Chapter 180 – New Concept
Xia Lu Nong was shocked by this revelation.
The rose had multiple bodies, and when Xia Lu Nong first met it, its consciousness had shown signs of splitting, but even so, it only had one consciousness.
Having two consciousnesses, like the honeysuckle, was almost the same as a complete split.
Suppressing his shock, Xia Lu Nong asked the honeysuckle, “What does having two consciousnesses mean? Is it serious?”
“I’m not sure if it’s serious,” the honeysuckle said. “The two consciousnesses are kind of fighting in my mind—” It paused and corrected itself. “Well, not exactly fighting; it’s more like they’re coexisting peacefully.”
Looking at the honeysuckle in front of him, Xia Lu Nong thought to himself, This is not good; it’s already conflicted.
He asked, “How’s the situation with your original body?”
“It’s basically withered away. It can’t sprout new buds, so I had no choice but to move my consciousness here,” the honeysuckle explained. “Maybe because I didn’t transfer completely, that’s why there are two consciousnesses.”
Xia Lu Nong could tell that its condition wasn’t right. After listening carefully, he raised his hand and channeled some of his abilities into the honeysuckle, asking, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Receiving the energy, the honeysuckle seemed to stabilize and felt better.
After a moment, it said with a bitter smile, “I don’t think so. You’ve already done what you can; the rest is up to me.”
The honeysuckle’s tone softened as it moved away from its own issues and started talking about the base. “Your base is quite impressive, much better than I expected.”
Xia Lu Nong responded, “That’s all thanks to my brother and the others. Aside from patrolling, Kong Zhi and I don’t contribute much.”
“Your brother and his team are really something,” the honeysuckle said, sounding somewhat envious. “You humans are getting back on track, but we mutated plants don’t know what the future holds.”
Xia Lu Nong remarked, “We’re all just taking it one step at a time. Even as humans, with all our technology and knowledge, things don’t go that smoothly. Humans can conquer themselves, but not nature. No one knows when the next earthquake might hit.”
“You humans are so resilient that even another earthquake wouldn’t shake you to the core. Besides, why worry about something that might never happen?”
Xia Lu Nong chuckled, “You’ve got a point.”
Xia Lu Nong and the honeysuckle were old friends by now.
When they got together, there was plenty of information to exchange.
The honeysuckle was quite powerful, not only in combat but also in its ability to gather information.
It could receive information from many other plants, and since it was on good terms with Xia Lu Nong, it didn’t hide much from him, sharing a lot of what it knew.
Thanks to this, Xia Lu Nong learned about many things happening nearby without even leaving home.
For example, the base had already started broadcasting messages, and even though the honeysuckle hadn’t actively sought it out, it knew all about the base’s outreach efforts.
It also mentioned that human convoys had been moving around outside. Many unfamiliar vehicles had been passing through, some of them with strange shapes, different from the armored cars Xia Lu Nong’s group had collected.
Compared to the honeysuckle, Xia Lu Nong felt a bit out of the loop.
He rubbed his nose and said, “You know way too much.”
“We’re not like animals that can roam around. Our only pastime is picking up bits of gossip. These are just the more unusual pieces of information I’ve collected.”
Xia Lu Nong sincerely said, “Thank you. Should I pass this on to my brother and the others?”
The honeysuckle replied, “I’ve already told you, feel free to share it.”
Xia Lu Nong and the honeysuckle chatted for a long time.
Before leaving, Xia Lu Nong gave it another boost of energy. As he looked at it, something suddenly came to mind. “Can you sense the offspring we planted in our backyard?”
The honeysuckle shook its branches. “I can, but the information it sends isn’t very clear. It’s definitely not as effective as how the rose communicates with its other bodies.”
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment and asked, “Does it have an independent consciousness?”
“Not yet; it’s no different from other ordinary mutated plants,” the honeysuckle said. “In terms you’d easily understand, it’s like it hasn’t developed intelligence yet.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Lu Nong couldn’t help but smile. “That makes things feel rather fantastical.”
“Indeed, life is quite miraculous,” the honeysuckle replied. “Why do you bring this up?”
“I was just thinking of a possibility,” Xia Lu Nong paused. “I’m just talking about a possibility here.”
The honeysuckle said, “No problem. You can speak freely in front of me. If there’s something I can’t accept, I’ll just selectively not listen.”
The honeysuckle actually had a good temper.
Having known it for so long, Xia Lu Nong had a general understanding of its personality and wasn’t afraid of it, so he directly said, “I have a hypothesis.”
“I’m all ears.”
Xia Lu Nong said, “You see, your honeysuckles can survive by cuttings.”
“Yes,” the honeysuckle replied. “This segment of my body and my offspring were both transplanted here through cuttings.”
Xia Lu Nong stroked his chin. “Right. In fact, roses can also propagate through cuttings, but most of their bodies are directly transplanted as independent plants, with only a small portion using cuttings. From this, I wonder if your consciousness might be influenced by this method of propagation?”
The honeysuckle was very interested in this topic; it shook its branches, signaling Xia Lu Nong to continue.
Xia Lu Nong didn’t hold back. “The situation with the roses isn’t great; it feels like their spirit is somewhat fragmented. However, compared to your situation with two consciousnesses, it’s much better. Do you think your consciousness split is related to the cuttings? If the original body is damaged, would the situation improve?”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” The honeysuckle was silent for a moment. “You’ve provided me with a new perspective.”
Xia Lu Nong added, “Actually, I have another idea: since your offspring doesn’t have consciousness yet, could one of your two consciousnesses be transferred over there?”
The honeysuckle had never considered this direction before; hearing him say this, its leaves rustled with excitement.
Xia Lu Nong had been observing its state and noticed it seemed a bit agitated, so he quickly added, “This is just a hypothesis. Whether it works or not? It depends on you.”
“No, this hypothesis is very interesting.” The honeysuckle murmured, repeating it. “Extremely interesting.”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “Well, since we’re free, we might as well think about possible solutions if issues arise.”
“Transferring consciousness to the offspring is just one idea. Another is to directly replant another honeysuckle; you could keep one consciousness in your current plant while the other could go to a different location with the cutting.”
The honeysuckle swayed its branches and said, “I thought of that too. Thank you for providing this new perspective. I’ll give it some serious thought in the next couple of days.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, “You’re welcome. If there’s any way we can help, just let us know; we’ll do our best to assist.”
The honeysuckle smiled and said, “I’m sure I’ll need to trouble you at some point; when that happens, I’ll repay you with honeysuckle.”
Xia Lu Nong replied without hesitation, “If possible, I’d love to get more honeysuckle petals this year. The honeysuckle tea you gave me last year was delicious, especially with honey; we finished it a long time ago.”
“No problem,” the honeysuckle said happily. “It’s wonderful to know you. I hadn’t thought of that direction before; after talking with you, I feel like I’ve had a breakthrough. I vaguely know how to solve the problems I’m currently facing. Your abilities are really useful; if there’s a chance, I’d like to introduce you to other mutated plants.”
Xia Lu Nong was surprised. “Besides roses, do you know other mutated plants?”
“Of course! There are plenty,” the honeysuckle laughed. “However, some mutated plants don’t like dealing with humans. I didn’t mention them before out of respect for them. Now that I’ve found out you can serve as a plant doctor, it’d be nice to get to know each other in case we need help.”
Xia Lu Nong said cheerfully, “It’s my honor. If you need help, I’ll definitely assist; I don’t need much in return. Just some flowers, leaves, or fruits—anything that’s full of energy will do.”
The honeysuckle asked, “You don’t need mutated plants to help guard your place anymore, right?”
Xia Lu Nong laughed and shook his head. “What kind of image do I have in your mind? We haven’t needed that for a long time. I have summer pepper, a rose, and of course, you. There’s simply no room for a fourth mutated plant.”
The honeysuckle teased, “Don’t speak too soon; maybe in a couple of days, you’ll come across a new mutated plant and be tempted?”
Xia Lu Nong chuckled, “That’s possible, but it definitely won’t be planted at home. Our base and this plain are so large; it’s easy to plant anywhere, so there’s no need to cram everything at home.”
“Alright. If other mutated plants need assistance, I’ll come to find you.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, “No problem. We patrol the area almost every day. If anything comes up, just let me know. You can also think about that problem-solving direction I mentioned; if you need help, just call me.”
The honeysuckle said, “I won’t be polite with you.”
Xia Lu Nong bid farewell to the honeysuckle and returned to the base with Kong Zhi.
That evening, he shared the issues the honeysuckle was facing at the dinner table.
Yan Xi Nian’s interest shifted immediately. “Are there so many conscious mutated plants nearby?”
Xia Lu Nong shook his head. “I don’t know. The honeysuckle didn’t go into too much detail, but I feel there aren’t many. It’s not easy to become a mutated plant, and even harder to awaken consciousness.”
Yan Xi Nian said, “If possible, it’d be good to connect with them. I feel that in some matters, plants are much more reliable than humans.”
Xia Lu Nong replied helplessly, “That’s true; plants don’t have much reason to trouble us, do they? Instead, we seek out their roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits, putting us in a position of need. We definitely welcome them wholeheartedly.”
Yan Xi Nian corrected him with a serious tone, “It’s about seeking help from plants, not from people.”
The remark was so cold that even Kong Zhi quietly rubbed his arms.
Yan Xi Nian smiled for a moment. “I’m serious. We can work together for mutual benefit. It’s spring now; if there are any mutated plants willing to cooperate, we can find a good spot to plant them. Whether for flowers or fruits, it would be great.”
Xia Lu Nong casually remarked, “Are you hoping to create a garden made up of mutated plants?”
“What’s wrong with that? If we can establish a mutated fruit garden, wouldn’t everyone be delighted?”
