Island Survival: Starts by chopping a tree-Chapter 28

Emma finally loosened her grip on his hand, accepting his explanations. As she looked back, she saw Charlotte’s sharp gaze.

Her gaze felt like it could pierce the depth of her soul, making her wonder what this woman was thinking right now.

Emma could also feel another sharp glare, and it was from Layla. Layla was also wondering why she was acting so close to Jeff.

Feeling the atmosphere and remembering her actions, she smiled wryly as she distanced herself and coughed loudly.

"So, young captain, you actually know medicine, huh? When this big sister gets a fever, you better take proper care of me. Got it?" she said with a calm expression, like nothing just happened.

Jeff was taken aback by her sudden move to distance herself from him. "Sure, but... didn’t you say you studied medicine too?" he asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

Her calm demeanor cracked as realization dawned on her. She recalled her earlier claim back in the bamboo forest, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"You studied medicine? How come I didn’t know about this?" Charlotte chimed in, her own expression mirroring Jeff’s confusion.

"I... uh..." She fumbled for words, nervously scratching her head.

"Ahhh, yes, of course! I did! Haha," she stammered, her laughter was awkward and somewhat forced.

Charlotte squinted at her suspiciously, "Are you sure you’re not just bluffing?"

"Me? Bluffing? Never!" she replied, though her wavering tone betrayed her.

Charlotte just narrowed her brows but shifted her attention to Jeff. She knew that this secretary of his was just lying or maybe showing off.

"I’ll be resting for now," he said to the three, dropping the bamboo on his back.

Since he had been standing still long enough to numb his legs, and was weary from the relentless travel, the three of them did not hinder him, knowing that resting was crucial due to his injuries.

Collapsing to the ground, he took deep breaths, gradually steadying them as he settled into a lotus position.

[You just meditated, You have gained 1 experience points]

[1/500 exp. Remains to unlock a skill.]

Jeff, with his eyes closed, was startled once more by the abrupt notification, "Meditating can also grant me a skill? It must be something good if it requires 500 experience points," he mused silently.

Clearing his mind, he began to focus his breathing to gather experience points.

[You just mediated, You have gained 1 experience points]

[You just mediated, You have gained 1 experience points]

[You just mediated, You have gained 1 experience points]

...

He was doing this past 1 hour as the five of them looking at him closing his eyes and sitting in a lotus position.

"Is Captain dying? He’s not moving at all! If he is, then what’s going to happen to us? Aren’t we also going to di-" Jessica, who stood beside her, quickly covered her mouth to prevent any nonsensical words from being spoken.

"Can you talk properly, Ariana? If not, I’m going to spank you on the butt again," she threatened.

This made Ariana sweat. She then lowered her head, clearly afraid of her butt getting spanked.

"Is Captain feeling uncomfortable? If not, why would he sit there for over an hour now?" Layla said with a concerned tone.

"I can’t deny your words. Sitting still for an hour is really suspicious," Charlotte added, holding her chin, as she ponder about it.

"Well, he looks fine to me. Can’t you see his face became livelier from what he was doing? I think this is what those old people do. If I remember correctly, it’s called meditation," Emma said after pondering for a while.

"Meditation, like in the novels?" Ariana asked with sparks in her eyes.

"Absolutely. But it’s not akin to achieving immortality or anything of that sort; such things are not real. Meditation is a practice where one employs a technique to focus attention and awareness, and to separate from reflexive, ’discursive thinking,’ thus attaining a state of mental clarity and emotional tranquility and stability," Emma clarified to them.

Charlotte was surprised by her words. Now she’s acting smart like what she used to be.

Ariana, hearing this, sighed in disappointment. She finally thought that she could become a cultivator and journey to the path of immortality; what wishful thinking she had.

Jeff then took a mouthful of breath as he fluttered his eyes open. The notification of the system was like a delight for him.

[37/500 exp. Remains to unlock a skill.]

After an hour of meditating, he had gotten about 37 exp. This made him happy, of course, but it would still take him weeks to get this skill, perhaps even longer.

Jeff then stood up and stretched. He then looked at the five of them who were watching him. He was in a daze, wondering why they had nothing to do than watch him.

"Are you guys hungry? Let’s grab our afternoon lunch. Then, we can build a shelter. If we delay, it could be problematic, as night time is our only chance to rest," Jeff said to the group, who nodded in agreement.

"You girls just cook the coconut crab first while I prepare the bamboo shoots. Since we still don’t have a cooking pot, we’re just going to grill it," Jeff muttered to the group.

Jeff then took the bamboo shoots and was about to go to the river but was stopped by Layla, who was holding the fabric of his clothes in the back.

Looking back, her face was tinted red, avoiding contact. "Umm, before you go, can you please make a fire first? All of us don’t know how to do it," she said, swaying her hips.

Hearing this and looking at the rest of them who were also embarrassed, made him stunned.

’Is asking to make a fire is something to be embarrassed about?’ he said inwardly.

"Sure," he replied, followed by a nod.

He then went towards the fireplace, and with his quick adaptability by making fire, it had become easy for him.

[You just made a fire. You have gained 5 experience points & 2 points.]

[45/100 exp. Remains to unlock a skill]

"There, you can start and grill those coconut crabs while I’ll be on the river," he said to Layla, as his gaze wandered to the rest.

Hearing this, all of them nodded, and Charlotte took a step and asked if he needed help. He just shook his head in denial.

He then carried the bamboo shoots all the way back to the river, as he began to prepare them. There are steps to be followed for safety.

He carefully chose these three bamboo shoots, since they’re young and tender, since they’re less likely to contain high levels of toxins.

Taking the axe in his hands, he carefully removed the tough outer layer using its blade. He peeled it down to the tender, inner shoots.

These inner parts are usually lighter in color and have a smoother texture. After he was done, he wiped the sweat on his forehead and continued.

He then had to soak it in the river for about 1-2 hours, but he couldn’t wait that long, so he only soaked it for about 30 minutes. Just to be on the safe side, he added another 10 minutes.

This action will help to remove bitterness and any residual toxins. Now that it’s done, it’s time for inspection for any discoloration.

He looks for any discolored parts from its tough parts and removes them. But he found none, since discolored parts may indicate a higher level of toxins.

Jeff then took the prepared bamboo shoots all the way back to the camp. As he arrived, he saw the girls grilling the coconut crab.

They greeted him as he arrived close to the fireplace. He then placed the peeled shoots directly over the fire.

He grilled them thoroughly until they were cooked and slightly charred. Because cooking reduces toxins further.

After a few minutes, the bamboo shoots were done. Now it’s time to monitor the bitterness, which is to taste a small piece to check.

Taking a bite, a mild, slightly sweet, and earthy flavor was tasted by his tongue. The grilling process adds a smoky taste and a bit of char. The texture is a bit tender with a slight crunch, similar to grilled vegetables like asparagus or artichoke hearts.

Jeff nodded his head in relief, since it did not taste bitter, if it is it may have needed more soaking or grilling. Of course, he tasted and checked every bamboo shoot, and it tasted the same.

"Wait for a while. I’m going to go and catch some coconuts to add more flavor to the bamboo shoots," he muttered to the group.

"Also, the bamboo shoots are safe to eat. You can take a bite now if you’re hungry," Jeff bellowed as he stood up.

When he was about to walk away, Layla stood up, "Captain, I want to help you gather some coconuts," she asked.

"Hehe, young sister, don’t forget about me too. I also want to help," Emma said, hugging her in the neck and resting her face on her shoulders.

Layla was dumbfounded by the sudden hug. She even smelled some kind of aroma from her, it was so intoxicating.

"Sure, the more the merrier. Is there anyone wants to join as well?" he asked, looking at the three who were still seated.

"I think the three of you are enough. Will, just wait for you guys here," Jessica said, waving her hands.

"I’m with Jess. Will, just sit here and wait," Ariana added.

"With you three, I think it’s no problem at all. Also, we have to keep an eye on our food. What will happen if some wild animal came and took it away?" Charlotte muttered to the group.

As they saw her extending her slender hands, taking the arms of the coconut crab and eating its meat inside, looking at them seriously. While munching on it.

"I think you’re referring to yourself!" all of them said inwardly, looking at her speechlessly.