Choosing a Campsite / Guessing the Leader Is the Most Important Thing

[Should I sell my Ichinose Honami Stock?]

[Quantity for Sale: 1000]

[Current stock price: 170]

[Sale successful, received 170,000]

[Current system funds held: 369,600]

[Should I purchase Wilderness Survival (Master)?]

[Purchase successful, remaining funds: 69600]

After redeeming the Wilderness Survival (Master) skill, Hashiba Hikaru immediately felt countless complex pieces of information flooding into his mind.

This knowledge is all related to Wilderness Survival, including precautions for spending the night in the wild, how to choose a sleeping location, food classification and cleaning methods, as well as identification of plant and animal species, and detailed explanations of what is edible and what is not.

The massive amount of data opened a brand new door for the boy, leading him into another world.

"Classmate Hashiba, we've already discussed it." Ichinose Honami's voice came from ahead.

"Um."

After rubbing her temples, Hashiba Hikaru felt much more at ease once she had fully digested the knowledge about Wilderness Survival in her mind.

We absolutely must pass this exam!

Chapter 144 Choosing a Camp

On the beach near the forest, Ichinose Honami and several Class A students gathered around Hashiba Hikaru. After some discussion, they decided how to exchange the items.

"Ichinose, what was your decision?"

Hashiba Hikaru gazed at the pink-haired girl before her. The girl's rosy face wore a rather serious expression. After all, in order to obtain more Class Evaluation Points, she had to try her best to control the use of exam points.

"That's what we were thinking."

Ichinose Honami showed the boy the item exchange page in the Guidebook and began to explain.

"First, we need a basic kitchenware set. There are forty people in our class, and we consume a lot of food and water every day. If we rely solely on points to exchange for supplies, it will be too expensive. So, everyone thinks we can go to the forest to find resources, such as edible wild vegetables or fruits."

"But raw food must be processed, so kitchen utensils are very important."

Ichinose Honami observed the boy's expression, trying to gauge whether he agreed with her line of thinking.

"That's right. Since the school has set up this Uninhabited Island survival test, if it's going to be a test of endurance, then it means there must be plenty of food on the island. Otherwise, forcing everyone to exchange for food wouldn't be a test at all."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded, signaling her to continue, "Anything else, Ichinose?"

"Another thing is fire-starting equipment. When setting up camp in the forest, you definitely need to start a fire at night. Kanzaki said that although it is summer now, the temperature difference between day and night is still quite large. Starting a fire can not only keep you warm, but it is also the key to cooking food."

"Yes, that's indeed very important."

Hashiba Hikaru examined the item exchange page in the Guidebook. It displayed a wide variety of items with varying prices. The school offered a large number of items for exchange, but most of them had rather discreet prices.

"As for the rest, everyone thinks we can exchange them after we decide on the campsite. Before we set off to collect supplies, everyone should also clarify their roles."

"That's true."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded, his gaze sweeping over the redeemable items in the handbook several times before he suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at Chie Hoshinomiya beside him, asking a question.

"Teacher, since the rules state that we cannot pollute the environment, how should we handle issues related to toilets?"

"That's actually quite simple; the school has already considered it."

Chie Hoshinomiya wore a faint smile. Then, she took out a brown cardboard box from the pile of items that the staff had just unloaded. After some skillful manipulation and assembly, an item resembling a cardboard slot was formed.

"This is...?"

"Simple toilet."

Chie Hoshinomiya placed the folded item in front of everyone. She put a blue plastic bag over the outermost layer and then placed a thin white cloth-like object inside.

"This is an absorbent cloth. It can be used to hold excrement in place and has a water-absorbing effect. After using the toilet, you can use this to cover it up. It not only suppresses odors, but it can also be reused."

Chie Hoshinomiya glanced at the shocked expressions on the faces of the students in Class A and calmly explained, "Each class is only assigned one of these types of toilets. Theoretically, absorbent cloths and blue plastic bags are in unlimited supply, so it's a shared toilet for both men and women."

"To ensure privacy, a lightweight single tent will also be included, so you won't be seen when using it inside."

"..."

After witnessing the teacher's installation process, all the students fell silent. This was probably the first shock they received before starting their journey on the Uninhabited Island. None of them had ever experienced this type of toilet before, and just thinking about it made their scalps tingle.

However, since everyone had just decided to be patient in order to save up the points for the exam, no one spoke up immediately, and the atmosphere was a little heavy.

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Ichinose Honami standing beside her. Although the girl's face was a little pale, her eyes shone with a determined light, indicating that she had mentally prepared herself.

"As for this toilet, I think since it can be replaced repeatedly, it's perfectly usable," Hashiba Hikaru said first. "I know it might be unbearable for some people, but that's precisely the key to our advantage."

"There are only seven days left. Everyone just needs to be patient for seven days."

"However, I can't expect everyone to think like me. If anyone has a different opinion, they can raise it now. I will count the number of people and then make a new judgment. The Guidebook says that toilets can be exchanged, but the price is 20 points, which exceeds the price of the kitchenware set."

Upon hearing this, although the students in Class A were somewhat reluctant to go to the toilet, they understood the importance of grades and immediately responded.

"I agree with Classmate Hashiba. We only have a week, so let's use this toilet!"

"Yes, I don't think it's necessary to spend an extra 20 points to redeem this toilet."

"That's right, points are very valuable."

Seeing everyone express their opinions, Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly and said softly to Ichinose Honami, "It seems everyone has reached a consensus. This is the cohesion of our class, Ichinose."

"Yeah, I think we'll definitely have a lot of points left over." A smile appeared on the pink-haired girl's lips as her gaze was fixed on Hashiba Hikaru's profile.

"Now that the basic item exchange has been decided, let's set off. Everyone, take the items you just received; we need to find a campsite."

"Set off!"

After the discussion about the first item to be exchanged ended, everyone in Class A lined up in two rows and headed into the forest, led by Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami.

After leaving the hot beach and entering the lush, green forest, everyone clearly felt that the temperature had dropped significantly.

Hashiba Hikaru turned to the page of the Guidebook on the Artificial Island map. It only showed the size and shape of the island, without detailing the area of the forest or the height difference. It could only be considered a basic directional tool.

He recalled the locations he had just seen on the ship; they were all areas that had clearly been artificially altered. Whether they were strongholds was uncertain, but they could serve as a reference for choosing a campsite.

After confirming the route in order, Hashiba Hikaru quickened her pace and walked to the front of the group, calling out to those behind her.

"Let's move along the route I noticed earlier. Everyone can follow me."

"Be careful not to fall behind, and the boys should take care of the girls."

"Yes!"

Everyone in Class A, along with Chie Hoshinomiya, followed the boy and began walking deeper into the forest.

After exchanging for the [Wilderness Survival (Master)] skill, Hashiba Hikaru walked around while carefully observing her surroundings. It has to be said that the school had actually done a lot of preparation work on this island, and many of the forest paths were man-made.

Although it's not as fast as walking on flat ground, as long as you have enough stamina and persevere, the movement speed won't be too slow.

After walking for about ten minutes, the boy suddenly spotted a semi-shrub-like plant in the grass beside him. There were quite a few of them, so he immediately stopped.

"Hey, Classmate Hashiba, what's wrong?"

Ichinose Honami, who was closest to him, noticed immediately and asked a question.

"Have we arrived yet?"

"Of course not, I saw something good."

Without looking back, Hashiba Hikaru darted to the plants, quickly going over them in his mind before confirming that he wasn't mistaken.

These plants are Mugwort, which has many benefits. Fumigating its branches and leaves can repel mosquitoes and flies, and it also has disinfecting and sterilizing effects, which is quite useful in the wild.

The boy pulled up all the Mugwort and held it in his arms. When he returned to the group, everyone looked at him with puzzled expressions.

"Don't be so surprised, everyone. This is something I just discovered."

Hashiba Hikaru Mugwort smiled and showed everyone the mugwort she was holding.

"This is called Mugwort. It's a very useful plant. Burning it can repel mosquitoes and disinfect. After we choose our campsite, we can use it before going to sleep so everyone can get a better rest at night."

"Really?"

"Classmate Hashiba actually knows this? That's amazing!"

After hearing his speech, the students all crowded around to look at the green plant in his hand, each with a surprised expression.

"Hashiba, you really are a hidden talent. You even know this?" Shibata said to the boy with a smile, toying with a stalk of Mugwort in his hand.

"It's all from my previous experience. I've been interested in the outdoors since I was a child, so I've read a lot of books and materials on the subject. I never thought it would come in handy now."

Hashiba Hikaru casually made up a reason to explain to everyone, "This Artificial Island is quite large, so the plants growing on it are all very useful. Perhaps we can even find medicinal herbs, which can reduce the chances of students getting sick and prevent anyone from having to withdraw from the exam due to illness."

"Once the camp is set up, everyone will need to organize teams to go into the forest to collect supplies. I will share this knowledge with you then, which will help us get through this more effectively."

"Classmate Hashiba so reliable, just as expected of you!"

"Yes, it's so great that Classmate Hashiba is in our class."

The students in Class A immediately expressed their admiration. Everyone gained a deeper understanding of the boy's abilities and became even more convinced of his abilities.

"That's right, that's what I think too."

Ichinose Honami moment the boy spoke, her heart was already firmly tied to him. Her beautiful eyes were like water, full of tender affection.

"Let's continue on our way!"

"Clear!"

The students continued walking, and after about ten more minutes, Hashiba Hikaru finally found the first spot she had seen on the Cruise Ship: a wide-open flat area with a stream flowing through it.

There is a low hillside right behind it, so there is a shady area below, which is close to a clear stream, making it useful for drinking and cleaning.

The outermost edge is surrounded by a dense thicket of trees, and the nearby hillside can also serve as an observation point, offering panoramic views of the surrounding environment—a rather ingenious location.

Wow! This place feels really nice.

When the students from Class A arrived here, joy spread across their faces; this was indeed a great place to set up camp.

After Hashiba Hikaru entered the area, he began to inspect it. After walking around, he did not find the occupation machine that was supposed to be associated with the base, as mentioned in the manual.

This means that this is not a base, but just an artificially created rest area.

"This doesn't seem to be a base?" The other students naturally noticed this as well, and were somewhat hesitant about whether to set up camp here.

"What do you think, Classmate Hashiba?" Ichinose Honami flipped through the rules in the handbook; she was also pondering this question.

"I think it's fine. According to the rules, the setting up of the camp is only related to future roll call, and it doesn't matter whether it's a base or not," Hashiba Hikaru explained her thinking to everyone. "The bases are probably set up by the school so that we can collect supplies more easily. There's also a competition for the right to occupy them, so to reduce trouble, it's good to use this place as our camp."

The boy's words made everyone understand the reason for this consideration, and everyone quickly agreed to the decision.

"That's right, let's do it that way."

"Let's start setting up camp. The boys will handle the heavy lifting, and the girls will pack and arrange the things. Everyone, let's get to work!"

"Good!"

Chapter 145 Speculating on the Leader is of Paramount Importance

After finding this excellent area, everyone in Class A immediately divided the tasks and worked together.

Besides setting up the two large tents, we also had to sweep up the wood and fallen leaves on the ground, and pack up the basic supplies provided by the school. These preparations were important, since we would be living here from now on.

About an hour later, the basic preparations for the campsite were almost complete, and it was time to start cooking.

After discussing it with her classmates, Ichinose Honami realized that if they were to live here for seven days, even if they could find food in the forest, they would still need to exchange points for essential necessities to ensure their physical and mental well-being. For example, salt would have to be obtained through condiments.

Although there is no electricity in the forest, fire can be used to cook rice or make soup, and the kitchenware sets are quite diverse, which is why the students felt they could be the first to redeem them.

Most of the students in Class A have good self-care abilities. After some discussion, they agreed to use their exam points to exchange for rice and some seasonings. As for water, they could boil it in the stream and drink it after a while.

Led by Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose, the group then split into smaller teams and entered the forest to collect supplies, including firewood and edible wild fruits and vegetables.

Before setting off, the boy gave a special lecture on herbs, just enough to leave a general impression on everyone, since he would need to verify them again after bringing them back before they could be used.

Today is the first day. Ichinose Honami's idea is to solve everyone's food problem first, and then hold a group meeting in which everyone can participate. They will not only discuss the selection of a leader, but also formulate a strategy for Class A to deal with this exam.

After finishing their meal, the students of Class A gathered in the open space. Hashiba Hikaru instructed two of the more astute students to stand guard at the outermost edge of the camp as supervisors to prevent students from other classes from getting close. After all, they were going to discuss the class leader, which was the most important class secret.

"Now, the next step is to discuss the leadership. After the discussion, Hoshinomiya-sensei will make the Key Card. This is crucial to our success in this exam, so please nominate your leaders carefully."

As the class leader, it's very appropriate for Ichinose Honami to take the lead on this matter.