Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 224: Chapter 174: Deadly Brazil Nuts, Crafting a Bamboo Knife, Part 2

His eyes were glued to the canopy above, only darting down for a quick look at the ground when he moved.

The hard shells of all the naturally fallen Brazil nuts had split open with several cracks—a specific evolutionary adaptation.

The hard shells protect the kernels from small animals like birds and squirrels while they grow.

After maturing, they fall from such a great height that even the hardest shells are guaranteed to crack, revealing the sweet, fragrant seeds inside.

Agoutis, a species of large rodent, are able to pry open the tough outer shells of Brazil nuts to enjoy the seeds hidden inside.

However, due to the properties of the Brazil nuts themselves, agoutis can’t eat too many. They bury the excess seeds in the ground, storing them as a food reserve.

But rodents have a common trait: they are hoarders. After stashing away so much, they often forget where all their caches are.

Those forgotten Brazil nuts will then take root in the soil and sprout, growing into new Brazil nut trees.

Similar situations are found everywhere in the natural world; it’s all part of nature’s perpetual cycle.

He quickly tossed all the Brazil nuts scattered on the ground to a safe distance, then hurried out from under the tree’s canopy to avoid being hit by any of the falling ’time bombs’.

He collected the Brazil nuts into a pile, found the cracks in their shells, inserted the tip of his knife, and then struck it hard with his stone axe.

As the crack widened, he gripped the hard shell with both hands and wrenched it apart.

CRACK!

The head-sized, woody shell split in two, revealing kernels inside that resembled large pine nuts.

The kernels were irregularly oval-shaped, pointed on one end and round on the other, and covered in a thin, woody, brown skin.

He scraped some of it off with the tip of his knife, revealing the flesh underneath, which was the same color as a pine nut.

He patiently scraped four kernels and tossed them into his mouth. As he chewed, his mouth filled with their rich, oily, and nutty aroma.

He cracked open all the Brazil nuts and took only the kernels. That solved the problem of how to carry them—he could just stuff them in his pocket.

’With these Brazil nuts, plus the blue crabs that are everywhere on the coast, my fat intake for the next two weeks is definitely covered.’

Satisfied, he dusted off his hands, got to his feet, and started walking in the direction of the bamboo forest he remembered seeing.

"The bamboo species here in Panama is Guaduo Bamboo. It’s a material widely used in the construction industry."

"The most significant feature of Guaduo Bamboo is its thick culm wall. It’s 70% to 100% thicker than that of Moso bamboo, and its diameter is also proportionally larger. On top of that, its yield is forty percent higher."

"Simply put, its high yield, versatility, and long lifespan can reduce costs in related industries like construction materials, papermaking, and bamboo weaving, while also significantly improving performance. It’s an extremely high-quality type of bamboo."

It was over an hour later by the time he finally found the bamboo forest.

This grove of Guaduo Bamboo wasn’t actually that far from his shelter as the crow flies, but there was an elevation difference of at least four or five hundred meters. One location was at the foot of the mountain, and the other was halfway up its side.

He’d last seen this bamboo forest right after climbing up from the other side of the Dalian Mountain Range. At the time, he was looking for a suitable spot for a shelter, so he hadn’t paid much attention to the features of the surrounding environment.

This time, he had no choice but to retrace his steps, which was why it took him so long to find it.

He clutched the stone axe in his left hand and his combat knife in his right. Staring at the Gwada Bamboo Forest before him—the stalks nearly as thick as his thighs—he was suddenly stumped.

He had been so focused on bamboo being the perfect building material that he’d forgotten his current tools were no match for these thick brutes.

He tried to find a relatively thin stalk, but discovered that even the sharp tip of his combat knife could barely pierce it. The only way he could even begin to make a gash on the surface was by using a rock to hammer the back of the blade.

Refusing to give up, he grabbed the stone axe and hacked at it a few more times, but aside from leaving a few shallow dents on the surface, he couldn’t do any real damage.

"This is trouble."

Lin Chen plopped down in the bamboo forest and spoke to the camera in frustration.

"Guaduo Bamboo is thicker and stronger, sure, but that also means it’s nearly impossible to cut down without the right tools. Unless I can find something sharp and hard, like shears or a saw..."

He wasn’t actually very hopeful, but he was completely out of ideas. As if guided by some unseen force, he tapped his watch screen, wondering if the audience might have any suggestions.

He hadn’t expected anything, but the moment the screen lit up, he saw several comments scrolling rapidly across it.

He couldn’t tell if it was one person spamming or many people saying the same thing, but at a glance, nearly every comment was about the same topic.

[Which is harder, bamboo or a coconut?]

[I think they’re about the same. People use coconut shells as building materials too.]

[Try the coconut crab’s pincer! That thing can crack open hard coconut shells. What if it can cut bamboo too?]

[Yes! Yes! I was just about to say that! The only possible tool he has right now is a coconut crab pincer.]

[I think he has to try. What if it works?]

’A crab pincer?’

Lin Chen froze. He frowned, thinking for a moment. The audience’s suggestion was definitely worth considering.

However, what they hadn’t considered was that the crab shell would have become brittle after being cooked. The inside was also hollow now; it was far from certain that it could do anything to the bamboo.