Wilderness Survival with Druid System-Chapter 522 - 21: Blueberries on the Hillside

Just as the guide said.

At this moment, Roland was already getting irritated.

But thanks to his strong willpower and self-discipline, his efficiency was only about a quarter less.

If it were me, chopping trees all day.

Keeping even half the enthusiasm would be difficult!

After Lin Jiawei returned, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "Impressive, this is the first time I’ve heard of such a method. I used to think that time management was just what some celebrities talked about."

His words made everyone around laugh.

At this time, the later guide said, "Time management is a very niche subject. Most people feel it’s useless, so not many pay attention to it. But in fact, if you can learn some time management skills, your work efficiency can be greatly improved."

"This is the second time I’ve seen time management in a survival challenge."

Hearing this, Lin Jiawei curiously asked, "Who was the first?"

The guide paused not at all and said directly, "Also from your Hua Country, named Zhao Tianze? Seems quite famous."

Mr. Zhao Vice President!

Lin Jiawei was shocked.

He recalled the events at Ailao Mountain when Chen Wen asked him to find Mr. Zhao’s contact information.

He didn’t think much of it at the time.

But now it seems Chen Wen went to become an apprentice!

Truly...

Lin Jiawei didn’t know what to say.

A master of diligence!

...

After getting enough rest.

Since it wasn’t the afternoon yet, Chen Wen, according to his plan, didn’t set traps.

Instead, he used this extra time to do some simple processing on the birch wood.

The processing wasn’t difficult, mainly sawing off the branches of the birch.

Chen Wen, with a steel saw and axe, worked quickly and accurately.

In less than ten minutes, he had cleared all the birch branches.

After finishing the branch clearing work, Chen Wen looked at the cleared branches and fell into thought.

After a moment, he said, "These branches can also be used. I remember the area where I discovered the animal path had quite a bit of shrubbery, but these shrubs are too thin and not suitable for setting traps. I plan to take some cleared branches over there."

"Placing these branches firmly in the ground, they can be used as triggers or fixtures for the traps."

As Chen Wen spoke, he cleared the birch branches again.

Selecting suitable sticks.

Two main branches were kept by him.

With the completion of the snare trap, he was now going to start weaving nets.

According to his work method, rotating through his tasks based on importance would yield the best efficiency.

Thus, weaving a thorn net could be incorporated into his plan.

If he could weave the thorn net within the first ten days, he could then use it for large-scale fishing.

Once he caught one or two big fish, the energy provided wouldn’t be small.

...

Time moved to the afternoon.

After drinking some hot tea, Chen Wen began his trap-setting activities.

He still carried the three essential items for going out—the long spear, axe, and hunting knife.

These three weapons could be used for self-defense, hunting, and processing game.

If he encountered any animals, he could immediately start hunting, not missing any opportunity.

Chen Wen had previously seen some participants in wilderness survival challenges often go out without weapons.

Of course, at that time, they were holding cameras to film, which was related.

Therefore, after encountering some prey, they would often miss good opportunities because they were unarmed.

This is why Chen Wen always carried weapons when going out.

Equipped with weapons and carrying traps.

He strolled leisurely to the area where he had found the animal path.

Seeing no changes in the surroundings, Chen Wen began looking for suitable spots to set traps.

"Traps are generally set in these two places."

Chen Wen said, arriving at one spot on the animal path.

Pointing to a rock on the path, he said, "Normally, I prefer setting traps at places like this, right in front of obstacles."

"Such places are where small and medium-sized animals like rabbits like to jump. If you can hook one of its feet in front of the obstacle, when it jumps, the rope tightens, and the rabbit basically can’t escape."

As he spoke, Chen Wen half-knelt by the path to set the trap.

He placed the noose about ten centimeters in front of the rock on the path.

The noose was tied to a nearby shrub, secured, and then hidden with fallen leaves and other debris.

Finally, he used a thin stick to set up a simple trigger mechanism.

And just like that, one trap was completed.

The following traps were set similarly.

In areas without surrounding shrubs, Chen Wen used the wood he brought to secure it firmly to the ground.

The other steps were the same.

After setting up seven noose traps, Chen Wen dusted off the soil from his hands and said, "Since I’m out here, I might as well wander around to see if I can find something to eat."

This time, Chen Wen didn’t continue to head southwest, towards the previous abandoned camp.

He turned and headed southeast.

Judging from the distribution of the woods, there seemed to be a slope in the southeast direction.

Chen Wen leisurely arrived at the foot of the slope and looked up.

The shaded side of the slope had nothing much of value, though he could see a lot of moss.

The moss could be used later to seal gaps in the shelter for warmth, but it wasn’t necessary at the moment.

It’s best to collect it when needed.

Walking slowly along the base of the slope, Chen Wen circled to the front of the slope.

As he looked up, his eyes widened.

"Oh, wow! Blueberries!"

Chen Wen exclaimed, unable to resist taking a couple of steps forward.

Blueberries, a deciduous shrub belonging to the Rhododendron family and Vaccinium genus.

What they are most famous for are their blue fruits.

Rich in anthocyanins, carbohydrates, and vitamins.

What a treasure!

Chen Wen looked around the slope, finding a relatively safe route to move up.

Reaching the blueberry bushes, Chen Wen eagerly picked a blueberry.

But to his discomfort, these blueberries had already started to shrivel.

"Looks like the fruiting period is almost over; what a pity, I was hoping to preserve some long-term."

Chen Wen said regretfully.

However, these shriveled blueberries were still good. Picking them and storing them in a ventilated area out of sunlight allows them to slowly dry into raisins, which can be eaten in winter to supplement vitamins and trace elements.

It can also help improve dietary intake.

Eating meat continuously would be tough on the stomach and intestines.

With that in mind, Chen Wen took off his hat.

The participants this time did not have backpacks as part of their gear.

Therefore, when choosing clothes, Chen Wen specifically chose a knit hat that could hold quite a bit.

The other participants made different choices, but they largely chose thick hats for warmth.

Which didn’t hold much.

Moreover, the participant from Japan, Shijing Heren, chose a headscarf, an accessory almost devoid of storage space.

This gave a slight advantage.

As Chen Wen picked, he continued packing, "To be honest, finding blueberries in the wilderness here was beyond my expectations. After all, Canada isn’t the native land for blueberries; they were cultivated here later."

"But maybe a wild blueberry patch attracted birds, which ate the berries and spread the seeds here, so there’s now this patch of blueberries. After all, blueberries are quite easy to cultivate."

"This is how humans and nature collaborate. When humans introduce new plants to a continent, animals become the main force for spreading those plants. Although it can lead to biological invasion, for a survivor like me, encountering such invasive plants is really lucky!"

After filling up his hat with blueberries, Chen Wen’s smile was fully exposed.

He judged the scale of the blueberry area and estimated in his heart, "If I come to check the traps every midday and bring a basket, in about three trips, I can pick all the blueberries from this slope. I must remember this for tomorrow. If I can bring back all the blueberries, storing a dozen pounds of dried fruit should be no problem!"

A dozen pounds of dried fruit would definitely be advantageous later on!

A bumper harvest!