The days adrift at sea are tough, because you can't leave the micro-world. You can only wait until the micro-world kicks you out. Otherwise, even a one-second time difference could cause you to fall into the sea when you re-enter the micro-world.
Unfortunately, their luck ran out. After the sea wind changed direction, they spent most of their time at sea battling the wind and didn't make much progress.
The sea breeze wasn't strong, but it wasn't in line with their direction of travel. Although it wasn't completely opposite, it had a significant impact.
They had no choice but to lower the sails and move forward by rowing.
The rowing was divided into two groups: Chen Yang rowed alone in one group, and Jack and Weng Ji rowed in the other group, while Dong Yujue was responsible for determining the direction.
Of course, the reason for still using Jack and Ongji is that Chen Yang also needs to rest. Only when Chen Yang is paddling can they move forward; even with Jack and Ongji working together, they can only ensure that the boat doesn't veer off course.
They drifted for another two days, but still couldn't see the island.
Their water supply was running low; although they were consciously trying to conserve it, it still wasn't enough, and the four of them had consumed a considerable amount. At sea, they had been constantly exposed to the scorching sun, causing their water to deplete rapidly.
Jack, with his skillful hands and ingenuity, made a small freshwater collector using the different sized jars and cowhide they brought with them.
This is somewhat like a mother-and-child pot structure, with the larger one filled with seawater and the smaller one placed in the middle of the larger one, then wrapped with leather, with something pressed down in the middle and placed in the sun to dry.
Seawater evaporates some water and condenses, then sinks due to something pressing down in the center, forming a funnel shape and concentrating in the center, where some fresh water is distilled out.
However, this was only a drop in the bucket. The fresh water distilled in one day was not even enough for one adult, let alone four people.
They now use every last drop of fresh water, even from the fish's eyes, to conserve as much as possible.
The fish's eyes contain a little fresh water, which is drinkable. They have a small fishing net woven from vines on their boat for catching fish. Their daily catch is good; they have no shortage of food, only water.
This is a sentiment echoed by countless adventurers who have ventured into the ocean: how ironic it is to be surrounded by water yet lacking it.
Seawater distillation is no simple task, and their ship did not have enough equipment.
However, Jack, being a wilderness survival expert, had already anticipated the possible situation.
He brought a lot of raisins with him on this trip, all of which were sun-dried by hand at the campsite, and they came in handy now.
Raisins, which were originally just meant to be a snack, played a significant role at this time.
Jack soaked all the raisins in a jar filled with seawater. This way, the raisins would absorb water, but most of the salt would be filtered out. Although they tasted a bit salty, there was no other way but to make do.
Now, the allocation of water resources is entrusted to Dong Yujue. Everyone drinks water frequently, but only a small sip each time, ensuring that water is ingested at any time, while minimizing consumption.
This situation continued for a whole day, and their water supply dwindled.
Compared to the desert, the feeling of lacking water in the ocean is much more unbearable. In the desert, as long as there are still plants, there is always a way to obtain water. But now, they are surrounded by countless seawater and can only watch helplessly as their water reserves are depleted.
They couldn't help but think that it would be great if seawater were drinkable. Then they realized that this idea was extremely dangerous.
Although drinking seawater can quench thirst temporarily, it will immediately cause a large amount of urination, with more urine than you drink. Moreover, the salt content of seawater is too high, exceeding the human body's tolerance.
If they can't resist drinking seawater, it will only worsen their dehydration.
Even in dire straits, one can only add some seawater to fresh water to temporarily alleviate the situation and dilute the salt content of the seawater. However, the proportion of seawater cannot be too high; a few percent is the limit.
At sea, I'd rather drink urine than seawater.
Therefore, this kind of thinking must be eliminated.
There was an iron stove on the deck, which they used to heat their food. They hadn't used it for the past two days to conserve water, but now they were using it to distill seawater.
This distillation method was far more efficient than Jack's natural priming. In just half a day, they distilled enough drinking water for everyone for half a day, matching their consumption.
However, most of the firewood was used up.
To ensure maneuverability, the wooden boat was not very big to begin with. When they boarded, they loaded it with a lot of water and supplies, leaving little space for storing firewood. If they had more space, they would have preferred to store more water.
After distilling water for another half day, their firewood was completely used up.
"Dismantle the ship!"
Chen Yang made a decisive decision and immediately decided to dismantle the ship.
They have been drifting at sea for four days. Although they haven't moved much due to the sea breeze, they are still moving.
This is a micro-world, which cannot be measured by the standards of the ocean in the real world.
In the real world, it's perfectly normal to drift for ten days or more without seeing anything. But the ocean in the micro-world isn't that big. They're currently moving in a north-south direction. If they were moving in an east-west direction, the diameter would be less than four hundred kilometers before they reach the end.
I don't know if it runs through Chenyang from north to south, but it's at least one or two thousand kilometers long.
This may seem like a lot, but compared to the oceans in reality, which are often measured in tens of thousands of miles, it's really nothing.
Chen Yang refused to believe that they would never encounter an island.
So they dismantled all the wood on the ship that they could, using it for firewood as long as it didn't affect the main structure of the ship.
After burning all the firewood, they distilled enough water for everyone to drink for two days.
"I'll give it my all. If all else fails, I'll just tow the boat back when there's only half a day's worth of water left!" Chen Yang said.
"Haha, that's awesome! Just because of what you said, I'll go swimming myself and reduce the burden," Ding Qihan said.
“Count me in,” Jack laughed.
Dong Yujue didn't say anything, she just smiled slightly.
If it were Chen Yang, he might actually be able to swim back by towing the boat. His lightness of body can be used in the sea, and if there is no headwind, he might be able to swim back in two days. He also has enough endurance.
Based on Chen Yang's domineering declaration, they decided to fight with their backs against the wall.
The distilled water is enough for two days of drinking, and with the remaining water, as well as the water from the raisins, fish eyes, and the still, it should last for four days without any problem.
Four days is enough time for them to give it their all.
However, just one day after they made their decision, news came from the fish rafts that were under construction in the Western Ocean that they had discovered an island.
Upon hearing this news, Chen Yang and the other three almost coughed up blood.
However, after listening carefully, they felt a little better.
The island was discovered by Jiang Ya. It's located in the northern part of the bay where they built their fish farm. It's not far, but you have to go around it to see it.
Currently, they have not yet landed on the island, but judging from the appearance, the island is only about two-thirds the size of the island in the lake, and the outer ring is all rock. The area that can actually be developed and utilized is less than one-third of the island in the lake. However, it is still larger than the island that Chen Yang and his group used as a transit point before, and because it is close, it is worth developing.
This island is not the kind of island Chen Yang and his group are looking for; they need to continue exploring.
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