Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

Luo Tianming: [Stop keeping me in suspense, why are you putting "delicious" in quotation marks?]

Log: [This is actually quite simple to explain. Just like the description above, it is indeed 'delicious' to humans. This product contains a large amount of monosodium glutamate, which is the umami element that humans can perceive.]

Our genetically modified food contains two to three times more monosodium glutamate than normal, which is why humans find it delicious.

Luo Tianming: [What will be the consequences?]

log:【……】

Well... it hasn't undergone extensive clinical trials, so, well—as far as we know, humans who eat it will genuinely exclaim how 'delicious' it is!

Then, one begins a frenzied pursuit of this deliciousness—and then, this 'deliciousness' gradually dulls the human's sense of taste, making other foods seem bland and tasteless, until finally only mushrooms can be perceived as 'delicious'.

Luo Tianming: "..."

This is just—Holy crap, ice!

Well, it seems this thing is indeed not a good thing... but if it were used on other people, he wouldn't think there would be any problem.

The people on Europa eat those toothpaste-like krill reconstituted foods every day, which have no taste at all... Giving them potatoes would be considered a feast, and the previous bacon and eggs would have been a state banquet.

Creating a 'delicious' mushroom would probably completely change Europa's entire diet.

Luo Tianming then inquired: "What is the production volume of this?"

Log: [Didn't I say it already? As long as there's enough humus and water, it can grow anywhere—even corpses, cough cough…! Wishing you a bountiful mushroom harvest and a full granary of rats.]

"..."

He spent 3 recruitment coupons to buy this item that he thought he wouldn't buy.

[Regular Recruitment Tickets: 3]

He then received a small bottle, about the size of his palm.

This contains at least one acre's worth of mushroom spores.

Catherine finally jumped off the chair in frustration, waved her hand in front of him, and said, "Hey, I'm talking to you~ Why are you always daydreaming?"

Luo Tianming hid the bottle in his sleeve and said seriously, "I do have a way to upgrade the local agriculture to a higher level."

"but……"

Catherine: "But what?"

Luo Tianming: "But it would be a bit painful for me to give it away for no reason. Could we exchange it for some information, such as information about the lower caves?"

"..."

Catherine rolled her eyes at him, then opened the drawer: "What kind do you want?"

Luo Tianming: "These are categorized by type?"

Catherine: "Of course, there are areas specifically for mining, areas specifically for energy extraction, and various danger zones and maps showing the distribution of monsters in different areas."

Luo Tianming: "Bring them all."

"..."

Catherine said very quietly, "What if what you give me isn't worth that much?"

Luo Tianming: "Just you wait and see, this is absolutely non-toxic and harmless good stuff."

As he spoke, he took the mushrooms out and placed them on the table.

Catherine carefully leaned over the table, barely daring to breathe, and asked, "What is this?"

Luo Tianming: "The spores of a certain mushroom have an excellent taste, and once planted, they can be harvested every three days as long as there is humus and water."

Catherine: "That's amazing?"

As she spoke, she reached out and carefully picked up the bottle.

She also tossed that pile of documents to Luo Tianming... It seems she also thinks this deal is worthwhile.

Luo Tianming advised her, "I suggest you find a small box to try planting it first. Don't plant too many; a piece the size of a little fingernail is enough to plant a whole cabin."

Catherine immediately found a cultivation box and then asked someone to fill it with humus... Chongshan Station doesn't have much else, but that pile of banana humus from three years ago is dozens of meters deep.

Then, she started to act like a little adult: "Ahem, Mr. Luo—if this mushroom is successful, then your contribution to our site will be quite significant. Is that little bit of information really enough?"

Luo Tianming: "You should plant it first, I'm leaving—thank you for the cave information, it's very useful."

At this moment, for some unknown reason, Catherine blushed and said in a coquettish voice, "Then let's talk about it when you come back alive, hmph~"

The red-haired loli showed him the back of her head, making Luo Tianming's heart itch... If it weren't for the three cold snorts coming through the communication, he probably would have already gone up and ruffled the loli's head hard.

"..."

As Luo Tianming left the office, he intended to run all the way to the airlock.

But on the way, he encountered an unexpected person: several believers dressed in black robes blocked his way, and among them was a familiar face, a missionary from the Painted Skin Cult.

The guy spoke in a still-dead tone:

"Lieutenant Luo, we meet again. You've been refusing to come to our sect for a cup of tea, so I had no choice but to come out and find you."

Luo Tianming looked at him calmly: "You haven't left Chongshan Station yet?"

The missionary shook his head and said, "We won't leave. There aren't many stations willing to accommodate the 'Painted Skin Cult.' Rather than trying our luck elsewhere, we'd rather perish with Chongshan Station—besides, Lieutenant Luo probably wouldn't want this station to sink, right?"

Luo Tianming looked at them warily: "..."

The missionary replied, “Lieutenant Luo, we have no hostility… We haven’t thanked you for helping us out last time. The reason we’re waiting for you here is because we want you to help us get something.”

Luo Tianming: "What is that?"

Missionary: "You're asking a question you already know the answer to. Our spiritual nourishment, our God, our savior—it's all a painted mask."

"..."

A warm feeling emanated from the journal in his arms.

Chapter 66 Unexpected Disaster

[Mission: Biohazard (These madmen, yearning for symbiosis with other creatures, don't think about how to enhance themselves, but instead gamble everything on unpredictable rituals. You instinctively sense something is wrong; the Skin-Painting Cult may be planning something big soon... This is a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters. If you can complete this mission, there's a high chance you'll make contact with high-ranking figures.) Mission: Submit twelve Skin-Painting Parasites (0/12), Mission Reward: Recruitment Tickets x5.]

[Mission: Pest Elimination (Killing one cockroach will spawn countless others.) Mission: Kill at least 5 hostile creatures (both crew members and yourself). Mission Reward: 3-10 Recruitment Vouchers. Note*: This is a cumulative mission; the more you kill, the higher the reward.]

"..."

Back on the ship, Luo Tianming looked at the refreshed tasks and checked off the two tasks.

Currently, both of these tasks appear to be good.

The first requirement is twelve parasite eggs, but it also includes follow-ups—those members of the Painted Skin Cult are clearly planning something big. If we can take advantage of this opportunity to infiltrate, we can really start fishing in troubled waters.

The second one is the kill reward mission, which increases the reward regardless of who kills the target, making this mission quite easy.

Having no questions about either mission, he began to sit in the captain's seat and review the intelligence about the lower caves that he had obtained from Catherine.

It contains detailed records of the locations of various minerals, plants, and organisms...

Without this information, if they rashly entered the labyrinthine environment of the lower caves, they would probably have returned empty-handed.

"..."

Luo Tianming observed the report on the lower cave with some surprise, as some of the things in it overturned his long-held beliefs.

He once thought that uranium ore should be the rarest resource among Europa's various colonies.

In reality, uranium ore is only considered fourth in value... The first is iron ore, which is usually the least noticeable, and the second is diamond, not because of its intrinsic value, but because diamonds contain a high concentration of carbon, even higher than ordinary graphite.

Iron ore and highly enriched carbon are relatively basic materials, covering almost all manufacturing, agriculture, and chemical industries. Although uranium ore and some other minerals have high purchase prices, there are generally few buyers, and only a few industrial giants and unscrupulous merchants dare to purchase them.

Once the iron ore is mined, it can be directly transported by a robotic arm to the inside of the ship to be processed into crude iron... One ton of iron is worth about 2500 marks, and with good luck, one trip can usually earn back the round-trip fare.

Luo Tianming also sees biomes as a resource, especially some areas where painted skins appear. There should be quite a few painted skins in those places, which is perfect for him to complete his first task.

The algae-climbing areas are mostly populated by groups of algae crawlers. If you come to just two settlements, you can get most of the second task done.

"..."

“Captain,” Lucy reminded him through the communication device, “the Nautilus’s engines are at full power and it can depart at any time.”

Luo Tianming: "Hmm... Let's set off immediately."

He rolled up the cave documents and stopped reading.

Meanwhile, Red Star Station is experiencing chaos caused by Lieutenant Luo Tianming's 'disappearance,' and no one can be sure when the Nautilus left the port. This has caused considerable dissatisfaction among Colonel Ivan, who was supposed to be waiting for the Nautilus to arrive at the military station.

He confronted Major Soloviev on the internal officers' private line, demanding, "The man disappeared at your station, and you didn't know anything about it?"

The major calmly replied, "If I were to know the location of every submarine captain, that would be surveillance, not supervision, and that would be your responsibility."

Colonel Ivan: "Major, do you know who you're talking to?"

Soloviev: "I know, the higher-ups in the intelligence department... but don't expect to intimidate me with your official rank. Instead, you should explain to me now why the radiation data from the upper glacier hasn't been sent for two years!"

"That's your intelligence department's job, isn't it? Should I report you for dereliction of duty to the lieutenant general?"

"..."

Colonel Ivan found it strange that a major would dare to yell at a superior who was much higher in rank than him.

However, the habits he developed in the intelligence department kept Colonel Ivan from getting bogged down in the whirlpool of responsibility...

“Major,” he said, his fingers interlaced, “the reason we haven’t sent you radiation survey reports for the past two years is because the annual radiation levels there have consistently been below 3.6 roentgens…”

But what he didn't expect was that this answer would completely enrage Soloviev.

"Below 3.6 roentgens year after year?! Do you want me to throw the latest report in your face?! This morning, the captain I sent to investigate returned. I had him attach a mechanical radiation measuring device to the bow of the submarine and instructed him to go as far as possible to the top after passing the North Star outpost."

"Do you know what the maximum value the instrument measured is?! 400 roentgens! Right 300 meters above the North Star Outpost!!"

"..."

Upon hearing this number, Colonel Ivan's face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

Despite having classified the radiation observation data as confidential for several years, he was unable to withstand the reconnaissance from closer border sites.

He had thought that the destruction of the North Star outpost would allow him to keep the matter a secret for a few more years... but now it seems that it has been exposed after all.

On the other end of the screen, Soloviev resembled an enraged lion, and Ivan knew that the more he provoked him, the more resistance he would face.

He stated bluntly in a businesslike tone, "Major, this matter must be classified as top secret. You, your scientists, and the people on that submarine must all be placed under surveillance."

Major: "Supervision? I'll f*** you!"

"..."

Faced with the words that were automatically muted by the channel, Colonel Ivan replied without anger: "Major, you should know how troublesome this matter is. Once it gets out, the peace that the Alliance has managed to maintain for several years will be completely destroyed."

"You have to understand how serious the unrest will be once people learn about the spread of radiation, driven by despair and selfishness... It could potentially cause a bigger problem than Jupiter separatism."

The major took a breath and said, "...You don't need to tell me! If I hadn't blocked the news, you wouldn't be so calm now, you old fox!"

"I've finally figured it out. All that bullshit about 'reproducing humanity' and concentrating more people at the stations is just a ploy to evacuate those people from the stations that are about to be engulfed by radiation, and you're not letting them know the truth!"

In response, Colonel Ivan said smugly:

"How about it? This plan is pretty good, isn't it? Those people are probably still willingly sacrificing themselves for the great goal of 'the survival of humanity'... No demands for compensation, no disputes afterward. You should thank me, Major."

Major: "...Have you considered what would happen if this were exposed?!"

His words prompted Colonel Ivan to scrutinize him with a cold gaze.

"Major, who would do such a thing? Please tell me—our intelligence section will never let anyone who leaks secrets get away with it."

"..."

These words actually carried a hint of threat.

Only the dead shut up... Colonel Ivan was warning him to mind his own business.

The major didn't accept the threat. Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea and said, "Don't try to threaten me. If I die or disappear, Lieutenant Luo will definitely find out what you, you old fox, have done!"

Colonel Ivan's eyes turned cold: "...You told him all this?"

Major: "Don't even think about trying to harm either of us, you old fox... If anything happens to either of us, the secret you've been trying so hard to hide will be exposed immediately."

Colonel Ivan: "Major Soloviev, you're doing something very dangerous. If Lieutenant Luo Tianming defectes, do you know how serious the damage he would cause to the Europa Alliance?"

Major: "Then you'd better find a way to prevent him from being driven to a dead end... That's it, I'm hanging up."

The communication ended abruptly. On the other end, Colonel Ivan's expression was uncertain. He coldly rejected the internal execution order for Luo Tianming and Soloviev that was at hand.

He leaned back on the leather sofa, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, his thoughts drifting into devising another conspiracy...