Chapter 374 Northern Lakes and Southern Veins
The Brimgan Empire's territory is split into two: Northern Lakes and Southern Veins.
Northern Lakes was the term associated with all the lakes littering the place while the Southern Veins meant the fibrous root system of mountain ranges. Entrances to the Brimgan Empire existed in multiple passes among the Lotus Range.
Thankfully for Inala, the Boar King had dropped them at the southern entrance. Thereby, when they entered, they arrived at the rear end of the Southern Veins, a point from which multiple mountain ranges diverged.
Unlike typical mountain ranges, the Southern Veins were made of the same porous rock that formed the walls of the Northern Lakes. And the ones part of the Southern Veins, though stable in their structure, released all sorts of gases, most of which were toxic in nature.
Irrespective of a Pranic Beast's strength, it would die over time, even if it were a Gold Grade Pranic Beast. The Southern Veins were even more treacherous than the Northern Lakes.
Of course, the Brimgan Founder had an answer towards that. He created another plant lifeform that selectively targeted the root issue of the place and corrected it. Since the mountain ranges here remained stable, it was easier to establish foundational structures that could unleash the desired effect.
Misty Bamboo!
It was a bamboo lifeform that grew by absorbing the emitted fumes and evolved according to the type of mineral it absorbs. It was an invasive species capable of sucking in all resources of a region dry, as that was how the Brimgan Founder created them.
But on the Southern Veins where there was too much mineral emission to the extent it was toxic, the Misty Bamboo grew like they were in paradise.
Farms of Misty Bamboo were created in selective locations throughout the Southern Veins, causing them to absorb the toxic mineral emissions there and release mist into the atmosphere. The way in which they absorbed the minerals affected the flow of elements through the porous rock, pulling everything towards them.
This resulted in safe areas where buildings could be constructed for people to live in and prosper.
The reason Southern Veins were infamous for their lack of survivability chances was due to the changing chemical composition of the toxic fumes being released into the air.
At one moment, there would be toxic fumes containing iron. Another moment, it could be sulphur. Even if a Pranic Beast capable of breathing in air containing iron fumes arrived there, it would only survive for a few minutes before the substance in the fumes became something it couldn't endure.
And the simplest of these fumes was carbon monoxide, one of the deadliest substances for living beings. Methods could be created by Pranic Beasts to guard against it, but that was only when given preparation time.
Unfortunately, they would have to guard against tens of thousands of such fumes on the Southern Veins, an impossibility. Moreover, they would have to expend copious amounts of Prana just to maintain such versatile abilities, which meant they would die eventually anyway.
Of course, Empyrean Snappers could lead prosperous lives in such a place. But they didn't even exist when the Brimgan Empire was founded.
Misty Bamboos were made up of cells that could rapidly bind with a mineral and grow just by absorbing it. Due to its vitality, it constantly sprouted seeds that germinated instantly through the ambient mist in the region.
When the mineral composition changes, the Misty Bamboos absorbing the previous toxic fume would shatter at a point just above its root. A new Misty Bamboo would grow out of the root, consume it, and take its place, now capable of adapting to the new fume.
There was a frequency with which the toxic fumes changed, including their mineral density and composition. The pattern wouldn't repeat for at least a few centuries, if not even longer. So, it wasn't possible to tabulate it.
Moreover, there was a different pattern for every square metre, as verified by the Brimgan Empire. So, it was impossible to truly figure out the pattern.
Somehow, the Brimgan Founder tabulated the billions of patterns that were active all across the Southern Veins and planted Misty Bamboo there by encoding their respective pattern in their genetic material.
Therefore, a Misty Bamboo in a certain location could recognise the pattern change and be prepared for it well in advance. Therefore, it never missed adapting to the change in composition. Misty Bamboo was similar to the Geyser Cups in that they were pretty much immortal, birthing clones of each other without any structural differences, even after tens of thousands of years.
The best thing of all was the fact that a Misty Bamboo knew patterns for multiple locations, capable of sending a sprout there in the event of the original Misty Bamboo—in that location—getting destroyed through some external event.
It was how the region was maintained without any problems for so long. And of course, the Brimgan Empire protected these Misty Bamboo forests with utmost priority. Hundreds of masters were dispatched to upkeep and protect each such forest.
As for the stems of the Misty Bamboos that fall off once the toxic fume changes? They would be swiftly collected by Brimgan Empire masters through psychokinesis.
There existed large refineries that processed these bamboo and extracted the minerals from them. Since a Misty Bamboo only absorbs one mineral, it meant that the mineral in it would be pure. As long as they could extract it, they would be present with a pure slab of the respective mineral.
As they could obtain pure minerals through Misty Bamboos, the Free Human cultivators had an easier time growing their strength, since they didn't need to worry about refining ores to obtain pure minerals like in other Kingdoms and Empires.
Moreover, even if a cultivator were to refine an ore, there might be microparticles of other substances still present in it. These substances would accumulate in the Spirit Container and clog it eventually, preventing their cultivation from growing any more.
If they were to still force through and build their body, their Spirit Container would shatter, oftentimes leading to their deaths.
Such risks were minimal in the Brimgan Empire, which was why high-level masters were plenty here, at a rate superior to most Empires.
And since material acquisition was child's play in the Brimgan Empire, techniques were created in regard to refinement, which caused significant development in the art of Spirit Weapons. In terms of Spirit Weapon technology, the Brimgan Empire was the leader on Sumatra Continent.
The Human Avatars of the Free Humans in the Brimgan Empire were generally geared in regards to refining and creating powerful Spirit Weapons that they could wield for multiple purposes. Since they had never faced a mineral shortage, they diverted their surplus attention to other fields such as refining.
Walking through the road that stretched between the Brimgan Empire's entrance and the closest city, Inala noticed people travelling in all sorts of wheeled objects—cycles, roller skates, skateboards, etc.
All of them were Spirit Weapons!
There was a Free Human at the Body Stage riding a creature that resembled a horse. Its movements were beautiful and realistic. But on its back was a cushioned seat, meant to hold the ass of a fat man with bubbly cheeks.
The horse-like creature was his Spirit Weapon, created to provide him travel comfort. It seemed it had other modes, ranging from sprinting to battle. Once the fat man arrived at the closest city's entrance and was stopped by the guards, he absorbed the horse-like Spirit Weapon into his Human Avatar.
His Human Avatar was basically a container of resources necessary to build his Spirit Weapon. When he wants, he would use the resources to build it. After it had served its use, he would break it down to mineral form and retract it into his Human Avatar.
As long as he has enough Prana, he can generate as much resources as he wants in his Human Avatar. This was the most common way in which Free Humans from the Brimgan Empire built and exercised their strength.
"That's amazing!" Wittral exclaimed, genuinely awed by the ingenuity of the Spirit Weapon technology of the Brimgan Empire.
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