Among these, tools are the highest priority, from small items like nails and hammers to large ones like the capstan at the ship's bow. They represent the most cutting-edge technology of this era and are consumables that Chen Zhou cannot replicate on his own. Once used, they cannot be replaced.
Next come the resources. There are many rolls of thin lead, flat wooden planks, spare masts, tar, waterproof paint, canvas, and ropes on the ship. They are indispensable in the future construction of the island, yet creating them is time-consuming and labor-intensive, or even impossible.
These irreplaceable essential materials should be prioritized for transport to the island.
Third on the list is clothing, for the same reasons that they are consumables and irreplaceable.
Fourth is weapons. There are plenty of firearms and gunpowder on the ship, and even some cannons. However, Chen Zhou is realistic. Given his personal capacity, he can at most take the guns. The cannons, made of metal, weigh at least one hundred seventy to eighty kilograms even at their smallest, making them impossible to move.
Moreover, on the island, it's mainly about catching goats and shooting birds, perhaps scaring off cannibal tribes. Taking out the cannons would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
After weapons come valuables and food.
This prioritization isn't Chen Zhou valuing money over life but a result of careful consideration.
In his view, the island already has a rich supply of edible resources.
All the essential carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, trace elements, and vitamins can be found, with a wide variety and large quantity.
With this precondition, the biscuits, cheese, smoked meat, and other possibly moldy foods on the ship seem less important.
Chen Zhou would rather trade them for a few bags of seeds like peppers, cabbage, onions, ginger, and garlic to enrich his recipes than prioritize them for transportation ashore.
In comparison, valuable items not only offer rewards for successfully overcoming challenges but also decorate the house, enhancing Chen Zhou's quality of life on the island, and they are not too heavy to transport, making them a better value overall.
He weighed the importance of various supplies while listing them.
Soon, several pieces of parchment were neatly categorized into tables, waiting for Chen Zhou to fill them out after counting the quantities.
Time was tight; Chen Zhou clearly remembered that from Robinson boarding the ship to the storm tearing the merchant ship apart, there were only 24 days.
In this short period of relative safety, just over half a month, he must build a raft, transport materials, and set up temporary housing, wasting no time.
Putting down the pen and paper, Chen Zhou prepared to continue searching the carpenter's room. Once he had an idea of the items in the room, he would consolidate all materials from the first three rooms into boxes and put them in Robinson's room, the most convenient place for moving, to be the first batch transported to the island once the raft was ready.
Of course, not finding suitable shoes was also a reason.
Having searched Robinson's room before, Chen Zhou first glanced under the bed this time and indeed found an old, broken pair of shoes emitting a foul odor beneath it.
The size was a good fit. However, smelling the pungent odor inside the shoes, Chen Zhou couldn't help but show a look of difficulty, hesitating whether to risk athlete's foot by wearing them.
Soon, his concerns were perfectly resolved in the carpenter's second box — there was a new pair of shoes inside!
They were sturdy leather boots, obviously unsuitable for the hot climate here.
But their brand-new uppers had no aroma, and while the craftsmanship wasn't up to Robinson's clothing, there were no noticeable flaws. The soles were soft and sturdy, so wearing them, he wouldn't have to worry about stepping on nails again.
With so many advantages, what did a little heat and stuffiness matter?
Chen Zhou naturally and gladly abandoned the "slippers" he was dragging and happily swapped them for the carpenter's leather boots.
Like wearing new shoes bought by his mother when he was a child, even if no one appreciated it, the feeling was light and airy, as if he was walking on air.
With the dull thud of the soles on the wooden planks, Chen Zhou also turned the second wooden box upside down.
Unexpectedly, besides the shoes, there were quite a few surprises in the box.
In addition to more than a dozen garments and trousers that fit his size, the bottom of the box held a crossbow, five crossbow arrows, a thrusting sword, and two hunting sabers.
Among these weapons, Chen Zhou liked the crossbow the most.
Its limbs were made of redwood, coated with a layer of varnish, and the front bow was made of steel. The bowstring was thick and durable; Chen Zhou tried pulling it, but with just his arm strength, he couldn't draw the bowstring back, indicating the crossbow's high poundage and impressive power.
At the end of the bow limbs was a lever-type stringing device, which could use the lever principle to directly "pry" the string onto the string hook.
In mid-17th century Europe, the rise of matchlock guns in warfare severely pressured the space for hand crossbows. Against fully armed "heavy armor tin cans" and shield soldiers, the bullets discharged by gunpowder were far more useful than crossbow arrows.
Thus, except for occasionally appearing in noble hunting, hand crossbows had become rare.
Not to mention Chen Zhou, living in a society prohibiting guns and crossbows. Even sailors active on ships and rampant pirates mostly relied on guns and artillery.
However, everything has its pros and cons. Although crossbows could not penetrate armor protection in warfare, when facing beasts or birds, the crossbow's advantages of high accuracy, no odor, and low noise were hard to replace by matchlock guns.
For Chen Zhou, hunting wild goats and sea birds on the island, this hand crossbow would surely be more practical than the matchlock gun.