Chapter 189 Ickle
After completing the artificial womb, it only took about 3 months for the "Lucia Series" girls to be created――9 of them, to be exact.
However, 3 of them died without even leaving the artificial womb, and 5 died within 2 weeks of birth. Only one survived.
And to make matters worse...
"This child... doesn't seem to have the Priestess's ability, either."
"Hmm... a failure, I suppose."
All 6 of the born girls, including the survivor, didn't have the Priestess's ability.
"That's strange... they should have the same genes as the original Lucia, but why didn't the Priestess's ability manifest?"
Noah furrowed his brows, deep in thought. Chronosphere then presented a possibility to him.
"Maybe... the [Evil God] that's possessing her is altering the genetic information."
"You mean the genes varied later on? Is that even possible?"
"Yeah... Noah, do you know about octopus?"
"......"
Déjà vu――or rather, Noah remembered hearing similar words before, and he gave Chronosphere a suspicious glance. This person... or should he say, god, seems to have a thing for soft-bodied animals or creatures with tentacles, doesn't he?
"Ah, yes... seafood. It's really delicious."
"Uh-huh, I love squid too. It's delicious, after all."
Chronosphere nodded and continued.
"It's said that squids have the ability to edit their own genes on their own. Of course, humans don't have that ability, but it's possible to edit genes using nanomachines. In fact, back then, gene therapy using nanomachines was a common practice."
"...So, [Evil God] directly tampered with Lucia's genes? For what purpose?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure exactly, but it's possible that they made adjustments according to their goals. Since she was targeted for a long time, they might have edited her genes to specialize in combat abilities. That's probably what happened. And who knows, maybe the parts related to the Priestess's abilities got lost in the process..."
"Specializing in combat abilities, you say...? Then it's weird that the 'Lucia Series' is so fragile, isn't it? And there's only one survivor left, without any particularly exceptional physical abilities..."
"...Maybe it's because the edited genetic information was acquired later in life, and there were problems during the growth process. Maybe the surrogate mothers couldn't handle it, and that's why most of them died in the artificial wombs... or maybe [Evil God] couldn't provide enough nutrients to create a complete being..."
Chronosphere gazed into the distance, deep in thought, and continued slowly.
"If [Evil God]'s spirit and massive amounts of nanomachines were used to edit the genes, that would mean the genes are incomplete as a living organism. It's possible that even essential functions for survival were removed, assuming they could be supplemented with nanomachines or magic. Maybe that's why the 'Lucia Series' couldn't live long... it's not impossible..."
As a conclusion, it's still unclear why the Priestess's ability doesn't manifest in the "Lucia Series", or why they can't live long.
And Noah and the others didn't think about investigating the cause. What's important is the result, not the reason.
"We still have stockpiled [Evil God Cells], but...should we continue with the 'Lucia Rebirth Plan'?"
"No...if we can't reproduce the Priestess's ability, it's pointless to keep increasing the number of Lucia clones. Unfortunately, it seems we need to give up on the 'Lucia Rebirth Plan' and shift to another plan."
"I understand...then, let's try using the [Evil God Cells] we've cultivated and transplanted into an organization to fake the authority of the [Evil God] in the [God Realm]."
"That's right. Let's do that...hmm, what do you think?"
Chronosphere nodded, thinking deeply, and then looked up to propose an idea. His face was calm and free of any evil intent.
"The girls from the surviving 'Lucia Series' might not have a rejection reaction to the [Evil God Cells]. After all, they originated from the same cells. It's a waste to dispose of them. How about we experiment on them first?"
"......"
Noah felt a sense of refusal at the thought of using the surviving girl as a tool for further experimentation.
However, he reconsidered, thinking that it was just a meaningless, self-righteous sentiment.
(If we leave things as they are, that girl will eventually die too...then...)
The plan to implant the cultured tissue created by cultivating [Evil God Cells] into the body, and fake the authority of the [Evil God]――this can only be done by those who have a brain internal device, which means it's an experiment on the 4 families' people.
And the surviving "Lucia Series" is, genetically, indeed a human from the 4 families, and if Chronosphere God grants her the ability to generate nanomachines and create a brain internal device.
"...I understand. Then, let's try it on that girl first."
There was no certainty. Still, Noah agreed to Chronosphere's proposal.
And 2 weeks later, the cultivated and generated [Evil God] living tissue was transplanted into the girl.
The result was――
"Hmm...as expected, the system rejects it. When the [Evil God] takes away the top management authority of the [God Realm], her original authority cannot be taken back, because Lucia's genetic code was used as the biometric key, I thought it might work...but it's not surprising that the key is not unique, if you think about it."
"It didn't work out, huh..."
"Yeah, that's right. But don't you think this is an interesting result?"
"It's amazing that such a difference appears between the clone embryo and the cultivated organization."
The cultivated tissue transplanted into the girl changed into a tissue that generates nanomachines in the body using magical energy, and strengthens physical abilities, by combining with other organs in the transplanted area and increasing the host's magical energy. This is separate from the brain internal device that expands brain function and has a function to enhance physical abilities.
As a result, just like the other "Lucia Series," Lucia's clone body, which was physically fragile, transformed into a healthy state. Moreover, it would be several months later that she would awaken to the "Supernatural Ability" that allowed her to change her appearance by altering her body.
Fortunately, the girl who was on the verge of death was now completely stabilized.
"This could be applied in various ways, don't you think? If we transplant it to someone outside of the 4 houses, what would happen? Could we strengthen their physical abilities like hers?"
"...I think that's possible."
"Hmm...then let's do some research."
The transplantation of cultivated tissue to enhance physical abilities and magical energy would later be called the "Adept Conversion Procedure" and would be performed on the members of the secret society, Chronosphere. However, to fully activate the transplanted tissue in those outside of the 4 houses, the "Activator (Nectar)" refined from the blood of the 4 houses' members was necessary.
In any case, the failed plan gave birth to the existence of "Adepts."
On the other hand, the sole surviving girl of the "Lucia Series" was...
"If her condition has stabilized, we should give her a name, don't you think? It's pitiful to keep calling her No. 9."
"Yes, that's true..."
The face of Noah, who secretly felt relieved that even Chronosphere's god had a hint of human compassion, would freeze in the next instant.
"Ah, then how about the name 'Ickle'? Since she couldn't become Lucia's clone, we can read Lucia's name in typo."
"...That's."
They asked a girl born as Lucia's clone to take on the role, but since she failed, they gave her a name similar to Lucia's.
It felt like they were mocking her failure, and Noah was at a loss for words.
However, Chronosphere's face showed no malice. With a genuinely pleased expression, he nodded enthusiastically.
"Ickle... I came up with a great name myself. Alright, it's decided then! Her name is Ickle!"
(Does God not have a heart...)
Noah missed his chance to correct the decision. And so, the pitiful girl's name became "Ickle" from that day on.
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