Logging

Zhen Jin continuously issued orders, and whether it was Huang Zao, Lan Zao, or Bai Ya, Cang Xu, and the others, they all accepted the commands with solemnity.

However, Zhen Jin looked around and still saw the Exploration Team members' flickering gazes.

Zhen Jin said in a low voice, "Now, if anyone has a different idea, bring it up immediately! Temple Knights will never punish anyone who dares to speak frankly."

No one spoke, and a few people opened their mouths as if to speak but stopped.

Zhen Jin's expression slightly darkened.

He knew that he still hadn't established enough leadership prestige.

Cang Xu spoke at the right time, "My lord, your decision is undoubtedly wise. Although the Flying Squirrel Leaders can generate electric shocks that can be fatal, their numbers are very few. Your archery and Flying Dagger have always been spot on!"

"In the past period of time, we have encountered many beast groups. Leaving aside the Sheep Flock, this group of Flying Squirrels is the weakest. If we give up, I'm afraid we won't be so lucky as to encounter a more suitable target than the Flying Squirrel group."

"My suggestion is: we can work hard to devise tactics. The right tactics will make it easier for us to defeat these foolish Flying Squirrels. After all, human brains are much smarter than wild beasts."

"Very good." Zhen Jin nodded, showing approval, "Scholar Cang Xu, your opinion is very pertinent. In fact, we just need to obtain enough food. We can attract the Flying Squirrels in batches, control the scale of the battle, and as long as we hunt enough food, we don't have to fight the Flying Squirrel Leaders head-on."

Zhen Jin's words were actually a bit wishful thinking.

Bestial nature is difficult to fathom, especially since everyone was unfamiliar with these Flying Squirrels and had only been in contact with them for a short time. And on this Sea Island, creatures like the Flying Squirrels have strong artificial traces and are not natural creations. Therefore, their habits and so on are really hard to say.

Both Zhen Jin and Cang Xu knew these principles.

But after this deliberate conversation, everyone was no longer as shaken as before, and some people's eyes became firm again, and their morale rose to a certain extent.

Zhen Jin's prestige had not been established, and Cang Xu's combat power was very weak, but combining the influence of the two, they could still mobilize the enthusiasm of the entire Exploration Team.

Zhen Jin was increasingly satisfied with Cang Xu.

He secretly evaluated in his heart, "Cang Xu knows how to cooperate with me. Perhaps, this aspect is where he is more outstanding than Zi Di."

"Although Zi Di is the president of the merchant association, she is still too young after all, and her main energy and time are devoted to Magic cultivation."

"Although Cang Xu has no power, he has served nobles for half his life and has rich experience. He has always assisted me in controlling this Exploration Team."

After breakfast, everyone quickly took action.

This place was a forest landscape, and looking around, it was all trees.

To make Short Bows, suitable wood was needed.

"We now need two kinds of wood. One kind of wood is used to make the bow limbs of the Short Bow, and for the other kind of wood, we only select the bark to make the bowstring. How to choose, I don't know, we still need to look at Bai Ya and Lord Cang Xu." Huang Zao looked at Cang Xu and Bai Ya.

The old scholar smiled, "Although this Sea Island is full of strange and bizarre mutated beasts, the trees and grass have mutated relatively little. I think these kinds of trees are our targets."

Bai Ya said, "Lord Huang Zao, my father and I also used to cut down trees and make our own hunting bows. I took a rough look, and this kind of tree is the closest to my memory."

Combining Bai Ya's experience, Cang Xu's knowledge, and Huang Zao's practical testing by personally chopping down trees, the three successfully decided on two types of trees.

Then it was Huang Zao's turn to chop down the trees.

He was a Bronze-level warrior after all, and his strength far exceeded that of ordinary people.

The blade from the Blade Spider was extremely sharp. With one cut, the tree slowly tilted and then crashed to the ground.

Bai Ya walked forward, cut into the trunk with the blade, and then skillfully pried open a piece of bark. The bark was blackish-green and very hard on the outside, but when Bai Ya flipped the bark over, he saw the inner layer of the bark.

The inner layer of the tree bark was yellowish-green. Bai Ya touched it, and a slippery feeling came from his fingers.

He nodded slightly and commented, "This inner layer of bark should be able to make excellent hemp rope."

The three of them selected another large tree.

This tree was much thicker than the one they had cut down before.

Huang Zao drew out the sharp blade borrowed from Zhen Jin, ready to start.

Cang Xu stopped him. "Don't use such a sharp weapon. Use an axe. Only extraordinary individuals can unleash the true power of such weapons. Ordinary people should still use axes for felling trees."

Huang Zao readily agreed and chose an axe to chop the trunk.

Using iron swords or blades for felling trees easily dulled the edge. People wouldn't do this unless absolutely necessary.

The Exploration Team had brought a few axes. Originally, they were mainly for convenience in gathering food, such as bananas, coconuts, and so on. Secondly, they were for clearing a path. If a stable food source was found, having a convenient path would be very helpful.

Huang Zao swung his thick arms, chopping more than a dozen times before finally cutting a notch in the trunk.

"If I could use Battle Qi, I'd only need one swing to chop down this damned tree!" Huang Zao grumbled, not very satisfied with his performance.

Bronze-level Battle Qi, although it couldn't be attached to weapons or cover the body surface, could greatly enhance a person's physical attributes temporarily after being activated. Depending on the Battle Qi Formula, the practitioner's improvements in strength, speed, stamina, recovery, and other aspects would also have different focuses.

After chopping a few more times, the notch in the trunk finally widened to a point of qualitative change.

Huang Zao changed direction and pushed the trunk with force, toppling the large tree.

Then, he swung the axe again, chopping off a section of the trunk, taking out the core, and cutting it into planks.

The long planks were examined by Bai Ya and Cang Xu, and they were both very satisfied.

Cang Xu then had Huang Zao deliberately bend one of the planks. The toughness displayed by the plank was quite good.

Joy appeared on the faces of the three of them. Things were progressing very smoothly.

"We should go back and report to Lord Zhen Jin. It's time to bring people to cut down these trees," Cang Xu decided.

Their location was near the Camp, which had already been cleared and was relatively safe.

Soon, the three of them returned to the Camp.

Zhen Jin was in charge of the Camp, overseeing the overall situation.

Upon learning of their results, Zhen Jin thought for a moment and then asked Cang Xu, "How many people do you think are suitable, and how long do you think it will take for us to get enough wood?"

Cang Xu had clearly thought about this on the way back and immediately replied, "Of course, the more people the better, but my lord, there are a few points we need to pay attention to."

"First is the safety of the felling team. Generally, when felling trees in a relatively dangerous wilderness, patrol teams and guard teams are equipped. Although the Exploration Team members are all warriors, their physical strength is limited. Felling trees is very heavy physical labor that will make them exhausted, thus greatly reducing their combat power. If a dangerous situation arises, the felling team members will have difficulty resisting."

"Second is food. I suggest assigning some people to try and gather food in the surrounding area. The harvest will certainly not be much, but our food reserves have reached the warning line. Even a little more food is good."

"Third, these wooden materials can be utilized more. Not only for making Short Bows, but we can also set up more defensive structures. On the way back, I discussed with Bai Ya. He knows many hunter's traps. We can set up more and larger traps. They are impractical against people, but those Flying Squirrels are wild beasts. We have a huge advantage in intelligence."

"Fourth, I think this is the most crucial and difficult point to solve. Our time is actually very tight, but whether it's the hemp rope for making bowstrings or the bow arms of the Short Bows, they need to be dried. Making bowstrings and Short Bows will take at least one day. Drying will take at least two days. This leaves us with very little time for training."

As before, Cang Xu provided Zhen Jin with many sound suggestions.

Zhen Jin nodded. Cang Xu was still as reliable as ever.

Zhen Jin had always believed that Cang Xu was the best candidate for a steward. Coordinating personnel was not a simple task. In this regard, Zi Di lacked sufficient experience. Huang Zao and Lan Zao were skilled in combat. Based on Zhen Jin's understanding, this pair of brothers didn't have much talent in command. All they could do was lead the charge.

Seeing Cang Xu's distress, Zhen Jin smiled calmly and took out a potion.

The next moment, Zhen Jin saw Cang Xu's eyes light up.

Zhen Jin said, "I've already prepared for this."

"There are two kinds of potions here. One is applied to the bow limbs, and the other can quickly dry the bark that has just been peeled off. One night is enough."

"But be aware, these potions only last for one day."

These potions were all temporarily concocted by Zi Di.

Zhen Jin had discussed bows and crossbows with Zi Di before, and these potions were the main result.

Cang Xu was overjoyed. "With these, it will be excellent."

The lack of food made time extremely critical.

The potions seemed insignificant, but they actually solved the biggest problem the Exploration Team faced.

Zhen Jin then appointed Cang Xu to lead the team in felling trees.

He also ordered Bai Ya to collect food, with Huang Zao accompanying him to ensure the safety of Bai Ya and the others. On the other hand, they also needed to continue clearing the area around the camp.

Huang Zao had Bronze-level strength. Even if he couldn't use Battle Qi, his combat power exceeded that of ordinary warriors.

"But this way, everyone is assigned to the logging team and the search team. There's no one to guard the logging team," Cang Xu said worriedly.

The Exploration Team was originally quite large, but by the time Zhen Jin took over, only a dozen or so people remained. After that, they suffered from poisoning, and their combat power, physical strength, and other aspects declined across the board. A task that originally required one person might now require one and a half, or even two. Therefore, manpower was very tight.

"Don't worry, I will personally serve as the guard for the logging team," Zhen Jin said.

Cang Xu immediately felt relieved. The area around Zhen Jin was definitely the safest place!

He had originally thought that Zhen Jin would guard Zi Di. Although her strategic importance had decreased significantly on this Sea Island, Zi Di was still a mage after all.

Cang Xu mused, "So, does that mean you intend to appoint Lan Zao to guard the camp?"

Zhen Jin shook his head. "No, scouting the enemy is very important. Lan Zao still needs to investigate the details of the Flying Squirrel flock. He can act alone. The others lack sufficient strength and would only be a burden if they went."

Cang Xu frowned and reminded him, "Then what about Lady Zi Di's safety..."

Zhen Jin smiled. "I've discussed it with her. She will stay in the camp alone. She is also a pharmacist and has means to protect herself. If she encounters any danger that is difficult to resolve, our logging team is near the camp, and I can immediately reinforce her."

Cang Xu had no further objections. He knew that the Exploration Team was short on manpower, and Zhen Jin's arrangement was already the best possible.