Future Pet Shop

It took Shen Yibin a full minute to walk from the roots to the treetop of the fallen tree, and its sheer size once again blew his mind. The uneven trunk made for a tricky path, but the main reason it took so long was its sixty-eight-meter length.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Just as he reached the treetop, Maphario darted past him and scurried back into Hah'Er's pocket. Shen Yibin could faintly make out something in its mouth, but he had no attention to spare for that now. He was completely lost in awe, marveling at this miracle of creation.

The solid trunk, wrapped in grayish-brown bark, looked like an ancient giant lying upon the earth, inspiring a sense of awe at first sight. After a long silence, Shen Yibin finally snapped out of his amazement, only for new problems to surface. 'A sixty-eight-meter-long tree… How are we supposed to get this back? And once we do, how do we even get it upright?'

"If we trim off the sections of the root and treetop that are too thin for carving, and then factor in the length needed to anchor it in the ground, the portion exposed above ground suitable for the Totem Pole will be at least fifty meters tall!" Wen Yuan did a quick calculation and arrived at a number that astonished him. "Fifty meters… That's almost as tall as an eighteen-story building!"

"And we definitely can't carve it before setting it upright. It has to be erected first, then carved." Raising such a massive piece of timber would be no easy feat. The log itself would have to withstand immense pressure during the process. If they carved it first, it would very likely snap while being raised. The only option was to erect it first and then carve it. At this thought, Shen Yibin started to worry. 'Marc can fly, so that's fine; fifty meters or five meters makes no difference to it. But what about Bald Qiang and Gao Lujie? I've never heard of beavers being good climbers. They probably won't be able to help with the work, will they? If that's the case, two months definitely won't be enough.'

"Then we'll have to put up scaffolding beforehand!" Wen Yuan immediately offered a solution from a professional standpoint. "First, we'll find a good spot and dig the foundation pit. Once the log is back, we'll give it some preservative treatment, then raise it. After that, we'll build scaffolding with safety netting all the way around it. Then, we can carve it from the top down. That should solve the problem!"

"Alright, I'll cover that expense!" The log was a gift from Wen Yuan, and a Heaven-Reaching Tree this large was surely priceless. Shen Yibin felt bad about constantly freeloading, so he immediately took responsibility for the cost. Before Wen Yuan could even respond, he turned to Lao Qi. "Can a tree this long be transported in one piece? I need it taken to the banks of the Yunshui River." He then pulled out his phone, found the location of his estate on a map, and showed it to Lao Qi.

"Shouldn't be a problem!" Lao Qi stroked his chin and pointed down the mountain. "The upper course of the Yunshui River is just down there. The current is gentle all the way from here to your place. We can get the log down the mountain and just float it down the river to you. Once it arrives, we just pull it out of the water! But before that, we need to trim off all these branches and do some prep work."

"Great! No problem." Shen Yibin was relieved. 'If we had to use a truck,' he thought, 'I have no idea what could even haul a sixty-meter-long log. And even if such a truck existed, it would never make it through these winding mountain roads.' Using the river was much more convenient. All they would need was a boat to escort it, controlling its speed downstream so it wouldn't collide with other vessels on the Yunshui River. It would save a lot on costs, too.

"It'll take at least two days to get it prepped and moved down the mountain. I'll call Mr. Wen when it's ready to ship. It's getting late now, so what are your plans? Are you heading back, or are you going to stay the night?" As he spoke, Lao Qi began directing the loggers to cut away the branches and the crown of the Heaven-Reaching Tree with chainsaws and axes.

"Let's stay here for a couple of days! It's not like we have anything urgent back home, anyway!" Shen Yibin and Wen Yuan exchanged a look and came to an agreement. It was far more interesting here than cooped up in the store. Besides, neither of them would feel at ease leaving until they saw the log safely on its way. 'If something were to happen to it, where would I ever find another tree this perfect?'

"Come on, let's lend a hand!" Shen Yibin rolled up his sleeves and got to work around the massive tree with Hah'Er, Bald Qiang, and the others. The Beaver couple, Bald Qiang and Gao Lujie, once again became the main workforce. Baring their two gleaming incisors, they latched onto the branches and gnawed furiously. In no time at all, they had created a large pile of severed limbs.

Hah'Er and Xiaoliu carried the branches off to one side. Marc patrolled up and down the trunk, occasionally pecking it a couple of times, as if checking for any signs of insects beneath the bark. Judging from its inspection, the great tree was indeed quite free of pests, which was a great relief to Shen Yibin.

As for Maphario, it was excused from work. 'With so many people bustling about,' Shen Yibin thought, 'if you got mixed up in this and someone accidentally stepped on you, I'd be devastated. You just stay put in Hah'Er's pocket.'

'Wow, it really lives up to its name as China's tallest tree species,' Shen Yibin mused. The severed crown alone was taller than most of the pine trees on the mountain. Added to the rest of the branches, the pile grew into a small hill.

"Alright, let's call it a day," Lao Qi announced. "Tomorrow, after we finish cleaning up here, I'll call out all the workers from the camp, and we'll haul this log back!" They were deep in the forest, with no way to bring in heavy machinery. The transport would have to be done by hand. With the sky already growing dark, it was clearly too late to start today. They would have to wait for morning.

"Great work, everyone!" Shen Yibin called out. "When we get back, I'll be the one cooking. I'll show you what I've got, and I guarantee you'll eat well. I also have two bottles of fine wine in the car that I'll bring out for everyone to try!" He knew that hauling such a massive log back to the camp would be grueling work. Feeling indebted to the workers, he decided to bite the bullet and bring out his precious Monkey Wine.

"Awesome!" Lao Qi cheered. "When we get back, we'll light a big bonfire in the middle of the camp. We can all eat and drink around the fire and have a real party tonight." There wasn't much for entertainment at the logging camp, so bonfire parties were everyone's favorite event.

"So, Boss Shen, what kind of fine wine are we talking about? Wuliangye? Moutai?" one of the workers heckled good-naturedly. "And are you sure you can even cook?"

"It's even better than Moutai or Wuliangye," Shen Yibin replied with a grin. "If you try it and don't like it, I'll buy you a whole case of Moutai. As for my cooking... well, you'll just have to wait and see."

Laughing and chatting, the group made their way through the forest and back to the logging camp.