Starting the enormous main quest I’d set my sights on in this world was thrilling, but for now, there were too many things to take care of first.

After Creacion was taken away and I became an official administrator, Papillion stepped up his efforts to root out terrarium organization members.

Even if he had taken my side, my existence had not been revealed to the outside due to the delegation penalty through abnormal routes up to that point.

But now, my existence is revealed to everyone, along with Papillion’s betrayal. Unless all internal enemies are dealt with, I could be attacked at any time.

The matter of the Alchemy Tower was also a major issue. It was a place where forbidden research had been openly conducted, and that fact was now exposed to the world. Leaving it as it was would hardly do good for the prestige of the Terrarium.

I had intended to entrust the cleanup of the Alchemy Tower to Creacion, if he had acted with as much savvy as Papillion. But in the end, he missed his chance and took all the blame for the tower’s wrongdoings, falling with it.

After the Central Administrative Department visited, an official document came from the 1st Terrarium’s Alchemy Tower, ordering the transfer of all research data conducted at the 16th Terrarium’s Alchemy Tower.

It stated that all research materials would undergo disposal procedures. Additionally, penalties were imposed on the alchemists and researchers belonging to this Alchemy Tower. A few high-ranking members were even taken away like Creacion.

Surprisingly, the list of organization members compiled by Papillion contained very few from the Alchemy Tower. It meant that most had moved for money and results.

However, the crime of being involved in or turning a blind eye to forbidden research was too great. The majority were demoted or, in severe cases, stripped of their positions, making it impossible for them to ever practice alchemy again.

Moreover, after the branches of the World Tree, which served as fuel like charcoal, recovered, the resource supply faltered, and the Alchemy Tower came to a complete halt.

Without fuel to create a preservation environment, some items began to rot, and since it was a place that required heavy human upkeep, it turned into a blight as soon as it was abandoned.

Once a place of grandeur, it became a troublesome, dilapidated building.

Not long after becoming a formal administrative officer, I had to take over Papillion’s office and handle administrative work in name only. Although I delegated major tasks to Papillion, I still needed to at least put on a show of oversight.

Among the matters, the most numerous complaints were about the people from the Alchemy Tower who had lost their jobs. It reminded me of the past figures of Pila and Rufus, who had been breadwinners for their families.

“We had no choice for our livelihoods…”

“I didn’t know it was wrong… If I had known, I wouldn’t have done it…”

“I was threatened. I have many dependents.”

“I never participated in anything related to artificial modification—only my own research. It’s too unfair to be penalized just because I belonged to the Alchemy Tower.”

At present, an enormous number of people in the 16th Terrarium had become unemployed. Some had quickly left the 16th Terrarium, but those without the means to restart continued filing complaints, grasping at straws.

No, clearly, artificial modification is taboo in this world, so cleaning it up is good. I achieved the goal given to me, like clearing a quest.

In games, after purifying a villain’s den, you just get an achievement for a job well done; they never bother with the realistic issues of what happens to the involved NPCs afterward.

When I was racking my brains, Siedling, who was standing close by on guard duty, handed me a teacup containing an unknown beverage. Before giving it to me, he poured a little into another small cup, drank it, and repeated this process.

“There’s no poison.”

“You check it like that every single time, tasting it yourself?”

Iris, who was scouring Papillion’s office like a detective, saw this, pointed at him, and burst into silent laughter with her mouth wide open. I think I know who tipped her off. Isn’t it a bit of a waste of manpower to use someone who’s supposed to be exceptional on the battlefield for something like this?

Even picking up a fallen pen, she’d pick it up for me on the grounds that it might be rigged with a trap, and when I tried to open a window for some fresh air, she’d block it with her large body to guard against a surprise attack, leaving my stuffy feeling completely unrelieved.

Beyond that, even the most trivial matters were all handled by him, and I was being doted on by Siedling as if he were my devoted caretaker.

I wanted to tell Iris to stop her games, but seeing Siedling believe in her so steadfastly and carry out her orders silently was so amusing that I just let it be.

Unlike Iris, Zefer, Herma, and Notos were still quite wary of Siedling, but seeing him being pushed around by her pranks seemed to have softened their attitudes considerably.

When I was deep in thought about how to handle the people from the Alchemy Tower, an unexpected visitor came to see me.

“Elder, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

It was Loop, who was only awake when eating and spent the rest of the time sleeping all day as if burning off all the accumulated fatigue.

Once the matter of the 16th Terrarium was somewhat settled, I planned to quickly send her down to the 28th Terrarium with Iris’s party.

“Has your fatigue eased a bit? I’m sorry for making you work so hard. Please, have a seat.”

Loop rubbed her still-drowsy eyes and smiled sheepishly. When she sat down on the sofa at the reception table, I also got up from my seat and sat across from her.

“I heard everything about what happened at the Alchemy Tower here. Most of the people were laid off, right….”

“It was too big a deal to just let slide. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to come to this, but once pressure came from the 1st Terrarium, there was nothing I could do. I’ve been racking my brains over this issue too…”

The scale of the issue they perceived and the scale I perceived were clearly different. If the 1st Terrarium had left it to my discretion, I wouldn’t have laid off most of the Alchemy Tower people.

“Elder, do you perhaps intend to… kick all the Alchemy Tower researchers out of the Terrarium? After all, conducting research against the World Tree is truly a wrongdoing…”

Loop cautiously asked me.

“Well… to be honest, I don’t intend to. Rather, I’m worried about how I should help them. If they had all been part of Inferno, I might have thought twice, but since that’s not the case.”

I explained to Loop what had happened on the estate while she was away. Especially about how I had taken in all the artificially modified dryads.

“If I truly despised artificial modification, I wouldn’t have decided to embrace those dryads either. Since I’ve chosen to accept even the dryads, I have no desire to cast people aside.”

“Then… could you help me hire them all for what I’m planning to do?”

Since you have plenty of money, Elder… Loop said, glancing at me cautiously.

“What is it that you plan to do, that requires hiring all of them? Didn’t you say you’d take over the family business and do gem crafting in the 28th Terrarium?”

To my question, Loop remained silent for a long time. Iris, who had been inspecting even the carpet in the office, perhaps intrigued by her story, quietly came over to the table.

“Actually… on the day of Master Earning’s lecture, I felt a great sense of responsibility from the story I heard that day.”

That was the day Loop and others learned of the atrocities of the 28th Terrarium through Earning’s words. The research Loop had devised was realized by Earning, ultimately leading the 28th Terrarium down a path of destruction.

“I had thought about the rules established by senior alchemists, but I don’t think I ever properly considered professional ethics. I was always fixated on producing results… In the end, that’s just an excuse. Perhaps I’m no different from the people expelled from the 16th Alchemy Tower. My research directly resulted in harming people.”

It was just as I was about to say she wasn’t at fault.

“If I hadn’t presented my thesis before others, the 28th Terrarium wouldn’t have met such an end. From the moment it was revealed that my thesis had contributed, I should have received appropriate punishment. But no one blamed me for my mistake, and instead, I went on living well even after publishing that thesis. I even got the opportunity to move my family to the 28th Terrarium. And even you, Elder… never once brought up that matter with me.”

“That’s because I didn’t think it was your fault. I believe the greater fault lies with those who misused the research.”

Iris, who had been listening nearby, nodded vigorously at my words.

“So I’m thinking of researching again. This time, research that prevents the misuse of research findings, as you said. Just as I was given a chance… I think that the people expelled from the alchemy towers now should also have the opportunity to correct the wrongs of what they did… even if it’s presumptuous of me to say so.”

Hesitating briefly, Loop met my eyes squarely and spoke with conviction.

“Research on artificial enhancement has already blossomed and emerged into the world. As long as results exist, they can certainly be misused again. However, if we gather those who produced those results to devise preventive measures, we can effectively stop it. Moreover, I believe that not only artificial enhancement but also the research products currently on the market require preventive work in case they could be misused by certain individuals.”

I couldn’t help but admire Loop’s thinking. Even though it wasn’t something she personally caused, she felt responsible and took the lead in correcting it. When I first met her, I thought she had a strong will, but I never expected her to be such an upright person… I felt a renewed appreciation.

“The Alchemy Society already has a skewed perception, so they can’t operate openly and legitimately in everything. Even resuming research could invite criticism. Therefore, the only way is to act through an independent organization founded and supported by you, Elder, abandoning the title of alchemist. But that would mean you alone must provide financial support without any other backing…”

“That’s a great idea! For such a grand endeavor, I should support it with both resources and effort!”

Loop worried about my finances, but diamonds are truly my specialty. I’ve been troubled by the complaints arising from the 16th Terrarium, and if this provides a breakthrough, I welcome it wholeheartedly.

However, even if Loop thought this way, there was no guarantee that the people of the Alchemy Tower would feel the same.

She arranged everything swiftly. Just as Earning had done, she used the empty lecture hall in the grand auditorium to gather the people of the Alchemy Tower and stood at the podium. She had only one day for publicity and just one day to prepare her speech.

Yet every single person from the Alchemy Tower attended, listening intently to her speech, even though she was merely a researcher without an alchemist title.

“We must correct our mistakes. The newly formed organization will become the roof of ethics for all alchemy from now on, protecting research products safely from the storm of misuse, ensuring they cannot leave the roof until proper safeguards are in place…”

Not everyone thought they would follow the path Loop proposed. However, even if they weren’t swayed by her ideals, most were willing to join the organization she aimed to establish for the sake of their immediate livelihoods.

This was because the provision of meals, lodging, and research funding for reasonable reasons was a powerful temptation.

The negative scrutiny they faced for staying in the 16th Terrarium was too great. So, with Loop leading the way, they all decided to move to the 28th Terrarium.

A place not yet heavily watched by others. A suitable place for a fresh start. Many intellectual assets were slated to relocate to the 28th Terrarium.