However, Cattleya's efforts were undoubtedly in vain because, after she finished speaking, the two people before her were unfazed. Lynn, while pinching his chin remarked, "How rare. Why not tell us more about it?"
Cattleya only felt a bitter taste in her mouth, but out of respect for Bernadette, she truthfully recounted all of Frank's outrageous ideas and actions. She concluded, "Although I disagree with the Earth Mother's Church's view of Frank and don't believe he has desecrated life, I do think that if Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Gehrman truly intends to commission Frank to develop something, you guys should reconsider."
'Crossbreeding cows and wheat? What kind of devilish idea is that? Just spare the cows and the wheat!' Even though Klein had prepared himself mentally, he still fell silent at this moment. As a "Transmigrator," he could accept many things and was able to tolerate the strange mushrooms and fish that Frank had developed. But the notion of crossbreeding animals with plants was simply too absurd, even for Klein.
"I actually think those ideas are genius!" Lynn, still pinching his chin, said excitedly. "But instead of crossbreeding cows with wheat, I would personally prefer to cultivate plants with unique characteristics. Imagine sunflowers that produce sunlight or fruits that explode..."
Lynn was serious about this idea. Though he couldn't compare to Frank's natural genius in wild ideas, he could certainly draw inspiration from the various quirky concepts of the internet age, like the Plants vs. Zombies game.
Even if the cultivation didn't succeed, it wouldn't matter. The fact that Frank could create mushrooms that grow in the dark, devour monster flesh, and have rich flavors was proof enough for Lynn that this man was a rare talent.
As the saying goes, food is the most important thing to people. Whether or not technology was pushed forward, reforming agriculture was paramount. Honestly, agriculture in the Beyonder world wasn't particularly advanced—at least not beyond the ordinary world, despite the presence of the Mother pathway.
This could be explained by the scarcity of Beyonders, which hindered agricultural advancements, or it could be due to the restrictions imposed by other major Gods on the Earth Mother's Church. After all, in the absence of significant differences in weaponry, the abundance of food supplies could directly determine whether a war was won. From this perspective, if the Earth Mother's Church fully invested in development, their influence could be terrifying.
They might not win a direct fight, but in this era, they could certainly starve out their enemies with their plentiful food supplies.
Lynn didn't care much about which explanation was correct. Since he was here, he'd work on pushing the tech tree while reforming food production.
Frank was exactly the type of talent Lynn needed—even if his ideas were completely bizarre, his abilities were also remarkable.
"I've also considered giving ordinary plants extraordinary powers, but experiments in that area have made little progress..."
A voice suddenly sounded from the doorway. Lynn wasn't surprised and looked over to see a man, about thirty years old, with a sturdy build and thick body hair. Wearing overalls and a white shirt, he held a small box, smiling cheerfully at those in the room.
"The Future's First Mate, Frank Lee."
Frank introduced himself and waved at Cattleya with the box in his hand. "Captain, I've got the items you asked me to procure." He then added with some regret, "Unfortunately, there's still no trace of it..."
"You've worked hard. As for the Druid potion ingredients, I believe you'll find them one day." Cattleya wasn't sure if she should be relieved, but she still offered a routine word of comfort. She then handed the box to Klein, saying, "This is the spring water from Sonia Island's Golden Spring..."
Cattleya listed a series of materials, none of which were particularly rare, but all were auxiliary materials for the Marionettist potion.
This was the result of Klein's request to Bernadette before heading to the Five Seas. Thanks to Lynn purchasing ingredients through her channels, Klein, though somewhat embarrassed, had also asked Bernadette to help him acquire the materials for the potion.
Bernadette had gladly agreed, but unlike the Constellations Master's Characteristic, she didn't have the Marionettist auxiliary materials readily available. While she could get them through her network, it would take time as she was currently in Backlund, making it less convenient than when she was at sea.
Since Lynn and Klein were in a hurry to embark on their journey to the Five Seas—mostly due to Lynn's impatience—Bernadette had assigned Cattleya to handle both the delivery of the materials and their transportation to the mermaid.
"Thank you," Klein said politely as he took the box. He then pulled out his wallet from his luggage and asked, "How much would this cost in pounds?"
Despite their friendship, since it was a purchase, Klein wasn't about to skimp on payment.
Though the Fool was poor, he wouldn't take advantage of his friends.
Cattleya glanced at Frank, who immediately gave a number. It wasn't particularly high, considering these were auxiliary materials, but it wasn't low either—it was for a Sequence 5 potion, after all.
The Fool felt a pang of financial pain but maintained a calm expression as he counted out a stack of gold pounds and handed them to Cattleya.
She took them casually without even counting, clearly indifferent to the small sum.
Klein's rapidly shrinking wallet: "..."
Looking at his near-empty wallet, Klein was suddenly overcome with the urge to advance to Sequence 5 quickly and turn lucky pirates into Marionettes.
Klein was genuinely low on funds. Between purchasing auxiliary materials for the Faceless potion and his recent visit to Tingen to confess to Benson and Melissa about his identity as a Beyonder, his savings had taken a hit.
His brother and sister were naturally shocked by the existence of Beyonders, but they were even more concerned about Klein's safety. After being reassured, they listened as Klein explained the pros and cons of becoming a Beyonder, and eventually, both chose to follow the same path.
Neither Benson nor Melissa wanted to become a burden, nor did they want to be defenseless in the face of the impending wars and disasters, relying solely on others for rescue.
This left Klein both relieved and deeply conflicted. Nevertheless, he busied himself preparing the corresponding Sequence 9 potions for them—Benson chose the Lawyer pathway, while Melissa opted for the Savant pathway.
(End of Chapter)
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