Chapter 47: Project "Camp -> Settlement" (2)
Lucius then found a nice quiet spot close by to collect his thoughts. He wanted to think out a detailed plan for the development of the commune.
"So first things first, the tree camp. It would ensure the safety of the leaflings once built, which is of the highest priority," he whispered, making a mental note of it.
"In order to do that, I need four things. A tool to shave off the tree's bark, another tool to cut the twigs into usable pieces of planks, a pulley system, and rope to help with the build.~ And already Lucius had an answer to three of those things.
He would use stones for both the cutting and the shaving tools. These would just require a lot of time, patience, and sweat.
For rope, he could use the stone tools to cut up nearby pieces of vine. They would probably be strong enough to make for suitable building rope.
The only thing he was worried about was the pulley system. Building it would be easy, after all, he was once an engineering major. However, he pondered about how he would go about it.
Would he build it with the immediate goal of making the tree camp more accessible, or would he build it with future builds in mind? After all, with consecutive evolutions, it was very well possible that the leaflings might evolve into massive creatures.
~No, I'll start simple. What's the point of making things complex anyway? If we do indeed grow into massive creatures, we will just have to make do with a ground base,~ he decided after a bit of pondering.
~So it's decided, the pulley system will be a simple elevator. For now, I'll use pebbles as a counterbalance. It would be nice to use sand, but I have nothing to make bags out of,~ he thought to himself before standing up.
He took a look at the shed, and though he had been satisfied yesterday, he realized that it didn't really have a lot of defenses.
~Maybe after the stone tools I should build a few ground stakes around the camp,~ he thought before starting his work on the pebbles.
*
The pebbles weren't particularly smooth as they hadn't been collected near the river and instead were found closer inland. Which worked to his advantage as he would have to grind them against each other.
The work was strenuous, and it took hours just to get a small pebble into the shape he wanted. After two hours of work -resting included- he managed to grind out a sharp flat stone head.
This would work probably work well as a cutting tool after a bit more sharpening, but he was satisfied with its current shape.
~I think I need to look for a proper grinding stone,~ he realized, staring at the other pebble he had used as a grinding stone. It had been smoothened out so much that it couldn't sharpen the stone any more than it already had.
He tried using another stone, but it wasn't nearly brittle enough to provide enough friction to sharpen the stone head past a certain point.
~Yhup, I need a grinding stone,~ he decided, before going into the forest to look for one.
*
~So I need a stone that will offer a good amount of friction, something very abrasive,~ he thought as he scoured the forest.
On his search, he came across a variety of different rock types. Some of them had layered structures, breaking very easily when he picked them up and hit them against another rock.
Others had sharp minerally edges, which would work perfectly as cutting tools, or as weapons. However, he doubted that he had the strength to grind or carry them even if he found a suitable stone. So he noted down its location before continuing his search.
After an hour of searching, he found himself very far from the camp, having lost track of how far he was going due to tunnel vision.
"Maybe I should start heading back," he decided, realizing that the forest terrain had once again changed.
"Is that a trail?" he wondered to himself, seeing a whole army of footprints a bit ahead. He went on to inspect it, and he was right. The path had been cleared due to repetitive commuting in the area.
"These footprints are massive," he whispered, analyzing what was in front of him. Whatever had made them was a bipedal creature, with a curvilinear triangle-type foot the same size as his entire body.
~Best warn the leaflings not to head this way,~ he decided to himself before heading back.
*
"I mean, it's a bit blunt, but with a bit of force, I'm sure it cut twigs. Maybe not so cleanly, but clean enough," he whispered to himself before thrusting the stone head he had carved into a twig.
It managed to make a cut in the twig, but the cut was rough, almost as if it had been snapped instead of cut with a tool. What's more is, with just a single swing, Lucius could tell that the stone head was already beginning to dull.
"Even the material the stone is made of is trash," he whispered. It seemed that development wouldn't be as clear-cut as he once thought.
"Photosynthesis time!" Lucius called out, looking up at the midday sun. "Perhaps I'll have to start going on expeditions in search of proper stones," he whispered, remembering the sharp minerally stone he had seen earlier.
~If I increase my stats enough, then maybe, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 maybe.~
After a few minutes, the leaflings had all gathered around Lucius. Hannibal seemed so deep in thought that he hadn't even noticed he was sitting right next to Alpha.
Pagan on the other hand was trying to sneak his way into the group, though Lucius was well aware of what he was trying to do.
"So How many did you collect Pagan?" Lucius asked once everyone had quieted down.
"U-Uhm, 50 like you as-"
"Don't lie to me, Pagan," Lucius replied with a sigh, disappointed at the petty attempt.
"Okay, 38, but I tried my best," Pagan answered a moment later.
"Then that gets you 19 minutes, I'll stop halfway to kick you out," Lucius said out loud before calling out his crux.
"Thank you," Pagan said happily.
"By the way Lighted One. How come I don't have one?" Pagan asked, referring to the crux that was floating above Lucius's head.
"Ahh, that's right you need a solis fragment to-" Just then Lucius remembered the Sobriquet.
~I can share items can't I?~ he realized, quickly opening his system shop and purchasing a solis fragment.
[Share 『Solis Fragment』 with 『Pagan』?]
~Yes.~