Lynn felt a rare sense of guilt. He coughed lightly and nudged Klein beside him.
Klein also realized they might have opened a door they shouldn't have, glanced at him before taking a deep breath and resignedly turning to Frank, saying, "Mr. Frank, I can understand your excitement right now, but could you please listen to the rest of my request?"
No matter what, they needed to stop his mad fantasy first.
"My apologies, I got carried away. I should think about these things back in the lab," Frank immediately regained his composure, though his face was still flushed, clearly from the high-speed mental activity that had left him somewhat oxygen-deprived.
He then enthusiastically looked at Klein and said, "Go ahead, German. What would you like to entrust to me?"
His tone made it seem like German had become his lifelong friend.
"Ahem, well, I'd like to commission you to study a plant that can grow in darkness…" Klein briefly described the type of plant he needed. "As for the payment, I can offer you a Druid Beyonder characteristic."
Of course, Klein didn't have the Druid characteristic on hand at the moment, but he knew that Silver City possessed it. Given the Chief's personality, they would likely be willing to trade such characteristics with The Fool.
Still, as he said this, Klein couldn't shake a vague sense of unease. It wasn't for any specific reason, just a thought—'Is it really a good idea to help Frank become a Druid?'
'No, I can't think like that. Even if his ideas are a bit eccentric, he is still just a mid-sequence Beyonder.' The Fool consoled himself, suppressing the unease that had inexplicably arisen.
"A Druid characteristic!" Frank's eyes lit up even more. At that moment, he looked like he was ready to give Klein a hug. "German, you're truly a good friend! Rest assured, I'll do everything I can to complete your commission…"
Excitement aside, Frank was a professional researcher, and he quickly began asking for details—such as the specific type of darkness, whether there was any light at all or just limited sunlight, and what kind of water supply there would be. He even asked if there were other relevant factors to consider.
Naturally, Klein shared everything he could, even mentioning the potential presence of various monsters in the dark environment.
"According to your description, it will indeed be tricky to grow edible plants in such conditions. No wonder you're entrusting this to me," Frank said as he thought aloud.
"However, I already have some ideas. Perhaps we can use those monsters as nutrients to help mushrooms grow, but if we're using their flesh, we'll need to deal with the madness and toxins that come with it. I'll have to think of a solution for that, too. Speed of growth will also be important. If the cultivable area is small, the plants will need to grow fast enough. I'll also need to figure out how to solve the breeding issue…"
As he muttered to himself, his pupils gradually lost focus again, he was clearly beginning to imagine all sorts of experiments in his mind.
"Ahem, if breeding is the issue, perhaps this could provide you with a small bit of help," Lynn lightly coughed before discreetly pulling out a werewolf characteristic from his space equipment. It was the one he had obtained from the Sharron's pursuers, which had been used to contact the Mother Goddess of Depravity.
After the incident, the characteristic had undoubtedly become further tainted with the aura of the Mother Goddess of Depravity. However, thanks to Lynn's own powers, all the corruption had been contained within the characteristic. Simply researching it wouldn't bring any corruption but would instead provide a boost to one's rationality.
Regardless of the changes the characteristic had undergone, one thing was clear—it now carried the aura of the Mother Goddess, which imparted a sense of life and fertility, making it an ideal material for Frank to study.
"This characteristic…" Being a knowledgeable individual, Frank couldn't tear his eyes away from the werewolf characteristic the moment he laid eyes on it. Nearly trembling with eagerness, he took it from Lynn, gazing at it as though it were a priceless treasure. "Oh, Mother of the Sky, such a powerful aura of fertility. This is exactly what I need…"
Klein, who had also recognized what the characteristic was, couldn't help but glance at Lynn, his eyes questioning: 'Is this okay? Isn't it a bit too dangerous?'
Even though Klein wasn't aware of the existence of Outer Gods, he at least knew that the characteristic seemed connected to the Mother Goddess of Depravity, a sinister deity responsible for the downfall of both Roselle and Mr. Door. In Klein's mind, the Mother Goddess had long been ranked among the ultimate villains, so it was only natural for him to feel concerned.
Lynn, however, gave him a reassuring look: 'Don't worry, it's fine!'
Honestly, Lynn wasn't worried in the slightest about Frank getting corrupted by the Mother Goddess' aura.
First of all, Frank was already a unique individual. It wasn't just the wild theories from the original timeline, but when he first met Frank, he could sense that the man might indeed be connected to something extraordinary.
Whether it was an Outer God or the aura of the Brood Hive, he wasn't entirely sure. He would need to use his cheat-like powers to closely examine Frank's soul to be certain, but one thing was undeniable—Frank wouldn't be corrupted by a small bit of the Mother Goddess' power.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly—would the Mother Goddess even dare to corrupt anyone using this werewolf characteristic?
After all, the last time the Mother Goddess had attempted to interfere through this characteristic, he had essentially "called" her, resulting in an explosion.
He had no doubt that if the Mother Goddess sensed the werewolf characteristic again, she'd curse and flee!
Lastly, the werewolf characteristic had already been tainted by his powers. While his True Self isn't present, he could still control that power, which meant that the Mother Goddess couldn't sneak in to corrupt anyone unless he permitted it. If something went wrong, he would know immediately.
That's why Lynn felt completely at ease giving Frank the werewolf characteristic to study. His only concern was whether or not Frank, after getting some power-ups, would end up accidentally creating a world-ending mushroom.
'Hmm, that shouldn't happen, right? At least Cattleya is watching him…' Lynn glanced at her with a look full of hope.
Somehow, she accurately received the message behind Lynn's gaze: …
'If you know Frank is dangerous, why give him something this perilous to study in the first place?!'
For a typically calm and mature person, she found her patience wearing thin when dealing with these two seniors.
(End of Chapter)
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