This Camp Is Unlivable

"Butterfly, how is the bark bag coming along?"

Teaching Butterfly and the others to make bark bags was done after dinner last night. They basically finished their first bark bag before going to sleep.

From here on out, it was simply about how efficiently they could improve their proficiency.

To be honest, without the barrier of knowledge, he believed that primitive humans learned much faster than many modern people.

Take Butterfly and the others, for example. The seriousness they showed when he taught them to make things was visible to the naked eye.

Moreover, their seriousness was completely different from that of modern people. Their seriousness carried a sense of 'all-or-nothing' resolve.

For them, there was no turning back from this matter; it directly concerned their survival.

Therefore, they poured their whole hearts into everything they did!

Zhou Xu took a bark bag made by Butterfly and the others and gave it a quick inspection.

Simply put, it was a bit rougher than the one he made, a matter of handicraft skill, but for basic use, it was fine.

"Well done. Did everyone learn it?"

In response to his question, the five members of the handicraft team, including Butterfly, all nodded.

"Excellent. From now on, the two of you will continue making these bark bags. Butterfly, you three, come with me to learn something new."

Polishing stone axes also fell under the scope of handicrafts, and it was a task that required more time and energy.

According to Zhou Xu's plan, the entire tribe should have at least one per person, right?

Under this premise, stone axes were typical consumables. Even if polished stone axes were more durable, their durability was limited, and spare stone axes had to be considered.

This way, Zhou Xu roughly estimated that they would need to make forty stone axes initially.

Relying on just one or two people wouldn't be efficient.

"We'll take it step by step. Let's start by picking stones. Pick this kind..."

Without further ado, the entire teaching session began.

Polishing stone axes wasn't inherently difficult. In terms of complexity, it might not even be as challenging as weaving bark bags.

However, it was more important right now. So, after they had a sufficient number of bark bags, Zhou Xu directly had the handicraft team focus their efforts on polishing stone axes.

An afternoon was enough for each of them to complete one.

Whether it was Butterfly's Nimble Hands Talent at play, after an initial period of awkwardness, Butterfly quickly got the hang of it. The stone axes she polished, upon closer inspection, were actually a little better than his.

If it weren't for her physical limitations in strength and stamina as a woman, her overall production efficiency might have even surpassed his.

"Hiss--"

This situation left Zhou Xu feeling complicated.

From a long-term perspective, having such a skilled person to solve their tribe's equipment problems was, of course, a good thing.

But as the tribe's chief, being surpassed by Butterfly right after he made a stone axe, wouldn't that undermine his authority as chief?

Thinking of this, Zhou Xu immediately gave a dry cough.

"Butterfly, you did very well. From now on, this task will be yours!"

Escaping might be shameful, but it was effective!

Damn it, I can't stay in this camp anymore.

The very next morning, Zhou Xu simply joined Dashan and the others on an exploration mission into the Black Forest.

They had basically explored this outer area. After splitting up from Fei Que's hunting team, they headed directly into the depths of the Black Forest.

During this time, all five members of the gathering team, including Dashan, were equipped with the newly polished stone axes. Only Zhou Xu, the sixth member, still carried a bone spear.

At this point, there were only five polished stone axes. This was just one of the reasons.

In Zhou Xu's opinion, the appearance of stone axes couldn't completely replace bone spears.

After all, the former was a short-handled weapon, while the latter was a long-handled weapon. Their roles in combat were entirely different.

As a modern person with little combat experience, he felt more secure with the attack range provided by a long-handled weapon compared to the dangerous short-handled weapon.

At this moment, walking through the Black Forest, with Zhou Xu protected in the middle, he could feel that Dashan and the others were relatively relaxed.

Just a few days was enough for them to gain a preliminary understanding of this area.

The surroundings were all desolate land, and the strangely shaped black trees in the forest were bare and lifeless.

Although there was a lake nearby, because it was a saltwater lake, animals simply wouldn't come here to drink.

There was nothing here except for hardy insects and mice.

In a way, it was quite safe, but it wasn't very suitable for humans to live long-term.

According to Zhou Xu's plan, for the tribe to develop, he first needed to secure a stable food supply. Relying solely on hunting wouldn't be enough.

Not to mention that here, they could only eat mice and insects.

What did he need? He needed to farm! To usher in an agricultural civilization!

But looking at the desolation of the surrounding land, what crops could he possibly grow in this godforsaken place?

Ultimately, he hadn't found any crops yet!

Therefore, his tribe definitely wouldn't stay here forever. For survival, they had to relocate.

But definitely not now!

Their main task was to store a certain amount of food while also exploring as much as they could within their capabilities to find a suitable relocation site.

Not to relocate impulsively without a second thought.

[Eye of Insight]

Looking at the Black Forest before him, and recalling how he discovered the existence of the True Word through the 'Eye of Insight' at the Altar yesterday, Zhou Xu activated the True Word with a "let's give it a try" mentality to observe.

As he looked, although he didn't see any strange glowing orbs, a scene within the Black Forest, beyond the dense black trees, caught his attention.

[What is that...]

"Dashan, let's head over there. There seems to be something over there."

Zhou Xu didn't hide his use of the True Word from Dashan and the others, so they trusted his instructions implicitly and moved in the direction he pointed without a word.

After advancing about two to three hundred meters, a huge crevice gradually appeared within Dashan and the others' field of vision.

"Chief?"

Dashan and the others, upon discovering the crevice, visibly tensed up and instinctively glanced back at Zhou Xu, waiting for his command.

"Don't be nervous. This kind of crevice doesn't look man-made; it's likely caused by tectonic movement."

Although they didn't quite understand what their chief meant by 'tectonic movement,' his words did offer some reassurance.

As he spoke, Zhou Xu, as if having discovered something, waved his hand, signaling Dashan and the others to follow him.

After approaching a bit closer and pinpointing the location, Zhou Xu looked into the crevice using the power of the 'Eye of Insight.'

The dark environment of the crevice didn't affect him too much.

As his gaze penetrated deeper, large webs quickly entered his sight, giving him a sense of foreboding.

And at that very moment, on one of those webs, a huge and ferocious figure directly burst into his vision!

Update delivered. Thanks to readers 'Ci Yu Bu Tu Ci', 'Xiu Yu Lei', 'Shi Shang Xian Ren Ye', and 'Yan You Fan Xing' for their tips. Please cast your votes after reading, folks!