Next comes the crucial step in processing the bear skin—tanning.

Lu Fan knew perfectly well that tanning made the bear skin soft and resilient, and also less prone to rotting and spoilage, thus allowing it to be preserved and used for a long time.

He returned to the shelter and found some plant roots and bark that An Lan had carefully collected before, which were all raw materials for making tanning liquid.

Anlan is an expert in crafting these natural materials.

"I remember reading in the book that the water boiled with these plants can be used as a tanning solution. Although it's not as good as professional tanning materials, we can only make do with it in the wild."

As An Lan spoke, she put the various plant roots and bark into the pot, added an appropriate amount of clear water, and then skillfully started a fire to cook them.

A peculiar aroma wafted from the pot after a short while.

A fresh, plant-like aroma mingled with a subtle, slightly sour scent, quickly filling the entire shelter.

"How should I describe the taste? It's a bit like some kind of weird food I ate before."

Lu Fan frowned, made a disgusted expression on his face, and said half-jokingly.

An Lan covered her nose and replied with a smile, "This is much more useful than some terrible food. Don't underestimate it."

After a period of patient boiling, the tanning liquid was finally ready.

Lu Fan carefully poured it into a large basin. After the temperature dropped a little, he took the half-dried bear skin off the clothesline and slowly put it into the basin.

"Next, let the bear skin take a good 'tanning bath'."

As Lu Fan spoke, he gently and attentively turned the bear skin in the basin with his hands to ensure that every part was evenly soaked in the tanning solution.

What follows is a long wait; softening bear skin takes time and requires considerable patience.

"The long wait is about to begin."

Lu Fan stood up, stretched his aching arms, and gave a hopeful smile.

It's as if you can already see that soft and warm bear skin, protecting them from the winter's chill.

Watching the bear skin comfortably "soaking in the bath" in the large basin, Lu Fan stretched out his arms and legs, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the honeycomb briquettes piled up in the corner.

"Anlan, I'm going to check how our honeycomb briquettes are drying." He said as he strode toward the honeycomb briquettes.

Upon reaching them, Lu Fan squatted down and, like a child searching for treasure, examined the honeycomb briquettes intently.

The sunlight shone down on them without reservation, and with the occasional gentle breeze, some of the honeycomb briquettes had become dry and crisp.

"Wow, the sun and wind are really strong. It seems our previous efforts were worthwhile."

He rubbed his hands excitedly and picked out two honeycomb briquettes that looked the driest.

"It actually looks quite convincing." Lu Fan called out to An Lan as he moved the honeycomb briquettes to the fire pit.

He deftly arranged the honeycomb briquettes, lit them, and stared intently at them without blinking.

The flames licked the honeycomb briquettes happily, and soon the fire was burning steadily.

"Haha, it's done!"

Lu Fan couldn't help but burst into laughter, "This burns much longer than the firewood we used before. I feel like this honeycomb briquette will burn for a long time."

He moved closer to examine the fire source carefully, and then said, "Moreover, this fire source is very stable and doesn't shake at all, so cooking things will definitely be much faster in the future."

An Lan also came over, smiling, and said, "It seems our coal drying plan has been a great success."

"That's right, and there's still that smell. Before, when it was burned, the smell was so strong that it made people frown, but now you can hardly smell it."

Lu Fan fanned the air under his nose, a smug smile on his face. "From now on, we'll rely on these honeycomb briquettes for cooking and heating."

He patted the dust off his hands and continued, "I think these honeycomb briquettes will be completely dry in another day or two. Then, we can stack them neatly and they'll be a real 'energy storehouse.' Even if winter comes, we won't be afraid at all."

After saying that, Lu Fan picked up another honeycomb briquette and examined it carefully in the sunlight.

"What if we made these honeycomb briquettes into different shapes, like square ones? Wouldn't that be more convenient? Maybe it would even save space," he said, his mind racing.

An Lan was amused by his idea: "You have quite a few ideas, but maybe they'll actually work. Once this batch is dried, we can give it a try."

"Alright, it's settled then." Lu Fan was full of enthusiasm. "After we finish processing the bear skin, we'll study the 'transformation' of this honeycomb briquette. Who knows, we might even create a new survival artifact!"

As he spoke, he imagined all sorts of novel honeycomb briquette shapes, as if he could already see the huge role they would play in the future, helping them live more comfortably and conveniently in the wild.

Just as Lu Fan was about to plop down on a nearby tree stump for a good rest, he suddenly heard a series of urgent "squeaks" coming from afar.

He looked up and saw, lo and behold, it was the Monkey King, rushing frantically toward the sanctuary.

This monkey king, who was usually jumping around and acting without any decorum, looked unusually anxious at this moment, his eyes wide open like copper bells.

The Monkey King ran up to Lu Fan, and without saying a word, grabbed Lu Fan's trouser leg and pulled hard, shouting all the while, as if the sky was about to collapse.

"Hey friend, don't rush, don't rush, tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"

While comforting the monkey king, Lu Fan wondered to himself that it was rare for the mischievous monkey king to be so anxious.

The Monkey King had no patience to listen to his questions slowly. Seeing that Lu Fan hadn't reacted yet, he simply turned around and ran away.

After running a few steps, she looked back and saw that Lu Fan hadn't followed. She hurriedly ran back to pull him, her calls becoming more urgent, as if urging Lu Fan to catch up quickly.

"Alright, alright, I'll go with you, okay?"

Lu Fan smiled helplessly, stood up, and said to An Lan, "I'll go with the Monkey King to see what's going on. I guess something big has happened."

An Lan nodded with a worried look: "Be careful. If there's any danger, come back right away. I'll be waiting for you."

Led by the Monkey King, Lu Fan jogged along, traversing the dense jungle.

The paths in the jungle were really difficult to walk on, with branches lying everywhere and slippery moss. Lu Fan almost slipped and fell flat on his face several times.

"Hey Monkey King, couldn't you have chosen an easier path?" Lu Fan complained, panting.

But the Monkey King paid no heed to any of that and continued charging forward at an astonishing speed, as if a ferocious beast were chasing him from behind, showing no intention of slowing down.

Finally, they arrived at a place that looked completely unremarkable.

If the Monkey King hadn't suddenly stopped, Lu Fan would never have noticed that there was a deep pit hidden there.