Chapter 644: Gifts of Nature (Part Two) (Patreon)

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Schiller indeed couldn't make BJ roast duck because the soil here wasn't suitable for building a stove. However, he created a simplified version by cleaning the duck and marinating it with a sauce made from seafood.

He cut open the duck's belly, stuffed it with apples and lemons, then placed the whole duck into a larger coconut shell. After sealing the coconut shell, he buried it in hot sand that had been heated over a fire, cooking the duck to perfection.

Halben wanted to replicate Wellington steak, but without readily available starch for the puff pastry and lacking good ingredients for mushroom sauce, he opted for a simplified version.

He trimmed the crust from slices of toast bread, brushed each layer with butter, stacked them four layers high, pan-fried them until golden. He seasoned the steak with pepper, seared it to medium-rare, coated it with seafood sauce, and wrapped it in the crispy bread.

Seeing that their skills were evenly matched and neither of them felt hungry, these two individuals continued showcasing their culinary prowess until another figure appeared at the cave entrance.

It was challenging to discern genuine puzzlement on Batman's face, but at this moment, Schiller was certain he saw a hint of confusion and bewilderment on Bruce's face.

The two individuals lying down weren't easy to judge for life or death, but the presentation and aroma of the food were unmistakable. After hours of flying, Bruce had finally reached the crash site, and he was feeling a bit hungry. When he opened the sealed cave entrance and walked in, his hunger intensified.

These recipes had incorporated original elements adapted to the environment, but their overall structures remained based on well-tested human culinary techniques. Thus, both their aromas and appearances were quite appealing.

The first dish to be served was chicken stew with mushrooms. The chicken leg meat's rich fat gave the entire dish a golden sheen. Equally lustrous was the seafood spaghetti made with shrimp oil and served inside coconut shells, offering a fragrance that transcended seafood delight and was uniquely associated with coconuts.

Another tantalizing dish was the already sliced duck meat, slow-cooked to utmost tenderness. Paired with Schiller's seafood sauce, it was likely to transport anyone to gastronomic heaven. The wilderness survival version of Wellington steak, with its abundant carbohydrates and thick-cut steak, would drive any omnivore wild.

When Schiller's last pot of seafood soup was ready, Arthur sat up as if awakened from the dead. He no longer cared about Bruce, the uninvited guest. Instead, he hurried over to the stone slab, eagerly awaiting the meal.

Schiller helped Oliver to his feet and led him to the stone slab. Once the four of them were seated, there was no room left around the stone slab, making Bruce's arrival a somewhat awkward affair.

Although he had recognized the refrigerator placed nearby, the same one Alfred had prepared on his plane, Bruce was self-aware enough to realize that having these ingredients entrusted to him, without causing food poisoning, was already fortunate. To dine on such gourmet food on this deserted island would likely require another three months of training with Alfred.

Schiller raised an eyebrow as if just noticing Bruce and remarked, "Isn't this Mr. Wayne? Are you here for a vacation too?"

Bruce fixed his gaze on his own refrigerator, and Schiller followed suit. "Oh, that's the Gifts of Nature. In that case, I suppose Nature won't refuse any traveler. Would you like to partake?"

"Shouldn't you explain what's going on first?" Bruce asked in his characteristic low tone.

Half a minute later, Bruce mechanically chewed a piece of chicken. Schiller looked at him with a dubious expression and said, "Do you find my cooking unsatisfactory? Why did you seem happier when eating his spaghetti?"

Arthur quickly shifted away, not wanting to be too close to Schiller. Bruce licked his lips and replied, "No, I was just wondering how Nature conveniently gifted you with a refrigerator identical to the one on my plane..."

"Do you believe in God?" Schiller asked.

Bruce's expression said it all – of course, he did. Bruce Wayne was a devout Christian who had previously funded the entire restoration of the Gotham Cathedral. But Batman? He believed in no god.

"If you don't believe in God, I can't explain," Schiller made the sign of the cross on his chest and said.

"What if I do believe?" Bruce asked.

"Then why don't you ask God?" Schiller retorted.

With that, Schiller tossed the last chicken bone out of the cave. While Bruce was still pondering, the food on the stone slab had vanished.

Arthur and Oliver's eating habits weren't characterized by restraint and decorum; they were more akin to starving beasts. It proved that even the strongest and most rational individuals couldn't resist the desire to eat.

After the satisfying meal, everyone regained their energy. Oliver's condition had improved significantly, and Schiller began tending to his wounds. Due to some improper handling earlier, his wounds showed signs of deterioration, making treatment a bit complicated.

During this time, Arthur and Hal planned to start weaving the hand-thrown nets. The previously cooked fibers were now almost dry and ready for weaving.

"First, we need to split all the long, slender leaves with metal pieces, as fine as possible. Keep a portion of the leaf's front end intact, don't split it. Then, soak the leaf in water. After soaking, weave the fiber part using this method..."

Only Arthur was seen, holding a prepared leaf, beginning to weave. The weaving method resembled braiding, but due to the numerous split strips and their intricate interweaving, it was quite complex. Hal, after observing for a while, blinked and asked, "What just happened? What did you do? How did this leaf turn into a thin rope?"

Meanwhile, Bruce, who had been observing from the side, seemed pensive as he picked up a leaf and a piece of metal to begin splitting the leaf.

Using the remains of his Bat Wing as a tool, Bruce sighed internally, not because this material was being wasted, but because he was thinking that the metal used in making aircraft next time should be softer, convenient for emergency situations like crashes and for crafting tools during survival on a deserted island...

After splitting the leaf, he started weaving. Initially, his movements were a bit slow, but by the time he reached the middle, his fingers had blurred into a frenzy, even faster than Arthur.

Soon, a thin rope appeared in Bruce's hand, but he still felt dissatisfied. He pulled on both ends of the rope, and upon closer observation, he noticed that as he exerted force, some of the thinner fibers had broken. Clearly, if he applied more force, the rope would surely snap.

Bruce shook his head, turned down the corners of his mouth, revealing a dissatisfied expression.

He picked up another fiber, this time making the cuts wider. Each fiber was thicker, but due to the hardness of the fibers, they didn't bond well during weaving, resulting in bumps along the rope.

Bruce decided to move to the door, bringing along a large pile of various fibers. He began experimenting, measuring distances, recording data, creating control groups, and conducting final product tests...

Behind him, Arthur continued to instruct Hal on how to stabilize the metal-cutting of thin fibers. On Bruce's side, several product iterations had already taken place.

Eventually, Bruce found a type of palm leaf fiber that was perfect for making ropes. These fibers were strong when thin, ensuring the rope wouldn't break during weaving, yet they maintained a certain level of hardness and resilience when thicker.

Once he identified this material, Bruce began improving the weaving method, striving to find a simple, fast, efficient, and robust method.

In no time, he had woven several thin ropes and began testing each one, eventually settling on the most effective approach and further refining it.

After determining the optimal method for weaving thin ropes, Bruce twisted many of these thin ropes into thicker cords. However, he realized that ropes made from a single type of fiber couldn't match the quality of those created using multiple materials and methods.

He began researching the best combinations, aiming to find the most suitable method among several materials and techniques.

On the other side, Hal finally learned how to make thin ropes, and Arthur began teaching him how to twist them into thicker cords. His method was simple, just twisting them innocently and knotting both ends.

With the thicker cords ready, they could start weaving the fishing nets. Hand-thrown fishing nets were actually quite straightforward. Arthur created a type of hand-thrown net similar to modern frisbee nets, using sturdy plant stems as a rigid support and attaching the net to it.

The net weaving method was also straightforward, involving a simple one-over-one-under pattern. In no time, Arthur had created a very decent hand-thrown net, differing mainly in material from the commercially available ones.

Seeing Arthur's actions, Bruce began contemplating. He recognized it as a hand-thrown net, but being raised in Gotham, Coastal City, he knew that hand-thrown nets, while simple, were relatively primitive and had a low success rate for fishing, especially in the ocean.

At first, Bruce considered creating a fishing net launcher. He had made similar devices before for capturing criminals, but he soon realized that in a place without gunpowder or rubber, providing sufficient propulsion to a net would be challenging. If the net didn't travel as far as one thrown by hand, it would be pointless...

Since the net couldn't go to the fish, Bruce decided to bring the fish to the net. He changed his approach and looked at the nearby pieces of wood.

Taking the leftover sticks that Arthur had handled earlier, Bruce tinkered with them for a while. After a series of adjustments, he arranged them into several shapes. Gazing at these shapes, Bruce stroked his chin in contemplation. Eventually, he chose one shape and began weaving a fishing trap around it.

By the time Hal had successfully woven most of the fishing net, Bruce had crafted a peculiar fishing device. Clearly, it was not a net to be cast; it was a fishing trap.

Bruce had never gone fishing, so this fishing trap was entirely a product of his deduction and intellect. As Hal and Arthur prepared to test the hand-thrown net together, they turned around and found Bruce had scattered his fishing traps all over the place.

Arthur widened his eyes in amazement and approached Bruce, exclaiming, "A fishing trap?? Are you a fisherman too?"

"Oh my God, my dad tried to teach me to make these several times, but I never learned. You must be an experienced old..."

Before Arthur could finish his sentence, his gaze landed on Bruce. Although Bruce was about the same age as him, he had aged much better, with no signs of sun or wind exposure. He had the appearance of a pampered rich kid who was chauffeured everywhere.

Arthur smacked his lips and said, "You definitely aren't a fisherman. So where did you get this?"

Bruce, holding the fishing trap, glanced at Schiller, who was still tending to Oliver's wounds, and then handed the trap to Arthur, saying, "This is a Gift of Nature."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 645: The Great Wilderness Survival Failure (Part 1)