habit of using communal latrines. Otherwise, in this wilderness, finding saltpeter soil might have been the biggest obstacle.

Saying goodbye to the extremely excited Joseph, Eric led Leo to give gifts to Luban’s family. The gift was still a set of seashell combs and a bag of pearls. Iris was busy at the canteen; if she were here, she would definitely have loved this gift.

Since the day Eric left, Grass’s tent had become a miniature "knitting guild." The homes of the other Dwarves were too cramped to accommodate such a large gathering like the Snow Wolf’s tent could.

Grass’s animal hide tent was originally quite simple, but since welcoming new friends, Jessica had reinforced it with several layers of windproof hides, and Bruno had even made a small stove and brought it over.

Now, the tent had transformed into a cozy world where more than ten people could stay all day, immersing themselves in the world of yarn.

Earlier, Joseph had also been wearing a knitted sweater, albeit a bit rough. Eric guessed Bruno must have given it to him. It seemed that although the two old friends bickered constantly, their relationship was very good.

As Eric and Leo approached, through the gap in the curtain raised for ventilation, he could hear chatting and the steady *clack-clack* of knitting needles. Inside, more than ten people were engrossed in their work.

The yarn seemed to have a life of its own, dancing on their nimble fingers. They were no longer satisfied with the basic stitches Eric had taught them but had explored and created all sorts of things. Someone had even managed to knit five-fingered gloves.

The sweater in Grass’s hands was adorned with lovely little flowers. Although the yarn was still its original white color, its exquisite craftsmanship was enough to make one marvel.

Looking at the sweater’s size, Eric knew immediately it was made for Flower.

"Wow, everyone is amazing! You can already make such complex styles!" Eric exclaimed in astonishment, lifting the curtain and stepping inside.

In contrast, Leo, who hung around here every day, was already used to it and just calmly followed his brother.

The engrossed knitters finally looked up. Bruno was the first to react, waving enthusiastically:

"Eric, you’re back! Come quick and see our results!"

The other Dwarves also grinned, proudly showing off the items in their hands. Every piece was exquisite and full of creativity, far exceeding Eric’s expectations.

"I just thought it was already incredible that everyone could knit plain sweaters..." He looked around, dazzled. Everything was beautiful and skillful.

Grass looked up, a warm smile in her eyes: "I knitted a set of clothes for you and Leo. Take them back and try them on to see if they fit."

"Ah, I get one too? Thank you, Grass!" Leo jumped with joy.

"Is this for Flower?" Eric picked up the newly completed small sweater to admire it. "You can even make such complex patterns. Your craftsmanship is truly top-notch!"

"These past few days, we haven’t just been studying on our own; we’ve been pointing out each other’s mistakes and correcting them together. Of course our skills have skyrocketed." Bruno boasted proudly.

He had finally found a passion he was good at and one that old Joseph couldn’t mock him for. Being recognized by everyone and having friends with shared interests to exchange ideas with, everyone found endless joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Looking at the sincere joy on everyone’s faces, especially Grass, Eric knew she had truly found work she loved.

Grass took out two finished sets of clothes. Surprisingly, it wasn’t just sweaters, but complete sets of woolen tops and pants.

Eric took the outfit, the soft, warm feeling spreading from his fingertips immediately awakening a deep memory. It was exactly like the outfit his grandmother had knitted for him in his previous life.

The only difference was that the yarn made from magical beast fur here was even softer and more comfortable than premium sheep’s wool.

"This must have been hard work for you. We love it." Eric said sincerely.

Leo just hugged the clothes tightly, his eyes shining as he looked at Grass, nodding profusely.

Seeing the two brothers’ delight, Grass was also very happy: "It’s good that you’re back. You were gone longer than usual this year."

"Yes, there were more things to trade this year. Plus, we’ll have to make another trip after the farm tools are finished," Eric replied with a smile.

*It’s too crowded to say it here,* he thought. *But Grass is steady and reliable, unlike Kevin and Sam. I can tell her about the salt refining. It’s not right to keep hiding things from close friends.*

Seeing that everyone could already make gloves, Eric had an idea and described the style of modern knit hats to them. Afraid they would have trouble visualizing it, he even ran home to get paper and charcoal to draw a sketch.

The whole group gathered around to look, everyone showing an "Ah, I see" expression. With their talent, a simple knit hat certainly wouldn’t be difficult.

Besides the clothes from Grass, the other Dwarves also gifted him and Leo warm gloves and scarves.

Thinking of the "frail person" back home, Eric felt a bit embarrassed, but still shamelessly turned to Grass:

"Grass, could you... help me make a set of clothes for the friend who came with me?"

Before Grass could answer, Bruno slapped his chest.

"He’s a little taller than you, right? Leave it to me! Don’t look at the sweater on old Joseph and underestimate my skills. That was just a rough draft when I was practicing! My knitting is no worse than Grass’s now!"

Eric was overjoyed: "That’s great! Thank you, Bruno! When the new wine is done brewing, I’ll bring you a jar!"

Bruno laughed heartily: "Why be so polite! But of course, wine is even better!"

Crisp, warm laughter filled the tent.

Eric left the gift for Grass, then led Leo away. Between giving gifts and discussing business, it was soon lunchtime.

Back in the tribe, he had also become lazier. He didn’t want to go home and start a fire to cook at this hour, so he decided to take Leo straight to the communal canteen to "leech" a convenient meal.