Chapter 57: Down the River

Just as Chu Jiu felt he was about to turn to stone, the system prompt sounded.

Whether it was his imagination or not, the usually calm and wave-free system voice even carried a hint of awkwardness.

[Ahem, congratulations to the host for obtaining the hidden rare item: "Blessed Statue".]

[Blessed Statue: A statue painstakingly carved by the dwarf-orc tribe filled with heartfelt gratitude!
Place the statue in a bustling place to receive the blessings of the crowd, and perhaps the subject carved into the statue will also receive mysterious protection, oh?
Note: This statue cannot be stored in the inventory]

...Mysterious protection, indeed.

Let's hope it's the kind of protection that is actually useful.

At this moment, Chu Jiu was well aware that the little squirrels had genuinely and sincerely crafted such a statue. No matter how much his inner self was fracturing, he could only grit his teeth and say:
"Thank you, wonderful, very special..."
"Why are there tears in my eyes? That's naturally because I'm deeply moved."

*

Chu Jiu came to the underground river once more.

He first went to the pond to check on the big hippopotamus:
According to the bow-tied little squirrel, the big hippopotamus loved its new home.
Still not fast enough. Must continue practicing.

Chu Jiu dismissed it and went back to organizing the bat wings.

Fortunately, aside from the [Illusion-casting Phantom Bat] on the first day, no other aggressive magical beasts had appeared since, save for some small magical beasts that looked terrifying in appearance but possessed virtually no lethality.

He knew those three little ones were saying: We want to help! There are plenty of caves in the underground river region, we are very familiar with rocks and caverns, we can definitely help!

After hanging the sachets, the three little ones gradually stopped crying out of dizziness, but they still lacked spirit.

Something—some colossal behemoth, emerged from within!

However, upon obtaining the finished product, the system prompted him: [Just a little bit of juice can refresh the body and mind, and eliminate various discomfort symptoms caused by bumps in carriages and boats].

Little Canned: ...?

For instance, the [Long-tailed Short-snouted Lizard], skinned and cut into chunks, could be pan-fried or roasted, and tasted no different from top-grade pork ribs.

The little squirrels stood at the bow of the boat, pointing excitedly at the cave ceiling: "Star stone! Good stone!"

Before Chu Jiu even reacted, Little Canned had already "swooshed" and leaped into the air once again!

Just as he was harboring a secret regret, he suddenly heard Little Canned softly say, "The little squirrels aren't quite right."

Little Canned and Howl-howl Rabbit pressed the [Bamboo Inflator] at an astonishing speed, causing the [Wind-breath Fruit] to inflate rapidly!

What a pity—pure-water stones were extremely fragile; once quarried or broken, they would lose this magical effect. Therefore, even the dwarf-orcs, who were most skilled at stone-digging, had no way to quarry this stone and carry it around with them. They could only collect clean water in places where both pure-water stones and water sources existed.

Chu Jiu lit the torch once again and stood up to survey his surroundings.

All around were unfathomable cliffs, pitch-black darkness, and deafening roars that could pierce clouds and split rocks.

After rattling off this long string of words without pause, Howl-howl Rabbit grew dizzy itself, reaching out a paw to scratch its face: "Howl? It seems I just said we don't get dizzy, as for the rest I don't remember..."

Chu Jiu: "..."

Presently, on Chu Jiu's bamboo raft...

Ah, the aspirations of youth...

[Illusion-casting Phantom Bat:
Isn't this a typical motion sickness and seasickness remedy? Considering the journey ahead, Chu Jiu simply made a few more sachets.

"Underground river, danger!"

*

Therefore, he calculated the time and laid out the inflation pipes for the [Wind-breath Fruit] in advance, timing it precisely to make the bamboo raft "take flight".

Chu Jiu squatted down to inspect them closely, shaking his head: "They're not sick. They're... seasick."

Chu Jiu finally found a relatively spacious and flat location suitable for pushing the bamboo raft into the water.

And the little squirrels, having ridden the "Hippopotamus Cruise Ship", did not forget to give the big hippopotamus a "cupping therapy service" as a token of gratitude after disembarking, massaging the big hippopotamus so comfortably that it blissed out.

Moreover, he intended to go further than Eric and the others, reaching the deep realms they had never touched.

With a roar, Little Canned directly blocked Chu Jiu's front.

It was a good thing they had practiced this several times before.

Chu Jiu sat down against the railing, let out a long breath, and smiled at Little Canned and Howl-howl Rabbit: "Brilliant."

Because the blacksmith squirrel had once said that, calculated by the age of dwarf-orcs, these three little ones were still babies...

When have I ever seen you dig caves.

The little cat had long since made up its mind that even if it could only "scratch", it would turn that "scratch" into a terrifying ultimate move that would frighten the wits out of enemies!

Little Canned: "Can't find it."

The bamboo raft was generally square, with an area of about 12 square meters. It featured a circle of bamboo railings, brackets for inserting torches and allowing the little cat to climb, and a simple cabin woven from bamboo leaves and branches to block the wind and provide warmth, making it convenient for sitting, lying down, and resting.

Using a specialized machete to cut down the lemongrass, removing the hard outer shell wrapped around it, and repeatedly kneading the tender grass core inside, one could obtain [Lemongrass Juice] with a unique fragrance.

Chu Jiu walked toward the "rag", and the system popped up an illustrated handbook card:

This journey was certainly not about leisurely enjoying the scenery and picking up materials. According to Eric's records at the time, their safe return was largely due to his good luck.

[Serrated Lemongrass] was something Chu Jiu had casually harvested while fishing on the banks of the [River of Yesteryear].

Back then, Eric and his companions had originally intended to head back, but because they encountered a hidden current on their return journey, they had no choice but to continue forward.

Chu Jiu: "Oh."

About three minutes later, a thick pile of "rags" had accumulated on the bamboo raft.

Chu Jiu did not know that over the past few nights, this little cat would slip into the forest while he was asleep and repeatedly practice "scratching".

It spent most of its time soaking in the pond, climbing ashore at fixed times every day to bury its head in grass, lying on pebble chairs for massages, and sometimes carrying the little squirrels for a swim in the river.

A little squirrel tremblingly poked its head out, looking outside by the illumination of the [Cold-light Torch]:

Had Chu Jiu not previously asked the blacksmith squirrel to forge a specialized machete using [Shield-fish Bone Plates], he would have had no way to gather this material.

It was quite lively, though.

"I could barely keep up with your movements before, but now I can only hear the howling wind."

Even dwarf-orcs adapted to dungeon life would feel uneasy and depressed if they stayed in such an environment for a long time.

Who could guarantee that this trip of their own would have such luck?

*

The thunderous roar from earlier was gone here; they must have been some distance away from the waterfall.

He pulled a [Sachet Made from Serrated Lemongrass Juice] out of his inventory and hung them around the necks of the three little ones respectively.

Chu Jiu: "Eh?"

Chu Jiu originally wanted to use this juice to make a little mosquito repellent—

The initial stretch of the waterway had open spaces and a calm water current.

He was pondering the request of the three little ones.

For instance, the [Quack-quack Skinless Frog], which naturally had no skin, was washed and chopped, boasting delicate meat and delicious flavor. Howl-howl Rabbit could eat a large basin of it in one go.

Seeing that they seemed to be in no serious condition, Chu Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and asked the two spiritual beasts, "You two aren't seasick, are you?"

The little squirrels sat up, rubbing their bruised little ears and big tails:

Because of the shield-fish bone plates...

This type of star stone itself was not a high-hardness mineral, but it possessed a marvelous refractive index. As long as there was the slightest light source nearby, it could reflect illuminating brightness. The stones Chu Jiu had seen earlier in the underground passages, used to enhance the brightness of the passageways, were polished by the dwarf-orcs using this star stone.

According to the "Underground River Adventure", the vast majority of dwarf-orcs would not continue drifting, choosing instead to turn back.

These "vampire bats more terrifying than demons" had all been scared away by Little Canned, hadn't they?

He hadn't expected that before he even took out his bug net, or even sensed the approach of these bats, they had already been dealt with by Little Canned!

The axe-wielding little squirrel shrank inside its little sleeping bag, humming dejectedly: "We wanted to help, but ended up causing trouble."

Now it seemed those practices hadn't been in vain.

He hadn't expected it to actually come in handy.

Winning as the games went on, Howl-howl Rabbit grew increasingly smug, its yarn-ball-like little tail twitching back and forth nonstop.

Only then did Chu Jiu notice that the three little squirrels, who had been making a ruckus endlessly, had been quiet for quite a while.

"Squeak!"

Howl-howl Rabbit squatted nearby, wagging its ears and saying, "Howl-howl-howl, it's fine, you get used to it and stop feeling dizzy, don't worry, just sleep well and you'll be fine."

That made sense, too.

Meanwhile, Little Canned stood with all four paws together on a nearby bracket, thinking with a serious expression:

Although the little squirrels were "veterans", Howl-howl Rabbit learned very quickly and had unknowingly won several games.

This place resembled a calm pool of water.

Chu Jiu went ahead to hang a small hammock in the cabin, lit the charcoal, and started a stove, letting the three little ones lie down and rest properly.

The "cave wonders", which originally carried a hint of fascination, gradually turned eerie and terrifying.

That was...

Turning his head to look:

Little Canned: "...Perhaps it's just too dark here."

Little Canned watched Chu Jiu's actions from the side and spoke up: "This wing... of any use?"

"I used to be like this, too."

Seeing that Chu Jiu did not answer immediately, the three little ones grew a bit anxious:

"Thicker than the linen we currently have, and with greater extensibility than ordinary leather—if we go to sea to build big ships in the future, we can turn it into sails."

It wasn't until the fifth day.

Torches were kept burning on the boat, a stove was lit in the cabin, chestnuts were roasting in the stove, and fish and shrimp were grilling over the stove.

This "bamboo raft" was made by drying out the moisture of the sturdiest bamboo and wood, bending and setting them through fire-roasting, and finally binding them together with leather ropes.

Hmm? Eh?

When Chu Jiu read this passage, he had decided that if he encountered this kind of bat head-on, he would just greet it with a [Bug Net].

"Blech, blech..."

The edges of the leaves of this lemongrass were literally "serrated", making them completely capable of sawing through wood, bones, or even metals of insufficient hardness.

Chu Jiu paid no mind to this minor detail.

Turning his head, it turned out to be the white-eared blacksmith gentleman.

Without waiting for his orders, Little Canned and Howl-howl Rabbit had already darted to the railings of the bamboo raft in accordance with their previous drills, tying several [Wind-breath Fruit] to the railings one after another.

Pity that by this stage, the underground caves had grown increasingly cramped and narrow, the water current had become increasingly swift, the cave ceiling no longer possessed those illuminating star stones, and there were no longer any novel or interesting minerals around.

"Seems like they've all hidden away."