Chapter 127 - 13: Agave

When it comes to agave, many people think of tequila.Some people also think of....

The agave girl.

But what comes to Chen Wen’s mind is rope!

Agave plants not only produce alcohol, but they are also rich in fibers!

The branches and leaves of these agave plants are slender and seem useless.

However, once dried, they become excellent raw materials for rope-making.

The ropes made from them are strong, flexible, and resistant to wear and corrosion.

In human history, after fine processing, this plant could even be used as maritime cables!

Profit! Profit!

Chen Wen was trembling with excitement.

He immediately bent down and took out a dagger.

He first carefully used a stick to tap the roots of the agave to drive away any hidden creatures.

He didn’t want to get bitten while gathering agave.

Chen Wen’s caution paid off.

Just as he was tapping the roots, a few small unidentifiable flying insects flew out.

Once these bugs flew away, Chen Wen carefully started picking the agave leaves.

Just like the information he found, these leaves were rich in fiber and very thick.

Now he had material for making ropes!

...

Chen Wen’s action of picking plants drew quite a bit of attention.

But most of the people were puzzled because the translator was in the restroom.

"Why is he so happy? What use do these plants have?"

"They can’t be used to make fire, can they be eaten?"

"Oh ho ho, this is agave, you definitely can’t eat it."

While everyone was discussing.

A local indigenous guide invited by the show said, "These leaves can be processed into rope once dried, and those tall sotol plants are excellent for fire-starting."

Rope! Fire-starting materials!

Everyone suddenly understood the key point.

Adam’s assistant, a tall African American from the American Expedition Association, suddenly said, "I understand! Chen Wen must have known that this area has plenty of sotol plants, so he deliberately didn’t bring a fire striker or rope! He plans to use native materials to replace these two items!"

"A smart strategy! But it’s a huge risk!"

Adam’s assistant said, quite admiringly.

This time Adam also considered that the agave plants are abundant in the Sonora Desert, so he didn’t bring rope.

But he didn’t have the guts not to bring a fire striker.

Starting a fire is quite reliant on luck.

If it rains, not bringing a fire striker will waste a lot of time.

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this.

Starting off by outsmarting with two fewer tools!

Just how much did this person study?

...

On Chen Wen’s side.

After collecting enough sotol for kindling and a large number of agave leaves.

He was satisfied and set off for the ridge.

"I need to hurry up, gathering these things has delayed me a lot."

"Before sunset, I need to reach that ridge and start a fire; I can’t finish the shelter tonight."

"If I’m lucky, after starting the fire, I might be able to stroll around and get a feel for the surroundings."

Said Chen Wen, as he walked quickly towards his chosen shelter spot.

...

After arriving.

Chen Wen looked around, "This place is pretty good."

"The sun shines directly on this area, so besides the saguaro and mesquite trees, there are few other plants."

"Moreover, the distance between these two saguaro cacti is just enough for me to build a shelter, and the ground here is relatively flat and clean."

"Other than being hot and exposed, it’s very suitable for building a shelter."

Said Chen Wen as he unloaded his backpack and tools.

Looking at the still-intense sunset, Chen Wen said, "Now, let’s start the fire."

Starting a fire is a technical skill, even if you have a fire striker.

Chen Wen didn’t bring a fire striker, making fire-starting more difficult.

He cleared a patch of ground first, then looked at the camera.

"I don’t plan to use the hand drill for starting a fire, as it’s more exhausting and time-consuming."

Chen Wen took out the sotol and placed it in front of the camera, so the main stem of the sotol was clearly visible.

"The main stem of the sotol is very suitable for the fire plow skill. Its main stem has a lot of dry floss, and the success rate of the fire plow skill is high."

"For those who are unfamiliar with the fire plow skill, let me briefly introduce it here."

"Simply put, the fire plow skill involves carving a straight groove on wood and then using a spear-shaped hardwood’s tip to ’plow’ back and forth along the groove."

"If you find the right materials, this method is incredibly simple."

"Next is practice, but before that, I need to gather enough kindling to keep the fire going tonight."

Kindling in the Sonora Desert is quite easy to find.

Whether it’s dried mesquite branches or other trees, they can all be used as excellent firewood.

Chen Wen spent five minutes on the ridge and another ten minutes strolling in a nearby valley.

He returned with a large bundle of kindling.

"This is enough to last two days."

Said Chen Wen as he placed the firewood on one side of the camp.

Then he took out all the materials needed for starting the fire.

The fire plow skill is much simpler than the bow-drill method.

It doesn’t require a series of preparations, just two sticks and a bunch of tinder.

Chen Wen broke the sotol in half.

The dried front end served as the fire plow groove, and the hard, thick back end served as the fire plow.

As for the tinder, it was a bunch of dry herbaceous plants.

Chen Wen placed one foot on the fire plow groove and knelt with the other leg on the ground.

He aligned the fire plow with the groove dug out by the dagger.

Chen Wen then began to rub vigorously, like striking a match.

As Chen Wen applied continuous force, the end of the fire plow being rubbed began to generate black scraps.

These are the embers.

As more and more hot charcoal scraps accumulated, until there was about a handful, Chen Wen stopped the friction.

He poured all the charcoal scraps onto the tinder.

The first step of the fire plow skill was smoothly completed.

Next came "blowing."

Don’t underestimate this step; many times, the failure of the hand drill method occurs here.

Blowing is also a technical skill.

Chen Wen held up the tinder wrapped around the ember, spreading his fingers wide.

He raised the tinder above his head and blew gently.

With the influx of oxygen, the ember flared brightly, emitting a searing orange-red glow.

The glow ignites the tinder, starting to emit smoke.

But to Chen Wen’s surprise, the ember didn’t immediately ignite the tinder into a full flame.

Instead, after a few soft breaths, the embers gradually dimmed.

The first attempt at starting a fire was a failure.

And it was a thorough failure, with barely any smoke arising.

Chen Wen frowned as he put down the tinder. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novelhall.com

He didn’t know where he went wrong.

To be precise, in Chen Wen’s understanding, he hadn’t made a mistake at any step.

"It seems the first attempt at starting the fire failed."

Chen Wen tilted his head, explaining to the camera, "While the sun hasn’t set yet, I need to carefully check where exactly I went wrong."

"I still have a chance before the sun sets!"

In terms of mentality, Chen Wen had no issues at all.

He lowered his head and began inspecting the fire-starting materials, his mind replaying the fire-starting process from the first attempt.

Trying to pinpoint the reason for the fire-starting failure.

But after pondering for a long time, Chen Wen still couldn’t figure it out.

Could it be a matter of luck?

Chen Wen mused to himself.

The hand drill method inherently relies somewhat on luck, accounting for at least thirty percent of success.

Try again!

Chen Wen pushed aside distracting thoughts and attempted once more.