Chapter 446

Chapter 446: Production Queue, Activate!

In the sea of consciousness, Clotho meticulously calculated the ratio of input to output.

It was clear that the bodies of extraordinary beasts tainted by toxins could not be recycled and had to be deposited into the large crater to re-enter the cycle.

Moreover, if purifying a unit volume of biomass required consuming more biomass than that unit volume, Atropos’s plan would inevitably fail.

After all, the will of the mycelium was not foolish; no one would engage in a losing venture.

According to Clotho’s calculations, the limit for toxin absorption was five cycles; reaching this limit would reduce the so-called "profit" to approximately one-thousandth, and exceeding it would result in a total loss.

As time progressed, Clotho, within the sea of consciousness, observed a scene that brought her joy.

The rate at which the toxins affected the third batch of extraordinary beasts appeared to have significantly decreased, sparking a sense of excitement within her consciousness.

Atropos served as the strategist of the will of the mycelium, a trailblazer, and a consciousness that could rightfully be called a scientist.

However, this did not imply that Clotho and Lachesis were mere liabilities.

The three consciousnesses were inherently unified, and while the abilities of the other two were not inferior, their focuses were distinct.

Long before the experiment commenced, Clotho had already mobilized all her mycelium within the sea of consciousness to complete the preliminary data calculations for this experiment.

It is widely understood that if only the outer layer is consumed during purification, the larger the spherical mass, the more advantageous it is for Clotho.

However, this calculation was not so straightforward; an extraordinary beast, upon ingesting a large amount of mysterious biomass, would not achieve complete toxin absorption for the internal material.

Merely based on the properties of this biomass, once an extraordinary beast reached a critical point of absorption, it would breach the barriers of skin and scales and disintegrate entirely.

Drawing from past experiences, Clotho designed the first generation of disposable extraordinary beasts for toxin absorption and subsequently refined it into two more generations.

Now, she observed the extraordinary beasts below, writhing in pain and exhaustion, and noticed that they did not perish as swiftly from toxins as their predecessors; instead, they still exhibited basic respiratory functions.

The mycelium needle penetrated the gaps in the scales of the extraordinary beasts for the third time, and this time, the Giant Tree’s condition was markedly better than before.

This was undoubtedly good news, indicating that the biomass, after three cycles of toxin absorption, could now be utilized by her to create new life.

Yet, Clotho’s nature was inherently cautious.

Although she had overseen countless beast tides against humans over decades, she was not, barring unforeseen circumstances, a consciousness inclined to take risks.

After severing the connection, Clotho continued to monitor the Giant Tree, which was incessantly absorbing biomass, within the sea of consciousness.

By the time the Giant Tree had absorbed the twentieth spherical mass, its leaves finally displayed signs of partial toxin accumulation.

Soon, the Giant Tree plunged into the bottomless abyss, and Clotho had already made her decision.

Four cycles.

Regardless of the progress of Lachesis and Atropos’s plans, or the amount of biomass they required for supplementation, for her, all biomass must undergo purification four times before it could be utilized for the production of extraordinary beasts.

The toxin absorption effect of the extraordinary beasts was not linear; as the toxin content decreased, the absorption rate would also fluctuate.

After conducting multiple experiments with the remaining spherical masses, Clotho finally determined the "profit" of the biomass after four absorption cycles—

0.6 percent.

From a purely data-driven perspective, it was easy to assume that Clotho’s efforts were in vain.

But gazing out over the boundless Misty Forest, with its vast resources, even the slightest "profit" or "loss" would be magnified into an astonishing figure.

Clotho was prepared; at the slightest hint of toxin infection, she would immediately increase the absorption cycles to five.

After reporting both data points to her two "siblings," she initiated her plan.

The biomass beneath the surface was inexhaustible.

At least in most areas dominated by mycelium, these materials appeared at depths ranging from several dozen to a hundred meters, as if they were the primary constituents of the planet.

From this moment onward, what constrained Clotho was no longer the quantity of stored biomass but rather time.

With sufficient time, she could unleash a super beast tide tenfold or even a hundredfold stronger than the last.

This would instill instinctive fear in the beings behind the high walls.

The star of this star system disappeared beyond the gentle horizon, and the white mist above the Misty Forest began to descend gradually, shrouding everything.

In this world of thick fog and darkness, countless lights flickered rhythmically.

This was Clotho’s nurturing ability; this was the response of the entire Misty Forest under her will.

Billions of extraordinary beasts, capable of absorbing toxins, began to form within countless cocoons, destined for lives that would last mere hours.

They would never witness a ray of sunlight in their existence, but no one would care—neither Clotho nor the beasts themselves.

In several locations within the Misty Forest, as mycelium gathered in vast numbers, the mycelium mat began to recede, revealing the hard ground beneath.

The surging mycelium mat began to harden in patches, and heavy mycelium aggregates started to strike the solid ground with force.

Even the ground, as hard as ore, could not withstand the relentless hammering of comparably hard blunt instruments, gradually beginning to crack.

Fragments were carried away by the spreading mycelium, and deep pits began to take shape.

Despite needing to excavate several dozen or even a hundred meters more, this was not an issue for Clotho’s magnitude.

The initial investment was necessary, but as long as this plan succeeded, the only obstacle preventing the will of the mycelium from consuming the planet would be time.

After all, humans could not utilize this biomass; their life structures and social structures differed from her own. They could not purify this substance, nor could they use it after purification.

Two hundred biomass extraction mines had been scheduled for excavation, and countless disposable extraordinary beasts were on the production path.

Like an assembly line from another world, the production in these two directions would eventually converge, beginning to extract biomass indefinitely from underground.

Thus, a production queue, orchestrated by the will of the mycelium, came into existence. From the perspective of the mycelium life race, this could be a significant milestone on the long path of evolution.

Unfortunately, Lin Qingliu from another world would never witness this precious moment, for even in the face of adversaries, he would surely commend it—"A master in the realm of real-time strategy games."