Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 267: Chapter 188: Intelligence on the Chili Field (3)

Andre tactfully steered the conversation away, changing the subject to something all three of them were interested in.

"Let’s not talk about that. What are you planning to make once we get the chili peppers?"

"It depends on what kind of main ingredients we can find. We can’t hunt in the forest anyway, and we’re probably a long way from the spot where the production team released the animals. They definitely wouldn’t wander this far out."

"I’m guessing we’ll still have to rely mainly on seafood. If possible, we should keep an eye out for carbs along the way, like cassava, sweet potatoes, corn, or taro. They should all grow in this forest."

"Alright, I’ll help you look. When the time comes, I’ll just copy whatever you do. I was here before Erica, you know. It wouldn’t be too much to ask for you to teach me a few recipes, would it?"

"Let’s find the ingredients first. It’s not like I can stop you all from watching me cook, can I?"

"Oh, by the way, have you guys heard?"

Erica, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned back. "I only found out last night from watching the audience chat. They said the production team already released a second batch of animals, but they haven’t announced what kind. We’ll only know if we find an animal with a tag."

"They’re already starting the second round so soon?"

Andre raised an eyebrow. "I got lucky when I first arrived and ran into a couple of grouse. Killed them with a stick. Knowing the production team, I doubt they’ll release any medium or large animals. They’ll definitely stick to small ones."

"I think so too," Lin Chen agreed with a nod. "There aren’t any large animals in this forest to begin with. The biggest is probably the Jaguar. There aren’t even any bears. Releasing medium or large animals would be too disruptive to the ecosystem, so they have to be small."

"Could they be rabbits?"

"It’s possible, but they probably wouldn’t be the burrowing kind. Otherwise, once they went underground, there’d be no natural predators to control their population. If they stay above ground, things like harpy eagles could hunt them."

"That’s unlikely. Rabbits are too fast. It would be incredibly difficult to hunt them bare-handed without any weapons or tools. The difficulty would be too high."

"There’s no point in guessing. It has nothing to do with us, anyway. They’re not going to make it all the way out here."

"That’s true."

The three of them chatted idly for a bit longer before quickly losing interest in the animal release. They continued their trek up toward the mountainside.

The first third of the path was one Lin Chen had taken before, but the last two-thirds led in the complete opposite direction. No wonder he’d never been able to find any sign of the chili peppers.

According to the knowledge in his memory bank, chili peppers were plants that required long hours of sunlight. However, the temperature couldn’t be too high or too low, and they were also particular about humidity. For these reasons, they certainly weren’t something you could find just anywhere in the wild.

But once you found a suitable location, they generally grew in large patches.

For prolonged sun exposure, an open area would be suitable, but that would also lead to excessive heat. Therefore, the ideal environment would be one that isn’t naturally very hot, which made the area from the mid-slope of the mountain upwards perfect.

The temperature drops the closer you get to the summit, which would perfectly offset the heat from the sun.

Under Erica’s guidance, they avoided any steep or dangerous paths, maintaining a steady ascent up the mountain the entire way.

They were treading what was, for all intents and purposes, a completely unfamiliar route. Even Erica had only traveled it once, and that was in the opposite direction, leaving her with almost no landmarks.

Yet even under these conditions, she was able to find such a safe path through the primeval forest. It seemed her reputation as a wilderness guide was well-earned.

"It’s just around here. We should be there any second."

Erica planted her left foot on a moss-covered boulder and shielded her eyes with her right hand, scanning the area.

"I remember this rock, but I only glanced at it as I was passing by. I didn’t pay close attention to where exactly the peppers were. You two should have a look around as well."

Andre turned his head to Lin Chen. "What do you think? Any suggestions on where to look? For example, what kind of area do chili peppers usually grow in?"

’Lin Chen is a chef; he’s bound to know more about ingredients than we do.’

’And since he had a whole month to prepare, I’m sure he looked this stuff up.’

"Based on my assessment..."

Lin Chen scanned the surroundings, then pointed toward a spot where the sunlight was clearly more prominent.

"There’s a high probability they’re over there."

"Let’s go, let’s go check it out!"

Without hesitation, Andre headed in that direction with Erica right behind him. A faint look of anticipation was on both their faces.

As the three drew closer, they could see from a distance that the woods began to thin out. A large patch of lush green shrubs grew in a clearing, reaching just below their hips.

Amidst the dense bushes, countless red and green chili peppers hung silently from the branches. A quick glance revealed there were at least a hundred, easily.

And that was just the amount in this one area; he hadn’t even factored in the middle of the patch or the other side.

The chili plants grew haphazardly, scattered here and there with no discernible pattern. They had clearly propagated to this scale in a purely wild state.

"There are so many?"

Even Lin Chen was surprised by the enormous scale of the chili pepper patch.

It takes three to six months for a chili pepper to go from sprout to maturity. To have formed a patch of this size meant it must have existed for at least five years, perhaps even longer.

Lin Chen walked over quickly and bent down, his eyes scanning the area at the base of the plants. Sure enough, he saw quite a few fully ripened—and even some moldy—peppers rotting on the ground.

"Let’s pick them together. We’ll take any that are longer than a finger. Leave the shorter ones on the plant to keep growing. That way we’ll leave some seeds for the future, too."