Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 131 The "Professor" of the Institute of Ecology (3.3k)

The second period this Wednesday afternoon was still the weekly ecology class.

On this day, the students gathered outside the greenhouse to check the results of their previous work and see how the seeds they had planted had grown.

They are changing into dust-proof gardening clothes and preparing their tools.

Just as Caesar was getting dressed, Sia quietly came to his side.

"What's wrong?" Caesar asked in a low voice.

Sia seemed puzzled by his question, pointing to herself: "We were in the same group before."

"Oh," Caesar then remembered.

Sia, carrying her small bucket, looked around and then whispered to Caesar, "Training is starting this week, right?"

Caesar said calmly, "Don't talk about these things outside. I will inform you separately if anything happens."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Xia quickly covered her mouth.

Caesar glanced at her: "Besides, you don't need to be so polite to me when you're out in public. It will arouse suspicion."

After all, almost everyone in the school knew about his previous conflict with Xia, and Xia's consistently bad attitude towards him was obvious to all. But now Xia's change in attitude towards him was so great that it was inevitable that some people would become suspicious.

"Then, what should we do? Is it the same as before?" Xia asked uncertainly.

“Either is fine,” Caesar said.

Upon hearing this, Xia's expression immediately changed. She tilted her chin up, turned her head, and coldly snorted:
"Hey, hurry up and stop dawdling."

"This has changed too quickly," Caesar thought.

After getting ready, the students all entered the greenhouse, opened the temperature-controlled shed, and observed the growth of their crops.

"Huh? No way? How come they've all withered?"

"Look at me! I look exactly like the one described in the book! So beautiful!"

"Wait, didn't we plant flowers? Why is there only a stem left?"

Voices of surprise and sorrow rose from all around, marking a time of mixed emotions, with some rejoicing and others feeling heartbroken.

Caesar also lifted the canopy, and then he and Sia both froze there.

He remembered that what they had planted before was clearly a snowdrop flower, and what grew was the kind of magnificent, snow-white flower described in the book.

But what appeared before them now, growing in the soil, was a round, snow-white thing, like an egg.

"Is this... a flower bud?" Caesar reached out and poked the snow-white "egg," feeling that its surface was quite elastic.

“It doesn’t look like it. It looks like a different breed,” Xia said.

She hesitated and said to Caesar, "Could it be that you chose the wrong seeds when you were breeding them?"

“The seeds of the snow jasmine are so different from other seeds, how could we possibly make a mistake?” Caesar said.

The seeds of the snow jasmine are oval-shaped, like an ear of wheat, and can never be confused with those of other flowers.

But how could he possibly grow an egg from flowers?

At this moment, many students gathered around, marveling at this amazing scene.

Teacher Joe Barton also came over, looked at the snow-white "egg," and even scratched his head in confusion.

"Wow, this is the first time I've ever seen something like this in all my years of teaching!" he exclaimed. "Even in academia, this is quite a spectacle!"

"Wow, even the teacher said that, Caesar, you've bred a new breed, you're going to make a fortune!" Leon exclaimed excitedly.

"Now I'll write papers, apply for awards, do interviews, and then..."

"Alright, alright, go away." Caesar pressed his head and pushed the noisy Leon aside.

After observing the egg for a while, Joe Barton said to Caesar, "It might be a particularly rare mutant species. You can send it to the Institute of Ecology and have that professor take a look. She might know something about it. And since it's so rare, we might be able to get new research results from it."

He chuckled: "Moreover, this is a rare opportunity to enter the Institute of Ecology."

After school, Caesar, carrying the "egg" that had been transplanted from the soil and holding the letter of introduction given to him by Mr. Chobarton, took the tram to the Kingdom Ecological Institute.

Xia didn't come with him because she needed to get home on time.

To be honest, Caesar had heard a lot about the Eco-Institute over the years. For many people, the Eco-Institute was like a religion.

During the great famine more than seventy years ago that killed millions, it was the Institute of Ecology that developed a new variety of wheat seedlings, saving almost half the world.

It is here that nearly three-fifths of the world's hungry population has been reduced, and the living standards of the entire population of Fein have been raised several levels. The fact that meat and vegetables can be bought so cheaply in the kingdom today is all thanks to the research results of the Institute of Ecology.

This is also the institution that the Kingdom of Fein has always been most proud of. Thanks to it, the kingdom has been able to maintain its status as a major exporter of agricultural products, and half the world relies on Fein's agricultural and sideline products.

It could even be said that it is thanks to the Institute of Ecology that the Kingdom has always maintained a world-leading position and gained so much influence.

The current dean of the Institute of Ecology is an antique figure. It is said that she is older than the principal, Greenworth. She was the one who led the seedling cultivation that saved the world.

However, she is very mysterious and rarely appears in public. She lives in the Institute of Ecology and focuses solely on research and mentoring students.

There has never been much discussion about her personally, but her research achievements are world-renowned. To this day, Caesar only knows her by name.

"Professor Muirner from the Institute of Ecology."

As Caesar stepped through the magnificent marble gate of the ecological institute, he saw a statue of a rat at the entrance. The rat resembled an old woman, holding a scarf woven from the double helix structure of DNA.

I heard that this sculpture is to commemorate the white mice that died time and time again for human research, and to honor how they opened the door to science for mankind with their countless lives.

Upon entering the hall, Caesar handed over Joe Barton's letter of introduction.

“I’m here to see Professor Muirner. My teacher was her student before, and this is the letter of introduction he gave me.”

After checking the letter, the receptionist quickly let him through.

"The professor is currently in greenhouse number four. If you walk from here, turn left and keep going straight, you'll see her. However, she's probably still busy. You can ask the staff at the entrance to take you there."

Following the instructions, Caesar quickly located Greenhouse No. 4. This was on the periphery, not the core research area, and was usually open to some students for visits, so he didn't encounter any obstacles along the way.

Caesar didn't see any staff members at the entrance, but the greenhouse door was ajar. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to go in.

Inside, it resembled a tropical rainforest, with winding vines, colorful and unique flowers, and tall, sturdy palm trees.

It was very hot inside. He stepped on the wet, muddy ground, trying to find someone who could give him directions, or perhaps just run into the professor.

He imagined what the professor looked like, and the first image that came to mind was a hunched old woman wearing glasses, being helped by several assistants to check the growth of the plants.

After all, I heard that she is so old, even older than the principal. Even if she is a sorcerer, she is already incredibly old.

He walked for a long time but never saw any trace of people. However, he did see many small animals, such as birds with strange appearances.

It seems to be a complete ecosystem here, with all kinds of organisms.

"Where is it? Why isn't there a single person here?" he complained, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he held the potted plant.

They all wanted to find a place to rest, and just as they were about to sit down, they saw something moving not far away.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was actually a plant about half a person's height with a trumpet-shaped flower. The huge petals were only half open, and the plant was swaying its stem, seemingly trying to bloom more fully.

"The things in the ecological institute are really amazing," Caesar remarked as he observed.

Seeing its struggling attempt to bloom, Caesar almost wanted to help it.

But just as he took a step forward, a clear voice came from above:

"Be careful, it's poisonous."

Caesar looked up and saw a young girl dressed in thick gardening clothes and wearing a headscarf sitting high in the tree.

Seeing Caesar looking over, she smiled with narrowed eyes and waved to him.

Hello, little friend.

A very cute way to greet someone.

Although she was dressed so conservatively, her stunning beauty was still evident from her exposed face and eyes, a beauty that could leave one speechless.

"You are...?" Caesar asked.

"I'm a researcher here. Who are you looking for?" The girl looked very curious, her legs, clad in long boots, swaying gently.

“I am Caesar, a student of Saint Yarrow, and I am here to see Professor Muirna,” Caesar said.

"Oh, I see," the girl nodded thoughtfully.

"The professor isn't here right now. I'm her student, my name is Xiao Zhu,"

"When will the professor be back?" Caesar asked.

"Hmm, this one."

Xiao Zhu leaped down from the tree branch and landed steadily.

"About ten minutes? If you're in a hurry, I can take you to her," she said with a slight smile.

"Then I'll have to trouble you," Caesar said.

"Well, come with me."

Xiao Zhu waved to him, led him around the morning glories that were still trying to bloom, and walked forward.

"By the way, Caesar, what do you need Professor Muirner for?" Xiao Zhu asked.

“This is it. I grew this in my ecology class at school. It was originally a snowdrop, but it turned out like this. Our teacher said it might be a rare mutated variety and asked me to bring it over to the professor to ask.” Caesar handed over the potted plant.

"Well... it is indeed a very rare variety. It's alright, the professor will answer your questions when you see her later," Xiao Zhu said with a smile.

They walked through the greenhouse rainforest and soon came across a small wooden cabin, which looked like the residence of the researchers.

Xiao Zhu led him inside, but the place was empty, with only scattered documents and reports.

"Oh dear, it seems the professor isn't here either," Xiao Zhu said, scratching his head.

"How about we wait here? Maybe she'll be back soon."

"OK then."

Caesar didn't ask any more questions. He found a clean chair and sat down. Just then, he saw Xiao Zhu walk over with something and hand it to him.

This is a square, light green, candy-like object.

"These peppermints are homemade. Want to try some?" Xiao Zhu said with a squinty smile.

Caesar glanced at the candy, didn't think much of it, and popped it into his mouth.

Then a strong burning sensation made him spit out the candy.

"Why is this spicy?!" he exclaimed.

"Pfft. Haha," Xiao Zhu in front of him laughed as if he had successfully pulled off a prank.

Caesar was very displeased with this prank, but his mouth was burning so badly he couldn't speak.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside, and a middle-aged woman wearing glasses and a ponytail rushed in. She immediately spotted Xiao Zhu and Caesar, who was speechless from the spiciness, and slapped her forehead.

"Professor Muirner, you're playing tricks on people with this again."

"It was just a joke, it's rare to have someone here." The girl playfully stuck out her tongue, then stuffed a piece of milky white gummy candy into Caesar's mouth, instantly relieving the spiciness.

Caesar gritted his teeth to relieve the burning sensation in his mouth, but he gleaned a message from the conversation and looked at the girl who called herself Xiao Zhu:
"You are, Professor Muirner?"

"Hmm, it's me."

The girl smiled slightly, took off her headscarf, and her long, light brown hair cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing a pair of pointed elf ears among the strands.

(End of this chapter)