Setting up a net wasn't an easy task. The net that Eriksson brought onto the boat was originally from his family's Shark of the Red Sea. It was meant to be used out at sea and was only stored in the warehouse to be repaired and reconnected.
After all, fishing nets were the most easily damaged fishing gear out at sea. They could be torn apart by rocks, swept away by the waves, destroyed by large fish, and so on.
There weren't any acrylic or petrochemical industries in this era. Most of the materials used to weave nets were hemp rope, leather, animal tendons, ponytails, and human hair. These materials were then mixed together to form a thin rope. Then, they would be coated with fish glue and the like and allowed to dry naturally. Only then would they be weaved into a net. Fishing line was also made of such material.
Nets used at sea were usually dozens of meters long, but the one used by the Eriksson family was damaged at sea. The intact part of the net was still more than six meters long, but it was 3.7 meters wide. In other words, the net had to be placed at a depth of more than four meters to be used.
The river was only a little more than two meters deep, which left everyone dumbfounded.
Seeing that half of the net was floating on the water, Eriksson had no choice but to have everyone put it away and row the boat back to the center of the lake. They found a depth of more than four meters and tossed the net in. Whether or not they could catch anything was up to fate.
As this was a net used at sea, the mesh was rather large. Most of the fish in the lake were smaller than those in the sea, so it would be easy for the net to pass through. That was something they only thought of after putting the net down.
By the time they rowed the boat back into the river, it was already dusk and the sky was starting to darken.
They stopped the boat, dropped the anchor, and tied the mooring rope to a mulberry tree that was as thick as a bowl.
The four of them hurriedly unloaded the luggage from the boat. What they needed to do now was to set up a campsite. If they were too slow, they wouldn't be able to see anything when it got dark.
Eriksson was in charge on the boat, but Welikro was in charge now. He often went hunting with his father in the mountains and was the most experienced in camping out of the four.
"This is it," said Welikro.
Welikro said that the place he was looking for was only about 20 meters away from the river, but it was about seven to eight meters above the water. It was a small flat piece of land on the hillside filled with weeds and shrubs.
"Let's cut down the grass and shrubs first and set up the tent.
Wait, Boa, don't go over there! "shouted Welikro.
Borkal was confused. "Didn't you say we're going to cut the grass?"
"Take this stick and knock about in the grass and bushes."
"Why don't we just cut them down?"
Borkal didn't expect to hear a lot of rustling sounds after he knocked on the bushes with his stick a few times. Four-legged lizards, red-eyed spiders, scorpions, grasshoppers, and all sorts of other small creatures came running out of the bushes, giving him a fright.
"Damn, there's a green snake …" He finally understood why Welikro told him not to cut down. He might get bitten if he wasn't careful.
If it wasn't poisonous, he would just suffer a little pain. If it was poisonous, he would have to use an antidote.
"Why don't we just burn it down? It'll be faster and the ground will be dry," asked Claude.
Welikro shook his head. "We can't burn it now. The weeds and shrubs are very moist. Unless we pour kerosene on them, we only brought a small bottle of kerosene."
However, the four of them cleared the small clearing rather quickly. In less than half an hour, all the weeds and shrubs were cleared.
"Boa, divide the shrubs and use them for a fire at night. Don't use the ones that are too green. They'll produce smoke if they're too moist.
Eyke, find some lime powder and sulfur powder. Sprinkle some lime powder on the ground and sulfur powder around the perimeter to prevent poisonous insects from getting close.
Claude, bring a machete and axe with us. Let's go look around and see if we can find any withered trees to chop down for firewood, "said Welikro.
"Take this."
Welikro handed Borkal's stick to Claude. It was also used to knock on the bushes. Claude knew the principle of alerting the enemy.
Their luck wasn't bad. They found a half-fallen withered tree not long after. Welikro knocked on the trunk to express his satisfaction. "This one."
Claude didn't move. He was curious about the ground. It was a huge gray rock with a very flat surface. The roots of the withered tree grew in the cracks of the flat rock and even chipped off a corner of the rock.
"What's wrong?" asked Welikro.
Claude pointed at the rock. "Why is this rock so flat?"
Welikro smiled. "It's not that strange. This was originally a mountain path. You'll see more rocks like this if you go further up or below.
It's just that it's been a long time and many of the rocks have cracked and disintegrated. The trees and weeds have taken over the place. "
"No way," Claude exclaimed, "This is a rocky path?
But isn't this a little too big? It's already three meters long and a meter wide. How much effort would it take to polish it like this? And we still have to carry it up the mountain? "
"Haha …" Welikro laughed and pointed at the mountain. "Have you heard of the ruins of a magic tower on Egret?
In fact, this road leads there. Tomorrow, we can go up the mountain along this road to see the ruins of the magic tower.
If you're brave enough, we'll camp there for the night.
As for the huge rocks used to pave the path, I believe it's the work of the magi. I don't think it's possible to do it manually.
Because even now, if we want to pave such a rocky mountain path and grind the rock into such a flat and large piece, then move it up the mountain, it would be a huge project that would require countless manpower and a lot of money. It would be impossible a few hundred years ago. "
So, this path leads to the ruins of the magic tower. Claude felt a wave of joy wash over him.
Welikro's words were exactly what he wanted. "Alright, we'll camp at the ruins tomorrow night. I'd like to see if the rumors about Egret are true."
Welikro took the axe from Claude and shook his head. "You actually believe those rumors? My father and I came here twice during the holidays and we always set up camp at the ruins. There was nothing there, not even a ghost. And we stayed there for five to six days each time."
"Is the magic tower ruins huge?"
"Yes."
Welikro cut the withered tree into three sections and spat into his hand. Then, he picked up his axe and prepared to chop the tree into long strips. "Let's put it this way. I'm guessing it's about as long as your red brick house.
However, the top part has collapsed and all that's left is the rubble at the bottom. "
Claude hurriedly calculated in his mind. Normally, he wouldn't notice how long his red brick house was.
The four rooms, the corridor, and the staircase were about forty to fifty meters in total.
However, his house was the length and the magic tower ruins were the diameter. That meant that the magic tower was more than 1,600 square meters, or more than 2,000 square meters. That was pretty big.
After chopping twice, Welikro stopped. "By the way, do you know why I said the rocky path was the work of the magi?
Because the walls of the magic tower ruins are exactly the same as the rocks here.
When I came here for the first time, I asked my father, 'How is it possible to use such a huge rock to build a tower?'
My father's answer was that apart from magi, no one could do it. "
Claude propped up the tree trunk on the rocks and prepared to chop it into strips of firewood with his machete.
His luck wasn't bad. The wood was rather loose.
Even though the machete wasn't as fast as the axe, he could still chop it down.
With the two of them working together, they were able to chop down three sections of the trunk in less than half an hour. Welikro said that was enough and found two vines to tie up the scattered firewood. Each of them carried a large bundle back to camp.
Borkal and Eriksson had already cleared the area and sprinkled some medicinal powder on the camp.
Two tents were also set up.
The tent Welikro brought from his house was bigger and was pieced together with animal hide. It could sleep two people inside.
On the other hand, the tent Eriksson brought from his ship was for a single person. It was about a third the size of the animal hide tent beside it.
But that didn't matter. Camping in the wilderness required one person to keep watch at night to prevent the campfire from extinguishing or any accidents. The two tents could sleep three people, so there was a spot to take turns to keep watch.
Borkal and Eriksson were lighting a campfire in front of the tent. Even though the shrubs were carefully chosen, the smoke from the fire was too strong and the flames were too small. The two of them laid down and blew at the fire for a long time, but the fire didn't get bigger. Instead, their faces were charred black.
"Alright, the two of you go get some water to wash your faces. Look at how dirty you are.
Oh, don't go to the river. Go that way. There's a broken mountain path there and there's a stream there. The water there is cleaner. Bring two buckets of water back, "said Welikro as he pointed in the direction he and Claude came from.
Claude gave it some thought and remembered that he heard the sound of flowing water when he was chopping wood. Welikro had come here twice with his father, so he probably remembered the location.
But it was winter when they came, so wouldn't the stream have frozen or stopped flowing?
Welikro seemed to know what was on Claude's mind. "I remembered it when I was chopping wood. The stream is less than ten meters from the mountain path and it's still steaming in winter. My father brought me there to get some water before, but the fish in the stream are all small. There aren't any big ones."
Using firewood instead of shrubs, the fire started quickly.
Claude and Welikro chopped down two forks from a nearby tree and made a frame over the fire. Now, all they had to do was wait for Borkal and the rest to get some water. That way, they could hang the metal pot over the fire to cook some food.
"Claude, keep an eye on the fire. When the wood below is half-burnt, pull it out and replace it with a new one. Then, pile it aside. It'll be useful at night," said Welikro.
"What's the use?" Claude asked curiously.
Welikro pointed at the surroundings of the camp. "At night, we have to set up a few piles around the campsite to suppress the flames. That way, we can prevent wild beasts from getting close. Also, if something happens, we can start an open fire. It'll give us some time to react and we'll be able to see clearly."
Understood. Claude nodded. That was all experience. Welikro had been hunting with his father since he was young, so he was quite considerate in taking charge of camping.
At that moment, Borkal and Eriksson returned with a bucket of water each. It was now Claude's turn to show off his skills.
Borkal had never set foot in the kitchen while Welikro and Eriksson could only cook food to fill their stomachs. In terms of taste, Claude was a stay-at-home man in his previous life. Later on, he was taught by his boss to be an experienced chauffeur. His culinary skills helped him pick up girls quite a bit.
Flour, wax meat, dried fish, salt, and a few apples. These were the ingredients and the most basic seasoning that the four of them had brought from home.
There was also a bag of honey buns that Borkal had brought from home, but everyone was hungry during the afternoon cruise, so they split it among themselves.
It seemed that they could only make some paste. When the water in the pot boiled, they added the flour and mixed it. Then, they cut the wax meat into small pieces and crushed the dried fish before adding some salt. It tasted rather delicious. It was a pity that they didn't have fresh meat or bones. Otherwise, it would have been even better.