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Chapter 164: 161 Guruluuuluu (Request for Monthly Pass)

“The Bow Drill Method requires several pieces of wood, a drill shaft, a fireboard, a bearing block, a hand-held stick, a length of string, and most importantly, some tinder to catch the flames, and then you use a knife or other sharp tool to process these raw materials.”

Bi Fang, draped in a spare brown robe, searched through the bushes, picking up a tree branch he tested its hardness with his fingernail, only to find it unsuitable.

“The principle of the Bow Drill Method is the same as the Hand Drill Method, with a slightly more complex structure, because it replaces some of the manual effort with a device, converting elastic potential energy into kinetic energy, thereby achieving higher efficiency.”

“So, when it comes to material selection, the bow drill is like the hand drill, I won’t go into detail here.”

The bushes were lush, and Bi Fang quickly found a suitable drill shaft from a tree five or six meters tall, with bunches of little red fruits hanging from its branches.

The fruits looked wrinkly as if they had been there for a long time.

Bi Fang cut off a small branch with a Harpoon.

“Last time I used burdock, this time we can use this, Ligustrum.”

[Ligustrum? That sounds very familiar.]

[I know, it’s Dumbledore’s old wand!]

[Excuse me, can your Ligustrum be used to make wands? (funny)]

[Damn, now that you mention it, I remember that Dumbledore’s wand material

is Ligustrum!]

[Can you eat these fruits? They look a lot like the Yagda from Mohe.]

Bi Fang knew everyone was joking around and joined in the banter.

“That might be disappointing for you all, as I can’t make wands, only drill shafts. Ligustrum is soft in the middle, but the rod is quite hard and has wood marrow, capable of producing more and larger sparks, making it even more suitable than burdock used last time.”

“As for the fruits,” Bi Fang said as he reached out to lift the grape-like red fruit, not expecting a whole bunch to fall off as he touched it.

“The fruiting period for Ligustrum is from September to October; these are all rotten, and even if they weren’t, we couldn’t eat them because Ligustrum fruit contains a glycoside, which is used as a raw material to manufacture cyanide, so we cannot consume it directly.”

The audience felt a sense of disappointment, having hoped the fruit would be similar to the one from Mohe and could serve as a midday meal.

With the drill shaft acquired, the rest of the materials weren’t demanding, and

it didn’t take long for Bi Fang to gather what was needed.

Elsewhere, Etienne had dug the pit according to the instructions.

Bi Fang felt the stones in the pit and nodded in satisfaction, explaining in French the reason for laying stones at the bottom of the pit.

“Owing to the presence of geese and hang gliders, we can’t stray too far from the riverbank, so the soil nearby is quite damp, and we must choose a dry place for starting a fire, which is more conducive to igniting it. The stones laid at the bottom of the pit act to separate us from the moist soil.”

“Furthermore, you must use dry stones; wet ones, especially those from riverbeds or valley bottoms, must not be used. Such stones can produce steam when heated and potentially explode, which is extremely dangerous. It’s okay if you can’t find completely dry stones, just remember to avoid those soaked by water.”

[Wow, that’s some detailed advice.]

[I’ve learned another little detail.]

[Excuse me, is this detail polite?]

[Is the detail fine enough to pick locks?]

The netizens started to get lively again, capable of turning even the comments into something entertaining regardless of the time or place.

Bi Fang ignored them and continued to process the materials.

“The length of the drill shaft should at least match the distance between the tips of your thumb and index finger when your hand is spread out, to facilitate handling. Then you need to sharpen the tip and ensure the shaft is overall round and smooth.”

“The fireboard should be over twice as wide as it is thick to allow it to be steadied underfoot and kept stable; the bearing block also needs to be thicker than the diameter of the drill shaft.”

“The hand-held stick, or the firebow, works best with a slight curve. A straight stick can also be used but ideally, there should be some curvature for ease of handling.”

“As for the string, our shoelace will suffice. If your shoes don’t have laces, you can also temporarily twist one from plant fibers.”

Bi Fang carved a notch at one end of the fireboard and hollowed out a small hole to collect the tinder gathered from the scrapings of a coniferous tree.

He then dug a small hole at one end of the bearing block, which was to secure the drill shaft in place.

When the time came, the tip of the drill shaft would be inserted into the fireboard with its tail end caught in the bearing block, situated between the two blocks to prevent the drill shaft from injuring the hand during high-speed rotation.

Next, Bi Fang took out his shoelace and tied it to both ends of the stick, then wrapped the drill shaft around the string, forming a cross with the stick and the shaft.

The entire set of movements was methodical, the hallmark of an experienced survival master.

“We need to control the tension of the string properly, it shouldn’t be loose enough to let the drill spindle slide up and down, nor should it be too tight to move at all. The ideal status is that it takes a certain amount of effort to just be able to turn the drill spindle.”

Etienne watched in amazement and couldn’t help asking, “How many different ways of making fire outdoors do you know?”

“Haha, I’ve never really counted,” Bi Fang lifted his head and thought carefully, “There are probably seven or eight different fire-making methods in different environments, of which four involve friction.

Etienne was shocked, “That many?”

“Not really, there are just a few usable methods depending on the environment, after all environments change and methods have to adapt, we in Huaxia call this ‘adapting measures to local conditions.'” Bi Fang secured the drill spindle and looked at Etienne, “Why, do you want to learn?”

Etienne nodded.

“If you want to learn, I can teach you when we get back.” Bi Fang smiled and then started to use the bow.

Fixing the drill spindle into the fireboard, with the tail end inserted into the small hole of the baseboard, Bi Fang knelt on one knee to press down on the fireboard, left hand steadying the baseboard to control the pressure, right hand beginning to move the fire bow back and forth steadily and forcefully.

Soon, smoke started to rise from the fireboard, drawing astonished reactions from the audience.

[This efficiency is too high, way more convenient than the Hand Drill Method] [Fast it is, but it seems so complicated, doesn’t look easy to remember…]

[I agree.]

Seeing smoke rising, Etienne was very excited, his eyes filled with admiration.

Making fire from nothing, it’s amazing!

But Bi Fang did not stop, he continued to pull the fire bow until after seven or eight minutes, when the smoke grew thicker and even a flash of red light appeared, then he finally stopped pulling the bow.

There was now charcoal on the fireboard, and Bi Fang carefully withdrew the drill spindle, then transferred the charcoal to the prepared tinder and gently blew on it in his hands.

Bilowing smoke rolled up, a flicker of flame glinting in the dust clouds, and as the smoke gradually lessened,

the flickering flame rose, quickly spreading until the entire bundle of tinder was engulfed in flames.

[Awesome!]

[Zeng Hang has sent the host 1000 meatballs—so fast, Old Fang is too fast!]

[Super efficient!]

“Phew!”

Bi Fang breathed a sigh of relief, tossing the flames into the fire pit, and Etienne hurriedly threw some dry branches into it, making the fire grow rapidly.

Bi Fang sat beside the fire, feeling the long-lost warmth, and immediately felt much more comfortable.

Etienne wrung out his soaked clothes and placed them over the fire rack to dry. “The Bow Drill Method is convenient, but it also has many details, which is why it’s often difficult for first-timers to succeed and isn’t suitable for beginners.” “just like how the tension of the string also determines the flexibility of the bow. In the process of using it, you may need to adjust the length of the bowstring. For convenience’s sake, experienced people will tie a dead knot on one end of the string and a slip knot on the other.”

“Lubrication can also be added to the drilling hole with some grease to increase smoothness and compatibility, that’s why I specifically chose coniferous tree fluff, as it’s naturally rich in oils.”

It was these subtle details that allowed Bi Fang to make this fire-starting attempt so successful.

Etienne continued to dig on the side, preparing to bum a pair of additional fire pits, so the clothes could be dried separately by the fire, making them dry faster.

He wasn’t a Wilderness Survivalist and could only help with these small tasks, trying not to hold the team back.

Meanwhile, Bi Fang was also feeling comfortable, like having someone to assist him, not needing to worry about anything and just quietly enjoying the fire.

It was hard to think of Etienne as a child, even though he was only fourteen or fifteen, already standing at one meter seventy tall.

Etienne shook his clothes, hung another piece to dry, when suddenly an unusual noise arose.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle…

He was hungry.