Chapter 19: Preparing and Techniques for Dwarf Miners' Long-Distance Travel (Part 2)

After Jier demonstrated it publicly several times, most of the Dwarves indicated that they had learned how to wrap their leggings.

Jier did not care whether they had truly learned it or were just pretending, and quickly moved on to the next item of teaching and explanation.

"Next, I need to tell you about the key points of walking for long-distance travel."

Upon hearing that Jier was going to teach them how to walk again, the Dwarves burst into uproarious laughter. Some fellows who did not like Jier even shrieked, "Listen to that, this Human even wants to teach us how to walk. I am over two hundred years old, and yet I still need a Human who isn't even twenty to teach me how to walk?"

"At his age, in the eyes of us Dwarves, he's just a little baby. Heh, he probably only learned how to walk a few years ago," someone mocked loudly.

Jier was not angry; he simply curled the corners of his mouth and turned to look at the Old Bandit Leader. He had been invited here directly by the Old Bandit Leader, so these taunts were less about him and more about slapping the Old Bandit Leader in the face.

"Haha, what do you think of this situation?" Jier asked in a low voice.

The Old Bandit Leader stood up immediately and glared at the Dwarf Miners who were mocking him: "You all think you're pretty great, right? I thought you fellows, who are at least two hundred years old, had accumulated some life experience. It seems I thought too much; you've all lived these years in vain and haven't made any progress. The most basic point: shouldn't you keep quiet when someone else is speaking? If you have any dissatisfaction, honestly keep it hidden in your bellies and talk about it in private; now that you're mocking and ridiculing in public, are you trying to make me look good?"

The Old Bandit Leader pointed at the Dwarves in the crowd one by one: "If you were all so great, you should have been packed and ready these past few days, and we might have been about to set off by now. But what about now? I still have to find a teacher to teach you how to pack your luggage and share long-distance travel experience. Whoever runs their mouth in private again, I will leave them here to spend their life alone in a foreign land."

Once these words were spoken, the Dwarves were too scared to say anything more. The Dwarf Miners who had just mocked Jier lowered their heads, fearing that their Old Bandit Leader would really leave the loudmouths behind to die alone in this land that was no longer under Dwarf control.

"Alright, Knight Jier, please continue." The Old Bandit Leader nodded apologetically to Jier. Jier did not mind the earlier taunts and continued to talk about the correct walking posture.

"Do not walk too fast, and try to take larger strides. At the same time, lean your body slightly forward to ensure that when you are carrying personal luggage, your body does not fall backward. Leaning forward also helps with moving forward."

Jier demonstrated, and while leaning forward, his walking was indeed a bit faster than normal. Moreover, because his strides were larger, his walking was much steadier than before.

Seeing this, the Dwarves finally felt that Jier was not without useful things to teach them.

"At the same time, it is best not to hold things in your hands. Keep your hands empty and let them swing from side to side with your body while walking." Jier used exaggerated movements to demonstrate how he kept his body balanced and assisted his forward movement by swinging his arms while taking large strides.

"The swinging of your arms can naturally ensure your body's balance, and the forward swing can also make your walking speed slightly faster. Do not underestimate this tiny difference in speed. Because after walking intermittently for a whole day, the small difference in speed accumulates into something very significant. It might allow you to walk a much longer distance."

Hearing this, many Dwarves nodded secretly, and no one spoke up to mock or make sarcastic remarks anymore. It was unclear whether they were listening attentively or were afraid of the Old Bandit Leader's 'threat'.

Next, Jier talked about the preparation of clothing for long-distance travel.

"Hats, especially in this season, a sun-shading hat is a must. 'Iron Fist', every one of you Dwarves needs a sun-shading and heat-insulating hat, otherwise, when walking in the wild without cover, being shone on by this sun all day long, people will faint from the heat."

The Old Bandit Leader was confident about this, because when digging and mining underground, to protect their heads from falling rocks and the like, every Dwarf Miner had several anti-impact miner helmets.

He had someone bring the Dwarves' miner helmets for Jier to see if these miner helmets could be used for long-distance travel.

These helmets were somewhat similar to the anti-impact helmets used by construction workers in his previous life. But the difference was that the Dwarves used a hard, thin, and lightweight metal material, and the inside of the helmet was padded with several layers of leather to cushion the top of the head. On the front or sides of the helmet, there were also specialized mounting points for lighting equipment.

There were various types of lighting equipment, including slots for Glowing White Stones, lamp holders for Oil Lamps with small oil pots, and even a special plant rack for hanging glowing vines.

It was too absurd.

Jier weighed the helmet: "It's a bit heavy. Because you have to wear it for a whole day to shade from the sun, this thing is a bit heavy."

Jier fiddled with the miner helmet. He snapped off the lighting rack on top with his bare hands and threw it away, then tore off the layers of cushioning leather inside the helmet, leaving only a thin layer of leather attached to the inside.

Finally, Jier had the Old Bandit Leader find someone to use a chisel and hammer to knock out more than a dozen ventilation holes in the top of the helmet to dissipate heat.

In this way, a lightweight, sun-shading, breathable, and heat-insulating hat was made.

"If this thing were made of lighter wood, or woven from plants, it would be even better," Jier said at the end.

The Old Bandit Leader put the remade hat on his head, tried it out, and felt very satisfied: "This is already enough. We Dwarves have strong bones, and this bit of weight on our heads all day is nothing. Besides, metal hats are not easily damaged, and their protection is quite good."

Although Jier did not think there was any need for defensive capabilities in this kind of hat. If they really had to fight, they could just wear metal helmets. This hat had no protection for the front cheeks, the ears on the sides, or the back of the head, and was far less safe than a real helmet.

The defensive power of this kind of helmet could only be described as better than nothing; if one really relied on this thing to fight, one could only say that person's life was over.

Subsequently, the Old Bandit Leader arranged for the temporary modification of the miner helmets for everyone. Because it was not complicated and the materials were readily available, after Jier finished teaching, it would take about an hour or two to finish modifying the hats needed by the dozens of Dwarves.

Jier then spoke about the Backpack: "Each of you needs a Shoulder Backpack with a large capacity and a reasonable design. Personal luggage can be completely packed into this kind of Shoulder Backpack, thereby freeing up your hands and avoiding the trouble of carrying things on your shoulders or holding things in your hands. Because compared to hands and arms, the torsos of Dwarves and Humans are better at bearing extra body weight."

Jier gestured: "Distributing the weight of the luggage on the shoulders, back, and waist is far better than having the arms bear it."

Jier did not need to say much about this; the Dwarf Miners were people who often moved things and understood what Jier was saying. To move heavy objects, one cannot rely solely on the strength of the arms; one must use the strength of the waist. Because whether it is a Dwarf or a Human, the muscle strength of the waist is far greater than the strength of the arms.

But the Dwarves had never seen this method of carrying luggage with a Shoulder Backpack; they either wrapped things in cloth and carried them on their backs, or packed items into Wooden Boxes and moved them with vehicles.

Even in the Dwarf army, the Dwarves relied heavily on a large number of vehicles to transport supplies.

In the past wars between Humans and Dwarves in the Western Province, many times it was the Human fast Cavalryman units that broke through and defeated the Dwarf logistics transport convoys, thereby cutting off part of the Dwarf army's supplies and causing the Dwarf army to voluntarily retreat from the front line, gaining a temporary victory in the campaign.

Because compared to the massive losses caused by fighting head-on with a fully armed Dwarf army, the losses from using Cavalryman units to raid the Dwarf army's logistics were much smaller. Even if the Dwarf convoys were fully armed, with Dwarf logistics Soldiers operating repeating Crossbows on the vehicles.

Jier drew a picture of a Shoulder Backpack with a waist strap on the spot. This kind of backpack had a large capacity, and because part of the weight was buckled to the waist through the waist strap in the middle of the backpack, the pressure of this large-capacity backpack on the shoulders was not very great.

Thereby allowing it to carry more and heavier things.

This was a very mature design for a Shoulder Backpack. As soon as the Old Bandit Leader saw the design drawing, he understood the matter.

But he scratched his head: "We don't have anything like this here; it needs to be made from scratch, which is quite troublesome, and I can't guarantee it will be done in these two days."

Jier waved his hand: "It's fine, if you don't have enough manpower, you can ask the Villagers of Torito Village to help you make it together. If it's still too late, you can also go to Mr. Bafute, the temporary mayor of New Xiwang Town, and have him arrange for the large number of people in New Xiwang Town to help you quickly make this kind of Shoulder Backpack."

Jier pointed to the design drawing: "For the parts that press against the body and bear the main weight, you can use sturdy leather to make them, while the other parts of the backpack that hold things can be made with sturdy Linen Cloth. Actually, if you want it to be more sturdy and durable, you would originally have to add some metal wires and thin metal plates inside the backpack as the main load-bearing structure."

"But this would make the production too troublesome; ordinary Human Villagers probably don't have this skill, and only you Dwarves can do it."

Hearing Jier's words, the Dwarves smiled with satisfaction.

Subsequently, the Old Bandit Leader handed this design drawing to a Dwarf who had a good relationship with the Human Villagers of Torito Village, and asked him to use the exchange of supplies as a condition to have the Human Villagers help them make this kind of backpack as soon as possible.

They had plenty of materials; it was just that many Dwarf Miners were rough men. Making metal parts and tools was no problem, but asking them to use needles and thread to sew this new type of leather and cloth backpack was not possible.

"Finally, you also need a sturdy leather belt that can hang various necessary tools." Jier patted his waist, letting the Dwarves see the hanging points for various weapons and tools on his belt, as well as the small Leather Bags for holding things.

"This type of belt can hang Single-handed Weapons, tools, as well as water bottles and small Leather Bags for various odds and ends. Only with it can you say that your hands are completely freed."

Jier said so.

As for belts, the Dwarves had many, most of which were similar ones used for hanging tools during mining work.

Although they were not as sturdy and strong as Jier's metal belt, as long as they added two more hanging points and matching leather pockets to the leather belts made of sturdy Monster leather, they would be roughly similar.

"This is easy. I will give the order now." The Old Bandit Leader arranged the corresponding belt modification work on the spot.

Next, Jier began to tell the Dwarves how to select the necessary supplies and tools for long-distance travel.

"When going out for a long journey, the first thing to pay attention to is the shoes, walking posture, and equipment I just explained. Secondly, it is the eating and drinking that must be focused on during the journey."

Jier pointed to the mother of 'Xiaoxuezi' and said to everyone: "This lady is a Chef, and she has been worrying about how to take away the various cooking utensils that are large in quantity and variety. But I recommend that she let the rest of you each help carry one small or medium-sized cooking utensil. The ones that are too big should be loaded onto the vehicles."

"This is a must; only by eating well will you have the strength to walk and trek. If you don't eat a meal because it's not to your taste, you won't be able to walk and will become a real burden."

"I hope you have all prepared the relevant grain and food seasonings? For grain, choose types that are easy to carry, easy to store, and not prone to spoilage. Shelled wheat grains or Beans are very suitable; just add water and boil them when cooking. Unless there are special preservation methods, I do not recommend carrying meat that spoils easily. If you have any, eat it up quickly before it goes bad."

Quite a few Dwarves took out paper and pens and began to record this.

"Next is drinking water. 'Iron Fist', have the water buckets sufficient for dozens of you to use for at least ten days been prepared?" Jier asked.

Old 'Iron Fist' nodded: "Everything is prepared."

"Then there are the matching personal portable Water bottles." Jier pointed to the Water bottle he carried with him; it was a small Wooden Water Bottle, not very large, enough for him to take a dozen sips.

"Look, this size is sufficient. Before setting off to travel each time, fill them up from the water buckets in the caravan, then drink as you go when thirsty. When it is time to rest after walking for over an hour, just find the water buckets and fill them up again." Jier handed his Water bottle to the Dwarves to pass around and examine.

He continued: "Actually, the best ones should be Water bottles made of pure silver. It is not that I do not have the money to make them, but I have not encountered a Craftsman with sufficient skill to help forge them. Pure silver Water bottles have a natural ability to inhibit spoilage, which can allow the water inside to be stored for a longer time. Failing that, Water bottles made of some non-rusting metals are also good. If you Dwarves want to prepare some, you can give it a try."

Hearing Jier's words, many Dwarves immediately looked at the old Dwarf, but old 'Iron Fist' shook his head: "The warehouse of the Treasure Mine has already been sealed. Reopening it carries high risks and takes a long time to prepare; it is not worth it. Since Knight Jier uses a Wooden Water Bottle, we will use those too."

The Dwarves had no use for things like Water bottles back in the Treasure Mine; after all, that mine was both a mining site and their settlement. If they were thirsty and wanted water, there were safe and well-equipped Miner lounges everywhere.

If they wanted to drink some beverages, there were restaurants and taverns around the current hall.

The difficulty of making Wooden Water bottles is not high, and if the Dwarves do not mind, there are actually many wooden water bottles in the hands of the people of New Xiwang Town that they currently do not use, which could be requested for use.

Just exchange some supplies for them, and that will do.

Jier suggested this plan to the old Dwarf. After the old Dwarf sought the opinions of the others and saw that everyone did not mind using water bottles that Humans had used, he arranged for people to carry out the relevant material exchange after daybreak.

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