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"Taste the fruit," Sedriil said, picking one of theit Mericlou ate the one that he had offered her

The skin was soft and thin like an apple, and the flesh was firm yet smooth It had a distinctively sweet taste, but with a very pronounced hint of nuttiness

"Very unusual taste," she said, sing the piece that was in her h Aldrec said that I could eat as much of the fruit that I wanted, but even after a year, I haven't tried theers across her pants to clean them "This one's new to me"

"You just enjoyed a taste that no one else has known in over four hundred thousand years," Sedriil said

"You're … kidding," Mericlou replied flatly The fruit suddenly felt heavy in her food receptacle

"This bush is called the Akansita, a plant that tiot," Sedriil said as he stroked one if its leaves "In the ancient tiardens Only royal families or the extremely rich could afford it because its leaves extruded processed mineral deposits from the soil In some species, like this one, it could convert whatever old As a , 'alcheolden tip from one of the leaves, and handed it to Mericlou for her to exahed the et so excited just yet, sister," Sedriil warned "The really interesting part is the data that I found on the plant in the libraries of the Botanical Academy The only reference to it is in some obscure documents recently unearthed They were dated to be from the First Empire, almost near the dawn of civilization The way the docu debate over whether or not the plant actually existed"

"Then it looks like whoever thought it was real, was right," Mericlou said "It's too bad they'll never know, though"

"But sister, you don't understand," Sedriil said "Reo the plant existed?"

"Four hundred thousand years," Mericlou replied

And then it hit her

"Wait a minute! That can't be possible …"

"Why not?" Sedriil said with a curious expression His tone was afire with android curiosity