254: Ether Spice

"I see. So there are no issues on your end?"

"Yeah. The guards are properly protecting us, and there's no interference with the work. The materials are all here, and as for the source of the noise... well, I have a pretty good idea. Should be manageable within about a month or so."

It had been just a couple of days since he'd decided to attend the marriage-seeking ball.

As far as Dr. Mizeon was concerned, nothing had gone wrong.

The same applied to the five maids who had come from the Seiryō Company alongside Kell.

The adjustments to the installed "Strange Water Mirror"—whether described as calibration, noise removal, or some mischief by a certain Chirarizumu = Konpureaukus—were progressing smoothly, as were the efforts to resolve that issue.

Thus, Dr. Mizeon's surroundings remained remarkably peaceful.

Perhaps something's going on behind the scenes... but there's no use worrying about things I can't perceive.

If there's no problem, then it's fine.

"That came through properly, then."

"This is the first report. I'll confirm the details on the memo, Master Sata."

"Please do."

A message arrives at my end.

The sender is one of the companies I'd entrusted with examining a plant grown within my OS environment.

I've already received the initial report from another company, so now we have a complete set of results.

Well then, let's go through them together with Memoqui.

"Was the concentration of components indeed enhanced?"

"It seems more like the effects are prolonging the potency or delivering a stronger flavor, by inhibiting decomposition outside the atmosphere or the targeted area, rather than simply enhancing medicinal effects."

"Still, I don't know exactly why this result occurred. It doesn't seem to be due to physical effects, so it's highly likely influenced by my OS."

The delivered results don't differ significantly... that's about right.

Multiple companies unrelated to each other are achieving similar outcomes, so reliability isn't an issue.

Also, there are slight differences in how easy the results are to read, depending on the company.

Still, none are hard to read, so this is just a matter of compatibility with me.

"No harmful ingredients that could cause short-term damage were detected."

"Long-term effects remain unclear due to limitations in sample size and duration. However, it's estimated that no issues would arise as long as intake isn't excessive."

"So, in other words, it's safe to consume. That's good news."

"Yeah, I guess that's the takeaway."

Clearly, no dangerous components were found.

Since no unknown substances were detected in production, we can say with confidence that short-term safety is assured.

Therefore, it seems eating it should be fine, just like Viridiani is delighted.

Yeah, well, considering what comes next, that's certainly good news.

"No solubility effect was confirmed for Heikyo Morilyu's mod. Well, that mod was meant for anything other than 'Vanilla OS,' so even if I grew it in my OS environment, it just happened to exclude my OS from its target range."

Regarding this point, there's clearly expressed surprise at the effect observed toward other OSs, along with gratitude toward Satamaster.

Although limited to Heikyo Moryu, no corruption toward 'Vanilla OS' has been confirmed.

Actually, it's the other way around—there's a report saying that when plants grown in my OS environment were soaked in a liquid made from Heikyo Moryu cultivated in 'Vanilla OS,' the effect supposedly caused by my OS environment disappeared.

And thanks to this experiment, Heikyo Moryu's effectiveness has been confirmed, so it looks like various research efforts will be getting underway... I've even received words of gratitude from others.

"Um, it might have effects that could lead to dependency."

"It seems to be within acceptable limits, but we should still keep an eye on it."

"What's this... There's no such thing as a substance that becomes a drug through overconsumption, is there? That's just common sense."

Now things get a bit concerning.

Apparently, the spices grown under my OS environment have some kind of mental reset—like effect on the mind.

Specifically, it seems to act on the mind in states of excitement, sadness, or confusion, gently guiding it toward calmness.

That said, it doesn't have the same strength as proper pharmaceuticals of this kind—only mildly encouraging such effects.

Still, since it does affect the mind, careful handling is clearly required.

"Master Sata. In fact, it might be the other way around—this one could be the real issue."

"Ah, uh... well, it's my OS, after all..."

There's another concern to note.

Apparently, people who consume spices grown under my OS environment tend to experience a temporary incompatibility with the Blaster mod—lasting about one to two hours, depending on the amount ingested.

Specifically, the aiming trajectory randomly deviates by one to three degrees in any direction—up, down, left, or right—and the output fluctuates between 90% and 102%.

Therefore, it would be necessary to include a warning advising against using the blaster mod while the substance is being metabolized.

Moreover, as expected, those in certain occupations likely to use the blaster mod should not take it in the first place, apparently.

"……. If the blaster mod on board the spacecraft is also affected, it certainly does seem like caution is warranted."

"Probably the best we can do is just be glad it's not exploding or blowing up."

"Anyway, this level of issue should be manageable if we're just careful ahead of time."

Hmm, that was a pretty clear demonstration of the troublesome aspects of my OS, I guess.

Well, it's not fatal, so it's fine.

"Moving on to other information... reproduction isn't possible."

"To be more precise, if you raise the next generation under the 'Vanilla OS' environment, it reverts back to its original state, correct?"

"Of course."

In a way, this is perfectly logical.

It seems that plants born in my OS environment can indeed be continued to grow under 'Vanilla OS,' but once they reach the next generation, they become plants born directly under 'Vanilla OS,' and the unique benefits that only my OS could provide disappear.

It seems like quite an interesting development—reports are flying to the relevant parties, and thanks are reaching me at the same time.

"Is it possible to release this, at least for now?"

"Yes, I believe there are no issues with that."

"First and foremost, relief."

Well, it's a bit late to mention this, but right now, we're heading toward a specific location with a single purpose in mind, riding in Joharis's vehicle.

That specific location? The underlayer of Imperial Star Vanilla City.

The goal was to obtain the special ingredients required as payment for crashing the marriage hunting ball.

"Almost there—soon we'll reach the entrance to the underlayer. Please prepare."

"Understood."

Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.

They say the underlayer of Imperial Star Vanilla City still holds many unmodified ancestral varieties—no, wild species—so I'm genuinely excited.