SDIWD - Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Bai Zhen had not yet explored the entire island. After solving their immediate survival issues, she had tried to limit her range of activity, and so far hadn't ventured more than six kilometers from the coast.
But even without a full exploration, she had already realized that the island was by no means small. Hua Mu owned three islands, the largest of which was thirty-five acres, already considered a sizable private island. But this island was at least a hundred square kilometers. If it weren't located within the Shipwreck Anomaly Zone, it would be impossible for it to have no signs of human presence.
This was also why Bai Zhen didn't dare to explore too much.
The smaller the island, the simpler the ecosystem; the larger it was, the stronger its independence and stability. Although an island of a hundred square kilometers wasn't large enough to support any large carnivorous animals, Bai Zhen still didn't dare to take the risk. A closed environment could very well create specialized creatures. If some of them were venomous, they would be far more difficult to deal with than any large predator.
But now, the time had come when she had no choice but to explore the island more deeply. Their freshwater supply had truly reached a precarious level.
The coast where Hua Mu and Bai Zhen had first landed was on the southern side of the island. The coastline wasn't long, only a hundred-odd meters, and was blocked off on both sides by steep cliffs. One of the principles of waiting for rescue was not to stray too far from the site of the disaster. Plus, the coastal environment was simple, the view was open, and obtaining food was relatively easy. For two people just stranded in an unfamiliar environment, it was a good place to settle.
Therefore, Bai Zhen had settled down here.
The next day, Hua Mu woke up very early. Bai Zhen was already waiting by her side. Seeing her still sleepy-eyed, she hurriedly handed over a bottle of water.
Hua Mu hadn't brushed her teeth in over ten days and could only manage to maintain oral hygiene by picking her teeth and rinsing her mouth. For the person she used to be, this was simply unimaginable. But now, she could even swallow the rinse water without a second thought.
At least I spat it out last night.
Hua Mu comforted herself with this thought as she tasted the first sip of water for the day.
The moment the water went down her throat, her stomach started to gurgle. She hadn't eaten much last night, and her stomach felt like it was burning this morning. Fortunately, she soon smelled the aroma of food.
The Sentinel had clearly considered this and had prepared breakfast early in the morning.
Hua Mu yawned and asked without much hope, "What's for breakfast?"
"There's fish and shellfish, and also…"
"You went into the sea?"
Hua Mu immediately perked up and examined Bai Zhen closely. The other woman's hair was soaking wet, and her nearly naked body wasn't completely dry yet. The seawater at dawn was nothing like it was during the day; Hua Mu felt like she would freeze to death just by washing her hands in it.
Bai Zhen didn't notice Hua Mu's displeasure and said, as if presenting a treasure, "Miss, I saw the sea glowing this morning, so I went to take a look and found a large school of squid. Didn't you say last night that you were tired of shellfish? This is perfect…"
With a stern face, Hua Mu touched Bai Zhen's arm and found her body temperature was frighteningly low.
"M-Miss…"
Aside from being kicked, Bai Zhen was rarely touched so proactively by Hua Mu. For a moment, she was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.
"Aren't you cold?"
"Huh?" Bai Zhen was stunned by the question. It took her a while to shake her head and say, "I'm not cold."
Liar.
Hua Mu looked at the small pile of firefly squid in the plastic basin and found she had no appetite at all.
"Bai Zhen, do you have any idea what our situation is right now?"
That's right, she was frail, delicate, and willful. But when it came to not knowing priorities, wasn't this big, foolish Sentinel even worse?
Why consider her feelings and not eat meat? Why give her the water to drink? Why risk her life to catch these meaningless things, just to improve her meals a little?
Was it just because she was the heir to the imperial throne?
Bai Zhen didn't know why Hua Mu had suddenly lost her temper. She said, at a loss, "Miss, in just another ten-odd days…"
"Don't talk to me about ten-odd days. How many more days can you last? Catching these things that can't even fill you up—the effort and the reward are completely disproportionate. Aren't you experienced? Aren't you an expert at wilderness survival? Why are you doing something so unreliable! What is the first priority of wilderness survival?"
Bai Zhen stared blankly at the agitated Hua Mu, beginning to understand a little of what she was trying to say.
"…But my first priority is to ensure your safety."
"I can only be safe if you are safe! Besides, eating well has nothing to do with safety. And anyway, with your cooking skills, you couldn't even make a king crab taste good!"
Bai Zhen was both moved and ashamed.
"Miss, I'm sorry…"
Hua Mu felt like she was going to cough up blood.
In truth, much of the time, she didn't understand why Bai Zhen made her feel so irritated. She was irritated when Bai Zhen kept her distance, irritated when she tried to please her, and even more irritated when she was treated with such caution.
At a time like this, she should have been desperately in need of Bai Zhen's loyalty, but the thought of the reason for that loyalty only made Hua Mu more frustrated.
She didn't know what she really wanted. Was she losing her temper because she was concerned about Bai Zhen? No, she just wanted to lose her temper.
"From now on, you are not allowed to take any more risks. Catch whatever you can to eat. I'll solve the problem of taste myself."
Hua Mu refused to believe she was completely useless. Although she couldn't lift heavy things or carry them on her shoulders, those were never her strengths to begin with. She was, after all, a lady from a prestigious family, well-versed in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and an expert in tea, incense, flower arrangement, and wine. Could she really continue to be a parasite?
What was a noble? A noble was someone who would not lower their quality of life or taste, no matter the environment! She was determined to be dignified, noble, and elegant when she returned.
The firefly squid… was actually quite tasty.
Bai Zhen needed to search for a water source, gather materials to build a distillation device, and hunt for food, while Hua Mu wanted to look for some spices. But the difference in their speed was too great, and Hua Mu was unwilling to be a burden by having Bai Zhen carry her again. In the end, they decided to split up.
Of course, Bai Zhen disagreed at first. She was on pins and needles just leaving Hua Mu alone on the beach, let alone letting her search for spices by herself. But Hua Mu's mind was made up, and she repeatedly promised not to enter the rainforest, only to stay on the grassy slopes near the coast.
In the end, Bai Zhen had no choice but to drop her off on a grassy slope about a li away from the beach, and gave her the holster along with the other gun.
"Miss, if you run into trouble, please fire immediately. I'll come running as soon as I hear the sound."
"I know."
"Also, whatever you do, don't take off your straw hat. Those seabirds seem to have a special fondness for shiny things."
Sigh, truly a case of beauty attracting the envy of birds. Hua Mu felt that not having properly cared for her hair these past few days had made her look dull and wretched enough, yet she still managed to attract seabirds.
"I know, I know."
"Also…"
"No more 'alsos,' just go. Why have you become so talkative?"
Hua Mu found her long-winded.
In the past, she couldn't get out… ahem, couldn't get out half a word for ages, and now she was speaking in long sentences.
Bai Zhen kept looking back every few steps. In the end, Hua Mu had to threaten her out loud before she would reluctantly leave.
"She looks down on me too much!"
Hua Mu indignantly pulled up weeds to vent her frustration, but soon grew tired and sat down in the shade of a tree.
The weather was too hot, and there were so many plants, her eyes were starting to blur. Squatting down to identify wild herbs was no easier than collecting shellfish. By now, her back was sore, her legs were numb, and she was dizzy, seeing stars. Moreover, the place where she was injured yesterday was still aching faintly, so she had no choice but to rest for a while.
Hua Mu checked the time while drinking water and found that less than an hour had passed. Not only had she made no progress with the spices, but the bottle of water she had brought was already half empty.
Nothing is easy, is it?
Bai Zhen had found the mountain patchouli right away, so why hadn't she found a single potential spice after searching for so long? On her own private islands, many spices and herbs grew everywhere, and they didn't seem to have been specially planted. There was no reason this island shouldn't have a single one.
Hua Mu was very unwilling to give up, and even less willing to return empty-handed. At that moment, she suddenly envied Sentinels. If she had a keen sense of smell, finding spices would be twice as effective with half the effort.
Just as she was thinking this, she saw Bai Zhen running toward her from a distance, holding something in her arms.
"Miss!"
Perfect timing. Hua Mu had an idea.
Bai Zhen was holding two coconuts and some red fruits. Her usually respectful and rigid face showed a rare hint of joy—Hua Mu noticed that her facial expressions seemed to have become a bit more obvious.
"What is it? Why are you in such a hurry?"
She spoke calmly, but her eyes were fixed on the fruit in Bai Zhen's hands. The red ones looked like wax apples. They were a bit small, but they were whole and succulent. It wasn't that they hadn't found fruit trees these past few days, but aside from coconuts, most of the ripe fruit had been ravaged by insects and birds.
"Miss, I found some fruit." This time, after reaching the foot of the mountain, Bai Zhen had walked about three kilometers east and discovered a large grove of coconut trees and some other fruit trees. Unlike the short coconut trees by the sea, most of the trees in this grove were seven or eight meters tall, with the tallest reaching over ten meters. The number of fruits was also much greater than what they had seen before.
During their ten-plus days on the island, it wasn't just Bai Zhen; even Hua Mu understood perfectly well how useful coconuts were. The juice was drinkable, the flesh was edible, and the shells could be used as containers. They were truly treasures from top to bottom.
Hua Mu had been heartbroken for a long time after they finished their last coconut. The sudden sight of the two in Bai Zhen's arms made her mouth water automatically.
"Where did you find them?"
"To the northeast. Miss, you eat some first. I'll take you there later." Bai Zhen was eager to open a coconut for Hua Mu, but she refused to drink.
"No rush, leave the coconuts for now." She only took a wax apple, holding it in her hand without being able to bring herself to eat it. "Take me to see it now."
She couldn't be bothered with finding spices anymore; the coconut trees were far more important. If there was really a large grove like Bai Zhen said, then half of their water problem would be solved.
Sensing Hua Mu's joy, Bai Zhen tossed the coconuts aside and hurriedly squatted down for her to get on.
"Miss, the path is a bit difficult. Please be careful."
It's not like she's the one walking, anyway!
Hua Mu leaped onto Bai Zhen's back.
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