Bruce and Diana were also at the location in order to see the extent of the injury of the patient. They witnessed the changes in Zach as he stared at a bamboo like plant as if it was a hidden treasure.
Bruce knew that look. He had a sense of déjà vu as he stared at Zach unconsciously.
Diana couldn't help but get excited along with Zach even though she didn't know what he had come across. She just knew that it must be a good thing considering how happy Zach looked all of a sudden.
Bruce on the other hand remembered when he had shown him the crude oil for the first time. Zach had reacted in the very same manner as this one. And later he had used that same material to power the huge trucks. He had created an entire business out of it with just a single discovery. It was then that Bruce knew how much lacking he was in the knowledge of the world compared to Zach.
He was going through the same feeling all over again but he trusted Zach to give him the details as well. He just hoped that Zach would make him a part of the process if he had such an intention.
"What is it? Did you find something interesting again?" asked Bruce with no hesitation. He was certain that Zach wouldn't hide anything from him.
"Mm…I did find something very interesting. This is going to turn the culinary industry upside down. This is going to change the tastes of the people all over the world if we position this product right. Tell me; have you seen this plant before?" Zach answered casually and asked a question of his own to gain more understanding regarding the sugarcane.
Basically he wanted to know if the people of this world knew what sugarcane was or if they did what was its name.
"It looks like a bamboo tree but based on your expression it doesn't seem like it. Bamboos wouldn't make you so excited; am I right?"
"You are right of course because this isn't a bamboo tree at all. This crop is called sugarcane. I don't know if there is only this one single plant here or if there are others. But one thing I can be sure about is that it can be grown in this land should we decide to farm it here."
Bruce wasn't sure why Zach wanted to farm this thin stick like plant. He didn't think that it was durable enough to support construction and it surely wasn't large enough in size unlike bamboos that could get many times the size of this plant.
"I don't understand what you mean. This plant doesn't look sturdy enough. Why would we want to farm it when we have those strong trees we cut down already to build our home?"
Zach was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that Bruce thought he would use the sugarcane for construction. Even if he was sick in the mind, he wouldn't have made such a mistake.
"This plant is edible and it tastes extremely good. Why would I use it for construction? Do I look insane to you?"
Zach cut off a portion of the sugarcane with a small hatchet and peeled off its skin for Bruce to have a taste.
Bruce was only skeptical for a moment before he did what Zach told him to. He took a small bite of it and chewed on what looked like soft wood from the outside.
Just as he took the first bite into the soft woody texture, sweetness spread throughout his mouth. The juice that secreted out of the plant was so sweet that it lifted his mood in a jiffy. He rolled his tongue around and ravenously chewed to extract as much juice out of it as possible.
"Don't s-sw…"
Just when Zach was about to remind him to throw out the woody bit after chewing on it, Bruce swallowed it completely. Thankfully, the bite wasn't too big or it might have gotten stuck in his throat.
"Umm…Bruce my friend; you aren't supposed to swallow it. Chew on it, get the juice out of it and when it has lost the sweet flavor, spit it out. That's the way to enjoy the sugarcane."
Bruce looked a little ashamed. He knew that Zach wanted to tell him something earlier but Bruce was too lost in the sweet taste to pay attention to him. His greed momentarily took over and made him swallow every last bit of the sweet thing.
Of course, only after swallowing it did Bruce realize how awfully difficult it was to get that thing into his stomach. It was practically grinding against his esophagus.
"I get where you are coming from. This is very sweet, sweeter than the purest of honeys. Are you telling me that you can rely on this juice to make a successful business? I doubt it. There are countless other fruits that can dish out similar flavor upon being crushed."
It was not that Bruce doubted Zach's proposition and his idea. He just wanted to see where Zach was coming from and he wanted to know the basis for Zach's business idea.
"What if I told you that this sugarcane could basically be converted into little crystals of sweetness that could be stored and used to sweeten any dish unlike those fruit juices then would you believe it? Not just that but also the annual yield of sugarcane far exceeded those of the normal fruit trees. It can be harvested twice a year and can be farmed quite easily in places where there is excess water available. With the help of water mages it could be done very easily. Moreover, this is an island. The sea water could be converted into freshwater by water mages for irrigation purposes as well. If this business was successful, there would be no need for honey and every common household would be able to afford a sweetening agent just like any other spice. It would become a daily necessity that would be sought after at every place in the world."
Zach painted the picture that he had in his mind regarding the introduction of sugar to this society. Bruce barely swallowed it all down. Even though he knew that Zach was capable of pulling off miracles, this seemed too far-fetched to be believed. Had it been any other person, Bruce would have rejected the business proposal without any regrets but the fact that Zach was quite confident in this project and was excited about it proved how much value it truly held.
Bruce was willing to believe in this project because of Zach. He would probably have believed it even if Zach had told him that the sugarcane could make money rain from the skies directly.
"If it truly can be made into a sweet tasting spice as common as the salt then it would truly be a blessing for the commoners. Even if the profit margin is low, the business could thrive based on the huge number of customers that the business could reel in. Can you show it to me…those crystals, I mean?"
Bruce wanted to see it for himself in order to truly evaluate the worth and to make a business proposal for the prospective partners. As they were now, there was no way to fund the project on their own. They would definitely need help and Bruce knew that Zach already had a financier in mind who would happily inject a large sum of money into this.
Zach didn't mind Bruce's curiosity and his unwillingness to believe in him. It was human nature after all to doubt what they couldn't understand.
Zach called for Diana who stopped her work and handed over her tasks to the subordinates before rushing over to him.
"Find similar plants to this in the nearby locations. I am sure that there must be more of them. Gather at least ten to fifteen of these full length ones."
Diana nodded in response and called her soldiers in the vicinity so that they could take a good look at the sugarcane plant before heading back into the wilderness to look for more. Only the soldiers were good enough to enter the forest where beasts ran rampant. Therefore, no servant had been called to participate in the search.
It didn't take long before messages came pouring in one after the other on the intercom. There were several sightings so Diana asked them all to bring back the plant in one piece.
When the sufficient number had been gathered Diana looked towards Zach for further guidance who complied to her request before she could even voice it. She couldn't help but feel proud about their tacit understanding and decoding of the subtle gestures.
"Listen to the procedure that you are going to follow carefully. There can be no mistake in the process. Make sure to follow it perfectly otherwise the end result might not be what we want it to be."
"I will keep what you tell me in mind."
"Hmm…Let's see…first you have to wash and peel the outer layer of the sugar cane completely. Then crush it to extract all the juice out of it. Filter the juice to eliminate any foreign particles. You have to purify the juice completely before taking the next step. Do you understand until here?"
"Yes…yes I understand everything. Just tell me everything in one go. I won't forget, I promise you."
Diana was pretty confident in herself after everything new that Zach had taught her.
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