The Oracle Paths

Chapter 210 We are not in a W.e.b.n.o.v.el

A heavy silence settled in the room after this long tirade. Kyle was nothing but regrets, while Jake, Sarah and Will displayed the utmost calm, as if there was nothing wrong with this speech.

”I have a question for you. ” Jake said, uncrossing his arms.

”Please ask.”

Jake pondered his words for a brief moment before voicing his doubts. Clearing his throat, he started,

”Even if most Players merge with the bloodlines obtained in their Ordeals directly, whatʼs stopping you from taking a blood sample from them afterwards? Even if some refuse, it should be largely feasible during routine check-ups for soldiers. ”

All eyes that were pointed at Jake turned back to the giant behind his desk. Will was about to ask the same question, and he had to adjust his glasses to hide his smirk.

”Heh heh, thatʼs a very good question. ” Jay Parks conceded with a relaxed expression. ”We could do that indeed. And we do. But itʼs not enough. The Oracle Systemʼs assimilation of bloodline somehow bears its mark. The result does work and is generally stable and harmonious, but itʼs not perfect.

”In genetics, each gene has multiple variations called alleles. For example, if you take the eye colour gene, there is an allele for blue or green eyes. Since chromosomes work in pairs, we have two alleles for each gene, one from each parent. It is the mixture of the two that determines the final colour.

”When the Oracle System performs the bloodline fusion, the original alleles are usually overwritten in favor of the bloodline alleles, regardless of whether that matters or not. For example, the blue eye allele, which is normally recessive, will be replaced by the bloodline allele if it gives a particular eye colour.

”Some bloodlines also have drawbacks that will be passed on during the transgenic operation. As long as the genetics between the two species are close, it is possible to deduce without too much trouble the consequences of each gene and allele.

”The thing is that you have to understand that a 1% difference between two genomes can lead to two very different species. For example, chimpanzees are 98% similar to us. Even if we sequence the genome of a Player that has a new bloodline, it takes years of study and testing to deduce the implications, effects and interactions between each gene.Add to that the epigenetics and the accompanying aetheric code and itʼs beyond our area of expertise.”

Jake was able to roughly keep up thanks to his high school memories, but Kyle, Tim and the two princesses had already dropped out. The giant would have spoken in Chinese that it would have been the same result.

”So if I understand correctly, youʼd rather study a pure sample because at least youʼre sure the Oracle didnʼt delete or alter certain genes to make them compatible with us. ” Sarah checked to make sure she fully understood.

” Thatʼ s right. ” The geneticist concurred. ” But not only that. The most important thing is the notion of epigenetics and aetheric code. Epigenetics is the fact that most of our genes are normally non-coding. For example, we have in our genome the genes that allow lizards to regenerate their tails or limbs and yet we are unable to do so. These are remnants of our evolution. Depending on our mental state, our environment, and our actions, certain inactive genes can be activated and vice versa. This happens, for example, in astronauts who stay in space for extended periods of time, but similar differences can be observed between a happy and a sad person. This is a vast area of research that has not yet been fully explored.

”Epigenetics becomes an even thornier subject when you add the Aetheric code and Aether in general. Weʼre talking about portions of blood, but to transfer the genome from a bloodline you only need one cell.However, if only one cell was used, the result would not be so impressive.

”In the case of the Myrmidians, for example, the only distinguishing features are olive-coloured skin, golden hair and eyes. Nothing that human genetics cannot explain. Other genes influence the hormonal and neurochemical state, but again, nothing we canʼt understand. There are many other genes that we donʼt know about, of course, but most of the effects are based on interaction with the Aetheric code. This Aetheric code, like your stats, can become stronger. Aether Runes become more vigorous and energetic, and this is how some Myrmidians become more powerful.