Chapter 23: Bird Eggs and Reed Roots (Please Bookmark)

Xu Yi, however, knew the answer. There were six bird eggs up there, and they were quite sizable—about the size of small chicken eggs. After climbing for about ten minutes, Xu Yi reached the bird’s nest.

"Haha, awesome! Bird eggs, I’ve found bird eggs."

"I haven’t used this skill in a long time."

Xu Yi happily placed the eggs from the nest into his woven carrying basket and looked around to survey the area. Unfortunately, the forest was too dense, and he wasn't high enough to see much of anything.

Su Keke wasn't watching Xu Yi. Instead, she held her spear, scanning the surroundings vigilantly. She felt that guarding against wild beasts was far more important than watching Xu Yi.

Going down was much easier than going up. Within a minute, Xu Yi had slid back to the ground.

"Dad, how is it? Are there any bird eggs?" Su Keke asked curiously at that moment.

"Yes, there are six! Look how big they are," Xu Yi said, opening the lid of his basket happily.

"Wow, such big bird eggs! They’re just like chicken eggs." Su Keke took one out and smiled joyfully.

"Yes, they are quite large. If we boil them for lunch, it’ll be enough for a meal."

Having solved the lunch problem so early, Xu Yi felt his stress levels drop significantly. Three bird eggs each, plus five or six tree grubs, would certainly be enough to satisfy their hunger by seventy or eighty percent. However, after consuming so much protein, he felt they needed some carbohydrates. Cassava, kudzu roots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, or yams—these could all serve as sources of carbohydrates and act as a staple food. Unfortunately, Xu Yi hadn't encountered any of these plants yet.

Going without carbohydrates for a long time would dampen one's mood and drain one's fighting spirit. In the wilderness, supplementing with certain carbohydrates was essential.

"Let’s go. We need to keep moving. Hopefully, we can find a water source or some cassava-like plants today."

"Keke, do you recognize kudzu vines?" Xu Yi didn’t know much about plants, so he felt it was more reliable to count on Keke.

"I do. Kudzu root is medicine, but it’s really hard to dig up." Su Keke had tried digging for it alone before; it was exhausting work because the roots grew quite deep.

"If you come across any medicinal plants you recognize, you must remind Dad. Otherwise, I’m afraid I might miss them."

Xu Yi didn’t mention that he didn't know them; he was preparing for the future. What if the system eventually rewarded him with a complete guide to plants? If he didn't know them now but suddenly did later, it would seem quite irrational.

"The grass on the ground is getting thicker, which is a good sign." Although he hadn't made any major discoveries, seeing this made Xu Yi feel optimistic.

"Dad, look, that’s cogon grass. Its roots can be boiled into a cooling tea. Plus, the roots are quite sweet; you can eat them directly." Su Keke had spotted some cogon grass and reported it to Xu Yi with great excitement.

"We happen to need these cogon grass roots. Let's go dig some up."

With that, Xu Yi and Su Keke went to where the cogon grass was growing. Xu Yi realized that what Su Keke called cogon grass was essentially thatch, which could be used to build a thatched hut. However, these stalks were very short, only about twenty centimeters high. To build a proper hut, they would need them to be at least sixty or seventy centimeters tall.

Xu Yi first tried inserting the base of his spear into the soil, attempting to pry it up to get at the roots. He found that the soil here was quite hard, and prying was strenuous. Next, he tried using his axe. It wasn't perfect, but it was at least much better than the spear. The best tools for digging were hoes, pickaxes, or shovels, none of which he possessed. Since he couldn't craft those in a short time, he had to make do with the axe.

Xu Yi carefully cut off the top part of the grass first. The edges of cogon grass were quite sharp and could easily slice through delicate skin. If his hands were calloused from farm work, he wouldn't have to worry, but unfortunately, his hands were still quite soft. Once the stalks were cut away, he began digging with the axe.

After a few strikes, Xu Yi unearthed a root. The cogon root was white. Su Keke wiped off the yellow mud and chewed on it immediately.

"It’s very sweet. It makes delicious soup," Su Keke said with a look of satisfaction, as if she were eating a tasty snack.

Xu Yi kept at it. After digging one up, he broke off a piece and put it in his mouth. After chewing for a moment, he did indeed taste a sweet juice.

"The sweetness is quite faint, but it’s not bad at all." This gave Xu Yi even more motivation.

Although the axe wasn't as efficient as a hoe, it got the job done. After about forty minutes of digging, Xu Yi had extracted all the roots. Su Keke tied them up into three small bundles. In addition, she held a dozen or so roots in her hand to chew on as they walked. She asked if Xu Yi wanted some, but he declined. One "foodie" was enough; it was better for him to exercise some restraint.

Xu Yi rested for a few minutes before he and Su Keke continued on their way. It was not yet 11:00 AM. They could manage at least another hour of travel before stopping for lunch. Without a water source, time was precious, and they couldn't afford to linger on the road for too long. Aside from traveling, the two also needed to look for water-bearing vines. At the moment, their drinking water depended entirely on finding them.

"Dad, could those vines over there be water vines?" Su Keke pointed to a large tree with a mass of vines hanging down from it.

Xu Yi glanced at the time: 11:47.

"Let’s go over and take a look. We can have lunch while we're at it."

"Yay!" Su Keke was overjoyed at the mention of lunch. She was riding on Xu Yi’s back, as her stamina was relatively limited. Every day during their trek, Xu Yi would carry her for a portion of the journey to let her rest.

Soon, the two arrived at the spot. Xu Yi set Su Keke down, swung his axe, and chopped through one of the vines.

"Water! There's water! Dad, we found water vines again!"

The water in their first snake-skin bag had already run out. If Su Keke hadn't chewed on those grass roots, their lips would likely be cracked from dehydration by now.

"That’s great! With this many vines, we have enough to fill both of our water bags." Xu Yi’s mood improved significantly. He handed the vines to Su Keke and prepared to cut more for them to drink.

Just then, Xu Yi suddenly caught a foul odor. A stench of decay hit him, making his stomach churn. It must have been the rotting carcass of some animal, drifting over on the light breeze.