It was only Chuck's guess.
Although it was something produced by his own body, whether it could be made into a potion depended entirely on the synthesis prompt from the workbench.
Fortunately, his cheat didn't let him down.
Placing the small clay jar into the workbench, the prompt appeared.
[Detected: Energy Essence] [Synthesis Prompt: This substance is concentrated energy essence produced by your body. Besides reproductive cells containing your DNA, it possesses nourishing and slow-repair properties for the female body upon injection. Alternatively, combine 1kg of Energy Essence with over 100kg of flesh from a Lord-Class Beast on the alchemy table to refine an Essence Potion. This potion works only on females, possessing ultimate restorative and healing capabilities.]
Essence Potion!
Ultimate restorative and healing capabilities?!
Chuck extracted the keywords immediately. Excitement surged within him.
Just as he thought, his essence wasn't just for nourishment—it could create a potion described as "ultimate." The effects would be heaven-defying.
But his smile faltered as he frowned.
The potion required more than just essence... it needed 100kg of Lord-Class Beast flesh.
What is a Lord-Class Beast?
Chuck's brow furrowed deeper.
He had faced and defeated stronger beasts over time, but none were ever described as "Lord-Class" by the workbench.
The only candidates fitting that title were the giant bird at the volcano... and the roar Valentina heard from the plains lake.
100kg of flesh wasn't small. Even the black bear, minus fur, organs, and bones, barely yielded 200kg of meat.
Likewise... 1kg of Energy Essence was no small amount.
Even draining himself dry daily, Chuck probably only produced a few hundred milliliters. Factoring in the share needed to nourish his women, it would take days to accumulate enough.
And all that for just one Essence Potion.
For that cost, the effect had better be miraculous—if not bringing back the dead, then at least regenerating flesh and bone.
Chuck scratched his head.
In a way, he had become just like the two cows at home—a resource producer.
...
Regardless, Chuck's mission remained unchanged.
Develop his home, increase his strength, and defeat powerful enemies. Whether the leopard, the King of the Taiga, or the giant bird.
Killing his way up the food chain would eventually lead to a "Lord-Class" beast. Once he refined the Essence Potion, the women's safety would be guaranteed.
As the sun rose, the women woke up. Surprisingly, Julia was the last to rise. With messy golden hair, she stumbled out the door and fell into Chuck's arms, whining pitifully.
"Boohoo... Darling, it really hurt last night. It's still swollen..."
"I told you. Let me feel."
Chuck smiled helplessly, stroking her hair. His hand slid down her smooth back, into her shorts, finding the tender, swollen bud.
"Mmh~"
Julia hummed. Chuck checked gently. Swollen, yes, but no tears.
With the nourishment of his essence, it wouldn't stay swollen for long.
He withdrew his hand and kissed her forehead.
"It's okay. It'll heal soon."
"Mmh..."
Julia nodded, blushing. She looked up, her eyes filled with indescribable intoxication.
"Even though it hurt, I felt so happy..."
"I know. You like the feeling of being conquered by me."
Chuck beat her to it, adding, "Once you're healed, we'll do it again. Use it more, and eventually it won't hurt."
Julia's blue eyes lit up with hearts. She nodded vigorously.
"Mmh!"
...
Nothing happened overnight—not backdoor training, developing territory, or defeating enemies.
Steps had to be taken one by one.
After two days of combat training with Valentina, Chuck had gained insights. As a novice, his improvement was rapid.
While burning seaweed for glass, Chuck kept the workbench busy cutting stone bricks for the Rank 7 residence upgrade.
Finally, it was time to unlock glassmaking.
Two days of drying and burning yielded over 100kg of seaweed ash. It didn't look like much, but it was purer alkaline material than wood ash—the best flux available on the island.
Chuck also brought a basket of crushed burnt lime for stability, and of course, the washed quartz sand.
Everything ready. Fire up the furnace.
When the temperature reached bronze-smelting levels, Chuck added the seaweed ash and lime instead of charcoal.
Hard work paid off. The synthesis button lit up.
[Detected: Quartz Sand, Quicklime, Seaweed Ash. Using alkaline material to lower quartz melting point. Furnace temperature sufficient. Can smelt: Crude Glass x1. Time: 2 hours. Occupies 3 queue slots. Smelt?]
Chuck didn't hesitate. He filled the materials and pressed the button.
The light orb floated into the furnace, starting the countdown.
During the wait, Chuck sat under the awning, opening the DIY Multi-Recipe interface to design new molds.
The Bronze Age gave him scale armor and a pike to fight the bear. Now in the Iron Age, facing felines and avians...
Scale armor was flexible but heavy. It saved him against the bear, but against the agile leopard or deadlier beasts, it might be a burden.
Similarly, the pike was good for frontal confrontation, but useless in close quarters against a leopard.
He needed gear suitable for his current state and upcoming battles.
Leopards relied on speed and agility, attacking vital points like the head or neck after tackling prey.
So, body armor was secondary. He needed a Helmet and Neck Guard.
The helmet needed to cover as much of his head and face as possible while maintaining visibility, protecting him from claws and teeth if tackled.
For the neck guard, leather was best—puncture-resistant and flexible. Chuck designed a medieval-style arming cap that covered the head, neck, and shoulders, exposing only the face.
As for weapons, he prepared a Short Sword for close-quarters counterattacks and, crucially...
A Shield.
Not too big, strapped to one arm. Hardwood reinforced with a steel rim would suffice.
And Chuck wanted to add steel spikes to the front.
This was based on a rational conclusion: He couldn't hope to avoid close quarters with such an agile predator.
But with his strength and Valentina's techniques, he could negate the leopard's speed advantage once they grappled.
That would be his moment of victory.
As he designed and synthesized molds, Chuck's gear plan solidified.
Main weapon: Pike (steel head). Secondary: Short Sword and Spiked Round Shield. Armor: Full-coverage Steel Light Helmet with Leather Arming Cap.
Plus the usual traps, bait, and javelins.
Chuck would spend the next few days between the furnace, forging table, and iron mine.
As the molds finished, the first batch of glass was ready.
Three slabs of translucent, pale green glass, about a meter square and a finger thick, appeared on the workbench. Bubbles marred the surface, but light passed through.
Chuck examined one. Rough ancient glass, far from modern purity, but sufficient for light transmission.
Now he could start building facilities.
The furnace ran continuously. With three slabs every two hours, he'd have the 16 needed for the house upgrade in a day.
Chuck nodded satisfied, grabbed tools from the storage room, and headed down the platform.
With farming and ranching on track, water shortages were becoming real.
Janet and Yitong had reported the issue. To save fresh water, the women had reverted to using seawater for bathing.
New fresh water sources were urgent.
Fortunately, glass was solved. Now for the solar still.
Following Momo's suggestion, Chuck found a flat area near the eastern beach, cleared the vegetation, and started digging.
He couldn't use shells like Momo; he needed a large, simple salt pan.
Shallow depth (15-20cm) but large surface area to ensure evaporation efficiency.
The principle was simple.
Glass panes fixed in a triangular wooden frame over the pan. Sunlight evaporated the seawater; vapor condensed on the glass and trickled down into bamboo gutters to be collected as fresh water.
The remaining concentrated brine could be refined into salt or used for pickling.
The shape: an infinitely extendable rectangle.
Chuck placed two glass panes at a 45-degree angle to determine the width. Length could be extended as needed.
Digging alone was tiring, but he had a suitable laborer.
He called Valentina down, gave her a shovel, explained the plan, and they started digging.
As the sun climbed, the temperature rose. Chuck wiped sweat from his brow, sensing another heatwave approaching.
Water would become even scarcer. He had to hurry.
"Put your back into it. From here to there—neither of us eats until it's done."
Chuck marked an area and smiled at Valentina. She glared at him but dug harder.
His gaze drifted to her firm, high buttocks. His smile deepened. Keeping the silver-haired warrior was the right choice. Such a capable woman.
"By the way, is there anything you want?"
Chuck planted his shovel, taking a breather to ask Valentina.
"...What do you mean?"
Valentina stopped, eyeing him warily.
Chuck sighed. "You seem to forget you're my woman now. It means I can give you things without demanding anything in return."
Valentina's pupils froze. She looked away, uncomfortable with the warm, ambiguous conversation.
"But if you prefer the old way, that's fine too..."
Chuck thought for a moment, then reached out.
And squeezed her tight, full buttock.