The Industrialist

"Jasper, what is the highest Intelligence grade there is?" Lance asked while going outside the SARS building.

"Intelligence grade levels depend on the courses you finished. The highest level is Intelligence grade level thirty. These are the capabilities of Industrialists level. You will not become such a level if you do not reach level 15." Jasper answered.

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[Currency] 13,800 units

[Recent Transaction] paid 3,000 units for the Mechanic Tier Registration

[To-do list]

[1] Finish Specialized course for Masterworks Energy sources

[2] Acquire the needed materials for Ultragenerator

[3] Build the Ultragenerator

[Side jobs]

[1] In-vitro project with Jaqi.

[2] Recreate Zelkian Farming – pending

[3] Pending Tyllrium trade

[4] Market poison bombs

[Pending missions]

[1] Find the mystery girl

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"Well, intelligence level should wait for me. If I am level zero, then so be it." He continued his steps toward the downsteps of the external ground.

"You are now enrolled in the Specialized Masterworks Energy Sources course, it will give you two points in intelligence level, Master," Jasper said.

"Yeah, but I will not be finishing. I will just talk to Doctor Adamson." He squinted to the far West, to where the High Science Academy was located, in the BloomForge Enclave.

"For what purpose, master? You needed the course for your Ultragenerator!"

"Yes, it's true. But first, my time is needed elsewhere."

***

Homestead Green Sector, Axe Central

***

Lance had always been so cautious when inside the Agricultural Laboratory of the Dome in Homestead Green. He oftentimes squinted to Jaqi as she worked on the other table with her back facing Lance. Her spotless white gown covered Jaqi's high-slit pastel-colored tunic, two layers of them, fashionably elegant looking. She took all her jewelry out as could physically contaminate the sensitive media.

Perhaps his cautiousness was connected to his insecurity when Jaqi was around. Especially, when her focus had engaged with work. He should at least surmount the level of hard work of this girl as not to embarrass himself in front of her.

Lance would always smell his hands, the sanitizer sent mountain rain freshness to his nostrils. As a requirement, before they would enter the Dome's experimental lab, they would sanitize everything, clothes, hands, and shoes. The Sanitation room, before the main laboratory floor, had an aromatic mist sprayed all over them.

He was unsure if the scent was likeable, or because the scent soothed his nervousness.

What's funny though, everything was in their proper place. But when Jaqi worked, they would be in total chaos. Lance could sometimes relate himself the unkempt unsolvable mess of his new condominium.

Despite her disorganization with how she utilized the equipment, still she progressed fast. Laser-focused. The vials had their respective tabletop racks in front of her. Each of them should be intricately filled with the bacterial media used for their in-vitro plant propagation by a robotic arm liquid dispenser. Expertly, she handled robotic equipment as if she designed them.

Which intimidated her partner, Lance.

One hundred bacteria-filled test tubes, three inches in diameter, were placed carefully by Jaqi in centrifugal machines to properly activate and mix the medium. She waited for the machine to finish mixing. As the humming sound dissipated, she opened the lid, took five samples haphazardly, and inspected the transparent test tubes, observing the hazy white media became homogenous.

She studied the science about the basics of bacteriology, but no such course or premaster degree was offered by the Corporation. She said, "It's a myth. The Lost Engineers never existed. People just formed this fake news about them for others to blame the Corporation of unruly and injustice governance."

She also said, "The technology is just lost. The study of bacteria and microorganisms was long gone when the Nuclear World War struck!"

She boasted, "I have studied a lot in the Science Archives about Bacteria growth in controlled environments but never mentioned the names of the experts in these fields."

They had small talks every few moments such as, "It's good you decided to become a Mechanic Tier 3. We are the same now."

"Well, I am after with the free courses offered. I wanted to know about the Energy Sources concepts," Lance responded.

"Well, I have finished the Specialized course," Jaqi shared.

"What is your intelligence level then?" Lance asked. Jaqi also accepted the free course, too. It meant that Jaqi knew the basics of Energy source installations and component compatibility.

"Hmm. Intelligence grade Level four. I have taken up three courses ever since, excluding the free ones of course."

"I took none," Lance laughed softly, while she distracted herself with a sweet stare and a smile.

Lance's responsibility in the project's initial phase was to disinfect the vials for the purpose of decontaminating the bacterial media when placed inside them. Due to unchallenging responsibility, sometimes Lance would fazed off with somnolence and would energize himself by engaging small talks with Jaqi.

She seemed unfazed herself with work but had always respectfully responded to everything Lance threw at her.

"Just curious, Jaqi. Have you heard about the SHF? The one group that rumors floated around the dark net?" Lance asked.

"SHF? Let me think…Hmm… it's confidential," She had this weird smile, awkward curve at the ends of his mouth seemed to be tensed.

"I know it's confidential. Rumors floated that they were formed to flush out the rebels. But I have not heard from the News."

"Ok. If you insist and if you stop talking about them further, this is what I'll give you… The SHF is true and established by my father as the head. And it is not the big part. The big part is that they are still hunting the rebels. My father said they successfully removed them underground. Can you imagine, all this time, they lived underground?"

Lance did not answer at that. Instead, he showed a fake surprise face. He opened his mouth, acting like surprised.

"Look, it's a secret all right," Jaqi continued.

"What do you think of the rebels?" Lance asked. He just wanted to know what the likes of Jaqi thought about his comrades.

"Well, a menace. For one. I mean. They are blinded by their so-called cause. The Media is telling the truth. The rebels are blaming the system for what they achieved in the world.

I mean, they are finding ways to live illegally just to survive. And that means joining the rebels."

"Well, maybe. In that perspective, it sounded true," Lance added.

"Do you believe what they are doing is right?"

"I little. Maybe. I don't know," He chose his words carefully, "I lived a commoner for years and have experienced sometimes that the system is rigged, only setting an advantage to those who have, absolutely unfair for the people who don't have. They are, somehow, fighting what they know the truth. To have the courage to take arms and fight for their lives against a rigged system.

And relying upon some distant hope to amend everything from the ground up, a system that took care of the citizens, a system that doesn't allow its citizens to suffer from the scant resource."

She scoffed after Lance spoke.

"You sounded like my father, but exactly in the opposite notion." Jaqi only said. An awkward silence between them permeated the space right after. "Well, congratulations again for your achievement. You are famous now. The Scientists are talking about you."

She redirected a topic outside the rebels and the system and governance for an obvious reason. They could argue with the opposing beliefs to no end. Jaqi does not want the confrontation? Or maybe because she wanted to finish the project with her partner intact with their positive relationship?

"That's twice already today that you congratulated me," Lance said. "You appeared in the news, too. About your ShowerSmart project."

"Yes. Because of my family name." She recoiled. Explore more stories at empire

"You should not be ashamed of it. You should be proud. It is a great feat to achieve such an impactful project. Helping the environment and the resource."

She rolled her eyes, interpreting Lance's statement as bullshit. Maybe she heard a lot about these appreciations about her ShowerSmart project, perhaps, she seemed to dislike them.

"OK. We will finish a thousand bottles of these, and we place them in the cooling room. So, we will place the King Orange seedlings tomorrow."

The Agriculturists called the new genetically designed orange tree as King Orange because of its fruit size. It was as big as a melon, weighing three to four kilograms.

"I am thinking. I have a new proposition. Let's make a variety." Lance suggested.

"Why? Let's stick with 100% King Orange propagation."

"No. Let's make it 80% King Orange, and 20% Aiveez," Lance said.

"Aiveez? Why risk the project to a new plant? We had the experiments and the King Orange is compatible with the bacterial media we used."

"I knew the panelists. In order for us to achieve homerun, we should let them know that the bacterial medium you invented is compatible with other plants as well."

"You have a point. Now, what's exactly an Aiveez?" She asked.

"I have one in my apartment before. Aiveez is used to fend off Abominants. Their aromatic smell could also be used to provide fragrance in homes."

She craned her head up to the ceiling. She was clearly thinking. Then a silence had fell upon them with only the humming sounds of the air conditioning units of the lab. From the ceiling, her stare shifted to Lance and her lips pouted.

"You are right! Let's do it." She was convinced.

Lance needed another space and mode to propagate his Aiveez for its nectar production. He wanted to manufacture more poison bombs in preparation for his travels outside the walls. He planned to make a trip back to Axiom Trench the next week to acquire the Energy Accelerator, for real this time.