Xiao Lin was unconvinced that he could increase the XP for his basic skills just by sleeping. He guessed that it was something else, but he did not dare confirm it. He looked at Song Junlang with a doubtful gaze.
Department Head Song was more anxious than Xiao Lin was. He asked, "What? Did your attribute points increase? How much of an increase was there?"
Xiao Lin nodded. "A two-point increase for Physique, and my Basic Fitness is now Level 2."
"Hahaha! It worked!" Song Junlang nearly jumped from excitement. He was beaming.
"Department Head Song, as your lab rat, I think I deserve an explanation," Xiao Lin said helplessly.
"Haha, fine. There's no harm in telling you." Song Junlang rubbed his hands as he contemplated where to begin.
Seeing that the happy department head had yet to find a way to tell the story, Xiao Lin reminded him, "Was it the chicken?"
Song Junlang found his way into the story. "That's right, it's the hybridized iron comb chicken! How do I say this; you'll learn in your future classes that, although Planet Norma is similar to Earth in many ways with regards to air composition and its lifeforms, they're still two different worlds. The first Explorers of Planet Norma did not realize this, and they quickly found a huge problem: the physicality of most people on Earth aren't adapted to Planet Norma!"
Song Junlang paused for a moment before speaking. "For example, you've read time-traveling novels, haven't you? When a person from ancient times travels to modern society, how long do you think they'd live?"
Xiao Lin understood. "I've read about this. If someone ancient does travel here, modern society's bacteria and viruses will kill him. Even a small flu could be life-threatening to him."
"That's right! It's the same on Earth. We're trying to go to another planet, and it's a planet with more complicated lifeforms. On top of that, their physiques are usually better than those on Earth. Truth be told, the first batch of Explorers over there should deliberate how to survive rather than migrating people there!"
Xiao Lin replied, "But now we've probably solved the problem. I heard the Academy's already been there for over a century, so there must be lots of people who've been to the New World."
Song Junlang forced a smile. "Do you know why they usually disallow freshmen to go to the New World? Even for sophomores, only a handful of them get the chance to go."
"Is it because we're not strong enough?"
"Something like that. Your physique is too weak. According to the Explorers' experiments, one would need to achieve Black Iron Level; that's the minimum requirement. Truth be told, there are many places on Planet Norma where the environment is worse than you can imagine. For example, there is a swamp full of poison and a volcanic landscape full of sulfur. These places have a lot of precious resources, but there are also dangerous alien groups. If you want to get into these places, you'll have to be stronger than ever."
Xiao Lin nodded. "I understand. The differences in the two environments make it necessary for us to have stronger basic attributes in order to adapt, but what does this have to do with the iron comb chicken increasing my XP?"
"There's a lot to do with it!" Song Junlang was elated. "In order to help us adapt to Planet Norma's environment, the Explorers made it a requirement that only those with Black Iron Level can get in, but why don't we think about this the other way around? The native species on Planet Norma have already adapted to the environment there. Even a snake has a stronger physique than ordinary humans. Why don't we get more help from these creatures instead?"
Xiao Lin was deep in thought before coming to a realization. "Food therapy?"
"That's right! Food therapy, just like in Chinese medicine!" Department Head Song was so excited to see someone understand what he meant.
In Chinese medicine, it was generally believed that food was an edible substance that provided the human body with various nutrients needed for growth and health. The use of food characteristics to regulate bodily functions in order to prevent diseases and strengthen bodies was known as food therapy.
Xiao Lin understood it instantly. This logistics department head was increasing their basic attribute points through food therapy, but he was using resources from Planet Norma.
"I still don't understand one thing; why hybridization?" Xiao Lin looked at the logistics department head. He could not help but picture hybridization between a chicken and a bird. It would probably take him some time to get rid of this conditioning.
Song Junlang said frustratedly, "When I first conducted this research, I used species straight from Planet Norma. Of course, they were all low-level creatures like chickens, ducks, cats, and dogs. However, freshmen who ate them ended up producing a repellency, and not only did their basic attributes not increase, they were ill for a long time. Thankfully, their lives were not in danger."
"Thankfully, their lives were not in danger…" Xiao Lin mumbled to himself in frustration. He lifted his brow and asked, "So was I your lab rat, like all the other freshmen were?"
Song Junlang said confidently, "Relax, ever since that experiment failed, I've been looking for ways to reduce this repellency, and I landed on hybridization. Its effects are greatly reduced, and the repellency will not be as strong as it was back then. It's definitely not dangerous; at most, the effects will be just like what you experienced. One would just experience a little pain and fall asleep for a few days."
Xiao Lin said frustratedly, "Easy for you to say! A little pain? Do you know how excruciating that was? I wanted to kill myself! If this is the level of repellency for hybridized species, I can't imagine the pain those who ate the native species endured!"
Department Head Song sighed. "I know, the repellency is still great. With my previous failures, this hybridized species will definitely not get past the student union's review. I'll have to continue modifying it."
"How could the student union still let you continue your research?" Xiao Lin was shocked. After failing the first experiment, why was this guy's farm not shut down already?
"Someone high-ranked is looking after me!"
Xiao Lin's eyes twitched. He asked, "Why don't you look for seniors to experiment on? Their basic attributes are stronger than us freshmen; they should be able to handle the repellency from the food therapy."
Song Junlang shook his head. "The food therapy's aim is to help freshmen grow quicker. For recruits above the Black Iron Level, their physiques are already at the required level for Planet Norma. Food therapy would barely have any effect on them."
Department Head Song paused before joking, "But of course, if I used higher-level species, like dragon meat or something, it would definitely affect the seniors. However, getting something like that is about as hard as getting the S-grade in your exams. You've gone through the admissions test, you should know how hard it is to get the S-grade. Haha, speaking of which, what was your grade for that test anyway?"
"I was graded S."
Song Junlang was silent for a while. His lips twitched, and he got up to walk toward the window. He looked out at the scenery and laughed, "Nice weather today. Let's take a walk outside!"