The enormous corpse of the Painful Bloodthirsty Apostle had swollen from soaking in the sea of blood, and its earlier fragrance had completely vanished.
Then, like meat and bones stewed until tender in a pot, it came apart and slowly dissolved into the filthy soup of blood.
By then, everyone had finished their work and gathered at the base of the tower.
Shubika asked Shizuku to use Evil Tenderfoot to store the jars of fresh flesh she had extracted, so she could study and analyze them later, once she had the proper equipment.
Shizuku did as she was asked.
Nothing stored inside her Evil Tenderfoot had shown any sign of spoiling so far. No one knew how it worked, but it could certainly be used as a portable pantry.
The group counted up what they had harvested this time, and Biscuit recorded the results.
"Seventy-five plants. That's thirty-three fewer than the 108 last time."
Biscuit tapped the open notebook with the tip of her pen and pursed her lips.
"My guess is that the Painful Bloodthirsty Apostle has a 'growth cycle.' It had only just been born from the vortex in the sea of blood, so it could yield only this many Healing Herbs."
"When it's mature, or close to mature, we should be able to harvest more than a hundred Healing Herbs. That's probably its maximum yield."
Everyone listened quietly, yet they couldn't shake the feeling that they were standing in an orchard, greenhouse, or field.
Had the core of the Plant Weapon disaster—the Painful Bloodthirsty Apostle—really become a crop to be harvested once it ripened?
They first put the Healing Herbs into transparent jars, then Shizuku swallowed them all in one gulp with Evil Tenderfoot.
Biscuit snapped her notebook shut, then turned to Gelman.
"All right. Tell us