SDIWD - Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Hua Mu was no longer listless, but she didn't want to pay any attention to Bai Zhen. With just over ten days left, she only wanted to plan how to spend the remaining time.
Right now, their main problem was that their fresh water was in jeopardy. Personally, Hua Mu was no longer willing to endure bland food. From a purely physiological standpoint, salt was also essential. She felt that her recent hysteria, where she'd practically lost all reason, was not unrelated to the long-term lack of sufficient salt intake.
And seawater could solve both problems at once.
Before, because they had a ready supply of fresh water, neither of them had ever thought of using distillation to extract it from seawater. But times had changed. At most, they only had ten liters of fresh water left. On this hot island, that was sometimes only enough for one person for a single day.
Of course, Bai Zhen could go look for other water sources, but what if she couldn't find any? Perhaps they could pray for rain, but what if the heavens weren't cooperative?
Hua Mu felt she had been unlucky enough already, so she absolutely did not want to pin her hopes on such a slim, uncertain chance.
Boiling seawater could not only separate out fresh water but also produce sea salt relatively quickly. No matter how you looked at it, it was the simplest and most direct method.
The problem was, they currently didn't have a suitable container.
Bai Zhen had collected quite a bit of shipwreck debris, some made of fiberglass, some of metal, and some of wood. This stuff was piled up on the beach, and neither of them had had the time to inspect it properly.
Hua Mu had little interest in the scrap metal, her mind solely focused on going home. Bai Zhen, on the other hand, had picked out some metal plates to set up around their shelter for windbreaking and protection.
Hua Mu was still sulking. Even though she had an idea, she didn't tell Bai Zhen and went to rummage through the pile of scrap metal by herself.
Seeing her run over there without even wearing her flip-flops, Bai Zhen nervously followed behind, carrying them for her. One of Hua Mu's flip-flops was salvaged, and the other was one Bai Zhen had made for her from palm and banana-coconut fibers, which needed frequent repairs.
"Miss, Miss, what are you looking for? Let me help you find it."
Bai Zhen was terrified that her delicate skin would be scratched by the metal, so she followed closely by her side.
Hua Mu ignored her. She looked at the crookedly piled mountain of junk for a moment, then began to pick through it.
When Bai Zhen saw her struggling to move and pull out the sharp pieces of metal, she was scared out of her wits. Disregarding whether it was an offense, she quickly grabbed her hand.
"Miss, what are you looking for? I'll help you. Most of this metal is from ships, and the broken edges are very sharp. You must be careful."
Hua Mu was still angry with her and didn't want to be the one to give her orders. But after moving two steel plates, her hands were already starting to hurt.
Between suffering for the sake of her pride and compromising to reap the benefits, she ultimately chose the latter.
"I'm looking for a container to boil water in."
She held her neck stiffly, putting on an imperious air, but Bai Zhen was just happy that she was finally willing to speak to her.
"Alright, I'll find it for you. Please put on your shoes and go rest for a bit."
Although the Sentinel's expression wasn't very rich, her tone was full of concern and thoughtfulness. Hua Mu's heart softened for a moment, but then she suddenly remembered that Bai Zhen's unwavering loyalty, her willingness to protect her with her life, and even her show of "concern" were all because of her father's and the Queen's orders. At that thought, her expression grew even colder.
"No need. I'll just watch from here."
Bai Zhen didn't dare disobey her, so she could only squat down to help her put on her shoes. Hua Mu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately lifted her foot—the sand was quite hot, after all.
If it was relatively easy for wooden hulls to drift to the island, then the metal and fiberglass boats had most likely wrecked nearby. The storm might have brought the still-floating ships near the island, but whether it then tore them apart or smashed them against the island was unknown.
Bai Zhen didn't dare explore too far out into the open sea, and she had also discovered it was difficult to break through the currents near the island to swim further out. So, all these items were found in the coastal zone near the island, at depths of no more than five meters.
She had brought back everything she could, expending a great deal of effort, so her memory of it all was clearer than Hua Mu's. She seemed to recall a few pot-like containers among the debris, though they didn't look very durable.
The metal plates from the ship hulls had been coated, electroplated, or phosphated to prevent corrosion from seawater, making them completely unsuitable for cooking. However, metal cookware that had been submerged in seawater for a long time was even more corroded. Bai Zhen searched and found several containers, only two of which looked reasonably intact.
One was a black iron wok nearly eighty centimeters in diameter, and the other was a stockpot nearly half a meter tall. They both looked like equipment from a small cafeteria.
Although the two containers looked intact, they were heavily corroded, and their surfaces were covered with all sorts of marine life. Looking at the bumps formed by barnacles and other shellfish, Hua Mu felt her skin crawl and her scalp tingle.
But the items still looked usable, as long as all that stuff was removed. This glorious and arduous task naturally fell to Bai Zhen, while Hua Mu, for her part, was trying her best to forget the disgusting images.
"Clean these two pots, then fill them with seawater and bring them back… And make them spotless!"
Bai Zhen now realized what Hua Mu wanted to do and was completely willing to do the hard work without complaint.
"Yes, Miss."
Neither pot was small, but she carried one in each hand to the sea to wash them, seemingly without effort.
The attached shellfish and their secretions were already difficult to remove, and with the added corrosion from the seawater, the two pots couldn't withstand overly rough treatment.
Bai Zhen first used her dagger to remove the attached shells, then used a reef rock to grind off most of the secretions, and finally scrubbed them with fine sand for a long time. Only then did the two pots look slightly more presentable.
But no matter how clean she got them, the mottled, multi-colored surface was beyond saving.
Hua Mu made her redo it several times before finally compromising—any more scrubbing might wear a hole through the bottom, and it wasn't like they were going to drink what was boiled in them anyway!
If washing the pots was considered easy, then actually building the distillation system Hua Mu envisioned required far more time and energy than she had anticipated.
By the time Bai Zhen had built a stove and was ready to place the two pots on it, they both suddenly realized they hadn't considered how to collect the steam!
It was already mid-afternoon. They had spent too much time on this matter and hadn't even had time to eat lunch. Even someone as physically strong as Bai Zhen was now showing clear signs of fatigue.
"Miss, I'll go see if there's anything we can use. I remember there was glass on a nearby shipwreck."
When Hua Mu saw her pale lips and unwell complexion, the last bit of her anger vanished completely.
"There's no rush…" She knew Bai Zhen was being so proactive probably to please her. Now that she wasn't angry anymore, she thought about it calmly and felt she had been a bit unreasonable. What could Bai Zhen do but obey her aunt's and father's orders? And in the end, it was precisely because of her scheduled communications that they might be rescued early.
"This can't be rushed. Drink some water first, rest a bit, and then let's get ready to eat."
Hua Mu's sudden gentle attitude left Bai Zhen feeling overwhelmed by the favor. "N-no need, Miss. I'm not tired. Are you hungry? I'll go catch fish right now."
Not tired? What was she trying to prove!
Bai Zhen's skin, which was never fair to begin with, had darkened another shade after being exposed to the sun and sea breeze all this time. She was covered in sweat, the lines of her muscles on her exposed skin seeming to gleam in the sunlight, yet her lips were so obviously pale.
"This is an order. You will come rest with me in the shade for a while and drink some water… you must drink. Then you can go gather some mussels. I don't feel like eating fish for now." Bai Zhen had been catching fish for days, and it seemed the nearby fish had gotten smarter. In any case, Hua Mu felt it was taking her longer and longer, and she didn't want her to take any more risks—if something happened, she wouldn't be able to survive for over ten days on her own!
Bai Zhen knew she was concerned for her. Her heart was moved beyond words. Choking back a sob, she said, "Yes, Miss."
The two returned to the shelter built from canvas. With the shade from the coconut palms above and the covering of banana leaves Bai Zhen had collected over the past few days, it was much cooler than outside.
Hua Mu forced Bai Zhen to drink some water, then used a mix of threats and coaxing to get her to close her eyes and rest. Bai Zhen couldn't refuse and obediently closed her eyes.
Even when resting, the Sentinel sat ramrod straight. But after a short while, Hua Mu noticed something was wrong.
The hyper-vigilant Sentinel… had actually fallen asleep just like that!
Hua Mu suddenly realized that it wasn't just her who had reached her limit, but Bai Zhen's body as well.
In her memory, Bai Zhen hadn't even lain down once in the past dozen or so days. Every time she made the slightest movement, the other woman would always ask about her needs right away.
Bai Zhen had taken on all the tasks, big and small, and often carried her on her back. She was clearly the one expending the most energy, yet after discovering their water was running low, she refused to drink a single sip.
Aside from the seabird on the second day, the other woman had eaten less than she, the Young Lady, had. For a Sentinel with such immense physical exertion, how could a bit of seafood possibly be enough to replenish her energy?
She needed meat. Hua Mu felt that she wasn't the only one who knew this; Bai Zhen must have understood it too. All signs indicated there were other animals on the island. At the very least, the flocks of seabirds in the sky that were so interested in her golden hair were also a good source of food.
But Bai Zhen hadn't hunted them since that day, and Hua Mu didn't think it was because Bai Zhen was incapable.
The only possibility was that Bai Zhen was being considerate of her feelings.
If this continued, the one who might not make it until rescue arrived could very well be Bai Zhen.
"What a troublesome person!"
Having figured out the whole story, Hua Mu looked at Bai Zhen's face, which was rare in its complete lack of defense. Her muttered words carried a hint of gritted-teeth frustration.
"If you die, are you expecting me to solve the food problem by myself?"
Of course, Bai Zhen couldn't hear her.
She had consumed three Little White Pills in the past dozen days, but sleep couldn't be replaced by pills alone. Her mind and body had both reached their limits, and she was even more exhausted today after using her spirit animal possession.
After receiving Hua Mu's forgiveness, her spirit had relaxed, and she finally fell into her first real sleep on the island since being stranded.
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