King of the Wilderness

Then, he started to loop around the outside of the first Dragon Bone, then weaved through the inside of the second Dragon Bone, then the outside of the third Dragon Bone, the inside of the fourth Dragon Bone...

The willow branches in his hand traveled back and forth with a ”one in, one out” wave-like pattern between the parallel A-frame Dragon Bones.

Each time he threaded the willow, he would pause and use a piece of planed wood as a pusher, forcefully pushing and compacting the newly woven ”weft line,” ensuring a tightly woven wall.

The movements in Lin Yu’an’s hands became increasingly fluent, and the willow branches, with varying shades of bark color, crisscrossed in his hands, gradually connecting four independent A-frame Dragon Bones into a solid and resilient whole.

With great patience, he started from the bottom, weaving upward row by row.

When he reached about half a meter above the ground, he cleverly changed his weaving technique, forming natural willow rings on the inside of each A-frame Dragon Bone that could accommodate wooden poles.

He pointed to those intricate loops and explained, ”These are the slots for securing the bracing rods.”

Once he completely finished weaving both walls, the main structure—a two-meter-long, fully integrated, foldable willow shelter—materialized before him.

He laid the semi-finished piece flat like a huge willow board, then effortlessly unfolded it into an A-frame shape.

The curved top formed a perfect, resilient natural ”hinge.”

Pointing to the triangular openings at the front and rear of the A-frame shelter, he said, ”The main structure is complete. The ends are open, letting the wind in. I plan to seal one end with packed snow.”

”I will position the end of the shelter to be sealed toward the wind, then pile up a thick crescent-shaped snow wall outside it to effectively block the gale, while the other end will remain sheltered.”

Having completed all this, he began to make the final ”Ice Nails.”

”For the nails, we need hardwood.”

Lin Yu’an pulled out a birch log, the thickness of his forearm, from the woodpile: ”Birch wood is hard and has fine grain, it’s the most reliable hard bone in Northern forests. Ground Nails made from it are enough to withstand the pull of fierce winds.”

Using a handsaw, he cut four 30-centimeter-long sections from the birch log covered with silvery-white bark.

He then turned the axe sideways, and with its sharp blade edge, like using a giant carving knife, he began slicing layers from one end of the wood blank downwards along the wood grain, quickly shaping a sharp tip on the wood blank.

Then, he switched to the Hunting Knife, picked up a finished wooden stake, and carved a deep groove around it, about three centimeters from its flat end.

”This groove must be deep enough to hold the rope securely, so it won’t slip during use.”

He scraped the groove’s inner walls repeatedly with the knife edge until it became smooth and polished-like.

After completing all these, a perfect ”Ice Nail” was truly finished.

Using the same meticulous methods, he made three more Ice Nails.

As night fell, the fireplace flames in the shelter flickered, casting a warm orange-red glow on the walls.

Lin Yu’an neatly arranged all the components made that day—the integrated willow shelter, two bracing rods, four Ground Nails—at the shelter entrance, awaiting their first trial on the Ice Lake.

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As night fell, the fireplace flames in the shelter flickered, casting a warm orange-red glow on the walls.

Lin Yu’an didn’t rush to rest; the day’s experiences and that face teeming with Life Energy stirred his thoughts into a restless frenzy.

He got up and, using the blazing campfire’s light, conducted a complete pre-assembly of all the components made today on the snow in front of the shelter.

He unfolded the two willow mats, inserted the bracing rods, and a compact and sturdy A-frame small house stood firmly in the dark.

Simulating a wind-snow wall with piled-up snow at one end, his mind involuntarily drifted to the dark green box quietly lying in the corner.

The ”warmth” brought by Dr. MacKeez Rain hadn’t faded with the arrival of night; instead, in this solitary and silent polar night, it became even clearer.

It burned like a stubborn little flame in the depths of his heart, driving him.

Lin Yu’an paused his work and, after a moment’s hesitation, couldn’t resist the urge, walking back into the shelter and opening the heavy box to take out that deep blue journal again.

He didn’t open the journal but cautiously pulled out the ID card from the inside of the cover.

In the glow of the fire, the photo of Dr. Mac seemed to come alive; those eyes bearing a hint of challenge, the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips, appeared particularly lively amid the dancing light and shadows.

Lin Yu’an watched quietly, as if gazing into the eyes of a long-separated friend.

”Dr. Mac,” he almost said the name silently, then smiled wryly and carefully reinserted the ID card back into its place.

But he didn’t close the journal; instead, he continued reading by the firelight.

This time, he skipped the rigorous scientific data, focusing on the ”private musings” at the page corners.