A Person on Terra, Unable to Read

"Your Majesty! We believe you!"

At this moment, several old Sarkaz in the crowd shouted again, as if afraid he wouldn't notice. "Your Majesty! We've been here for decades, always following Old Wenk's methods!"

"We refiners are also using Old Wenk's methods!"

"I... also believe, you are the best proof."

Theresica said solemnly to Old Wenk, "This mine now belongs to me. I appoint you as the technician of this mine. I hope you can promote your experience."

Kal'tsit once said that Originium bugs are creatures universally present on Terra, and their habitats are directly related to Originium. Their history of coexisting with Originium might even be longer than the evolutionary history of many intelligent species on Terra today. It's possible that their bodies have evolved substances that protect their flesh.

"Your Majesty... I can't fight... Is it still useful?"

Upon hearing this, the old Sarkaz suddenly knelt on the ground and cried. Theresica quickly helped him up. "It's useful! The time you've experienced is the greatest treasure! You are not only the technician here, but I also want to entrust you with raising Originium bugs to provide the raw materials for this protective measure. Can you do it well?"

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will definitely do it well!"

His old and withered body erupted with a resonant voice at this moment.

Afterward, dividing the Originium bug breeding areas and allocating construction materials and personnel, even with the assistance of the Absolutionist and the Banshee, it took a long time to sort things out.

It couldn't be helped that a king and two tribal leaders were personally involved in this. Shining could only swing her sword and use Originium Arts, and most of the others were still illiterate!

"You've all worked hard today."

Theresica smiled sheepishly. He didn't have the airs of a superior, but that didn't mean others didn't. The two tribal leaders were wearing dignified and exquisite attire. However, he had been solely focused on the mine today and hadn't noticed this, leaving both of them looking disheveled.

"Executing your will."

The two bowed and said. The actions of this young king today were all aimed at making the Sarkaz better, and they understood this in their hearts. At the very least, the mine's profits would no longer be siphoned off by outsiders.

"Your Majesty."

"Please speak."

"Your decision is incredibly correct, but what about that old man's words?"

The Absolutionist asked cautiously, "The powder of Originium bugs... slows down infection... I can't connect it."

"There's no need to be so cautious. This kind of thing has never happened before, so it's normal to have doubts."

Theresica wasn't accustomed to this feeling. He was more used to his counselor pointing things out to him. He said, "Whether the powder of Originium bugs is effective or not is actually irrelevant. If it is, then that's naturally the best. If not, it's just for peace of mind. Besides, building an Originium bug farm won't waste much. They can also serve as natural Originium purifiers."

This was partly thanks to the biological knowledge Kal'tsit had forced upon him. Originium bugs could be satisfied with just a few scraps of raw Originium ore. Most of the impurities would be absorbed by the bugs, and the Originium component would concentrate on their backs.

In short, no loss! But can the powder of Originium bugs really not slow down infection? It has been passed down as a method, so there must be a reason for it.

Returning to the royal residence, Theresica kicked open Warfarin's door without delay.

"Warfarin, can the powder of Originium bugs, when made into protective gear, reduce the harm of Originium to people?"

"Huh? How is that possible?!"

Warfarin, who was lying on the floor playing games while eating snacks, casually rolled over. After swallowing the snack in her mouth, she asked in surprise, "Where did you hear such nonsense... Wait, you smell like Originium ore. Did you go to the mine?"

"Yes, I heard it from an old Sarkaz who had worked in a mine for decades."

Theresica recounted Old Wenk's method in detail to Warfarin. "I saw that the Originium crystals on his body were indeed much smaller than others. The miners who used the same method as him were all decades older. Apart from this group, there were no miners of such advanced age."

"The size of surface Originium crystals does not effectively reflect a person's infection symptoms. There are many internal infection lesions, on organs, which are invisible. That old thing Kal'tsit didn't teach you properly when she was teaching you."

Warfarin sat up, her usual laziness from gaming suddenly vanishing. A scholarly composure emanated from her.

"But the age of the miners you mentioned... that is quite peculiar. Sarkaz inherently have better Originium affinity. According to reason, under the same working conditions, they should be the shortest-lived miners on all of Terra. Living for decades... I haven't seen that in other countries, hmm..."

Warfarin pondered for a long time, then lay back down, "It's an interesting research topic, but Kazdel lacks instruments, laboratories, and reliable teams to figure out the reason."

"An interesting topic? Does that mean this thing still has the potential to reduce the harm of Originium?"

Theresica's eyes regained some spirit. If this method was feasible, it would be a stroke of luck. If it could be combined with inhibitor drugs, then they could confidently increase Originium production.

"Uh... perhaps, but there's nothing here, so I wouldn't dare to speak carelessly."

The lazy aura returned to Warfarin. She tossed him a controller, "Relax a bit. Thinking about these things now is meaningless."

"Ah! If only we had a complete medical system and research facilities."

Theresica sighed and picked up the controller, pressing the select button. He wanted to switch games, but the screen didn't respond.

"What's wrong? Is the controller broken? It was working fine just now."

Warfarin tried it again and tossed another one over, but he still couldn't get it to respond.

"Hmm? What's going on?"

Warfarin looked over curiously, and Theresica also looked puzzled. What was wrong with his hands today? These things weren't cheap!

He quickly disassembled the controller and carefully examined the Originium components inside. Then, he suddenly looked at the tiny smudges under his fingernails, his eyes slowly widening.

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Chapter 10: Removing Impurities

It is common knowledge on Terra that Originium infects objects that come into prolonged contact with it, eroding their tissues.

All energy-consuming equipment on Terra uses the energy of Originium. To ensure the normal operation of this equipment, Originium components are encapsulated as quickly as possible after installation. This is because if even a tiny impurity falls onto a component, the Originium's energy will slowly erode it over time. As its own energy transfers and dissipates, it generates a large amount of deposited impurities, leading to component failure.

"Shining! Summon all the guards! Quickly! Immediately!"

It was already late at night, but shouts could be heard from the royal residence. Theresica, looking at the hastily assembled guards before him, didn't feel like saying much and immediately gave the order.

"Everyone, go catch Originium bugs! As many as possible!"

The warriors' faces were filled with bewilderment, but their long-trained obedience made them respond in unison: "Yes!"

Warfarin, rushing out of her room, looked at Theresica with confusion. "What are you doing? Making so many people unable to rest?"

"An experiment."

"Where did Kazdel get a laboratory and equipment?!"

Warfarin's confusion deepened. "Inaccurate data is useless."

"But as long as the error is within the required standard, it should be fine."

Theresica laughed with excitement. "I just need to know yes or no, whether these two distinct contrasts exist."

The Royal Guards, holding torches, captured a large number of Originium bugs near Kazdel. They bound a batch of Acidic Originium bugs alive, and the rest of the Originium bugs were handed over to the miners to remove the Originium crystals and outer shells before being brought back as corpses.

Looking at the pile of messy things before him, Theresica ordered a servant to set up a large pot, throw the Originium bug corpses into it, cook them, then take them out and remove all the flesh and skin, and finally smash the shells into small pieces.

Warfarin watched from the side, completely bewildered. She couldn't understand what this kid was up to, or what results an experiment conducted in this environment could yield.

However, she didn't make any move that would cause interference; this was her respect for the act of experimentation.

After obtaining a large pile of Originium bug shell fragments, Theresica began to collect and pack them, muttering as if reciting.

"Remove impurities... they're either heat-resistant or acid/alkali-resistant. But heat can only remove so much, while acid/alkali removal is more effective..."

"Wait!"

Warfarin suddenly spoke up. "You want to use the Acidic Originium bugs to purify this pile of remains...?"

"Yes."

Theresica nodded, turning to look back and was surprised to find that Warfarin had already put on her protective gear.

"Let me do it. Acid isn't something to play with. You go to the side, and I'll handle the operation."

"Oh, oh... alright."

He obediently moved aside. Warfarin was a professional, and it was indeed more reliable to leave it to her. But to have him direct... an outsider directing a seasoned professional?

Theresica briefly explained a few things, and Warfarin completely understood his intentions. She first prepared the acid extracted from the mouthparts of the Acidic Originium bugs, then poured it into the mixing pot little by little, starting with the highest concentration, and stirred it with the Originium bug shells. Finally, she added a solution of pure alkali to begin the neutralization.

After repeated rinsing, a pile of black residue was placed before Theresica.

"Is this it?" Warfarin looked at the pile of things suspiciously. "What if it removes the very thing you want?"

"Then we'll try again."

Theresica directly used Originium Arts to dry the residue and grind it finely into powder. Then he found 10 pieces of fresh meat of roughly the same size, wrapped them tightly and evenly with the black powder using fine cloth, and bound them together with high-purity Originium blocks.

In addition to these, he also found several pieces of fresh meat of similar size, wrapped them tightly with the same fine cloth, and also bound them together with high-purity Originium blocks.

"Each of you, responsible for catalyzing one Originium."

Theresica found a Royal Guard for each experimental sample. The spontaneous dissipation of Originium energy is an extremely slow process, but if someone were to inject energy into the Originium ore in reverse, this process could be accelerated!

The night was deep, but Theresica couldn't sleep. He was eager to see the results.

Originium energy is not electrical energy; it doesn't get interfered with by conductive materials as quickly as a circuit. Its malfunction is a long process. And initially, the debris between his fingers fell into the Originium component through the handle's gap, causing no material proliferation, yet immediately affecting the operation of the Originium energy.

This made him immediately realize a surprising possibility and he immediately took action.

After Warfarin understood Theresica's sudden motive, she quickly picked up the disassembled handle and observed it carefully. After a long silence, she said.

"Now I understand why that old fossil Kal'tsit kept talking to Theresia."

"Talking about what?" he asked curiously.

"That old fossil often pestered Theresia, asking her to pull you out of this mansion, saying it was a waste for you to just eat, drink, and play all day... Well, the experiment design is good."

Warfarin said sincerely, "Although the process is truly absurd, it has yielded the correct results. I don't even know how to describe it."

"Really, hahaha..."

Theresica smiled sheepishly.

The sun slowly rose from the horizon. The Royal Guards had been replaced several times, and the catalysis of Originium had not stopped.

Finally, Theresica ordered the catalysis of Originium to stop. After Warfarin put on her personal protective gear, she carefully cut open each cloth bundle.

Some were already full of Originium-like impurities, and some had been largely consumed by the Originium. However, the erosion of the meat wrapped in the black powder by the Originium was significantly less than that of the meat simply wrapped in cloth.

"Yaha—This is great!"

Warfarin hugged him excitedly. Theresica let out a sigh of relief. Although the experiment was successful, the motivation behind initiating it was entirely his own wishful thinking.

Since undergoing the succession ceremony, he felt that things around him seemed a little different. For example, with a chair he had been using for a long time, he could inexplicably sense where to hit it with the least force to destroy it, and where it was the hardest to hit someone else.

When he carefully examined the Originium component in the handle where the Originium bug powder had fallen, he found that most of the material could be used to defend against acid, alkali, and high temperatures. So he immediately decided to use acid to purify this substance.

With a smile on his face, Theresica walked aside alone and contacted the Absolutionist via fixed communication.

"Your Majesty, you..."

"The Feline from that mine... Andrew, does he still have Sarkaz relatives?"

"His parents passed away long ago. I attended the funeral in place of Lord Theresica, Your Majesty."

"Then... please wait a moment."

Theresica pressed the receiver down, taking deep breaths. He was surprised himself why he suddenly thought of this person, and why he had that kind of thought.

After contemplating alone for a while, he reconnected with the waiting Absolutionist. "Can he still be found now?"

"Your Majesty, although he used a personal landship, he is surrounded by vast deserts. He cannot reach any city directly. He must resupply at refugee settlements, which leaves a trail."

"I see... Have him... killed. Bring back the body."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Chapter 11: Disguise

Early morning, in the Royal Court of the Sarkaz, under Theresica's summons, leaders and key personnel from all Sarkaz tribes were present.

"The situation is unusual, so an emergency meeting has been called on short notice."

Theresica looked at the Absolutionist and asked, "How is the personnel information registration going?"

"Most of it has been completed, but it hasn't been verified."

The Absolutionist handed over a rough list. Theresica casually flipped through it and immediately wore a pained expression.

The proportion of young and middle-aged people is very low, and there are many illiterate people... Ah! What a mess this is!

"Can't worry about that anymore, just use it for now."

Theresica gritted his teeth and ordered, "Recruit miners and purification workers from the unemployed residents. Provide food according to the soldiers' standards, and then gather some Sarkaz women who know how to sew clothes. They are to report to Warfarin and follow her instructions to quickly produce Originium protective gear and distribute it to every miner and purification worker."

"Originium protective gear?"