"Blake, sit down now," Aunt Clara said angrily, looking at Blake.
Even Aunt Clara was getting angry after hearing John's words, but she didn't show it because Victor trusted John a lot. She calmed herself down, thinking that John must have thought it through before speaking.
She then looked seriously at John and asked, "John, we trust you, so don't say anything foolish. When I was young, I saw my father step into the water, and that water creature's poison entered his body. Shortly after, he died. And now you're saying that water creatures aren't poisonous? I need solid proof of what you're saying. If you can't prove it, our relationship is over," Aunt Clara threatened.
John listened calmly to Aunt Clara without any fear. When she finished, John immediately responded without hesitation, "I will prove it, Aunt Clara. If I'm right, no one will question my words from now on." He spoke seriously, looking at Blake, because a while ago, some of them said they trusted him, but when the time came, instead of trust, they showed anger. That's why John said this, to avoid such situations in the future.
"Alright, John," Victor said, looking at John. He trusted him, but deep down, there was a slight doubt. Uncle Tom, however, remained silent because he believed John never lied, so he just listened.
"Then let's go to the pond, and Aunt Clara, bring a clay pot with you," John said, standing up and heading towards the pond. Uncle Tom followed behind him.
Aunt Clara looked at Brody and said, "Brody, go and bring a clay pot." Hearing this, Brody quickly went to Aunt Clara's hut, fetched the pot, and handed it to her.
Clara started walking with Victor, followed by Brody, Blake, Dylan, and Derek.
After a short while, the six of them reached the pond and watched John, who was standing at the edge of the water.
"John, what are you trying to do?" Uncle Tom, who was standing beside John, asked with concern.
"I'm going to step into the pond and catch one of those water creatures," John said as he began removing his clothes. Uncle Tom, alarmed, quickly asked, "John, are you crazy? If you touch them, their poison will enter your body!"
"Uncle Tom, trust me and have a little patience," John replied before stepping into the pond.
"But... but..." Uncle Tom tried to say something, but Victor placed his hand on Uncle Tom's shoulder and said, "Brother Tom, just be patient and trust John."
Victor wanted to trust John, though a part of him harbored doubt. He kept repeating to himself, "What if John is right?"
John reached the spot where he had bathed last time, the very place where the Glowfin snapper had brushed against his foot. He started moving his foot up and down in the water, but after some attempts, he grew tired and paused, asking , "Why isn't the Glowfin snapper coming near my foot, INFO?"
[Host, making such noises won't attract them.]
"Then how do I get them to come closer?" John asked, looking for advice from INFO on how to catch the creature.
[Host, place a piece of potato under your foot. The Glowfin snapper will come to eat it, and when it does, place your foot on it and grab it with both hands to pull it out.]
"Ah, so I need to lure it with food," John said. Turning to the others watching him from the shore, he asked, "Does anyone have a potato?"
John's sudden request for a potato shocked everyone, but a quick response came, "Yes, I have one. Here you go," Brody said, pulling a potato from his clothes and walking over to hand it to John.
Everyone started looking at Brody. "Since when have you been carrying a potato around, Brody?" Derek asked, giving him a strange look.
"Uh... well... When I went to get the clay pot from Big Sister's hut, I grabbed a potato to eat," Brody confessed.
"Who taught you to steal, Brody?" Clara asked angrily, glaring at Brody, as she considered taking something without asking to be stealing.
"Sorry, Big Sister, I won't do it again," Brody quickly apologized.
"Alright, I'll forgive you this time," Clara said, then turned her gaze back to John.
Everyone's attention shifted from Brody to John. John placed the potato under his foot and quietly waited as the water grew still. After a short while, he felt a tickling sensation under his foot, realizing that the Glowfin snapper had arrived.
Without hesitation, John pressed his foot down hard. "Yes... got it! Finally!" John exclaimed in excitement as he caught the Glowfin snapper. He quickly reached into the water with both hands, firmly grabbing the fish and lifting it out.
As soon as the fish emerged from the water, it began to struggle, but this time, John didn't flinch. He held it tightly and made his way out of the pond, placing the flailing Glowfin snapper into the clay pot Aunt Clara had brought. The fish continued to thrash in the pot for a while, but after a few moments, it finally stopped moving.
Everyone watched as the Glowfin snapper struggled for life until it finally stopped moving. John looked around at everyone and spoke, "I caught this water creature with my own hands, pulled it out of the water, and placed it in this pot. You all saw it die here. If this creature were truly poisonous, as Aunt Clara mentioned, her father would have died shortly after being poisoned. But as you can see, this creature died without affecting me at all. This proves it isn't poisonous."
Blake, still skeptical, said, "But it could be that the poison takes time to work."
John, with confidence and seriousness, replied, "I have another proof that will convince everyone, without a doubt." He started putting on his clothes that he had left by the shore.
"What kind of proof, John?" Victor asked as he moved closer to him.
"You'll find out soon enough uncle Victor. For now, let's head back to the hut. We're done here." John lifted the clay pot and began walking towards the hut, and everyone followed him. As they walked, Victor called out from behind.
"What else could the proof be, Brother Tom?" Victor asked, looking at Uncle Tom.
"I don't know, Victor," Uncle Tom replied, watching John walking ahead of them.
"Hmm... maybe we just need to wait a little longer," Victor thought to himself, focusing his gaze on John.
A short while later, John and everyone else reached the front of their hut.
John asked, "How should I cook this Glowfin Snapper?" He didn't know the proper method to cook it.
[Host Cut the Glowfin Snapper into pieces with a sharp object and put them in an earthen pot. Then, boil it in water. The smell will tell you when it's cooked.] Info explained the cooking process.
"Oh, is that so?" John understood the method and showed the fish to Aunt Clara, asking her, "Aunt Clara, quickly start a fire. I'm going to cook this creature in water."
Hearing John's request, Clara was confused but didn't say anything. She moved ahead to start the fire, building a stove with three stones and adding wood to it. After a while, the fire was lit, and she stood nearby.
John quickly took the Glowfin Snapper out of the pot, held it in his hand, and placed the pot over the fire, adding water to it.
John looked around and noticed a thin stone lying nearby. He sharpened its edge and, once it was sharp, cut the Glowfin Snapper into a total of eight pieces. After washing the pieces, he placed them into the boiling water and waited.
"John, are you really going to eat that and show us?" Uncle Tom asked.
"Yes, Uncle Tom, you guessed it right," John confirmed.
"What… John, if its poison enters your body, your life could be in danger," Uncle Tom expressed his concern for John.
"No, Uncle, just wait a little. Nothing like that will happen," John responded confidently and seriously.
Seeing his confidence, Victor started to believe in him. "Maybe the ancestors' words were wrong," he thought to himself.
"Brother Derek, if the leader eats that water creature and its poison enters his body, what will we do to save him?" Dylan asked Derek, who was observing from a distance.
"I think the poison in that water creature is minimal; he won't die. Don't worry," Derek replied to Dylan while keeping an eye on John.
After a while, a pleasant aroma began to emerge from the earthen pot. From the smell, John realized it was cooked. He went closer and checked, finding that the fish was perfectly done.
When John saw that the stew was ready to eat, he decided to check once more if cooking had affected it. He picked up a boiled piece in his hand and said, "Analyze." Instantly, information appeared on the screen, and John began to read:
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| Name: Glowfin Snapper Vitality Stew
| Vitamin Class: A+++
| Benefits: Consuming this boosts physical
|. strength and strengthens bones.
| Additionally, it rejuvenates the
|. body, keeping it youthful.
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"What... such a huge difference just from cooking it?" John shocked after seeing the information.
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Fish Fry... I'm coming...
Next Chapter
[ Ancestors Deceived Us: Proof ]