Chapter 4 (1/2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Very quickly, according to Fu Rui’s request, Yuan completed the mission.

Then, Fu Rui pressed the piece of wood on top of the drill rod and smiled with satisfaction. “Not bad, this is just nice.”

Yuan squatted beside him and looked at the device she had never seen before. Then, she asked curiously, “Rui, what are you doing?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that I’m starting a fire?”

Yuan shook her head as quickly as a rattle.

Fu Rui chuckled. “Then you’d better watch carefully!”

As he spoke, he placed some sand and sawdust into the hole in the wood. Then, he exerted strength with both hands at the same time. The hand pressing the wood from the top ensured that the drill rod remained upright. Meanwhile, the hand holding onto the curved rod pulled the rod back and forth, causing the drill rod to be constantly turned by the rope.

Drilling wood to start a fire was very strenuous and took a lot of skill. The requirements for the materials were also very harsh.

In the wild, it was difficult to find completely dry tinder or a completely dry rope.

If the newly-made rope was damp, it would easily slip, causing the efficiency of the bow drill to decrease.

Under circumstances when the materials used were not ideal, there were times when a few hours were not enough to produce a spark.

This was a challenge that tested one’s endurance and stamina greatly. Even though Fu Rui had sufficient theoretical knowledge, he did not have actual practical experience.

This also caused him to experience many failures. Even the sky had become much darker.

The sound of thunder had shifted overhead. It could rain at any moment.

Fu Rui continued to silently drill into the fire. After nearly ten minutes, there was a lot more charcoal in the hole below, but there was no smoke.

This meant that there were no sparks. Perhaps the wood was not dry enough, or perhaps Fu Rui’s bow drill was not efficient enough to produce and sustain a sufficient amount of heat.

Fu Rui was already very tired, but when he saw Yuan’s expectant expression, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

There was still a chance now. If it rained later and all the materials were soaked, there would be no possibility of starting a fire.

This time, he smeared some mud on the rope to increase the friction between the drill rod and the rope before increasing his speed.

Soon, faint smoke appeared for the umpteenth time.

Fu Rui gritted his teeth, his veins bulging on his forehead.

He began to use all his strength to turn the drill rod.

As a result, the smoke thickened with his effort.

His hands were so fast that they could leave afterimages behind. His muscles were tense, and he almost lost consciousness. All that was left was a mechanical movement.

Finally, Fu Rui saw a spark appear in the small ditch!

When he saw the dim light, he immediately stopped what he was doing. Then, he carefully raised the wooden block and let the sparks fall into the fire.

Then, he held some tinder in his hand and blew continuously to maintain the flow of air inside the tinder. This allowed the sparks to have sufficient oxygen to continue burning.

Soon, thick smoke came out from the tinder. Immediately after, there was an orange-red flame!

“Fire! It’s really a fire!” Yuan widened her eyes in surprise and looked at Fu Rui with admiration. “Rui, are you a wizard? You can actually create fire!”

However, Fu Rui did not dare to be careless. He quickly placed the hard-earned flame on the ground and placed the tree branches that he had collected earlier on it.

“Please don’t destroy it.”

Fu Rui panted heavily. He had not eaten for a long time, and he no longer had the strength to drill out another spark.

If the fire was extinguished because the tinder was not dry enough, then both he and Yuan would have to starve tonight.

It was unknown if it was because of his prayers, but the flame burned steadily and fiercely. Soon, it ignited a bunch of branches and turned into a raging fire.

Fu Rui heaved a sigh of relief. All that was left was to ensure that the fire wouldn’t go out because of the rain.

“Yuan, go and collect wood now. Hurry!”

After witnessing Fu Rui’s ability to create flames with his bare hands, Yuan had already treated him as a supreme wizard and listened to his every word. She immediately went to the vicinity to gather dry wood.

There was no lack of wood in the forest. Fu Rui also started to move the wood continuously. After that, he and Yuan worked together to carry a thick and sturdy tree trunk over before placing it on a rock at the side as a support.

Then, they placed the long branches on one side and covered them with plants that looked like palm leaves and moss. Then, they covered them with dead leaves.