Chapter 66 - - 66: An Experiment

Chapter 66: Chapter - 66: An Experiment

We eventually reached one of the smaller laboratory rooms located away from the main academy buildings, and the moment I stepped inside, I saw female student standing beside a large worktable.

*Have I seen her before?*

It took me a few seconds to place her face, but then the memory came back to me.

*Oh right she is that senior.*

A few weeks ago, Elena and I had encountered her in one of the library corridors while she was chasing a strange plant creature that had escaped from her laboratory. The creature had looked like an ordinary plant that had somehow been given frog legs, and the girl had explained that it was the result of combining the genes of a Saperious Plant with those of a Lurming Frog.

At the time, she had also casually mentioned that her actual goal was to create a plant familiar, although I had not expected to see her again so soon.

Elena seemed to recognize her as well, judging from the slight change in her expression, but Lily appeared completely unaware that we had met before.

"Lord Kai, this is Senior Venesa, a third year student and one of the researchers working in the academy’s magic laboratories," Lily introduced her before turning toward Venesa. "Senior, this is Lord Kai Shen, and his fiancee Lady Elena."

Venesa looked between us for a moment before her expression brightened.

"Oh, so you are Kai Shen I have been hearing about lately."

Her eyes moved briefly toward Elena, then she looked back at me again as if she remembered something "....have we met before this?"

"Oh right, you were that couple! It is nice to meet you properly. Sorry again for that time my Saplurm disturbed your romantic moment." Venesa replied in a casual tone but it made both Elena and me flinched subconsciously.

Fighting off the embarrassment I returned the gesture while Elena also greeted her, although I noticed that Lily looked slightly surprised.

"You know each other?"

"Not exactly," I replied. "We have seen her before."

Lily looked at Venesa, then back at us, but apparently decided not to ask further.

Venesa, meanwhile, seemed more interested in getting to the purpose of our visit.

"Thank you for coming, Lord Kai. I know this is a little sudden, but I hope you will not mind helping us with an experiment."

"What exactly do you need me to do?"

Venesa gestured toward one corner of the room as she aside to us something.

"Before I explain that, I think it would be better if you saw what we have been working on."

There was a certain enthusiasm in the way she talk and judging from the various tools, books, containers, and magical instruments scattered around the laboratory, it was obvious that she spent a considerable amount of time here.

We followed her gesture and finally noticed the plant sitting inside a fairly ordinary looking pot. At first glance, it looked rather strange, but not particularly impressive except for its color.

The entire plant was blue.

Though were no leaves, no flowers. its body consisting primarily of a thick blue stem that emerged from the water filled pot and divided into several smaller extensions.

Even the roots beneath the surface were blue, and instead of ordinary soil, the pot was filled with clear water that contained a faint glow of mana.

"This is Hygroryza Dubia," Venesa explained as she stood beside it. "It is a new magical plant species created through an experiment combining a particularly resilient plant with a water type monster that possesses an unusual ability."

I looked at the plant again.

"What kind of ability?"

"The monster can absorb water type magical energy and use it to change the size and shape of its body."

Venesa’s eyes practically lit up as she continued explaining, clearly enjoying the opportunity to talk about her research.

"The plant’s natural vitality gives it a remarkably resilient body, while the monster genes provide it with something ordinary magical plants do not possess, which is the ability to actively alter its physical structure according to the amount of water element mana it absorbs. In theory, if it receives enough suitable energy, it should be capable of becoming considerably larger without suffering structural damage."

I looked toward the pot again "And you have been growing it with this?"

"The liquid in the pot is mana infused water." Venesa nodded enthusiastically.

"So it’s essentially a plant that grows by absorbing water mana rather than simply consuming nutrients from soil," I said.

"Exactly. We have been using it for the past week, and the plant has grown properly, but unfortunately we have not obtained the result we were hoping for."

"What result were you expecting?"

"Greater absorption."

She placed her hand near the plant without touching it.

"The plant can absorb the mana contained in the water, but the rate is still much lower than what its monster traits should allow. We believe the problem is not the plant itself but the quality of the mana it is receiving."

She then turned toward me. "That is why we need you."

I raised an eyebrow "Me?"

"Lily and I were discussing who could provide a sufficiently strong and pure water attribute mana source, and your name came up."

I already knew where this was going.

"The Shen family."

Venesa nodded.

"Exactly. Your family is famous for its water magic, and you have inherited the water attribute from your father. Considering your control over magic and what we have heard about your recent performance, we believe you may be the strongest water mage among the students currently available to us."

I glanced toward Lily.

She nodded immediately.

"That is what we thought as well, Lord Kai."

I sighed inwardly.

Apparently, the incident had made it even harder for me to keep my abilities unnoticed.

Still, this experiment sounded interesting enough, and there was another reason I was willing to consider helping.

"If I agree, what exactly do I need to do?"

"Simply infuse your water attribute mana into the plant," Venesa replied. "However, the important part is that you must do it slowly and maintain a steady flow rather than releasing a large amount at once."

"Why?"

"Because we do not know exactly how much high quality mana its body can absorb yet. A sudden surge could overwhelm it, and we would lose valuable information about its reaction."

That made sense.

I looked at the plant again, considering the situation for a few seconds.

"If I help, what do I get in return?"

Venesa seemed prepared for that question.

"I am not asking you to do this for free. Consider it a favor that I will return in the future, as long as whatever you ask remains within my abilities."

I thought about it for a moment.

There was something I wanted, although I was not particularly interested in asking for money or some other ordinary reward.

Instead, I pointed toward the plant.

"Are you planning to sell these in the future?"

Venesa’s expression changed slightly.

"This particular specimen?"

"Yes."

"No."

She shook her head.

"This is the first of its kind, so it is essentially a prototype and an important part of my research. I have no intention of selling it."

I nodded.

"Then what about future specimens?"

Venesa seemed to understand what I was getting at.

"If I manage to reproduce it successfully and eventually produce enough specimens for commercial use, then yes, I will sell them."

"In that case, I want priority."

She blinked.

"Priority?"

"If you ever begin selling them, I want you to contact me before offering them to other customers."

Venesa considered the request briefly before smiling.

"That’s reasonable. If the research succeeds and Hygroryza Dubia becomes commercially available, you will be the first person I contact."

"Then we have an agreement."

"Agreed."

We shook hands, settling the matter.

Venesa then moved toward the plant and carefully checked the instruments surrounding it before turning back toward me.

"Then we can begin."

I stepped toward the small pot.

"Tell me what to do."

"Just extend your hand toward the plant and release your water attribute mana slowly. Don’t force it into the roots, and don’t try to increase the amount simply because nothing seems to happen at first."

"So I maintain a constant flow."

"Exactly."

Lily moved toward the measuring instruments while Elena remained beside me, watching the strange blue plant with quiet curiosity.

I extended my hand toward Hygroryza Dubia and began gathering my mana.

Unlike the magic I used in combat, there was no need to construct an elaborate spell or compress the mana into a specific shape. I simply allowed a small amount of my water attribute mana to flow outward, keeping the amount controlled and steady as it entered the mana-infused water surrounding the plant’s roots.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then the liquid inside the pot began to ripple.

Venesa immediately looked toward the instruments.

"Something is happening."

I maintained the same pace instead of increasing the flow.

The blue roots of Hygroryza Dubia began to emit a faint glow, and the plant’s stem slowly moved despite there being no wind inside the room.

Elena leaned closer.

"Is it reacting to his mana?"

"It seems so," Venesa replied, her attention completely focused on the measurements.

I continued supplying the mana without changing the pace.

Whatever happened next, I had a feeling this experiment was going to be considerably more interesting than I had initially expected.