Chapter 171 - 73: Friendship-Terminating Divine Artifact
Sharpened the two axes and tested the sharpness of the axe blades with a fingertip.
A bit dull—definitely not suitable for slicing vegetables, but just right for chopping wood.
Picked up the Long-handled Axe and looked out of the cave.
The rain brewing within the clouds was gradually dissipating. Though it hadn't stopped yet, if this trend continued, it would soon turn into a light drizzle, not enough to cause a chill.
Mindful of the stones and wooden planks on the beach, and worried that the mystery reward might be ruined by the rain, Chen Zhou decided not to take the safest approach. He donned a leather cloak, a wide-brimmed hat, and tucked the Long-handled Axe into his belt before setting off.
Lai Fu was not tied up and quickly followed as its owner stepped out. Chen Zhou had intended to leave it in the cave but couldn't bring himself to tie it up.
The memory of it relieving itself in the cave last time was still vivid, so he could only try to persuade Lai Fu not to follow.
But Lai Fu wouldn't have any of it, wagging its tail and nudging his cloak with its head, all the while looking adorably ingratiating.
With no other choice, Chen Zhou had to take Lai Fu down the mountain with him.
Following behind the dog, Chen Zhou watched from a distance as its fur got soaked by the rain and thought privately that when he had the time, he should make a raincoat for Lai Fu out of sealskin.
On this island with no medicine or doctors, having anyone or any animal fall ill would be troublesome.
You can't rely entirely on resistance.
...
Arriving at the beachfront, Chen Zhou didn't even need to get close; from a distance, he already knew the answer—success!
The wooden and stone walls around the reward had been cut once again. Even with stakes propping them on both sides, they could no longer maintain their shape.
Due to the wind and rain, the wooden and stone walls began to tilt from the top and collapse on one side. A few slabs cut flat on both sides were wettened by the rain and slanted on the beach, reflecting light conspicuously.
The closer he got, the more distinct the cut wooden and stone slabs became.
They were scattered on the sandy ground, turning the area into a small construction material depot.
He stepped forward, picked up a few wooden planks and stone bricks, and flipped them over for inspection.
Chen Zhou found they weren't as perfectly cut as he had expected, some were thin, some thick, but the deviations weren't significant.
Of course, some wooden planks and stone bricks were of superior quality, requiring no refinement and could directly be used as building materials.
Chen Zhou picked out the best quality, nearly perfectly leveled stone bricks and wooden planks, and moved them to the edge of the seaside forest.
Then he stacked those of slightly lesser quality, having minor variations on both sides, into a pile.
Finally, he disposed of the poorest quality scraps by leaving them on the beach, to be used for fixing the new wood and stone cutting wall.
After sorting, he took a few planks to sit on and rest for a while. Looking at the neatly stacked wooden planks and stone bricks, Chen Zhou couldn't hide his joy.
The kiln's fireplace, pottery kiln, charcoal kiln, outer walls, floors, and ceilings could all utilize these building materials.
If not for careful observation and bold attempts, he would never have been able to construct the kiln over several decades just by relying on his diligent hands.
It is fortunate for the giant cutting machine, otherwise, he would have been swamped.
...
Checking the sky, the light was slightly dim—it seemed the sun had already passed its zenith and began setting in the west.
Not daring to rest any longer, Chen Zhou drew the Long-handled Axe from his belt and started chopping a new batch of wood and transporting new stones.
At the same time, he organized wood and small stones suitable for tertiary processing, to be added to the "second phase cutting materials" project.
Building the new wood and stone wall, to avoid post-wall construction trouble, he previewed the mystery reward.
This time, the mystery reward deviated from its usual large packaging, consisting of just a black bag of about forty centimeters square. Inside wasn't a box, appearing more like a piece of clothing.
But the weight was far from clothing-like, very heavy, with metallic clinks when shaken, leaving Chen Zhou momentarily unsure of what it might be.
Reflecting on past rewards.
From toilet paper to cement, to canned food, though none were top-tier crucial rewards, each had its own use, unlike the initial rewards.
If each reward was a lottery, Chen Zhou felt he had been quite lucky, repeatedly scoring second prizes, so this time something trashy was to be expected.
However, even garbage varies in quality.
In Chen Zhou's view, metal trash was far superior to plastic trash, while plastic was better than wooden products.
He didn't have high expectations for this reward, treating it as several pieces of unique metal material, and did not immediately inspect it. Instead, he tossed the package beside the material pile in the seaside forest, focusing on building the new wood and stone wall first.
...
Having had the previous experience of wall building, the work progressed much faster this time.
If not for Lai Fu running around the beach, messing with the material arrangement, and disrupting Chen Zhou's work, necessitating frequent scoldings or playful appeasements, he could have finished even earlier.
Before the sun set, he placed the last stone in position.
Before resting, Chen Zhou remembered the mystery reward and retrieved the black package.
Initially intending to mimic last time's behavior, taking the package up the mountain before opening it, he reconsidered upon recalling the metal materials inside.
If the metal items in the package couldn't be disassembled and had to be cut into usable materials, it was just as well to place them on the wood and stone pile now.