Hearing the foreign woman's words, Chuck was momentarily stunned.
Then, he realized something, and a look of delight appeared on his face.
What substance gets harder the more you burn it?
Aside from a certain part of a man's anatomy, with Julia's prompt, Chuck quickly thought of a classic technique passed down from his ancestors…
Pottery making!
If they could fire a few large-capacity ceramic pots, even if they couldn't build a reservoir or a well immediately, their most basic water storage needs would be met.
And most importantly… ceramic containers are fireproof!
They would no longer need to use bamboo tubes for boiling water!
He abruptly slapped the foreign woman on the shoulder. She cried out in pain, startled, and took half a step back, looking at him confusedly.
"Julia, brilliant!"
"What the fuck?!"
Julia was startled, her mouth agape, completely stunned.
"Oh my god, I've never been praised for being smart in my entire life."
Even though pottery making was something Chuck certainly knew nothing about.
But it didn't matter.
He still had his System!
He immediately scraped off a small amount of the hardened, rock-like mud from the bottom of the spent bamboo tube and placed it directly onto the Workbench.
A line of information immediately appeared on the screen.
[Workbench input: Fired Mud (Scrap)]
[Crafting Hint: To fire pottery, you must first dissolve the mud in water to remove impurities and fine sand. This process, called levigation, will yield the pure clay needed for firing.]
There is a hint!
Chuck felt a surge of joy.
He hadn't realized that placing a failed product could also yield a crafting hint, not just raw materials!
Now that he had a goal, the next step was execution.
The tropical jungle in the early morning was much cooler than yesterday, making it a good time to work.
Their division of labor was the same as yesterday: physical labor like cutting bamboo and digging mud was Chuck's responsibility, while Julia was in charge of collecting wild fruits and transportation.
The wild fruits and bananas nearby had been picked over again and were noticeably less dense than yesterday, suggesting they would soon be depleted.
This made Chuck realize that he had to solve the water problem quickly, as food was also gradually becoming an issue.
After a morning of hard work, the exhausted pair returned to the cave.
They were rewarded handsomely.
This time, Chuck went all out and cut down the entire bamboo clump, gathering a total of twenty container-sized bamboo tubes!
Ten of these tubes were filled with mud—the result of both him and Julia working together to nearly empty the two water pits of their sludge.
Chuck then didn't rest. He made two solo trips back and forth to the sea, filling the remaining ten bamboo tubes with seawater.
In the end, he obtained ten sets of mud and seawater.
It was time to test the result.
Opening the Workbench, Chuck first placed one tube of mud and one tube of seawater into it.
[Workbench input: Mud x 1, Seawater x 1]
[Crafting Hint: One portion of seawater may not be enough to process the mud, and you will also need a stirring tool.]
Of course, it wouldn't be that simple.
But that was fine. The crafting hints were like a master craftsman offering step-by-step guidance; he just needed to adjust as required.
After adding the second tube of seawater and a sturdy tree branch, the 'Craft' button finally lit up.
[Workbench input: Mud x 1, Seawater x 2, Stirring Tool]
[Craftable Item – Mud Slurry Suspension x 1!]
[Estimated Crafting Time: 5 minutes. Start crafting?]
Uh…
What the hell?
He wanted clay. What was this 'Slurry Suspension' nonsense?
Just as Chuck wondered, as if providing an answer, another hint immediately appeared on the screen.
[Crafting Hint: The stirred slurry suspension must be left to settle for at least 8 hours to yield pure, workable clay.]
Chuck suddenly understood.
As meticulous as ever.
He didn't hesitate and immediately pressed 'Craft.'
One hour later.
After briefly eating some wild fruits for energy and boiling a tube of water each, Chuck made two additional trips to replenish the seawater for the crafting process. He finally finished synthesizing all the mud in the Workbench.
Ten bamboo tubes filled with the slurry were neatly stacked next to the inner wall of the cave to settle. The mud inside had turned into a grayish-white turbid liquid.
Chuck tested it with his finger; the consistency was slightly viscous.
According to the crafting hint, he needed to leave this material to settle in the cave for eight hours.
It seemed that the earliest they could get the clay was tonight.
Chuck couldn't help but frown at this thought.
Forget pottery making; just synthesizing the clay was more complicated than he had imagined. Furthermore, the remaining fresh water was only enough for one last drink. If they finished it tonight, they would have absolutely no water left.
He couldn't just sit and wait.
After thinking things over, Chuck turned and looked at Julia.
"I need to go back into the jungle, but you shouldn't come with me this time. Stay here and gather more firewood for the night, and collect some more wild fruits if you can."
Hearing Chuck's words, Julia first nodded obediently, but then, sensing something, a hint of worry appeared in her blue eyes.
"Chuck, are you going to take risks alone? I'm worried about you. Let me come with you?"
Chuck didn't hide his reasoning from Julia. He shook his head directly.
"If there's real danger, two people make too big a target. I can react more quickly if I'm alone. That's it; I'm leaving."
With that, without giving the foreign woman any more room to argue, Chuck grabbed his stone axe, tied two empty bamboo tubes to his waist with a vine, and left the cave.
Watching his retreating figure, Julia first sighed.
But then, the worry in her eyes gradually shifted into a different emotion.
Walking along the beach towards the jungle, the familiar prompt screen appeared before Chuck without warning.
[Julia's Trust Level in you has increased by 4 points. Current Trust Level: 25 (Friendly)]
Huh?
Chuck was momentarily stunned. He was happy, but also quite confused.
He didn't understand what he did to earn it.
Maybe that's just women.
But thinking about it, if things kept going at this rate, the day he could throw those exquisite feet and long white legs over his shoulders and pound her senseless might not be far off, right?
With that thought, Chuck stepped into the jungle in high spirits.
Due to their frequent entries into this area, the short distance leading to the water puddle clearing had already been worn into a small path.
Arriving at the familiar clearing, Chuck quickly figured out his direction. He pushed aside the vines ahead and continued to explore the unknown territory beyond.
He gripped the stone axe tighter.
At this moment, his concentration was higher than ever, and his senses were maximized, staying alert for any potential danger ahead.