Although Takumi hadn't been here for a few months, the situation now was truly outrageous. These things were probably made by Sucrose and Mebius. Many of the surrounding plants were clearly artificially cultivated. Among them, Takumi even saw an Electro tree planted here—along with some plant-like monsters.
But they didn't seem to be real monsters. None of these things had consciousness. They were simply plants. Even the Electro Switch Tree no longer had its own awareness; it had become nothing more than a plant that radiated energy. Even the Blast Tree…?
Good grief, had Mebius modified the Bakuyan-tree as well?
Takumi did not rush inside. Instead, he walked around the garden, observing. But Mebius already knew he was coming. She and Sucrose were waiting.
After circling the area, Takumi saw many strange, magical plants. He was convinced that the two had been busy. He then headed toward the research building, where the two stood waiting. Takumi wasn't surprised.
"Why are you here?" the serpent-like scientist asked, looking at him with mild confusion.
In Sucrose's understanding, Takumi would never come here without a reason. Since he was here, something was definitely going on.
Mebius condemned Takumi's "scumbag behavior" in her heart.
"There is something," Takumi replied. "I'll talk about it later. Did you make all of these?"
He gestured toward the botanical garden.
Sucrose nodded. "Yes. Teacher Mebius taught me, and then this was the result."
As she spoke, excitement filled her voice. Since Mebius arrived, she had been taught countless techniques. Calling Mebius "teacher" felt natural.
Hearing her, Mebius was in an excellent mood.
"It's also thanks to you. Your talent is quite good," she said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have learned everything I taught so quickly."
She was genuinely satisfied with Sucrose. It was rare to meet someone with such aptitude. After studying Sucrose's alchemy system, Mebius found similarities to her own methods and began teaching her. Since Sucrose wanted to create a dream garden, Mebius helped her—leading to the enormous garden in front of them.
Half of Sucrose's dream had already been realized. The rest required funds and time. She had spent nearly all the money she'd received recently to order countless materials. Without more funding, she could only continue working when she accumulated enough mora again.
Takumi gave Sucrose a thumbs-up. "It looks like you're not far from achieving your dream. Congratulations, Sucrose."
Sucrose beamed. "Thank you! It's thanks to your help. Without you, I couldn't have realized my dream so soon. And of course, thanks to Teacher Mebius."
Takumi's contribution gave her financial resources. Dreams required money—not just wishes. Mebius, on the other hand, saved her tremendous amounts of time and taught her techniques she could not have learned alone.
Many of the creations in the garden were actually originally devised by Mebius; Sucrose had produced them under her guidance.
"Alright, enough small talk," Mebius said. "Tell us why you're here."
Now wasn't the time for Takumi to boast. Curious, Mebius wanted to know his purpose. Did he have a new commission for Sucrose? She knew Sucrose needed money; many projects were still incomplete. If Takumi provided new tasks, Sucrose would naturally earn income. So Mebius was quite invested in hearing his reason.
"I'm here for you," Takumi said plainly.
Mebius froze. "For me? What business do you have with me?"
She wondered if there was anything she could assist with. Confident in her own strength, she doubted Takumi truly needed help—but it was unusual for him to seek her out.
Takumi didn't know what she was thinking. He simply explained:
"We're preparing to open a medical school here in Liyue. I want you to be the headmaster. Our current medical resources in Liyue are somewhat lacking."
Mebius raised an eyebrow. "Sure~! But I'm taking Sucrose with me. We're also planning to make some new medicine, so you'll need to give us production rights. Sucrose doesn't have enough money for experiments. As her teacher, I naturally have to help her."
She agreed immediately—but with conditions. She hoped that any medicine they developed could be mass-produced, allowing Sucrose to earn money.
Sucrose froze, wanting to object, but one look from Mebius silenced her.
Takumi was stunned by the request, but after thinking, he agreed. There was no issue with it. Patent rights, after all, were reasonable. And he had already intended to bring Sucrose along.
He would also select doctors from the hospital to teach at the school. Ideally, they would enroll students with talents similar to Sucrose—those skilled in bio-alchemy.
"No problem," Takumi said. "If your medicine passes safety checks, the pharmaceutical factory will produce it. Just submit the application when it's ready; I'll approve it. Once the school is finished, you can head there. There's no rush."
Having settled everything, Takumi began preparing for construction. Naturally, the new school couldn't be built near the old one.
He had already chosen the location—just across from Aster Bro, on the opposite side of the bridge along the road.