In the following days, Lin Feng temporarily handed over the daily management of the shelter to Qin Lan, and then, with Bai Yueguang and Bai Feicui, embarked on his exploration journey once again.
His target was an area covered by snow and ice that never melted—a place he named "Frosty Ice Plains".
Based on previous observations, the Radiant Falcon will go in that direction to hunt after it reaches adulthood, which indicates that there must be some kind of unique food chain there.
The cold wind felt like countless sharp ice knives, stinging my face.
Even the leather armor that Lin Feng had sewn from the skin of the Snow Shadow Leopard felt a chill seeping into him.
White breath escaped from the nostrils of the White Moonlight and White Jade, and their fleshy wings tightened to reduce heat loss.
Lin Feng rode on the back of the white moonlight, carefully observing the surrounding environment.
There are almost no tall plants here, only some dark moss that grow close to the ground, like lichen, stubbornly clinging to the permafrost and ice rocks. Occasionally, you can see the frozen corpses of small, strange beasts, preserved in their dying poses, as if time has stood still here.
"In this environment, what kind of creature could possibly spin silk?" Lin Feng wondered.
Just as he was about to give up and turn to explore in another direction, White Moonlight suddenly stopped, let out a low hiss, and sniffed at the bottom of a huge ice cliff in front of him.
"What's wrong, White Moonlight?" Lin Feng became alert.
Bai Yueguang rubbed her head against an inconspicuous crack at the bottom of the ice cliff.
The crack was very narrow, allowing only one person to pass sideways. The inside was dark and gloomy, exuding a bone-chilling cold.
Lin Feng dismounted from Bai Yueguang's back, walked to the edge of the crack, and stared intently at it.
He noticed that on some ice crystals at the edge of the crack, there were extremely fine white threads that were almost integrated with the ice crystals and could not be seen at all without careful observation.
"This is..." Lin Feng's heart stirred. He carefully extended his gloved fingers and gently picked up a silk thread.
The thread was cool to the touch, yet exceptionally strong, and possessed a peculiar elasticity. Reflected in the sunlight, it faintly emitted a pale blue glow, like condensed moonlight.
"Could there be something inside..." Lin Feng's breathing became slightly rapid.
He took the fluorescent stone for illumination from White Jade's back, checked the sword at his waist, and instructed White Moonlight and White Jade, "Wait for me outside and keep watch."
The two wildebeest nodded, cautiously observing their surroundings.
Lin Feng took a deep breath and squeezed sideways into the narrow crevice.
The interior of the ice crevice was deeper than he had imagined, and the further he went in, the more open the space became, as if it were a naturally formed ice cave tunnel.
The cave walls were covered with thick, solid ice, like transparent crystal, from which the glowing stones refracted a mesmerizing light. A peculiar, slightly sweet and fishy chill permeated the air.
After walking for about several dozen meters, the view suddenly opened up ahead.
A huge underground ice cave appeared before Lin Feng.
This ice cave is the size of several basketball courts, with a dome tens of meters high, covered with hanging icicles that sparkle like crystal chandeliers. And in the center of the ice cave grows a peculiar "ice crystal forest" that emits a faint blue light!
These are not real trees, but rather condensations of ice crystals, each several meters tall, in various shapes. Their "branches" and "leaves" exhibit perfect geometric forms, as if crafted by nature's masterful hand.
A faint blue mist permeates among these ice crystal "trees".
What made Lin Feng's heart race even faster was that among the branches of these ice crystal "trees," beneath the giant ice cones, and even in the recesses of some ice walls, he saw fist-sized, crystal-clear cocoons that seemed to be sculpted from the purest ice... silkworm cocoons!
These cocoons were not the milky white color of cocoons on Earth, but rather a pale, icy blue. Their surfaces were smooth, and one could vaguely see blurry shadows wriggling inside. Around the cocoons were countless strong silk threads, the same kind of pale blue glow he had seen earlier at the crack.
"Ice Silkworm! It really is an Ice Silkworm!" Lin Feng exclaimed excitedly in a low voice.
He cautiously approached a tree covered with ice crystals that were entirely covered with icy blue silkworm cocoons.
He noticed that beneath these cocoons were some millstone-sized, deep blue "ice moss" covered with a fine layer of frost. Some plump, ice-blue silkworms that had not yet spun cocoons were lying on the ice moss, slowly nibbling at it.
These ice silkworms are several times larger than domesticated silkworms on Earth, about the thickness of an adult's thumb. Their bodies are segmented and tubular, and their heads have two small, obsidian-like eyes.
When they wriggle, their bodies emit a faint chill.
Lin Feng observed for a long time and discovered that these ice silkworms were only interested in that special kind of ice moss. And those ice moss seemed to be drawing some kind of energy from deeper layers of ice to maintain their growth and their ghostly blue glow.
"Found it! This is what I've been looking for!"
Excitement gleamed in Lin Feng's eyes. The silk threads wrapped in these ice silkworm cocoons were far superior to ordinary animal hides in terms of resilience, luster, and natural icy aura. If these ice silkworms could be successfully bred, the shelter's clothing problem would be revolutionaryly solved.
He did not immediately start collecting silkworm cocoons, but first carefully observed the living habits of ice silkworms, the temperature and humidity inside the ice cave, and the growth of that special ice moss.
He discovered that the temperature here remains around minus ten degrees Celsius year-round, the humidity is extremely high, and the ice moss requires specific ice minerals to grow.
"It seems that raising them will not be an easy task," Lin Feng thought to himself.
He carefully collected several mature ice silkworm cocoons that had already pupated inside, and then used his battle knife to cut off a few pieces from the edges of the ice moss, along with the ice layer below, intending to take them back for research.
He also specially captured several live ice silkworms that were eating moss and put them in a specially made insulated leather bag.
After doing all this, Lin Feng reluctantly left the underground ice cave, which resembled a fairyland of ice and snow.
Back in the warm shelter, Lin Feng immediately told everyone about his discovery.
When he displayed several ice cocoons that emitted a faint blue glow, as well as several pieces of ice moss that looked like sapphires, the women gasped in amazement.
"Wow! What a beautiful silkworm cocoon! It's like crystal!" Tang Bao was the first to come over and curiously poked the ice cocoon with her finger, immediately feeling a chill.
Su Wanqing stared intently, "This kind of silk thread... if it could be woven into fabric, it would be very special."
Qin Lan was more rational: "Mr. Lin, these ice silkworms... can we successfully raise them? They must have very high environmental requirements."
Lin Feng nodded, his expression grave: "Yes, this is precisely the biggest problem I need to solve next. Based on my observations, they require extremely low temperatures, high humidity, and that special kind of ice moss as food."
In the days that followed, Lin Feng and six women embarked on an unprecedented "ice silkworm breeding plan".
The first step is environmental simulation.
Using the terrain's shadows, a large amount of ice brought back from the ice cave, and some highly absorbent volcanic rocks, Lin Feng built a simple "low-temperature cultivation chamber."
The cultivation chamber was sealed off on three sides with thick animal hides and moss, leaving only a narrow entrance to maintain low temperature and humidity as much as possible. The light and heat of the sun-wheel wood were cleverly kept out.
He carefully transplanted the collected ice moss onto the ice bed in the cultivation room and kept a close eye on their growth.
At first, because the temperature and humidity were difficult to control precisely, several pieces of ice moss showed signs of wilting, which made Lin Feng very anxious.
The women also did their best in their respective fields.
Qin Lan, with her meticulous approach as a manager, regularly recorded changes in temperature and humidity in the cultivation room, helping Lin Feng analyze the data and adjust the amount of ice and ventilation.
Tang Bao and Qian Xiaoxiao were responsible for collecting clean snow and ice from the outer edge of the wind-eroded highlands, as well as finding more absorbent volcanic rock to maintain the humidity in the cultivation room. Although it was physical work, the two girls, who had once been pampered, were now working with great enthusiasm.
Under Lin Feng's guidance, Su Wanqing and Ruan Mengtian learned how to care for the ice silkworm larvae that were taken out of their cocoons or captured directly.
They need to feed the larvae fresh moss leaves regularly, clean up their excrement, and observe their growth and development.
At first, the two women felt a chill run down their spines when faced with the wriggling, icy blue worms, but for the future of their shelter, they gritted their teeth and persevered.
The first few days were very slow, and could even be described as full of setbacks.
The cultivation of ice moss failed repeatedly, and several of the live ice silkworms brought back died due to unsuitable environment, which made everyone feel somewhat heavy-hearted.
Lin Feng was not discouraged. He carefully analyzed the reasons for each failure and constantly adjusted his plans.
He even risked entering that underground ice cave again to observe the ice silkworm's living environment more closely, and collected more ice layer samples and ice moss mother plants.
Finally, after more than ten days of arduous attempts, thanks to Shen Jiaqi's accidental discovery and Lin Feng's constant fine-tuning, the first batch of transplanted ice moss miraculously stabilized on the ice bed in the low-temperature cultivation room and began to slowly spread and grow, emitting a healthy, faint blue light!
This breakthrough has brought joy to everyone.
Immediately afterwards, these carefully nurtured ice silkworm eggs began to show signs of hatching.
On a cold morning, the first ice silkworm larva, slightly thicker than a hair and almost transparent, emerged from its eggshell!
"It's a success! It's hatched!" Ruan Mengtian was the first to discover the little life and shouted excitedly, her voice trembling slightly.
Immediately afterwards, more and more ice silkworm larvae hatched. As soon as they were born, they instinctively crawled toward the enticing ice moss leaves and began to greedily gnaw on them.
Looking at the tiny figures wriggling on the ice moss, Lin Feng smiled with relief. They had finally taken the most difficult first step.
The ice silkworms grew faster than Lin Feng had anticipated. With an ample supply of ice moss, they changed almost daily, their bodies rapidly becoming plump, and their color gradually transforming from nearly transparent to a bright ice blue.
The women also gradually became more and more adept at it, overcoming their initial unfamiliarity and fear.
They learned how to judge the ice silkworms' appetite, how to clean the silkworm house, and even how to roughly judge their health status from the ice silkworms' wriggling posture.
Tang Bao even gave names to some of the fattest silkworms, such as "Bingbing," "Lanlan," and "Little Fatty," taking care of them meticulously every day like pets, which made everyone laugh and cry.
As the first batch of ice silkworms began to spin cocoons, a new problem arose in front of Lin Feng: how to spin these tough and unique ice silkworm silks into thread and then weave them into cloth?
They didn't have any spinning wheels or looms on hand, so they had to start from scratch.
Lin Feng first carefully studied the ice silkworm cocoons. Their structure was denser than that of ordinary silkworm cocoons, and the silk threads were thicker and tougher, with a natural stickiness. Once solidified, they were as hard as ice crystals.
“It would be very difficult to reel this kind of silk using traditional methods,” Lin Feng said to everyone. “We need a completely new tool.”
He began to write and draw on animal hides, designing the textile tools he envisioned.
He needs a loom that can handle this special ice silk, has a relatively simple structure, and whose materials can be found on alien planets.
His knowledge surged once again, and designs for various textile tools flooded his mind.
The answer was found quickly.
The people in the shelter sprang into action once again.
Under Lin Feng's command, Qian Xiaoxiao and Bai Feicui were responsible for cutting down some hard, straight-grained ironwood from the dark coniferous forest to serve as the main components of the loom.
Qin Lan and Shen Jiaqi were responsible for collecting some tough rock-skin vines to make transmission belts and other parts that required flexibility. They also processed the tendons of some exotic beasts to use as stringers and connectors.
Under Lin Feng's guidance, Su Wanqing and Ruan Mengtian tried to use sharp obsidian shards and hard animal bones to polish some small parts, such as shuttles and reeds. This was a task that required a great deal of patience and skill.
Lin Feng himself devoted himself wholeheartedly to the design and manufacture of the core components of the loom.
He revised the blueprints again and again, and tried different combinations of materials time and time again. He used hard volcanic rock to carve out the basic shape of the gears and used iron-boned bamboo to make precision bearings.
The process was arduous.
The processing precision of materials is difficult to control; often, even a tiny mistake can render an entire component unusable. The properties of materials on alien planets differ from those on Earth, requiring Lin Feng to constantly experiment and make adjustments.
Finally, after nearly a month of hard work, and countless failures and improvements, a loom with an alien style, handcrafted, was born in the small courtyard of the warm basin!
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