Gourmet Emperor : Building A Nation

67 Danger approaching

We keep walk to the deeper part of the valley and see another batch of fruits trees in front of us. After banana trees, we encounter with durians trees on the advanced area. We are lucky to find some durians that already ripe and fall from the tree.

"Silvie..this fruit called durians, because it has skin like thorns. In my worlds, this fruit comes from the country that mile away from my country. Duri is the other words for thorn, so durian basically means thorny fruit"

"Do the taste is good?"

"Hmm.. some people like, other doesn't. want to try?"

"Um. we already here and I want to try everything"

"Sure, let me open one for you"

Using the machete, I open one durian for Silvie to taste

"Here, try one"

I handed her one slice of durians that I already split to open. There are two pieces of durians inside. Silvie picks one of them.

"Mmm..creamy texture..but Ikki..is this fruit always have this smell?"

"Hahaha.. this fruit is known for its strong smell"

Silvie put the durian in her mouth and bite it. She frowned her face after taste it.

"How? Is this durian taste good?"

"I don't have the problem with the taste Ikki..but I can't stand the smell"

"That's something I can't change Silvie since it's already the fruit's traits. That smells used by Durians to attract animals to eat the fruit and spread its seed and make then grow wider. Let's try another fruit available here"

We continue our walk and passing rows of jackfruit trees. I only tell Silvie about the fruit and pass the chance to enjoy the taste because the sap from this fruit is sticky. If there's no water source near us, it would create discomfort on how to clean our hands after we eat that fruit.

We keep moving and passing another kind of fruit trees. The grass and weeds that grows here no longer as tall as the grass and weeds in the entrance of the valley. Silvie no longer needs to use the stick to clear the path ahead anymore and she just drops it when we take a taste for durian fruit before.

Silvie now walks leisurely while peeling and eating oranges that she picks previously in oranges trees section. The section of fruits trees which we currently passed in rambutan trees. There're some fruits that already ripe hanging on their branches, too bad they located in high branches, out of my reach, even with the help from the stick I still carried.

"Ikki..I want to taste that fruit too"

"Too high, Silvie, I must climb the tree first. My stick also can't reach them"

"Ohh...too bad. That fruit looks delicious"

"Hmmm..wait. I try something else"

I look around to find any stone near our place. After I found some stone, I use it to throw at the rambutan fruit. After several throwing, I manage to bring down some of them with my throwing stone. I pick the rambutan fruit that already fell to the ground and handed it to Silvie

"Here, you can try the taste..shred the hairy skin and you'll find the fruit inside"

"Thank you Ikki..you are the best!"

We continue our walk while Silvie eat the fruit

"Is the taste good?"

"Um. It tastes sweet like sugar. I like it!"

"Then we should take some on our way back"

"Yes! Father and mother will like that too"

We chat happily while walking deeper into the valley when suddenly Silvie stop her step and look to a certain direction.

"Ikki! That's ..apel! I want to pick some!"

After she said that, Silvie speed up her steps to the direction of apple trees grow and leave me behind. So, this world word for apple is similar with from my own world. There're many apple trees grows in that direction and some of the fruits already ripe with its red skin. It really look delicious indeed.

"Silvie, don't walk too fast. How if you get lost there?"

Silvie already walks ahead of me in around 6-7 meters distance.

"Haha.. Don't worry Ikki..I won't be lost because you follow me from behind"

It seems Silvie really fond of apples since she looks so excited when seeing the apple trees. Well, since we don't encounter something dangerous here, maybe it's alright to let her walk ahead of me. So I follow her from behind just in the distance which I will not lose my sight from her.

Suddenly my heart like stop beating when sees the tree branch in front of Silvie's direction. There's something colored green with yellow stripes with size like children arms is slithering on the tree branch. The branch itself is not too high, only about one meter from Silvie's height. Oh no! It's a snake! Moreover, it seems like a poisonous snake! And that snake is aiming at Silvie and she does not realize there's a snake in the tree branch above of her!