Wilderness Survival with Druid System-Chapter 548 - 47: Harvesting Rock Ear Fungus

"There are so many islands in the middle of the Great Slave Lake..."

The first thing Chen Wen noticed was the islands in the lake.

About 500 meters from the shore, and roughly over a kilometer away from where he was, he could see a small island.

It’s not large.

But there should be some animals living on it, or some edible plants growing.

And further beyond this small island, even through the faint mist.

Chen Wen could also see a big island.

It’s very large.

And he remembered, from his shelter, islands could be seen as well.

When the lake is frozen over or if he finds a boat, he could visit these islands in the lake.

Chen Wen thought as he continued to look elsewhere.

On the shaded side of the slope, Chen Wen saw a barren area, an expanse of exposed rock.

If it were just rocks, Chen Wen wouldn’t be interested.

But on top of those rocks, there was a dark mass of something resembling wood ear fungus.

At a glance, Chen Wen recognized what it was.

This thing is also a type of fungus, called "stone ear," a fungus with certain medicinal properties.

He could bring some back to try.

Thinking this, Chen Wen continued to observe.

But then he didn’t see any edible plants, and there were no animals in sight.

However, the birds flying in the sky caught Chen Wen’s attention.

He saw some birds similar to crows hovering over a forested area.

They should be crows, as they only circle like this when they see meat.

It seems there’s a predator hunting over there, or an animal is about to die.

He could go have a look. If there’s a chance, he might be able to score a find.

Chen Wen thought.

Soon, he slid down from the tree.

After quickly planning a route, Chen Wen, with the red fox, headed to the bare rock area to collect the stone ear.

...

Naked rock area.

This place is quite dangerous, being a steep slope, practically a cliff.

Thinking for a moment, Chen Wen only brought a hunting knife and an axe, then started climbing with his bare hands.

The red fox beside him watched this, very worried.

It could climb trees and some rocks.

But this kind of dangerous and complex rock face, the red fox couldn’t handle.

Since it couldn’t manage, it instinctively felt Chen Wen might not either.

After all, its body seemed more suited to climbing than Chen Wen’s.

But reality often has a way of proving you wrong quickly.

The red fox watched Chen Wen extend his arm, gripping the stone to exert force.

Before it could react, Chen Wen kicked off strongly, supporting his body as he climbed upward.

Moving along the smooth bare rock.

Impressive!

Couldn’t help but think, the red fox.

But it wasn’t over.

During the climb, Chen Wen continuously adjusted his route according to the actual situation, searching for the best path.

This meant that every time he lifted his foot, the next foothold seemed to appear precisely where Chen Wen was about to go.

This made the red fox spellbound.

As an outsider, the red fox felt Chen Wen was very impressive.

And for an experienced guide, Chen Wen was truly amazing.

He couldn’t help but say, "I’m a fan of Chen Wen. He wasn’t very good at climbing before, how did he learn so quickly?"

"Even though you can tell from his force exertion that he hasn’t practiced much, his route planning is really good!"

Hearing this, Lin Jiawei laughed and explained to the fan friend, "Well, after the last survival event, Chen Wen went to learn from a vice president of the Hua Country Exploration Association climbing division."

Oh, I see!

The guide suddenly understood.

Then he said rather enviously, "Having such resources at your disposal would indeed lead to rapid progress. But he’s also quite impressive himself, with strong core strength. For someone like him to pick up climbing, it’s like a dimensional reduction strike. He’s almost caught up with me, a seasoned enthusiast with over ten years of experience."

Hearing this, the other staff around couldn’t help but look at Chen Wen.

Goodness, what can’t this person do?

Isn’t a survivalist supposed to specialize in survival?

...

As for Chen Wen.

He moved skillfully over the rocks and soon reached the spot where the stone ear grew.

Ensuring his footing was stable, Chen Wen took out the hunting knife and began harvesting the stone ear.

Soon, he filled about half of a hat with stone ear.

"That’s about enough; so much will last a long time."

Muttering this, Chen Wen bit onto the hat filled with stone ear and then climbed down headfirst.

Without any surprises, he safely returned to the ground.

Chen Wen removed the hat full of stone ear, casually tied a knot, and hung it on his arm.

"Can this be eaten?"

Seeing the stone ear, the red fox was quite puzzled.

"Most of it can be eaten, but you probably can’t."

Chen Wen replied.

He wasn’t sure if the red fox’s digestive system was similar to a human’s, and given the stone ear’s medicinal effects.

How the red fox would react to eating it was something Chen Wen couldn’t predict.

To be safe, better not let it eat it.

The red fox nodded.

It wasn’t very interested in the stuff either, it didn’t look very tasty.

After collecting the stone ear, Chen Wen, based on his observations from above, began to walk towards the area where the crows were circling.

This time Chen Wen was more cautious.

He let the red fox lead the way, relying on its keen sense of smell and hearing to see if it could detect danger in advance and avoid it.

The red fox sniffed the air ahead, leading Chen Wen closer.

Just as they neared the area, the red fox stopped.

Thinking the red fox had discovered something, Chen Wen immediately tensed up and asked cautiously, "Did you find something?"

"A faint smell of blood, nothing else."

The red fox said, "The prey must be nothing but a carcass, and there’s no threatening animals around."

Hearing this, Chen Wen felt relieved.

He quickly approached with the red fox, and at just over a hundred meters away, Chen Wen could see the carcass clearly.

"A dead reindeer, but it’s a female North American reindeer."

As Chen Wen spoke, he suddenly noticed something moving within the shrunken abdominal cavity of the reindeer.

His eyes darted, and he became alert.

Something’s inside!

Nine out of ten chances it’s a scavenging medium-sized predator cleaning up the last of the North American reindeer’s flesh.

As if confirming Chen Wen’s words.

As he approached, a fierce-looking coyote.

The coyote, uniquely North American.

Ranging from Alaska in the north to Panama in the south, whether desert, plains, wastelands, mountains, or even ice fields, you can find this animal’s presence.

It’s a relatively widespread medium-sized predator.

This coyote, upon spotting Chen Wen, immediately showed hostility.

But since this guy wasn’t a special animal, Chen Wen had no intention of taming it.

He extended his hand, making a shooing gesture.

The coyote stood and scrutinized Chen Wen for a while, seemingly gauging the difference in their combat capabilities.

About five seconds later.

This coyote licked the blood off its lips and turned to walk away without hesitation.

"A very sensible animal."

Watching the coyote’s retreating figure, Chen Wen couldn’t help but smile.

Despite being a species heavily hunted by humans, the coyote is one of the few medium-sized animals whose numbers have expanded post-human encroachment.

This is inseparable from its strong adaptability and ability to assess situations.

The way this animal promptly turned away upon realizing it couldn’t handle Chen Wen, is something most animals wouldn’t do.

After driving away the coyote, Chen Wen and the red fox approached the remains of the North American reindeer.