Chapter 105: A Concept for Soul Bones
Just as Dr. Mirror thought the storm was about to subside, Dr. X of the Soul Bone Division slowly rose to his feet.
He pushed up the thick glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. Behind the lenses, his eyes appeared especially deep and unreadable in the reflected light. This man—usually so taciturn, always buried among skeletal specimens and soul power charts—did not speak loudly when he finally opened his mouth. Yet, strangely, every person's attention turned toward him.
"Since both esteemed Doctors have laid out all their current results and ideas," Dr. X's voice was as calm as if he were reciting experimental data, but every word was bitten off with perfect clarity, "then I see no reason to keep hiding my own. Why not lay them out in the open as well, and hear what everyone thinks?"
He walked to the empty space at the center of the hall. Dr. X did not release his martial soul. He simply retrieved a ten-year soul bone from the pocket of his white lab coat and held it in his palm.
"My ideas on self-condensing soul bones do indeed share some similarities with Dr. Dayou's soul ring research."
He lifted his head toward Dr. Dayou and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. "It similarly uses soul power for condensation. Only, unlike soul rings—which are externally attached energy structures—soul bones require the soul power to be deposited into the bones of the human body itself."
He slowly turned the specimen in his hand. "My theory is that this process doesn't need to be completed in one go. It can be done gradually. Like calcium depositing in the skeletal structure—let the soul power slowly seep in and accumulate during daily cultivation. Then, when the right moment comes, use spiritual power to guide it and solidify it completely into shape."
The hall fell so quiet one could hear the wind rustling through the treetops outside the window. This idea sounded even more... radical than self-condensing soul rings.
Dr. Dayou was the first to react. He furrowed his brow, his voice laced with obvious uncertainty. "Isn't the risk far too great with this approach? With my research, even if it fails, the worst outcome is some degree of soul power backlash. The practitioner's soul power rank might temporarily dip a little, but after a period of rest and recovery, they'll be fine. As long as you don't forcibly condense an overloaded soul ring, there's basically no permanent damage."
He paused, his gaze falling on the ten-year soul bone in Dr. X's hand. "But if your experiment fails... wouldn't the corresponding body part be completely and irreversibly necrotic? Once the skeletal structure is destroyed by disordered soul power, it's not something that can be easily repaired."
Yet Dr. X only smiled. He gently set down the soul bone and slid both hands back into the pockets of his white lab coat. "What's so difficult about that?"
He said it as if it were the most trivial matter in the world. "As long as it's not a vital area like the head or the torso—any of the four limbs, or the locations corresponding to external soul bones—if it fails, simply remove it."
"Remove it?" Dr. Damu couldn't help repeating the words.
"That's right." Dr. X nodded. "After all, we have Her Holiness's Golden Doughnut Vanilla Cake. With that miraculous healing soul skill, losing a hand, losing a foot—all of it can be effortlessly regrown."
"I've already conducted one experiment. I forcibly used soul power to attempt condensing a soul bone. The result, quite obviously, was failure. So I decisively amputated the limb. My theory was still very rough at that stage, and I simply wanted to test whether there would be any aftereffects."
"After treatment with the Golden Doughnut Vanilla Cake, the function of the newly regenerated limb was completely restored. There were still no aftereffects whatsoever. It is entirely viable to continue the experiments."
He paused, then added, "What's more—the failed bone can also be used for further study. Analyzing the reasons for the failure of soul power deposition, the changes in the bone's microscopic structure... turning waste into resources. Cyclical research, you might say."
These words drew sharp, collective intakes of breath from many of those present. Yet Dr. X seemed entirely oblivious. He pressed on with his line of thought. "As for fully artificial soul bones—I'll need far more foundational research. Perhaps we could obtain some soul beast bones as reference samples and analyze their soul power conduction structures and energy storage patterns."
At this point, his expression suddenly turned solemn. "However, this kind of undertaking will require the assistance of the church's Enforcement Department. I will submit a formal application and request that they keep an eye out for suitable soul beast remains while carrying out their missions. But it must be made explicitly clear: they are not to go on wanton killing sprees against soul beasts just to complete the task."
He swept his gaze around the room, and for the first time, a certain emotion entered his voice—a sincerity that bordered on reverence. "To do so would go completely against Her Holiness's ideals. Her Holiness has said that soul beasts and humans should have a symbiotic relationship, not one of simple hunter and hunted. Our research cannot be built upon the wanton slaughter of other intelligent life forms."
Dr. Dayou and Dr. Damu exchanged a glance, seeing the same shock mirrored in each other's eyes. They had been so consumed with arguing over their respective paths that neither had imagined Dr. X not only thought more deeply than they did, but had even taken into account these ethical and doctrinal considerations. Truly brilliant.
It was only fitting—he, like them, was a man personally conferred the title of "Doctor" by Pope Furina herself. He was indeed cut from different cloth.
Dr. Dayou was the first to nod, his voice carrying a newfound measure of respect. "You're right. Research cannot be conducted without boundaries."
"Agreed," Dr. Damu added, offering a rare note of approval. "The acquisition of soul beast test subjects must be regulated."
Meanwhile, at the far end of the hall, Dr. Mirror had absolutely no desire to engage with the discussion on that side of the room.
In her view, those three Doctors—Dayou, Damu, and X—might have different research directions, but at their core, they were all the same type of person: extreme, fanatical, willing to stop at nothing for the sake of their theories.
By comparison, the Soul Tool Division she led could practically be considered a gathering place for normal people. They neither got into brawls every couple of days like that lot, nor came up with insane ideas like "mating with soul beasts" or "amputate and regenerate."
She sat at her own workstation. Spread across the tabletop was an enormous design blueprint. The edges of the paper were already somewhat worn, but the lines upon it remained crisp and clear.
It was something Furina had personally handed to her before leaving.
An automobile design blueprint.
Dr. Mirror's fingers traced lightly over the complex structural lines on the paper. Internal combustion engine. Transmission system. Suspension apparatus. Steering wheel controls... Next to every component, detailed annotations had been written.
Her Holiness always said that these things came from "the common knowledge of another world." But in Dr. Mirror's eyes, it was nothing short of divinely inspired wisdom.
She lifted her head and gazed toward the corner of the research lab, where a massive object sat half-shrouded under a dust cover.
The metal framework had already been fully assembled. The outer shell was beginning to take shape. Four wheels stood silently on their support stands. One more month—one month at most—and the very first complete automobile would drive out of this place.
"The 'petroleum' that Her Holiness spoke of has also been located," Dr. Mirror murmured to herself, as if speaking both to herself and reporting to someone who wasn't there. "In the mines of Wildlands City, that black, viscous liquid does indeed exist. After preliminary refining, its combustion efficiency is even higher than coal."
She paused, her brow furrowing slightly. "It's only a pity that the current range of applications is still far too narrow. It can only be used in mobile vehicles like automobiles. If..."