Three Elements

Just as Lute had guessed, compared to the technology on the Cat-ear ships themselves, the Cat Ear Spaceship were worthless scrap metal to the Swarm.

The experiment was quickly launched.

Rowan conducted numerous tests to understand the development of Intellect, which provided him with a wealth of experience.

The three essential elements for producing Intellect are land, Seed, and nutrients.

First and foremost are nutrients; nutrients and Seed complement each other.

The history of the Riken Race is far longer than that of the Rat-folk; compared to them, the Rat-folk can only be considered a nascent civilization. From this perspective, the wisdom nurtured by such a well-established civilization must certainly meet the standards.

And the Seed nurtured by this wisdom should be of good quality.

The best Seed Rowan has ever seen is Sarah, the first generation of Rat-folk queen. Her mental body is exceptionally superior, and her ability to receive information is stronger. Most Intellect go through an adaptation process and fall into a coma after being implanted with memories, but she shows no reaction.

Although this was the only advantage Rowan had discovered about her, he was sure it wouldn't be limited to that. As his abilities grew and he became more familiar with her, he would undoubtedly discover even more from her.

But this is just an isolated case.

However, in terms of "nourishment," the Riken Race, nurtured by a more profound and ancient civilization, may be of a higher average quality than the Rat-folk.

The Seed and nutrients are not the problem; the Riken Race want to become the productive material for Intellect, but they are stuck on the most basic thing: "The land".

Their bodies had no connection to the Swarm.

However, this problem is relatively easy for the current Swarm to solve.

Rowan's proudest creation was not the Rat-folk, nor the queen bee, but the Creep.

Creep are aggregates of multiple genes; they are all-encompassing and highly compatible.

Electromagnetic Cannon, Bio-ship, and External Incubation Chamber are all derivatives of it; almost every unit in the Swarm is now related to it to some extent.

Therefore, by implanting Creep cells into the bodies of the Riken Race, it is possible to gradually transform them into suitable "soil".

Rowan had previously conducted similar experiments with many wild animals, all of which were successful. Unfortunately, they were all ultimately stuck at the point of lacking Seed and nutrients, unable to become the production material for Intellect.

The transformation process went very smoothly, with only a few failures and the loss of some materials. The "soil" was gradually transformed into the right conditions, and the Seed, nourished by nutrients, grew vigorously.

A year later, the Seed matured and were harvested.

Thus, the first Intellect of the Riken Race was born.

Subsequently, the number of Riken Race Intellect increased by two every half month, which was exactly the frequency at which Regi remembered the crew members being taken away.

Although they were very successful, Rowan still saw some minor flaws in their work.

Firstly, during the process of "soil" modification, the Creep cells in their bodies can be detected, and with the technology of the Riken Race, this is easy to discover.

This makes it impossible to secretly use Creep cells to modify the Riken Race.

However, once the modification is complete and the Seed is transformed into an Intellect, the Swarm can use its previous body as a template to produce a new body.

This new body was exactly the same as his body before it was modified by the Creep cells; there was absolutely no difference. This gave Rowan some ideas at that time.

It was precisely because of these plans that a second minor flaw emerged.

The problem is that the transformation of the "soil" takes too long; allowing the Creep cells to slowly transform the Riken Race would take nearly a year. This situation makes Rowan's plan almost impossible to implement.

Therefore, how to quickly ripen the "Seed" became Rowan Wen's next research topic.

The Riken Race materials became precious, as they are resources that cannot be regenerated in a short period of time. Even if Rowan were to raise and breed them, without the appropriate nutrients and environment to nurture them, the Seed obtained would likely differ from the original.

The very act of attempting something new makes an already mature technology dangerous.

In this situation, the time for the Intellect transformation of several important figures in the Riken Race was thus postponed.

If, by the end, the ordinary Riken Race materials are exhausted and the ripening experiment has not achieved the desired results, then they will have no choice but to step in. Although they still possess some secret intelligence, it is likely outdated and no longer of much use.

The value of this information is no longer enough to free them from their status as expendable resources.

Fortunately, the experiment progressed relatively smoothly, and Rowan had accumulated a wealth of experience over the centuries. Ultimately, the maturation time of the "Seed" was compressed to seven days.

Having reached this level, it's difficult to shorten the timeframe further, because Rowan has already achieved his current pinnacle at the genetic and spiritual level.

For half of the seven days, the body undergoes a period of Creep growth.

Then, under the influence of the Creep -like body, the spiritual body underwent a radical transformation, eventually establishing contact with the Swarm Network. This process took place for six and a half of the seven days.

If the time frame for the transformation is further compressed, it will cause severe damage to the spiritual body itself, making it impossible to replicate its memories. Even if such a spiritual body were to transform into Intellect, it would be of no use to Rowan.

Fortunately, seven days was enough time, although it was a bit troublesome, it already had tactical value.

However, shortening the transformation time from one year to seven days still has certain side effects. That is, their bodies will suffer irreversible and devastating damage.

Fortunately, replacing the body of the Intellect is not difficult for the Swarm, but applying this research to actual plans will require careful planning.

When Regi awoke, he understood everything. Before returning to his body, the Queen Bee transmitted some basic information to him. He accepted everything about Regi and continued to exist as Regi of the Swarm.

"Old friend, how are you feeling?" Regi sat up, Morgan already waiting beside him.

"Very good, excellent, better than ever before." Regi waved his arm and continued, "But why put me in the same body as before? I need a stronger body."

"I thought you'd be more nostalgic," Morgan said with a chuckle.

"I have been reborn, and it's time to say goodbye to the old era," Regi said solemnly.

Different Seed will produce slightly different products.

Perhaps because the Rat-folk are byproducts of the Mother Nest's creations, Intellect made from their materials, although they are absolutely loyal to Rowan, in the first few years after their transformation, they often confused their identities and liked to return to their past lives.

However, the Intellect created by the Riken Race would not have this problem at all. From the moment they awaken after the transformation, they understand their identity and there will be no confusion.

Rowan was amazed by this and pleased with its success.