Over the next few days, the pace of life in the underground base quickened significantly. The preparation of the cultivation room was moved to the top of the priority list.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Both the Shiba clan's secret techniques and the cultivation manual had become integrated parts of Suō Tsukasa's knowledge. The excavation of the cavern for the cultivation room was also completed. In accordance with the manual's requirements, he imprinted a layer of Kido runes with cleansing properties onto the walls and floor of the cavern to seal out external impurities and ensure the internal environment remained pure.
Toshiro was responsible for the most critical component: the temperature and humidity control system. He buried five specialized ice cores in the four corners and the center of the ceiling. Through his manipulation, he could precisely adjust the fluctuations of temperature and humidity throughout the entire cave. During testing, the values did not deviate by even a fraction for two consecutive days, remaining exceptionally stable.
"I didn't expect planting something to be such a hassle," Rangiku Matsumoto remarked. "There are way more steps than just planting flowers." She wiped a bead of sweat—one that barely existed—from her brow with her fingertip as she gazed at the six neat rows of culture beds before her.
Through the collective efforts of the three of them, the cultivation room had begun to take shape. The rock walls were smooth, the floor was clean, and the frames for the six rows of culture beds sat in quiet alignment, waiting for the implantation of life.
Standing at the entrance, Tsukasa scanned the area with a satisfied heart. "It's about ready," he said. "The substrate state has stabilized, and the environmental parameters have met the standards for several days straight. Next is the most critical step: inoculating the strains. Success or failure will be decided tomorrow."
"It has to succeed!" Rangiku clasped her hands together in a prayer-like gesture, looking at the substrate she had personally processed. "I've never sliced so many things so meticulously in my entire life."
She hadn't been idle these past few days; she had taken on almost all the work related to the substrate. The culture beds needed to maintain a good solid structure and breathability, and her Haineko was the most agile of their three blades. By decomposing the blade into a cloud of ash, she could cut the various raw materials for the substrate into ideal proportions—maintaining enough gaps while enhancing water retention and firmness.
Initially, her technique was a bit rusty, but under Tsukasa's advice and guidance, she quickly mastered the knack. Once she became proficient, her processing efficiency skyrocketed, saving a vast amount of manual labor time.
"It will definitely succeed," Tsukasa said, flashing her a smile. "Rangiku, thanks to you this time. You've worked hard."
His gratitude was not merely polite. Aside from the specific requirements for size and shape, processing the substrate was not inherently difficult. It was simply a low-difficulty, highly repetitive task, but the sheer volume and tediousness made it a slog. Among the three of them, only she could complete this task so quickly and skillfully.
"As long as I could help, there's no need to be so formal," Rangiku said, her eyes crinkling at his recognition and thanks as she waved a hand dismissively.
Originally, she hadn't felt anything particularly special about it; it felt no different than her routine task of watering the fields. The only real trouble was having to coax her Zanpakuto, which tended to throw tantrums when used for such chores. However, since she was helping a man as handsome as Tsukasa, coaxing the blade didn't actually require much effort. Hearing him say it this way, she did feel a small sense of accomplishment.
Beside them, Toshiro did not join the conversation. He focused his spiritual sense to re-inspect the state of every ice core, ensuring the environmental conditions would be flawless for tomorrow's inoculation.
"Alright, everyone has worked hard lately," Tsukasa said, clapping his hands to draw their attention back to the present. "The work here in the cultivation room is temporarily concluded. Go take a soak in the hot spring to ease the fatigue. Later, is there anything special you want to eat? I'll whip something up to reward everyone."
"I want fruit pudding!" Rangiku's eyes lit up at Tsukasa's words, and she immediately raised her hand in response. Toshiro nodded as well, his expression softening slightly, clearly quite satisfied with the suggestion.
The following evening.
Everything was ready. Accompanied by Tsukasa, Kotetsu Isane arrived as promised. Being mentally prepared was one thing, but actually visiting was another. Witnessing this underground world hidden beneath Sokyoku Hill still provided her with an extraordinary sense of shock. However, she had come with a mission this time, so she struggled to maintain a serious and professional demeanor.
Despite this, her eyes couldn't help but wander over the surroundings. The vibrant, life-filled scenes spoke silently of the beauty of this place.
"Isane-san, this way," Tsukasa's voice pulled back her drifting attention. He walked slightly ahead to lead the way, unsurprised by her momentary distraction.
"Right," Isane steadied herself, tightening her grip on the sealed box engraved with the Fourth Division's gentian emblem, and followed him with a nod.
The two soon reached the entrance of the newly completed cultivation room.
"Lieutenant Kotetsu," Toshiro greeted her with a nod, his attitude carrying his usual earnestness.
"Isane, you're here! Welcome!" Rangiku greeted her with the warmth of a close friend. "Finally, I'm not the only woman here anymore." Seeing the box in Isane's hand, she didn't rush forward but stayed where she was, waving enthusiastically.
"Miss Matsumoto, Third Seat Hitsugaya," Isane responded politely to each of them before her gaze settled on the room.
Even from the doorway, through her professional eyes, everything in the room appeared perfect. The environment was clean and orderly, with a constant, dim light filling every inch of the space naturally and evenly. Everything seemed so well-organized, even surpassing her expectations in terms of standardization. She nodded inwardly, gaining a more direct appreciation for the executive ability of Tsukasa and the others.
Half an hour passed. After a meticulous inspection of every detail, Isane found that she simply couldn't find any faults.
"Exemplary," she evaluated without hesitation, her tone serious. "Whether it's the environmental control or the substrate preparation, it is beyond reproach. Let's begin."
She gently placed the box onto a specially designated table and turned to the three of them with a nod. When the box was opened, several Petri dishes were revealed inside. Within the dishes lay fluorescent white mycelium of the Purple Reishi, spread evenly across a dark brown culture medium, emitting a pure and faint spiritual aura.
"So beautiful..." Rangiku couldn't help but whisper in awe. She hadn't expected the original strains of what they were planting to be so delicate.
"Watch closely. The key to inoculation lies in gentleness and precision. The tip of the tweezers needs to be wrapped in a very subtle spiritual pressure to avoid direct contact and damage to the main body of the mycelium," Isane explained. "When planting, you only need to take this small piece of mycelium along with a small amount of the culture medium, place it gently onto the substrate, and then... lightly cover it."
Isane smiled slightly as she used the tweezers to delicately remove a small piece of mycelium. She gave a precise demonstration while providing a slow and careful explanation. "This only requires patience and meticulous control. Do you understand?"
Once the demonstration was over, Isane looked at the three of them.
"No problem," Tsukasa nodded in response. He understood the operation at a glance; it happened to align perfectly with the direction of his own training. Toshiro felt the same, nodding alongside him.
"Count me out. You guys focus on this; I'll go make some tea for you," Rangiku, on the other hand, frowned and gave up after a moment of thought. Just simulating those cautious movements in her mind made her fingers feel stiff. This kind of fine labor didn't suit her; she would rather go clear a new field. With that, she waved her hand and turned away gracefully, leaving the space to those better suited for the quiet task.
Seeing this, Isane nodded understandingly. She turned her gaze back to Tsukasa and Toshiro. "Then, let's start from the first row. No need to rush; ensure every step is accurately placed."
"Understood!"
Under normal circumstances, this operation required repeated practice to build muscle memory and a feel for the task; otherwise, it was extremely easy to damage the strains. In the Fourth Division, the number of people capable of completing inoculation work was very small. Tsukasa and Toshiro, however, met all the rigid requirements for the task. With Isane's guidance, the two of them successfully completed their necessary first attempts.
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