Recaps

Su Wei scrubbed Old Hope’s corpse-boiling pot despite its foul grime and stench. After Su Wei finished, Old Hope inspected the clean pot, leaving his response unspoken.

• Su Wei poured scalding water into the pot and began scraping its greasy sides with a wire brush.
• Su Wei kept scrubbing steadily despite the overpowering smell while Old Hope listened from his workbench.
• Su Wei rinsed away the grime and told Old Hope he had finished.
• Old Hope examined the pot and wiped a finger across its bottom.

Su Wei learned taxidermy under Old Hope, then absorbed the skills in Hopkins's Anatomy Notes and unlocked the Crafting Module. He began repairing a badly crushed kestrel skull, with Old Hope expecting him to fail.

• Old Hope gave Su Wei damaged birds to clean and taught him to handle their fragile bones.
• Su Wei practiced removing flesh from bones for two hours, improving under Old Hope's precise instructions.
• Su Wei studied Hopkins's Anatomy Notes and unlocked the Crafting Module along with Basic Taxidermy, Bone Cleaning, and Preservation Treatment.
• Su Wei returned to the workbench to attempt repairing a crushed kestrel skull while Old Hope watched skeptically.

Su Wei used his newly activated [Touch of X-Ray Vision] and [Bone Cleaning LV1] to preserve and clean a shattered kestrel skull, astonishing Old Hope with his precision. Old Hope gave him a treasured set of skinning knives and ordered him to return at six the next morning.

• Su Wei saw the kestrel skull’s internal structure in his mind and carefully cut its fragments free without letting them collapse.
• Su Wei cleaned the cranial cavity by touch, removing the tissue without damaging the bone, and presented the intact skull to Old Hope.
• Old Hope examined the skull and realized Su Wei’s work was far beyond a beginner’s ability.
• Old Hope unlocked his cabinet and gave Su Wei his handmade German skinning knives.
• Old Hope ordered Su Wei to return at six the next morning, then told him to leave.

Su Wei paid Old Hope for mounts of the rare brown bear and Roosevelt elk antlers, then considered helping make them to improve his taxidermy and test the Crafting Module’s blessing. Black told him that Old Sam had agreed to negotiate over the land, but could not attend, leaving Su Wei to handle the meeting himself; Su Wei decided he would have to ask Old Hope to postpone his morning lesson.

• Su Wei decided not to risk making the valuable bear and elk specimens himself, paid Old Hope the remaining fees, and realized he could ask to help with the work instead.
• Black told Su Wei that Old Sam had agreed to meet at the Old Captain Seafood Restaurant at one the next afternoon to discuss the land.
• Black warned Su Wei that Old Sam was deeply in debt and desperately needed money for a liver transplant, and said he could not attend because he had to guide assessors into the wilderness.
• Su Wei told Black he would handle the negotiation and explained that he planned to learn taxidermy from Old Hope.
• After realizing the meeting conflicted with his six o’clock lesson, Su Wei called Old Hope to ask for time off.

Su Wei postponed his first taxidermy lesson with Old Hope because he needed to buy land, then returned to his cabin and mapped out a growing list of plans. He left the chapter focused on four priorities: buying land, rebuilding the cabin, training, and learning taxidermy.

• Su Wei told Old Hope he could not attend their lesson in the morning because he had to buy land, and Old Hope agreed to reschedule while working on Su Wei’s bear hide and antlers.
• Su Wei returned to his dark cabin and was greeted by Cotton Candy, whose affection helped him relax after a demanding day at Old Hope’s workshop.
• Su Wei fed Cotton Candy and wrote a list of plans, including buying eighty acres, rebuilding the cabin, starting hunter training when Black returned, and learning taxidermy from Old Hope.
• Su Wei added ideas for a separate taxidermy room, a large workshop, a display hall, road improvements, and possibly a seaplane, then decided to prioritize his four main projects.

Su Wei met Old Sam to negotiate for his eighty acres, including the timber and water rights, while Old Sam pleaded that he needed money for a liver transplant. The chapter ended with Old Sam demanding six hundred thousand dollars, and Su Wei had not yet responded.

• Su Wei reviewed his finances and prepared for the negotiation with Old Sam.
• Su Wei met Old Sam at the Old Captain Seafood Restaurant and listened as he recalled their families' past connection.
• Old Sam revealed his failing liver, his debts, and his need to sell the land to pay for surgery in Seattle.
• Su Wei asked Old Sam to state his price, and Old Sam demanded six hundred thousand dollars for the eighty acres, timber, and water rights.
• Su Wei remained motionless as Old Sam waited for his answer.

Su Wei negotiated Old Sam down to $400,000 for his Pilan Creek land and brought him to a law firm to transfer the property. The lawyer found $2,400 in overdue property taxes, and Old Sam tried to make Su Wei pay them.

• Su Wei rejected Old Sam’s $480,000 asking price and offered $400,000, citing the land’s poor condition and flood risk.
• Old Sam accepted Su Wei’s offer, and Su Wei paid for a meal and king crab legs before they left.
• Su Wei brought Old Sam to Kodiak United Law Firm, where William reviewed the sale documents.
• William found two years of unpaid property taxes totaling $2,400 that had to be paid before the transfer.
• Old Sam claimed he had no money and insisted that Su Wei should cover the overdue taxes.

Su Wei bought Old Sam’s eighty acres, expanding his property to a hundred acres and gaining ownership of the birch forest and a stretch of Pilan Creek. He rode into the forest to survey the new land, where the Gathering Module identified a mature Alaska paper birch.

• Su Wei insisted that Old Sam’s $2,400 in unpaid taxes be deducted from the $400,000 purchase price before signing the land contract.
• Attorney William finalized the sale, and Su Wei secured the ownership documents for Old Sam’s eighty acres.
• Su Wei reflected that the purchase expanded his property to one hundred acres, including the birch forest and a stretch of Pilan Creek.
• Su Wei returned to his cabin and rode his snowmobile across the former boundary into the newly acquired birch forest.
• The Gathering Module triggered and identified a mature Alaska paper birch.

Su Wei explored his newly acquired land, imagining future facilities and hunting tourism, then returned to the cabin and celebrated with a tomahawk steak. He fed Cotton Candy separately and settled in for a meal at home.

• Su Wei inspected the birch forest and Pilan Creek, considering their value and the possibilities for bridges, cabins, a shooting range, and an airstrip.
• Su Wei returned to the cabin and comforted Cotton Candy, who had been left alone and was hungry.
• Su Wei lit a fire and chose a M5 Angus tomahawk steak to celebrate acquiring a hundred acres from Old Sam.
• Su Wei cooked the steak and prepared chicken and egg yolk for Cotton Candy, who ate its meal beside him.

Su Wei settled into his newly acquired land and planned its development before waking early to begin apprenticing with Old Hope. He arrived at the workshop and found Old Hope already scraping a hide at the worktable.

• Su Wei ate dinner, stored the deed for his twenty acres in the safe, and planned roads, a smokehouse, a shooting range, and a helipad.
• Su Wei set his alarm for five and resolved to learn taxidermy from Hope so he could make a living and defend his land.
• Su Wei woke at five, fed Cotton Candy, and drove through the snow to Hope's workshop with his custom dissection tools.
• Su Wei entered the foul-smelling workshop shortly before six and saw Old Hope scraping fat from a hide.

Su Wei asked Old Hope to let him help process his brown bear hide and elk antlers, despite being a taxidermy beginner. He explained the trophies’ personal importance and his wish to leave his mark on them, and Old Hope began to reconsider his request.

• Su Wei arrived on time at Old Hope’s workshop and was assigned several small animal carcasses to skin for practice.
• Su Wei asked to help process the brown bear hide and elk antlers he had brought, including their skinning, fleshing, tanning, and shaping.
• Old Hope angrily refused, warning that Su Wei could ruin the valuable trophies and ordering him to work on the small carcasses instead.
• Su Wei recalled that making the specimens himself might trigger a special Blessing through his system’s Crafting Module.
• Su Wei explained that the bear hide and antlers commemorated important hunts and said he wanted to help preserve them rather than leave the work entirely to Old Hope.
• Old Hope continued to breathe heavily, but his contempt softened as he appraised Su Wei.

Su Wei passed Old Hope’s test of taxidermy knowledge and was challenged to prepare three hides by noon. As Su Wei began skinning a hare, the Crafting Module’s Touch of X-Ray Vision activated, revealing the carcass’s internal structure.

• Su Wei explained the steps for making a shoulder mount, impressing Old Hope with his technical knowledge.
• Old Hope gave Su Wei until noon to produce hides from three animals at least ninety-five percent intact, warning him not to touch the bear hide unless he succeeded.
• Su Wei accepted the test because he needed to work on the bear mount himself to trigger its special attributes.
• Su Wei picked up a scalpel and touched the hare, triggering Touch of X-Ray Vision, then began making the first incision with a steady hand.

Su Wei demonstrated exceptional taxidermy skills by preparing three difficult hides, impressing Old Hope enough to pass his test. After Old Hope criticized minor flaws, Su Wei offered to cook lunch in the workshop kitchen.

• Su Wei carefully removed the snow hare's hide with its delicate features intact, then skinned the thickly furred otter without damaging its hide.
• Su Wei painstakingly cleaned and repaired the damaged red fox hide, finishing all three animals as the clock struck twelve.
• Old Hope examined the hides, criticized a few small flaws, and told Su Wei he had passed while claiming he was still far from being allowed to work on the bear hide.
• Su Wei received Crafting Module and Basic Taxidermy experience for completing the work.
• When Old Hope's stomach growled, Su Wei offered to cook, and Old Hope let him use the kitchen in the back.

Su Wei impressed Old Hope with his beef-and-egg fried rice and earned responsibility for making lunch, but their brief moment of warmth ended when Old Hope put him to work fleshing an otter pelt on a dangerous machine. The chapter left Su Wei facing the spinning blade after pressing the pedal.

• Su Wei used his Cooking skill to make beef-and-egg fried rice from the ingredients he found in the kitchen.
• Old Hope devoured his serving, criticized the food to hide his enthusiasm, and assigned Su Wei responsibility for lunch.
• Old Hope demonstrated how to remove fat and connective tissue from an otter pelt with the fleshing machine and warned Su Wei about its danger.
• Su Wei stood before the spinning blade, took a deep breath, and pressed the pedal.

Su Wei gained Old Hope’s approval after mastering hide fleshing, and Old Hope agreed to teach him skeletal assembly the next day. Back home, Su Wei received a call from Matt about surveying his land for reconstruction, but the proposed appointment conflicted with his work at Old Hope’s factory.

• Su Wei processed three hides under Old Hope’s supervision and increased his taxidermy proficiency.
• Old Hope told Su Wei to return the next day to learn skeletal assembly and asked him to bring beef for lunch.
• Su Wei returned to his cabin, where Cotton Candy greeted him, and he reflected on earning the chance to work on the brown bear king’s hide and crown deer antlers.
• Matt from Polar Strong Shield called to arrange a preliminary survey for Su Wei’s house reconstruction project.
• Su Wei said he would be away the next morning, and Matt warned that the next available appointment might not be until next Wednesday.

Su Wei arranged for Aruk to oversee Polar Strong Shield’s survey of his cabin site while he attended taxidermy lessons. He agreed to join Aruk on a future sea trip to catch seafood, and went to bed looking forward to his expanding plans.

• Su Wei asked Matt whether a friend could supervise the cabin survey, and Matt agreed.
• Su Wei called Aruk and asked him to meet Polar Strong Shield at the cabin at nine the next morning.
• Aruk agreed to oversee the survey and revealed that he had bought a fishing boat and planned to take Su Wei out to sea.
• Su Wei accepted Aruk’s invitation and wondered whether Cotton Candy could come along.

Su Wei cleaned Old Hope’s boiling pot, then was challenged to identify and assemble a complete Arctic fox skeleton from a mixed pile of bones by six that evening. After struggling, he activated the Crafting Module’s Touch of X-Ray Vision and began sorting the bones by feel, leaving the assembly underway.

• Su Wei scrubbed the pot and sorted the boiled remains into trays of clean bones.
• Old Hope gave Su Wei a jumble of bones and ordered him to assemble the Arctic fox skeleton by six that evening.
• Su Wei struggled to distinguish the fox bones from rabbit and feral cat bones until he used his fingertips to feel their joints.
• The Crafting Module’s Touch of X-Ray Vision activated, letting Su Wei identify bones and fit them together with increasing speed.

Su Wei assembled an Arctic fox skeleton in four hours, impressing Old Hope enough to pass his test. Old Hope gave him his sole-copy notebook of tanning formulas and muscle reconstruction methods, which the system began analyzing.

• Su Wei rapidly assembled the fox skeleton and repaired its broken rib using his woodworking knowledge.
• Su Wei finished the skeleton, and Old Hope examined it, pointing out that the fox's injured left paw should have been angled outward.
• Old Hope acknowledged Su Wei's work and gave him the notebook titled "Hopkins's Tanning Formulas and Muscle Reconstruction Methods."
• Su Wei opened the notebook, and the system began analyzing it as an advanced skill book.

Su Wei studied Old Hope’s tanning notebook and planned a large estate with Polar Strong Shield’s Matt, but winter conditions threatened to delay construction. He asked whether he could replace his deteriorating cabin first, while the bear hide and antlers still lacked a proper place to be kept and displayed.

• Su Wei drove home with Old Hope’s notebook as the system began analyzing its tanning and muscle-reshaping methods.
• Matt told Su Wei that high groundwater would raise foundation costs by thirty to fifty thousand dollars, though the site’s soil was stable.
• Su Wei described plans for a large workshop, garage, exhibition hall, and comfortable cabin.
• Matt warned that winter construction could be unsafe and inefficient, recommending that the main project wait until March or April.
• Su Wei asked whether Polar Strong Shield could rebuild his cabin during winter, and Matt said renovation was possible but tearing it down and replacing it would likely take until spring.

Su Wei decided to build an exhibition hall before rebuilding his cabin, and Matt confirmed that a prefabricated structure could be completed before winter. At home, Su Wei mastered the tanning knowledge in Hopkins's notebook, then arrived late at Old Hope's workshop the next morning, where Old Hope asked whether he had memorized it.

• Su Wei proposed building an exhibition hall first, and Matt explained how prefabricated construction could get it weather-sealed before heavy snow.
• Su Wei returned to the cabin, fed Cotton Candy, and studied Hopkins's notebook with the Crafting Module.
• Su Wei's Preservation Treatment skill rose to LV2, and he learned several tanning formulas and methods.
• Su Wei fell asleep on the sofa and woke before dawn with Cotton Candy curled on his stomach.
• Su Wei hurried to Old Hope's workshop three minutes late, and Old Hope asked whether he had read and memorized the notebook.

Su Wei proved his taxidermy knowledge by precisely mixing tanning solution for an otter hide, earning Old Hope’s approval. Old Hope told him he could begin assisting, and Su Wei followed him to the illuminated worktable.

• Old Hope tested Su Wei with difficult questions about hide tanning, and Su Wei answered each one correctly.
• Old Hope demonstrated how to mix tanning solution, then challenged Su Wei to prepare a batch himself.
• Su Wei measured the ingredients precisely and mixed a batch that earned him Preservation Treatment experience.
• Old Hope inspected the solution and told Su Wei he could start assisting him.
• Su Wei put on a leather apron and followed Old Hope to the large worktable, where Old Hope switched on the shadowless lamps.

Su Wei learned to flesh the Kodiak bear king’s hide under Old Hope’s demanding supervision, using his skill to remove the fat without damaging the fur roots. They began tanning the hide for a seven-day soak, and Old Hope told Su Wei to return at six the next morning to work on the antlers.

• Old Hope demonstrated how to flesh the bear king’s hide and instructed Su Wei to finish the remaining fat.
• Su Wei used Touch of X-Ray Vision to guide his knife work and gained Basic Taxidermy experience as he scraped the hide.
• Su Wei finished fleshing the hide and nearly reached Basic Taxidermy LV2; Old Hope judged his work barely passable.
• Su Wei and Old Hope immersed the hide in tanning solution and began its seven-day soak, earning Su Wei Preservation Treatment experience.
• Old Hope told Su Wei to return at six the next morning to work on the antlers, and Su Wei went home to wash and eat.

Su Wei planned a two-story, thousand-square-meter museum for his future trophies and learned from Aruk that his work with Old Hope had made him the envy of Kodiak Island. He expected the bear hide and antlers to keep him busy for at least a month, leaving a trip to sea with Aruk for later.

• Su Wei reviewed museum designs and decided he wanted a two-story museum to display his trophies and mark his growth on the land.
• Su Wei realized the cabin’s weak internet connection and housing situation needed attention.
• Aruk called Su Wei to celebrate his purchase of a hundred acres and invited him to catch stone crabs by boat.
• Su Wei declined the trip because he had an early appointment with Old Hope and was learning taxidermy from him.
• Aruk reacted with awe and envy when Su Wei confirmed he was working with Carlisle Hopkins, then offered to take him out whenever he had time.
• Su Wei considered his schedule and estimated that working on the bear hide and antlers would take at least a month.

Su Wei began cleaning a crown-grade Roosevelt elk trophy under Old Hope’s supervision, using his Crafting Module to identify its structure and guide his work. Old Hope corrected him before he damaged a hidden nerve opening, and Su Wei carefully extracted the rotting tissue.

• Su Wei arrived at Old Hope’s workshop to clean the Roosevelt elk antlers he had obtained the night before.
• Su Wei activated Touch of X-Ray Vision and used the Crafting Module’s recommended procedure to inspect the antlers.
• Su Wei carefully removed dried flesh and dirt from the skull and antler bases without scratching the patina.
• Old Hope stopped Su Wei before he cut a hidden nerve opening and explained that he needed to use a hooked steel needle.
• Su Wei used the needle to pull a fetid strand of fascia out intact.

Su Wei finished cleaning a large deer skull, and Old Hope began soaking it to remove its internal grease before the next stage of work. With three days to wait, Su Wei left the workshop to resume planning, then received a preliminary budget update from Matt about the project they had discussed.

• Su Wei completed a difficult bone-cleaning task, and Old Hope inspected the skull before declaring it barely passable.
• Old Hope drilled four concealed holes in the skull and submerged it in a heated solvent bath to degrease it over three days.
• Old Hope told Su Wei to leave while the skull and bear hide soaked, warning him that the hide’s follow-up work would test his patience and skinning skills.
• Su Wei left the workshop and considered choosing a site for an exhibition hall and responding to Aruk’s proposal.
• Matt called Su Wei with a preliminary budget for the grand blueprint they had discussed.