King of the Wilderness

At this time, the sky was already bright, and the morning mist gradually dissipated under the warm sunlight, revealing the valley’s verdant and vibrant true appearance.

He first took the half piece of roasted banana core left over from last night and buried it back into the warm ashes of the fire for reheating. During the wait for breakfast, he didn’t remain idle; instead, he began the most crucial preparations for today’s journey.

He glanced at the belongings scattered around the campsite—the slowly smoldering wood hoof fungus fire starter jar, the newly made Stone Spear, the action camera and batteries, and the cumbersome Ronin 4D movie camera... His brow furrowed slightly.

"Alright, folks, before we start the long-distance journey, we must solve a core issue—logistics."

"I can’t carry everything in my arms like a primitive man. In the complex terrain ahead that requires both hands and feet, my hands are my third and fourth legs; I need them for balance, clearing obstacles, and dealing with sudden situations."

"Therefore, I need a backpack. But we’re not going to make that kind of simple frame backpack," his gaze turned to the trees with flexible branches by the stream not far from the campsite, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Ailao Mountain has already prepared high-grade materials for us." He quickly walked to the stream and aimed his camera at those trees.

"Willow trees," he caressed a newly sprouted, elastic branch, "in primitive cultures worldwide, willow trees are one of the most important weaving materials."

"Their branches are tough and flexible, and very easy to process. I plan to use them to make a willow branch backpack for myself."

Lin Yu’an started selectively cutting those evenly thick new willow branches with a Stone Knife. He did not damage the entire tree, only harvesting the parts he needed like a gardener pruning leaves.

Soon, a large bundle of green willow branches was collected back at the campsite, "Fresh willow branches are not flexible enough; I need to let them relax."

He soaked all the willow branches in the cold creek water, pressing them down with several large stones to let them fully absorb moisture.

While waiting for the willow branches to soften, his breakfast was also ready. He sat by the fire, nibbling on the sweet and soft banana core, replenishing his energy for the vast project ahead.

Half an hour later, he retrieved the willow branches from the water. Now they had become like soft whips, bendable at will without breaking.

The weaving work could officially begin.

Lin Yu’an set up the Ronin 4D movie camera at an overhead angle and sat cross-legged on the ground, like a craftsman inheriting centuries-old skills.

"The soul of a backpack lies in its base."

He selected the eight thickest willow branches and crossed them in pairs at the center point, tightly binding them with thin vines to form a sturdy asterisk-shaped base.

Then he proceeded to the most critical step—establishing the base.

Taking sixteen branches designated as warp threads, he slowly bent them upward from the base, forming an upward-extending framework.

"Now, the frame can begin to fill with flesh and blood."

He picked up thinner willow branches as the weft threads, weaving them tightly up and down between the sixteen pillars.

"Rustle... rustle..."

The sound of willow branches rubbing resounded rhythmically through the silent valley.

A tightly structured, gracefully curved circular body grew upward in his hands, circle by circle. Sunlight filtered through the willow branch gaps, casting dappled shadows on his focused face.

An hour later, the main body of a huge yet elegantly streamlined willow branch backpack was finally completed.

The final step was the carrying system; he fashioned two broad and comfortable shoulder straps using two strips of mulberry bark, running them through reserved holes in the upper part of the backpack.

A willow branch backpack, primitive yet far more comfortable and practical than a simple frame backpack, was officially completed.

He securely placed the heavy flint knife, food wrapped in leaves, and the slowly radiating heat of the fire starter jar into the backpack.

Then he slotted the just-completed Stone Spear into the weaving gaps on the outside of the backpack.

He put the heavy mobile base on his back, jumped a few times in place, and the entire backpack remained as stable as Mount Tai, with no odd sounds.

"Alright," he turned to the camera, showcasing his ingenious masterpiece with a smile full of accomplishment on his face, "now, I am a true jungle wanderer."

Everything was ready. He walked over to the fire, crouched down, and began an important resource recovery operation.

After a night’s burning, the fire’s center still held scorching embers, but the ash around the perimeter had completely cooled in the chilly morning air.

"Before we leave, we must pack up last night’s inheritance," he said to the camera, pointing to the pile of fine, gray-white cold ash, "this is not trash; it’s our best multifunctional product in the jungle."

As he explained, he used a large piece of tree bark as a shovel, only collecting the fully cooled and dry Ashes of Grass and Wood, packing it into a simple banana leaf pouch.

"Dry, fine, and strongly alkaline, it forms an insurmountable death wall for most creatures crawling on their abdomens or feet, like ants, leeches, or even centipedes."

"It proved its effectiveness as a defensive line last night; my camp wasn’t invaded by venomous insects. Tonight, when I set up a new camp, sprinkling it around the shelter will allow for a much safer sleep."

"Finally, and most critically," his tone became solemn again, "it is the oldest hemostatic and disinfectant agent. Fine and dry Ashes of Grass and Wood can be applied to small wounds, rapidly absorbing blood and aiding coagulation."

"Its alkaline environment can also inhibit bacterial growth to some extent, preventing infection. In the absence of medical supplies, it could be life-saving."

He placed the leaf pouch filled with Ashes of Grass and Wood on top of the willow branch backpack for easy access.

After completing all of this, he doused the remaining embers and hot coals in the fire’s center with creek water until not a trace of warmth was felt by touch, and the last wisp of smoke vanished.

"Take care of your fire, don’t leave a hassle for this forest."

He took one last look at the shelter he had stayed in for just one night. Then, burdened with all his belongings, he turned and formally began making his way upstream through the rapid and unknown-challenged valley.

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(It took a while to verify the information, so the update was a bit late.)