Chapter 109: Extra Story #2
As a child, Chu Jiu really enjoyed reading books like “Robinson Crusoe.”
More than once, he had fantasized about what he would do if he were ever stranded on a desert island: how he would cut bamboo to make a raft, how he would crack open coconuts to drink the juice, how he would catch sea turtles on the beach that were practically self-propelled refrigerators, or easily scoop up big fish from the clear water.
Of course, he would also pick bananas from banana trees, make a trap to catch a wild rabbit, and build a small treehouse with the ubiquitous wood and leaves.
—If not a treehouse, then a cave would also work.
Near this cave, there would definitely be a fresh spring with gurgling water.
And now, he was indeed standing on a deserted island.
But he had never imagined that this desert island would be so “deserted”:
As far as the eye could see, there was no extensive greenery. No swaying coconut groves or bamboo forests existed. As for delicious fruits growing on trees or palatable spring water flowing from the rocks, those were even more unimaginable.
All that could be seen were rocks bleached white under the scorching sun and black, dazzling pebbles on the beach. Further in the distance was the boundless sea, stacking up into rows of white waves.
Chu Jiu sighed and turned his head to the other side:
In the center of the island was a large reef that barely qualified as a “hill,” about four or five stories high.
…Perhaps he could go and take a look at the top of the reef?
He turned and walked towards the center of the island.
Little Can had already voluntarily jumped to the ground and transformed into Big Can: “Get on, it’ll save some energy.”
Chu Jiu didn’t refuse.
He climbed onto Big Can’s back: “Go to the top of that ‘small mountain’.”
Big Can ran a few quick steps, leaped up, and reached the top of the hill in less than a minute.
The top of the hill still didn’t have much continuous vegetation, but there was quite a bit of wild grass.
Chu Jiu slid to the ground, not immediately looking at the wild grass, but instead turning around to survey the entire island from the high point—
This island was very small, about the size of a soccer field.
The side where they had just “landed” was a “beach” that extended smoothly forward from the island. However, there was no sand on the beach, only gravel.
The seawater here was a shallow, light blue, suggesting a gently sloping seabed beneath.
On the other side, the edge of the island formed smooth cliffs that plunged straight into the deep blue bay. The seawater on this side was probably dozens of meters deep.
Thus, it seemed that this small island happened to be located on the dividing line between the bay and the shallows.
Chu Jiu pondered for a moment in his mind and took out the [old-fashioned prism binoculars] from his backpack.
These binoculars were a custom-made “retro” model without any electronic assistance, satellite positioning, or infrared imaging functions.
Only this kind of ancient telescope could be brought into the planet “Tara.”
Any other observation equipment that was even slightly more advanced would be directly “ejected” from Tara, and the carrier would also be denied entry.
Fortunately, these binoculars were enough for Chu Jiu to observe the entire island, the surrounding sea area, and the more distant sea surface.
Hmm… those undulating shadows in the shallow sea are probably some kind of large fish…
It doesn’t matter, we have Little Can.
On the more distant sea surface…
Ah, there’s an island!
A green, forest-covered large island!
Although he couldn’t see clearly what kind of trees were in the forest, since it was a tropical island, there should be plenty of bananas and mangoes, right?
Since there were edible plants, there must be edible animals in the forest!
Compared to this barren island under his feet, the green island in the binoculars was the suitable place for a “Robinson Crusoe” story to unfold!
Chu Jiu put down the binoculars, thinking that if he were truly “stranded on a desert island,” the next step would undoubtedly be to have Little Can fly everyone to that large island.
However, his purpose was not simply to “survive.”
His purpose was to “repair the damaged spiritual entity—this planet named Tara.”
Chu Jiu knelt down on one knee and summoned the golden little hamster.
Without Chu Jiu’s instructions, the golden little hamster had already closed its eyes and begun to establish a connection with this giant spiritual entity.
Chu Jiu also closed his eyes and placed the palms of his hands facing down on the sun-baked rocks.
He could feel that chaotic, complex, and unclear things like a fog were hidden beneath the rocks and the sea surface.
That was Tara’s inherent spiritual power.
Chu Jiu’s own spiritual power could gradually examine what kind of problems Tara had encountered, why it refused the descendants of the Star Clan to land, and why it rejected all “development” and even “exploration.”
Of course, this examination wouldn’t be completed overnight. The problems discovered during this process also couldn’t be presented all at once in a clear and obvious form.
In this process, his spiritual entity, this plump-cheeked golden little hamster, would play a crucial role.
The little hamster could organize the information formed by these subconscious-level interactions into clear and recognizable [system prompts] and gradually “publish” them to Chu Jiu, allowing Chu Jiu to decipher and complete them step by step.
[Ding!]
[System has completed the preliminary scan.]
[Host has arrived at the designated location and triggered the first task.]
[First Task: Please use the existing resources of the island and the area near the island to prepare sufficient food, drinking water, and transportation, and use this transportation to safely leave this island within seven days.]
[Precautions: If the food and drinking water of the host and other outsiders do not originate from this location, or if the host adopts other means to leave the island, the host and other outsiders may be “kicked out” of Tara and will not be able to return.]
…Ah, this spiritual entity has confined itself to such a small place with nothing, and it actually wants me to conjure up food and drink here by “using the existing resources”?
If I don’t complete such harsh conditions, it will kick me out in one go?
Tsk tsk.
What a peculiar spiritual entity!
Chu Jiu put away the binoculars, thinking that the method of riding Big Can to fly to the next island was definitely not going to work.
He would have to stay here for seven full days and then build a boat to leave.
Fortunately, the system had just scanned the island, so he could see what usable materials were around.
Chu Jiu first looked at those inconspicuous but numerous wild grasses:
[Tumbleweed: A very easy-to-survive grass with extremely strong vitality. When in an extremely water-deficient environment, it will retract its roots, roll into a ball, and then roll with the wind, rolling itself to a more suitable place for growth. Its tender shoots and leaves are edible, and its stems can be used as biomass fuel. In short, it is a grass that can be well utilized!]
Not bad, not bad.
Chu Jiu first picked 5 portions of [Tumbleweed Shoots].
He put the shoots in his mouth and chewed: they were a bit bitter and astringent, with a little moisture.
Although not a delicious food, they could at least satisfy hunger and quench thirst.
These shoots should be enough for himself and Kakaba to make do for lunch.
Chu Jiu also picked 5 portions of [Tumbleweed Stems] and placed them aside to dry in the sun, preparing to use them as fuel.
In this way, there weren’t many tumbleweeds left on the top of this hill.
And this little bit of food and fuel was probably only enough for one meal?
He needed to stay here for seven full days…
Chu Jiu looked at the few remaining tumbleweeds and the bare hill, which was almost entirely rock with no soil, and had other plans in mind.
He patted Little Can, who had transformed back into a small black cat beside him, first told the little guy the task issued by the system, and then said, “Little Can, can you get Rawr Rawr Rabbit to come up to the top of the hill? There’s a new job for it.”
Little Can: “Meow!”
In a few minutes, Rawr Rawr Rabbit hopped to Chu Jiu’s front, its ears shaking: “Roar roar roar, what’s the job, Roar roar roar!”
Chu Jiu: “Farming.”
Rawr Rawr Rabbit’s long ears curved into question marks: “Roar roar roar? It doesn’t look like there’s any land to cultivate here, Roar roar roar.”
Chu Jiu plucked a handful of [Tumbleweed Seeds] and gave them to Rawr Rawr Rabbit:
“These seeds should sprout very easily.”
“Let’s first try to cultivate them into a type that can ‘grow quickly even if they fall into rock crevices’.”
“Next, we’ll plant this entire reef with this grass.”
Rawr Rawr Rabbit’s ears stood up like exclamation marks: “Roar roar roar, so that’s how it is!”
“Then I’ll start cultivating with [Creative Breeding] first, Roar roar roar!”
With that, Rawr Rawr Rabbit grabbed the handful of seeds and squatted down, using its little paws to dig at the thin layer of soil while chanting.
The spirit beasts now, after experiencing the pioneering of Bean Village, were all “full-level big baby bosses” at level 10.
Chu Jiu believed that using special skills at this level should have a very high success rate.
Sure enough.
The system popped up a prompt in no time:
[Spirit Beast No. 2 has activated “Creative Breeding”]
[Despite the extremely barren land and the lack of suitable experimental sites, thanks to the spirit beast’s excited state, the spirit beast’s skill proficiency, and the spirit beast’s absolute trust in the host, the success rate of this cultivation exceeds 90%]
[Estimated cultivation time: 24 hours]
Very good.
Chu Jiu clapped his hands in satisfaction and moved to find food and water elsewhere.
*
Coming down from the small hill, Chu Jiu walked towards the beach in the shallows.
He had confirmed again from the top of the hill: there were indeed no trees in this area.
However, Chu Jiu noticed that there were some short tree stumps and some tree trunks lying submerged in the water along the shore.
It seemed that there had once been a row of coconut trees on the beach, but they had all broken off for some reason.
Chu Jiu wanted to look around these broken stumps and logs, hoping to find some scattered coconuts.
Coconuts were the sacred objects of all “desert island survival”!
Sweet coconut water and tender coconut meat were both urgently needed by Chu Jiu now.
Especially coconut water.
The temperature here was very high. If he couldn’t replenish water in time, the spirit beast babies might still be able to hold on for a while, but his own stamina would quickly plummet.
Chu Jiu quickly walked to a tree stump and actually saw it: right in the gap between a stump and a rock, a brown-black fruit the size of a football was stuck!
Chu Jiu was overjoyed and quickly squatted down, reaching out to grab the fruit and pulling hard.
It came out! A coconut was in his hand!
…But why was it so light?
Shouldn’t a coconut be full of sweet juice and feel heavy?
Chu Jiu’s heart sank. He picked up the coconut, shook it, and then turned it over to look:
Good heavens, it was just the shell of a coconut.
The juice and meat inside were long gone.
The system didn’t forget to issue a prompt:
[“Empty Coconut Shell” +1 has been collected]
[Empty Coconut Shell: It was originally a full and delicious coconut. But a recent storm broke the coconut trees and blew down the coconuts. Most of the coconuts floated away with the seawater, and this one happened to be stuck by the rocks. Unfortunately, its hard shell has been cut open by the sharp edges of the rocks. Its coconut juice flowed into the seawater, and its coconut meat was corroded by the seawater. In short, the full coconut turned into a shriveled coconut shell. Although it can’t be eaten, this coconut shell might still have other uses?]
Other uses?
It could indeed be used as a bowl or a pot.
But what to put in the pot? Put the tumbleweed shoots in and boil them with seawater?
Compared to pots and pans, what he needed most now was water.
Chu Jiu walked around the beach and didn’t find any more intact coconuts.
However, with the help of Little Can, he dragged several coconut tree trunks onto the beach.
He looked at these trunks, squatted on the ground, and recalled a video he had once watched that introduced how the indigenous people of a sea island fully utilized coconut trees.
Under the passive skill [Clear Mind], Chu Jiu completely recalled the details of the video.
There was a segment where a person wearing flip-flops and a straw hat was saying:
“We usually can’t bear to cut down coconut trees, but if we encounter the need to reclaim land, then there’s no choice but to use an excavator to cut down the coconut trees.”
“This coconut tree, every part of it is a treasure.”
“Look, from this part of the trunk near the top, you cut it open—see? This tenderest part, this is the coconut tree core.”
“This is edible, the taste has that coconut milk fragrance, it’s crisp and sweet, both delicious and thirst-quenching! The taste is no worse than coconut meat at all!”
“The best coconut chicken is made by stewing coconut water, coconut meat, and this tree core together. The soup that comes out is incredibly fresh and sweet!”
“What? You ask why this thing isn’t sold?”
“Sigh, I just said, we usually don’t cut down trees, we keep them to grow coconuts.”
“And look, such a long tree, only this top part has this edible tree core.”
“The other parts, the tree core is too old, there’s no moisture, you can’t eat it.”
“A tree only has this little bit of tree core. How could you possibly buy it in those shops that fleece foreign tourists?”
Chu Jiu stopped reminiscing.
In short, even without coconuts, the coconut tree core could be used!
He looked at the tree trunks in front of him: they were okay, not starting to rot, and the top even had some remaining green leaves.
Then let’s see if there were any edible tree cores in these trees!
Chu Jiu made his scarf into a headband and tied it on his forehead, then rolled up his sleeves, took out the machete from his backpack, and neatly split open the bark of the first tree, cutting into the trunk—
Uh, it was all hard and coarse, already aged into inedible fibers.
Chu Jiu wasn’t discouraged and didn’t discard the cut-open trunks. Instead, he piled them to the side to dry in the sun.
He switched to another tree and continued chopping.
It was still coarse and hard fiber.
It wasn’t until he cut open the fourth tree that he finally saw that little bit of tender white, slightly moist tree core inside the trunk!
[Coconut Tree Core +5 has been collected]
[Coconut Tree Core: Who says that only the coconut fruit on a coconut tree is edible? The coconut tree core is fragrant and sweet, a rare delicacy!]
Chu Jiu wiped away some sweat and cut off a small piece of the tree core to put in his mouth:
The texture was crisp, with plenty of moisture, a bit like the tenderest bamboo shoots, but even juicier and with a sweetness that bamboo shoots didn’t have. It’s really delicious…
Chu Jiu, who had been busy under the sun for half a day, sighed from the bottom of his heart.
He cut out a few more small pieces, put them in a coconut shell, and handed it to Little Can: “Help me share these with everyone. One piece per baby.”
The spirit beast babies had all been under the sun for half a day. Even if their background stamina hadn’t started to drop yet, they must all be thirsty.
Little Can ran off carrying the coconut shell.
In a little while, Little Can returned.
There was still one piece of coconut tree core left in the coconut shell.
Chu Jiu: “Huh? Why is there still one piece left?”
Little Can: “Meow.” — “I don’t like the taste of coconut.”
Chu Jiu: …
You clearly enjoyed the coconut cream cake before.
Never mind.
Chu Jiu knew that Little Can wanted to save the food for him. He didn’t expose the little guy’s thoughtfulness, picked up the tree core and put it in his mouth, watching his background stamina increase by two points.
*
Indeed, as the video said, there was only a little bit of core in a coconut tree.
Relying on this little bit of core to replenish water was obviously unrealistic.
He still needed to find water.
Chu Jiu squatted next to a tree stump, dug out some coarse-grained sand, layered the sand with the cotton from his backpack and the small pebbles he had picked up on the beach, then wrapped them in gauze to create a [not-very-reliable seawater filter].
He filled his scarf with seawater, wrung it out over the filter, letting the seawater slowly drip onto the filter…
A bit of clear-looking water collected in the coconut shell.
However, the system didn’t pop up a [Fresh Water Collected] prompt.
Chu Jiu frowned, dipped a finger into the filtered water, and put it in his mouth:
Ugh!
It was bitter and salty.
It seemed that this [not-very-reliable seawater filter] could at most filter out some sediment and make the seawater clearer, but it couldn’t turn undrinkable saltwater into freshwater.
Ah, where on earth was the freshwater going to come from?
Chu Jiu scratched his head in some distress.
He knew that in extreme cases, he and Kakaba could rely on “chewing tumbleweed shoots,” and Little Can and Rawr Rawr Rabbit could rely on “eating fresh raw fish” to replenish a small amount of water from their food, enough to last seven days.
But what about Glup-Glup? Glup-Glup couldn’t “eat” anything and could only survive by “drinking water” and “drinking juice.”
Chu Jiu poured out the wastewater in the coconut shell and recalled the system’s description of the coconut shell just now:
[A recent storm broke the coconut trees…]
A recent storm…
If he had arrived two days earlier, could he have caught the rain?
If he had caught the rain, he would have collected at least 99 portions of [Fresh Water] and wouldn’t be as miserable as he was now.
Now, the accumulated rainwater on the hill had long since dried up, and the rainwater in these rock crevices had also seeped into the seawater—
Eh?
Wait a minute!
How could he have forgotten this!
Chu Jiu looked back at the rocky hill in the center of the island, then down at the sandy beach at his feet, a smile appearing on his face.
He patted Little Can and said, “Little guy, do you want to go for a swim?”
Little Can: “Meow? Meow meow.” — “Swim? No.”
Although the seawater looked comfortably warm, and soaking in it would definitely be much more comfortable than standing here in the sun, how could it leave Chu Jiu alone here and go play by itself?!
Chu Jiu had just been worried!
It had come to help Chu Jiu complete the task together! It needed to find food and fresh water with Chu Jiu!
Chu Jiu completely saw what Little Can was thinking.
He stroked Little Can’s furry ears: “I’m not asking you to go play in the water.”
“I’m giving you a task, a very important task—”
Little Can’s ears perked up instantly, and its tail stood up like a flagpole.
Chu Jiu: “Swim around the island and see if you can sense any water currents that are significantly colder than the surrounding seawater, or any water flowing out from the rock crevices.”
Little Can: “…Meow?”
Chu Jiu: “It rained heavily here not long ago. Although the rainwater on the surface has evaporated, the rocks and sand here must still retain a lot of rainwater.”
“There will always be some rainwater flowing out from the crevices in the rocks—as long as we find this ‘crevice,’ we can collect fresh water!”
Little Can: “Meow!”
The little guy quickly leaped into the azure blue sea, its small figure like a pure black little fish, swimming agilely in the water.
Chu Jiu let out a sigh of relief, thinking that it was a good thing Lu Qingyan insisted on Little Can coming with him, and Little Can had summoned other spirit beast babies.
Otherwise… in such harsh circumstances, he would probably have a hard time completing this first task.
*
Half an hour later, Little Can returned.
It jumped onto the shore, shook off the water droplets on its body, and meowed eagerly:
“There is! There really is such a rock crevice!”
“But it’s not on the shallow beach side, it’s under the cliff on the other side!”
“There, about ten meters deep, there’s a crack, and cool water is constantly flowing out of it!”
“I tasted it, it’s fresh water!”
Chu Jiu was first overjoyed, then his heart tightened: ten meters deep.
He knew that because the density of the human body is close to the density of water, although non-swimmers find it difficult to float on the surface, consciously sinking to the seabed, especially to a depth of ten meters, is actually more difficult than “floating on the surface.”
To dive ten meters underwater without scuba gear requires “freediving” skills.
But he could at most be considered “not afraid of water,” had never learned freediving, and had no way to control his body to sink.
Then… what to do?
Chu Jiu looked at the rocks on the beach.
Why not fill his pockets with stones and use the weight of the stones to carry himself down?
When he reached the crevice, he would find a way to grab onto a rock face or something to stabilize his body and start collecting.
Using the infinite backpack to collect 99 portions of fresh water would take less than half a minute.
After that, he could just throw away the stones, kick his legs, and float back up!
Okay, this method should work! Time to collect stones!
He had just excitedly picked up a piece of reef when he heard a deep “wulu” sound behind him, different from Little Can’s meows:
“You want to jump into the sea with stones?”
“That’s too dangerous.”
“I’ll take you down.”
