Chapter 91: Chapter 90: Tracking the Trail

"Give the professional contestants special privileges."

Lin Chen laid out the idea he had been considering for a while.

"For example, you could let us freely choose one item each week, but it has to be related to our profession. You can determine the value and quantity of the item. It could be based on the livestream’s popularity, through a trade with the contestant, or some other method."

"For instance, my stream has the most viewers right now. As a chef, I’d hope to get ingredients or seasonings that I can’t find around here. That way, I could create unique wilderness dishes, which would pique the audience’s curiosity and build their anticipation."

"Or, for another example, you know I’ve hunted a sheep and a Black Bear. On top of that, the King Salmon are migrating until December, so I don’t have to worry about food at all. In that case, could I use these things to trade with you?"

"I could give you the meat directly, or I could cook dishes for you. Essentially, it would be a trade that utilizes my profession and skills."

"What do you think?"

The sudden proposal caught the three of them off guard.

Before Daniel and Robert could say anything, Ariana was the first to speak. "I agree."

"Didn’t the production team invite a chef on the show to see what an Eastern chef could cook in the wild? Many previous shows invited Western chefs, and without exception, the results were lackluster. Now, it’s clear that this decision was the right one."

"But the available ingredients in the wild are limited. Lately, there aren’t even many berries. Relying on just tart cranberries and sea salt means the food can only be sour. And I’ve noticed a trend in the livestream chat—the audience seems to be getting a little tired of watching him cook wild mushrooms every day."

"If we can’t give him new ingredients or seasonings, I’m afraid Lin’s viewership will gradually decline. That’s not something you want to see, is it?"

"That’s true."

The two men nodded instinctively. It was a trend they had also noticed on the streams recently.

It wasn’t just happening with Lin Chen; a similar trend was emerging with the other contestants, too. It was an unavoidable problem.

After all, it was a hundred-day competition. The initial base-building phase generated the most excitement. The later stages would be defined by endless loneliness.

By that point, the contestants themselves would lose the will to speak. How could they have the spare energy to narrate for the camera? The viewers would be bored, too.

Moreover, as time went on, the livestream format would lead to one inevitable outcome: the audience would be able to predict who was going to win.

And while nothing was certain until the very end, the show’s entertainment value in the later stages would definitely not be as high as it was at the beginning.

But the suggestion Lin Chen had put forward could solve this problem of a mid-show slump in viewership, allowing the professional contestants’ unique skills to finally serve their true purpose.

For example, if the doctor got his hands on medicine to treat frostbite, it would attract other contestants to seek him out for a partnership.

With a limited supply of medicine, a struggle would be inevitable. Who would it ultimately end up with? That alone would create a controversial topic for discussion.

Or take the farmer, for example. He can already tame a Coyote with his bare hands. If he were given items from his area of expertise, could he possibly tame a more powerful Yukon Wolf? Or other creatures, like rabbits, porcupines, or squirrels?

And the carpenter... The possibilities there were even greater.

"This is an excellent proposal, but it’s probably not a good idea for us to decide on our own. How about this: when I get back, I’ll start a poll on the official website and let the viewers decide if we should implement this change."

He said that, but all three of them were beaming with excitement. They clearly had a good idea of how the poll would turn out and were already looking forward to it.

As soon as they left the shelter, Robert couldn’t help but remark.

"Asians really do think differently than we do. Lin isn’t from the media industry himself, but just by surviving, he seems to instinctively know what to do to generate more traffic. And now he’s come up with a brilliant idea to save the show."

Daniel and Ariana nodded in agreement. Ariana added, "That’s why Great Xia’s economy grew so quickly. They’re natural-born money-makers. I’m starting to think we should hire some Asians."

"You mean for the production team? Hm, that’s actually a good idea."

Daniel said, "Hey, don’t forget, we’ve got a perfect candidate right here." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He jerked his thumb toward the wooden fence behind them.

"You mean... after the competition ends?"

Robert stroked his chin. "He’s a wilderness enthusiast and a former contestant. If he wins or comes in second, he’d definitely be a better fit than hiring someone new."

"But doesn’t he have his own food truck business...? Forget it, we can think about that later. We’ve still got over two months, anyway. Let’s just finish today’s work first!"

Just as the three of them left, Lin Chen stepped out of his shelter.

He had just mentally reviewed his knowledge of wilderness survival, confirming that to build a heated bed, he really would have to go to the river to dig up silt.

If it were raining, he could have just dug up some earth nearby. Otherwise, there was no way he would waste what little water he had left, collected in his parachute.

Between consumption and natural evaporation over the past few days, the water level was down to a quarter of what it had been. He estimated it wouldn’t last another three days.

However, Andre had told him before that August and September were the rainy season in Alaska, with rainfall so heavy it could even trigger flash floods.

With rising global temperatures in recent years, the rainy season had even been pushed back to October. That explained the recent, unexpectedly long period of heavy rain, and why the daytime temperature was still above freezing.

Normally, the daytime temperature in early November should have dropped to around freezing. There was no way it should still be around ten degrees.

’Forget it. Rather than hoping for a random downpour, I’m better off just making a few more trips.’

He glanced up at the sky. It was dotted with white clouds, showing no sign of rain.

He went to a nearby tree and peeled off a large sheet of birch bark. He cut the bark into long strips, then wove them together into a pack basket.

As he wove, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

’Should I make a fishing net, too?’

The gillnet line he’d brought still hadn’t been used. It wasn’t realistic for him to stand guard by the river every day, where wolves and brown bears could show up at any moment. It would be better to set a net trap, then he could just collect his catch each day and leave quickly.

He finished weaving two bark pack baskets, nested them together, and slung them on his back. With his hunting bow in hand, he prepared to head to the river. First, he would scout out a location with clay, and only after he’d found one would he decide where to place the fishing net.

But before that...

He narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction where he had found the arrow fletching the day before.

’It’s time to find out exactly where those guys are hiding their den.’