A hint of hesitation appeared on Hank's but it was quickly replaced with determination. "No, I'm sure that once it's really life and death. Our leader won't just stand by."
"How laughable. You guys are really stupid." Kenjaku shook his head. Like Dylan, he could understand their logic.
Kevin gave Kenjaku a look of disdain. "You won't get it. After all, you're the kind of guy that would abandon your teammates. I forgave you but I didn't forget what you did."
Hank nodded. Still visibly upset from Kenjaku's action. Although he understood why he did it. After the foundation of trust was broken, it would be hard to believe again. For such a teammate that turned his back against them. It was painful, to say the least, and scarring.
Dylan looked at Kenjaku quietly. He feels that Kenjaku has a good head on his shoulders. He was more rational than Kevin and Hank who decided more based on emotion.
However, if he had to choose. He's more willing to pick the two than Kenjaku. A reliable teammate that you can trust than a snake that could stab you at any time.
"You guys, I'll go first," Dylan smirked.
"What go first? How are s-upposed to cros-..."
Fly!
Before Hank could even finish his question. David, whose body was 100x lighter, ran towards the river. Hank, Kevin, and Kenjaku were confused as to what Dylan was up to. But they were dumbfounded at Dylan's speed.
With the combination of agility, 100x lighter Physique, and powerful force, Dylan managed to run on the surface of the water without sinking. In just a few seconds, Dylan reached Orochi who was quite speechless as well
The group of Piranha didn't even manage to respond due to Dylan's speed. It was the first time they saw a land animal run on top of the water lake.
"Now I know what he means." Hank touched the scar on his face with a bitter smile.
Why are the people around him so abnormal!? He also felt a bit envious. When he first met him, Dylan was still the weakest. Now, the gap between them has widened. A mix of complicated emotions rose from his heart.
"It seems like we need to build a boat. We can't swim or we'll just head to our deaths." An ugly expression was displayed on Kenjaku's face. "If I knew that there's a river in this mountain. I would have prepared the things needed and planned accordingly. Dylan is still too careless. He's still not qualified to become a leader or strategist if he ever forms a group one day."
"I'll teach you two how to build a damn boat with just the use of trees here hehe."
Kenjaku lifted his glass with a proud smile.
The two men looked at Kenjaku with a mix of curiosity and skepticism, unsure how they would transform the towering trees around them into a seaworthy vessel.
Kenjaku's eyes sparkled with excitement. He was in his element, ready to impart his intelligence. "Building a boat," he began, "is an art as much as it is a science. The first known wooden boats date back to around 6,000 years ago, in what is now modern-day Finland. The oldest discovered boat, the Pesse canoe, was made from a single log of pine, shaped by stone tools."
Hank raised an eyebrow. "So, we're just going to chop down a tree and start carving?"
Kenjaku smiled. "Not quite. Boat building requires precise measurements and a deep understanding of angles to ensure the boat's stability and buoyancy. Ancient boat builders were not just craftsmen but also early scientists, understanding the properties of wood and the principles of physics long before these concepts were formalized."
Kevin nodded, intrigued. "So, where do we start?"
Kenjaku led them to a tall, straight tree with a trunk wide enough to serve as the boat's hull. "This tree," he explained, "is perfect. I don't know what kind of trees these trees are, But I can see that they look tough and have resistance to rot. First, we need to measure the length of the boat. A good size for a two-person vessel is about 12 to 16 feet."
He handed Hank a measuring tape and directed him to measure the tree trunk. Once the measurement was complete, Kenjaku pulled out a makeshift protractor. "Now, the angles," he said, his tone shifting to one of focused instructions. "The angle of the sides should be about 30 degrees to ensure the boat cuts through the water efficiently. Too steep, and it will be unstable; too shallow, and it will be slow."
As they worked, Kenjaku continued narrating. "Did you know the first shipbuilders in ancient Ehypt Kingdom used acacia wood and reed bindings? Their boats were used to transport goods along the Nile, relying on the river's currents rather than oars or sails. By 3000 BC, the Ehyptians had advanced to creating large wooden ships capable of navigating the Congyun Sea. These vessels had curved hulls and flat bottoms, ideal for carrying heavy loads."
Kevin, fascinated, asked, "Bullshit! How did they know all this without modern tools?"
Kenjaku grinned. "Trial and error, keen observation, and passing down knowledge through generations. They understood the science of their time, even if they didn't call it that. For instance, they knew certain woods like cedar resisted water better, and they understood that wider boats were more stable, even if they couldn't calculate the center of gravity."
With the tree felled and stripped of its bark, Kenjaku guided Hank and Kevin in carving out the hull, ensuring the angles were precise. They used chisels and adzes, tools similar to those employed by early boat builders. Kenjaku explained each step meticulously, ensuring his mates grasped the importance of every cut and measurement.
"Remember," Kenjaku said as they shaped the boat's bow, "the bow needs to be sharp to slice through the water. This design is something we inherited from the Vikings, who perfected the longship around the 9th century. Their ships were so well-crafted that they could navigate both open seas and shallow rivers, thanks to their slender, flexible hulls."
As the minutes ticked by, the boat began to take shape. Kenjaku's enthusiasm was infectious, and both Hank and Kevin found themselves engrossed in the work. Kenjaku continued his storytelling, explaining how the junks of the Sohug dynasty (960–1279 AD) introduced watertight bulkheads, a revolutionary design that made their ships virtually unsinkable.
Finally, Kenjaku stood back and admired their work. "This," he said proudly, "is the culmination of thousands of years of human ingenuity. Every angle, every cut, has a purpose, derived from a long history of trial, error, and success."
Hank and Kevin looked at the boat, then at Kenjaku, "Fuck! You're really a fucking nerd!"