Eddie voiced his concerns, but Shack scratched his head and muttered, "Should be fine. We've been doing this for decades, and the maple trees are still growing just fine, aren't they?"
Creeper, who had been watching Eddie work with a grin on his face, chuckled and explained, "Eddie, let me tell you what's really going on. You know Newfoundland is close to the Arctic, right? That means the summers are short and the winters are long. In summer, maple trees use photosynthesis to produce starch, which is then converted into sugars before winter hits."
"In harsh winters, plant fluids can freeze. If that happens, the cell membranes rupture and the plant dies. But maple sap is rich in sugars, and that lowers its freezing point, which is how these trees survive in such cold climates."
"But when spring and summer arrive, and temperatures rise, the trees start pulling in water to grow. That makes the sugar concentration in the sap rise, and if it gets higher than that of the cells, the cells start to lose moisture—which is bad for the tree too."
"That's why this is the best time to extract maple syrup. The tree can store starch again through photosynthesis, and even if we don't tap the trees, they'd release the excess sugars on their own anyway."
Compared to Shack, Creeper was clearly the more knowledgeable one. Shack nodded along like he understood, but it was doubtful he grasped more than a few words.
Eddie, having studied biology, quickly understood and put his worries to rest. He began tapping the trees with a clear conscience.
Both trees were over eighty years old, with expansive root systems and lush branches. The trunks were so thick it would take two Shacks to wrap their arms around one. As soon as Eddie inserted the taps, golden sap began to flow steadily.
He dipped his finger in and tasted it. The sap was sticky and sweet with a fresh, woody aroma—milder than sugar water, but uniquely pleasant.
After Shack left, Little Ming the squirrel climbed down from the tree. Curious, he jumped onto a storage barrel and peeked at the sap inside.
Eddie dipped a finger in the sap and held it out. Little Ming darted his pink tongue out and gave it a quick lick, then hopped off the barrel, tail twitching with delight.
Looks like squirrels enjoy sweets too, Eddie thought, chuckling at Little Ming's obvious delight.
In fact, Eddie didn't even need to feed him. After a bit of observation, the little squirrel found a branch where another tap was dripping sap. Perched above it, he licked at the steady flow like he was drinking from a natural soda fountain.
The two large trees turned out to be quite generous—by noon, Eddie had collected over twenty kilos of sap.
The traditional way to make maple syrup was by boiling. As the water evaporates, what's left is thick, golden syrup.
Once the fire was going, Eddie left it to boil and extended his consciousness into the ocean to check on the seafloor of his fishery.
The coral reef had expanded, now covering over fifty square meters. For the first time, the underwater world was beginning to look colorful.
Eddie sent his awareness farther, guiding any fish he encountered toward the reef. Thanks to his efforts, the area around the coral was now teeming with life.
Brightly colored coral polyps stretched out their cilia-like tentacles to feed. Zooxanthellae algae floated nearby, absorbing the carbon dioxide and nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen that the coral released.
In turn, the algae produced oxygen and carbohydrates, which the corals relied on to survive—a perfect symbiotic relationship.
Besides zooxanthellae, the corals were now home to red algae, blue-green algae, and brown algae. These had only recently begun to grow—previously, blue and brown algae were nearly extinct in this area, probably hanging on by a thread until Eddie's mysterious energy revived them along with the coral.
These algae, especially the red and brown types, were exactly what attracted fish like sea bream. They fed on them.
After wandering the seafloor for a while—mainly sticking to the shallow regions where no sunken treasures were likely to be found—Eddie decided to withdraw his consciousness.
But just as he did, something unusual caught his attention—a small, brightly colored fish no longer than a palm. Its body shimmered with hues of blue and red, speckled with black dots and a red stripe running along its side like a living rainbow.
Eddie was intrigued. He thought he recognized it—it looked like a rainbow trout.
Rainbow trout are native to North America and considered a prized cold-water species, renowned for their delicate flavor. In some places, their meat is even sold as a substitute for salmon. They often show up in Hong Kong dramas as a luxury item.
But rainbow trout are freshwater fish, typically found in rivers across Alaska and Canada. What was it doing in the sea?
The little fish seemed agitated, possibly having just escaped from a predator. Most fish in the ocean live in schools—if one was swimming alone, it usually meant it had been separated from the group by a threat.
As soon as Eddie enveloped it with his mental energy, the fish calmed down and obediently followed him to the coral reef, where it happily began searching for food.
Later, Eddie looked it up online and had an "aha" moment. The fish was a type of rainbow trout—specifically a steelhead trout, a rare anadromous variety that is born in rivers but grows in the sea.
Eddie realized something: to develop his fishery, coral reefs were essential. They provided food and shelter for marine life.
He found Shack and asked, "Hey buddy, do you know any way to make coral grow faster?"
Shack looked puzzled. Eddie explained the relationship between coral and fish. Once he understood, Shack frowned and said, "Boss, that's gonna be tough. We used to have plenty of octocorals around here, but the water got worse, and they all died off."
Corals usually prefer warm, shallow, nutrient-poor waters with high transparency, but there are many species. Some thrive in temperate or even cold waters.
In fact, deep-sea corals have been found in the Arctic. National Geographic once reported discovering black coral at a depth of 8,800 meters.
But coral is delicate. It's extremely sensitive to salinity, pH, light, oxygen, and pollution. With rising ocean acidification caused by CO₂, coral reefs are now in serious danger.
The reefs around Farewell Island were likely dying due to water pollution. When Eddie extended his consciousness into the ocean, he instinctively felt uncomfortable—it must've been the contamination.
"What if we clean up the water?" Eddie asked.
"In that case, it's much easier," Shack said. "We can toss rocks or wooden structures into the water. Once we build a frame, coral polyps will attach and start growing. Given time, they'll form reefs again."
Eddie nodded. He was already planning how to build artificial reefs in the future.
The maple syrup boiled all afternoon. When Shack returned from town, he brought several kids along. They were thrilled by the golden syrup, as kids always are when it comes to sweets.
The children were all around seven or eight. Shack proudly introduced the biggest one: "Boss, this is my son—Little Shack. A true warrior and treasure of the Saddington family."
Eddie couldn't help but smile. "Do Canadians not bother giving kids new names? Why is everyone named after their dad or granddad?" He remembered Robert Black IV from the auction house, and now here was another little clone.
Eating maple syrup was simple—they made clean snow using an ice machine and drizzled hot syrup over it. Once cooled, it hardened into candy.
Eddie tried one—it was sweet but not overpowering. Thanks to the snow, it was cool and crisp, far better than any store-bought lollipop.
Creeper then showed Eddie how to make maple pudding, a local Newfoundland specialty made with cream, maple syrup, egg yolks, and a few mint leaves.
The process was straightforward—beat the egg yolks, mix with cream and syrup, strain, pour into molds, pop the bubbles with a spoon, and bake. Once cooled, the puddings could be stored in the fridge and heated up anytime.
That afternoon, while Shack kept busy making shopping lists, Eddie lounged on the couch with a plate of fruit salad and maple pudding, watching cable TV. It was a paid channel, but high-quality—no ads, just good programming.
The day passed uneventfully. In the evening, Eddie planned to hit the bar, but when he tried to start his car, it wouldn't budge.
Frustrated, he made a decision on the spot: Tomorrow, I'm buying a car.