Page 1/4 Swamp Sharks and Frogs (1) Written by Flin Dextern The "Swamp of Silence" is a desolate place where the disaster from thousands of years ago had destroyed. But contrary to its name, the swamp is literally filled with a multitude of lively sharks. Sharks are usually found at sea, but these swamp sharks jump around the mud with their fins, almost like toads or frogs. One of the researchers (he preferred to remain anonymous) who has been studying this place for a long time, explained the current status of the swamp like this: "There have been so many theories regarding the evolutions of these creatures. But anything that says 'adaptation' is all garbage." Page 2/4 He said that such researches all failed because these theories were founded on a wrongful assumption. "The one thing common between frogs and sharks in this area are their high fertility rate." He claimed that these changes were not an adaptation, but random events that happened during generations of propagations. He used Explosion Sharks as an example. "If there really is an evolution that is favorable to a creature itself, why would this shark evolved into a suicidal machine? This is a proof that an evolution is just a result of coincident." But he agreed that the contamination in this area is accelerating creatures' mutations. And these endless mutations could help creatures to survive from a harsh environment. Page 3/4 "That's why I'm against purifying this swamp." He was very careful when he said this to me. He seemed worried that other researchers might hear him. "This place is like a laboratory that the gods have given us. Where would we ever find so many mutated creatures? Purifying this place will be a great loss for the biologists who study mutations and evolutions." But many scholars are doing their best to purify this place, especially the Red Bitumen. Scholars believe that the Red Bitumen are the major factor of contamination and mutations, as they are found in sharks and frogs in the swamp as well. But the purification is delayed because not many adventurers visiting this area due to the contamination. "Are there other researchers who agrees with you?" When I asked, he shuddered. Page 4/4 "Anyone who disagrees with the purification will be accused of being a Shadowmancer. But a scholar shouldn't be afraid of failures. Using this as an opportunity to learn something new, is the only right thing to do as a scholar, don't you think?" But then we had to stop the conversation because other scholars came to us. Whenever I visit this place, I think of this scholar. Humans are part of the nature. But how would you judge our actions 'unnatural' or 'natural'? Maybe there is something in this topic that we have to think about.
