Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 33 Fish Glue and Arrows

[You have captured two pheasants. Your family main quest progress has increased by 0.2 units.]

As Li Wei handed the pheasant to Fila for her to handle, a line of information silently appeared.

So that's how it's calculated; it's a bit rough.

He grumbled inwardly, but didn't pay much attention. So far, he had already learned the units of measurement for some items.

For example, logs might be priced by cubic meter, with one cubic meter being one unit, and firewood is likely to be priced similarly.

Dried wild vegetables are sold in baskets, which weigh about three kilograms each.

Wet wild vegetables are calculated by multiplying this by five.

Iron ingots are measured in kilograms.

Charcoal is sold in units of five kilograms.

Unfortunately, he still didn't know what the standard supplies required for customs clearance were, or how much one unit was.

When you're under someone's roof, you have no choice but to follow the rules.

Li Wei's thoughts wandered. He rested in the camp for a while, watching Fila skillfully pluck the pheasant and process the five fish in the fish basket, each weighing at least three or four pounds. It was a truly artistic process, like flowing clouds and water. Without a doubt, if Fila had obtained the Butcher Card, she should have already reached two stars.

This means she is now a dual-profession player.

The two pheasants were quickly eaten, but the fish was dried and left to air dry, as it was Fira's personal property.

“George, take these pheasant feathers and clean them. They can be used to make feathered arrows, but the feathers need to be cut, pasted, and glued together. These fish bladders can be boiled into fish glue. You are a good boy, and you should learn to master these skills. Mom has high hopes for you.”

Fila said with a pleased expression, without a hint of unease.

This is a master and also the sixth one.

However, the next second, a line of information appeared.

[A professional chef is offering to sell you five fish maws for making fish glue and is willing to share some tips on the process. You will need to pay 50 experience points to purchase this item.]

Sure enough, Fira is definitely a master of wilderness survival in the real world; she even knows how to make fish glue.

However, 50 points of random experience is too expensive; it's equivalent to the experience he gets from killing ten pheasants.

Besides, there probably aren't enough swim bladders for these five fish. It feels like we've run into a capitalist who'd hang them on a streetlight.

For a moment, Li Wei felt conflicted, and he really had the urge to cast a plot device to kill this old bitch.

But then again, if it were Penny, she would most likely also ask for an exorbitant price, because she would definitely know how fish glue is made. Those two feathered wolf-tooth arrows he had before were made by Penny at some point.

Penny had no intention of teaching him, since making arrows was not only a skill but also a business. Unless he specifically requested it in the main quest of becoming the head of the family, Penny would never make arrows for him for free.

So what can be done? If you lack sufficient knowledge, you're bound to suffer this loss.

After much deliberation, Li Wei finally conceded defeat and exchanged 50 hunting experience points for the method of making fish glue.

Fila was honest and explained to him in detail how to cook it, how to control the temperature, such as never boiling it, and that after cooking it should be cooled in the cold stream for several hours, as well as the requirements for the surrounding environment.

He even specifically told him that only the plumage and tail feathers on a pheasant are usable.

“George, I’ve heard that goose or eagle feathers are the best for making arrows, while pheasant feathers are less suitable and are more prone to getting damp, moldy, and infested with insects. If you succeed in making them, you must keep them safe.”

"Also, although oak is hard, it's really not suitable for making arrow shafts. You can choose ash or bamboo shafts instead."

Fila spoke at length this time, almost as if she were sharing all her knowledge. Li Wei certainly benefited greatly, but at the same time, he felt puzzled; Fila's intentions seemed rather complex.

After a long while, he suddenly realized that Fila was playing a game of checks and balances.

If Penny becomes strong, she will support him.

Once he shows signs of becoming stronger, she will side with Penny again.

This person is so confident, aren't they afraid of messing things up?

Or is this preparation for her to become the head of the household next month?

Even though it was still early, Li Wei didn't plan to go hunting. Instead, he followed Fila's instructions, first selecting suitable pheasant feathers, then boiling them to remove the oil and soften them before cutting them into suitable shapes.

Next, boil the fish maw. Whether it turns out well or not is not important. What is important is to keep practicing, learn from experience, and keep perfecting it.

Because arrows can be considered an important strategic resource.

As a hunter, you may be able to switch to archery in the future, and you must master all of these skills.

Penny hadn't returned by noon, which meant she must have gone somewhere very far away.

Her goal was to find more iron ore, or even an iron mine.

That's not so easy, but if we can actually find an iron ore mine, we might be able to turn things around.

Upon realizing this, Li Weicai understood that Fila's actions today were both an attempt to win him over and a way to counter any potential unforeseen events.

In the afternoon, Li Wei continued to cook fish maw. This task required careful control of the heat, because the fish maw could not be boiled and the cooking temperature could not be too high. Therefore, he was unable to spare any time to do other things and almost messed it up several times.

As evening fell and the sun set, Fila drove the old ox back home, and Penny also returned, exhausted. The first thing she saw was what Li Wei was doing, and then she glanced back at Fila, seemingly annoyed.

Because it was supposed to be a steady, long-term business, this old bitch actually sold it off cheaply in order to compete with her. However, she could only keep her anger to herself, after all, they were a loving family.

Li Wei then collected the cooked fish maw and took it to cool in the stream. This process was also quite long, and the quality of the final product was hard to guarantee, but it should be enough for short-term use.

After working on it for most of the night, Li Wei was busy selecting and cutting arrow shafts and attaching feathers with fish glue. He was extremely busy, but finally managed to make four feathered wolf-tooth arrows.

Even so, this cannot be considered a qualified arrow. Over the next long period of time, he will have to test it little by little, to check what the most suitable center of gravity of the arrow shaft should be, whether the rotation is balanced, the accuracy of the actual shot, and so on.

Only then can the talents of a professional hunter be combined to achieve the best actual shooting effect.

Anyway, he is full of expectations for the future.

Over the next few days, Li Weiyi hunted and also learned from Fira how to weave fish baskets to catch fish. Occasionally, he would go to the river to make traps to catch fish. The fish he caught could also be used as the main family quest, and the fish bladders he obtained could be used to make fish glue.

Because fish maw cannot be stored for a long time, it must be cooked and used immediately, and then made into qualified feather arrows and stored in a cool, dry place.

Li Wei's archery skills also continued to improve, especially as the arrows he made became more and more standardized and the data in all aspects improved. He could now hit flying pheasants with 100% accuracy within 20 meters.

That's right. Pheasants are the most abundant species in the surrounding forests where you don't need to go deep, and they have become his most frequent prey. On average, he can shoot three to five pheasants a day, and if he's lucky, he can shoot seven or eight.

As the main family quest progresses, the amount of feathers suitable for crafting arrows also increases.

Optimistically, he should be able to collect about fifty qualified arrows by the time he finishes this month's task.

As for Fila and Penny, they were even more aggressive, working from dawn till dusk, striving to become the head of the household for the next month.

It's hard to say who will emerge victorious.
However, as a novice, Li Wei was able to learn from observing how these two bitches fought amongst themselves. The tricks they were playing so far had already benefited him greatly.

(End of this chapter)