Chapter 63 - Mutated Coconut Tree
Despite its name, the Coconut tree is not a nut but a type of fruit known as a drupe. Coconut trees are also labelled as the fruit of life because of what it can provide. Basically, all of the parts of a coconut tree are useful in one way or another.
The coconut tree fruit bunch fell. Eight coconut fruits hit the ground and got separated from the bunch because of the impact.
Maximo stared at the coconut fruits excitedly.
Its eyes seem to form a heart shape staring at the mutated coconut fruits.
Nile descended from the coconut tree. He gathered all of the coconut fruit that got separated from the main trunk.
Maximo helped Nile and after a minute, they finally gathered eight coconut tree fruits in one location.
Nile took a fruit and laid it down on the ground. The coconut fruit the size of a basin is definitely massive compared to the one's Nile knew in his previous life.
He inspected it using the 'stats' function by the System.
[Mutated Coconut Fruit:
Metallise shells.
Tastier Meat.
Refreshing Milk.]
After reading that, Nile's mouth began to water by the mere thought of the coconut tree having Tastier Meat and Refreshing Milk or Water.
Maximo on the side is also the same. It stared at the coconut fruit as if it was some kind of delicacy.
Seeing Maximo like this, Nile could not help but recall how bitchy this carabao acted when he offered the mutated sugarcane leaves.
From that expression, Nile could tell that Maximo is even more excited than he was to open the coconut fruit.
Maybe there is a specific type of mutated plant that Maximo is willing to eat.
'Max has his own standard, I see.' Nile concluded.
Nile positioned his Katana atop the coconut fruit. He raises it over his head and uses strength that he thought was enough to open the coconut tree in half with a slash.
Tsing*!
Metal hitting metal sound echoed just like a bell.
The coconut fruit has three layers. The outer layer exocarp, the fibrous husk mesocarp and the hard inner layer, endocarp of a coconut fruit that contains the meat and milk or also called as the solid endosperm (meat) and the liquid endosperm (Milk or Coconut water).
Slicing the exocarp and mesocarp is not a problem for the Katana and Nile's strength. But when it arrived at the hard inner layer of the coconut fruit, the Katana faced obstruction.
Actually, it was not that the coconut's endocarp is harder than the Katana; it was in fact because of Nile's lacking strength. It was the same when he slashed the zombie's arm earlier.
This time, Nile did not even use the same amount of strength. It seems that the System's evaluation of the coconut having Metallised Shells is not an exaggeration.
Nile could only form a bitter smile. The only solution to this problem is to make himself stronger.
Making the same move again, he slashes for the second time with more strength than the previous one. After another strike, the coconut fruit was successfully cut in half.
Water spilt out from the two parts that got cut. Nile was just about to go and savour the delicacy when Maximo beat him to it.
Nile shook his head and took another fruit from the remaining seven. He decided to give the first coconut fruit to Maximo. As a reward and as fare for his comfortable ride. If Maximo likes it, Nile is even willing to give the remaining seven coconuts for Maximo to eat. There is still another coconut fruit bunch above them anyway.
Maximo drinks the milk of the coconut tree like a sponge. A satisfied and refreshed expression surfaced on Maximo's face.
Nile cut a coconut fruit for himself. As the milk spilt out from the two cut parts, Nile lifted one part and started to drink the water inside it.
A refreshing feeling arouses on Nile's body. It was as if he was in the middle of a hot desert without water to drink, and then suddenly he saw a river up ahead. Drinking on that river will definitely make a person who did not drink for days feel refreshed.
It was the same as Nile right now. The bottled or gallons of water he got from the Department store already had a certain trace of metallic taste on it. It definitely could be compared to the refreshing taste of the coconut milk.
After he finished drinking the water on the other half of the coconut fruit, Nile uses his Katana to slice off coconut meat. Although he just ate earlier, wasting the food in front of him is definitely not an option.
He took a bite and revelled at the nutty and sweet taste of it. It was really more tasty and delicious compared to the coconut fruits in his previous life.
Nile had only finished one part of the coconut tree he sliced in half earlier, but his stomach is already full. The other half of the coconut fruit still has its meat and water full to the brim.
Nile took a glance at Maximo and he almost spurted a mouthful of coconut meat.
Maximo had already finished the whole coconut meat and milk. Maximo is not satisfied with the meat alone and made the hard endocarp as its dessert.
Nile thought that Maximo must really have been so hungry. He felt pity for the carabao, as it was only drinking water since morning.
Nile saw how Maximo chewed the hard metallise shell of the coconut fruit, the endocarp. The sound of metal breaking or colliding echoed.
Maximo did not look like it was eating the metallised hard shell of a coconut fruit, but instead, it looks like it was eating a crunchy fried chicken.
Even so, that was still metallised. Nile reckons that carabaos are herbivores, but it seems that it was also a 'metalvore'?
'Fuck, I hope there is a grass-station or metal-station along the way to the Town of Daan. I need it to fuel my ride.' Nile grumbled inside his head.
Nile pushed and offered the other half of his coconut fruit to Maximo. He is already full anyway, and there are still a lot of coconut fruits remaining.
Maximo saw his offer and did not reject it. But It did not stop eating the hard shell of the coconut fruit, Maximo even has a passionate expression because of that.
Aside from being bitchy, it looks like this carabao had some strange fetish too.
Maximo finished the whole endocarp or hard shell first before it switched to the coconut fruit that Nile offered. Maximo drinks the milk like it has a big sponge inside its mouth. It then started to eat the meat and after finishing the coconut meat, it took a large bite off the endocarp or the hard shells.
The crunchy metallic sound echoed again in the air. When it finishes that endocarp, it continues and also eats the endocarp on the coconut fruit that Nile ate earlier.
When Maximo finishes that side, it burps loudly.
Nile thought that Maximo was already full and would be content after that, but contrary to his expectation, Maximo approached the place where the coconut was gathered. It took one fruit from the bunch and made it roll on the ground by kicking and nudging it using its snout.
Maximo arrived in front of Nile with the coconut fruit under his right foot. It then made a human-like gesture. It pointed on Nile's Katana and then pointed on the coconut fruit next. Maximo then made a line on the surface of the coconut fruit.
It was telling Nile to open another coconut fruit in half.