Jiang Ye first returned to the base and brought the water used to boil the corn.
He poured it directly into the pool, waiting quietly.
Several minutes passed, and the corn water was almost frozen, but nothing leaked down.
Jiang Ye smiled. At least the bottom of the pool was watertight, proving that using lake mud for waterproofing was feasible.
Next, he needed to fill the entire hot water pool.
Jiang Ye pondered for a moment and decided not to use a pickaxe to break the ice. It was too troublesome; it was better to go all out.
He returned to the base and retrieved a blood grenade.
He pulled the pin and threw it high onto the lake.
Boom!
With the explosion, the ice surface was forcefully blown open, and a column of water shot into the sky!
Countless ice shards sprayed into the air like stones, then fell back onto the ice, making cracking sounds.
The larger ice shards were as big as pot lids, most were the size of water cups, and there was also a lot of snow-like powder.
Jiang Ye, holding a pot, ran to the crater.
He directly used the pot to scoop water, and after filling one pot, he rushed to the pool's edge to pour it in.
He worked quickly because the crater would refreeze before long.
After scooping more than twenty pots, the water pool was almost full.
Next was heating.
Jiang Ye returned to the warehouse and grabbed a large bag of coal.
He directly poured half the bag of coal into the fire trough.
Then, he picked up a few handfuls of dry leaves from beside the plantation to start the fire.
Two minutes later, the coal in the fire trough began to burn, emitting thick white smoke.
It was indeed low-quality coal, producing so much smoke.
Fortunately, the wind was strong, and the smoke was quickly dispersed.
Jiang Ye brought the bear hide and began washing it in the water.
Initially, the effect was poor. Despite vigorous scrubbing, not much dirt came off.
As the water temperature gradually rose, the grime on the bear hide automatically detached, turning the water into a murky black.
A strong, fishy stench also emanated.
"Damn, what a smell! Are wild animals this unhygienic now?"
Jiang Ye's expression turned disgusted, and he could only breathe through his mouth.
Soon, the entire pool of water turned dark and murky, like some foul drain.
Jiang Ye pulled out the bear hide. It indeed looked much better. The bear fur became neat, and the clotted blood and mud were gone.
However, when he sniffed it up close, there was still a slight fishy smell.
Jiang Ye rolled up the bear hide and placed it by the pool.
Then, using the pot, he scooped out the foul water from the pool.
He carried the pot and poured the stinking water into the plantation.
After all, this foul water entering the soil could become excellent fertilizer, enriching the land. Perhaps the crops would grow better when planted in the spring.
Soon, the dirty water in the pool was almost emptied. Jiang Ye used a shovel to scoop out the little water left at the bottom.
He looked at the fire trough; the coal was burning fiercely.
Jiang Ye went to the ice surface, picked up the shattered ice blocks, and threw them into the pool.
The ice shards were scattered all over the lake, making them easy to collect. After five minutes, the hot water pool was filled with broken ice.
As the fire trough heated up, the broken ice gradually melted, creating another pool of clear water!
Jiang Ye felt a bit impressed with himself. Such a good hot water pool was practically a stroke of genius!
He submerged the bear hide and washed it again.
Twenty minutes later, the coal in the fire trough had completely burned out and extinguished, emitting large plumes of coal smoke that soared into the sky like smoke signals from a beacon tower.
The bear hide was also washed clean. He held it up and sniffed; there was a faint smell, within an acceptable range.
Jiang Ye was satisfied. He rolled up the bear hide and carried it back to the base.
The furnace in the base still had a little coal burning; most of it was white ash.
He quickly added a handful of coal, making the furnace fire burn vigorously again.
Then, he spread the wet bear hide flat on the floor, using the furnace's heat to dry it.
Checking the time, there was about an hour until dusk.
Jiang Ye decided to work overtime and go skin the cub bear as well.
He slung the five-shot rifle over his back and grabbed his knife, heading out.
He approached the cub bear and began skinning it.
The smallest cub bear was about the size of a large hound, and it had frozen as hard as a rock, making it relatively easy to skin.
It took twenty minutes to peel off the bear hide.
This bear hide was quite intact, with the head and paws attached. There were few scars. Especially since Jiang Ye had gained experience in skinning, he avoided many flaws that could occur during the process.
He returned to the base and tossed it into the trading pod.
[Item: Hui Xiong Bear Hide]
[Item Description: Oh! What a exquisite little bear hide! It would be wonderful for making boots and hats! Luxury manufacturers will love it!]
[Estimated Value: 300,000 Yuan]
Jiang Ye was overjoyed and sold it directly.
His personal assets increased to 1,566,800 Yuan!
He was still 433,200 Yuan short of upgrading the base to two million.
With such a large deficit, Jiang Ye felt a bit worried.
It was really difficult to gather the funds.
Outside, the weather was freezing. He didn't want to travel far to mine. Working outdoors in minus twenty degrees Celsius was no joke; in the north, it was literally earning money with your life. Jiang Ye preferred to preserve his life over earning money. Da Feng Novel Network.
The crops were no longer growing. The seeds he had sown earlier were still frozen in the plantation.
Business with the citizens of Cao County was also declining. Everyone on the planet was poor and couldn't afford many things. Consequently, profit dividends were decreasing day by day.
All financial avenues seemed to have been cut off!
Gathering the 430,000 to upgrade the base seemed like an unattainable task.
In Jiang Ye's memory, colonial governors were all ruthless villains, murderers, thieves, greedy for money, and living lavishly. However, on this planet, everyone was like a beggar, so poor they were practically naked!
Feeling hungry, he decided to eat first.
Jiang Ye went to the warehouse to get some bear meat, cut it into small slices, and fried it.
While eating, he opened the chat channel, wanting to see how others were doing, or if they had died.
He expected the channel to be quiet, but to his surprise, it was lively:
Xue Zhong Jiu: A lot of grass has grown here! Just now!
Qing Jiu Ban Hu: I have a lot of grass here too! Grass growing in the middle of winter! A miracle!
Chu Hang: Where is the grass? Why is there nothing here for me?
Ling Chen De Wo: There's nothing here for me either? What are you guys talking about?
Zhu Ni Shang Xi Tian: Grass! Grass! You don't have grass there!
Qian Shui Zhi Wang: Although I don't know why grass is growing in such cold weather, I feel like there's a way to survive. We can pull up the grass and burn it for warmth!
Jiang Ye was confused, feeling like he couldn't understand the conversation.
Grass?
What grass?
He turned to look out the window. The surroundings were vast plains, looking familiar, all bare.
Although nothing had happened at his location, since so many people in the chat channel were saying it, there must be some strange phenomenon occurring, seemingly a widespread growth of grass.
Jiang Ye was perplexed. In minus twenty degrees Celsius extreme cold weather, the soil would freeze and shatter. Any plants would die. How could grass grow?
He had a strange premonition: this planet was revealing its true nature in the cold wind.
He just needed to wait a little longer, and the truth would surely come to light!