Chapter 3: Bluebird Stew is Delicious! Congratulations on unlocking the full version of the cheat...
Gray Stone took Shell's hand; it was covered in thick calluses like tree bark, and dirt was embedded in his fingernails. These hands clearly showed they had weathered many storms and were used to hard and tiring work.
He held the half-filled container of water, not in a hurry to drink it, but first brought it closer to examine it carefully, and then sniffed it with his nose, his movements as cautious as if he were defusing a time bomb.
Lin Yue watched from the side, unable to help but mutter to himself, "Brother, is it really that bad? Although my filtration device is a bit rudimentary, it still uses modern scientific principles... well, it's a simplified version of modern scientific micro-operation. But it's still better than drinking that stuff directly, right? Besides, if I wanted to poison it, I'd need poison in the first place. I'm so poor right now that I'm practically using my underwear as a filter."
After confirming that there was nothing strange in the water, Graystone finally took a small, cautious sip.
Then, his eyes widened suddenly.
His expression was so captivating that Lin Yue wanted to take out his phone, record it, and post it on his WeChat Moments, but unfortunately, he didn't have a phone.
Immediately afterwards, as if afraid the water would run away, Gray Stone Brother tilted his head back and gulped down several large mouthfuls, emptying the half-shell of water completely.
After finishing his drink, he licked his lips with lingering satisfaction. His gaze towards Lin Yue held less wariness and more... well, an indescribable mix of emotions, probably a combination of shock, doubt, and "Is this kid some kind of clown sent by the river god?"
Lin Yue chuckled: "How about it, buddy? Pure, natural, and pollution-free... Okay, it's low-pollution filtered water. The taste is alright, right? Want a refill? Second cup half price!"
Of course, he could only think these words to himself. The system interface displayed: [Other party's emotional fluctuations: Shock +20%, Confusion +30%, Alertness -10%. Current relationship: Shifting from 'potential threat' to 'strange but useful guy'.]
"I've made progress. Knowledge really does change destiny, and the source of life enhances friendship," Lin Yue thought to herself happily, and then filtered some more water.
But soon, another deadly need struck—hunger.
The ravenous wolf in his stomach was about to break free of its cage and begin to devour his internal organs. Gray Stone was clearly not in much better shape either; the rumbling of his stomach was even louder than Lin Yue's.
"We need to find something to eat." Lin Yue stood up and patted the dirt off his clothes.
He did find some wild vegetable roots and stems that were certified by the system as non-toxic and edible yesterday, but there weren't many, and if eaten raw... the taste would probably be similar to chewing tree bark, and it might even cause indigestion.
He took out the oddly shaped roots and carefully washed them clean with filtered water by the stream.
"We can't just eat vegetarian food; we need to prepare something substantial." Lin Yue then turned his gaze to the jungle.
Hunting? With his small frame, he probably couldn't even catch a rabbit, let alone challenge those big guys that made those terrifying howls last night.
"System, is there any 'moving protein block' nearby that has an attack power of approximately zero but a high protein content?" Lin Yue asked telepathically.
[Scanning for nearby creatures...]
[Found: Stone-skinned Lazy Bug, extremely slow-moving, hard exoskeleton, meat unknown (no record of consumption).]
[Found: 'Colorful Winged Silly Bird', poor flying ability, low alertness, meat quality unknown.]
[Found: Small, three-lobed mushrooms, with fixed growth patterns; suspected to contain trace amounts of hallucinogenic substances; taste unknown. Not recommended.]
Lin Yue: "..."
Okay, something's better than nothing. The Stone-Skinned Lazy Bug sounds too hardcore; you'd probably need a hammer to crack it open. The Colorful-Winged Silly Bird sounds good; being silly makes it the easiest to catch.
Three-lobed mushrooms... a trace amount of hallucinogens? Did he eat the one that lay on the board? Never mind, he doesn't want to have a friendly meeting with his ancestors so soon.
Target locked: Colorful Winged Fool.
He gestured for a long time to Gray Stone Brother, trying to explain that he was going to catch birds for lunch. Gray Stone Brother seemed to understand the "bird's" gesture, nodded, and then silently followed behind Lin Yue, still tightly gripping his wooden spear.
Lin Yue: "Big brother, you don't need to be so nervous. I'm just going to catch a silly bird, not to stir up a hornet's nest..."
The two of them searched the jungle, one in front of the other.
Believe it or not, those colorful-winged silly birds are actually quite easy to find. Their feathers look like they've just been pulled out of a dye vat; it's hard to miss them.
And they were really silly; Lin Yue and Gray Stone were within ten meters of them, and they were still slowly pecking at something on the ground, completely unaware of the danger approaching.
Graystone displayed the qualities of a competent hunter. He gestured for a stop, then lowered his body and stealthily approached. When he was close enough, his wooden spear shot out like a venomous snake!
"Pfft!"
With a soft click, an unfortunate, colorful, silly bird was precisely impaled on the spear tip, fluttered twice, and then lay still.
The whole process was clean and efficient, leaving Lin Yue dumbfounded.
"Master, that hand speed is definitely the result of practice."
Graystone returned carrying his spoils, his face expressionless, but there seemed to be a hint of smugness in his eyes.
Catching one wasn't enough, so the two of them worked together to catch two more. Gray Stone did most of the work, while Lin Yue was in charge of cheering and picking up the scraps.
Carrying the three brightly colored silly birds, the two returned to their temporary camp.
Next comes preparing the ingredients.
Lin Yue looked at the three birds, perplexed. He had never dealt with such feathered creatures before.
He looked to Gray Stone Brother for help. Gray Stone Brother was quite skilled; he found a flat stone and used the stone slab as a knife to pluck the hair, open the abdomen, and remove the internal organs.
The movements were clean and efficient, with a primal beauty amidst the bloodshed, if one ignored the colorful feathers flying everywhere and the unpleasant smell.
Lin Yue quickly helped, mainly by washing with clean water. Throughout this process, Gray Stone didn't interfere, tacitly accepting Lin Yue's interaction.
The cleaned bird meat had a strange pale blue color, which made him quite puzzled.
"System, is this thing really edible? Won't I turn into an Avatar if I eat it?"
[Ingredient Scan: Winged takin meat. Composition Analysis: Moderate protein content, low fat content, contains unknown pigment (non-toxic), coarse muscle fibers. Cooking Suggestions: Long-term stewing or grilling helps tenderize the meat. Eating raw may cause indigestion and potential parasite risks*.]
"Well, we still have to bake or boil it."
He glanced at the campfire, then at the cleaned wild vegetable roots and stems, and the pale blue bird meat.
How about... a one-pot stew from another world?
Let's get right to it.
He found a relatively intact large stone pit, lined the bottom with large leaves to prevent water leakage and soiling, and then threw in the chopped bird meat and wild vegetable roots all at once. Next, he added water until it covered the ingredients.
The final and most crucial step: heating.
What if I don't have a pot?
Lin Yue recalled a method he had seen in some survival shows before—boiling stones in water.
He selected some moderately sized, relatively clean stones from the fire and heated them until they were scorching hot. Then, using two sturdy wooden sticks, he picked up the red-hot stones and carefully dropped them into the pit.
"Sizzle—"
The scalding hot stone met the cold water, producing a loud bang and releasing a large amount of steam. The water in the pit heated up rapidly and began to churn.
Lin Yue kept throwing in red-hot stones to keep the water boiling.
A peculiar aroma, a blend of meaty, earthy, and fresh plant scents, began to permeate the air.
Gray Stone squatted to the side, watching Lin Yue's series of seemingly impressive but ultimately baffling actions with growing confusion in his eyes. He had probably never seen anything cooked like this before.
Lin Yue estimated that it had been simmering for about half an hour. The bird meat in the pot looked a bit softer, and the roots and stems had also become tender and glutinous. The soup had taken on a... well, indescribable murky blue-green color.
"It looks rather surreal, but it should be cooked through." Lin Yue poked the meat with a stick, feeling it was about right.
He used a large leaf as a bowl, first serving himself a portion, and then serving Gray Stone a portion as well.
A steaming pot of bluebird and wild vegetable stew was placed in front of him. Lin Yue took a deep breath, and with a death-defying resolve, used a sharpened wooden stick to pick up a piece of bluebird meat, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.
Surprisingly, the taste was actually quite good?
The bird meat was indeed a bit tough, but after stewing it became quite tender and had a unique savory poultry flavor. The wild vegetable roots and stems absorbed the broth, becoming soft, tender, and delicious, with a hint of sweetness.
The key point is that it's hot and cooked. Being able to eat a hot, cooked meal in this godforsaken place is like heaven.
He looked at Gray Stone. Gray Stone copied him, clumsily using a stick to poke into the chunks of meat, picking them up and stuffing them into his mouth to chew. A little anecdote: Gray Stone initially tried to grab them with his hands, but they were too hot, so he gave up.
Then Graystone paused for a moment, and then chewed much faster.
Seeing Gray Stone gobble down his food, Lin Yue knew that this pot of culinary disaster had been a success.
Just as the two were engrossed in their meal, the system interface suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling light.
A series of notification sounds rang in his mind (this time with sound effects!):
[Ding! Host has been detected to have survived in this other world for more than 24 hours]
[Ding! Host has successfully acquired and purified water source]
[Ding! Host has successfully acquired the Fire Seed]
[Ding! The host has successfully prepared and consumed the first meal of otherworldly cooked food.]
[Ding! Preliminary peaceful interaction has been detected between the host and local intelligent beings]
Congratulations on achieving the 'You didn't starve to death' achievement!
[System activation requirements met! Loading the complete module of the "A Bite of Civilization" management system... Loading successful]
As the light faded, a more refined and information-rich system interface appeared before Lin Yue's eyes.
In addition to the existing basic functions such as [Body Status] and [Environment Scan], several brand new modules have been added:
[Today's Menu]: Empty, awaiting the host to add recipes.
[Diner Management]: Currently only has "Gray Stone", Status: Health is below average, Satiety is increasing, Emotion: Satisfaction +10, Confusion +5
[Building Blueprints]: Added blueprints for [Basic Shelter], [Simple Stove], and [Workbench (Stone Tools)], etc.
[Task Panel]: Added main quest
[Backpack/Storage]: Currently empty.
[Main Quest Released: The First Step to Survival!]
Mission objective: Build a sturdy shelter that can withstand basic wind and rain, defend against small wild animals, and have a fully functional basic cooking stove.
Task Rewards: 1 Basic Tool Upgrade Pack, 1 Bag of Mysterious Crop Seeds, 100 System Points.
Penalty for failure: You and your partner might get soaked to the bone on the next rainy night, or become the midnight snack of some passing wild animal. Think twice before you fail.
Looking at the brand-new system interface and the brightly lit main quest, Lin Yue was so excited that he almost knocked over the Bluebird Stew in his hand.
"It's here, it's here! My cheat system has finally been upgraded to the full version!" He was overjoyed. "I knew it! I really am the chosen one! The curtain is finally about to rise on the fantasy world of infrastructure building, gourmet food, and farming!"
He glanced at Gray Stone, who was still engrossed in eating, and a spirited smile appeared on his face.
"Greystone, are you ready for a new life? Our hard times are over."
Although the other party might not understand, that did not diminish Lin Yue's confident and ambitious mood at this moment.
Our goal is—to have enough to eat! To be warm enough to wear! To live in a big house! A big house with a toilet!
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