Rebecca came back after sending Professor Palmer somewhere. She even locked his lab and kept the key with her to make sure that he wouldn't be able to come in if he sneaked back.
We then headed to the Dragon's Garden using a glass elevator shaped like a capsule. The Dragon's Garden is at the very top of the Dragon Tower, and the only way to get there is through the capsule.
The moment we arrived at the garden, my mouth hanged open in complete awe. The first thing I saw were Jade Vines hanging above us. I craned my neck up just to see the full view of this rare flower endemic to the country, P. The spectacular dangling clusters of shimmering blue, claw-shaped flowers are a sight to behold!
"I heard this plant is luminous at twilight. Is it true?" I asked, excitedly.
"Why don't you wait until twilight and find out for yourself?" Rebecca mischievously answered.
I simply nodded my head, still mesmerized by the sight in front of me. It's better for me to see it for myself.
As we got past the Jade Vine, I noticed the clear glass above us, covering the entire place. Unless you looked closely, the glass appeared to be nonexistent.
"That glass serves as the foundation for regulating the weather in the garden," Rebecca said when she saw where I was looking. "That glass has two layers; the outer layer absorbs sunlight, while the second layer prevents the sunlight from directly hitting certain sections in the garden where extreme light is detrimental to the plants' health."
For a two-layer glass, it looked completely transparent.
Rebacca further added, "In the first section, where we are, the sunlight is allowed to directly hit the plant. In addition, the system simply copies the weather cycle in the academy for this part of the garden. Between the two glass walls is a hollow section where the unusable heat from other sections is recycled and used as extra energy to power the entire Dragon Tower."
This is what happens when people take recycling to the next level.
As we walked around the first section, I saw a lot of rare and endangered tropical plants everywhere. This botanical garden was aesthetically placed as well.
The one that completes the Dragon Tree design that the architects were going for is the Dragon's Garden. The collection of plants within created the illusion of tree leaves that we kept seeing when we looked at the top of the Dragon Tower. How amazing is that!
Various structures were also created to cater to plants that only grow under certain conditions, such as the ghost orchid, which only grows on tree trunks. These structures were created to imitate trees and provide nutrients for the ghost orchid the way a tree does.
The structure also didn't look out of place in the garden. They were created to look as natural as possible.
I couldn't help but commend whoever designed the entire place. The amount of effort they put into design alone is admirable.
The first section is actually located at the very center of the Dragon's Garden. Through the first section, you can access the rest of the sections.
Rebecca didn't give me a tour of the other sections as she thought I might get sick from the sudden temperature changes, as each has a different weather cycle. But she did promise to show me around on different days.
We directly headed to the fourth section that Dr. Palmer assigned for me to take care of. Before you can reach the other section, you must first pass through a small room that can only fit two people. It was done this way so the weather in one section wouldn't affect another. Also, the gear we needed to wear was already in that tiny room.
Looking at the waterproof gardening clothes, I had a rough idea of the weather system that awaits me in the fourth section.
When Rebecca opened the other metal door, the smell of wetness, vegetation, and decaying plants entered my nose. The moist environment of the entire place reminded me of a rain forest. Well, it's technically a man-made rain forest, minus the forest. I put the coat over my head as there is a light drizzle of rain within the section.
"So this is the section that you needed to nurse. The plants here enjoy a hot and moist environment, so the heat of the place should be properly maintained," explained Rebecca. She then brought out a 12 inch tablet that she had been carrying since earlier.
The tablet showed an overview map of the entire garden with the number of sections written on it. She clicked on the one with "Section 4" written on it, and the entire map was replaced with microdata of the specific section. It tells the type of weather system the section has, the number of plants in it, and its current temperature.
Rebecca swiped left, and a list of plant names emerged. She made another swipe, and a panel to control the weather appeared.
At the very center of the screen was the current temperature of the entire area, in Celsius. In the bottom left corner, today's date is written, and on the bottom right, the temperature equivalent in Fahrenheit is also indicated.
"It's really not that hard to maintain the temperature of this place. All you need to remember is that for each month, this area needs to be at specific temperatures. But you really don't need to interfere that much, as the system will automatically reset the weather. This kind of temperature check is more like checking if the system is functioning properly. If ever you see that the section's temperature is wrong, simply click the number at the center and change it to the correct one. However, if the system kept getting the temperature wrong, quickly alert me or Professor Palmer, so we can check what's wrong."
Rebecca explained the other features of the system as well and how to use them so I could maintain the garden correctly. We walked around the section while she kept explaining, and I began to notice the vast number of bugs in the vicinity. This place is probably the bane of everyone who fears bugs.
Hearing Rebecca's explanation, I realized that I was probably overthinking things. It doesn't seem that hard to maintain this place, as most of the harder tasks are done by the system.
But right when I began to feel at ease, Rebecca suddenly said, "Now comes the hardest part."
"..."
"The plants need a thorough check-up once every two weeks to make sure they are growing healthy. You also need to check the soil once a month to make sure that there isn't a loss of nutrients and that the ecosystem within the soil is in perfect balance. There shouldn't be any mistakes in the data you gathered, as you have to upload it yourself. The system will then analyze and make a graph out of the data you uploaded. Furthermore, it will show you a comparison of the recent data with the previous data, so you'll be able to see if there are certain changes that could be a sign of a bigger problem. Afterwards, you need to write a written report from your observation and send it to Dr. Palmer."
I feel a headache coming. It's like I suddenly felt dizzy. How... why..? We aren't even on the fundamentals of botany yet! Despite that, that darn professor is making me collect plant data... ON MY OWN!
"Supposedly, I was to slowly introduce this to you, the way I did with the others. But he told me that you have to manage this entire section on your own. I don't even know what got into his mind, when he decided to do this? It's not like he doesn't know how important every plant in this garden is!" Rebecca almost screamed in frustration. "Not like I don't trust that you'd do well," she said when she realized she had slightly insulted my capabilities. "It's just that giving you the entire section right away is a little..."
Rebecca can't help but heave a deep sigh. I really understand where she's coming from. I myself don't trust me. I mean, I simply passed the trial because I've read thousands and thousands of books.
Professor Palmer was right; I lack practical experience. The only experience I had was planting a vegetable garden in my previous school and that one research experiment we did in senior high. Well, we did get awarded as the best researchers for our research. But that was like easy mode on level one! This is straight up level 100 hard mode!
Yet, despite knowing my lack of experience, Professor Palmer decided that I should be handling an entire area of land filled with rare and endangered plants. Whoever does that?! Does he even know that I'm still a freshman?
"Anyways, if you need anything, or if you're having any trouble, just feel free to approach me, okay?" Rebecca said, tapping my shoulder to reassure me.
But I can see that she isn't really worried about me. She's more worried about the plants that might possibly die in my hands. I understand her. I'm also worried. I just hope that I won't go to prison for killing the only remaining family of an already extinct species. If that happens, I'll push all the blame on Professor Palmer.