Day 101 of Banishment: Beauty and Health (1)
And thus, the morning of the 101st day of banishment arrived.
With the honey processing complete and countless jars neatly sealed and lined up in the food storage room, the day begins with a refreshing and pleasant atmosphere.
Marylia once again resolves to put her efforts toward winter preparations, focusing not on food this time, but on other aspects of survival.
What concerns Marylia now are health and beauty.
When it comes to health, winter is a season of vulnerability. The cold saps physical strength, and when vitality is depleted, illness becomes more likely. Falling ill in this land of exile would likely lead to death.
To avoid sickness, Marylia intends to focus on three key measures:
First, proper nutrition. This is an ongoing priority.
Without sustenance, survival is impossible. Moreover, insufficient nutrition can lead to poor health. To remain robust, it’s essential to ensure a diverse and plentiful diet.
Second, maintaining warmth. A matter of course. The brick house she built by summer's end serves this purpose well.
Exposure to rain and wind lowers body temperature, which in turn drains energy and leaves one more susceptible to illness.
Finally, hygiene.
Cleanliness is vital for removing dirt and impurities that could cause sickness. However, maintaining good hygiene on this island is no small feat.
For instance, Marylia currently bathes using soap and water, but continuing this practice during winter is perilous. Wet skin and hair in freezing conditions spell certain death.
Thus, Marylia has set her sights on building a bath.
She envisions a setup where she can soak in hot water to warm her body, promote blood circulation, restore health, and cleanse herself—all vital for staying clean and healthy.
And since she’s going that far, why not take it a step further and prepare some basic skincare products?
Specifically, she desires a cream to moisturize and preserve her skin's beauty—something entirely feasible with the beeswax and honey she has procured.
Mixing beeswax with oils creates a soft, creamy substance suitable for moisturizing the lips, hands, and other areas of the skin.
Honey diluted in a small amount of water can serve as a toner, aiding skin hydration.
Such practices directly contribute to maintaining beauty. These essential skincare items are a must-have!
Since arriving on this uninhabited island, Marylia has had no choice but to neglect her beauty regimen. However, with her eventual return home in mind, she cannot afford to remain this way.
“Marylia Odeil Tyfon returned from exile in a disheveled state”—she could not allow such rumors to spread. To stand as a figure capable of defying the nation’s pinnacle of power, she must be strong and radiant, exuding an aura of authority and magnificence.
And so, she began:
“Let’s see, I still have the fat I extracted from that kelpie, and some jujube fruit. Hmm, okay…”
Marylia promptly set out to make her moisturizing cream.
She retrieved a chunk of honeycomb made of beeswax and wrapped it in cloth.
Next, she filled an earthenware pot with water and added hot stones heated in the fire to create boiling water. With a resolute “Here we go!”, she plunged the honeycomb-filled cloth bag into the boiling water.
The result?
“Whoa! The beeswax is floating to the top! This is so fun, hehe!”
The molten wax seeped from the cloth bag, rising to the surface of the water. Marylia gleefully prodded the bag with a wooden stick, watching as more beeswax emerged and accumulated.
Since wax is lighter than water and impurities don’t dissolve, the beeswax separated cleanly from the honeycomb in this process.
Much like oil droplets floating in soup, the wax collects on the water's surface. Marylia, reminiscing about her military days, mused, “I used to love poking at the oil and making it clump together—bad manners, but fun!” She continued to prod the bag, thoroughly enjoying the process.
Eventually, the amount of wax became so plentiful that it formed a thick, solid layer on the water’s surface, rendering her earlier antics of collecting small droplets unnecessary.
"Alright, let’s leave it alone until it cools."
With that, Marylia set the earthenware pot aside. Once the hot water cooled, she would scoop out the solidified beeswax from the water’s surface, completing her high-purity beeswax extraction.
“Let’s work on the toner while we wait.”
Next, Marylia poured a small amount of water into a pot and added chopped jujube fruit.
Jujube is not only a source of food but also a medicinal ingredient. Marylia had heard in Fractalia that the decoction of jujube had beauty benefits.
After simmering the jujube fruit for a while, she strained the liquid and added honey.
“This much honey should keep it from spoiling! Ah, honey really is such a blessing.”
The resulting syrup made from jujube and honey could be used as a toner when diluted with water. While it was a hassle to dilute the syrup each time before use, it was necessary. The undiluted syrup could be preserved, but once mixed with water, it would spoil in about three days—even in winter.
“... Oh my, that’s yummy.”
The syrup, though a cosmetic product, turned out to be delicious! Marylia smiled as she sampled a small taste.
After sterilizing a jar, she poured the jujube and honey syrup into it, took a break for lunch, and then returned to her work.
“Alright, the beeswax should be ready by now!”
Peering into the pot, she saw the beeswax had solidified on the surface of the water. Marylia carefully upended the pot, retrieving the beeswax, and set about turning it into cosmetic cream.
She brought water to a boil in a pot and floated a smaller vessel inside—a simple bain-marie setup.
“Now, let’s melt the beeswax.”
As the beeswax chunks gradually melted in the smaller pot, they turned into a smooth liquid.
“There’s something so satisfying about watching beeswax melt.”
Smiling, Marylia added kelpie fat to the melted beeswax.
The kelpie fat, previously prepared, had been infused with rosemary branches, giving it a lovely fragrance. She carefully scooped the fat and combined it with the liquid beeswax. The two melded together seamlessly.
Once fully mixed, she allowed the mixture to cool in its container. Depending on the consistency—if too hard, she would add more fat; if too soft, more beeswax.
Thus, Marylia’s cosmetic products were complete. While her health remained a critical priority, her skincare regimen was now somewhat restored. This accomplishment signified a stable enough lifestyle to allow for such considerations, which delighted her greatly.
With her cream and toner base complete, Marylia spotted a slime nearby hoarding acorns in its body. She retrieved the acorns and, with the slime’s guidance, found an acorn tree and gathered a large haul.
Though acorns required leaching to remove bitterness, they were a valuable food source once processed. Rich in starch, they were as essential as lily bulbs and needed careful preservation.
Marylia mobilized her golems, using stone mills to grind the acorns, cracking the shells to separate them from the kernels. After removing the shells floating in water, she began boiling the acorn kernels to reduce their astringency.
She repeatedly boiled and rinsed the kernels, adding ash during subsequent boils to expedite the leaching process. Once sufficiently processed, the acorns were mashed, dried, and ground into a flour-like powder for long-term storage.
“Phew, what a chore!”
Processing such a large quantity of acorns was labor-intensive, but it was essential for surviving the winter. Marylia worked tirelessly.
“Once I finish with these, I’ll have to move on to the walnuts... so much to do…”
The walnuts were at the stage where their outer husks had started to rot, making them ready for processing. She would have to strip the husks and extract the inner nuts.
“So much work...”
After such hard labor, Marylia longed for a bath.
Despite cleaning herself with soap and water or occasionally bathing, she missed the soothing comfort of soaking in warm water—a luxury that remained elusive.
As winter approached, her desire to construct a proper bath grew stronger. She yearned to warm herself in hot water during the cold season.
“Alright. Let’s build a bath.”
And so, Marylia resolved to create a bath for the sake of both her beauty and physical well-being.
What do you think about this chapter?
