Chapter 89 — The First Visible Change (Rewritten)
S.C. 1510 — Mid December
Foosha Village — Underground Lab (Chemical Chamber)
Ren sat cross-legged on the cool stone floor of his underground lab, three little clay pots lined in front of him like students waiting for a report card.
Each pot held a different soil:
1. Ordinary Foosha soil
2. Reddish forest clay
3. The mysterious black mineral soil from the ore clearing
All three had been given a tiny, cautiously diluted drop of the grass extract two days ago.
Not enough to cause explosions.
Hopefully.
Zemo sat beside Ren like a furry lab assistant—ears perked, tail curling around his paws, expression surprisingly serious.
Ren tapped the third pot gently.
"Alright… show me something good. Preferably something that won't eat me."
Zemo barked once in agreement.
---
A Sprout That Chose Violence… But Politely
Ren leaned closer.
And then he noticed it.
"...Oh."
The sprout wasn't shaking ominously like last time.
It was simply… growing.
A normal sprout—
with just a tiny hint of personality.
The leaves were:
a deeper shade of green
a little shinier
slightly pointed at the tips
Not dagger-sharp, not mutated—
just… sharper than usual.
Like a plant trying to look confident for a job interview.
Ren lifted the control sprout from the shelf above to compare.
Control sprout:
round leaves, soft green, polite and perfectly average.
Test sprout:
shiny leaves, standing taller, slightly dramatic.
Ren blinked.
"…You're three millimeters taller. And… oddly proud of yourself."
Zemo sniffed the plant, then looked at Ren with a tiny approving nod.
Ren scribbled:
Day 2 — Diluted Extract (Low Dose)
No abnormal shaking
No sudden growth spurts
Leaf tips slightly pointed
Stem thicker
Color deeper
Safe
Predictable
Zemo approves
Ren exhaled with relief.
"Good. Very good. Finally something that won't jump at me."
Zemo wagged his tail.
---
Checking the Other Pots
Ren turned to the pot with clay soil.
The sprout there looked a bit greener than normal.
Nothing strange. Nothing dramatic.
"Stable. Nice. Clay soil likes it."
He turned to the ordinary Foosha soil.
The sprout looked… painfully ordinary.
Zemo gave it a pity sniff and then ignored it completely.
"Okay… boring soil equals boring sprout."
But then—
Ren looked again at the third pot.
The black mineral soil.
That one was special.
"This place really knows how to surprise me."
Zemo tilted his head as if saying, Told you so.
---
Root Check — Ren Gets Nervous, Zemo Supervises
Ren carefully removed the sprout from the third pot.
He held his breath.
"Please have normal roots… please have normal roots…"
The roots were—
"Thicker? But… normally thicker?"
Not mutated.
Not glowing.
Just slightly stronger and healthier.
Zemo sniffed one root, then sneezed loudly—accidentally throwing dirt in Ren's face.
Ren sputtered.
Zemo looked very proud.
Ren wiped his face and muttered, "Thanks for the additional soil sample."
He wrote:
Root Notes
Slight thickening
Healthy white color
Stronger structure
Increased nutrient absorption
No signs of weirdness
"So this is a safe enhancement," Ren murmured.
Zemo wagged his tail like a teacher pleased with a student's work.
---
Tiny Lab Upgrade — Ren Being Ren
Ren placed a stone marker beside the pot:
Trial 03-B — Stable Reaction
Then he made a small wooden shade frame with linen cloth and placed it above the pot to control sunlight from the overhead vent.
Zemo immediately lay directly under the cloth like it was a luxury tent created for him.
"Zemo, that's not for you."
Zemo ignored him.
Ren sighed.
"Fine. Shared custody."
He stepped back and looked at his three test pots.
"This… is a real result. Not flashy, not dangerous… but reliable."
He felt something warm in his chest.
For once, something worked exactly how he hoped.
---
Small Plans for a Bigger Future
Ren closed his notebook thoughtfully.
Tomorrow he would:
prepare more soil types
test lighter vs heavier doses
test sunlight differences
check water absorption
begin planning larger-scale experiments for the island
No risky experiments.
No cloning.
No explosions.
No forest monsters.
Just slow, steady science.
Zemo nudged Ren's hand.
Ren scratched behind the fox's ear.
"You know… someday this might help everyone. Not just us. Maybe the whole village."
Zemo blinked at him.
Then licked the sprout.
Ren gasped.
"NO. Zemo—spit that out—SPIT—!"
Zemo spat the sprout back into the pot, completely unharmed.
The sprout also looked… completely unharmed.
Ren stared.
"…Okay. New note: Zemo has no respect for scientific boundaries."
Zemo wagged his tail innocently.
Ren shook his head but smiled.
"Alright. Let's see what tomorrow brings."
He climbed the ladder out of the chamber, leaving behind the tiny sprout glowing softly under filtered sunlight.
A small change—
but a real one.
And sometimes, real change begins with something small.
---
End of Chapter 89