Chapter 16: Committing heinous crime against God and nature. Again
"And now this book. This book is a destabilizing agent. Frankly it is disgusting. Someone from that years survive.This is the testament to the sin of the Lantonian Empire. How can we let it stand?" At that moment, the king of Mahaima is in a heated debate with his advisors. The alliance of the southern nations has the kingdom of Mahaima as the leadership, but it does not mean that they would listen when the time come. It is more of an equal relationship.
And currently the matter they are talking about is an extremely polarizing concern.
"Knowledge is knowledge Matthew. Even if the source is that, everyone has a right to knowledge." A man argues, his voice almost fanatic.
"And do you know how much knowledge that little book provide? A valuable treasure chest of everything about human biology. Imagine the benefit the nations will gain by having the healers study it? In my opinion it deserves to be in the required reading material list of every scholar." A scholarly man says.
"I don't care a book is just a book." A bearded man neutrally states.
"But it will taint the very idea of our young scholar. Even now many has left their home for Lanton." The king of Mahaima argues.
"The one who left was going to leave anyway. Don't believe for one second that they won't, this just prove their nature as seeker of knowledge."
"But it is knowledge gained from evil."
"Than it is a challenge to their idea. How far will they go to gain their knowledge?" The scholarly man says.
"I don't believe for one second that a man who passes down such an extensive record would be evil." The fanatical man says.
King Matthew rubs his head, another meeting, another fruitless meeting. He is still going to ban the book though, starting from his own kingdom.
"Have you read the book itself to decide for yourself?" A man says to him causing Matthew to narrow his aged eyes. Another reason for his prejudice about that cursed book, every man who read it seems to become a new man. It is very concerning and suspicious. He has decided to never read it, unlike the others. Just the fanatical coming from their voice was enough to deter him. He has seen a lot of thing, great men being compromise by a single book is unheard not, but not impossible.
He walks away from the meeting, frustrated.
"Shadow" He calls into the empty air.
"I am here." The chief of the Mahaima kingdom's espionage force appears from the shadow just like his name sake.
"Continue to sow chaos in the other nations, rile up the peasantry, we can't allow that book to circulate."
...
At that time in another undisclosed location in the capital of the Lanton empire
"Are you sure it is the work of someone not on our payroll?"
"We have double checked and triple checked all the scientist in our employ. No one know. However, investigation has turn up. A suspect bought material for experimentation a few months back, he also fit the description of the man who sent the book to the publisher."
"Ha ha. That is the benefit of being the center of knowledge of the known world, sometime genius just arrives on our doorstep without us knowing. What about the current political climate in the southern nations alliance?"
"In turmoil. Most of it comes from Mahaima with them objecting the circulation of the books. I also suspected that some of the current underlying tension in the populace may be caused by an undercover group."
"...he he he he he he. They thought it was our doing didn't they? Even though we have no control over any of the events currently happening. Let them continue to think that. Sell the book as prime propaganda material about the greatness of our empire and see those old men squirm. Speaking of control... about that man. What is he like?"
"From testimony, he is a lanky man with southern accent, and a rude personality. He has money but no clear trace of where the money come from."
"Southern accent? He is not one of the survivors from that incident then... Have you managed to replicate the experiment..." The man continues in a conspirator tone. In actually the modern Lanton's morality is very different from the empire of old. They try to improve the life of their people, not use them as experimental subject.
And even though they are at war, war prisoners are not used due to the objection of the new government. In finding a new government and empire, they have codified a new set of laws, never to be broken.
However...
The laws may be like that, but the man in charge does not necessarily agrees. Actually he knows that what he is doing is bad and spits in the face of the democracy built, but he has a personal reason. A reson that is very close to his heart.
During the chimeraic experiment years ago that turn the world against the Lantonian Empire, one of the leading researcher in charge of the whole experiment was the man's father. And what his father did was-
Varsas looks at the book in his room. The title is "The 786,448 genus of the world". It is a book talking about the characteristics and name of the various genus. It is notable as being extremely dense and hard to read, even though the title is well researched and polished. The book has approximately 1,000,000 pages,usually divided into many books while printing, and only kept as novelty for many scholars. The total weight of the original book is around 4700 kg wrapped in ornated metal cover. It is extremely impractical to move or read from or write upon. It was writen in 30 years based on the understanding of the time, and then continuously improved for over 1000 years by a hermatic order who has sadly faded into obscurity and irrelevancy with no one to continue the tremendous legacy. It should be more of a library about genus then one single book, that is why common practice divided them into many books, and the result can fitted into a small library.
Varsas bought the original copy from the declining hermatic order a while ago using the the money made from the sweet deal he has made with the Venir clan. He did not use it all, so even though there was people grumbling about frivolous waste of money, it is his money in the end.
And all of it is a single book, almost impossible to write, move or read easily.
He moved the book to the basement of the castle with enchantment in place to make sure the air is not too humid in the room that store this giant legacy. Compared to such a grand work, continuously improved upon for over millenia, what is a small book called "If I was to resurrect the dead".
And yet even though Varsas has memorized every page of the "786,448 genus", he did not read "If I were to resurrect the dead" even one in pleasant company.
It is because of the reputation he has acquired in the last life. He did not want to repeat that.
Varsas recalls a memory of him cutting city in half.
No, not that one.
He recalls the memory of the common people looking at him in fear because of the company he kept.
Not that one either.
He recalls Viola and Vaine trying to talk him into terminating his winged horned rabbit project.
That one.
There is a misconception on everything involving the Lanton Empire's knowledge on the human body. Everything involving them gathers stigma of human experimentation. However, nothing has fascinated Varsas more than the vast knowledge and technology of the Landon Empire when it comes to the human body. In his old world, Varsas had made at least one adjustment on his own genome. It was an enhancement effect, in accord with the various other magical enhancement in his body.
It has fascinated him so, the knowledge of biology. In his previous life, during his down time, Varsas had set out to created a new species, and write down new history in the biology field. It was a winged horned bunny, with the actual ability to fly using its natural wings and an actual lifespan, double or triple that of the normal rabbit species. The creature comes from a picture book Viola loves so much. She uses to bring it up a lot before, and the party made fun of her for that, but it is just friendly banter. On her birthday, Varsas had created a perfect replica of that creature she loved so much, he took care of not creating something that is too uncanny that it is distasteful in other eyes. The project lasted 6 months, using technology only, and the result was perfect in Varsas's eyes.
Though Viola had other ideas upon seeing it.
The field of modifying another living creature is a large stigma today as it was back in Varsas's other life. And in the other life he gained a reputation, among his friends, his lover, the people who knows him.
And that is why in this life Varsas took care of not showing any interests in the only subject he has any interests in no matter what.
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