Wilderness Survival with Druid System-Chapter 528 - 27: Raising the Main Beam

The fourth day of survival was initiated by Gaston.

This guy, who felt his luck was by the water, had been weaving his net for three consecutive days and finally got his gill net ready.

In the morning, Gaston slowly walked towards the lakeside, carrying his gill net.

He secured the gill net to a pine tree.

Using the buoyancy of the pinewood, he set the gill net in the deep water.

Although people often said Gaston’s luck outweighed his skill, it was because his luck was too remarkable.

Actually, he was skilled too.

Based on his previous experience, Gaston fixed the gill net and pinewood in a very deep area.

At the same time, this area was also the mouth of a small river flowing into the lake.

There should be quite a few fish.

Gaston thought, stretching lazily.

But just as he opened his arms to welcome the sun.

About two hundred meters away from him.

A moose with huge antlers slowly descended into the water from the riverbank.

Upon seeing the moose, Gaston’s eyes were fixed.

"Holy crab! Moose! Meat!"

Gaston’s tone was both light and hurried, filled with anticipation for the moose and the tension of not daring to scare it away.

But when Gaston felt around him, he was dumbfounded.

This time, he hadn’t brought his hunting bow and arrow, and even his defensive weapon was just a found dagger.

Dammit!

Gaston was both anxious and annoyed, wishing he could dart forward and fight the moose to the death.

But unfortunately, he dared not, nor did he have the opportunity.

The moose can be said to be the largest deer species in the world.

The largest individual male can weigh up to a terrifying seven hundred kilograms.

Standing in the street, a moose could appear even larger than a car.

Hunting such a prey requires not only suitable weapons but also courage.

After all, a male moose, when provoked, can attack humans.

When they lower their heads and charge at you with their antlers,

it feels almost like being hit by a car equipped with a battering ram.

Moreover, moose possess extremely acute senses of smell and hearing and are excellent swimmers.

This moose clearly noticed Gaston; it was swimming rapidly in the water, seeming to aim for an island in the lake not far away.

Gaston had absolutely no chance to hunt.

"Sigh! It’s such a pity, if only I had my bow and arrow, that ninety-pound bow could have had a chance to kill this moose!"

Gaston was filled with regret.

...

On the show’s side.

Gaston’s girlfriend, manager, and assistant also felt a pang of regret.

Today, Gaston’s good fortune appeared again.

After all, this was the first moose the contestants had encountered; if he could hunt it, it would mean a perfect start for early survival.

But he didn’t seize it.

However, she suddenly recalled from watching Chen Wen earlier that he always took his weapons with him when going out.

Even if cumbersome, he wouldn’t leave them behind.

At that time, she thought this behavior seemed a bit silly, but now it seemed to be the correct approach.

Because luck comes without warning and slips away in a flash.

Only by always being prepared for impending luck can it be utilized.

She walked around and glanced at the others.

Except for Shijing Heren and Phil, everyone took weapons and hunting gear, even if just fetching water.

For some reason, Gaston’s assistant suddenly felt a sense of loss.

From these small details, contestants have already differentiated into levels.

And quite clearly, Gaston, Shijing Heren, and Phil were ranked lower than others.

...

On Chen Wen’s side.

The morning breeze at Great Slave Lake was cold yet gentle.

Having had a full meal the night before, Chen Wen slept very soundly.

However, he remained alert, getting up with his long spear to check whenever he heard noises in the night.

Thanks to this vigilance,

Last night, Chen Wen managed to scare off two wolf minks attracted by the rabbit broth, and the black bear residing near the camp.

He reheated the remaining broth from last night, devoured the few remaining entrails, and thus breakfast went by hurriedly.

According to yesterday’s plan, the workload this morning was not complicated.

Considered as "Pomodoro Time" with each session lasting an hour.

In the first session, erect the main beam, build the shelter’s framework with wood, and fill the walls with stones.

In the second session, weave a net.

In the third session, continue chopping wood.

In the fourth session, repeat the tasks from the first session.

After the four Pomodoro sessions, it would be noon.

Then he planned to retrieve the furred rabbits hanging on the trees, burn off the fur over the fire, and enjoy roasted rabbit.

Moreover, this time, Chen Wen planned to chip off some solid salt with a hunting knife, dissolve it in water, and brush it onto the roasted rabbit.

To maintain his strength, Chen Wen decided to consume some salt.

The plan was clear.

After doing some exercises, getting the blood flowing, he began to work.

The first task was to erect the main beam.

The main beam is crucial to the construction of the house.

To ensure the main beam was firm, Chen Wen had pre-made some wooden wedges to secure it.

At the same time, he had already dug a deep pit in the ground to insert the main beam into.

This securing method is a fusion of primitive and feudal societal construction techniques.

In the deep pit, apart from using wooden wedges, Chen Wen had prepared crushed stone, sand, and soil.

If he had access to clay, Chen Wen would have used it for securing as well.

In short, everything was ready.

Chen Wen lifted the thick birch log.

With the support of [Giant Strength], Chen Wen easily placed the birch log into the deep pit.

Next, he surrounded it with a mixture of prepared crushed stone, sand, and soil.

He let go and shook the birch log vigorously.

Although it wobbled slightly, overall, it was fairly stable.

Inserting a wooden wedge on the slightly loose side, he reinforced it once more.

"Steady as a mountain!"

Chen Wen kicked the main beam; it didn’t move at all, very stable!

The main beam of the shelter was securely in place; next was to construct the framework.

The design of Chen Wen’s framework was somewhat different from the traditional semi-pit dwelling.

Using pine boards sawn in half, with the sawn side facing inward, he lined them along the shelter’s rounded edge, mimicking the main beam’s installation.

These served as supporting columns.

Chen Wen calculated that six or seven of these supporting columns would be needed.

Finally, under his constant calculations, seven half pine logs were placed at the shelter’s edge.

"Next, it’s time to place the stones."

This step was somewhat troublesome.

Placing stones directly, the risk of wind leakage was minor, but a collapsed house was major.

Thus, the previously excavated soil would be used.

Mixing water into the soil to form mud, then mixing in sand, crushed stones, and some dry herbaceous plants.

This was Chen Wen’s tool for stabilizing the stones and preventing wind leakage.

However, Chen Wen hadn’t yet started mixing these materials; he planned to first lay a layer of stones on the ground.

The stones he had previously mined had been roughly processed by Chen Wen.

Made them flat and not overly large.

So when needed, these stones were ready for use.

When he had laid a layer of stones, he checked their stability.

"Pretty good, it seems stable at the moment."

Saying this, Chen Wen picked up an axe and knocked on the stones to compact them as much as possible.

Then, he began mixing the aforementioned mud.

Using a waterproof cloth, he fetched some water from the river with a sturdy waterproof cloth.

Returned and mixed it into the soil, stirred it with a shovel while mixing.

Then added crushed stones, sand, and dried grass.

As the shovel kept stirring, the soil gradually turned to a slurry.

Accomplishment!