Breadfruit, as its name suggests, has a taste and texture very similar to bread. Even its nutritional value is not much different. It has a slightly sweet taste and resembles a pomelo in appearance.
It can be eaten raw, and simple cooking can make its flavor even more delicious.
Takeru had cultivated many of these fruits in the palace. Many of the bakeries or restaurants Takeru opened used these fruits as a staple food. The sweet breadfruit, combined with its affordable price, made it extremely popular among the people.
"Eh, Takeru-sama, did you make this tree?" Just as Takeru was thinking about how to further optimize the fruit tree, Rifana came outside. Seeing the tree laden with different fruits, she was very surprised.
"Yes. How was your rest last night?" Looking at Rifana, who, due to leveling up, had also transformed from a girl into a young woman, Takeru said with a light smile.
"Yes, very comfortable. Especially the soft bed!" Hearing Takeru's inquiry, Rifana showed a happy expression. Her white tail wagged rapidly, indicating her inner joy.
"Is that so? That's good." Hearing her words, Takeru nodded with a smile.
Soon, after everyone woke up, Takeru stopped dwelling on the tree. After enjoying the breakfast prepared by Rem, the group continued their journey.
Of course, when they left, Takeru dismantled the house. As for the modified tree, he left it to benefit passing travelers.
With Filo moving quickly, Takeru and the others rapidly approached their destination. This time, Takeru's target was a monster dragon located in the southeastern part of the empire.
Although this so-called dragon was called the weakest Dragon Emperor, it was still an existence titled Dragon Emperor.
It could provide Takeru and the others with high experience points and precious materials. And if Takeru's prediction was correct, its body also contained a Dragon God fragment.
In the afternoon, however, they ran into trouble. A group of bandits blocked their way.
"Stop, stop!" About a dozen people blocked the path ahead of Takeru and the others.
"Everyone in the carriage, get out! Hand over all your valuables, and we'll spare your lives!" Seeing the carriage stop, the bandits shouted at Takeru and the others lecherously.
"Can we kill them, Takeru-sama?" Looking at these clueless bandits, Ram and Rem's expressions darkened.
"Not so fast. Everything except our lives, you want it all?" Looking at them, Takeru asked calmly.
"You catch on quick. Of course! That includes this Filolial and your female companions!" A bald man hearing Takeru's words shouted loudly.
"Even though she's just a demi-human, she's quite pretty!"
"Boss, the two inside are the real prizes!" A sharp-eyed bandit noticed Ram and Rem inside the carriage and spoke excitedly.
"Hahaha, you heard him! The men strip and leave on your own. We'll give you a chance to live. As for the rest, just come back with us!" After scanning the group, the leader shouted excitedly.
"Hee hee, four beauties. We can all have some fun tonight!" A man behind him said expectantly.
"Takeru-sama, can I kill them now?" Hearing the bandits' offensive words, Raphtalia and Rifana could no longer hold back.
"Complete scum. Dispose of them quickly." Seeing these bandits even coveting his women, Takeru's expression darkened.
"Filo wants to come too!" Hearing Takeru's words, Filo shouted loudly.
"Oh, hold on now. We've got a classed-up master here. It would be a shame to hurt you." Seeing Raphtalia and Rifana walking straight toward them, the bandit leader spoke.
"No helping it. Master, we leave it to you." Seeing Raphtalia and Rifana not stopping, the bandit leader had no choice but to let their strongest person step in.
The strongest was an adventurer who used a sword, level 45.
"Basic Hurricane!" Seeing this, Filo gently flapped her wings. A small tornado formed in front of her, carrying a strong air current as it quickly reached the bandits.
Soon, many were sucked into the small tornado, sustaining considerable injuries. At that moment, Raphtalia and Rifana acted quickly, dashing past the bandits at a speed they couldn't even perceive.
Over ten bandits fell to the ground, leaving only the classed-up man who had barely managed to block Raphtalia's simple slash.
"I-I surrender! Please don't kill me! I'm a class-up master! I can become your companion!" After just that brief exchange, the man knew he was definitely no match for Raphtalia and Rifana, especially with two of them.
"If we had been the weaker ones today, you wouldn't have spared us either. Since you chose this line of work, you should have long been prepared for death. Frozen Hell!" Looking at the begging man, Takeru mocked lightly. Then, he used his freezing ability, completely encasing them in ice.
Of course, although they were now ice sculptures, they didn't die immediately. Under Takeru's control, they remained conscious, forced to wait for their deaths here.
Takeru moved these bandits, whose eyes were filled with terror, to the sides of the road. Because they were frozen, their bodily functions were slowed. They could survive for about five or six days. After that, they would completely die.
During this time, they could only watch and wait for death to arrive. Of course, if someone forcibly broke the ice, insufficient attack power wouldn't break it.
Even if the attack power was enough, their bodies would die along with the shattered ice. This was their punishment, and a warning to anyone who wanted to become a bandit.
Perhaps it seemed cruel, but their actions had unknowingly caused the destruction of countless innocent families. That was even more cruel.
After punishing them, Takeru and the others continued toward their destination. In the evening, Takeru and the others stopped.
Although, with Takeru's speed, he could have flown to the location first and then teleported everyone there, taking less than an hour to reach their destination, for Takeru, this trip wasn't solely about hunting the Dragon Emperor. The journey itself was also part of the training.
Like now, in the wilderness, Takeru chose an open space to build a house. Ram and Rem prepared delicious food for everyone. Raphtalia and Rifana were outside killing monsters to level up.
As for Takeru, he was still studying his modification ability. This time, Takeru modified the Blaze Fruit.
Because the Blaze Fruit was already a spiritual plant, modifying it consumed more mana and was more difficult than modifying ordinary plants. However, the results were also more pleasing.
Soon, Takeru successfully enhanced the Blaze Fruit's effects. However, the enhancement came with side effects: reduced yield and longer growth time. But these were nothing for Takeru.
With his catalyzing ability, yield and time could be perfectly solved. What was precious and important was that the enhanced effects of the Blaze Fruit would allow everyone to increase their strength more quickly.
After picking the first batch of ripened Blaze Fruits, Takeru took out three Catalyst Slimes and had them catalyze the fruits.
Then, he took out a Green Spirit Fruit and planted it.
Similarly, based on the experience with the Blaze Fruit, he modified the Green Spirit Fruit. The first attempt failed. Takeru didn't mind.
What worked for the Blaze Fruit didn't necessarily work for the Green Spirit Fruit. Although it failed, Takeru had identified the problem and just needed to make slight adjustments.
About two hours later, the sky had become completely dark. Raphtalia, Rifana, and Filo had already returned. They were enjoying the already modified Blaze Fruits while waiting for Takeru.
By now, Takeru had picked the Green Spirit Fruit.
He could feel that its internal spiritual energy had increased several levels. This indicated the modification of the Green Spirit Fruit was successful.
Moreover, the Green Spirit Fruit's growth period had increased, but its yield hadn't decreased too much. This also showed that the modification of the Green Spirit Fruit was more successful than the Blaze Fruit's.
Shaking his head, after collecting the resulting Blaze Fruits and Green Spirit Fruits, Takeru led Filo and the others, who were already waiting for their meal, back into the house to enjoy dinner.