Fei Que's Reward

"These stones are good. Let's find some suitable ones to take back."

While digging for stones earlier, he had discovered that many of them met his requirements in terms of shape and hardness.

Since they were already here, Zhou Xu certainly didn't plan to let Dashan and the others return empty-handed.

He picked out the stones that met the requirements, gathering all the ones they could carry. The group successfully returned to the tribe before sunset.

At the same time, Fei Que and his team, who had been catching rats in the Black Forest, also returned.

Counting their spoils, Fei Que and his team had caught a total of twenty-seven rats throughout the day!

Clearly, Fei Que had caught the most among the hunting team. The other members had only caught an average of one to two rats each.

However, this was also related to their traps being too concentrated in one area.

Once they had explored the Black Forest more thoroughly, they could spread out their traps across a wider area, which would increase their efficiency.

"The way we handle these rats is similar to how we handle insects. Pinch off the head, dig out the innards. The only difference is that we need to skin them too."

When it came to skinning, Zhou Xu wasn't quite sure how to demonstrate it.

Fortunately, Fei Que and the others were old hands at this. Their movements were all practiced and skilled. Even with limited tools and conditions, they managed to peel off the rat skins relatively intact.

It made sense, though, when you looked at the animal skin tents and the animal skin clothing they wore.

In this era, animal hides were a very important resource for them. Therefore, the skill of skinning and processing them had naturally become one of their essential life skills.

While Fei Que and his team were busy processing the rats, Zhou Xu called Butterfly and the others over. They found some suitable wooden sticks, tied animal skins to them, and built a small animal skin shelter.

The purpose of this shelter wasn't to protect them from the wind, but to shield the fire pit from rain.

After all, it was spring, and rain could be a troublesome affair for them.

They also gathered the collected firewood and the pottery bowls that had been made and left to dry.

To the greatest extent possible within their means, they minimized the impact of the weather on them.

The processed and cleaned rats and insects were soon skewered.

Although Fei Que and his team had only done this once before, they were already showing signs of proficiency.

Roasting all twenty-seven rats himself would definitely take too long.

So, Zhou Xu took on the role of instructor, teaching Fei Que and the others how to roast food.

They lit three fire pits, with ten people per fire pit, to increase the efficiency of the barbecue.

Inevitably, some people roasted better than others, but compared to last night, everyone received more food.

Putting aside any minor anxieties, in this environment, a roasted rat seasoned with salt was definitely a feast for them.

"Hoo—"

Gnawing every last shred of meat from the bones and swallowing the final bite, Zhou Xu, sitting by the fire pit, let out a long sigh.

Before this, he had never truly considered how wonderful it was to simply have a few extra bites of food. The sense of satisfaction he felt in that moment was unprecedented.

While it was not yet completely dark, Zhou Xu, after a short rest, perked up and began teaching Butterfly and the others how to weave bags from twisted bark ropes.

With these bags, it would be much easier for the tribe members to carry and store rats or insects after they caught them.

Most of these handicraft weaving techniques had commonalities. Once you learned one, it would be much faster to pick up others later on.

Butterfly and the others were no different. With Zhou Xu's careful guidance, they all grasped the key points, and their efficiency gradually improved.

However, catching up to Zhou Xu would still require a lot of effort.

"Fei Que."

As he called out, Zhou Xu tossed the bark bag he had just finished weaving to him.

"You did well today. This is a reward for you."

Although he didn't understand the concept of a "reward," Fei Que understood Zhou Xu's intention and immediately broke into a brilliant smile.

"Thank you, Chief."

Under the envious gazes of the surrounding tribe members, Fei Que said this while studying how to use the bark bag.

Seeing that he was struggling to figure it out, Zhou Xu walked over with a smile to demonstrate.

"Look here, this is the opening of the bag. Just stick your finger in and pull outwards, and the opening will spread."

"Oh!!!"

In that instant, watching the opening, which had been so tightly closed that it was difficult to even fit a finger into, being pulled open by their chief to the point where an entire head could fit inside.

Let alone Fei Que and Dashan, even Butterfly and the others who had been working with Zhou Xu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

But that clearly wasn't all.

"Put something in it."

As Zhou Xu spoke, he tossed a fist-sized stone into the bag. Then, he pulled the two drawstrings at the opening, and the wide mouth of the bag immediately tightened.

"Then, just wrap this rope around the opening a couple of times and tie a knot."

After finishing, Zhou Xu tossed the bark bag back to Fei Que.

The exquisite design left the tribal members watching in awe.

To Zhou Xu, it was simply a drawstring pouch he had woven by hand. But to the tribal members who had never seen such a thing, the design was beyond their wildest imagination.

They couldn't even begin to comprehend how it was made.

In an instant, the envy in Dashan and the others' eyes as they looked at Fei Que intensified.

Sensing the gazes of his companions, Fei Que immediately clutched the bag to his chest, afraid they would pounce and snatch it away the next second. Zhou Xu couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright, I've already taught Butterfly and the others how to make this bag, so everyone will have one later."

Even though Zhou Xu said that, Dashan and the others were still staring intently at Fei Que.

Even they, who knew nothing about it, could tell that the bags made by Butterfly and the others were on a completely different level from the one their chief had made.

Perhaps it was because they had eaten more food today than they had in a long time, but everyone's spirits were better than usual.

Watching Dashan and Fei Que playfully tussling, Zhou Xu remembered something and waved to Dashan.

"Oh right, Dashan, and everyone who went with you to pick up branches last night, come here for a moment. I want to take a look at you."

The power of the True Word from the 'Eye of Insight' wasn't exactly a secret here, so he had nothing to hide.

Feeling that his condition was quite good today, he decided to check the status panels of the remaining people in the tribe while he had the chance.

He'd start with Dashan!

[Eye of Insight]

At that moment, as the True Word was activated, Dashan's status panel quickly appeared before his eyes.

Name: Dashan

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Race: Human Race

Status: Fatigued

True Word: None

Talent: Weapon Master: Facing dangers that could arise at any moment, the best approach is to learn to flexibly use all available items!

Valor: ★★☆☆

Intelligence: ★★☆

Spirit: ★★☆

Stamina: ★★☆☆

Command: ★★