Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 30: Cutting Firewood and Burning Charcoal

After lunch, Li Wei rested briefly before starting to split the oak tree into firewood under Penny's occasional guidance. Without a saw, this was practically a nightmare.

But he had no other choice. To increase and upgrade the family's tools, they had to go through this difficult process of primitive accumulation.

Especially since he was currently serving as Family Head, he couldn't slack off even if he wanted to.

For the next two days, Li Wei struggled with this single oak log, nearly exhausting himself to the point of spitting blood before barely managing to split it all into firewood. He tossed it aside to dry, but there was no system notification. Clearly, these split logs were related to building the Blacksmith Shop, and settlements might only occur when the construction reached a certain stage or was completed.

However, besides this, Li Wei gained 20 points of Logging Experience from this single log. Combined with the previous 10 points, that meant he had earned a total of 30 points of Logging Experience over three days - a terrible return on investment.

At this stage, since Fila donated all food to the family, daily meals didn't require payment, so these Logging Experience points, along with other professional experience, could be preserved.

"Maybe I could change professions to become a lumberjack, turning into Bald Strong?"

"But that seems difficult, or maybe impossible. Previously, Penny cut trees for over ten days to build the Perimeter Wall and didn't trigger anything either."

After dinner, despite his whole body aching, Li Wei habitually sat by the bonfire carving Wooden Arrows. He now made ten arrows daily and shot ten times, not just going through the motions but genuinely learning.

From his body posture during archery, the positioning of his arms, legs, and feet, the power generated from his waist, to the subtle techniques of drawing the Bowstrings, and the arrow nocking process.All these required establishing a series of muscle memory responses.

Most importantly, without a teacher's guidance, he had to explore on his own, make his own judgments, and shoot based on his own feelings.

This was a long-term endeavor where persistence mattered most.

The night passed uneventfully. The next morning after breakfast, Li Wei set out alone to search for a second oak tree in the forest across the Creek. His mindset had actually become less anxious now - he would just work steadily. Even if Fila took back the Family Head position next month, so what? He wasn't a newcomer anymore now.

Sufficient Family Contribution could prevent him from being eliminated by Plot Kill, and the Hunter profession could already ensure basic sustenance. Overall, the small family consisting of him, Penny, and Fila had temporarily entered a positive development track.

Li Wei as the Hunter and Farmer was indispensable.

Fila as the Chef and gatherer was equally indispensable.

Including Penny as the Craftsman, it was the same.

The competitive conflicts among the three had actually become less intense at this stage.

Perhaps they would only become prominent in the next phase.

Over the next six full days, Li Wei cut down two more oak trees and split them all into firewood. With this, the main quest requirement of harvesting three units of logs was completed. He gained a total of 90 points of Logging Experience, bringing his total to 105 points. However, for some reason, he didn't trigger a one-star Lumberjack Card.

During this period, Penny's injuries gradually recovered, and she had started doing light physical work, improving the previously built furnace.

She occasionally went out for walks too. Even Fila stopped causing trouble, making everything quite harmonious.

"George, let's make charcoal tomorrow. My injuries are basically fine now," Penny suddenly said after dinner.

"Alright!" Li Wei agreed straightforwardly.

Building the Blacksmith Shop was also part of the main quest, though ten days had already passed, and Fila's main quest was almost completed.

The next day at dawn, Li Wei got up and, under Penny's direction, worked like an ox. Making charcoal was both a technical task and physically demanding work.

After a whole day, Li Wei was run ragged by Penny's constant directions, looking quite disheveled and covered in dust and ash, reminiscent of the charcoal-selling old man from the poem.

After dinner, he felt completely drained.

But even so, after resting for a while, he still got up, carved ten Wooden Arrows, and conscientiously completed his daily ten shooting practices in the dim light of the bonfire.

Sometimes, you couldn't rely entirely on profession cards.

If only he had them, it could be considered a golden finger, but if all players had them, then it came down to wisdom and perseverance.

Otherwise, how could he surpass others?

In the following days, Li Wei focused on making charcoal.

When he had basically mastered the charcoal-making process and gained rough experience, Penny stopped directing him and went out exploring the next day, returning empty-handed in the evening, apparently searching for Iron Ore.

As for Fila, she successfully completed the main quest assigned by the Family Head, meaning she would have seventeen days for free development activities.

Given the current situation, Fila becoming Family Head again next month was almost certain.

Because by then, if Fila wanted to compete, her total Family Contribution could potentially exceed fifty points.

This was something Li Wei couldn't compete with no matter what.

Every day, Penny brought back several pieces of Iron Ore of unknown quality, accumulating quite a pile over several days. Surprisingly, these also counted toward Li Wei's main quest, probably because he needed to cooperate with Penny to build the Blacksmith Shop, so the system temporarily considered them a team.

Additionally, Penny took time in the evenings to mix mud and make some clay molds, leaving them to dry slowly in the room.

Another seven or eight days passed like this, and everything was ready. During dinner, Penny suddenly spoke.

"George, the charcoal you made is good. You've worked hard during this time. With the charcoal and these Iron Ores, I'm confident I can smelt a furnace of molten iron tomorrow. However, the Iron Ore quantity is somewhat low, and we don't know the iron content. To be safe, we might need to melt down some iron tools to make up the difference. Mom, George, what do you think?"

Hearing this, Li Wei became alert. He didn't understand these matters well, but he knew Penny wouldn't speak without reason.

"I disagree. These tools were left by your father, purchased from the Blacksmith Shop in the city. Whether it's the materials or the forging quality, they're all excellent. Penny, I understand you want to become a blacksmith, but you can't ignore the risks. In another month, the Wheat Field will be ready for harvest. Those damned birds and beasts will come day and night to steal our grains."

"We need to devote more time and energy to maintaining the Farmland, not get too involved in your plans. Look at your brother during this time - he's worked himself like a dog to help you, my poor George. Besides, household food is running low, especially meat. Without sufficient meat, we simply can't sustain such heavy labor."

"He should be hunting, not helping you make charcoal!"

Fila decisively stated her position - she disagreed.