Linnaeus is out of research materials as the Landbreakers ate most of his medicine.

Fungus? We can gather more, right?

Really? But the LBs behaved strangely after eating the medicine.

Yeah, this is the bottle! But ... there's hardly anything left! It's not even enough for a single test cycle...!

At least it's better than nothing... Do we have time to make some more?

No, we're out of time... The pharmaceutical formula can only be catalyzed with a special fungus that's really rare.

I haven't figured out how to culture this fungus in lab conditions ... and I'm almost out of fungal mass collected from the wilderness...

It's not that easy! The fungus tends to grow in well-hidden places. Fruiting season is almost over...

And ... I'm afraid I picked this place dry too...

Don't give up! I just got an idea! During the last test, my long-ears gained the basic ability of tracking various materials.

Feed it something and it'll start tracking the same stuff by smell. Might even work for certain materials.

They ate too much of it! The fungus does have mild mind-altering effects and overdosing on it might drive you crazy.

I did the maths. Just control the dose and things should be alright.

But I'm afraid the amount left is only enough for a sip for the long-ears. This tracking ability sounds largely untested. If the critters fail, I would really lose everything.

This little sip is all I have to prove that I actually worked on something...

No problem! But long-ears can be really fast and enjoy squeezing themselves into narrow pipes and tunnels. They're way too fast for me, so I never really performed a field trial.

Well, Joan's idea seems like the only solution... Let's give it a shot! I believe in Joan ... and you!

Great. I'll set things up. Come talk to me when you're ready.

Thank you so much. I wouldn't know what to do if Joan weren't here. Of course, you're really important too!

No! You're doing more than that! You're saving my entire career! And Joan...