In the experimental terraced fields of Liyue, the morning mist kissed every dewdrop perched on a leaf's tip. Limeng knelt half on the ridge, his fingertips hovering just above a newly transplanted corn seedling. Its roots, resembling crimson blood vessels, tightly coiled around a piece of volcanic crystal securely embedded deep within an "elemental resonance clay pot" fired by veteran Liyue artisans. The dark red runes on the interior walls of the pot glowed faintly, continuously emitting a gentle pyro elemental energy that nurtured this seed of hope, codenamed "Crimson Grain Prime."
"It worked!" Xiao Chen's voice carried the hoarseness of an all-nighter, yet his excitement remained unmistakable. He pointed toward a completely different row of corn seedlings nearby. Those new varietal seedlings, known as "Crimson Grain: Deep Root," grew tall and straight, their leaf veins tracing delicate, pale golden patterns that shimmered like flowing molten gold in the morning light, radiating vitality. Yet, several failed mutations were mixed among them; their leaves were withered and curled, their roots decaying and stinking, silently recounting the price of exploration.
Limeng's gaze was as sharp as a blade as it swept over the withered failures before he finally crushed a blackened leaf. "Twenty-seven rounds of directional cross-breeding and selection are what bought us these mere 'Deep Roots.'" His voice was low. "Let's check the Abyss resistance data once more."
Chapter 126