Chapter 1147
Intentional cultivation and directing complex energy flow required a higher level of intelligence than a standard beast, but that didn’t mean the intelligence was always recognizable.Some things Anton assumed the natives of Klar would all want- mainly centered around communication- didn’t seem to be of interest to them.
Specifically, Spike didn’t respond to Anton in any way except to occasionally throw a fruit near him. Enemies were attacked, and those who seemed likely to eat a fruit while traveling received a fruit with less puncture wounds involved. That was all. Anton had quickly been placed in the latter category, and as long as he didn’t attack the tree he would likely remain there.
A better name for the spike fruit tree might have been developed if there was more in depth interaction, but sadly Anton didn’t manage anything after weeks. Perhaps the immobile nature of the tree changed social needs, or the way it formed intelligence. It was potentially just less developed, though it was difficult to tell.
The out of place pitcher plant likewise ignored anything that didn’t seem to be a threat, including Anton- until he practiced cultivation around it. It showed some interest when he formed a small bit of fire, but it grew far more interested when he created ice. Anton was by no means a specialist in the field of ice, but it was well within his power to manipulate heat with the amount of power he had. He could replicate a large number of lesser abilities, if inefficiently.
The yet unnamed pitcher plant endeavored to communicate for the sake of asking about Anton’s abilities, but seemed frustrated by the simpler words Anton and his team started with.
After interacting with a variety of individuals, it soon became clear that even if Anton was willing to devote decades of his life it wouldn’t be enough to develop individual patterns of communication for each individual. Aside from the form-shifting Bear Hug, few individuals shared a common form with which they could replicate gestures.
Introducing more people would likely be necessary to cover the wide variety, but that had to be done carefully so as to not disrupt the locals too much. Leaving the system untouched wasn’t necessarily morally superior, but it was better to not unintentionally make any changes before they knew how the world actually worked.
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Abioye had been wracking his brains for a while on the communication problem. Creating a language they thought any individual could understand, at least a simple one, was a problem their team was fully capable of solving. Scaled to enough time, that was true of any number of individuals- but as much as the team loved the challenge, it wasn’t really a solution. None of the locals would be able to communicate with each other if they continued as they were.