I Reincarnated Into A Single-Celled Organism! - I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 155

Mistress Sci’s harp play had been filled with a mystical power. It was clear that it was more than just strumming music, and in the process, it had put everyone present into a strange and contemplative state. Since she song on the theory of evolution, my thoughts couldn’t help but drift over to what I knew about evolution. She sang about evolution like it was some magical thing from which no one knew. It sounded mysterious and complex, but evolution was a rather simple principle.

This world seemed to have a strange relationship with science. Their understanding of science seemed to have blended with the presence of mana to create this strange philosophical take on science. It was like someone in their history had found a science textbook and began to teach everything he read in it without actually proving any of the variables within. Therefore, this world was familiar with all of the terms but had no clue how those terms truly worked. Thus, they could only complicate them and come to their understanding.

Considering the names of scientific figures occasionally appeared, I had to wonder if that’s exactly what happened to this world. If I could be here from another world, then perhaps some science textbook had also appeared at some key point in their history, and it became revered as some religious document and incorporated into their world. However, that book made no mention of magic, because magic never existed in my world. Truly, magic broke most of the rules established with science, so their only choice was to try to rectify everything by exchanging ideas in this manner.

As my thoughts went in this direction, I could only let out a snort of disgust. Perhaps, had magic appeared in my world, then it would have already been experimented with and understood on a level that left it far less mystical and far more practical. It was only when I realized every eye was now on me that I realized my mistake. Everyone had been lost in her song and their contemplations, only for me to suddenly make a disruptive noise like someone letting out a belch in church.

Some people were staring at me with annoyance, while others were staring at me with disgust. Jordan Capala and Hungtington both had scornful looks when they glared my wayEven Sammuel who backed me up in most things looked slightly embarrassed like he wanted to take a step away from me. It appears this was a noble faux pas. Mistress Sci was looking at me too, her eyes still betraying nothing.

“Do you have any critiques on my lecture?” She asked in a honeyed voice.

I opened my mouth to apologize, but then I closed it again. If I apologized, it wouldn’t change anything. I had still let out a noise of discontent, and everyone had formed an opinion about that. The best-case scenario would be that everyone held their own opinion about it and she didn’t press things, but there was also a situation where she wouldn’t accept an apology and would doggedly demand an explanation. I could already see this woman was a bit of a diva, so it was pointless to try to mitigate the situation.

A small smile formed on my lips and I glanced up at her. “I just found your explanation of evolution to be a bit lacking.”

The crowd reacted with gasps and groans. Irritation flashed in Mistress Sci’s eyes for a moment, but they quickly recovered.

“Mistress, do not listen to this dullard. He is a commoner foolishly adopted by a paragon family. This has given him an inflated ego.” It was Jordan Stride who was speaking.

Those from the Capala family frowned. Although they didn’t approve of me, I was still part of their family and Jordan’s words insulted them.

“Please excuse his ignorance.” Brandon stepped forward, bowing his head. “We will properly teach him in the future.”

“I’ve already heard your understanding of evolution,” I responded, taking a sip from my glass. “I don’t think I’d learn much no matter how much you’re taught.”

Brandon’s eyes flashed with anger. “You…”

The crowds all started talking at once, the previous atmosphere having been completely ruined. Some people were attacking me as an ignorant commoner, while others were just eagerly watching the drama unfold between the larger paragon families.

“May I please speak…” Although Mistress Sci’s words weren’t spoken with force, everyone in the room immediately quieted down. “Young lord, may I ask for your critique?”

Everyone turned back to me, and Brandon Capala let out a vicious snort. I didn’t need to collect my thoughts. At my level, my mind always worked fluidly. Had I not been in a relaxed state and allowed her music to let my mind wander, I never would have ended up in this situation in the first place. I still waited a few moments as if I was thinking of an answer so I didn’t appear too smug.

“Evolution is change,” I told them. “That is all it is, that’s all it can be. Improvement? Creating a better you? These are merely accidents.”

“As we evolve, we grow stronger and more perfect. How can you deny that?” A random young man demanded.

“What is strength? What is perfection? What would happen if some great tribulation struck this land and buried it? Would you survive?”

“If we were fall enough in our evolution, we could survive.” Another man answered.

“Could?” I tilted my head. “How is being a survivor strength? How is that perfection? Isn’t that just luck? So, what if a tribulation sunk this province beneath the sea? Would you live underwater with the fish?”

“Of course not, we’re terrestrial beings, not marine.”

“But I thought your evolution was perfection, but if it wasn’t the sea, wouldn’t a fish be more suited? Aren’t their beings better suited for the ocean?”

“Are you saying the piscine are more perfect than us?” The first man spoke again with scorn in his voice.

“Of course not, if they could perform better on land, then they would be on the land, but doesn’t that prove that your idea of evolution is flawed?”

“Say what you mean clearly,” Jordan spoke up. “If you have something worth saying, there is no point in speaking riddles.”

That was a load of crock. They were happy listening to Mistress Sci’s song which spoke in vague platitudes. This must be pretty privilege at its finest.

“Evolution is merely change.” I reiterated. “That change is random. There is no good change or bad change. It is merely changing. You see the changes as good because all of you have benefited from positive changes that allowed you to build your family. However, how many families that were once powerful have declined? Without constantly infusing positive changes into your bloodline, which family would last more than a few generations? Your families represent the ones who have changed in a way that makes you survive, but that leaves countless families who failed to survive.”

“That still means our families are the best!” One paragon stated proudly.

“Your families survived… but survival doesn’t mean the best.” I sighed. “How many powerful individuals appeared only to be suppressed by families? How many powerful beings died without having children? How many families with strong genes were ganged up on by alliances and destroyed? All of those mutations were lost.”

A few people wore ugly expressions. It was true that all the families used political maneuvering, but it was something that wasn’t often voiced out loud. Sammuel, in particular, was watching me now with interest. As someone from a powerful family that was seemingly wiped out overnight by conspiracies, such a philosophy likely appealed to him.

“If a family is destroyed, that just proves that their genes were inferior.” One man continued to argue. “Even social engineering is a kind of gene. If you find the right backing or make the right relationships, that’s pre-determined by your charm, attractiveness, and sociability.”

“Isn’t that an argument of nature versus nurture?” Someone else asked.

“No, because even if you are nurtured, if we take genetics from a macro-view of the entire family, then your nurturing is going to be influenced by the nature of the genes of your family. You raise your kids in a certain way because of your genes, and you were raised in such a way because of your parent’s genes. Thus, an entire family isn’t just the genes of an individual, but the legacy of countless genes.”

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. I was a bit surprised by his argument. It was a lot more interesting than I was expecting. This was getting into population genetics, but instead of populations of species or areas, it was the population of families. I noticed everyone looking at me curiously for my next rebuttal.

“Perhaps you could claim genes affect behavior, but let’s return to my tribulation. A meteor could fall from the sky, hit a family estate, and wipe out their entire bloodline in a single strike. Where was evolution there? Would any mutation have properly saved them? That’s why mutations are merely change, and whether that change is good or bad depends on your environment. If you live in the ocean, mutations that help you live underwater would be beneficial, and if you live in the desert, mutations that allow you to resist extreme temperatures can help. No one can become the perfect being, just the best-suited being for the environment.”

I finished my explanation with a sigh and then glanced up at the balcony. However, Mistress Sci was no longer standing there. The other men only seemed to realize she had left at the same time. Had I offended her? A few shot me glares like I had. A moment later, another beauty stepped out from behind the current and lowered her head toward the crowd.

“You have all given my mistress much to think about. She has retired to contemplate. Please continue to enjoy the Green Palace. We will continue to serve, and other flowers are available for discussion.”  She gave a wave, prompting a half dozen women in elaborate dresses to enter the room. “Sir, Mistress would like to know your name.”

That last comment was directed toward me. I coughed awkwardly as everyone looked back at me.

“It’s Spirit.”

She smiled. “Spirit, Mistress would like to invite you to her room tonight for a private discussion. Would you come?”