Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Very quickly, according to Fu Rui’s request, Yuan completed the mission.
Then, Fu Rui pressed the piece of wood on top of the drill rod and smiled with satisfaction. “Not bad, this is just nice.”
Yuan squatted beside him and looked at the device she had never seen before. Then, she asked curiously, “Rui, what are you doing?”
“Would you believe me if I told you that I’m starting a fire?”
Yuan shook her head as quickly as a rattle.
Fu Rui chuckled. “Then you’d better watch carefully!”
As he spoke, he placed some sand and sawdust into the hole in the wood. Then, he exerted strength with both hands at the same time. The hand pressing the wood from the top ensured that the drill rod remained upright. Meanwhile, the hand holding onto the curved rod pulled the rod back and forth, causing the drill rod to be constantly turned by the rope.
Drilling wood to start a fire was very strenuous and took a lot of skill. The requirements for the materials were also very harsh.
In the wild, it was difficult to find completely dry tinder or a completely dry rope.
If the newly-made rope was damp, it would easily slip, causing the efficiency of the bow drill to decrease.
Under circumstances when the materials used were not ideal, there were times when a few hours were not enough to produce a spark.
This was a challenge that tested one’s endurance and stamina greatly. Even though Fu Rui had sufficient theoretical knowledge, he did not have actual practical experience.
This also caused him to experience many failures. Even the sky had become much darker.
The sound of thunder had shifted overhead. It could rain at any moment.
Fu Rui continued to silently drill into the fire. After nearly ten minutes, there was a lot more charcoal in the hole below, but there was no smoke.
This meant that there were no sparks. Perhaps the wood was not dry enough, or perhaps Fu Rui’s bow drill was not efficient enough to produce and sustain a sufficient amount of heat.
Fu Rui was already very tired, but when he saw Yuan’s expectant expression, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
There was still a chance now. If it rained later and all the materials were soaked, there would be no possibility of starting a fire.
This time, he smeared some mud on the rope to increase the friction between the drill rod and the rope before increasing his speed.
Soon, faint smoke appeared for the umpteenth time.
Fu Rui gritted his teeth, his veins bulging on his forehead.
He began to use all his strength to turn the drill rod.
As a result, the smoke thickened with his effort.
His hands were so fast that they could leave afterimages behind. His muscles were tense, and he almost lost consciousness. All that was left was a mechanical movement.
Finally, Fu Rui saw a spark appear in the small ditch!
When he saw the dim light, he immediately stopped what he was doing. Then, he carefully raised the wooden block and let the sparks fall into the fire.
Then, he held some tinder in his hand and blew continuously to maintain the flow of air inside the tinder. This allowed the sparks to have sufficient oxygen to continue burning.
Soon, thick smoke came out from the tinder. Immediately after, there was an orange-red flame!
“Fire! It’s really a fire!” Yuan widened her eyes in surprise and looked at Fu Rui with admiration. “Rui, are you a wizard? You can actually create fire!”
However, Fu Rui did not dare to be careless. He quickly placed the hard-earned flame on the ground and placed the tree branches that he had collected earlier on it.
“Please don’t destroy it.”
Fu Rui panted heavily. He had not eaten for a long time, and he no longer had the strength to drill out another spark.
If the fire was extinguished because the tinder was not dry enough, then both he and Yuan would have to starve tonight.
It was unknown if it was because of his prayers, but the flame burned steadily and fiercely. Soon, it ignited a bunch of branches and turned into a raging fire.
Fu Rui heaved a sigh of relief. All that was left was to ensure that the fire wouldn’t go out because of the rain.
“Yuan, go and collect wood now. Hurry!”
After witnessing Fu Rui’s ability to create flames with his bare hands, Yuan had already treated him as a supreme wizard and listened to his every word. She immediately went to the vicinity to gather dry wood.
There was no lack of wood in the forest. Fu Rui also started to move the wood continuously. After that, he and Yuan worked together to carry a thick and sturdy tree trunk over before placing it on a rock at the side as a support.
Then, they placed the long branches on one side and covered them with plants that looked like palm leaves and moss. Then, they covered them with dead leaves.
Yuan was so experienced that she was even more efficient than Fu Rui.
Soon, a simple shelter was rapidly formed under their joint efforts.
At this moment, it was already drizzling and the sky had turned completely dark.
Fu Rui laid out a thermal insulation layer in the shelter and covered it with dead leaves. Finally, he placed the dry grass that he had brought along with him on top of the leaves.
The three layers of protection were enough to prevent his body from being affected by the cold and damp ground.
“We’re finally done.”
Relieved, Fu Rui sat on the dry grass and started roasting the fish.
“It’s so cold… meow~”
Meanwhile, Yuan, who was not wearing much, could already feel the sudden drop in temperature. Even though the fire was right in front of her, she still could not resist the cold.
Thus, she hugged Fu Rui tightly.
Although Fu Rui was wearing modern clothes, he could still clearly feel the touch of Yuan’s impressive figure.
“Yuan, it’s not… good for you to hug me like this.” He didn’t know how to tell this cat-eared girl who lived in the primeval times why it was bad.
“What’s wrong, meow?” Yuan did not let go. Instead, she hugged Fu Rui even tighter. “When we were in the tribe, this is how we keep warm at night, meow.”
Fu Rui felt a little helpless. He could only put aside his distracting thoughts and roast the fish in peace.
Soon, the fragrance of the fish wafted through the air.
Yuan’s little tail immediately perked up. “It’s fish! Meow! It smells so good!”
“It’s almost done. Come, have a taste.” Fu Rui handed a large fish to her.
Yuan was so hungry that she was meowing. The moment she grabbed the fish, her eyes lit up and she started eating.
“It’s delicious! Gulu gulu…” Her throat could even make an extremely comfortable rumbling sound while eating.
Fu Rui also took one fish, bit off the meat from the fish, and chewed lightly.
It was a little dry and fishy, but it still tasted delicious.
Perhaps it was because he was too hungry, but even without any seasoning, he still felt that the taste of the fish was not bad, just that the texture was a little bad.
The fish meat was very filling. After eating most of the fish, Fu Rui felt that he was already 80% full, so the third fish was left to Yuan to destroy.
During this time, Fu Rui also extended his hand to catch the rain outside the shelter and replenish some water.
After eating and drinking to his heart’s content, he didn’t forget to get rid of the food scraps to prevent the smell of grease from attracting dangerous creatures in the forest.
The rain outside did not seem to be getting heavier, but it would not stop anytime soon either.
This was a good thing for Fu Rui as the smell of soil could conceal the fragrance of food. He hoped that he could sleep soundly tonight.
After dinner, Yuan yawned and couldn’t open her eyes.
Thus, she fell on the dry grass first. She curled up with her tail in her arms and slowly closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, after settling the fire, Fu Rui lay down with his back facing Yuan. Everything that had happened today kept replaying in his mind, and he still felt that it was unreal.
Then, a hand and a leg suddenly landed on his body. Yuan had turned over and was hugging Fu Rui tightly.
Sensing the steady breathing of the cat-eared girl behind him, Fu Rui did not think too much and closed his eyes.
Nighttime was the most dangerous time in the forest.
All sorts of strange and hair-raising cries could be heard.
This sound became even more obvious after the rain stopped.
Fu Rui could not sleep well and remained in a half-awake state throughout.
Suddenly, there seemed to be a soft sound nearby.
Fu Rui suddenly opened his eyes and looked in that direction with the help of the weak fire.
A ferocious black figure appeared in front of his eyes!
Oh no!