kscans

Chapter 70 - Chapter 8: First Half – The Monster Records

"Ho ho, this is quite delicious."

In the laboratory, Fulsy was drinking wine and snacking on the contents of the 'Matsu' box. He had finally returned from the garrison of the Third Knight Order, or rather, the new Monster Knight Order. The boxed lunch was my fee for using the room for our meeting.

Besides me, Noel and Mia had also been summoned to the room, as we were the ones involved with magic.

"Oh, this has an unusual flavor as well. Not bad at all."

"That fruit is quite precious, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't gobble it all up..."

I said to Fulsy. At my side, Noel, who had been reaching a finger toward the dish, flinched. Did she like it that much? Well, I suppose something like ice cream, even a mock version, doesn't exist here. For a drinker like Fulsy, it's probably just curiosity.

"So, what is the reason for assembling this group?"

"Ahem. I have summoned you, of course, regarding the matter of the magic veins and the monsters."

"Regarding the monsters, you mean the records accumulated by the former Second Knight Order? Well, I am interested."

"I thought you would be. Honestly, to think that all those records were barely being utilized..."

Fulsy grumbled. Apparently, the warehouse of the former Second Knight Order contained numerous records from their expeditions into Rubel Wald. That was why Fulsy had been summoned as a monster expert.

However, as is often the case, the quality was inconsistent and nothing was organized. For instance, a description of a bear with horns would be immediately followed by a passage about a mushroom that glows red at night.

"There was an interesting one, a monster they named the Demonic Carpet. It usually stays beneath the soil, but at night, it apparently crawls along the ground. There was a record of it attempting to envelop a Knight Order tent whole to devour the occupants. It was described as a flat body that glowed a faint purple, and when they cut it, the two halves simply slithered away. It must be a type of gelatinous monster. It’s a weak threat, and it doesn't seem to be very tasty. Apparently, magic crystals the size of poppy seeds are scattered throughout its body."

"In that case, it's too inefficient to be of any use."

A gelatinous monster... So things like slimes exist here.

It was a creepy story, but Mia only furrowed her brow for a moment. Noel, on the other hand, was fascinated by the sage’s tale. It seems her interest in monster materials is from an alchemical perspective.

"That's not what I mean. Aren't there any smaller monsters, uh, about this size?" I said, pointing to a small gnat that had been about to swarm the boxed lunch.

"Eek, how disgusting. My dessert..." Noel hurriedly moved her plate. Apparently, she's fine with monsters, but not flies.

"You, who have even seen a dragon, are interested in such a tiny monster?" Fulsy said. He still seemed to be holding a grudge.

"It’s hard to use large creatures for experiments, isn't it? The ideal is something small, with a rapid generational turnover, and easy to raise."

My request was for what you would call a ‘model organism.’ Back on modern Earth, the fruit fly was famous. For mammals, it was the mouse, and for fish, I believe the zebrafish, a tropical fish, was a primary example.

As the name "Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine" implies, biological research is closely tied to medicine. The reason animals are used instead of humans is because of their biological similarities. For example, the fundamental mechanisms of genetics are highly similar in everything from E. coli to humans.

Slime molds were another unusual example that were heavily researched. Come to think of it, that 'moving carpet' from earlier sounds a lot like a plasmodial slime mold. In my past life, I saw a video of one dissolving and devouring a mushroom.

For this purpose, a dragon is the worst possible choice imaginable. It would probably take an entire mountain just to keep one. How much would the food alone cost? It would be a different story if we could do cell cultures, though.

"I believe I understand what you are getting at, but as usual, the things you say show no fear of the gods." Fulsy shook his head.

"I'm actually a little self-aware about this particular statement."

The sight of a fly with eyes sprouting all over its body, after being implanted with the gene that creates human eyes, would have been a form of horror if it weren't so small. Incidentally, the eyes that formed were, of course, fly eyes. The gene was like a nobleman who just gives the order to "make an eye," while all the subordinate genes that actually build it belonged to the fly.

Come to think of it, there was also that chicken with scales on the limbs where feathers should have grown, and feathers on the legs where scales should have been.

"Ideally, the best size would be something we could raise by the hundreds inside a box like this. For example, that slime mold... no, that Demonic Carpet. Its magic crystals might not be useful for alchemy, but for the purpose of studying the properties of the crystals themselves, their sheer number would be an advantage, wouldn't it?"

"I see. With a normal-sized monster, it is a great effort to dissect even one at a time, but if they are the size of insects, you can conduct dozens of experiments simultaneously."

"Exactly. It's logical, isn't it?"

The truth is, something on the level of bacteria, like E. coli, would be best. Of course, we can't handle that with the equipment in this world, and I have no intention of causing a biohazard, so that idea is rejected.

Another point that cannot be overlooked is that experimenting with small quantities requires proportionally precise measurements.

"It is frightening precisely because it is so logical. But what is your reason for wanting to know so much about monsters? I thought your interest lay more with the magic veins."

"I know why. He's doing this for Princess Alfina... Ow, Mia, why did you pinch me?"

"I see..."

"...Er, let me explain. I want this land." I pointed to a spot on the large map. It was a small plain wedged between the continent's central mountain range and a great river.

"I have heard this before. Is that not at the foot of the Sanguis Ulcanas, the Blood Mountains?"

"I need this land."

The land across the great river, situated at the center of the continent's three nations. If I could build a city here... its prosperity as the logistical heart of the three nations would be guaranteed. A city-state like Singapore would be ideal, but being the self-preservationist that I am, I won't voice such a thing.

"Talking about redrawing the map again? We are fine with it, but do not mention it to too many other people," Fulsy said with an exasperated air. Noel held her head in her hands. Even though I was trying to be discreet, I was being treated like 'that guy' again. In my old world, changing the geography for economic activity was a pretty normal topic of conversation.

"Experiments using living monsters are certainly interesting. However, the other issue is also important. The noise from the Western Observatory."

"Hasn't that been resolved yet?" I thought the problem was simply that the mages weren't accustomed to handling the high-precision magic-sensitive paper.

"Even after my instruction, a clearly strange reaction persists. We have managed to secure about the same level of accuracy as before, so there is no issue with predicting Monster Floods. Which brings me to this. I recalled what Noel said the other day."

"The Sage has business with me... I am honored," Noel said. The momentary pause was likely her recalling the last time Fulsy pawned us off on her.

"Indeed. With your Pi, you can perform fine detail work, can you not? Using that..." Fulsy began to explain to Noel and Mia. It seemed to be about improving the antenna using a die and bearings. That wasn't such a strange idea. I recalled a story about Ino Tadataka, the man who created a hyper-accurate map of Japan during the Edo period, devising a special bearing to keep his compass stable.

"Um, if that's the goal, instead of one rotating circle, you should prepare three and..." I recalled a method for keeping an antenna's direction and angle constant. The three of them looked at me, then for some reason, sighed.

"This is it. Noel, can you make this with your alchemy?"

"Making this rotate smoothly with all this weight... Ah, bearings. Mia, could you lend me a hand for a moment?" Noel called over to Mia after looking at the sage's scribbles.

"Hmm, with the two of you cooperating, this seems doable within my budget," Fulsy said, looking satisfied. His scribble was now covered in numerous corrections and trial designs. Mia and Noel were in the middle of calculating the required amounts of magical metal and magic crystals.

"Don't use her so casually. Noel is basically a walking state secret at this point."

"The same could be said for everyone here."

"You're one to talk!"

"You are a master strategist, senpai, but it seems you cannot see yourself, the point of observation."

I was on the receiving end of everyone's retorts.

"...By the way, Mia. What's the status of that lumber from the Empire?" I asked about something that had been on my mind once things settled down.

"Rilka says that Kenwell has found a way to acquire a single log. We have no definite information regarding its age, however," Mia answered. One log isn't much to go on, but we'll use it as a sample for all it's worth.

"Mia, you really have it tough, don't you? Having to take care of this guy."

"Magic, and industry, was it? In addition to that, commerce as well. Mia is truly exceptional."

"The last one is her actual profession," I said, as if to shield Mia from their gazes. I wasn't wrong. In my old world, there was a saying, "Mathematics is the queen of the sciences and their handmaiden."

"All that's left is the pollen..."

"Even though another dragon hasn't appeared? The Knight Order is looking into methods of preservation, are they not?"

"Ah, yes. They are, but..." As for its effective lifespan... we can determine that to some extent using birds. Since we can't guarantee constant storage conditions everywhere like we could with a refrigerator, testing it in the Knight Order's own environment is the best approach. There's no need for us to get involved. However...

"Next time, we have to end it before the fight even begins..." I murmured.

"Speaking of the pollen, the prince wanted to have a word with you. It is likely about that carriage matter," Fulsy said, as if it were an afterthought. I was thinking I needed to go see him soon anyway, but it looks like he reached out first.