216: To the Vanilla Sid System

"Carnival Viper. Launching."

The flight plan to the Vanilla Sid system is complete.

Local information gathering, even from outside the galaxy, has also been completed.

With that, we began our journey from the third primal colony in the Shibraus Miss star system, heading toward the Vanilla Sid star system.

For the sake of clarity, I'll reiterate: our vessel will proceed to the guide beacon and guide colony in the Vanilla Sid star system via sublight travel, taking approximately 12 hours. After that, we'll transition to faster-than-light travel and arrive at the Vanilla Sid star system after about 12 more hours. Following arrival, we'll make a one-day stop near the guide colony in the Vanilla Sid system for information gathering. If everything goes smoothly, we'll then spend half a day traveling to the vicinity of the imperial planet Vanilla Sid.

This flight plan, as Joharis said.

Compared to our usual missions, it's considerably more relaxed—slower-paced, almost leisurely.

But this is because we can't fully anticipate what might happen when the heightened security around the imperial planet Vanilla Sid and the Vanilla Sid system collides with the abnormal situation of me, the space monster, arriving—so we've built in extra leeway.

Also, this time, we won't be changing the name of the 'Carnival Viper.'

If we were to change it, it would probably be after arriving at the Vanilla Sid system, once we're certain that doing so would be advantageous.

"Autopilot set. Now I can take a break for a while."

Also, as you can see from the faster-than-light travel time, the Vanilla Sid system and the Syblassmis system are relatively close to each other.

Depending on the ship's performance and the method of sublight travel, it could be as close as less than a day.

From this, one can get a sense of why the Syblassmis system became one of the first regions settled by the Galactic Empire.

"By the way, Satu..."

"Hm? What is it?"

I had planned to spend the next while doing various things, starting with writing articles and reports... but it seems something's come up from Virijianira.

How are the plants being grown in Satā's greenhouse doing?

"Oh, that. As of now, they're growing without any issues. At first, we used the rapid growth mod, but for plants that grow quickly, we've already stopped using it."

The greenhouse is proceeding smoothly at present.

As for Heikyo Mōryu, no need to say more.

For fast-growing herbs like mint, thyme, basil, and oregano, we've already reached sufficient quantities, so we've transitioned to regular cultivation methods.

Pepper... well, it'll still take some time, no doubt.

"How about eating them?"

"Does that mean you want to eat them, Vee? If that's the case, it's still not possible. I've experimented by making mint into tea and even tried it myself as the greenhouse supervisor, but we haven't fully examined the medicinal effects or how they differ from regular mint."

"I see."

Viljaniara looks slightly disappointed, but this is one line we simply can't cross.

Plants grown in the ether space sustained by my OS might develop characteristics not present in the same species grown under the 'Vanilla OS' environment.

And those characteristics might manifest as toxicity.

Given that possibility, we simply can't administer them without prior testing.

"Vee. Just so you know, we absolutely can't release them without at least scientific testing, me personally eating them after growing them in the greenhouse, and testing on experimental animals raised in the 'Vanilla OS' environment."

"I understand. I won't push further."

"Good then."

Moreover, the scientific inspection refers to checking whether toxins are produced independently of mods, due to cultivation in an environment different from the usual one.

My personal tasting test, conducted as the greenhouse supervisor, is designed to examine whether any changes in the mods present could have adverse effects on the human consumer.

The animal testing is conducted to ensure that nothing toxic has slipped through the two aforementioned checks.

Honestly, I'd like to have several specialized companies, including Seiryō Corporation, perform similar or even more rigorous tests.

Still, while Seiryō Corporation is one thing, relying on other companies would inevitably come with a hefty price tag—though... hmm, if Virijanira is requesting it, couldn't we possibly cover the cost from the intelligence unit's budget?

If it's just a small amount, continuous delivery would be feasible.

And if we discover something useful, we could use it as bait... no, being too careless might attract unwanted attention, leading to complications.

Hmm, it's a tricky situation.

"What about the current situation? Have any abnormalities been detected?"

"Currently... the composition seems stronger than usual. The medicinal effects appear to be more potent, and the taste has intensified. It also seems to have a slightly different flavor."

"I see."

Well, there's no harm in sharing the current status.

However, the difference from regular substances doesn't apply to Hekyomoryu.

Hekyomoryu really does seem a bit different after all.

"Vee, I'm saying again—until further notice, you still can't go outside."

"Satu. I understand, so it's fine."

For now, whether the minimum required inspections are completed during our stay in the Vanilla Sid system... it'll depend on whether we can get outside assistance.

If we have the time, it might be worth making a quick trip to the Seiryō Corporation right after arriving at the guide colony during our day there.

Keep that in mind.