Bizarre Realm

"What’s your name?"

Shawn gazed at the little girl before him. She looked about fifteen or sixteen, with a head slightly out of proportion to her frail body. Though her features were beautiful and delicate, her frailty lent her a strange, sickly beauty reminiscent of the developed-brained yet physically degenerated humans found in science fiction. With just one glance, Shawn discerned that the girl had a hidden genetic defect, artificially engineered by the Heart Stealers, which severely shortened their lifespan, likely allowing them to live only about 40 years.

But this was the Bizarre Realm, a place where the Law of Life and Flesh existed, and even genetic flaws could be modified with the Gene Tree, making such defects relatively insignificant.

The girl’s eyes fixed on Shawn, and in a voice devoid of much emotion, she said, "Number 175201."

No name.

Only a number, as if she were livestock bred in a ranch.

Shawn paused for a moment and softly said, "Humans should have their own names."

"Let’s do this."

"I’ll give you a name."

He pondered briefly, then clapped his hands, "I’ve got it. From now on, you’ll be called Pandora."

"Pandora?" The girl mulled over the name softly, "A character from Ancient Greek Mythology, the first woman made by Hephaestus out of clay, given to humans as a punishment for Prometheus’s theft of fire."

The girl’s knowledge was unexpectedly profound, and she seemed aware of many things unknown to ordinary people, beyond the Extraordinary Power.

Shawn calmly stated, "Pandora means ’the woman endowed with all gifts.’

The girl nodded gently and said, "Alright. Teacher."

"From now on, I will be called Pandora."

Shawn shook his head slightly, "Don’t call me teacher, you can call me instructor."

Pandora’s gaze quivered slightly, and she obediently bowed her head, "Instructor."

Shawn smiled a bit and softly said, "What have you learned before? Tell me."

The Heart Stealers, intending to nurture highly intelligent humans, had to impart ample knowledge, even through Forced Learning, to develop their brains. However, they refrained from allowing them to grasp any Extraordinary Power. For over a decade, since barely uttering words, the girl had to endure Forced Learning, and if she couldn’t pass intelligence tests, the remaining ones would be culled, gradually fed to the Heart Stealers’ feast table.

Pandora contemplated briefly and responded, "Astronomy, geography, history, painting, culture, sculpture..."

"Instructor, I possess a photographic memory."

A photographic memory?

Shawn’s expression was slightly startled, as the girl before him had seemingly mastered all secondary knowledge. Her awareness of Ancient Greek Mythology suggested that the Forced Education she received surpassed ordinary imagination.

Pandora seemed to guess Shawn’s thoughts and softly said, "The Heart Stealers raided the Grand Library of the Dark Era."

"I have read many Earth civilization books."

Shawn was astonished, "You know Earth civilization?"

"I do," Pandora said calmly, "To further enhance our Intelligence Attribute, the last 5% of surviving human Breeders would read the ancient books from the Dark Era until we broke the limits of ordinary humans."

If she hadn’t been sent to the Feast Arena, she would become a Breeder at one of the 12 Skull Farms, and breeding offspring with equally excellent blood relatives.

The unexceptional bloodlines were eliminated, as were those with obvious genetic defects.

Those people turned into monstrous, hideous giant-brained beings.

Shawn’s gaze bore a trace of compassion as he gently stroked the girl’s smooth forehead and spoke in a cold tone, "Guide me, take me to see the 12 Skull Farms."

Pandora obediently said, "Yes, Instructor."

In an instant.

Shawn’s Mind Network connected with the girl in front of him, and her face bore a slight surprise, while Shawn calmly stated, "Within you lies a suppressed awakening Spiritual Talent."

"It’s the Genetic Lock planted by the Heart Stealers."

"Don’t worry, I will help you unlock it."

They were born with Spiritual Energy.

Though not apparent, it was sufficient to develop Spiritual Talent, like the Githyanki modified by the Heart Stealers. However, the gene technology tree of the Heart Stealers was indeed formidable, suppressing their Spiritual Power in the womb.

In the Garden World, at the 12 Skull Farms.

This was essentially a massive human city, even giving the impression of a University City.

The 12 Skull Farms bred over a hundred thousand humans, which was a significant farm in the entire Garden World. Upon his arrival, Shawn noticed the area was on alert, yet shielded by the "Beyond God’s Eye," even the Main Brain couldn’t detect or predict Shawn’s movements.

Pandora pointed to a distant library building and said, "That’s the Grand Library, our daily learning place."

"One must pass an intelligence development assessment, possessing an Intelligence of 15 points or more, to learn there."

"We have assessments every three months, and those who fail are sent elsewhere."

Shawn saw humans.

But most were only teenagers, all were young children, their expressions numb, as if their hearts were sealed. Although Pandora had opened her heart under his Spirited Energy comfort, her Mind was still akin to a twelve or thirteen-year-old, albeit with high Intelligence that wasn’t easily apparent. These human youths mostly resembled autistic children, and from a nearby peculiar domed building, he could see several Heart Stealers using Mind Energy to command dozens of children to come out.