In the early morning, I was awakened by a strange, faint, and persistent chirp-chirp sound.
The sound came from near the cave entrance, and it wasn’t the rustle of wind in the grass.
I immediately went on high alert, my drowsiness vanishing instantly.
My ice-blue eyes snapped open in the dim light, my body tensing silently, and my dragon tail twitched slightly as I sensed my surroundings.
Gently sitting up, I grabbed the Mountain-Cleaving Yue from beside my pillow (it had now joined the stone knife and iron hoe to form my “bedside trio”).
Barefoot, I moved silently to the inner side of the cave entrance, peering out into the faint dawn light.
I quickly identified the source of the sound—a few small birds.
At that moment, a few birds were hopping on the platform at the cave entrance.
Seeing movement, they flapped their wings and flew away.
How annoying.
“Since I’m already awake, I might as well check the fish catch.”
I set down the Mountain-Cleaving Yue, quickly tidied my robes and long hair, grabbed the stone knife and bamboo canteen, and walked down the stone steps with a light step.
Arriving at the riverbank, the cage-like object woven from branches and vines, with its small opening and large belly, was swaying slightly in the shallow water.
Clearly, there were living creatures struggling inside.
The figures of several Silverskin Fish faintly shimmered in the dawn light, which resembled the embers of a campfire.
My approach seemed to startle the fish, making the fish trap sway more noticeably.
I carefully untied the vine bound to the tree root and lifted the heavy fish trap entirely onto the shore.
It felt quite heavy in my hand!
I placed the fish basket on its side on the dry riverbank and peered inside through the narrow entrance (which I’d intentionally designed as a one-way barbed structure).
Goodness!
There were at least four or five Silverskin Fish of various sizes squeezed inside, along with several transparent freshwater shrimp jumping around!
Perhaps because they had been trapped overnight, the fish were not as lively as when first caught, but this harvest far exceeded the efficiency of my hand-catching from yesterday!
“Great!
I can have an extra-big breakfast!” I couldn’t help but smile.
I didn’t greedily take all the fish out.
Instead, I carefully poured out two medium-sized fish and a few shrimp.
I released the rest—including two obviously small fish fry—back into the river; the principle of sustainable development applies everywhere.
After securing the fish basket again, I prepared today’s “catch.” My technique had become more proficient, as I scraped the scales, gutted the fish, and cleaned them all in one fluid motion.
The shrimp were simply rinsed, their veins removed, and set aside to be roasted together later.
I lit a fire and started roasting.
The morning breeze was slightly cool, but the campfire quickly brought warmth.
The aroma of grilled fish, mixed with the sweet, fresh scent unique to shrimp, spread through the air, whetting my appetite.
I slowly savored this breakfast, which was more abundant than the previous days’, while thinking about my plans for today.
My first priority was to process that piece of Sapphire Tough Bamboo.
I had found clay yesterday, but pottery needs time to dry in the shade, and a distant spring cannot quench a nearby thirst.
Bamboo, however, was a readily available, high-quality material.
The sun was shining brightly today, making it perfect weather for work.
Using the Mountain-Cleaving Yue and the Stone Knife together, I first stripped all the small branches off the bamboo, leaving a smooth, straight main stem.
Then, I began to plan what to make with it.
“The most urgent need…
should be a multi-tiered storage shelf.” Looking at the tools, gathered fruits, and the row of mud molds waiting to dry in the shade scattered around the cave, I felt it was essential to improve the storage conditions.
Moreover, with a shelf, future harvests of grains and medicinal herbs could be stored more effectively.
I recalled the structure of a simple wooden shelf.
It would need several long poles as uprights, several shorter poles as crossbeams, and some connecting parts to secure them.
Using the Mountain-Cleaving Yue and the Stone Knife, I carefully cut the nearly three-meter-long bamboo pole into three sections: two about 1.2 meters long to serve as the front legs of the shelf, and two about 1 meter long to serve as the back legs (considering the uneven cave floor, shorter back legs would keep the shelf slightly tilted backward for better stability).
The remaining part was cut into several short sections about 40 centimeters long to serve as the crossbeams.
Cutting the bamboo was more difficult than chopping it down, as the cross-section had to be kept flat.
I had to concentrate more intensely on the Mountain-Cleaving Yue’s “guided” property, sensing the bamboo fibers’ direction and making the cut slightly below the selected node.
I slowly cut and adjusted until I obtained relatively usable material.
Even so, the cross-section remained somewhat rough, requiring meticulous trimming and polishing with the Stone Knife.
Next was the drilling and connection.
I had no mortise-and-tenon tools, so I had to use the most primitive method: on the long bamboo sections acting as uprights, I used the Bone Awl from my Tool Set together with the Stone Knife to slowly drill holes of the right size at the intended height.
This was a delicate task that severely tested my patience.
The force had to be even, and the direction straight, otherwise the bamboo would easily split.
I had to summon all my focus, my fingertips almost “feeling” the bamboo’s internal structure as I guided the Bone Awl forward.
Even so, I failed several times and wasted two short sections of material.
After successfully drilling the holes, I tapered the two ends of the short bamboo sections serving as crossbeams and tried to insert them into the holes.
The first attempt was too tight, and I almost split the uprights.
The second was too loose, and it wouldn’t stay put at all.
I had to repeatedly trim the tenons of the crossbeams until the fit was just right.
When the first crossbeam was securely inserted into the holes of the two front legs, forming a sturdy “H-shaped” frame, I let out a long sigh of relief, my forehead already covered in a fine mist of sweat.
Yet the sense of accomplishment was immense.
With experience gained, the subsequent work went much smoother.
I installed a total of three layers of crossbeams, and the back legs were crafted in the same manner.
Finally, I used rope twisted from the tough fibers of fresh bark to create “cross” bindings at the key joints, ensuring the rack wouldn’t fall apart.
By the time this simple three-tiered bamboo rack, about one meter tall, half a meter wide, and thirty centimeters deep, finally stood on the relatively dry and flat ground inside the cave, the sun was already high in the sky.
The bamboo rack displayed a natural, celadon-jade hue.
Though its workmanship was crude and the rope bindings were still visible at the joints, its structure was stable, the shelves were level, and it emitted the fresh scent of bamboo.
I couldn’t wait to sort and place my tools, the burlap pouches containing seeds and fruits, the Stone Knife, the Bone Awl, and other miscellaneous items onto it; the interior of the cave instantly looked much tidier and more organized.
The row of mud blanks was also moved to the well-ventilated bottom shelf.
Looking at this first piece of “furniture” I had crafted with my own hands, though simple, it instantly made this temporary shelter feel much more like “home.” The satisfaction of creating something by hand to improve my life was even more fulfilling than eating a delicious roasted fish.
“Not bad, at least there’s a place to put my things now.” I patted the bamboo chips off my hands, a smile glinting in my ice-blue eyes.
After resting for a moment and drinking some water, I planned to continue working with the bamboo in the afternoon, attempting to make some smaller utensils, like bamboo bowls, bamboo spoons, and maybe even…
The thought intrigued me.
A long-range weapon would not only improve my hunting efficiency but also serve as an important means of self-defense.
Although my current physical condition seemed strong, an extra layer of security is always good.
However, crafting a bow was a complex skill, requiring the right materials (the elasticity of the bamboo?), a bowstring (what to use?
Ironwire Vine?
Animal sinew?), and arrows…
I would need to plan this out carefully.
Perhaps this afternoon I could first gather some Ironwire Vine and, while I’m at it, use the Ecology Guide to explore the area for materials suitable for a bowstring.
Also, I should dig up some of the Earth-Bell Tubers I discovered yesterday to try them out and figure out how to plant them.
Just then, the System’s notification sound chimed without warning, but it wasn’t a quest alert:
[ Detected that the Host has successfully crafted and put into use a piece of primitive furniture with a clear function (Bamboo Storage Shelf).
The ‘Civilization Construction’ module has been slightly activated.
]
[ New Function Unlocked: Simple Blueprint Library (Beginner).
]
[ Description: The Host can use their mind to record the structure, key steps, and precautions of items that have been successfully crafted and verified as usable in the form of ‘Simple Blueprints’ within the System.
Blueprints can be retrieved at any time and, when material conditions are met, provide basic crafting guidance (non-automated).
Current Blueprint Library Capacity: 3.
]
[ A blueprint for the ‘Simple Three-Tier Bamboo Shelf’ has been automatically generated.
Would you like to view it?
]
“Blueprint Library?” I froze for a moment, then felt a surge of pleasant surprise.
This function is too practical!
It’s like having a portable technical memo and instruction manual!
In the future, I won’t have to figure things out from scratch when making the same items.
I can even record the structures of pottery, tools, or even houses that I might build!
“View ‘Simple Three-Tier Bamboo Shelf’ blueprint.” I agreed immediately.
A concise set of illustrated instructions materialized in my mind, detailing material specifications (Sapphire Tough Bamboo, diameter and length requirements), cutting positions, hole spacing and size, and binding key points.
It even included some improvement suggestions I hadn’t noticed during crafting (such as drilling holes at the bamboo nodes for greater stability, and making the crossbeam tenons slightly trapezoidal to prevent them from slipping out).
“This is amazing!” I felt like I’d found a treasure.
This System, though a bit “hands-off” in the early stages, seemed to be gradually unlocking functions that aligned more closely with the theme of “construction” as I took action.
So, besides gathering and exploring this afternoon, maybe I could also try…
recording the blueprint for the fish trap?
Though crude, it was a successful trap after all.
With new motivation and a clear goal, I picked up my tools and stepped out of the cave once more.
The sun shone brightly, and everything in the valley was full of untapped potential.
Survival was gradually edging closer to “living.”