Fred still couldn't locate Creuset's movements.
Or rather, being confined here made it difficult for him to venture out.
However, perhaps Clyne could assist him.
Of course, Fred didn't voice these thoughts for now.
His current importance was significant, yet still negligible compared to the entire Coordinator group.
This agricultural field served as an excellent stepping stone.
Perhaps through this research project, he could establish connections with the Clyne Faction.
After all, given the current relationship between the two factions, there were undoubtedly members of the Clyne Faction within the agricultural research institute.
In any case, his direction forward remained unchanged.
"I'll do my best."
Thinking this, Fred raised his eyes and spoke earnestly.
"Good, I'm reassured to hear you say that."
As Lenore spoke, she recalled Pat's words from not long ago.
Fred might be even more capable in engine research than in agriculture.
This capability meant that if transferred to engines, Fred's abilities would already match hers.
At this thought, Lenore could no longer view him as just a student.
However, those research projects were currently top-secret and definitely couldn't involve Fred for the time being.
Moreover, given Fred's current learning pace, it might not be long before his abilities in agriculture surpassed hers as well.
This realization brought another wave of surreal feeling to Lenore's heart.
...
Three months later, as year 65 approached, Fred's life remained as routine as ever.
After the thorough yet fruitless search for Fred yielded no further leads, the investigations gradually diminished.
Of course, all this information came from Lenore.
As for him, these past three months maintained a simple two-point routine.
Teaching combat classes to several youngsters while honing his own skills, conducting experiments in the laboratory, and studying various books at home.
The stability of these days gave Fred the illusion that they were already in an era of peace.
It also made him feel that if he had pursued graduate studies in his previous life, it might have been a similar experience.
Though certainly without such favorable treatment.
After all, graduate degrees seemed to have lost much value by that time.
Thinking this, Fred at his workstation turned his attention to the title before him.
[Agricultural Experiment Pod C-12 Unit Microbial Community Stability Assessment Experiment]
This was a report covering almost the entire three-month growth cycle of rice.
Unfortunately, the experimental crops developed unexplained chlorosis. New sequencing results indicated the artificial synthetic bacterial agent PGPR-7 had become overactive, completely suppressing other colonies and causing accumulation of toxic intermediate metabolites in the matrix.
"Still not working? But based on these failure results, we can still identify many interesting gaps. It's not irreparable next time."
However, compared to this, perhaps his current...
Fred thought, unconsciously looking at the text appearing before his eyes.
[Cosmic Agriculture +0.06]
[Cosmic Agriculture (Beginner) 100/100]
[Aerospace Agriculture - Proficient↑]
[Reward: Plant Information Visualization]
"!?!?"
Seeing the final reward, Fred felt excitement surge within.
This skill might be useless and redundant for those without agricultural knowledge, but he possessed it.
Machine detection isn't foolproof. Although those testing devices are highly sensitive, there's still room for error, not to mention the time lag involved in waiting for test results to come back.
If this Golden Finger could truly display all the information about crops, research progress would significantly accelerate.
Thinking this, Fred immediately stood up.
Just as he was about to head to the Underground Experimental Field, a tall young woman in a white lab coat stopped him.
"Fried, you're still here~"
Her voice carried a playful lilt, with a melodious, winding tone.
Her appearance surpassed any celebrity Fred had seen in his previous life.
This was only natural.
After all, most researchers participating here were seasoned professionals.
And being a seasoned researcher basically equated to being among the elite - those genetically enhanced by the wealthy.
With that kind of money, transforming one's appearance into that of a handsome man or beautiful woman was as easy as eating or drinking.
"Yes, I have some matters to attend to."
Fred nodded in response.
The young woman was named Imanla, a nineteen-year-old colleague.
His alias here was Fried Beek.
It sounded quite ordinary.
But that was precisely the effect he wanted.
For now, names were merely labels to him, serving no real purpose.
To put it in more dramatic terms, he had already abandoned his original name.
"The new experiment failed, so there shouldn't be too much work to do for now."
The young woman moved closer to him, speaking intimately.
Her body fragrance wafted toward his nose with her movement.
Like appearance, body scent could be edited these days, and the woman beside him carried the scent of apples.
Far more alluring than the perfumes from his era.
It was quite pleasant.
He wondered if people grew tired of their own scents.
Fred thought to himself while nodding.
"That's true, but I plan to check the experimental field now."
Hearing this, the young woman across from Fred pouted her cherry lips in dissatisfaction.
"It's not that urgent, is it? We still have three days before the experiment restarts."
"You could go tomorrow too."
As she spoke, the young woman reached out to grab Fred's arm.
"That may be so."
The young man deftly sidestepped, effortlessly avoiding the girl's grasp.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, forming an seemingly unaware smile.
"But time waits for no one. Revitalizing PLANT is our generation's undeniable duty."
"..."
Hearing the young man's righteous declaration, the young woman's mouth twitched.
She was momentarily at a loss for words.
After all, she actually knew the young man's true identity.
A Natural talking about "Revitalizing PLANT is our generation's undeniable duty" - saying such things would likely make people laugh.
But since Fred had put it this way, the young woman couldn't say anything more.
After all, ostensibly, she shouldn't know Fred's true identity, much less make any comments about it.
"Alright then, I'll be going first."
The thwarted young woman lowered her head, appearing dejected.
An ordinary person would have felt compelled to comfort her, but Fred was no ordinary person. He simply nodded as if noticing nothing, then without waiting for the young woman to say anything more, picked up his materials and left on his own.
"Workaholic!"
She watched Fred's retreating back, which seemed even more hurried than her own departure.
The girl stamped her foot in frustration, silently grumbling to herself.
But immediately after, she quickly left the already-closed laboratory.
Soon she boarded the shuttle heading toward the residential district.
The girl's name was Imanla, a spy for the Clyne Faction.
Though calling her a spy wasn't entirely accurate - she merely assisted the Clyne Faction with some additional tasks while performing her regular duties.