Holding a slightly flattened, irregularly shaped wild persimmon between his fingertips, Lu Heng activated the bracelet's basic appraisal skill with a thought.
A pale blue glow swept over the fruit in his palm, and a brief line of text immediately appeared on the bracelet's interface.
[Item: Wild persimmon] [Grade: Common ingredient] [Condition: Well preserved on the branch, flesh ripe and soft, no toxins, no mutations, no bonus attributes] [Note: Fresh fruit can be eaten directly]
It was exactly as Lu Heng had judged by sight.
Lu Heng stared at the appraisal information on his bracelet, rapidly recalling everyday knowledge he had picked up before, confirming that this was an ordinary wild persimmon. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he exclaimed inwardly, Holy shit, I remember persimmons can be used to make vinegar!
The Shelter only had fresh water and had long lacked seasonings. If he could turn this batch of persimmons into persimmon vinegar, he could use it to remove fishy odors or dress wild greens, instantly opening up another way to make use of his supplies.
This wild persimmon tree grew on a sunny slope beside the river, its trunk and branches sturdy. Most of the lower persimmons, exposed to the cold winds sweeping over the permafrost, had been battered flat and shriveled, their skins wrinkled. But the fruit in the middle and upper canopy, sheltered from the cold wind and getting plenty of sunlight, was a luminous orange-red all over, with taut, moist skin, and looked perfectly fit to eat straight from the tree. Vegetation was scarce in this apocalyptic permafrost, making this natural fresh fruit a rare supply.
Lu Heng steadied himself, planted his feet on a thick forked branch, and reached up to pick several good-looking persimmons from higher up, tucking them into the canvas pouch at his waist. The rough bark rubbed his palms slightly sore. His movements were steady as he selected only fruit with firmly attached stems and no insect holes, intending to stock up on some more to add variety to the Shelter's monotonous dry rations, while setting a portion aside to try making vinegar.
Just as he reached toward a cluster of persimmons on the highest branch, a noisy flurry of wingbeats suddenly erupted from the dense branches at the treetop.
Whoosh-
Dozens of grayish-brown birds burst from the foliage together and circled above the persimmon tree, fully twenty or thirty of them. They were medium-sized, with tufts of pure white feathers on their heads, pale gray breasts and bellies, and light brown markings on their wings. Their tails bobbed gently up and down when they stood on the ground. These were Light-vented Bulbuls, extremely common in the riverside woodlands of the permafrost.
Lu Heng instinctively looked up and activated his appraisal skill again, targeting the flock.
[Creature: Light-vented Bulbul (Permafrost Subspecies)] [Level: Ordinary small wild animal] [Habits: Lives in flocks and guards its food, especially fond of ripe berries and wild fruit, highly territorial, calls collectively to drive away other creatures competing for fruit, lacks a sharp beak suited for attacking, unable to pierce human skin] [Threat level: None]
Once he confirmed they posed no offensive threat, Lu Heng let down his guard.
The entire riverbank was instantly filled with loud, piercing birdsong. Sharp, grating chirps rose one after another as the birds circled low around the branch where Lu Heng stood, constantly beating their wings against the foliage to deliberately make a commotion. They were plainly working together to drive Lu Heng out of the fruit tree, declaring this patch of persimmon trees their feeding territory.
Lu Heng glanced up at the birds flying chaotically around him, his expression calm, with no intention of backing down.
They were merely a flock of little birds guarding their food, capable only of making noise and intimidating others, with no ability to peck him hard enough to injure him. They could not stop him from gathering food at all. He looked away and continued reaching for the plump fruit on the branches, completely ignoring the birdsong filling the sky.
But just as his fingertips were about to touch a fruit stem, Lu Heng abruptly stopped, his hand suspended in midair.
Everyday knowledge from his former world suddenly flooded his mind.
Persimmons had unusual properties and many dietary incompatibilities. Whether eaten with high-protein aquatic foods, starchy staples, or certain wild greens, they could easily form indigestible lumps of tannic acid, causing abdominal pain and bloating in mild cases, or intestinal cramps and blockages from undigested food in severe cases.
Here in this apocalyptic permafrost, he had no medicine whatsoever and no access to medical care. He carried nothing to treat stomach or intestinal trouble. His body was his only means of staying alive.
There was no need to gamble with his health for a mouthful of fresh fruit.
If the dry rations or river fish and shrimp he ate later happened to conflict with the persimmons and make him ill, that would be courting death in this uninhabited wilderness.
Reaching that conclusion in an instant, Lu Heng decisively withdrew his arm, no longer coveting the wild persimmons on the branches.
He adjusted his stance, gripped the trunk firmly with both hands, and slowly climbed down step by step, finding footholds in the uneven bark before landing steadily on the frozen ground.
His canvas pouch already held seven or eight high-quality persimmons, enough for a small taste and a small-scale attempt at making vinegar. That was enough. The bracelet's Storage Slots had limited capacity, and he dared not pick too many and crowd out space for other supplies. He simply left all the remaining wild persimmons to the birds.
When the flock of Light-vented Bulbuls circling and clamoring overhead saw Lu Heng climb down and leave of his own accord, no longer approaching the persimmon tree, their aggressive, raucous cries stopped instantly.
The birds settled back onto the branches one after another, tilting their heads to preen and making soft, light, cheerful chirps. Every note sounded buoyant and smug, their whole manner triumphant, as though their clamor had forced the intruder to retreat and successfully defended their feeding territory.
Lu Heng brushed the bits of bark from his trouser legs and looked up at the smug little birds on the branches, the corner of his mouth pulling into a speechless smile.
Relying on numbers and noise to force others back, then crowing over their victory-they really were petty creatures puffed up by success.
He could not be bothered to linger any longer. Turning away from the persimmon trees, he continued exploring upstream along the frozen ground beside the river with steady steps.
After more than ten minutes of walking, the terrain along the river gradually rose, and a grayish-white permafrost cliff two meters high blocked the way ahead. A thin mountain stream slid down the cliff face, forming a small waterfall. Its shallow flow dropped into a rocky pool below, with a faint, cool mist lingering around it.
Lu Heng walked slowly to the pool and casually dipped his fingertips into the flowing water. Bone-piercing cold instantly enveloped them, penetrating his skin. It was several times colder than the river water downstream.
The flock of Light-vented Bulbuls had still followed him together, settling one after another on the branches of a persimmon tree on the cliff beside the waterfall. They chirped incessantly, their eyes fixed warily on Lu Heng by the bank.
Ignoring the raucous birdsong entirely, Lu Heng looked at the damp soil along the edge of the pool, where patches of wild plants grew fresh and lush beside the water. He raised his hand and activated the bracelet's basic appraisal skill. A pale blue screen of light swept over the entire patch, and appraisal information immediately appeared on the bracelet's interface.
[Item: Wild Water Celery] [Grade: Common edible wild vegetable] [Condition: Fresh and nontoxic, grown in a clean environment] [Effect: Can be blanched and eaten cooked, provides dietary fiber, no dietary restrictions] [Item: Wild Plantain] [Grade: Common medicinal herb] [Condition: Intact and fresh, no mold or contamination] [Effect: Can be boiled in water and drunk to relieve mild internal heat and intestinal bloating, no side effects]
One food, one medicine-just what he needed to fill the current gaps in his supplies. Lu Heng bent down and deftly harvested patches of tender water celery and plantain, roots and all. He shook the wet mud from the roots and packed everything into his canvas pouch, planning to sort them and transfer them into the bracelet's Storage Slots for proper storage once he returned to the Shelter.
Once he finished gathering, he took the Portable Water Bottle from his waist and unscrewed its cap, intending to fill it with flowing water from the waterfall. All along the way, he had drunk murky river water from downstream and had never tasted this kind of flowing mountain spring water, so he could not help feeling a little curious.
Lu Heng bent his knees and leaned toward the pool to fill the bottle. The water was crystal clear, with the bottom plainly visible. The small bluish stones on the bottom, thin aquatic plants swaying gently with the ripples, and tiny water insects were all clearly visible. His gaze slowly shifted toward the gaps between the rocks in the center of the pool. Beside a large, flat stone sat a strikingly blue box, wedged in place-it was actually a blue treasure chest submerged in the shallow water.
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