"This scientific knowledge about extending human lifespan thanks to what you call stem cells… is interesting. But useless for an elf. You should come up with something else, "Serie commented with a disdainful look after reading Kirito's notes on stem cells.
The young elf's businessman smile stiffened slightly, but quickly returned to normal.
'Calm down, Kirito. This is a knowledge exchange. You just have to clearly demonstrate the value of your product and explain why it matters,'he told himself while observing Serie's small face.
"Are you really not interested in my non-magical potion based on 'this knowledge'? You could, technically, completely crush the market for magical healing potions, "he asked, carefully watching Serie's reaction.
The legal-loli elf thought for a moment before shaking her head toward her adoptive son.
Serie was not fascinated by the potential of stem cells, whereas the Earth-born scientist saw in them a way to extend human lifespan.
Stem cells: a special type of cell present in all living beings on the planet.
These cells possess two fundamental properties:
• Self-renewal: they can divide while producing at least one cell identical to themselves.
• Differentiation: they can transform into various specialized cell types (muscle, neurons, blood cells, etc.).
Kirito wasn't completely obsessed with Vegapunk's scientific knowledge, nor with the One Piece universe.
The elven teenager was simply using Vegapunk's genius to carry out projects that the pirate world had never even dreamed of.
One of those projects was to explore the leads that the Earth scientist regularly mentioned in his articles and online publications.
Thus, Kirito had created a formula still in the testing phase: the "Adaptive Serum".
A non-magical "healing" potion capable of solving almost any physiological problem that could occur during a lifetime.
Even the regeneration of a lost limb became possible thanks to this serum.
A true pseudo-universal remedy capable of completely disrupting the market of priests and potions, offering near-instantaneous healing.
As a bonus, the body received specially adapted cells to fight the original cause of the problem.
An extremely weakened version of Makora, but accessible enough to be mass-produced and sold without difficulty.
A product capable of changing the course of a war and dramatically reducing mortality rates among mortals across the entire continent.
'For Serie, such a thing was of no use whatsoever. For the other races, however…'he thought to himself while putting away his notes and offering something else.
According to Serie, any healing serum that couldn't at least guarantee some form of temporary immortality was basically a failure.
She even went so far as to mention that a certain spell already existed that performed better than this still-experimental serum.
Kirito would have to do better if he wanted her cooperation without owing her a moral debt.
« You'd better offer something else. Clearly you can't create a true youth serum within the framework of our deal. Can you at least make a convincing imitation? Go on, accept owing me a debt. » she said, smiling in a way he couldn't quite interpret, the moment the topic of a youth potion was brought up.
Kirito's face froze slightly upon hearing such words from an elf as ancient as Serie.
A woman like her had already seen and experienced almost everything. So why in the world would she be interested in an imitation youth potion?
The answer came by itself: it wasn't for her.
'Has she already started to grow attached to Flamme as someone truly close…?'he thought, narrowing his eyes slightly while looking at Serie's half-drowsy face.
She hadn't yet introduced Flamme to him, but Kirito already knew of her existence.
He had never stopped collecting every useful piece of information on the continent, and the fact that Serie was walking around with a mortal child had not escaped his network.
If he hadn't actively sought out Flamme, it was for an obvious reason: without intervention, the girl had no more than a century left to live.
And despite her magical talent — far superior to Ilulu's — Kirito couldn't help but find it deeply disturbing.
Anyway, granting her eternal youth was not currently guaranteed.
" Mother, true immortality through magic or science is impossible at the moment. Unless I manage to unlock the secret of that book over there or obtain interesting samples from the Mythical Age, "he said, turning his gaze toward the goddess's writings.
Kirito could extend a mortal's lifespan through biological alteration.
But biology remained unpredictable in many aspects, and Kirito couldn't claim to have mastered all its subtleties.
Even the Emperor of Mankind in Loken's universe had encountered enormous difficulties creating his Custodes.
The same went for Vegapunk when he embarked on the Seraphim project.
Large-scale genetic manipulation was not easy without conducting real experiments on humanoid races — experiments that often proved cruel to witness.
'Right now I'm still only at the animal and monster stage in my laboratory…'he thought, unconsciously frowning.
The words of an MTF member from the SCP Foundation came back to him:
"We die in the shadows so you can live in the light. "
Sooner or later, Kirito knew he would have to touch the dark side of science, just as Vegapunk had done with his companions and the World Government. An act that would certainly mark the end of whatever small remnant of humanity still lingered within him.
'That's also why I haven't truly begun my path toward eternity and truth yet… I still lack the insane determination that people like Fang Yuan or Leylin Farlier possess,'he concluded mentally.
Would Kirito be ready to « sacrifice everything », when he already possessed « everything an ordinary man could wish for », as Leylin Farlier had been before the war against the gods?
Would he be capable of leading the woman he truly loved to her death, like Fang Yuan?
Would he be willing to massacre endlessly for his selfish goals?
At that moment, he didn't know.
Normally, he would never have considered walking such paths when he first arrived in this world.
But more than fifty years had passed.
He was still a child by elven standards — even Frieren, who would later come to Flamme, would be older than him.
Yet Kirito had experienced an enormous amount living as a human. So much that one could say he had seen more of this world than Frieren had at that time.
'Even back then, the little florist who once called me "sir" in the middle of the street had already turned into a grandma…'he thought, losing himself in his memories.
The idea of an eternal youth potion had reopened a wound he thought he had soothed by immersing himself in his work.
Serie noticed this silence and watched her child attentively.
'Hey, I already told you to stop diving so deep into your thoughts in the middle of a conversation. It's just weird, 'she said with an exhausted sigh.
Kirito gave a slight start, pulled out of his thoughts and the unconscious use of his Archive magic, back to reality.
" Haha, sorry… old habit, hard to break. Can we get back to the main topic? " he asked after offering his apologies.
Serie silently nodded.
" As I was saying before my thoughts interrupted me, I cannot create an authentic youth potion; however, I can partially reproduce its effects. "
Kirito then took out from his pocket a syringe that closely resembled those seen in "Attack on Titan".
The only real difference lay in the contents: a green fluid.
" What is that? "Serie asked curiously as Kirito handed her the syringe.
"I haven't given it an official name yet, but you can call it "Green Blood". In theory, it could extend a person's lifespan depending on the genetic sample used as its " Kirito explained.
However, Serie gave him a look that clearly said: 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'
The young elf sighed and gave her a simplified explanation of the « Lineage Factor ».
Serie remained calm at first, but her eyes lit up as she listened to Kirito's explanation.
"I see… so that's why you mentioned wanting samples from the Mythical Age, " she said in a grave voice.
"Green Blood" was an invention inspired by Vegapunk.
It was a substance derived from DNA samples of Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users, which the World Government had obtained.
Thanks to it, Vegapunk had been able to transfer certain Paramecia powers to his Seraphim.
Why could it grant eternal youth?
Kirito would simply need to obtain the DNA sample of a creature possessing a supernatural power capable of extending life indefinitely.
It was literally a ticket to obtain a power — similar to artificial Devil Fruits, but without visible physical alteration.
'In theory, if I could completely isolate the longevity trait of elves and create a Green Blood with it…'he thought, letting a faint smile appear.
"How much lifespan can this thing add? "Serie asked.
Kirito raised three fingers.
"3 years? "Serie ventured.
" 300 years. But at the current stage, it can only be used "once"per person, " he replied.
Serie looked at him over her shoulder. Her analytical eyes studied Kirito before she casually took the syringe of green blood from his hand.
The deal was sealed.
'Even if it's useless for me and for him, maybe little Flamme will see this item differently in the future,'she thought, a faint smile on her lips.
The duo now had to plan the details concerning the upgrade of Kirito's Archive magic.
If they didn't reach an agreement right now, Serie could delay the work by several decades.
As they were finalizing their plan, a sound drew their attention.
Ding-a-ling~
"Welcome! …Huh?! "
Ilulu had been listening to the conversation for a while already.
The young dragon girl, having lost patience, had tried to eavesdrop discreetly.
Fortunately, the duo did not consider her action offensive.
The discussion, which had concerned delicate subjects, had already been concluded.
The sudden ringing of the chimes made her instinctively stand up.
"Sorry for being late, Master. I had to make a small detour on the way, "said a gentle feminine voice.
Kirito turned around, and Serie's attention naturally shifted to the newcomer.
Upon seeing the woman, Serie let a small smile appear.
" This human woman is called Flamme. She is my new disciple. "
(Image)