Chapter 7: Metaphysical Methods |
Later that same day.
Li Nuo stood the bed planks against the wall, clearing an open space in the center of the room.
All the materials required for the simulation were gathered and arranged in the center of the floor.
Insect-repellent spices bought from a roadside stall were placed around the materials.
He lit the spices, and the faint aroma of insect repellent drifted through the air.
Illuminated by the bluish-white glow of the Promethium Lamp, the room was thick with smoke, shifting shadows, and a hazy light, lending the shabby living space an air of mystery.
The setup looked remarkably like a ritual site, and Li Nuo, dressed in a clean set of clothes, looked every bit like the master of ceremonies.
Fine, he admitted it.
In another world where deities existed, he had decided to try his hand at the metaphysical.
Standing right in front of the simulation materials, Li Nuo narrowed his eyes slightly and gazed at the water mine with a solemn expression.
"From the ravages of starvation, edible mushrooms deliver us.
"From the assault of pathogens, penicillin purifies us.
"From the rejection of organ transplants, Trichoderma polysporum shields us.
"From the devastation of crops by pests, Beauveria bassiana defends us.
"In the struggle of biological pest control, trichodermin shelters us."
Li Nuo paused for half a second. Summoning the simulation interface with his mind, he silently recited his "prayer" while issuing commands to the system.
"Touch the system interface once! Prepare culture media and nutrient solutions containing alcohol, then isolate the fungal strains.
"Touch the system interface twice! Begin cultivation, subjecting the experimental samples to direct sunlight!
"Touch the system interface three times! Spray fungicides and antibiotics to eliminate bacterial contamination, and praise the Mushroom Farm!"
System notifications flashed across the screen in rapid succession.
[Day 1: You used a culture medium and nutrient solution containing alcohol to cultivate the strain. The light intensity is 400 lux. Regardless of whether visible contamination appears, you apply fungicides and antibiotics to the samples once daily.]
[Day 2: Half of the samples lost viability; the remaining half survived the ordeal.]
[Day 6: Only a quarter of the samples survived, with the rest losing viability entirely. Fruiting bodies have appeared on the surviving samples. You turned off the direct sunlight, raised the relative humidity of the air to 95%, and regularly hydrated the fruiting bodies.]
[Day 7: The vast majority of the surviving samples became contaminated by wild bacteria. The fungicides and antibiotics had no effect on them. You isolated the contaminated cultivation bags. Fortunately, a single sample remained completely unharmed and is thriving.]
Only one sample survived!
Li Nuo's heart skipped a beat, and he held his breath without realizing it.
[Day 10: The sole surviving sample grew to standard dimensions. You harvested it, obtaining 1 water mine free of bacterial contamination or toxicity.]
[Simulation ended.]
[Simulation formula recorded.]
[Congratulations on your successful cultivation.]
[Do you wish to consume all materials required for the simulation to obtain 1 domesticated water mine?]
"Holy shit, it actually worked?!"
Unbelievable!
Li Nuo rubbed his eyes and stared at the system interface again.
Yes!
It really had succeeded!
Li Nuo trembled with excitement, checking the simulation log over and over again as if witnessing a grand miracle.
As a professional, he knew all too well just how absurd this simulation procedure had been—calling it unconventional would be an understatement.
Alcohol denatures proteins in bacteria and fungi, acting as a sterilizing agent.
The ultraviolet rays in sunlight damage the DNA structure of microorganisms, killing off stray bacteria and fungi or severely suppressing their growth.
A dual assault of alcohol and UV radiation kills bacteria and fungi indiscriminately, and the mycelium of a water mine was definitely on that hit list.
And that wasn't even all.
In this simulation, Li Nuo had specifically commanded the system to douse the samples with fungicides and antibiotics every single day.
Throwing every lethal method into the mix would have been enough to kill a person, yet one single sample had withstood the devastation of alcohol and UV rays, endured the torment of fungicides, antibiotics, and wild bacteria, and emerged as the lone survivor.
My god, this is insane. Did the surviving sample turn on cheat codes or something?
Li Nuo felt his scientific common sense being shattered to pieces by the fungi of the Warhammer world.
As expected of the Warhammer universe—even the fungi here were tough enough to survive hell.
Still, now wasn't the time to pop champagne or get emotional; there was plenty left to do.
Pressing a hand to his heaving chest, Li Nuo forced himself to calm down.
"I confirm consuming the simulation materials to claim the simulation results."
Most of the materials on the floor vanished.
[Fungal Storage updated.]
[Added 1 domesticated water mine.]
Li Nuo pointed toward the remaining materials that the system hadn't consumed and instructed:
"Begin simulated cultivation of the domesticated water mine. Collect the strain and place it into separate cultivation bags. This time, use culture media and nutrient solutions without alcohol, keeping the ingredient proportions consistent with my very first water mine simulation."
[Cultivation subject, culture medium, and nutrient solution configured.]
[Please set the simulation parameters.]
Li Nuo narrowed his eyes, thinking rapidly.
The domesticated water mine had demonstrated extraordinary biological tenacity and clearly possessed resistance to ultraviolet radiation.
In that case, he might as well try cultivating it in a lit environment—there might be a pleasant surprise.
"Standard atmospheric pressure, room temperature 20 degrees Celsius, relative humidity 80%, light intensity 200 lux, moderate ventilation."
[Simulation parameters configured.]
[Beginning simulation.]
[Day 1: You completed the inoculation.]
[...]
[Day 3: The strains grew to standard dimensions. You harvested them, obtaining 15 domesticated water mines.]
[Simulation formula recorded.]
[Do you wish to consume the materials to obtain the simulation results?]
A harvest in just three days!
This growth rate would be enough to make my old academic advisor pass out from shock.
Li Nuo gave the panel a thumbs-up, thoroughly approving of the water mine's rapid growth.
"Confirm consuming materials to obtain the simulation results."
[Fungal Storage updated.]
[Added 15 domesticated water mines.]
Li Nuo raised his hand, using his mind to withdraw 1 water mine.
A round, plump white sphere appeared in his palm, roughly seven centimeters in diameter.
Giving it a gentle squeeze, Li Nuo felt a clear, springy elasticity. The smooth, slick texture against his fingertips felt very much like white jelly fungus.
Inspecting it carefully, he was quite satisfied with the water mine's new appearance.
Wild water mines were pitch-black and unappetizing to look at.
This domesticated water mine was pristine and white, looking just like a peeled hard-boiled egg with top-tier aesthetics.
He just didn't know if its water-storage capacity had been weakened by the domestication process.
"Analyze fungus."
[Name: Domesticated water mine]
[Analysis Results:]
[A peculiar fungal organism free of bacterial contamination or toxicity. It feeds on pure water, proteins, and air, with carbon dioxide as its primary metabolic byproduct.]
[The jelly-like substance on its surface possesses extreme hydrophilicity. The inner membrane of the gel prevents water evaporation and blocks wild bacteria and toxic substances, thereby allowing pure water to be stored for extended periods.]
Incredible, absolutely incredible.
The white water mine's water-storage capacity hadn't dropped at all, and it could even serve as a long-term storage container for pure water.
It was well worth spending nearly a hundred ration cards on all those materials.
Li Nuo squeezed the water mine firmly.
Pure water trickled out, streaming down through his fingers.
He caught the stream of water with his mouth.
The water was crystal clear and pure, tasting as refreshing as divine nectar and leaving him deeply satisfied.
Good, excellent, fantastic. My drinking water problem is completely solved at last. The risk of getting sick just dropped dramatically!
Li Nuo squeezed every last drop of pure water out of the water mine, drinking his fill.
Squeezed dry, the water mine shrank down to the size of a glass marble.
After a moment's thought, Li Nuo decided to give it a new name.
"The name 'water mine' sounds punchy enough, but it lacks refinement. From today onward, you'll be called the Water-ball Fungus."
[Fungal panel updated.]
Li Nuo looked around the room, his gaze sweeping over the drifting smoke with a wide smile on his face.
Praise mycology, and praise the Mushroom Farm system~
Once I get the bioluminescent fungi Lai Ya is bringing over, I can start tackling the lighting problem.
For now, I should head over to the tobacco factory and scout out the situation—no telling what the selection exam is actually going to test.
