CHAPTER 47 — Plants That Shouldn't Grow
📅 13 July, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — Age 7
📍 Forest Herb Patch → Village Garden → Ren's Workshop
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The morning sunlight filtered through the forest canopy like liquid gold as Ren made his way to a familiar patch of wild herbs.
He'd harvested from this place a dozen times—
always the same scattered shrubs, the same sparse leaves.
But today, Ren froze mid-step.
"…What happened here?"
Zemo sniffed the air, tail low, ears pointing forward.
Ren knelt.
The herb patch looked wrong.
Plants he had harvested last week had grown back—
not just normally—
but doubled.
Tripled.
Even quadrupled in size.
Leaves as broad as his palm.
Stems far thicker than usual.
Roots pushing out of the ground in tangled clusters.
Ren whispered:
"This isn't natural…"
He looked around.
The soil was darker—moist, enriched.
And there was a faint greenish tint on a few leaves, like something had coated them.
Zemo growled softly.
Ren touched a leaf and rubbed the strange tint between his fingers.
It felt sticky.
Almost… resin-like.
"What is this… residue?"
Zemo sneezed at the smell.
Ren took a deep breath.
Something about the scent—
He recognized it.
"…This smells like the decomposed Red Fang herb."
His eyes widened.
"That herb is rare… but I remember it releases certain nutrients when it breaks down."
He rubbed the leaf again, thoughtful.
"But not this much.
Not enough for this kind of growth."
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PART 1 — SCIENCE IN THE WILD
Ren took out his notebook.
> Observation:
Herb growth accelerated ~300%
Unnatural leaf thickness and color
Soil nutrient concentration unusually high
Residue resembles decomposed Red Fang herb
Hypothesis:
Chemical reaction between herb compounds and soil minerals…
Ren hesitated.
"…But something is missing."
He looked at Zemo.
"Do you think the unknown creature affected it?"
Zemo tilted his head, not understanding.
Ren's mind raced.
If that creature had stepped here…
If its claws or saliva or fur left behind trace compounds…
What if—
The plant growth was triggered by something more advanced?
Ren's heart thumped.
"…Could it be a biological catalyst?"
Zemo barked lightly.
Ren whispered:
"Something that boosts plant metabolic rate…
Some kind of… growth accelerator."
He didn't know it yet,
but he had just taken the first step toward discovering Compound X.
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PART 2 — TESTING THE SOIL
Ren scooped a handful of the enriched soil into a pouch.
"Let's run basic tests."
He and Zemo returned to the clearing.
Ren placed the soil in a small bowl and compared it with normal forest soil.
He observed:
Color difference
Texture
Moisture retention
Smell
Reaction when water is added
When he added water to the enriched soil—
The soil fizzed.
Lightly.
Barely noticeable.
But enough.
Ren gasped.
"So… the soil is reacting chemically."
He analyzed the fizzing pattern.
"Not acidic.
Not harmful.
More like… activated nutrients being released."
Zemo wagged his tail, sensing Ren's excitement.
Ren muttered:
"If I can isolate what caused this…
I could improve farming.
Food supply.
Even medicine."
He paused.
His heart raced a little faster.
"…This could change the entire island."
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PART 3 — VILLAGE GARDEN SURPRISE
Ren hurried back to the village garden behind Makino's bar, Zemo at his heels.
The villagers were stunned.
"Ren! You should see this!"
"Something strange happened to the tomatoes!"
"They grew overnight!"
"This is unnatural… but helpful!"
Ren rushed forward—
and felt his breath catch.
Tomato plants had doubled in height.
Leaves were twice the size.
Tomatoes plump, shiny, and perfect.
Ren knelt and examined the soil.
He compared it to the forest sample.
His eyes widened.
"…The same scent.
Same nutrient reaction."
He turned a tomato over and found a faint greenish mark near the stem.
"Residue…
Just like in the forest…"
His mind pieced it together:
The creature.
The forest path.
The stream.
The tracks.
"It must have passed here too…
or touched something."
A chill ran down his spine.
The creature wasn't just watching.
It was interacting with the environment.
And the environment was responding.
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PART 4 — EXPERIMENT NO. 1
Back in the workshop, Ren set up a simple test:
Two pots of soil
One with enriched forest sample
One with normal soil
Same seed type
Same water
Same light
Zemo sat beside him like a proud assistant.
Ren whispered:
"Let's see the difference."
He placed both pots on the table.
If the enriched soil made the seed sprout faster—
It would confirm his theory.
Ren felt excitement bubbling in his chest.
"This could be the foundation of something bigger…
Something important."
He didn't know it yet—
But he had just begun the first experimental step toward creating Compound X.
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PART 5 — NIGHT DISCOVERY
As night fell, Ren wrote in his journal:
> Plant Growth Acceleration — Initial Findings
• Abnormal growth observed in wild herbs
• Presence of greenish residue (unknown chemical)
• Soil enhancement linked to residue
• Possible catalyst → increases nutrient absorption
• Village tomatoes show similar effects
Hypothesis:
A biological compound (produced by unknown creature or rare herb interaction) accelerates plant growth.
Project:
Isolation and analysis of growth catalyst.
Potential name… "Compound X."
Ren paused.
He looked at Zemo.
"…We're stepping into something new."
Zemo rested his head on Ren's leg.
Ren smiled softly.
"This could change everything.
For us…
For the village…
For the whole world."
Zemo's eyes shone with quiet understanding.
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END OF CHAPTER 47