CHAPTER 7: RAY's ADVENTURE

In the morning, with the dew still present on the leaves, Ray woke up early to complete his mapping of the surroundings.

Due to time constraints, Ray surveyed the bamboo forest only in one direction yesterday. Today, he hopes to search all the bamboo forests and map the details.

After waking up from bed, Ray did a few stretches to loosen his stiff joints and swiftly walked into the bathroom to prepare for his adventure.

After a quick shower Ray dressed up and went to the kitchen to prepare his morning breakfast.

While preparing his breakfast Ray heated the milk to make a hot coffee.

After taking his breakfast onto a plate with hot coffee in the cup at his side Ray reached the dining table and began having his meal.

After finishing his meal, Ray took the fire axe placed at the entrance in his left hand, carried a mountain bag on his shoulders, which contained a tent and outdoor gear, and left his house after locking the front door.

After making sure everything was ready Ray started walking towards the bamboo forest situated on the right side of his house.

Within a few minutes, Ray reached the path he had created the previous day.

Following alongside the Path he had cleared Ray reached the freshwater pond situated in the middle of the forest.

After reaching the pond, Ray put down the bag he was carrying and cleared the fallen leaves near the pond with a stick he found nearby, collected them, and stored them as a fire source during the night.

Then he started unloading the contents of the bag. Which contains a tent with some kitchen utensils and some instant noodles. 

Ray selected a large clearing and started placing his tent at the clearing.

Ray first searched for a few long bamboo sticks to use as the supporting beams for the tent.

He inserted the thin bamboo strips along the tent edges as beams and connected the bamboo edges with a rope to complete the setup.

Afterward, he used additional ropes to fasten the tent to the tree and the completed task.

Subsequently, Ray searched for three large rocks and arranged them in front of the tent as a temporary stove.

He gathered a few dry sticks and the previously collected dry leaves, then started a fire with the fire starter he had brought.

Ray: "Now all that is left is catch some fish for the afternoon meal and search the rest of the forest by tomorrow evening."

Ray muttered to himself.

As soon as Ray turned around to search for a fishing line in his bag, the earth began shaking violently, causing the stones and trees to tremble along with it.

Due to the tremors, the animals inhabiting the forest hastily evacuated their homes and fled the forest to avoid the collapsing earth and falling trees.

After several minutes of intense tremors, the earthquake abruptly ceased, and Ray a sigh of relief.

Ray first started picking the items that were scrambled on the ground and placed them next to the fallen tent.

After arranging the items properly, Ray extinguished the fire in the stove and hurriedly left the forest to inspect the damage caused by the earthquake to his house.

By the time Ray has returned, the ground in front of his house is covered with leaves from the giant tree that was covering his house.

Many small animals can be seen scrambling to collect the leaves and taking them back into the forest with leaves in their mouth and small hands.

Seeing Ray approaching, the animals hurriedly dropped the leaves and scrambled back.

Ray found the animal's behavior strange as he had seen animals scramble for fruits and seeds but had never seen any animal scramble to collect leaves in large quantities.

To see if the tree leaves have any special properties. He bent down, picked a fresh leaf from the ground, and inhaled its refreshing mint scent.

After inhaling the refreshing aroma, Ray quickly cleaned the and placed it in his mouth to taste it.

As he tasted the leaves, they had a tea-like flavor with a refreshing taste.

Impressed by the refreshing taste, Ray decided to gather more leaves from the tree transform them into tea leaves, and drink them every day.

While nibbling the leaves, Ray unlocked the front door and entered the house hastily to check for any damage caused by the earlier earthquake.

After entering the house, Ray observed that the items were scattered on the floor and many objects were out of place.

Ray nimbly walked between the fallen items on the floor, checking every nook and corner of the house. He discovered that there was no significant damage to the house, and only items that were not placed on shelves were scattered on the floor. No item was broken due to the earthquake, which relieved him greatly.

Rolling up his shirt sleeves, Ray immediately sprang into action to pick up the scattered items and place them in their original positions.

After placing them in their rightful places, Ray promptly took the broom and started cleaning the dust on the floor.

By the time the cleaning was completed, it was already past noon, and Ray felt it was time to eat. He entered the kitchen to prepare his afternoon meal.

Ray finished the meal and set off to the bamboo forest after locking his front door.

He still has the task of mapping the forest. If the earthquake hadn't occurred, he wouldn't have returned to his house this early; it would have been one or two days later that he would have returned.

After returning to the clearing site beside the pond in the middle of the bamboo forest, Ray began assembling the tent with stronger sticks and lit the fire on the stove.

After that, Ray took the fire axe in one hand and a basket to collect herbs and wild vegetables in the other hand. He then selected a direction and set off to explore and map the area.