American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

With a "click," the end of the tent pole snapped firmly into the latch in the corner of the tent.

Suwei didn't stop; he used the same method to secure the other three tent poles.

With the last tent pole in place, the orange tent fabric was quickly unfurled, billowing in the darkening snow-covered forest. A shelter from the wind and snow was ready.

He knelt on the snow, patted the taut tent wall to make sure everything was alright, and then went on to do other things.

The marshmallow circled the suddenly appearing orange thing twice, sniffed it, and even curiously reached out its paw to try and poke it.

"Hey, don't move."

Su Wei's voice was not loud, but it was stern.

The marshmallow's paws hovered in mid-air, its blue eyes looking at him, tilting its head in confusion.

It could sense that Suwei's tone seemed different from usual.

Suwei didn't pay much attention to the little guy; he had more important things to do.

He stood up and moved the bundle of devil's claws to a sheltered spot behind the tent, close to a large rock.

After doing all this, Su Wei turned to look at the little fox that was still watching the tent.

"come over."

He patted the snow in front of him.

Cotton Candy hesitated for a moment, then ran over with small steps, squatted down in front of him, and flicked her tail behind her.

Suwei crouched down to look it in the eye.

"Why did you disobey me and chase the rabbit this afternoon?" he asked calmly.

Cotton Candy couldn't understand Suwei's language, but it could sense that he had changed and become somewhat stern, which made it instinctively want to hide.

It instinctively shrank its neck and let out a whimper.

"I know that's your instinct."

Suwei reached out, but instead of touching its head, he pinched its furry nape.

The force wasn't great, but the little fox's body immediately stiffened.

The way its mother pinched the back of its neck was when she was disciplining it.

"But here, disobeying means death. Not only will you die, but I could die because of you too."

Suwei could feel the little guy's body trembling.

As he spoke, he was thinking about the worst-case scenario.

It chased after the rabbit and ran into a brown bear that had just woken up and was hungry.

Or, it might slip and fall into an ice hole covered by snow.

No matter which one it is, you can't save it yourself.

"We're partners." He slowed his movements, gently stroking the soft fur on the back of its neck with his fingers. "Partners must trust each other. I need your nose and ears, and you need my gun and brain. If you're always acting recklessly, there's no point in us working together."

"You have to listen to me, Marshmallow. You have to trust me."

He let go.

Cotton Candy didn't run away immediately, but sat there blankly, her blue eyes full of confusion.

Suwei stopped paying attention to it and decided to let it think about it on its own.

He knew very well that teaching Cotton Candy well was not something that could be done in a short time.

Moreover, it was once a real wild beast.

Today is just the beginning.

He took out a portable gas stove and a cooking pot from his backpack, along with a piece of butter wrapped in oil paper, a small bag of flour, and a few pieces of beef jerky.

It was completely dark.

The surrounding woods were dark, and the temperature dropped rapidly; the white breath we exhaled seemed to freeze instantly.

Su Wei unscrewed the gas canister and lit it.

A small cluster of blue flames lit up, bringing a little light and warmth to the darkness.

He threw the butter into the pot, and the aroma of the butter immediately filled the cold air.

Shila-

The oil melted and started bubbling at the bottom of the pot.

He threw the hard beef jerky into the oil and stir-fried it, letting the pieces absorb the oil and soften again.

Then, he grabbed a handful of clean snow and stuffed it into the pot.

The snow melted as soon as it was heated, making a "sizzling" sound and releasing white steam.

He scooped in another spoonful of flour and quickly stirred it with a wooden spoon, turning everything into a thick paste.

Finally, he threw in the remaining beef jerky, added enough snow, covered the pot, and simmered it over low heat.

In the winter wilderness, a pot of hot meat paste with oil and carbohydrates is more satisfying than any delicacy.

Only after finishing these tasks did he have time to deal with today's harvest.

He re-examined the roots of those devil's claws, carefully scraping off the dirt with his saber.

Next, he wrapped everything in a spare waterproof cloth, and finally tied it tightly with a rope, one end of which was tied to the trunk of a nearby spruce tree.

These things need to be dried quickly, otherwise the medicinal effect will be greatly reduced.

He had already decided that when he got back to the cabin, he would slice them, string them together, and hang them by the fireplace to dry.

Only dry goods can fetch the best price.

I don't know when, but Cotton Candy came over.

It didn't make a sound, but quietly lay down at Suwei's feet, its nose twitching as it faced the direction of the cooking pot, clearly attracted by the aroma.

The pot was bubbling away, and the aroma of meat and oil wafted out from under the lid, chasing away some of the surrounding chill.

Suwei leaned against the cold, large rock, his back was cold, and his front was warm from the flames. This feeling made his mind particularly clear.

He took out his Browning rifle, removed the magazine, and, by the light of the fire, inspected the bolt and firing pin once more.

In this wilderness, this gun was half his life, the only companion he could completely trust.

A few minutes later, the meat paste was ready.

Su Wei lifted the lid of the pot, and a sizzling aroma of meat wafted out.

He scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.

The batter was very hot, and the savory flavors of butter and venison mingled together. Although it wasn't heavily seasoned, the taste was just average.

But once the heat went down, I felt warm all over.

The aches and pains from a day's work seem to have lessened considerably.

[Ding! You have successfully made and consumed 'High-Calorie Meat Paste' in the wild. Life Module Experience +15.]

【Life Skills Module lv2 (18/300)】

[Your "Simple Dietary Supplement" effect has been triggered: This meal will grant you a temporary buff, "Stamina Recovery (Slight)," lasting for 2 hours.]

Su Wei's eyes flickered.

The new effects after upgrading the life module can be triggered with such a simple method.

Although it's just a minor boost, in the wild, any improvement can be a lifesaver in a critical moment.

He looked at the cotton candy at his feet.

The little fox was staring longingly at the pot in his hand, making a pleading whimper.

Su Wei used the pot lid to scoop out a small portion of the meat paste and placed it on the ground to cool.

He pointed to the food, then to himself, and finally shook his head firmly.

"No one is allowed to take my food without my permission."

He then pointed to the portion on the ground and nodded at it.

"That's yours."

Marshmallow tilted her head, as if trying to figure out what he meant.

Su Wei ignored him and continued eating the meat paste from the pot.

Cotton Candy watched Su Wei eat bite by bite, then looked down at the portion on the ground. After hesitating for a long time, she still didn't dare to touch it, but just stretched her neck to smell the aroma.

Suwei finished eating, put the empty pot aside, and nodded at it.

The little fox then cried out happily and rushed over to lick it quickly.

[Successfully trained your pet; taming experience +11.]

【Beast Taming Module Lv2 (28/300)】

The Beast Taming module has given me experience for the first time.

Su Wei was somewhat surprised, but then he was filled with despair.

It seems I've been too indulgent with cotton candy before.

However, seeing it like this, Suwei knew that today's education had worked.

Establishing rules requires patience, and even more so, it requires repeating this process every day.

After eating and drinking my fill, I felt warm all over.

Suwei tidied everything up.

He crawled into the tent, zipped it up, and shut out the cold and danger outside.

Marshmallow followed him in, curling up next to his sleeping bag and turning into a fluffy white ball.

The tent wasn't very big, but it felt like a small fortress, giving one a sense of security.

Suwei did not go to sleep immediately.

He leaned against his backpack, closed his eyes, but his mind was racing with calculations.

Today's harvest of Devil's Claws can sell for over eight thousand US dollars, the gathering module has been upgraded, and rules have been established for Cotton Candy.

But this is not enough.

Eight thousand US dollars is far from enough to cover a debt of sixteen thousand.

He needs to work faster and make more money.

Making money by harvesting mountain products depends heavily on luck.

Even if he has a collection module, it's the same.

Of course, having the gathering module will make his "luck" even better.

You might find the Devil's Claw today, but you might not find it tomorrow.

The truly stable and quick way to make money is still hunting.

A complete pelt from an adult brown bear can sell for thousands or even tens of thousands of US dollars.

A moose, its antlers and hide are also very valuable.

His gathering module is already at LV2, but the grayed-out hunting module remains unlit.

According to the system's rules, he needs to complete a real hunt.

The snow rabbit that ran away doesn't count.

Besides, we didn't even hunt anything.

It must be a successful kill that involves drawing blood.

Su Wei opened his eyes. In the darkness, his fingers touched the Browning rifle beside him, feeling the cold, hard texture of the gun.

tomorrow.

I'll find a suitable target as soon as it's light tomorrow.

He must unlock the hunting module; that's his only chance to survive in this wilderness and pay off his debts!

Late at night.

Outside the tent, the wind howled through the trees, occasionally mingled with the calls of wild animals in the distance.

Su Wei listened intently, but his heart remained calm.

He pulled his sleeping bag tighter around himself.

The marshmallow next to me was breathing very evenly.

Tomorrow is tomorrow.

Let's go try a real hunt.