In just a few minutes, Li Yuan's speed slowed down more and more, and finally, he simply stopped.
"Captain, I... I can't row anymore," Avril said timidly, looking at the bow of the boat, afraid that this fierce boat would scold her.
"Well, let's take a break. I forgot you've been drifting in the sea for several days. By the way, there are a few pieces of dried fish on the boat, you can have some first."
"Really?" Avril asked cautiously, a bit incredulous that this guy who had snatched her plank and bra could have such a gentle side.
"Of course."
Avril was obviously starving. With Li Yuan's permission, she grabbed the dried blackhead fish and started eating it heartily, without any regard for her image. Who knows if all daughters of the sea are this uninhibited?
After a few bites, Avril suddenly remembered something and turned to Rookie, saying, "Rookie, I'm sorry, I ate your rations, but don't worry, once I regain my strength, I'll catch more fish. Oh, you must be hungry too, have some as well."
Even though Rookie's meals had always been good, the fact that Avril could still think of Rookie when she was so hungry made Li Yuan look at her in a new light.
Li Yuan had been wary of Avril all along.
He sympathized with Avril's plight and wanted to trust her, but after all, they had just met. In these times, with Li Yuan's status, he had to be cautious.
Women can't be trusted, especially beautiful ones! Li Yuan didn't want to be capsized by a woman.
As for whether Avril was trustworthy, only time and experience could tell.
Seeing her eating with Rookie, Li Yuan relaxed a bit and opened the Information Panel to check the details.
[Host: Li Yuan]
[Vessel: Small Single-Layer Plank Boat]
[Crew: 2]
[Speed: ? (Open to view details)]
[Combat Power: 1.5]
[Load Capacity: 79.6/300 (kg)]
[Evolution Progress: 0.1/50 (Wood)]
The clothes were almost dry by now, and it seemed like the load wouldn't fluctuate anymore. Rookie weighed 20 kg, Avril 50 kg, and the remaining supplies on Li Yuan's boat weighed about 10 kg.
"Damn, the speed has changed, but what's with the question mark?"
Li Yuan quickly opened the "Speed" option, and a brand-new information sheet appeared in his mind.
[Power Equipment: Oar *2]
[Power System: Artificial Power]
[Speed: Artificial power is greatly affected by individual differences and individual states, making stable navigation impossible, hence the speed cannot be calculated. (Adding crew can mitigate individual differences)]
"Hmm?" Li Yuan thought for a moment. The system had a point. Currently, only Avril could row, and when she was tired, the speed dropped; when she rested, the speed became zero, indeed unstable. If there was one more person, they could take turns rowing, making it more stable.
By extension, if 50 people rowed simultaneously, it would be different.
From this perspective, it seemed that crew members were quite important.
Although the result was somewhat disappointing, Li Yuan saw it as an inspiring outcome.
Even though the current speed wasn't displayed, at least Li Yuan had equipped "Power Equipment" and a "Power System," which was a historic step forward!
"Not bad, quite a significant improvement!" Li Yuan nodded with satisfaction... The bow dipped twice, almost throwing Avril and Rookie off.
Li Yuan ignored them and continued to check the next item.
[Resource Gathering: 79]
"So many?" Li Yuan was a bit surprised.
[Newly Collected Resources (68): Cotton and Linen Clothes (16); Plastic Bottles (4); Antibiotic Medicines (47); Lifebuoy (1);]
[Original Resources (11): Fish-Skin Rope (6); Fish Bone Nail (4); Small Simple Seawater Purification Device (1)]
Li Yuan glanced at the small medicine bottle and finally understood. There were probably 47 pills in this bottle of antibiotics, which made his resources seem so plentiful.
"Crazy, got excited for nothing." Li Yuan was about to shake his head but remembered the previous situation and held back.
"Open the Manufacturing List."
The Manufacturing List now had two sub-options, one was "Newly Manufacturable Items List," and the other was "Original Manufacturable Items List."
The Original Manufacturable Items List still had those five items: Fish-Skin Hull, Short Rope, Fish Bone Nail, Dried Blackhead Fish, and Small Simple Seawater Purification Device. Li Yuan didn't have fish skin materials now, but the manufacturable items still existed in the list, indicating that once an item appeared, it would always remain in the list.
Li Yuan had memorized these items long ago and quickly skipped them, "Check new items."
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[Newly Manufacturable Items List: 4]
[Hemp Rope: 157/1 (Cotton and Linen Materials) More durable than fish-skin-made short ropes, can be used to secure masts, sails, etc., commonly used in sailing.]
[Hemp Fishing Net: 157/50 (Hemp Rope) Used for fishing, mesh width can be set, nets can be spliced together.]
[Buoy: 4/1 (Plastic Bottle) 0.1/1 (Wood) 0/1 (Stone) Used for marking.]
[Rubber Hull: 1/10 (Rubber) Increases buoyancy, enhances load capacity, reduces hull corrosion.]
"So many things can be made... huh, wait a minute? Where's my mast? Where's my sail? Why aren't these two here?" Li Yuan was puzzled, "Is the system hiding something good?"
No, I can't trust the system this time. Li Yuan decided to ask his crew member, the professional fisherman, Avril.
"Hey, Avril!"
"Hmm? Captain, are you calling me?" Avril put down the fishing rod and looked toward the bow.
"Can my boat be equipped with a mast and sail?"
"Huh?" Avril was a bit confused, not understanding why the captain was asking her this, but since he did, she answered, "Let me take a look."
Avril carefully examined the ship planks, and after a while, she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, Captain, your boat... I mean, your body... only has one layer of planks, but the craftsmanship is amazing, the mortise-and-tenon joints are so perfect, I've never seen such fine woodworking."
"Stop, focus on the main point," Li Yuan said.
"Oh, sorry, well, if you only have one layer of planks, you definitely can't install a mast."
"Why not?" Li Yuan asked, unconvinced.
"Masts are usually very long, and to keep them balanced, they need to be securely fixed to the ship body. Generally, they're embedded into several layers of planks. With only one layer, it would pierce through, and the ship would leak."
Li Yuan had nothing to say this time. His small frame couldn't secure a mast... As they say, if the system hasn't shown an item, it means his level isn't high enough!
"Oh dear, Captain." Avril was still examining the planks, gently stroking them with her small hands, her brow furrowed as if worried about something, "The hull isn't safe like this. Without a coating, no matter how good the craftsmanship, it's prone to leaking."
"Is it that serious?"
"Yes!" Avril confirmed, "We might sink before reaching the island."
Damn, what a lousy boat, not even as good as a bamboo raft!
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan