From Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 224 New Journey

The rainy season is over, and another dry season is coming.

Zhao Shu's body hung on the repaired gallows, exposed to rain and wind, gradually rotting into a skeleton.

Before long, people forgot about him, just as they forgot about their companions who had died in tribal conflicts.

Life must go on.

The wooden and stone walls on the beach were torn down and rebuilt, and the piles of building materials rose high, resembling a small mountain.

Looking down from the mountaintop, a small section of the lush primeval forest is visibly missing, as if it had been devoured by some giant beast.

……

On Saturdays, teachers have their own dedicated office area, which the leader calls the school, meaning a place for learning.

However, the school currently only has one teacher on Saturdays.

Chen Fu, Chen Lu, and Chen Shou, who followed the leader around all day, would occasionally go to the school to teach, but what they taught was very obscure and difficult to understand, and it was of little help to life. Only people who liked to study so-called "mathematics" and "mechanics" would listen to their lectures, such as Zebra.

Most of the time, Fu Lu Shou and his two companions were nowhere to be seen. After they presided over Zhao Shu's execution, they also rarely appeared in public on Sundays.

The veterans were relieved, for they all remembered the ferocious look on Sunday's face when he killed someone. Even after being on the island for so long, the psychological trauma Sunday had left on them could not be erased.

Not being able to see this jinx is undoubtedly a good thing for them.

Of course, even if Sundays still occur frequently, it doesn't have a significant impact on their lives.

Without the rain, their work returned to normal and became busy again.

The leader said that we must protect the environment and pursue sustainable development.

They then replanted saplings in the cleared woodlands, allowing the fertile farmland to rest and reclaim new fields.

This is the crop rotation method the teacher taught us on Saturday.

The leader said that transportation should be taken seriously.

They then built a stone-paved road in the places they frequently traveled.

The chief's newly made cart is much better than the old wooden cart. It is easy to push and sturdy to use. Only those who work the hardest are qualified to use it.

The calves born to those two creatures called "cows" grew stronger and stronger, as if inflated.

The leader instructed Niu Yang to spend more time bonding with the calf and train it to pull the cart, and the training has been quite effective.

They put a ring through the cow's nose, and the cow would follow the person as long as they pulled the ring.

Niu Yang is the name of a herding native. His name was given to him by the chief himself. It is said to be very fitting for his profession and also related to the ocean. Everyone else envied Niu Yang for receiving a name bestowed by the chief. This is not a privilege that just anyone can enjoy.

In addition to the name personally chosen by the leader, Niu Yang also owns a large oxcart. Every one or two days, he would deliver canned milk, goat milk, or dairy products to the factory.

Others, thanks to the leader, could occasionally get some milk to eat.

People followed the leader's example and boiled milk with salt and tea leaves to make salty milk tea for rice or steamed buns, which tasted good and was convenient.

However, tea leaves are hard to come by; such a rare commodity can only be obtained by those who are exceptionally good at their work.

Not all tea-owning people are as generous as zebras. Most of the time, they hide their tea in a corner of their homes and only take it out to enjoy during festivals.

Although the natives don't really appreciate the bitter taste of tea.

But on this island, anything the leader likes represents "trend" and "fashion," and everyone aspires to be a "superior person" like Saturday, Sunday, or the three gods of fortune, prosperity, and longevity.

However, apart from a few model workers, most people see no hope of promotion.

Of course, for the islanders, life is already wonderful enough; it's like paradise.

After all, not everyone is like Zebra or the deceased Zhao Shu, yearning for a higher status.

They felt that living like this until death would be the greatest happiness, and if they could find a "wife" and have a few children, it would be even more perfect.

……

In early February 1664, before the start of the next rainy season, the islanders embarked on a new project—

shipbuilding.

Last year, they worked together to build a sailboat that could hold about twenty people.

According to the newcomers to the island, it was that sailboat that brought them to this paradise.

Now, they want to build a bigger ship, which also means that the leader has a more ambitious goal.

Savvy people are already speculating whether the island is about to welcome a new inhabitant.

The veterans are eager to get started—

Although they cannot improve their status by gaining the leader's favor, the length of time they spend on the island is itself a potential symbol of status. The more new people join the island, the more valuable they become, as they learn more secrets and acquire more knowledge.

The newly tamed islanders were also extremely excited.

There are 24 people on the island. Apart from the leader, Sunday, and Fu Lu Shou who rarely appear, there are only a few people you interact with on a daily basis.

Seeing each other and talking every day will eventually get boring.

Moreover, the first group of people to land on the island were mostly young or middle-aged people, and it wasn't very harmonious to get along with them, given their active and unconventional thinking.

People of their age still have higher expectations for life and hope to experience more novelty.

Shipbuilding was undoubtedly a major and exciting undertaking for them, and the prospect of setting sail became even more alluring and anticipated when the ship was larger, more complex, and more robust than their canoes.

……

During the construction of the new ship, the islanders were able to see their chief appear every day, a rare occurrence.

Working in a factory for long periods without sunlight has made Chen Zhou's skin much fairer, and due to a lack of physical labor and overly good diet, he has gained weight.

He was already taller and stronger than the natives, and now, standing shoulder to shoulder with them, Chen Zhou was almost three times as wide as the natives.

……

The keel inside the new ship was welded with steel bars, which was a technical job. Chen Zhou was not comfortable entrusting it to the natives, so he took charge of it himself.

It was the dry season, and the sun was blazing on the island.

Having spent so much time indoors, Chen Zhou suffered quite a bit during the first few days of welding after returning to outdoor work.

It was common for his clothes and hat to be soaked with sweat. He worked from morning till night, and the fat he had accumulated was decreasing rapidly every day. In just a few days, he shrank a size.

Approaching 30, and despite having spent the four years after 25 in a series of challenges and not having experienced as much as in modern society, Chen Zhou feels that his mindset has undergone considerable changes.

From initially going with the flow, to yearning for equality, and trying to treat everyone with the utmost kindness.

Now that he holds the power of life and death, he treats taking lives as commonplace, spending his days thinking about how to expand his power, plan to manufacture more powerful killing weapons, and acquire wealth.

Chen Zhou increasingly felt that he was becoming more and more out of place in modern society.

Sometimes, when he thinks about what he might encounter after the challenge ends and he returns to the modern world with a huge fortune, a nameless fear always arises in his heart.

He fears that his current lawless self, upon returning to the modern world, will still prefer to solve problems with violence, thus facing legal consequences. How long will it take to erode and adapt to the superior mentality cultivated over 28 years?

Chen Zhou didn't know.

He could only console himself that there was always a way out, and he welded the steel frame of the new ship bit by bit, ordering the natives to saw planks, forge rivets, and install them onto the frame little by little.

Once something starts, it can't be stopped.

This isolated island is like a wagon loaded with goods, speeding down a slope.

The faster it goes, the harder it is to stop.

Chen Zhou's desire for wealth and power is expanding at the same rate as this "carriage" grows.

In this backward and ancient era, his knowledge and ideas, as well as the equipment and resources brought by the mysterious reward, are all weapons that allow him to surpass the entire world.

Who, possessing such weapons, would be content to stay put, guarding their own little corner of the island, instead of trying to achieve great things?

……

There is strength in numbers.

More advanced, larger, and more robust sailing ships were quickly assembled through the concerted efforts of all the islanders.

Two days before the rainy season arrived, the sailboat was launched into the ocean.

The anchor was dropped, and the unraised sails fluttered in the sea breeze, as if calling to the brave sailors.

The islanders gathered on the shore to watch the enormous vessel, marveling at its magnificence.

Before long, they saw the owner of the large ship—

Sunday, Chen Fu, Chen Lu, and Chen Shou, along with Kosu and Kulu (who had changed their names), formed a six-person team.

Sunday, Fu Lu Shou, and the other three were dressed in flashy and bizarre camouflage combat uniforms, each carrying a long gun on their backs. They were the main combat personnel for this sea voyage to capture the natives.

During the days they remained out of sight, they underwent military-style training devised by Chen Zhou in the secluded forest behind the factory.

In addition to obedience training, physical training, firearms training, melee weapon use, and wilderness survival training, they also take cultural courses tailored for them by Chen Zhou. Compared with other indigenous people, they are more like modern people.

……

The last time Chen Zhou went to sea, he had to keep it a secret, fearing that other natives would discover his actions.

Now, Chen Zhou makes no attempt to conceal his intentions.

With four improved Chen rifles, a sufficient supply of ammunition, and the American-style composite bows of Kosu and Kulu, there was no need to fear the uncivilized natives on the island.

If the theme of the last operation was "infiltration," then the theme of this one is "plunder."

There was no elaborate departure ceremony, nor a grand departure banquet.

After the six-person team boarded the ship, they stood together at the side of the boat and saluted Chen Zhou. After Chen Zhou waved to indicate that everything was going smoothly and they could continue their mission, they weighed anchor, raised the sails, and sailed into the depths of the sea, facing the high morning sun.

……

As the new ship departed, before the islanders had left, Chen Zhou announced some exciting news—

Starting today, that old sailboat will be handed over to the fishing team.

The fishermen who fished every day were overjoyed to hear the news.

Although the old sailboats were not as good as the new boats that had just set sail, they were still much bigger and more convenient than the canoes they were using now.

With this ship, they could travel to the open sea, catch more fish and shrimp, earn more rewards, and trade more resources with others. There could be no better news for them.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Zhou announced loudly that a new herder would be selected in the coming days based on each person's performance.

Although Niu Yang only has three cattle on the other side of the hillside, his flock of sheep is growing larger and larger.

In order to protect the grasslands on the other side of the mountain, and also to collect sheep manure for composting and to milk sheep for dairy products, Chen Zhou plans to separate the sheep, with some being raised near the factory and others remaining on the other side of the mountain.

Niu Yang could not possibly take care of two flocks of sheep by himself, which created a new demand for shepherds.

Among the islanders present, some enjoyed their current peaceful life, while others yearned for the life in Niuyang and hoped to have more power.

With no new members joining yet and less competition, many young islanders are secretly putting in their best efforts, like peacocks in heat, eager to use every trick in the book to show their strengths to the leader and prove that they are the best candidate.

……

After announcing the two major events, Chen Zhou returned to the factory with Laifu.

Compared to the last time, he was not so worried about this operation.

With the help of the large ship, the six-person team could easily defeat the natives, let alone a tribe, even a collective attack by more than a thousand natives.

Moreover, with three more capable assistants this Sunday, the success of the operation is practically a foregone conclusion, and there's nothing to doubt.

This time, he did not make any specific requirements regarding the age and gender of the indigenous people to be captured; everything was left to Sunday to decide.

The island was inhabited entirely by male natives, and he thought it might be time to capture some female natives to neutralize the excessive yang energy.

Moreover, some tasks are better suited to be done by women, such as the textile machine he is currently researching and is about to complete.

It would be quite difficult for the natives to rely on men to embroider. If they could capture some skillful women on Sunday, they could turn the cashmere they had accumulated over the years into fabric.

The clothes brought from the ship are more than enough for one person, but given the current population growth on the island, it won't be long before new members have nothing to wear.

Before engaging in communication and trade with the outside world, Chen Zhou wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible, solving the most basic problems of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation before considering longer-term matters.

Besides, men and women working together makes the work less tiring.

Humans are, after all, animals driven by desires. Just because Chen Zhou wasn't interested in the appearance of the indigenous women doesn't mean that other islanders couldn't accept the appearance of their own kind.

Once people are well-fed and clothed, they begin to indulge in lustful desires. After they have enough to eat and wear, and own houses, the only things that can allow islanders to release their energy, keep them focused, and firmly bind them to the future of the island are their families and descendants.

……

Chen Zhou didn't know how many indigenous people there were in all the tribes on the islands combined, but he estimated that there were at most two or three thousand people.

There may also be many elderly, weak, women and children among them.

Population growth on the Big Island cannot always rely on raiding the natives of the archipelago; this is not a game, and those who are captured will not be created out of thin air.

To ensure a brighter future for one's power, starting a family and welcoming a newborn is essential.

24 years is enough for a generation to grow up.

New members born on the Big Island receive a more modern education from a young age, thus embarking on a life path that is completely different from their parents'.

Chen Zhou thought that one day when he leaves this world, the greatest wealth he will leave behind may not be those improved weapons and machines, but the generation that will grow up receiving modern education in the future.

A whole group of young people whose ideas and knowledge are hundreds of years ahead of the rest of the world will surely overturn the entire era and become trendsetters standing at the forefront of the times.

His "butterfly" flapping its wings may stir up a storm that will shake the world.

(End of this chapter)