Starting from Robinson Crusoe-Chapter 123 - 47: The Most Useless Episode

The rain came suddenly, and at this moment, Chen Zhou was not interested in the joy of unboxing surprises; he hurriedly tore off the damp corrugated paper and found himself momentarily stunned by the contents.

They were three wooden elongated objects stacked together.

The topmost wooden strip was the longest, the middle one was shorter, and the bottom was the shortest.

They measured roughly 70, 50, and 30 centimeters in length.

All wooden strips had similar shapes, one end square, the other flat and round, with holes drilled into the square end, tied with a small yellow cord.

The craftsmanship reflected modern assembly line characteristics, finely polished, coated with clear varnish on the reddish-brown wood surface, now dotted with beads of water from the rain.

The square end handle was engraved with anti-slip bamboo-like nodes, adding detail to the wooden strip.

Though it made it appear more refined, it couldn't change the inherent cheapness of the item.

Seeing this, Chen Zhou felt an inexplicable familiarity, vaguely recalling seeing something similar somewhere, but couldn't remember exactly.

Yet, no matter the function of these three wooden strips, they were certainly the most useless of all the rewards received so far.

The Electronic Wooden Fish provides amusement; the butt plug has metal parts; the silicone phone case can be cut as an airtight seal.

What can these three wooden strips do?

The island lacks many things, but not wood.

Grabbing the wooden strip in frustration, holding the square handle of the longest one as a cane on the ground, a flash of realization struck Chen Zhou's mind, finally recognizing what it was.

In northern rural areas, winters are cold outside and warm inside, often requiring a switch between large cotton shoes and slippers when entering and exiting houses.

Low shoes easily let in snow, unsuited for the snow-laden northern regions.

Large cotton shoes are typically high-top; if you carry shoes by hand, they leave a foul foot odor on your fingers.

Ancient nobility detested this, leading to the gradual evolution of a tool called a shoehorn.

Its lower edge was arc-shaped, smoothly polished, conforming to the shape of a human heel, assisting in shoe wearing as a hand substitute.

Chen Zhou had once seen his great-grandfather using a shoehorn to wear shoes.

The old man was nearly ninety at the time, using a shoehorn made of white copper that had accompanied him for over thirty years, eventually buried with him upon his passing.

Perhaps because modern sports shoes have become wider and ergonomically designed.

Since his great-grandfather, Chen Zhou hadn't seen anyone using such items.

"Sigh, can't say it's entirely useless.

When I'm over fifty on the island and can't bend down, maybe I'll rely on this to wear shoes."

Separating the three shoehorns, he weighed them one by one.

The weight was just right, especially the longest one, swinging with a sense similar to a baseball bat, making whooshing sounds.

Chen Zhou softly sighed.

"The excellence of modern craftsmanship, even a common shoehorn is so meticulously made, finely polished."

Finishing his sentence, he added.

"Even more comfortable to grip than a 17th-century ship helm."

With thoughts running, storing away the three shoehorns, he looked up at the grim sky, growing darker.

This rain has been brewing for four or five hours, uncertain when it will start, better to set out now or risk being stuck on the mountain trail.

About to return to the cave, Chen Zhou casually glanced toward the sea, suddenly noticing two small black dots floating amidst the murky waves.

Having not carried a telescope, he squinted to focus, trying hard to observe these two black dots, suspecting they might be two sea turtles swimming to the shore.

Then reconsidering this idea.

"Footage in documentaries doesn't show turtles swimming floating on the surface, they usually dive underwater.

With the strong wind and waves now, swimming deep underwater would conserve energy; if I were a turtle, I'd never surface."

"If they aren't turtles, could they be barrels from a ship drifting over?"

Carefully analyzing.

Chen Zhou believed he had searched thoroughly while transporting supplies from the ship, unlikely to leave any barrels behind.

If there were merchant ships or Pirates nearby, their barrels wouldn't have effortlessly drifted to shore here.

"What could they be?"

Having traversed the beach numerous times, it was Chen Zhou's first time witnessing such puzzling things.

Pausing his return, he observed a while longer, realizing the black dots were indeed approaching the shore.

At the current speed, they'd reach the coast in half an hour and then land, causing Chen Zhou to grow uneasy.

Because he thought of a new possibility—the two black dots could be Canoes of Cannibal Tribes, avoiding the impending storm to seek refuge on the island.

The beach sheltering them from the rain, upon landing, they might head to the woods.

If they ventured further, they'd spot the densely constructed shacks and hillside camp, and all painstakingly accumulated supplies would fall into the hands of these savages.

No longer as calmly observing as before, Chen Zhou briskly returned to the camp, put down the shoehorns, found the poor-quality mono telescope used for trades with natives, took an Iron Blade, and carried an axe back to the beach.

The quality matchlock guns in the camp had already been taken to the mountains, only heavily worn antiques remained.

Other essential tools like barrels, ignition bottles, and lead bullets also weren't left in the camp; if truly two Canoes of natives landed, their best option was to avoid conflict.

On rainy days, matchlock guns were unreliable, the gunpowder couldn't ignite, the crossbow couldn't handle so many people.

If the natives wanted to carry away supplies, he'd only watch helplessly.

Since Canoes held limited cargo, even fully loaded, they couldn't take too much.

Moreover, they'd be unfamiliar with treasures, prioritizing useless glass beads and ceramic dolls, at most taking a couple of boxes of Hand Axes and Iron Blades, having limited impact on island life.

Raising the telescope, adjusting the distance between the lenses, he searched amidst the waves.

The rolling waves distorted his vision.

His eyes widened, frequently shifting directions, noticing the two small black dots had suddenly vanished.

"Hell, what just happened?

I've been resting well, sleeping enough, with eyesight over 5.0, unlikely a hallucination!"

Once again lifting the telescope, searching the area carefully.

The sea remained its tumultuous self.

Foam reached the beach edges, dimming light, casting the world like a subtle landscape painting, not a sea bird in sight.

Raindrops fell from the clouds, wetting Chen Zhou's hand holding the telescope, slowly putting it down, with unresolved questions in his mind.

"How could something vanish just like that?

Could they have already landed?"

Despite the light rain, Chen Zhou removed his hat and scratched his head, suddenly recalling an invaluable item in his camp—Wang Lingguan's statue.

Carried back, it was worth at least seven or eight thousand in modern times, when cast on the island into pure copper, its value unmatched by other supplies.

If natives saw the statue, they'd assume it was a creation of their Celestial God, and take all camp supplies as divine gifts, deeming the beach as land blessed by the gods.

Perhaps later they'd send native priests with dozens of Indigenous Warriors to station here, leaving him no peaceful life.

"No, still need to check again."

Having suspicions of native landing, Chen Zhou ran back to the sparse coastal woods, crouching behind a slender tree, hiding his form, and continued searching like a thief.

This time his observation scope wasn't confined to the sea, including the beach too.

The telescope moved sideways, his clothing became damp without minding, his gaze swept across the ground.

At last, on the far right of the beach, he found the two black dots again.

They were two seals.

One larger, one smaller, just emerging from the sea, slowly inching forward in the waves towards the beach.

The seals weren't large, rotund in body with shiny skin giving a rubbery texture when wet.

As they moved forward, their plump body's front resembled water-filled balloons, hitting the ground creating a series of flesh tremors, inciting Chen Zhou's imagination—

How much oil could be inside!