Shredded notes left behind by a member of the Intelligentsia Guild.
Shredded Notes of Scholar Bernini
*A large chunk of information has been corrupted*
[Week ██]
The results of the review are out, and funding has been halved — with a "friendly" suggestion to modify the research direction. They've started reducing the number of Xianzhou exchanges and while I'm too lazy to argue with them, I have to admit that they do have a point. Indeed, there really is little commercial use for the study of folk histories alone, and nobody can squeeze any value out of the Xianzhou people...
After all these years of academic research, I've finally begun to feel my enthusiasm and determination waning... No, they're completely exhausted, and that's worse than running out of funding. But now the question is: What am I going to do? Money's running thin, and manpower is tight... That guy Todd's just started a family, and I can't fork out for any overtime. What a junk topic this is, cracking the secret of immortality... Ha, I said it'd take ten years to solve, but now it really is a joke...
*A large chunk of information has been corrupted*
[Week ██]
I kinda miss the ramen stand outside the library on Planet ██████. Walking out from all that study to a warm bowl of spicy noodles in the darkness of night — what an experience. "Extra garlic, extra chili, extra meat, please!" With a couple of glugs of oil, it's the ultimate taste! Think about the trash we ate aboard the Xianzhou: Mung bean soda!? Even a toilet would refuse to take that down.
Also, I just calculated the remaining funds. It'd only be enough for extra garlic.
*Several entry dates remain unfilled*
[Week ██]
I nearly starved to death wandering lost around the streets of Starskiff Haven. A Vidyadhara brother treated me to a hot meal. I have to say that they really do as a people have tremendous taste. After chatting for a while, I feel like I've had a revelation that I haven't quite yet figured out...
Should I persist? Or should I leave the Xianzhou with everyone else? No matter what, I know that I have to stay positive and optimistic about things. I have to believe in myself. I have to believe that I can find the secret of eternal youth. I'm tired, so very tired. What a waste of space I am.
[Week ██]
I had dinner with my buddy ███ (he paid), and we chatted about various folk myths around the cosmos. I learned that some tribes' myths of "fountain of youth" and "secret underwater kingdoms" share similarities with the Vidyadhara legends that ███ told me. But any connection between them remains to be seen. Especially the "past events" about the Vidyadhara which ███ said — well, they regard it as memories past, so it should be an oral history passed down through generations. I've never heard of such a thing, and the Guild has no such record either. A daring idea now tugs at my gray matter...
Weekly work plan: 1. Check over Vidyadhara materials √ 2. Borrow some Xianzhou classics √ 3. Review the literature √ 4. Resubmit my thesis topic ×
[Week ██]
Weekly work plan: 1. Record the Vidyadhara's oral history. √ 2. Revise the thesis topic √
After all that from the Guild, my thesis into genetic longevity of the Xianzhou people has fizzled out. I knew it would. Next, they'll probably devote full resources to researching the secret of foxian tails. But it won't amount to anything. Growing fluffy ears and a tail means there's a risk of uncontrollable growth, and their lifespan isn't very long — meaning their cellular vigor is severely limited. It's a shame that nobody believes me. Ah, forget about it — geniuses are destined to be lonely. Let's wait and see.
[Week ██]
...███ may look cold, but I never expected him to be so warm-hearted — otherwise, he wouldn't have saved me back then. He took me to the legendary Scalegorge Waterscape. I'd heard of such oral histories, but never expected so many physical ruins to remain. He also agrees with my views on recorded history: The past is more than just a random memory. It must be recorded in writing so that more people can witness the glory of days gone by.
...The retro-natal ecosystem of the Vidyadhara is really interesting. Just soaking in these pools leaves me feeling a whole lot younger... And as for this auto-incubation method of theirs...
...I got a tube of Vidyadhara egg extract and to be honest, I was worried that my needle wouldn't penetrate their "eggshells." On the way back, I ran into a vehicle checkpoint at the Starskiff Haven which freaked me out — but luckily, I wasn't exposed.
Sure enough, the Guild has launched their new genetic sequencing project. There's not much time left for me.
[Week ██]
I wrote a few times to hurry up that kid Todd. He said he was all ready to go, but I'm guessing that he'll be too late. I guess I'll have to do this myself, then.
[Week ██]
...My skin has recovered its elasticity, and I have more hair in my follicles. The latter is actually a pleasure. I never thought that I'd be able to solve this thorny genetic problem along the way. If I can do it, then this alone would be incredible.
I'm still not sure when the cellular vigor can reach normal Vidyadhara levels, but based on hair follicle regeneration results I believe that it already may have happened.
[Week ██]
Once enough growth has occurred, it stops — and the next growth stage doesn't perform as well. The █████ concentration is also below average, which I take to be a sign of insufficient extraction. I've talked with ███ and planned on visiting the Scalegorge Waterscape with him sometime later. I assume he was quite pleased with my chronicle draft from last time.
[Week ██]
Ha, eureka! I did it!! This long Xianzhou trip of mine has finally reached its destination: ████!!! The boss at the Cloudstride Hotel came to visit this morning to get some customer satisfaction feedback. ████████, she didn't recognize me at all. She politely asked, "When is Mr. Bernini coming back?" and was curious about why I was in his room. "I'm one of Bernini's students" was how I answered, in a voice that sounded sharp but raspy. It reminded me of the trouble I had joining the school choir back when I was 14 and my voice was just breaking. After I got her to leave, I finally checked myself out in all my glory in the mirror. I was young, handsome, and sculpted like a statue. Hahahaha!!! Once I get genetically certified back at the Guild, I'll have access to unlimited wealth and power — and all the time in the world for research.
[Week ██]
I ███████ feel like I've forgotten lots about ████████ and I, ████, have been so lazy and ████ sleeping so long ████ I can't open my diary, as I've forgotten the password ████████. Luckily I can use my fingerprints. What should I write... The bed in my room looks bigger to the naked eye now...████ My body... Something has gone wrong.
*The entry has been damaged by some kind of liquid, and most of the content has been illegible since being dried out*