Book 3 Chapter 19.5 - New Beginning
Along the four walls of the tree lobby were rows of orderly caves. It looked like this was precisely the Hebilu's fixed residence. Meanwhile, above these residences and close to the ceiling were transparent, spherical bubble type objects. They were embedded inside the tree walls, looking a bit similar to breeding cylinders used specifically for genetic organisms. The bubbles were mostly empty, but there were a few that had small things bobbing up and down. There was no lack of experts with enhanced vision here, so they were well aware that these were little Hebilu individuals, only that their developmental state was different. In that case, the seemingly empty bubbles were likely not truly empty either, quite possibly carrying Hebilu who were still just a small group of cells.
Even O'Brien, upon seeing this scene, felt a deep sense of shock.
This ancient tree was completely a natural life incubator, and the Hebilu were its creation! Even though Hebilu genes and human genes were quite different, it was even more different from a plant type existence. This ancient tree could breed a completely new creature, moreover one with intelligence, the ability to conduct speech, form a society, and use tools. It was to the extent where their organs and genes were extremely complete! They didn't have the mule-like traits of artificially produced life forms.
A strange forest, an ancient tree, as well as an intelligent species produced by an ancient tree; what else could you describe this as other than a miracle?
O'Brien knew that this was the place he was looking for. After experiencing more than a month of difficult battles and sending more than half of Poseidon's Trident's elite soldiers to their deaths, what he saw here made up for all of it, several times it at that. This didn't just represent a tree and a group of nearly wiped out Hebilu, but instead pointed him in a direction, opening up a new path, a path that was already mature. This will allow the abilities of humans to advance by leaps and bounds, and it might very well start a new era!
O'Brien turned around and gave the research manager who was completely infatuated with the rows of natural breeding containers a look. "Erect the communications module and establish contact with the family. Tell them that they should not spare any costs in transporting supplies, equipment, and personnel over. We need to construct a long-term base here!"
"It is best if we construct a permanent comprehensive laboratory here!" The research manager's face was fanatical. He did not want to leave this forest for at least a year or two.
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That day's morning was still dusky and dim. Under the thick clouds of radiation, only at ten in the morning would this city full of tall buildings brighten up a bit.
Su walked out from the bathroom, the droplets of water covering the surface of his body already nowhere to be seen. This pure water was automatically absorbed into his body. One had to understand that in the wilderness, the water he drank most of the time was of far worse quality than that of what he now showered with. Even though he was still residing in the apartment building only dragonrider privates used, the quality of water used for showering was already quietly rising.
Even though he knew practically nothing about economics and politics, the advancement of the Black Dragonriders' technology and production capacity could be noticed just from something as trifling as bath water.
Even if the quality of this water became a bit worse, it was still drinkable. Most of the refugees in the wilderness were still drinking contaminated water filled with radiation. If one drank this type of water for a long time, in less than thirty years, the excessive mutated tissues would completely suck their vitality dry. However, for those living in the wilderness, they usually didn't live to the age of thirty. Most of them, by the time they were in their early twenties, already finished the life cycle of maturation, leaving behind children, and death.
If the Black Dragonriders' waste water processing capabilities became more extensive and could produce water with milder levels of radiation, just how many lives in the wilderness could be saved? This was the thought that emerged from the bottom of Su's heart. However, he immediately laughed and flung this thought out from his mind. It had already been a year since he joined the Black Dragonriders. In this year, he already developed a clear comprehension of the Black Dragonriders and Blood Parliament's regulations and way of doing things.
In the world of the Blood Parliament, high ranking Black Dragonrider officials like Su were at an extremely priviledged class. Others that possessed similar authoritative power or perhaps higher were those legislative members. Lower rank Black Dragonriders also belonged to the priviledged class, but they still had to prove themselves a step further in order to join the small number of hierarchical elites. Meanwhile, subordinates and the normal members of great families formed the cornerstone of this world. As for normal soldiers and outside companies' higher level figures, they were the same as servants for the aformentioned personnel. If someone from the privileged class was offended, not even their lives could be guaranteed. Meanwhile, those struggling for survival in the wilderness were simply no different from mutated creatures, to the extent where they might be worth even less. Mutated creatures might at times at least pique the interest of research personnel, but what were refugees of the wilderness good for? These fellas whose entire bodies were covered in mutated tissue couldn't even be raised to be eaten like cattle!
That was why a single Malim could exchange for several hundreds of thousands, while even if Su escorted several thousand refugees back, not only would he not earn a single cent, he even needed to pay money to do this. Raising people also required an exhaustion of energy and food, and the most important part was that the costs of hiring guards to look after them was even more expensive.
This was precisely the philosophy of the Blood Parliament. They would rather provide the highest grade pure water for showering than give it to the refugees that were dying of thirst.