Everyone Has Their Use

Since he had figured out the truth of the matter, there was no reason not to take advantage of it. Didn't someone say, "Heaven has created my talent for a purpose"? Right? If Luo Chong didn't use it, would he still be the little Luo Chong he was? Don't forget, he could only pick up his own equipment. He felt sorry for himself for two seconds.

And these were pure, top-quality arrow shafts! Luo Chong didn't mind learning from Zhuge Liang and using this tree to "borrow arrows with straw boats."

He decided to act immediately. The materials were already there. He would use his Back Basket as a target, tie a long rope to it, and throw it under the tree canopy. Swish, swish, swish, over ten sharp spikes would embed themselves. Tsk tsk, this density was terrifying.

He'd pull the basket back, remove the spikes, and throw it again. Another ten-plus spikes. But looking at the dense, hair-like shadows on the tree canopy, this was just a drop in the bucket.

He collected two bundles this way, tied them directly with rope, and carried them back on his Long Spear.

When he left, the women were still waiting for him. Luo Chong instructed them that the tree roots were edible, but they were only allowed to collect from the outer edges. Going under the tree canopy was a death trap unless you had a pot lid on your head. In short, they were not allowed to go under the tree.

When he reached the outer edge of the basin, Luo Chong collected another hundred Man-eating Tree saplings that were already 3 centimeters thick. These had grown from spikes carried out by animals. They wouldn't shed spikes yet, but they grew perfectly straight and were the best material for making long spears.

This would also curb the growth of the Man-eating Tree. If it continued to proliferate so recklessly, this mountain would be unusable in the future.

He called four of his younger brothers who were collecting chili peppers, and the five of them carried the small saplings home together.

Luo Chong hummed a little tune all the way, looking very happy. The four younger brothers had no idea what these wooden sticks were for, but anything the Chieftain told them to do was definitely correct.

Back at the tribe, the children were again gathered around the new things the Chieftain had brought back. But in the eyes of the pregnant women, the things they brought back were useless. The chili peppers couldn't be eaten, and the sticks couldn't be used as weapons because they weren't thick enough and wouldn't kill prey if hit.

But this didn't affect Luo Chong's happy mood in the slightest.

Luo Chong didn't plan to wander around anymore for the rest of the time. He wanted to properly upgrade his equipment. It was clear that there were no large herbivores nearby that he was looking for. He couldn't defeat leopards or tigers, and besides, those weren't plentiful enough to provide clothing for the entire tribe anyway.

He had to go further afield to find them.

He sent his younger brothers to dry the chili peppers, and Luo Chong began to process the spikes.

The surface of the spikes actually had a layer of bark. By pulling down from the tail end like a petal, he could tear off a flexible strip of bark. This stuff was also good for twisting into rope.

The peeled spike shafts were white, with a fine, hard texture and were very smooth. They were only about eight or nine millimeters in diameter, roughly the thickness of a cigarette. They were very dense. If made into arrows, they would be heavy arrows. While this would affect range, it would provide strong penetration.

The bored little Qu Bing was also helping Luo Chong strip the bark, but he was doing it very slowly. One spike was even longer than he was tall. This child was just there to play, tearing off bark while tilting his head to look at Luo Chong.

Luo Chong's stick fighting practice in the morning looked very cool. Although he didn't know what it was, he really wanted to learn. But he was too small, and the stick was much taller than him.

The 3-centimeter-thick saplings, after removing the ends and stripping the bark, were also white. After the surface moisture dried, they felt excellent in his hand. It was a pity there were no metal spearheads, otherwise these would be the sharpest weapons.

Because the Man-eating Tree wood was hard and dense, Luo Chong didn't plan to install separate spearheads. He would simply use fire to burn one end. After the outside carbonized, he would grind it into a sharp point. Although it wouldn't be very sturdy, it would be more than enough for hunting. As long as he wasn't foolish enough to poke rocks, it could be used for a long time.

Grinding the spearheads was a task assigned to the four younger brothers. It was simple, and they could all do it. And Luo Chong was the first to be equipped with this new type of Long Spear, or rather, standard Long Spear. Everyone in the tribe would have to learn to use it in the future.

Now, all that was missing was a bow. The bow and arrow, ranked first among the eighteen kinds of weapons, was one of the earliest weapons equipped by humans. And the most outstanding bows and arrows in the world were divided into two types.

One was the small and exquisite Mongolian Composite Recurve Bow. This bow was relatively short and suitable for mounted archery. It once struck fear into the hearts of European heavy cavalry.

But this bow was simply too difficult to make. As the name suggests, this short bow was made by bonding together multiple materials such as ox tendons, ox horns, and wood pieces. Making such a bow could take as long as 3 years. And for nomadic peoples on the grasslands, the father would make such a bow for his child before he was even born.

Tsk, never mind that Luo Chong didn't have these materials now, even if he did, he didn't want to spend several years making bows for fun. So he could only choose the other type, the English Longbow.

The English Longbow was an outstanding representative of the simple bow, known for its long range, great power, and simple construction. A simple bow is carved from a single piece of wood. It has no complex structure, but its power is no less than a Mongolian bow. If there were any drawbacks, it would be that it was too cumbersome. Its length of 1.6 to 1.8 meters meant that the Longbow could only be used by infantry.

A skilled bowyer, with a full set of tools, could make a Longbow in just two hours. Compared to a Mongolian bow, this speed was absolutely... uh, well, there was no comparison at all.

Luo Chong didn't have a full set of woodworking tools, so if he could make one within two days, he would be very thankful.

The best wood for a Longbow was fir, which could be found on the mountain. He just needed to find one that wasn't too big. What Luo Chong was really thinking about, however, was the Aloe he had discovered when he hunted the wild boar last time.

Aloe is a plant of the agave genus, and the giant Aloe he saw last time actually had another name, Sisal.

Sisal, yucca, and Aloe all look pretty similar, and the biggest characteristic of Sisal is its size. The widest part of the leaf base is as wide as a palm, and the shortest leaves are over a meter long. The patch Luo Chong found had leaves as long as two meters. From a distance, it looked like a giant pineapple, because that's what pineapple leaves look like.

The epidermis of Sisal leaves is rich in fiber, making it the best material for making ropes, and it is widely used even in modern times. The core of the steel cable commonly used at docks is Sisal rope, and Sisal fiber is also used as composite material in car tires. And due to the acid and alkali resistance of Sisal fiber, it is also the best material for ocean-going and ship ropes, fishing nets, and sacks.

It just wasn't suitable for weaving cloth for clothes, but Luo Chong didn't care about that. Even if Sisal cloth wasn't as good as ramie, it was still much better than animal skins, and it was very strong.

Moreover, although it was called Sisal, it was indeed related to Aloe, just larger. But Sisal had all the characteristics of Aloe. The juice from the leaves could be used to treat wounds, reduce inflammation and detoxify, and clear heat.

The thick leaves could be eaten, stir-fried, or used in soup. It could also be used to brew wine and refine sugar. The whole plant was a treasure, so Luo Chong planned to start planting it on a large scale next year.

Everything has its use. As long as you are willing to discover it, you won't miss all sorts of good things. There is nothing that cannot be used. As the saying goes, "Heaven has created my talent for a purpose." If something is useless, it's just that you haven't found a way to use it yet.

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