Chapter 105: Unscientific

Keon zoomed in on the pot, a holographic projection of the seed magnifying in front of his gaze, showing the shape and all the parameters of the elemental seed from all directions.

‘It's sprouted. So fast?’

His gaze brightened, his entire neural nexus became active in his excitement. A visible crack had split the upper and lower poles of the seed, and a tiny, defiant bud had emerged on the surface. From the lower side, multiple thread-like roots were already burrowing into the nutrient-rich soil.

After a while,

The growth phase of the seed suddenly halted as bud emerged an inch from the seed. Keon turned his attention to the wood crystals resting in the sand. They were completely transparent now, their wood elemental energy entirely exhausted.

‘Such a massive consumption,’

He thoughtfully noted the consumption rate of the wood crystal and its effect on the seed growth, his tone analytical despite the success. ‘Anyway, such consumption is to be expected. An elemental tree of this caliber… if it had required less energy than this, I would have been disappointed.’

He thought and then picked up one of the hollowed-out wood crystals, weighing it in his hand. ‘Although I can synthesize these crystals artificially like the others, I lack the mechanism to replenish wood energy. I am certain it is countless times harder and more expensive to replenish than light, lightning, wind, or flame.’

Keon thought and then his gaze became deeper looking at the title of Universe 339 in the communication channel, ‘Looks like the only option for now is to depend on this universe candidate until I find a way to replenish the wood energy.’

The breakthrough was significant, but the logistical hurdle was now clear. He can accelerate the growth of the elemental tree, but he had discovered a new, demanding hunger that his current technology could not easily satisfy.

Keon’s processors whirred with new resolve. He understood the value of these wood elemental crystals... this wasn't just a resource; it was a fuel to his rise. He pulled up the communication interface, he generated a message calmly according to his idea.

[Universe 8888888888]: "I have analyzed the wood element crystals. Although they possess a profound effect on plant life, normal plant species lack the evolutionary framework to process such high-density energy. In other words, these wood elemental crystals require a specialized, rare species to show their effect. Consequently, the value of these crystals is dictated strictly by this scarcity and demand."

…

On the other side of the multiversal divide,

Gemma stared at the screen, her expression sank, the surface of her crystal form dimming with sudden, sharp anxiety.

‘What should I do now? Looks like he isn't going to exchange them,’

Immediately her thoughts surged, she can feel the prospect of the orange magic crystal slipping through her grasp. But then, the panel in front of her popped up with a follow-up message from Keon.

[Universe 8888888888]: "Anyway, I am willing to exchange an orange magic crystal for this wood elemental crystal stock, but I only have one such crystal. Also, due to the extraction and stabilization costs, I require ten times the ratio you previously provided. This is the only exchange rate I will accept."

Gemma’s gloom vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of frantic energy. She didn't bother to bargain, nor did she care about a single magic crystal piece or more. She immediately appeared instantly beside the dark green crystal spike... a jagged, pulsing monolith of pure, distilled life energy. With a single, concentrated strike of her fist, she shattered a massive section of the spike, the shards shimmering as they fell. She consigned the equally shaped crystals to the system interface without a second thought.

,,,

Back in Universe 8888888888, a notification flared in Keon’s vision.

[Universe 339 has initiated a trade]

[Ten tons of wood elemental crystals in exchange for a Tier 4 magic crystal]

Below it, a message from Gemma, Universe 339 appeared: "I have initiated the exchange, please accept it."

Keon glanced at the notification thoughtfully, ‘Ten tons, I exchanged a ton for a single magic crystal before, now it’s ten times. Also, it seems my guess is correct, this candidate really can synthesize or create these crystals easily or else it wouldn’t exchange them in tons. Can it also replicate the magic energy inside them?’

After thinking about it for a while, he immediately shook his head, the motion subtle and self confident. ‘No, that is statistically impossible, these crystals must have absorbed their energy from the environment. Or maybe it is possible if it has such a talent, to replicate magic energy at the fundamental level requires an extremely high level of energy manipulation talent.

Keon thought while the curiosity was prickling at his neural nexus. ‘Should I test it?’ Then thinking of something, he immediately shook his head and dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. ‘Not now, I need this candidate resources. I cannot afford to be on the wrong side while my elemental tree is still in its infancy. Also, I can feel an opportunity for the next evolution of the elemental tree into a world tree in these wood crystals.’

With that cold determination, he appeared inside his primary warehouse and confirmed the trade.

[Exchange completed]

[You have received ten tons of wood elemental crystals]

The space in front of him in the warehouse warped. Instantly, a mound of dark green crystals appeared, their life energy so potent that the air itself seemed to hum. A heavy, vibrant sensation spread through the surrounding base; even the white grass planted outside the ventilation shafts began to flicker with an intense, chlorophyll-rich green light.

‘Wood crystal. It is indeed a life based treasure for plant species,’ Keon thought as he observed the phenomena.

He moved with immediate purpose. Gathering a hundred wood crystals and the containment pot, he transitioned to the special location near the southern base. This area, a thousand-square-meter plot, had been meticulously prepared. He had specifically requested that Trosso provide a layer of rare, nutrient-dense mud to overlay the synthetic soil. The land had been further treated, irrigated with dust derived from pulverized orange magic crystals to stimulate rapid growth.

Keon knelt in the center of this artificial cradle and dug a small pit. He transferred the elemental tree seed into the earth.

‘Well, it’s time… I will grow it to its limit first. Also, I am curious at what growth stage this elemental tree will start generating the magic energy.’

He cast the hundred wood crystals near the seed. The reaction was instantaneous and violent. The seed surged, acting with a hunger that defied biological norms, drinking the wood energy from all hundred crystals simultaneously. Keon blinked, his sensors and neural nexus running in full capacity to capture the speed of the absorption and note any changes occur in the seed during this phase.

‘These crystals are remarkably effective, the elemental tree and the wood elemental crystals... They are perfectly compatible, their core signatures align with each other.’

Koen thought to himself as he watched, a tiny, emerald-green sapling broke the surface of the soil and started growing up visible to the naked eye..

Upon noticing such a reality breaking scene, Keon stood paralyzed in a daze, watching the stem thicken, tiny branches extended and leaves unfurled in real-time.

‘This is… truly unscientific, but the visual effect is really striking. It’s almost like the accelerated scene during the great merging of two universes and resources before.’

He shook his head, the motion correcting his logic loop. ‘Also, what am I thinking? This is a magical tree from another universe, and those are elemental crystals from a different universe. Their existence cannot be explained through the lens of classical science. I must adapt my understanding and broaden my horizon.’

…