Chapter 55: The Air Fruit
"Atashino, what are you looking at... an Air Fruit Tree?"
Kenji followed Atashino's gaze and recognized the name of the ingredient. The Air Fruit Tree was a peculiar tree with no leaves. Round Air Fruits hung from its branches like light bulbs.
The Air Fruit was a super-special preparation ingredient, very difficult to cook. The tree could release various gases contained in the air, sometimes high-oxygen, high-concentration carbon dioxide, or high-concentration carbon monoxide. The latter two were extremely deadly, so one had to find the right moment to act when cooking it.
"I know there are many Air Fruit Trees growing on the Horse King's Hill. I didn't expect to see them here."
"It's said that the Air Fruit is very similar to the salad, AIR, but much smaller," Atashino said, clearly familiar with it.
"Then can you cook an Air Fruit, Atashino?"
Kenji knew the steps to cook AIR. The method for the Air Fruit should be similar.
"It shouldn't be a problem. If the cooking methods for the Air Fruit and AIR are similar, I can give it a try," Atashino said. Although she knew the cooking methods for all of Acacia's Full Course Menu items, she had never practiced them. It wasn't time to collect Acacia's full course yet. Each ingredient on that menu could only be cooked once. If you failed, you had to wait for the next time it ripened.
The territories of the Eight Kings were places that even the members of Biotope 0 wouldn't enter lightly.
"Atashino, how are you going to cook it? Do you need my help?" Kenji asked. As a chef from Biotope 0, Atashino certainly knew how to cook many ingredients from the Gourmet World, but knowing didn't necessarily mean she had cooked all of them herself.
Kenji was very much looking forward to the taste of the Air Fruit. It contained a terrifying amount of energy. After eating it, Toriko had been able to sustain his Blue Demon for a short time.
"The method to cook AIR is to release the air from it little by little, cooling the fruit and locking the flavor inside," Atashino explained. This was the method for cooking AIR developed by the Nitro. It could preserve 70% of the flavor, with the other 30% being released with the air. She could use this method as a reference for cooking the Air Fruit.
"The difficulty of cooking an Air Fruit should be much lower than AIR. The method might be slightly different. I'll give it a try."
Atashino took out her kitchen knife. Kenji could clearly feel that all other emotions had vanished from her, replaced by an intense focus on the ingredient. She was sensing the change in the gases released by the Air Fruit, looking for the perfect moment.
Swish, swish, swish—
Not some flashy sword technique, just a simple, unadorned series of cuts. Several flashes of her knife streaked through the air, hitting the entire Air Fruit Tree. The angle and depth of each cut were different.
Whoosh—
The next second, an incredibly enticing aroma-filled air shot out from the giant fruit, stimulating Kenji's appetite and taste buds.
Gurgle, gurgle—
A shocking scene occurred. The branches of the tree began to move. The smaller Air Fruits converged toward the largest one, merging into a single, giant, richly colored Air Fruit.
Snap—
The branch seemed to be unable to bear the weight of the ripe fruit. The round fruit suddenly fell. Atashino shouted to Kenji, "Kenji, catch it!"
"Got it!"
Swish!
Starlight gathered, instantly forming a giant energy hand that steadily caught the Air Fruit before it hit the ground.
"Huh, this is much heavier than the Rainbow Fruit," Kenji said in surprise. It was as if it were made of a super-dense metal. It was the first time he had been so shocked by the weight of an ingredient. He could only imagine the immense energy it contained.
Sniff, sniff—
Kenji smelled the fragrance of the Air Fruit. A special gas shot straight to his head, making his eyes widen. He felt his vision improve significantly; the scenery became much clearer. The effect of AIR was definitely greater than the Air Fruit. Just by smelling it, Toriko had been able to see the cosmos.
"What's wrong?" Atashino noticed the change in Kenji's expression and asked curiously.
"Atashino, have you ever eaten an Air Fruit before?"
"No. There are too many ingredients in the Gourmet World. It's impossible for me to have eaten everything," Atashino said, shaking her head. She was one of the youngest members of Biotope 0.
"Then let's enjoy it together. The super-special preparation ingredient, the Air Fruit."
After releasing the gas, the Air Fruit had shrunk a little. Its overall structure was layered like a cabbage, but it felt like meat to the touch. It was very strange.
BOOM—
Kenji ate a piece of the fruit without any seasoning. The muscles in his body instantly swelled, and a powerful wave of energy sent the surrounding fallen leaves and dust flying.
Swish—
He could feel the oxygen level in his blood increase, which sped up his circulation. His bodily functions had also improved several times over, and he could hold his breath for much longer. If he could easily handle beasts with Capture Levels of one to two hundred before, he could now easily handle beasts with Capture Levels of around five hundred.
The Capture Level of the Air Fruit seemed to be over a thousand, while the salad AIR was probably in the several thousands.
Getting stronger in this world was both simple and difficult. It was best to have Gourmet Cells and then eat high-level, high-energy food. Your strength would skyrocket.
The texture of the Air Fruit was like a tender meat dish, but the taste was an extremely refreshing and complex fruit and vegetable flavor. Even with careful tasting, he couldn't fully distinguish all the flavors. Of all the vegetables he had eaten, he would call this the strongest. Only the taste of AIR could probably surpass it.
"..."
Kenji noticed Atashino's face. Since she couldn't wear a mask while eating, he could see her whole face. Her vermilion eyes were as clear as water, her features were delicate, her red lips were like cherries, and she had long, straight, smooth black hair. She was not as plain as the author had drawn her. If a perfect score was 10, Atashino's face was a 9 or higher. As for Elysia, she had to be a 100. Greatness needs no further words.
"What's wrong?"
Being stared at so intently by Kenji, Atashino's face couldn't help but blush slightly. Do I look strange?
"Nothing. I was just curious about something. You're not ugly, Atashino. Even though you're a doctor, you don't have to wear a mask all the time, do you?"
"Wearing a mask is a habit of mine. Although I'm a chef, I've been a doctor for longer. If I run into any injured creatures on the road, it's more convenient to treat them directly," Atashino said seriously.
Although the law of the jungle prevailed in the Gourmet World, if she encountered such a situation, she couldn't bear to just walk away. Perhaps this was the guidance of Gourmet Luck. Doing a good deed a day might not bring any direct benefits, but at least she would have a clear conscience. She didn't save every creature, though. For example, those that caused serious damage to nature, no matter how kind-hearted she was, she wouldn't meddle.
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We cross the 1900 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 2000 power stone, good luck guys.
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