"Seems like nothing changed?"
After Bell-mère poured the Gold Kola down, she stared at the orange grove and did not see any obvious difference. Confusion crept onto her face.
"Did I not pour enough?"
As she spoke, she was about to pour more.
"Strange. It should be enough."
Amon stopped her gently.
"According to the description, half a bag covers 1.5 acres. Your family's grove is only 1 acre. This is definitely enough. Let's wait and see first."
Amon trusted the system, but seeing no immediate change still made him feel a bit awkward.
After all, he had just spoken with absolute confidence.
If it did not work, this would be embarrassingly painful.
"Look! Our oranges… they seem bigger!"
Just as Amon was wondering which step might be wrong, Nami suddenly pointed at the fruit on the branches and cried out.
"Hm?"
Everyone immediately lifted their heads to look where Nami was pointing.
"It really is getting bigger!"
This year's oranges had been affected by the weather. The nutrition was lacking, and many of the fruits were smaller than usual.
Some even had dry, shriveled flesh inside, with almost no juice at all.
But the moment the Gold Kola went in, the previously shriveled oranges began swelling right before their eyes.
The green, unripe ones were also rapidly turning orange, as if time itself had been sped up.
"T… this is way too magical!"
Bell-mère stared at the sudden transformation, mouth falling open.
"Bell-mère, it's great! Our orange grove is saved. All our hard work this year wasn't for nothing!"
"Yes! That's amazing! We don't have to worry about not having enough to eat anymore!"
Nami and Nojiko hugged each other, jumping up and down in joy as they watched the grove change.
"Thank you, Mr. Amon! You're our family's biggest, biggest, biggest saviour!"
Little Nami spoke as she stretched her arms wide, trying her best to describe the excitement bursting in her chest.
"Hahaha, see? I didn't lie to you."
Amon smiled.
"Alright, pick one and taste it. Let's see how it is."
The oranges might have grown bigger, but what mattered was the inside.
If only the appearance changed while the flesh remained the same, it would be useless.
"Okay!"
Bell-mère's heart pounded. Nervous and thrilled, she plucked several oranges from the tree.
With her smooth, pale hands, she carefully peeled the orange skin.
"How is it, Bell-mère?"
Nami and Nojiko rose onto their tiptoes, desperate to see.
But they were too short. They could not get a good look at the orange in Bell-mère's hands, so they could only ask anxiously.
"Just looking at it, it's really good."
Bell-mère's voice quickened.
"No, it's not just good. It's top-tier quality."
"Look at this. The pulp inside is plump, each segment full and glossy."
"Now we just need the taste. If the taste is also excellent, then this year's harvest will be huge."
"Once we sell the oranges, we'll never have to worry about not having food again, and I can even get you two new clothes."
Bell-mère was overjoyed. The effect of Gold Kola far exceeded her expectations. Only the taste remained.
"Come, one slice each!"
She split the peeled orange and handed a segment to each of them.
"Mr. Amon, you try too."
"Sure."
Amon accepted it without refusing. He also wanted to know how the flesh tasted.
Even though he already had a good idea of the result, he still needed to confirm it.
Under the intense, expectant gazes of the three mother-daughter figures, Amon put the orange into his mouth first.
After a single bite, he smiled.
The taste was perfect.
Sweet but not cloying, fragrant and lively, with a clean freshness that lingered.
"How is it?"
"You'll know once you try."
Seeing Amon act so mysterious, the three of them, hearts pounding, slowly placed the orange into their mouths.
The moment they bit down, all three pairs of eyes widened instantly.
"Mmm! So good!"
Nojiko's voice trembled with shock and delight.
"The pulp is so full, it's so fragrant and sweet. I've lived in Cocoyasi for so long, and this is the first time I've ever tasted oranges this delicious!"
"It's great, it's great!"
The moment Bell-mère tasted it, she became so excited she scooped Nami and Nojiko up and spun in circles.
"We're flying! This is amazing! Bell-mère doesn't have to eat burned leftovers anymore, and we don't have to wear only old clothes!"
The mother and daughters hugged tightly, crying and laughing as they shouted with joy.
For fruit farmers, oranges were their life.
Everything they ate, everything they drank, all depended on those trees.
Now the trees had changed.
Their future had changed.
It was a happiness so intense that only someone who lived by their crops could truly understand.
After they cried and laughed together for a long while, they finally remembered there was still an outsider present.
They wiped their tears, suddenly embarrassed.
"I… I'm really sorry, Mr. Amon."
Bell-mère rubbed her eyes, cheeks a little hot.
"We were just too happy. We lost our manners."
"Hahaha, it's fine. I understand."
Amon smiled. Even if he was not a fruit farmer, he could still feel their relief and joy.
"Mm. Mr. Amon has been too good to us."
Bell-mère's voice turned serious.
"You not only saved our family, you helped us through a massive crisis."
"Nami. Nojiko. Remember this."
"If he ever needs anything in the future, you must do everything you can to help him."
It was the first time Nami and Nojiko had seen Bell-mère this serious.
They nodded hard, eyes solemn.
"Mm! We understand, Bell-mère."
"When I grow up, I'm going to sail with Mr. Amon as his navigator!"
Nami declared it with all the certainty in the world.
Nojiko also wanted to say something like that, something grand and meaningful.
But then she realized she did not really know what her strengths were.
"So I'll be Mr. Amon's… I'll be Mr. Amon's what?"
She scratched her head, confused and flustered.
"Hahaha, Nojiko, it's the thought that counts."
Amon chuckled.
"You don't have to force it."
"Oh, right. There are still two more treasures we haven't checked yet."
He had scanned the Gold Kola and then rushed out with them to see the effect. He had not even looked at what the other two items were.
Now he turned back to check the remaining two.