"Xu Yi, your timing is really spot on," Lu Ke joked deliberately.
The first time he came back, he ran into me drinking cold water. This time, he returned just as I was about to take out some bird eggs to eat.
"That's called luck," Xu Yi grinned, then placed the tree bark on the ground, and happily said, "Are the eggs done boiling?"
"They should be ready. They've been boiling for almost 10 minutes," Lu Ke checked the time; it was already 12:04.
"Then they must be fully cooked, ready to eat," Xu Yi rubbed his stomach; he was indeed hungry.
Perhaps it was due to the Body Enhancement Agent, Xu Yi felt hungrier and faster than usual.
"Did you just weave a backpack?" Xu Yi noticed the already woven backpack and picked it up to take a look.
This backpack had a lid and was intricately woven, looking like a piece of artwork.
The backpack also had straps, which were woven from tree bark.
Xu Yi stuffed the sleeping bag into the backpack and then put it on, without any discomfort.
"The tree bark is still not soft enough, otherwise, I could make you some clothes," Lu Ke said somewhat regretfully.
"This is already great; this backpack is pretty good. With it, things will be much easier for us," Xu Yi said happily, then took off the backpack and walked over to Lu Ke.
Time to eat some bird eggs to fill the stomach a bit.
"I don't need 4, 3 will be enough for me. You've been doing all the physical work, so you should eat more," Lu Ke refused to split the eggs evenly.
"Four each, no arguing," Xu Yi insisted firmly, then handed the extra bird egg to Lu Ke.
"But I..."
"No buts. I know your appetite well enough; we live in the same room, right?" Xu Yi glanced at Lu Ke, knowing exactly what she was about to say.
As soon as Xu Yi said this, their live chat erupted.
"What does Xu Yi mean by living in the same room?"
"Literal meaning, I knew there was something more to them, making me have a crush on a loli for nothing."
"Maybe they just live in the same house, not that close. If you've been paying attention, you'd notice that there's no physical contact between the loli and Xu Yi, they're not a couple."
"Even if they're not now, they're going to spend 500 days together. It's only a matter of time. You might as well face it!"
"Do you really think they can survive 500 days? I bet not even 5 days. If they do, I'll do a handstand while taking a dump."
"In summary, Xu Yi knows the loli's appetite pretty well."
"Xu Yi seems to take good care of the loli. Those four bird eggs probably only filled him halfway."
Xu Yi didn't know that just his one sentence sparked a lively discussion in the chat.
He quickly peeled the eggs and devoured all four.
Well, he's about halfway full.
After all, four bird eggs are roughly equivalent to two and a half regular eggs, enough to keep the stomach busy for a while.
"Later we'll head to the Umbrella Tree Forest, you can weave over there while I wait for the birds to return. If we're lucky, we'll have roast bird and broth for dinner," Xu Yi shared his plan, then drank some water from the pot where the eggs were boiled.
"Alright, I was thinking the same thing," Lu Ke laughed happily, surprised that she had the same thought as Xu Yi, indicating her mind was still agile.
After finishing the water, Xu Yi took the sleeping bag out of the backpack, placed the pot and plastic bags at the bottom, then stuffed the sleeping bag back in.
The backpack Lu Ke wove was about 15-20 wide, nearly 40 in length, and over 50 in height, fitting Xu Yi perfectly.
Then, he took the extra tree bark, while Lu Ke held a mini crossbow in one hand and the Engineer Shovel in the other.
"Xu Yi, I think we should first weave you a pair of grass shoes, then an Arrow Quiver to hang on your waist, and finally weave the backpack I'm going to use," Lu Ke suggested, as it was not very convenient for Xu Yi to walk barefoot.
"Okay, you're the expert, we'll go with your plan," Xu Yi gave Lu Ke enough respect, supporting her ideas and actions.
He knew that Lu Ke was quite sensitive inside, so this could boost her confidence.
In the wilderness, mental strength is crucial.
If one isn't strong mentally, it's easy to break down.
If one breaks down, they'll naturally think of quitting the challenge, which would force Xu Yi to quit as well.
Such a situation cannot be allowed to happen, Xu Yi thought.
So, necessary mental building is essential.
"Alright, I'll take the lead on this," Lu Ke's eyes sparkled with determination.
Not long after, they arrived at the Umbrella Tree Forest, and Lu Ke finally understood why Xu Yi called it that. It was truly like a bunch of little umbrellas.
Xu Yi used the Engineer Shovel to dig a hole, then placed the umbrella tree with a bird's nest into the hole and set it upright again.
Next, Xu Yi could start waiting for the birds to return to their nests.
During this time, Lu Ke started weaving grass shoes for Xu Yi, while Xu Yi was carving Crossbow Arrows.
The more Crossbow Arrows, the better; plus, the ones hastily carved in the morning weren't very even, so now they could use some refinement.
After half an hour, a pair of grass shoes appeared in Lu Ke's hands.
Because it was more complex, it took more time.
"Here, try them on," Lu Ke handed the shoes to Xu Yi, looking at him with anticipation.
"You wove them so well?" Xu Yi had expected Lu Ke to make sandal-style grass shoes, but these looked just like regular cloth shoes.
Xu Yi put them on and found that they were not only a good fit but also comfortable.
"Very comfortable, they fit perfectly, as good as regular shoes," Xu Yi stomped a few times and didn't feel any discomfort.
"Great! We'll collect more tree bark later and weave a few more pairs for your spare," Lu Ke said happily, making new plans.
"Alright, I'll go saw some more sturdy umbrella trees now," Xu Yi said, thinking it was better to collect some tree bark since no birds had returned to the nests yet.
As for the Crossbow Arrows, Xu Yi had made over twenty new ones, and they were much smoother, probably more effective than the ones carved in the morning.
Xu Yi loaded the mini crossbow with the new arrows and handed it to Lu Ke.
"Shoot any returning birds with the laser sight, and don't panic," Xu Yi instructed simply, then went to a farther distance to gather tree bark.
He also looked for finger-sized umbrella tree saplings, which made for natural Crossbow Arrows.
However, these were quite scarce; he had previously scoured the area and only found five or six, so Xu Yi hadn't initially planned on using them for arrows.