Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

"Menes (Chief), is Mr. Wayne here?"

But the question didn't last more than a few seconds, because Wayne was sitting on the sofa, watching the two of them with a slight smile. When he saw Saria and Himer enter, he took the initiative to greet them:

"Long time no see, Ms. Himer and Ms. Seria."

“Long time no see, Mr. Wayne.” “Yes, long time no see, Mr. Shareholder.”

Saria and Himer answered simultaneously. Compared to Wayne's simple, heartfelt greeting, Saria and Himer's "long time no see" carried a hint of relief and reassurance. Clearly, seeing Wayne unharmed had put both of them at ease.

Saria asked with concern, "How are you feeling? Are you still experiencing any discomfort? How is your recovery progressing? Your wound terrified the doctors at Rhine Lab. If it weren't for Ms. Kal'tsit's skillful emergency treatment, such an injury would have been a death sentence at Rhine Lab... Uh... I didn't mean that..."

"If you can't say something, I suggest you don't say it!" Himer glared at Saria. After spending so much time together, she knew that Saria didn't have any bad intentions, just that her way of speaking was a bit too blunt. But saying this at this moment was really "too blunt." Although it was true, as the old saying goes, you shouldn't just blurt out such blunt truths.

Wayne's lips twitched, but having known Saria for a few days longer than Himer, he adapted to her awkward, blunt statement even faster than Himer. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trying to appear as if he wasn't about to give up, and replied:

"I thank you for your praise on behalf of Kal'tsit."

Menes quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Your Highness Wayne, please don't take it to heart."

She winked at Himer and mouthed: Let's talk business, let's talk business!

Hemer nodded knowingly, reached into his pocket, and then froze.

Menes waited for a while, but Himer didn't speak. Her smile became somewhat stiff as she asked:

"What's wrong, Himer? Didn't you have some new experimental results?"

“Yes, Commander, but… um…” Himer spread his hands, “I was in such a hurry when I came that I forgot to bring it… I’m sorry.”

Wayne couldn't help but laugh out loud: "So all I've come here to hear are you apologizing? Alright, alright, you see, Miss Menes, I told you not to be in such a hurry, look what you've done now." Wayne said, standing up, "Alright, I'll go to the lab with you. I want to see the Spark Project's development process firsthand."

Chapter 82 The Whispers of Originium

Rhein Life Sciences Laboratory.

With Saria's help, Wayne and Menes changed into protective suits and entered a room made of anti-contamination material. This was a necessary procedure. The anti-contamination material couldn't actually resist Originium contamination, but it had strong explosion resistance. The so-called anti-contamination meant that if the experiment went out of control and the Originium processing part of the experimental product exploded, it could suppress the explosion within this room, preventing damage to the entire building outside the laboratory.

Rhine Labs didn't have this kind of treatment before. This facility was specially funded and subsidized by Wayne Labs, a company and laboratory that frequently engages in Originium research, based on Kal'tsit's suggestion. The reason for this expense is simple: if you remember the character files of Ifrit, Saria, and Himeru, you'll know that the reason the Balrog incident resulted in the entire Rhine Labs building being contaminated with high-concentration Originium flames, and the vast majority of its personnel contracting Oripathy, was due to the lack of effective containment measures when Ifrit's experiment went out of control. It wasn't until Saria arrived that Ifrit was successfully suppressed, and during that time, the entire building had already been thoroughly scorched by the Balrog.

While the Rhine Lab is now under its supervision and the Balrog incident is unlikely to erupt, this doesn't mean its current experiments are safe. According to Kal'tsit, Project Spark involves a bloodline realm second only to the Consciousness Empire in terms of mystery, especially given the difficulty of mastering it, particularly for a race like the Wendigo who "would resort to cannibalism to maintain the purity of their bloodline." A slight misstep could open a Pandora's box of bloodlines, causing warriors of Patriot's caliber to go berserk; one Saria might not be enough to handle that.

This room was designed to serve its purpose at that time. According to Patriot's own tests, it could withstand at least one minute, and even in a berserk state, thirty seconds wouldn't be a problem, enough for the experimenters to sound the alarm and evacuate the scene.

Upon entering the laboratory, Wayne was about to wander around when his attention was drawn to a glass box on Himer's workbench. Although the glass box was stained with blood, Wayne did not see any living creatures. In other words, he did not see any living beings, only a fist-sized Originium crystal that looked very impure, shimmering with an ominous yellowish-brown light.

"Your Highness Wayne, you should stay away from that."

Menes spoke, stepping in front of Wayne and pushing him back slightly. She carefully examined the Originium crystals in the glass case, then pressed the call button for the Originium Recycling and Processing Unit on the wall beside her, saying...

"Ulrich, there's an unstable Originium crystal in Laboratory One, about 10cm in diameter. Send someone over to handle it... Yes, it's in a glass case. Hurry!"

After saying that, she turned to look at Saria and questioned her:

"Why were the experimental waste products left untreated and discarded?!"

“Hime wants to study this crystal,” Saria stepped forward and explained. “Based on the experimental data from the 114 experiments conducted so far, the experimental product [Patriot's Blood Type β] is significantly more effective than [Type α], and can provide the injector with short-term immunity to Oripathy in areas with high concentrations of Originium contamination. However, for some reason, after the immunity ends, the test subjects always develop acute Oripathy, with rapid crystallization both on the body surface and inside the body, and the entire process is very rapid and irreversible. Given that the same phenomenon has appeared in multiple experiments, we have decided to study this crystallized Originium sample.”

“Starting with the corpse is one research approach,” Menes rubbed her chin after listening to Saria’s explanation and nodded understandingly, but she still reminded her seriously, “Even so, you must take good care of the samples when leaving the laboratory. We don’t know how powerful the explosion would be if the experimental samples exploded, or whether a glass box could withstand it. Once a leak occurs, it could easily cause great danger.”

“But moving the samples without authorization will also…” Saria wanted to say something, but Himer had already stopped her. Researcher Liberi nodded quickly and said, “Understood, Commander, I will be more careful next time.”

She tugged at Saria's hand and whispered in her ear:

"That's all, thank you."

Hamer knew he had simply been careless and impatient, which was why he hadn't paid attention to disposing of the sample, but Saria had concocted a reason to help persuade the Commander. This was the first time in Hamer's life that he had seen the usually low-EQ Saria do something so EQ-wise, and he couldn't help but feel a little moved.

But Saria tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Why are you thanking me? That's exactly what I planned to do."

After speaking, she paused for a moment, as if realizing something, and asked Hermer, "So you forgot to process the samples? I thought you had the same idea as me and that's why you did it." She then nodded proudly, "Being meticulous has always been one of my strengths. It's okay, Hermer. If you forgot this time, I'll remind you next time."

With her underwear pulled down, Himer looked at Saria with a wry smile, who seemed to be saying, "I'll take care of you in the future," and nodded helplessly: "Then I'll really have to trouble you."

"Speaking of which, Himer, how many white mice do you keep in your lab?"

Wayne suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention. Himer paused, waved his hand, and explained:

“We don’t raise mice in the lab. The mice are bred in the Life Sciences Department’s breeding lab. If we need them, we apply to the Materials Department, and they send them to us. Twenty at a time. Speaking of which... number 114 is the last one, right, Saria?”

Himer glanced at Saria, who nodded in confirmation.

Wayne blinked in surprise, and said with a hint of disbelief:

"Huh? That's all? Then why am I hearing mice squeaking? Please be quiet..."

Wayne gestured for everyone to be quiet. Menes, Himer, Saria, and the others frowned in confusion and obediently fell silent. For a moment, the only sound in the laboratory was the slight vibration of the ventilator; you could hear a pin drop.

Wayne closed his eyes, listening intently to the incessant squeaking sounds around him. His head slowly shifted towards the source of the sound, finally settling down. He opened his eyes, and there before him was Menes's chest.

"I have rats on me?" Menes shrank back in fear, frantically searching her body. But Wayne frowned, shook his head, took two steps forward, and walked around Menes, blocking her path with the inferior source stone that shimmered with an ominous light.

"Squeak squeak squeak squeak—!"

As if discovering that Wayne could "hear" its voice, the rat's sounds grew louder and louder, eventually becoming a long, continuous string of busy tones:

"squeak------"

At this point, Wayne was certain that such a sound could not possibly be made by a living being.

He squinted and took two steps back. The ominous yellow light suddenly brightened as he retreated. Now, even Menes, Himer and Saria beside him could see him clearly.

"What's going on? Is this Originium...calling you?" Menes exclaimed in disbelief. Seeing this, Saria tried to approach the Originium to examine the cause of its change. But just as she tried to get closer to the glass case, Wayne noticed that the Originium suddenly burst forth with an unusual light, and its rough surface abruptly formed a regular, mysterious rhombus. The next second, the squeaking sound in Wayne's ears abruptly stopped.

"Get down!" Wayne roared, lunging forward and tackling Saria, who had no time to react, to the ground. Behind him, Himer and Menes, who were already on guard and had received professional training, almost instinctively dropped to the ground.

"boom--"

A loud crash, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, echoed throughout the laboratory.

P.S.: Happy New Year! Wishing all my readers success in the New Year, passing the postgraduate entrance exam, good luck in the college entrance exam, and a smooth career and a fulfilling life!

A piece of paper for abandoning work at the beginning of the month

I'm taking a break for New Year's Day. It's my aunt's birthday; her birthday is on the 29th day of the 11th lunar month, a date as rare as February 29th on the Gregorian calendar. I spent the whole day shopping with her today and bought her some birthday gifts.

I played some games with Jiutiao Lemon (the author of "The Villainous Girl Doesn't Die in a Riot") tonight and chatted about the ideas for her new book.

Have a great New Year's Day, guys!

Chapter 83 Originium Faith

"Are you alright, Your Highness Wayne?"

Amidst the smoke and dust of the explosion, Menes, lying on the ground in the dim light, asked, "The power of this Originium explosion is truly bizarre. It was clearly just a low-purity Originium crystal, theoretically not even worth using as fuel, yet its explosive power far exceeded normal levels. If everyone present hadn't been wearing full protective suits, this explosion would have at least injured Wayne and Saria, who were closest to the Originium."

Being cut by Originium almost certainly leads to Oripathy. If anything happened to Wayne at Rhine Lab, Menes really didn't know how she would explain it to Lentinium. Immediately after the explosion, she anxiously inquired about Wayne's condition.

Wayne coughed twice, opened his eyes, the sound of the explosion still echoing in his ears, making his head a little dizzy, but apart from that, he didn't feel any other discomfort. He struggled to get off Saria, replying, "I'm fine. Saria, how are you?"

"I'm fine too."

After Wayne got up, Saria quickly scrambled to her feet as well. The naturally robust physique of the Vayvan race meant that even a small amount of military explosives wouldn't kill her instantly, not to mention her Originium Arts which enhanced her defense. If the Originium explosion hadn't occurred so suddenly, she likely would have been able to suppress it with magic. And now, even as the person closest to the blast center, she didn't seem to be in much better shape than Wayne, who was completely stunned by the blast.

The explosion quickly attracted the materials science personnel who were already on the road, as well as the security personnel responsible for security. After realizing what had just happened in the laboratory, the security personnel immediately activated the special ventilation duct of the room, releasing all the Originium dust that had filled the room into a specially constructed contamination treatment room. The materials science personnel, wearing protective gear, quickly entered, disinfected the room, and then escorted everyone out of the room.

Before leaving the laboratory, Wayne turned back one last time to look at the now chaotic lab table. The glass case containing the explosive Originium still lay scattered there, the shattered reinforced glass fragments, the cracked base, and the charred walls and tabletop all seemingly telling the story of the explosion. But what truly concerned Wayne was the unusual condition of the Originium before the explosion.

"Is he calling for you, Prince Wayne?"

Menes's incredulous question echoed in his ears, forcing Wayne into deep thought.

Do Originium stones have life? Can they think? Do they possess their own independent consciousness?

Wayne couldn't explain it clearly. The official Arknights storyline never provided a definitive setting on this aspect. Although many "Arknights scholars" have tried to prove the Originium's consciousness from various angles, no one has been able to provide conclusive evidence. Currently, the most significant piece of information that supports the Originium's consciousness theory can offer is the heavy snowfall during Patriot's death in Chapter 8, "In the Cradle of Suffering." At the time, the guerrillas referred to it as, "Is Yelena coming to pick up the Captain?" However, that scene isn't conclusive evidence. First, Yelena was in Rhodes Island's processing room undergoing "the final step for all Oripathy infected." She couldn't be considered Originium at that time, nor was she connected to Chernobog, thousands of miles away. That heavy snowfall, rather than representing Yelena's Originium-enhanced will, was more of an artistic embellishment by Yostar, the story's narrator, to enhance the atmosphere of Patriot's tragic death.

But now, Wayne admits he has to change his mindset and rethink this possibility.

The so-called Originium is very likely to be conscious. Just now, Wayne, whose mental strength is extremely strong and can be converted into extremely high spiritual vision, heard the voice of the Originium with his own ears.

It seemed to be pleading for its help, hoping to be saved. However, when it told the others about the voice of the Originium, it immediately changed its attitude. When Saria approached, it even chose to explode, wanting to take Saria and the others down with it. Why? Was it because among everyone present, only Wayne was a "stranger," while the others, whether Saria and Himeru as scientists, or Menes, the administrator, were all "perpetrators" to it?

Wayne wanted to think further, but an urgent call interrupted his thoughts. Upon receiving the news, Director Henry immediately abandoned his ongoing meeting and upcoming trip, rushing back to Rhine Life. Seeing that Wayne was alright, he breathed a long sigh of relief; the weight that had been hanging over him finally lifted.

“Your Highness Wayne, it’s so good that you’re alright.” He turned to look at Menes, who was walking up to him, and scolded, “It’s one thing for Saria and Himer to be ignorant, but Menes, how could you be so ignorant as to let Your Highness Wayne go to such a dangerous place? If the research results can only be displayed in the laboratory and cannot be safely brought to the outside world, then the experiment itself is meaningless. Don’t you understand that?”

“Don’t blame Menes, it was my request to go,” Wayne explained. Menes gave Wayne a look that was both apologetic and grateful.

Wayne smiled at her and continued:

"Moreover, compared to the danger of the explosion, I may have gained something far more important. Mr. Henry, let me ask you a question: do you believe that Originium possesses its own consciousness?"

Henry was taken aback by Wayne's sudden question, but he quickly shook his head and replied:

“I don’t believe that Originium has any such thing as ‘consciousness.’ Human consciousness obviously relies on the physical support of the body, and Originium clearly does not have this ability.”

As he spoke, he suddenly paused, as if remembering something, and added,

"However, Your Highness Wayne's question reminds me of something. As modern society becomes increasingly reliant on the Originium industry, organizations that worship Originium as a religion have emerged on Earth. The most famous doctrine they preach is the theory that Originium is animistic."

"Tell me more about it?" Wayne asked with interest.

Henry pursed his lips hesitantly. "Actually, I don't know much either. Worshiping Originium is an unthinkable thing in Columbia, where I was born and raised. All I know is that those people seem to claim that Originium has its own consciousness and will punish the people of the entire land. Continuous natural disasters are the sign of the Originium God's wrath. The more people abuse Originium, the more the natural disasters will punish them. Haha, according to this logic, industrial countries like Columbia and Victoria would probably have been blown to smithereens by natural disasters long ago."

"Oh, right, their sect seems to mainly operate in the Rembito region, and only that ignorant mining nation could produce such a strange belief."

Chapter 84 There are reasons why we have to go.

Rembiton once had a group of people who held a religious attitude towards Originium, and there was even a sect that believed in the animism of Originium. This was the first time Wayne had ever heard of such a thing.

As the cornerstone of Terra's modern industry, the Originium industry is as vital to Terra as oil and electricity are to Earth. However, due to the widespread availability and renewable nature of Originium, Terra has at least avoided the wars fought over oil that occur on Earth. But perhaps Wayne is simply ignorant; he has indeed never heard of any cases on Earth where oil was worshipped as a god.

Uh, wait, there actually is one, the United States is one. There's a famous joke that goes something like, "There's so much oil in your food that even America wants to attack you."

But upon closer examination, Wayne realized that the Originium cult wasn't so inconceivable after all; in fact, it had a certain degree of rationality. Firstly, Originium was a raw material for modernization, the fuel for Terra's progress and development, inherently possessing an extraordinary status. While nations wouldn't wage war over Originium, anyone attempting to monopolize all of the world's Originium would likely face suspicion of possessing dangerous weapons. This explains why even a nation like Rembitox, with zero military expenditure, could still thrive on Terra more than established powers.

Because of the omnipresent nature of natural disasters, which seem to drive mobile cities across the land like shepherds herding sheep, Originium, as a product of these disasters, naturally acquired a certain mystical symbolic meaning. With a powerful natural disaster, one that even most nations and religions cannot resolve, as a symbol, and with Originium, something that has both advantages and disadvantages for Terra, the emergence of Originium worship is not difficult to understand. And it is only natural that Rembitox, the mining nation closest to Originium, would become the birthplace and stronghold of Originium worship.

"In that case, there's another reason to go to Rembiton."

Wayne muttered to himself.