The Association's current exploration work on the Desert Star is mainly focused on investigating the civilization on the planet. The remaining cooperative trade with the Tuku people is actually an unexpected surprise for the Association, and it has now begun to move towards formality. changes in the direction of development.
After Chen Lin arrived at the scene with the person in charge here, he still did some routine maintenance. He briefly checked the portal here. All the problems that had occurred have been repaired, and the association will also Protective devices are specially installed around the portal, which can be said to be enough care.
"It's done."
Chen Lin tidied up and walked out of the room. While washing his hands, he said to the person in charge outside: "The desert portal is operating. Is it okay? There have been no problems in the past few months."
The person in charge said to him with a smile: "It should be the most stable among the several portals. It has been stable since it was first opened. There has never been a problem, but I heard that problems often occur with several other portals, especially the main portal..."
Chen Lin nodded: "The level of entry and exit of the main portal every day is not comparable to that of these small portals. It is normal for problems to occur."
The two people walked back along the path, responsible for People mentioned some exchange items from the Tuku people on the desert planet.
“In addition to mineral materials and some rare metals, the Tuku people have also tried to exchange their food and some rare materials for our water and food.”
The person in charge is Chen Lin A picture was shown in front of him, "For example, this one."
Chen Lin could see that it was a huge white substance. Chen Lin looked at the person in charge curiously, and then heard the person in charge laughing at him. He said loudly: "This is part of the sandworm's body."
"It can also be called the exoskeleton skin of sandworms. These Tuku people worship sandworms. Thousands of years of contact with sandworms have allowed them to master the weaknesses of sandworms. Many Tuku people have even learned to control this huge monster. The creature, they call it [Sandworm Knight].”
The person in charge gestured, “Sandworm Knight will use a special hook and rope prop doped with Homann metal. This kind of thing can poke openings directly from the sandworm's scale-like skin, allowing them to cling to it."
"At the same time, if used properly, they can also use this hook tool to remove it from the sandworm's body. Get this kind of thing.”
“That’s it!”
Chen Lin couldn’t help but exclaimed, “The scale skin of the sandworm should have many wonderful functions. Did the research come out? ”
The person in charge responded with a smile: "The function is unique enough. It is hard enough, fireproof and high-temperature resistant. It can directly withstand burning at temperatures of several thousand degrees... In fact, the most important thing is that this thing can be used as medicine."
"Huh?"
Chen Lin looked at the person in charge with a surprised look on his face and asked aloud: "What kind of medicine, Chinese medicine?"
"There are all of them, for sandworms. There are also regenerative components in the skin of the scale armor exoskeleton, which is very useful as a component of bruises and injuries. However, our current military hemostatic agents and blood-generating pills are already very good, so there is no need for this. "
"The association means to take it back and use it as research material. We may be able to discover some unique effects in the future."
The person in charge explained, and Chen Lin nodded slightly, it was okay.
“There are also some local dried small animal specimens, such as the small lizards on the desert star, some wonderful plant dust, the wonderful river water collected... Anyway, they are things that can be exchanged for them I have taken it all out, and I feel like I can’t wait to show off my wealth.”
Chen Lin happily listened to the person in charge’s chat and walked all the way to the base hall in front. The people around him were enthusiastic at this time. Incomparably invited Chen Lin to have dinner here.
Originally, Chen Lin wanted to refuse, but the person in charge on the side smiled and said that there would be a specialty from the Desert Star for dinner - it is said to be a desert beast from their side, and the meat is very chewy. , similar to lamb on this side of the earth, but with a different taste.
When Chen Lin heard this, he immediately became interested and excitedly expressed that he wanted to try it.
Dinner time.
The specialty meat that Chen Lin tasted at the desert base is called "sand sheep" by the locals.
The sand sheep live in the harsh environment of the desert star, so the meat is extremely firm and has a unique taste.
Their meat contains a faint aroma, which is the aroma accumulated by the sand sheep from eating unique desert plants for a long time, which gives the meat a unique flavor.
Chen Lin devoured the sand sheep. The meat exuded an intoxicating aroma in his mouth, which made him exclaim: "This tastes really good... and again, we have this kind of sand sheep here." Can it be raised? It can be done on Earth, or on the Origin Planet..."
The person in charge shook his head: "We have also tried it, but these creatures may belong to that environment. After being transported out, these creatures soon began to become acclimatized, and neither feed nor water was allowed to enter. It didn't take long. They all starved to death.”
“The Tuku people told us the detailed method of raising sand sheep...”
Chen Lin listened to the director of the base talking about the sand sheep while tasting it. The living habits and feeding methods of sheep.
Chen Lin became very interested in this unique meat quality. This kind of desert creature has adapted to extreme environments and can survive in the absence of water and high temperatures. Their meat quality has also become special because of this. , if this desert star specialty can be introduced to other planets so that more people can taste this delicious food, that would be somewhat of a blessing.
The ecological environment of the Desert Star has contributed to unique organisms and ecosystems. Sand sheep are creatures that belong to this unique desert environment. Chen Lin, a foodie, has really thought about the relevant plans for a long time, and only Unfortunately most of them have already been tried by the staff at the field base.
After Chen Lin tasted the delicious sand sheep, his curiosity drove him to see what this unique creature looked like with his own eyes. He expressed this wish to the person in charge of the base, and the person in charge readily agreed,
"There are a few of us here that are still alive, but judging from their condition, they basically won't survive for long, but it's still okay to see."
Chen Lin nodded, and after finishing his meal, he Then he followed the person in charge and his party to the area where the temporary sand sheep was located.
Chen Lin saw groups of sand sheep in a huge breeding facility through the glass.
They are similar in appearance to goats on Earth, but are more muscular and have a unique sandy color to their fur.
The sand sheep's horns are curved and powerful, and their eyes are full of alertness, but these little guys all look languid at this time. "Can I go in and have a look?"
"Of course you can, but Mr. Chen needs to be careful not to be pushed by these little guys."
Chen Lin He laughed immediately, he would pay attention to these things.
Chen Lin approached the sand sheep cautiously, and the sluggish looking sand sheep did not seem to be panicked by his arrival. They just raised their heads and looked here curiously, and did not even move. Don't want to move.
Most of their bodies are only slightly larger than ordinary goats, and they lose weight after not eating for several days.
"There seems to be something wrong..."
Chen Lin directly touched the back of a sand sheep with his hand. The little creature moved slightly and then stopped moving. It looked like it was in a bad temper. Very docile.
This was beyond Chen Lin’s expectation.
“What kind of survival system is the sandworm?”
He suddenly raised such a question to the person in charge and others outside. The person in charge thought for a moment and then said to Chen Lin: "According to the records and observations of the people in the library, the entire growth process of sandworms is relatively Complex and weird.”
“The original form of the sandworm is called [Sand Trout]. This kind of thing is not even a native creature of the Desert Star. It was some spaceship that brought this thing to the Desert Star. ”
“After hatching, the sand trout is hydrophilic. It obtains nutrients through swimming filter-feeding microorganisms and grows up. At the same time, as it grows up, it can use the water storage cells in the body to absorb a large amount of water. "
"This gadget mixes the waste products of its own body metabolism with water, and ferments in the body to produce a substance called "early spices". This substance is excreted through the digestive system, but It's usually under the deep sand layer."
The person in charge spoke up. Chen Lin nodded while listening, his eyes always on Shayang.
The secret to unlocking sand sheep farming actually lies in the growth process of sand worms.
“Sand trout continuously absorb water, filter feeding microorganisms, and excrete early spices. At the same time, they consume a large amount of water in the process, gradually drying up the environment they live in. When the climate dries out to a certain extent, other After life has basically disappeared due to lack of water, the sand trout will enter the second step of its life - some sand trout will metamorphose and develop into sandworms. These sandworms will change their habits from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, and even as long as They will die painfully when they touch water."
"These sandworms will filter-feed microorganisms in the sand and continue to grow. They will die only after they grow to a considerable extent."
< br>"In the process of death, they will return the water absorbed by the cells during life to nature, but the blood of these sandworms flowing out of the sandworms is highly toxic to ordinary organisms, which will exterminate most planets At the same time, due to the depletion of water sources, vegetation began to die on a large scale, and finally the Desert Star was born."
The person in charge said, "Although the people of Tuku worship this behemoth, they are all aware of it. The harm of things is precisely because of the existence of this kind of sandworm that the Desert Star has become like this... You must know that after we have tested the Desert Star through various instruments and equipment, we have confirmed that this planet was once a planet. The water planet is coming.”
Chen Lin nodded thoughtfully. He walked out of the room here. As he walked, he said to the person in charge: "The action of the sandworm is actually very simple. It transforms the environment of the entire planet. Use it to In this life, I have created an ecological environment that no other creature can "access" and only myself and my own food can exist. "
The person in charge and the staff outside nodded, Chen Lin said. Not false at all.
“What do sandworms eat?”
“According to Tuku people, sandworms eat sand. In fact, they eat microorganisms that exist in the sand.”
The person in charge said to Chen Lin, "They eat in the desert just like the blue whales on Earth eat krill. They swallow a lot of sand and then digest the microorganisms... But the blue whales will To expel seawater from the body, sandworms do not need to do this. Their powerful digestive tracts can even break down and digest inorganic matter. Their hard outer scales are made of inorganic matter.”
"That's it."
Chen Lin pointed out the key points to the person in charge: "Only sandworms and sandworm food can survive in the entire ecosystem. How do you think the sand sheep survive?"
The person in charge was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding what Chen Lin meant.
“To put it more simply, the reason why sand sheep can survive is not only by blending into the environment. It is not a sandworm, but it does not want to become food for sandworms, which results in them having to survive throughout the entire life. Fundamental changes have occurred in the body system to adapt to the planet's environment."
Chen Lin said to the person in charge: "It is very likely that the ecosystem of Shayang is the opposite, and it is even very likely that it is the opposite. Two-way, divided into primary and secondary.”
The person in charge was stunned. He only heard Chen Lin continue to speak: "This is a special survival strategy evolved by the creatures on the desert planet in order to adapt to the extreme environment."
"With resources like this on the desert planet In a scarce environment, organisms must find a way to maximize the use of limited resources. Sandworms can survive by absorbing carbon dioxide, so why can't sand sheep? The energy required can also help maintain the carbon and oxygen balance of the desert star."
"Sand sheep actually absorb carbon dioxide!"
"Isn't this surprising? Didn't anyone ask the people in the library? "
The person in charge suddenly slapped his forehead. He and a group of people had been working on such an important matter for a long time and still couldn't figure out what was going on. The sand sheep they brought back were basically three to five. They were starving to death, and they didn't even know what happened.
Today, Chen Lin explained the whole thing clearly as soon as he said it. It turned out to be like this!
The person in charge immediately signaled a staff member to enter the room and pull out a sand sheep. He immediately followed the idea mentioned by Chen Lin just now and performed an on-site dissection of the sand sheep, looking down its main organs. Finally, I discovered the unique and different respiratory system of the sand sheep!
He compared the physiological data of sand sheep with creatures on the earth, and was surprised to find that this kind of respiratory system is unprecedented on the earth!
"Great talent, Mr. Chen!"
The person in charge grabbed Chen Lin's hand and said excitedly: "I asked you why you won't eat or drink this thing after you bring it back. Until I starve to death, this is the reason for my feelings!”
Chen Lin explained with a faint smile: "Actually, I also surmised that some of the foggy creatures brought back from Anyun Base could only survive in the fog. In order to study them, we specially simulated them. Setting up a mist room gave me a similar inspiration.”
The person in charge immediately called people to modify the breeding room here, with an excited expression on his face.
In this way, there will be one more type of food on the table! (End of this chapter)