Chapter 95: Chapter 95: The New Century is the Century of Biology

Upon hearing the news, Zog’s first reaction was that Yuno and the goblins were up to some bizarre new shenanigans again.

The last makeshift Ghost Camera was still fresh in his memory.

However, the name "Undead" was actually a bit misleading.

For one, they weren’t necessarily "dead."

It was like how glucose was first extracted from grapes and named as such, even though it isn’t only found in grapes.

Similarly, Undead were first discovered near corpses, which is how they got their very misleading name.

Later, through the research of biologists, Necromancers, and other interested Mages, it was discovered that Undead were likely a broad category of life forms.

Under a microscope, their cellular structure appeared different from both animals and plants. It was close to prokaryotic, but not identical.

Nor were they much like Elementals, which weren’t considered biological creatures either.

Ultimately, they were defined as a unique form of spiritual life.

To differentiate them from the mortal souls that Necromancers enjoyed tinkering with, the official name for these beings was "prokaryotic Spirit Bodies."

But the general public was still accustomed to calling them Undead.

The field of biological taxonomy was still incomplete, with only a basic framework in place.

Mendel had just finished cultivating tea and was now working on spices.

And Darwin had yet to be discovered.

When it came to biology, Mage-scholars each had their own theories, so it was completely unrealistic to expect the public to keep them straight.

Besides, these creatures did share some similarities with the stereotypical "Undead."

They were both decomposers and consumers.

They could obtain energy by decomposing organic matter or by directly siphoning it from other living beings.

The Undead commonly found near corpses were simply the decomposers coming to "clock in."

Large numbers of Undead could aggregate to mimic the forms of other creatures.

This was how the humanoid cameras were made.

A very small fraction of them would even develop consciousness and thought after aggregating.

Some theorized that the Undead inherited the memories of the beings they decomposed.

These were the kinds of Undead creatures that Adventurers dreaded encountering on their quests.

They were indeed impossible to kill with conventional methods. Since they were just an aggregate, shattering them only broke them apart, and the pieces could slowly drift back together and reform.

In the eyes of Adventurers, this was called "resurrection."

Thus, the legends surrounding them grew increasingly outlandish, with all sorts of terrifying attributes being added to the lore.

In reality, they were quite fragile. Many substances could destroy them at the cellular level; even something as common as slightly intense sunlight would suffice.

Adventurers, in turn, developed various countermeasures against the Undead, which they collectively called "dispelling."

"So, you’ve cultivated an Undead specifically for cameras," Zog said after listening to Yuno’s lecture.

"An Undead aggregate specialized for cameras, to be precise," Yuno corrected, holding up a small black box. "Though strictly speaking, I didn’t cultivate it. I bought it."

Yuno couldn’t understand why the Undead, so resilient in the wild, were exceptionally fragile in the laboratory.

Since he needed a new type of aggregate, he couldn’t use the fully-formed Undead already owned by the Zog Group. He had to start from scratch, cultivating them from their dispersed state.

This was also the stage where the Undead were most easily dispelled.

One day the temperature was too high; the next, it was too low. Overfeeding was bad, but so was starving them. Sunlight was a no-go, but hey! Complete darkness didn’t work either.

’I’m tired of looking at Yuno’s face,’ the Undead seemed to think. ’I think I’ll just die now!’

It got to the point where Yuno had to scour the city and its surroundings, searching for death sites haunted by Undead.

In the process, he created the most efficient method for dealing with Undead in the history of the exorcism industry.

Bag them and take them away.

A little ditty—"Master Yuno, bane of evil, his body an urn to seal the Undead"—spread like wildfire throughout Twin Tower City and the surrounding regions.

Every day, people came to the Potion Factory’s laboratory, seeking the master’s help to save them from their plight.

Someone even erected a small statue of Master Yuno outside the factory grounds. People would often leave offerings, praying for protection from the troubles of the Undead.

Yuno’s Beastman colleagues knew what was really going on, so they shamelessly helped themselves to his offerings.

After all, the offerings would spoil if left out. Beastmen had no such superstitions, and they hated waste.

Eventually, through his unceasing efforts, Yuno finally found the Undead he was looking for.

It was in a small church, where a Priest was facing the greatest trial of his career.

A family had come seeking an exorcism, but the Undead possessing their child seemed unusually stubborn.

The Priest had exhausted all his techniques. Every time he dispelled it, that blob of Undead would slowly reform.

Master Yuno, catching wind of the situation, arrived on the scene.

Every trade has its own rules of etiquette.

Even though the Priest couldn’t handle the situation, Yuno couldn’t just step in unless asked.

Too bad Yuno wasn’t in that line of work.

He fluidly bagged the Undead and, after a quick test, confirmed it was astonishingly resilient.

The family and Yuno exchanged words of gratitude.

"Thank you, Master, for saving our child."

"No, no, I should be thanking you! And your child, for attracting such a perfect Undead."

The family thought the master’s words sounded a bit odd, but they didn’t dare question them.

Not only did Yuno refuse payment, but he also gave the family a sum of money as a token of gratitude for their contribution to the cause of science.

Finally, using that blob of Undead as a foundation, he cultivated a malleable Undead aggregate.

It could survive in low-light conditions, maintain stable Magic Power fluctuations even as a small aggregate, and remain on standby for long periods without needing to replenish its energy.

The perfect tool-Undead.

Yuno regarded it as his own child and named it the "Stone Prototype."

When another member of the Zog Group with the same surname, Yuno’s sister Elsa Stone, found out, she protested vehemently.

Did their family really have to share a surname with an Undead? she demanded.

Yuno declared the protest invalid, having already registered the name with the patent office.

He claimed this wouldn’t be just one type of Undead, but an entire future lineage of them.

"The Stone family name will forever be linked with the Undead and written into the pages of textbooks!" Yuno proudly declared.

And so, the siblings were now in the middle of a cold war.

"So, you’re saying you’ve cultivated more than one type of Undead, and that they can be used for more than just cameras," Zog asked.

"Yes. The Stone Prototype can be developed into many different classes. As a renewable material for conducting Magic Power fluctuations, it can be applied to many more Magical Devices," Yuno replied, his face beaming.

"I’ve finally found a field of research to which I can devote my entire life!"

’Bioengineering plus material science... it’s an interdisciplinary field! The potential is enormous!’

"Then why don’t you just rename it the Yuno Prototype?" Elsa muttered from the side.

"Absolutely not! My family name represents my honor and pride!"

"Well, I wish you success," Zog said, wanting no part in the sibling squabble.

The two of them argued every few days and came to blows not long after, only to be model siblings again a couple of days later. ’It’s an endless cycle,’ Zog thought. ’Anyone who gets involved is the real clown.’

Zog examined the camera prototype in his claws.

It was larger than he’d anticipated, nearly half a meter long, and had to be shouldered to be used.

The viewfinder wasn’t a screen or an eyepiece, but a VR-like device worn over the eyes.

This was because the technology for it was ported directly from the previous humanoid cameras.

The side of the camera had a feature that resembled an ammunition magazine.

"What’s this?" Zog asked.

"It’s the opening to feed the Undead."

"What does it eat?"

"Theoretically, any kind of food."

"In that case, design a dedicated nutrient block for it."

"But it’s not necessary..."

"No. We just need to *say* it’s necessary."

After seeing Yuno off, Zog tapped his claws on the desk.

’With a transmission system and a more portable camera, the plan to sell Demon Vision in other cities can finally get started.’

"Time to recruit people who want to establish Demon Vision systems in other cities."

’Of course, I don’t plan to go and set up a system in every city myself,’ Zog mused. ’That would be far too slow.’

’What I need to do is establish the industry standard. In the future, anyone who wants to get into the Demon Vision media business will have to play by my rules.’

’I’ll just need to provide the signal source from here in Twin Tower City. The local distributors in each city can even adjust the broadcast to include advertisements better suited to their own markets.’

But after the announcement was made, the first person to arrive at his door was someone Zog never expected.

It was a Bishop from the Church.