King of the Wilderness

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Sudden Change in Weather

On the forty-fourth morning, Lin Yu’an was awakened by an unusual howling sound.

He lifted the thick reed curtain, and a strong and cold north wind suddenly blew into the stone house, making him shiver involuntarily.

Lin Yu’an stepped outside the shelter, braving the icy wind, and pointed the camera toward the lake, ”The situation is not looking good, the wind has picked up!”

What used to be the relatively calm surface of Chilco Lake was now turbulent, waves of white foam were whipped up by the fierce wind, harshly slapping against the rocks on the shore, producing a deafening roar.

The sky was also severely overcast, with thick clouds hanging low, ready to drop rain or snow at any moment.

Lin Yu’an looked at the overturned canoe on the shore, tethered with nylon rope next to a tree, his brow furrowed.

”In this kind of weather, the Pioneer definitely can’t be launched.”

”With waves this big on the lake surface, my canoe in such wind and waves is like a leaf, it’s way too dangerous.”

The plan to fish with the boat was completely ruined, casting a shadow over Lin Yu’an’s mood.

When he inspected the stinging net last night, it was already empty, and he intended to find a new spot to set the net today, but with such a sudden rise in wind, setting the net in deep waters today was out of the question.

Returning to the shelter, Lin Yu’an sat by the stove, feeling the warmth from the clay bricks, but he was somewhat agitated inside.

”Boat fishing and stinging net fishing, neither route can be relied on for now. I have to think of other ways.”

After a simple breakfast, the first task was still to check the traps; he first checked the lasso traps he had set along the rabbit trails in the forest.

However, after inspecting all four traps, the results were the same, completely empty, not even any signs of being triggered.

”It seems in this windy weather, those little fellows have also hidden away and aren’t active.”

He also tried searching around the spruce Forest where he had previously spotted grouse, but aside from the swaying trees and the ground covered with rolling leaves, he didn’t spot a single grouse feather.

Helpless, he could only stockpile more firewood to prepare for the possible rainy days ahead.

Lin Yu’an returned to the shelter and opened his food reserve bag, which was already running low. A few pieces of smoked fish, a small handful of nuts, and some previously dried berries.

”The situation is indeed a bit grim.”

”If I ration, this food might last another two or three days tops. Which means, if we don’t get new food by tomorrow, I might face a food crisis.”

A strong sense of food crisis, much like the cold wind outside, began to invade his heart.

He realized once again how much luck played a part in his previous successful hunts—whether it’s Beaver or grouse—and that the wild’s norm is scarcity and uncertainty.

”I can’t keep relying on these hunting methods! I need to take the initiative, expand the search area, and try new hunting methods.”

In the afternoon, the wind slightly weakened, but it was still cold. The waves on the lake had subsided a bit, but it was still unsuitable for canoeing.

Lin Yu’an stopped waiting and took action.

He first targeted potential food sources he previously deemed ”not cost-effective” or ”troublesome to handle.”

”I primarily focused on meat before, but now, anything that can provide energy can’t be overlooked.”

He recalled discovering some tall fern roots during his explorations.

”I know some fern roots are rich in starch, they are important food sources in some Primitive Tribe.”

”But I need to very carefully identify them and process them correctly, like long soaking, mashing, and rinsing, to remove toxins.”

”It’s a high-risk choice, but if I can confirm it’s a safe variety and learn the proper processing methods, it could serve as an emergency food.”

He also thought of the inner bark of trees, where in extreme Hunger conditions, the inner peel of some trees like pine and birch can be eaten, containing a small amount of sugar and nutrients.

Besides these plant sources, he also turned his attention to smaller animals.

”Maybe I overlooked the little critters before, like forest mice and field mice.”

Lin Yu’an spoke to the camera with a somewhat complex expression, ”In the face of survival, nothing is unacceptable, protein is protein.”

He began carefully searching around the shelter and near some deadwood and stone piles for traces of these small creatures and tried crafting smaller, more hidden micro traps.

For instance, using thin string to make ”hanging neck snares,” or using stone chips and thin wooden sticks to set up ”micro-pressure plate traps.”

While setting up micro traps, he hadn’t given up his desire for larger prey.

Even with the bad weather, he decided on a short tracking and scouting trip.

He wandered through the forest for over three hours, but still found no traces of any large animals.

In the evening, Lin Yu’an returned to the shelter, exhausted.

The day’s hunt was still not ideal.

The identification and processing of fern roots were too complex, and without certainty, he dared not try lightly.

He scraped some tree bark, but upon tasting it, found it bitter and hard to swallow, leaving it as a last resort.

And all the micro traps set today yielded nothing.

Lin Yu’an smiled bitterly, ”It seems nature wants to test my limits.”

The atmosphere inside the shelter felt somewhat oppressive, with the food scarcity weighing on his heart like a giant stone.

Lin Yu’an rubbed his slightly cold hands and opened his food reserve bag.

”Although today’s exploration was not fruitful, life must go on, and dinner cannot be sloppy.”

”Moreover, especially in times like this, ensuring energy intake is crucial to tackling tomorrow’s challenges.”

He took out a few pieces of smoked fish, caught earlier, from the food reserve bag.

After smoking, the fish appeared tempting with a reddish-brown color, emitting a faint smoky aroma, but also turned dry and tough after being stored for days.

He scooped a small block of solid Beaver oil with a wooden spoon from another small clay pot.

Lin Yu’an placed the stainless steel pot over the stovetop, and once it was hot, he cut a large chunk of Beaver oil with a small knife and tossed it into the pot.

”Sizzle—”

Beaver oil quickly melted under high heat, producing a delightful sound, while a rich and distinctive greasy aroma instantly spread throughout the stone house.

When the oil temperature rose, he cut those dry and hard smoked fish into appropriately sized pieces and tossed them into the boiling oil.

”Smoked fish is relatively dry and tough; sautéing it in Beaver oil slightly lets the fish absorb the grease and becomes more tender and brings out a richer flavor.”

”More importantly, it allows me to consume more Beaver oil with the smoked fish; I don’t want to someday have to eat Beaver oil dry.”

Lin Yu’an carefully turned the fish pieces in the pot with chopsticks, ensuring each piece received even heat and was coated in a golden layer of grease.

When the fish pieces were sautéed to a crispy and tender texture, with an enticing golden hue on the surface, Lin Yu’an removed them from the pan and placed them in a clean clay bowl.

No rice, no vegetables, just these few pieces sautéed in Beaver oil and smoked fish. But at this moment, in Lin Yu’an’s eyes, it was undeniably a delicacy worth anticipating.

He picked up a piece of still hot sautéed fish, blew on it, then eagerly placed it in his mouth.

”Mmm—!”

Lin Yu’an’s eyes lit up instantly, and his chewing became particularly enjoyable.

After being sautéed in Beaver oil, the originally dry and tough smoked fish became tender! The smoky taste was perfectly invigorated and enveloped by the grease.

Lin Yu’an muttered indistinctly in admiration, chewing rapidly while savoring the pure satisfaction brought by the grease and protein.

He eagerly placed each piece of sautéed fish into his mouth, eating with relish.

Even the remaining grease with fish fragments in the bowl, he carefully scraped with his fingers and swallowed, wasting nothing.

When the last piece of sautéed fish went down, Lin Yu’an smacked his lips, relishing the lingering aroma in his mouth.

He glanced at the stainless steel pan just used to sauté fish, its bottom still dotted with a layer of golden grease and some fish scraps, a gleam appeared in his eyes.