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“WOW… Wow!” Euphemia jumped with excitement.
The experimental farm spreading before her was about the size of four tennis courts put together. This was the space Euphemia was allocated to conduct the next stage in her research. The hundred gerbils she released eagerly ate the Night Bloom seeds growing on the tips of the wilted leaf stems.
This was a one-time opportunity given to Euphemia by courtesy of Romanesque City. She was in charge of this vast plot of land.
The farm grounds were fabricated to be as close to nature as possible, but the area was surrounded by an electrified transparent acrylic fence to prevent lab animals from escaping. If they did escape, it’d pose a direct threat to the luxury villas built next to the research facility for researchers who wanted to live near work.
Romanesque City Research Institute attracted many researchers because it was located in a scenic location on the outskirts of the city and offered luxury housing.
“They’re eating…and only eating Night Bloom seeds!” Euphemia exclaimed, clapping her hands.
Even though the ground was sown with other grains, nuts, and bread, the little rodents didn’t look at it, they greedily devoured just the Night Bloom seeds. They nibbled through the fibrous fruit until they pulled the seeds out and then they bit and tore into the seed pod to get at the germ. A single gerbil didn’t stop at one fruit—they typically consumed two or three fruits the same size as their body.
Each fruit contained four to five seeds. Nightz was produced by mashing those seeds, but these gerbils gladly devoured that part in full. Their fluffy little cheek pouches were stuffed.
“Holy Muta… I thought I was prepared for what this would look like after seeing them in the lab, but it’s something else entirely to see the experiment taking place on this scale… I’m getting chills just looking at the carnivorous little monsters,” Ronaldo muttered as he filmed the farm with a camcorder.
He had boarded the helicopter with Euphemia to record her findings. “I once read an old document about the famines caused by wheat being wiped out in one region because of a large number of wild mice and rats. After seeing this, I know how it happened. Feels like I’m watching history in the making.”
Euphemia was filled with pride.
She was certain that Biotech’s board members would grant her a bigger budget after seeing this video footage she was going to include in her next report. Her experiment might be ready to put into practice in the wild already. To make that happen, she needed to increase the area covered and the number of gerbils used.
By collaborating with the police and Guardians, she could gather information on where hidden Night Bloom farms were located and secretly release the gerbils into them. All of this research had the potential to get rid of Night Blooms without harming anyone. This was a much safer approach to drug removal, as the Crime and Drug Unit had been shot down in the past by criminals when they tried to spray a highly toxic herbicide on Night Bloom fields with a helicopter.
Gerbils would hungrily move toward where their food supply was located. Mankind had struggled to rid fields of rodents in the past. This time wouldn’t be any different.
By releasing only male gerbils, they could prevent them from overbreeding in the wild and reduce the strain on the ecosystem. This was a very effective strategy, because if the illegal farmers tried to exterminate the gerbils with toxic chemicals, their precious Night Blooms would wilt in the process.
“Looks like the experiment was a success.”
The researcher assigned by Romanesque City Research Institute smiled. At Erica’s request they had shared one of their experimental farms with Euphemia and assigned a few of their researchers to assist her.
“Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without your assistance,” Euphemia thanked them from the bottom of her heart.
This definitely wasn’t a result she could have achieved alone. Erica’s influence played a big part in giving Euphemia the right connections, and Euphemia was grateful for that. She was going to make use of whatever she could if it meant eradicating Nightz from the world and bringing a modicum of peace to the cities.
“We didn’t have enough gerbils for this experiment, so we conducted it with males and females in the field, but I plan to conduct separate gender experiments by next year. We are working toward introducing them into the Wilds the year after next,” Euphemia explained with professional pride.
She held back her excitement in order to calmly share her plans in the way she expected a head researcher might. While she could control her tone, she couldn’t stop her cheeks from flushing with anticipation.
“Yup, yup. And once we get our method patented, we’re going to get married, right?” Ronaldo put his arm around Euphemia’s shoulder. He had volunteered to come with her to Romanesque City. Now she knew why.
“Hey! Don’t make stupid jokes. Oh no! You recorded that dumb comment just now, didn’t you? Make sure you edit it out later!” Euphemia demanded, skirting out of his embrace.
“You really should be more honest. My honey is such a shy girl.”
“Who are you calling honey?!”
“I’m envious of how well you get along,” Romanesque City’s researcher said with a laugh.
“We do not get along!” Euphemia objected.
“It’s so nice to be young and in love,” the researcher said with a good-natured smile, entirely misunderstanding their relationship.
In any event, the experiment went well, and Euphemia’s first objective had been achieved. Rounding up the gerbils was going to be difficult, but they would go back to their nests once they ran out of food. That was their natural instinct.
“It’s lively out here.”
Ziggurat Haydn, a member of Gothic City’s senate and owner of many businesses including a TV studio, got out of a black luxury car.
“Senator Haydn!”
Ronaldo was ecstatic to be in the presence of an influential senator and famous businessman. The researcher from Romanesque City was just as delighted by Senator Haydn’s surprise visit. Euphemia was surprised he came too. She was able to borrow this experimental farm through his connections, but the date and time were worked out with one of his secretaries. It was unexpected for the busy senator to check on things personally.
“Thank you for coming all this way. The experiment was a success! Might I ask why you are here? I hadn’t heard you were coming. If I’d known you were, I would have prepared a presentation,” Euphemia politely addressed her sister’s political adversary.
“It’s a complete coincidence. The business I was supposed to attend to in this area was suddenly canceled, so I decided to look in on how things were going with my newfound free time. I have a vacation home in this city and decided to take a few days off to relax there. I haven’t taken a day off in over half a year. I shouldn’t get in trouble for enjoying some time off, right?” Haydn asked with a wry smile.
He had every right to some vacation time. Ziggurat Haydn was renowned for his energetic personality, which seemed like a complete contradiction given his skinny and withdrawn appearance.
“You deserve time off,” Euphemia responded. “You decided to spend it here?”
“Well, I won’t be completely free of my work, but I can spend a little time here,” Haydn said as he looked around the farm.
Romanesque City was a half-day drive north of Gothic City. It was more open than Gothic City, and the north side of the city was surrounded by a stunning mountain range which brought it closer to nature.
“From the look on your face, I take it that the experiment went off better than expected? Your face is glowing, Euphemia.” Haydn smiled as he stared at Euphemia. “I have no doubt that this experiment will be a sure step toward eradicating Nightz.”
“I couldn’t have made it this far without you putting in a good word for me, Senator Haydn. Thank you very much,” Euphemia responded to his praise with the appropriate level of gratitude.
“I’m glad to have been of service. You have my continued support.”
“That’s encouraging.”
Though Haydn was smiling, the way he quirked his lips and the shadowed gleam in his eyes made Euphemia feel like he was secretly mocking her. Something in her gut told her that this man who was a famous celebrity to the rest of the world wasn’t as easy to get along with as he might seem at first.