From noon until dusk, the two took turns working, getting themselves completely covered in blood and filth in the process, until the brown bear's carcass was finally processed.
With her physical attributes further enhanced, Valentina's strength and endurance were now approaching the human limit. She alone was able to shoulder the bear hide, which weighed nearly a hundred kilograms, and transport it all the way back to the stone slope platform.
Once processed and cleaned, it would be spread across the floor of the main room, covering nearly half the room. It would be an excellent choice for hosting parties or sex parties.
The remaining bear claws and sinews were packed up by Chuck and put into his backpack, while the remaining flesh and blood...
Was naturally intended for refining Essence Potions.
The five hundred kilograms of brown bear meat eventually allowed Chuck, paired with the four kilograms of energy essence he had accumulated, to refine four Essence Potions that served as his ultimate life-saving trump cards. As for the remaining hundred kilograms of meat, Chuck stored it in his storage space, waiting to accumulate another kilogram of essence before refining the fifth potion.
With his stock of Essence Potions up, Chuck's heart truly felt at ease. Although he and the women were theoretically immortal, illnesses and accidents could still happen in the long future. The Essence Potions completely eliminated that risk.
With that, the conquest and loot harvesting of the third Lord-class beast—the brown bear—came to a close.
Chuck returned the way he came. Stepping back into the volcanic cave and arriving at that eerie stone platform once again...
Just like his first time here, the second indentation from the left on the stone platform instantly lit up with a crimson glow, illuminating the entire interior of the cave!
Watching this, Chuck didn't panic at all. Instead, as if he had anticipated it, he pulled out a crimson, oval-shaped crystal that mirrored the glow of the platform and slowly approached.
This was the special crystal he had found within the bear's flesh during the processing, much like the one from the tiger. Its size and shape were almost identical to the previous orange one.
Holding the crystal, Chuck placed it into the glowing indentation just as he had before.
The moment they made contact, the red light vanished, leaving behind one orange and one red oval crystal embedded in the platform, both emitting a faint, individual glow.
Red, orange...
Looking at the platform, Chuck slowly furrowed his brows.
The indentation that lit up this time was the second one from the left.
If nothing went wrong, the crystal needed for the next slot... was likely inside the carcass of the giant bird Chuck had already killed.
After the storm death incident, when Chuck ascended to the stone cave by the summit lake for the second time, he only had time to pluck the Flowers of the Other Shore and the bird's heart before fleeing to avoid the crocodile's rage. The bird's carcass was likely long rotted by now, but the crystal inside it was almost certainly still there.
However, having come this far, there was no need to rush back to the summit to tangle with the crocodile just for one crystal.
It was better to rest, prepare thoroughly, and go with Valentina to take the crocodile down.
Then he could settle both crystals in one go!
That night.
After Valentina and Chuck killed the brown bear, the women at home received the news via text that everything had ended smoothly, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Right on the heels of that was the news of a celebration party tonight. The relief instantly turned into excitement, and they all began busying themselves methodically.
Over the past few days, thanks to the efforts of Julia and her two assistants, the rice fields had successfully completed two rounds of selection and planting. The number of seedlings had ballooned from single digits to over a hundred. The island's terrifying crop yield, combined with the massive buffs, meant the rice matured every two to three days.
The current yield was enough to provide a fragrant bowl of brown rice for each of the seventeen people in the house every day.
This was the production scale achieved after converting all the space from Chuck's previous distillation salt pans into paddy fields. After a few more rounds of selection and the addition of Wang Xinrui as a follower, it might increase slightly, but Chuck already considered it more than enough.
As a staple food, one bowl a day was a very stable supply. There would always be times they'd want to switch things up, and pairing it with the sweet potatoes and taro already in the house further enriched their diet.
Thus, the celebration banquet that night began.
Julia, having finished her busy day, had just washed her hands. As soon as she entered the house, the mouth-watering aroma made her drool. She quickly wiped the water off her hands and sat at the dining table with her bowl and chopsticks, staring expectantly at the kitchen.
Chuck and Valentina arrived home one after another, changed out of their blood and sweat-stained clothes, and stepped into the house. Janet and the others also came in from outside or the bedroom, chatting and laughing as they sat around the table.
Right on time, Yitong emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron, carrying a steaming large platter. She gave everyone a soft smile.
"Dinner is served."
"Wow~ It's actually egg fried rice!"
Jiang Qi, who was closest to the kitchen, instantly recognized the dish from its smell and appearance. Her saliva began secreting wildly. Chuck was also visibly stunned, instinctively turning his head to look at Julia sitting beside him.
She rested her chin on one hand, her pink lips curling into a seductive, teasing smile as she threw him a sultry wink.
Chuck almost couldn't resist the urge to pin her down right then and there for a thorough reward.
However, once the salty aroma of rice mixed with eggs wafted over, Chuck's face rarely showed an expression of anticipation for food. The taste of egg fried rice after such a long time was an unimaginable temptation for a Chinese person who hadn't eaten rice in nearly a year.
But that wasn't all.
After Yitong brought out the staple, the Lee sisters, Emi, and Tang Yumo followed out of the kitchen with trays, placing one fragrant dish after another onto the table.
Crispy fried pork belly wrapped in wild greens, steamed sea bass with sizzling oil, glazed taro in sugarcane syrup, stir-fried wild greens, a wild fruit platter...
The level of abundance was unprecedented since Chuck landed on the island, once again setting a new record for luxury. Even in modern society, this would be considered restaurant-quality cuisine.
"Hubby, you worked hard today."
Just as Chuck shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, immersing himself in the glory of carbs, Yitong's soft, magnetic voice sounded in his ear. Turning his head, he saw Yitong holding a jar of mulberry wine, slowly filling his glass.
His heart swelled with joy.
Due to his distaste for formalities, Chuck, even as the head of the house, never set strict rules. The women were already enjoying the food with gusto. As the person who worked so hard to cook for him, Chuck naturally wouldn't watch Yitong stay busy until only leftovers remained on the table, like the women in the kitchen during New Year's when he was a child.
Chuck patted her soft peach-butt and said with a smile:
"Leave it here, I can pour it myself. Don't keep busy, sit down and eat. I'll help you clean up afterward."
Hearing this, Yitong was stunned for a moment, then gave a soft "Mmh." A happy smile appeared on her beautiful face as she nodded, grabbed her bowl and chopsticks, and sat in her spot.
And so, they ate and drank their fill.
After enjoying a delicious dinner with his harem, Chuck actually felt a rare wave of carb-coma sleepiness. Nevertheless, he kept his promise and helped Yitong with the post-meal cleanup.
As he washed dishes in the kitchen, a sense of reflection gradually grew in his heart.
This dinner today could perhaps be seen as the summary and reward for all his hard work so far.
He had spared no time or effort to build a pipeline from the mountain top, diverting water all the way to the stone slope platform just to have enough fresh water for the rice fields. He built the farm and livestock sheds, fought through countless obstacles to capture wild chickens, goats, and pigs just to have endless meat on the table. He built a pier by the sea just so Kaoru could fish conveniently and provide the freshest seafood...
He had worked and fought with his life until today to finally allow the women around him to live a life that was, at the very least, acceptable.
But Chuck didn't feel pain because of this; instead, he felt increasingly satisfied and fulfilled.
It wasn't just about being "acceptable."
He wanted to give them a life of happiness, even indulgence.
He wanted them to completely forget the past, carry his children, and eventually... literally sire an entire nation on this island he had thoroughly conquered.
So, what should this nation be called?
His surname was Chu, and he was the only man on the island...
Chuck put down the plate in his hand and scratched his head under Yitong's puzzled gaze.
"Could it be called the Chu-man Kingdom?"
(Note: "Chu-Nan" in Chinese sounds exactly like the word for "Virgin Male," making it a self-deprecating pun.)
The matter of nation-building hadn't even begun yet, so the name could wait.
After killing the brown bear, Chuck gave himself and Valentina a day off to rest well at home. Naturally, they had a refreshing sex party, filling everyone up and collecting quite a bit of energy essence.
Day 45 of the countdown, the extreme heat returned once again.
After settling the women in the house, Chuck ignored the outdoor temperature of nearly 40°C and returned alone to the northern river valley jungle.
His purpose this trip was simple: to explore the resources of his new territory.
The overall vegetation in the river valley was similar to the southern and eastern jungles, but because of the water source and slightly lower terrain, the plants grew denser and taller.
Chuck passed the bear cave, which had begun to reek of decay, and pushed deep into the previously unexplored jungle. Along the way, he saw two sets of scattered human bones. Judging by the shape, they were both female—likely the companions the island-north women had mentioned who died to the bear.
Considering the quality of women on this island, it was a pity.
Out of respect for the women's feelings, Chuck gathered the two slightly damaged skulls, intending to give them to Lee So-yeon and the others for burial later. Then he continued into the depths of the jungle.
Just as he expected, within a few minutes, his Botany Master perception was triggered, and a scent he had never felt before appeared.
Chuck followed that peculiar aura all the way in, finally stopping at a low-lying area where the jungle was thickest.
Before him stood a tall tree he had never seen before.
The height was similar to the hardwoods in the redwood forest, with a straight and thick trunk and grey-brown bark. The canopy overlapped high above, blotting out the sun.
Chuck frowned and moved closer.
Although it was indeed taller than the surrounding trees, it looked unremarkable—no obvious fruit, no particularly vibrant flowers. Why did it trigger the Botany Master perception?
But just as Chuck was feeling puzzled, a faint, slightly pungent, and strange odor wafted into his nostrils, instantly causing his gaze to freeze.
Chuck stepped forward quickly and carefully reached out to touch the trunk...
He finally discovered its hidden mystery.
On the middle section of the trunk, there was a wound of moderate depth, seemingly formed by natural cracking. From that wound, much like the frankincense trees he had found before, a milky white sap was slowly seeping out.
However, this milky white sap didn't emit a fresh fragrance like resin. Instead, it carried a faint, spicy scent.
Chuck dipped a finger in, sniffed it carefully, and rubbed it. A guess about the mysterious tree's true identity gradually formed in his mind.
Although both were fluids used by trunks to seal "wounds," this white fluid was different from resin. This was likely "latex."
The name sounded a bit erotic, but using another name might make it more familiar.
—Rubber.
Chuck turned to look around, a joyous smile slowly spreading across his lips.
Besides the one in front of him, there were six or seven trees of the same species scattered around, and there were likely more beyond his line of sight.
To deal with the last two Lord-class beasts, Chuck needed to solve the problem of diving. Because of the lack of materials, the production of the critical diving suit had been put on hold...
And now, the material problem was solved.
These trees were wild rubber trees!
His previous guess was correct.
After conquering one BOSS, the solution for the subsequent BOSS could likely be found in the newly captured territory.
But this strangely linear sequence made Chuck feel a chilling sense of eeriness down his spine again.
He shook his head to clear the stray thoughts, mentally noting the locations of these rubber trees, and then returned the way he came toward the stone slope platform.
Half a day later, Chuck returned with a latex collection device he had crafted.
The so-called collection device was actually just a rubber-tree version of the resin collection device he had made before. He cut a "V" shaped notch into the trunk and collected the naturally flowing latex into small clay jars.
After exploring the surrounding jungle, Chuck eventually found seventeen rubber trees. After installing collection devices on all of them, he didn't linger. He used his recall skill to return home and rest.
In the coming days, Chuck only needed to wait quietly for a few days. If he returned before the next storm, he would be able to harvest a large amount of natural latex.
At that point, he could officially begin his plan to craft diving gear.