The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul
Chapter 455 - 454. Meticulous logic

Chapter 455: 454. Meticulous logic

"Yes, the word for ’salt’ did not exist earlier. People back then realized that meat cooked with salty water tasted better, so they continued the practice. Brine is simply sea water or well saltwater, so ’brine’ was used instead of the word for salt," Fang Yining said, holding the vessel thoughtfully. "Does that mean this vessel was used to hold sea water?"

Professor Cao did not speak and slowly shook his head.

He was unsure of this detail.

"Not sea water."

"...Huh?"

Hearing a clear, cold female voice coming from above, Fang Yining raised his head in the direction of the voice and spotted Tang Shu.

"Junior Sister Tang, why do you say it’s not sea water?"

If even Professor Cao couldn’t be certain, how did she know?

Since it had been determined that this was a vessel for holding salt, what else could it be if not sea water?

Professor Cao, too, became interested, casually cleared a stone nearby, and sat down.

"I’ll have a seat for a while. I’m not so accustomed to using my old limbs anymore, and I’d like to hear your thoughts," he said.

Tang Shu said, "There are three reasons."

Both of them were taken aback, "That many?"

How had they not identified a single one?

"Yes, three."

Tang Shu closed her notebook and looked at the vessel in Fang Yining’s hands.

"First, historical records indicated that the Northwest wasn’t near the sea thousands of years ago; second, the vessel belongs to the most primitive form of pottery-making, lacking any true technology at the time, and wouldn’t last till today if it had long been exposed to sea water;"

She pointed at the wall to the right, "Third, it’s recorded here that Ah Jia... the tribal leader, happened to find a tree that could produce clouds. Accidentally, they fell upon charred food and changed its flavor, so they collected these clouds."

"Wait, clouds?"

Could those things even be collected, and they grew on trees?

This was becoming more and more fantastical!

Before Tang Shu could explain, Professor Cao laughed.

"Clouds must be what the tribal leader likened it to because of their color, which resembled the clouds in the sky, hence the name. If I’m not mistaken, that should be salt."

Salt is white, and so are the clouds in the sky.

Fang Yining, a young scholar well-versed in various fields, had a sudden insight, "I get it now, that must be the Wood Salt Tree!"

The salt from the Wood Salt Tree is pure white.

"The Wood Salt Tree is mostly found in Ji Province of the Northeast, where each spring the trees accumulate a layer of white frost-like salt. People simply scrape it off with a knife to use as salt. It’s very possible that thousands of years ago, the Northwest had an environment similar to that of Ji Province."

Without significant tectonic shifts over thousands of years, it would be impossible to transform from a marine to a terrestrial environment, but climate and living conditions could change.

Tang Shu nodded, casting an unexpected glance at Fang Yining, surprised at his intelligence.

Meanwhile, the look in his eyes changed when he looked at her, and even Professor Cao’s eyes showed a mix of surprise and admiration.

"Xiao Shu’s reasoning is very meticulous."

To think of so much just by looking at the vessel for a brief moment was indeed remarkable.

"Junior Sister Tang, the Stone Tablet script on the wall, you—you—you... do you recognize it?!"

How come he had studied it for so long and could only recognize four or five characters, unable to form any connections?

Hearing this question, Tang Shu felt puzzled for a moment, "The ones you’re referring to, are they these?"