Глава 16

Their infection readings soared, but their vital signs remained stable, 'healthy' even...

That sounds familiar.

Have you encountered other patients like this? Have they come into contact with Oka?

There may be another possibility.;We're not sure yet...

In any case... the Ursine government wanted to replicate the 'miracle'.

I suppose they wanted a docile labor force that did not fear illness or pain... perhaps even employ them in combat.

I'm not surprised the government would react that way...;They haven't realized the potential danger.

I think we're getting close.

This is as far as the rail goes. We'll have to proceed on foot.

The three of you move forward in the darkness.

You hear before you see. It is the heavy sound of water.

The three of you look up and slowly open your eyes.

You soon realize that the light in the tunnel is not coming from outside. It is coming from the stationary liquid in front of you on the ground—and the 'waterfall' at the very end.

It glitters like obsidian, refracting light from a crack high above as it falls, making the cave bright as early morning after a shower.

...An obsequent river.

You can tell?

Yes. Like an obsequent river, the Oka cannot flow outwards along the dip, so it can only flow backwards, until it lies 'still' like this.

But it continues to flow in a way, even without external forces acting on it. That's why they named it 'Oka'—river.

The liquid is everywhere.

It's like a natural karst cave. You can't even tell that it used to be a mine.

Even stranger, Oka itself is almost like water.

What do you mean?;How could it be?

Well... in a manner of speaking.

Oka becomes highly stable after it is allowed to stand still for a while. It can even be used as a universal solvent.

Wait! We still shouldn't touch it with bare hands—

Oh...

Mon3tr bends over and collects some liquid with a test tube. She is not wearing gloves, or any other form of protection.

Her expression grows solemn as she shakes the liquid in the test tube with wet hands.

Mon3tr?

You should not touch it directly—I have protective equipment. You can tell me if you want a sample, and I'll collect it!

(Whisper) Doctor... I know what this is.

What?

Ksenia, the samples...;Can you get some samples from around the waterfall?

Oh, okay.

Wait here. I'll be back soon.

...Be careful.

This liquid that they call Oka... it's Originium.

Originium...;Why does it look that way?

It's complicated.

Do you remember the 'Transmitter' that Rhine Lab was studying, or the 'Corazonix' that is often mentioned in Iberian alchemy?

I do.;Are they related?

This is their prototype... or perhaps I should say, the original form.

What the Transmitter and Corazonix have in common...;They both serve as a kind of medium.

Yes. A medium that reacts directly with the human body, or to store information.

So that's why they are both liquid?

I think so...

You understand, Doctor, that Originium is both a vehicle for information, and a vehicle for energy.

Both the Transmitter and Corazonix re-record Originium energy through specific means, in order to record different types of information.

The Oka here is the remnant of Originium, after its energy was extracted in an even more effective manner.

So it's really a form of 'universal solvent', and this explains why the Infected who came into contact with Oka became 'mutated'.

Because of its nature as drained Originium, Oka neutralizes the Originium activity inside the Infected, while creating the perfect conditions for the continued growth of Originium.

It allowed the Infected to retain their vital functions temporarily, but does not change the fact that death would inevitably follow soon.

Meanwhile, all the uninfected individuals injected with Oka died of severe rejection, due to the lack of active Originium in their bodies...

Its presence here in such quantities...;It means...

This is what we feared the most...

The Kolossal Prime Vein is drying up.

The rumors we heard, that Ursus is accelerating the extraction of Originium... it's all to hide the exhaustion of the ore vein.

It began here in the northmost parts of Ursus, and it will only accelerate.

Within four months, the Originium deposits in Ursus will drop to thirty percent of previous levels.

This is the real reason why the Grand Duchess put the mining district on lockdown.;They can't hide it forever.

You did not need to ask the question. One gaze exchanged with Mon3tr, and both of you have the same name in mind.

The only one who could have done this—

Priestess.

There's no one else.

Why would she do this?

The exhaustion of the ore vein cannot be stopped or reversed.

Ursus will collapse.

Not just Ursus.

Exhaustion on such a scale will have ramifications across Terra.

Is this what she's after?

I have an idea!

Oka is also a relic of the old civilization... a by-product of your experiments.

If she caused the exhaustion of the ore vein, then there might be some useful information left within.

See if you can read it.

How would I...?

Our means are limited. You'll have to insert your hand, like I did when I collected the sample.

Don't worry, it won't harm you.

Following Mon3tr's instructions, you crouch down and immerse your hands into the liquid Oka.

You wait.

You do not feel any different.

You await some kind of change, or response, like the 'miracles' that happened so many times before.

Nothing happened.

The product of a previous civilization seems to reject you, denying your connection to it.

Could it be that it has already lost its ability to hold information?;Or perhaps, she had no intention of leaving any information to us.

It's possible.

Mon3tr! Doctor!

Come! I found something!

There's a hole behind the waterfall. When I climbed up and stood there—

I heard a sound of an unusual frequency from the cave. It didn't seem natural—no, it definitely isn't natural!

It's like... it's trying to communicate some sort of information through audio waves!

Huh?

Let's check it out.

This is—

This space was hidden behind the waterfall?

It's... impressive.

Listen carefully to the sound of the liquid impacting the rocks! Some of the sounds are of a particular frequency, like it's trying to draw attention to itself. It's very different, and you can definitely tell.

I tried to decipher the ones I heard. It took a while to record the various pitches—

There! Did you hear that?

All I hear is the rain! I can't even hear you speak—

Doctor?