5020 Tree Garden Director Ranya Wodin obviously experienced a lot of stress lately. The Great Severing brought too many changes to people's lives. The Larkinson Biotech Institute had become inundated with a lot of new problems and responsibilities as a result. From monitoring the health of every clansman to keeping an increasingly more dangerous population of mutated beasts and alien captives under control, life was no longer as easy for the biotech researchers working for the Larkinson Clan! Nonetheless, neither Ves nor Ranya entertained any thoughts about reducing their operations! "The Age of Dawn has recontextualized every industry." Director Ranya explained her views to Ves as they entered the lab where the latest version of the Carmine System was held. "Biotechnology has risen in importance. Not only is it important for our field to monitor people's health and control the effects of exotic radiation on their physiques, but we must also develop the potential of evolved organisms. Every crop, every livestock and every pet will gain exceptional properties. The possibilities are endless." Ves smirked at that. "It is rather fortunate that we are one of the few organizations that has invested into a serious biotechnology research organization. Many other pioneering organizations don't even have a clue where to begin." The Larklnson Biotechnology Institute may not have been as much of a burden to the Larklnson Clan as in the earlier years, but it had never fully justified its existence. This time was different! While every single industry and sector was about to undergo a lot of upheaval, the biotechnology industry had entered a golden age! "It is a great blessing and opportunity for biotech researchers such as ourselves to be on the forefront of a technological explosion. Just as the Age of Mechs has enabled the first generations of mech designers to define the direction of human technological progression, we can all make our mark in history as long as we succeed in our new research projects." Ranya even had the illusion that biotech researchers such as herself and the people that worked under her had become the new protagonists of the era! Though Ves was happy for her, he did not want her to get too distracted by all of the shiny new research options. "I have always given you and your department enough free rein to organize yourselves and do what you want, but do not forget about the needs of our clan." He reminded her. "We are all counting on you to safeguard our health and ensure that the alien creatures held on this ship continue to remain useful." The director reined herself in. "Don't worry, Ves. I have always done my best to separate private interests from public interests. Every researcher working for the LBI knows the rules. They are free to pursue their own private research projects as long as they have taken care of their normal duties." They continued to talk about management-related Issues until they entered the lab that held the most crucial component of the Dawn Star Project. The large and extensive network of red flesh vaguely resembled the roots of a tree that had been extracting its nutrients from freshly spilled blood. It made for a macabre sight. Even Ranya couldn't help but feel as if she was facing a monster rather than a thoughtless agglomeration of biological tissue. She much preferred to work with plants. "Your people started to grow this organic product shortly before the Great Severing, right?" Ves asked. Ranya nodded. "That is correct. We cultivated the product according to our normal approach. However, once our dwarf galaxy teleported to the vicinity of Messier 87, the Carmine System grew and matured just as it was beginning to get exposed to exotic radiation. Luckily enough, we did not discover any significant changes." "Oh?" "The low specifications of the Carmine System is to blame.” Ranya ironically smiled. "Since you prioritized expedient growth over superior performance, the Carmine System is largely made up of human cells derived from your grandfather's DNA. Since your grandfather has never undergone any genetic treatments, the web of flesh before you is not all that different from the body tissue of an ordinary baseline human." Ves smiled. "Ah, that's right. The Carmine System for my Dawn Star Project is only a fraction as complicated as the one implemented in Venerable Jannzi's Bastion. The latter took months to grow as its organic tissue is fortified by many powerful exotics." He did not worry too much about the Bastion despite the fact that it integrated a problematic Carmine System. Now that it had become a part of a powerful expert mech and also a third order living mech no less, Ves had a strong suspicion that it would not undergo any adverse physical mutations! In any case, Ves did not want the key component of his Dawn Star Project to remain in this Isolated state for too long. The more time it spent in a cultivation tank while being subjected to more and more exotic radiation, the greater the chance of unforeseen developments! Ves and Ranya spent a bit of time inspecting the organic product. The last-minute checks did not reveal any new or overlooked problems. He became satisfied that the rushed growth process and the effects of exotic radiation did not ruin the package. "Please ship it over to the Spirit of Bentheim right away. Make sure to properly clean up this lab and ensure that the researchers who worked on it maintain their confidentiality." "We know. We have been following all of the proper procedures from the beginning." Now that Ves refreshed his understanding of the Larklnson Biotech Institute, he decided to pay a visit to the T Institute. This secret research organization occupied a highly secured section of the Dragon's Den. Different from the LBI, the main researchers of the T Institute mostly consisted of members of the Aduc Family rather than the Larklnson Clan. This was a serious cause for concern, but Ves had chosen to put his trust in these foreign workers. The Aducs worshiped Gala, and Ves had Inadvertently made this extremely powerful design spirit. The only issue was that Ves had gone overboard at the time. He invested so many ingredients in her creation that Gaia somehow grew outside of his control! Though Gaia no longer responded to Ves' inquiries, she possessed a special relationship with the Aducs. She originated from and continued to remain housed in an authentic Terran tree that had long been in the possession of their family. As far as Ves was concerned, as long as he remained friends with the Aducs, he would still have a chance to reconnect with Ills own creation. When Ves entered one of the labs of the T Institute, he caught sight of a large and carefully cultivated field of trees. These weren't ordinary trees. They were the various spirit trees that Ves and the Aduc researchers had long attempted to develop. Ves initially thought that by combining his expertise with that of the Aducs would be enough to turn companion spirit trees into a reality. The actual results were less than optimistic, though. The main problem that both Ves and the Aduc researchers remained stuck on was the fact that it was too difficult to impart any spiritual qualities onto the fruits grown from the trees! Although Ves had hoped that the spirit trees would eventually be able to impart spiritual energy into the fruits once they grew old enough, who knew how many years that would take. Ves could not wait for a century for the trees to start growing fruits that were worth a damn! As he stepped closer to the experimental growth field, he began to notice a few differences since his last visit. He noticed that the heat generated by the solar lights floating from above had increased. The irrigation systems channeled more water to the fields. The soil had become enriched with more compost and other nutrient materials. The trees had grown noticeably taller and wider than before. Their luscious green leaves swayed with the artificial wind. The smell of it all caused Ves to slow his steps and enjoy the moment. The scents in the air were filled with vitality. He felt more at home than he had on his own flagship! It was not until he expanded his senses and observed the trees with his spiritual senses that he could sense how his trees had truly changed! The trees were no longer reliant on generating spiritual energy from their inner flesh tissue. After the space around them began to get filled up by different spiritual energies, the trees actively absorbed much of them before slowly processing them into life-attributed energy! The life-attributed spiritual energy not only helped the trees evolve and grow stronger, but also imparted the fruits with the elements that they had been lacking in for a long time! "They're beautiful, are they not?" A female voice spoke from the side. Director Pesca Aduc of the Aduc Family looked like a radiant harvest maiden as she stepped forward. Her bare feet along with her dirt-covered lab coat made for an Incongruous sight. She looked more like a cultist than the director of a serious research organization! Ves took a second look at Pesca. As a traditional believer in Old Earth, Pesca received the favor of Gala. Her spirituality had grown substantially with the help of her patron. This time was different. Just like the spirit trees around them, Director Pesca Aduc had begun to absorb the ambient spiritual energies, though at a much more reduced rate. Ves could sense how the spiritual energies cycled through her body in a complex pattern that he could not fully understand or track. Though the process was inefficient and rudimentary, Ves could still conclude that the process eventually nurtured Pesca's spirituality! This was a shocking sight to Ves! Tliis was the first instance of meeting a human who could systematically absorb E energy radiation and use it to fuel their own spiritual development! Ves was reminded of the mysterious Annals of Terra Vitae. He had always disregarded the strange knowledge and methods contained in them because they did not really make that much of a difference. At most, the more talented members of the Aduc Family acquired life or earth domains, making it easier for them to do well in the terraforming business. It turned out that the techniques described by the record that was supposedly a fragmented copy of the Earth Scroll were not that worthless as he thought. The Aducs just had to enter the right environment for the Annals of Terra Vitae to demonstrate their value! The Aduc Family would definitely take off now that its members had entered a more energy-rich environment! "You..." The woman smiled and lifted her arm. This simple gesture seemed to stir the ambient spiritual energies around her body. Her nourished spirituality seemed to resonate with the surrounding air, making it look as if she truly carried the blessing of nature! "The spirit trees are flourishing." She said with a mysterious power in her voice. "With Gaia's help and blessing, we have ensured that they will reach a state where their fruits shall grow ripe enough to Impart new life to those who eat their succulent flesh. The Mother of Life blesses all of her children, and she is especially appreciative of you and your fellow Larkinsons." "Uhhh..." "We are on a great mission now." Director Pesca Aduc continued on as if she was in charge Instead of Ves. "Red humanity has lost its roots. Old Earth has become more distant than ever. As long as our race continues to meander in the light of Messier 87, there will come a time when all of our humanity will come under question. We cannot let this pass. The Origin of Life has therefore bestowed a responsibility to us. We must establish a New Earth in this new cosmic region. To do so, we must find the perfect planet in the Red Ocean or Messier 87 and plant the Old Lady in its most fertile region. This is our holy mission and one that our goddess has directly entrusted to us! The fate of all red humanity rests on our actions!" Ves blinked a few times. He looked anything but Impressed at the moment. "That sounds Interesting and all, but... what does this have to do with my clan?"