I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 138

The Ice Snow Flower, which would freeze your body solid like the ice of a Stone Ice Storage if consumed raw.

If moved elsewhere, the moment the temperature changed even slightly, it would melt like snow.

Instead, if properly adjusted and eaten, one could gain strong cold resistance.

↳ Wild Grylls) Is there a processing method?

↳ Starlight Lady) If it were the level of technology in my workshop, I might know, but I’m not sure in Wild Grylls-nim’s environment. Even if brought to my workshop, it would melt immediately.

↳ Wild Grylls) Is there no way I can do it alone?

↳ Starlight Lady) Controlling the cold energy is important... to reduce cold energy, fire energy is needed. For reference, boiling it like soup won’t work.

↳ Wild Grylls) Tsk... Can you just briefly explain the principle?

I wanted to consume it no matter what. Cold resistance was a massive advantage.

Right now it was so cold that even wearing thick clothes, it was still cold.

It only had just enough cold-proofing effect to keep me from freezing to death.

If I could just absorb the Ice Snow Flower, I would gain a tremendous advantage for survival.

’At least I’ll hardly ever die of hypothermia.’

Just eliminating shivering from the cold would be great. Strengthening like this step by step is how one becomes strong.

Starlight Lady seemed to ponder for a moment, not commenting for a while.

Just when I wondered if she was doing something else, she posted a comment.

↳ Starlight Lady) Put the Ice Snow Flower in an extractor, extract the liquid, and infuse fire energy into it. The principle itself is simple.

↳ Wild Grylls) Can I use that extractor?

↳ Starlight Lady) It needs to be connected via mana circuits like a refrigerator. If given to Grylls-nim, it will probably turn into an empty tin can.

↳ Wild Grylls) T_T

↳ Starlight Lady) It’s uncomfortable to say this, but I think it would be best to give up.

↳ Wild Grylls) I shouldn’t boil it in a pot?

↳ Starlight Lady) Um... I’ve never tried such a primitive method, so I don’t really know. The only extraction method I know is that one.

↳ Wild Grylls) Didn’t people in ancient times eat that and record its effects? Back then, there shouldn’t have been things like extractors.

↳ Starlight Lady) Why would anyone do such a thing? Their life would be at risk;;

↳ Wild Grylls) Then why do people eat pufferfish?

↳ Starlight Lady) Ah

↳ Damn, what an appropriate example lololol

↳ Who the hell was the guy who first thought of eating pufferfish? lololol

↳ Fr, one mistake and you die instantly from poison.

↳ I’m more curious about the guy who first thought of milk. How did he think of sucking an animal’s teat...?

↳ Accumulating things like that is how they became our food ingredients. Let’s respect it.

↳ Not even reverence, just respect lolol

Humans are truly miraculous. They went around eating all sorts of plants and animals.

Among them, they even found cooking methods for poisonous ones.

In the case of pufferfish, finding a cooking method must have gone through a rough process.

The Ice Snow Flower was the same. Starlight Lady hadn’t realized it, but I focused on this aspect.

The Ice Snow Flower was a high-maintenance herb that would melt instantly if the temperature changed even slightly.

Yet there were records confirming the effects or side effects from eating this herb.

This meant that people living in cold regions found out through various cross-validations.

’Even if there’s no record of anyone extracting it, it’s clear they consumed it somehow.’

It was highly probable that they extracted it without tools or consumed it refined through some circumstances.

However, this was merely my hypothesis.

Originally, a person who read only one book was more dangerous than a person who hadn’t read a book at all.

↳ Wild Grylls) Then shall I upload real-time posts and stream the process? If you see anything strange, please tell me right away.

↳ Starlight Lady) That’s not bad. Instead, you MUST listen to my words unconditionally. Got it?

↳ Wild Grylls) Of course. First, the Stone Ice Storage is important, so I’ll talk about this later.

↳ Starlight Lady) Please just don’t overdo it.

↳ Passing Dwarf) Hey. That Stone Ice Storage needs to be built underground, don’t you have Mithril at home?

↳ Wild Grylls) I don’t need to make it inside. I can build it outside. Outside doesn’t have Mithril.

↳ Passing Dwarf) Then do you know which direction the wind blows? Not in winter, but in summer.

↳ Wild Grylls) Why that?

↳ Passing Dwarf) Looking at it, you have to utilize convection. Using cold air sinking to the bottom and hot air going up.

↳ Wild Grylls) Don’t know. Anyway, it’s a makeshift build, so just tell me the principles. As long as it holds out for just one month, it’s done. The seasons here change every week.

↳ Passing Dwarf) What kind of place is that;; Anyway, got it. Will post soon.

Now I even had to know the direction of the wind. Out of sheer absurdity.

It was a good thing the seasons changed weekly; if they changed monthly, it would have been a headache.

At this rate, building the Stone Ice Storage as a prototype model and getting the rest as boxes seemed best.

Since Sword Matstar offered to give me a box made of well-insulated material, taking it would be fine.

’Just receiving it feels a bit...’

What should I give? Honestly, Sword Matstar was the trickiest.

Heavenly Demon happily accepted whatever I gave her, but Sword Matstar was not like that.

Citing that she didn’t want to get stronger, she refused medicinal herbs and had almost no appetite for food.

Since she was a person focused only on my growth, I pondered what to compensate her with.

’Would she like it if I gave her a sword?’

Since she was someone who loved swordsmanship to death, wouldn’t she like swords too? That was the logic.

They say a master craftsman doesn’t blame his tools, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care at all.

In fact, she might like a pretty sword.

’I’ll think about this slowly and figure out the structure of the Stone Ice Storage first.’

There was plenty of time to think. Instead, crafting time was lacking.

Since the avalanche had swept everything away, there were many things to make.

’Should I build the furnace and oven sturdily from the start? Or inside the cave?’

While pondering such concerns, I sent a message to Sword Matstar.

It was a proposal asking if she could give me an insulated box in exchange for a very good sword later.

[Sword Matstar: Is that sword by any chance the one you gave to Heavenly Demon-nim?]Find the original chapter at novеlping.com.

Eh?

[Wild Grylls: Did I mention it before?]

[Sword Matstar: She was bragging while sending me pictures;;]

;;

An old lady acting so petty. Still, she didn’t post it on the Gallery, so did that mean it was fine?

Besides, seeing how she bragged to Sword Matstar rather than anyone else, it seemed she thought of her as a friend.

If Sword Matstar heard this, she would jump up and down, but it should be fine.

[Wild Grylls: Anyway, I’ll give you one later, will you accept it?]

[Sword Matstar: It’s fine.]

A master craftsman doesn’t blame their tools.

[Wild Grylls: It’s a sword that glows like neon when you channel mana into it, though?]

[Sword Matstar: I suppose keeping one for decoration rather than practical use would be fine.]

Calling a performance-wise superior sword mere decoration. Still, I was relieved she accepted.

Exchanging an insulated box for a Mythricon sword could be said to be an unfair trade, but it was fine.

Taking into account the help Sword Matstar had given me so far, she had helped me almost free of charge until now.

’Heavenly Demon might feel hurt, so I should take care of her separately.’

With that thought, I checked the box Sword Matstar sent.

Perhaps because it was a world where plastic hadn’t been invented yet, on the outside it looked like an ordinary box.

Instead, inside, the walls were surrounded by various materials, including marble.

Seeing it layered like that, its effect as an icebox seemed certain.

Now all that was needed was putting ice inside.

Moving the box inside, I sent my thanks to Sword Matstar.

’The Dwarf... posted.’

Right on cue, the Dwarf posted a thread. I immediately accessed the post.

Title) Here’s the structure of a Stone Ice Storage. Look.

Passing Dwarf

(Photo of Stone Ice Storage structure)

(Photo of Stone Ice Storage cross-section)

(Photo of Stone Ice Storage surrounded by bricks)

(Photo of ceiling with arched brick structure)

Roughly looks like this. Doing it properly takes a long time, so take it slow.

When putting ice in, wedge snow or straw in between. For straw, buy a mat at the Auction House and disassemble it.

↳ Wild Grylls) Wait, the ceiling also has to be built with bricks? How do I do that?

↳ Passing Dwarf) What do you mean how? Do it skillfully.

↳ Wild Grylls) Ha. That’s gonna be insanely tough.

↳ Where was this photo taken? Cross-section aside, looks like an actual photo?

↳ Passing Dwarf) It was in a museum though?

↳ Grylls this bastard is living in a museum all by himself lololol

↳ Everyone else uses a refrigerator, but he’s using a Stone Ice Storage alone lololol

People who barely touched modern times were teasing me for being a primitive man.

I too once enjoyed the pinnacle of civilization!

Those who would wet themselves seeing the power of a nuclear bomb dare tease me!

’So what can I do?’

Since there was nothing I could do, I’d shut up and build the Stone Ice Storage.

Muttering complaints internally, I prepared a pickaxe and a shovel.

Given the time, I didn’t plan on finishing the work in a single day.

’He said semi-underground style, right?’

Normally, wind direction had to be considered, but right now it was for testing.

A stepping stone to check if things would be preserved well for a month.

Since I was going to make it small in scale, labor time would be reduced, but I intended to craft it meticulously.

’The ground is frozen, so it’s not easy.’

Just digging the ground took a long time.

First, starting a campfire and having that campfire thaw the frozen ground while doing other work would be best.

After that, I dug the ground until about 4 o’clock before stopping the work.

There were other tasks to do, and extracting the Ice Snow Flower was also necessary.

’Dig ice for 30 minutes, then prepare the Ice Snow Flower after.’

Carrying the insulated box, I headed to the river.

A season where animal activity was very scarce due to the cold winter.

Unless it was an entity active in winter like a wolf, there was no chance of being ambushed.

I kept guard just in case, so I wouldn’t be caught off guard helplessly.

’I’ll need to cut it with a saw, right?’

Arriving at the frozen river, I bought a saw from the Auction House.

Next, tapping the ice surface with the small hammer I brought along, I inserted the saw.

Sagak! Sagak! Sagak!

Sawing to make precise square shapes began.

Now that I looked, it wasn’t frozen all the way to the bottom; there was a part in the middle that popped right through!

Mindful of that area, I sawed carefully.

"Heave-ho!"

Chwaaaaak!

A neatly cut rectangular ice block. As I pulled the ice out, that space filled up with river water.

Jjeojeojeok!

That river water also froze solid in no time under the fierce cold.

Just how cold was it for it to freeze immediately?Read the latest chapters at novеlping.com.

I struggled to move the clear ice and placed it into the box.

I felt it when I just mined it, but the thickness was no joke.

’Could I do ice fishing too?’

I had an idle thought, but passed over it.

I gathered ice attentively, watching if an entity like a Golden Frog would pop out just in case.

Fortunately, all the frogs seemed to have frozen to death or were hibernating, as there was no reaction.

It seemed winter was a season where I could live relatively at ease.

"Ooh. It stings."

Apart from that, my hands being cold was unavoidable.

Even wearing gloves over the World Tree Gloves—a total of two layers—my hands were cold.

The cold moisture had penetrated inside. At this rate, I might get frostbite if I was unlucky.

I quickly finished the task and returned to the cave. The total number of gathered ice blocks was four.

For now, I put them in the box, but once the Stone Ice Storage was completed, I planned to store them there.

’There’ll be... plenty of time.’

Now that the ice was gathered, what remained was the Ice Snow Flower.

One might ask why not extract the Ice Snow Flower in the cave, but I had a thought.

That was the Mature Mandrake. A Mature Mandrake is a plant containing yang energy.

And I heard that yang energy symbolizes heat.

Therefore, shouldn’t boiling the Ice Snow Flower, which holds cold energy, together with the Mature Mandrake work?

Peok! Pok! Pok!

"Kwek! Kwek! Kwek!"

Hence, I thrashed the Mature Mandrake. First of all, this fellow was only obedient when beaten.

Carrying the limply slumping Mature Mandrake, I returned to the cave.

Next, I prepared a suitable pot and lit a campfire.

The moment the campfire flared up, I posted on the Gallery.

Title) Combination of Ice Snow Flower and Mature Mandrake

Wild Grylls

(Photo of beaten Mature Mandrake)

(Photo of Ice Snow Flower not yet harvested)

Wouldn’t combining these two work?

↳ Heavenly Demon) The theory itself does not seem bad. Since it is a proper combination of Yang and Yin.

↳ Wild Grylls) Right?

↳ Starlight Lady) As Heavenly Demon-nim said, the theory isn’t bad. Though it feels a bit... crude.

↳ Wild Grylls) Should I try putting them in together and boiling first?

↳ Starlight Lady) That would be better. Extracting the essence dilutes the energy a bit. Boiling them raw would be better.

↳ Wild Grylls) Got it.

Having received permission from an expert, I harvested the Ice Snow Flower.

Fortunately, it maintained its intact shape, as if human body temperature had no effect on it.

’Now put this in together.’

Adding a bit of water to simmer them together like broth would do.

Covering it with a lid completed all preparations. Now all that remained was waiting.

I didn’t forget to check intermittently if anything was wrong.

↳ Wild Grylls) (Video of Ice Snow Flower and Mature Mandrake as before) No big change so far. The Ice Snow Flower isn’t melting either.

↳ Starlight Lady) That’s probably because both are rare herbs. It would be best to wait patiently.

Just how long would it have to simmer for a change to occur? I added one more piece of firewood.

I wanted to do other work if possible, but I didn’t know what might happen.

While sitting still and just staring into the fire...

Deolkeong!

Suddenly, the pot lid rattled.

-Kieeeeeek!!!

The Mandrake’s scream coming from inside was a bonus.

Did it wake up midway as time passed? This was a setback.

’Should I thrash it again?’

I applied force to the lid to prevent the Mature Mandrake from bursting out.

The moment I opened it, the Mandrake’s scream would echo throughout the cave.

In that state, I accessed the Gallery and urgently sought advice.

↳ Wild Grylls) (Video of pot with screams coming out) Looks like the Mandrake woke up, what should I do? Holding it down for now.

↳ Starlight Lady) Screaming continuously isn’t good either. Even taking a risk, knocking it out again is better.

↳ Wild Grylls) Understood.

Receiving advice from an expert, I took a deep breath. Timing had to be right.

The Mature Mandrake didn’t scream continuously, but screamed occasionally.

After that, it repeated quiet moments followed by screaming. Therefore, I had to target the quiet moments.

-Keeeeeeek!!!

Before long, the Mandrake screamed.

I waited until it went quiet, then opened the lid immediately.

And what came into view was...

"...What is this."

It was the appearance of the Mature Mandrake, completely dyed blue.

Its face was purplish-blue like a corpse, but its body writhed as if it were still alive.

It was originally a red fellow, so it turning blue was even more bewildering.

’Did it fuse instead of combine?’