{"id":567,"date":"2026-08-17T15:56:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T15:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depthguide.com\/?p=567"},"modified":"2026-08-18T22:13:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T22:13:40","slug":"the-last-blue-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/depthguide.com\/?p=567","title":{"rendered":"The Last Blue Place"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tales from the Universe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Moral Dilemma:<\/strong> If discovering something beautiful could help the world but exposing it might destroy it, does knowledge belong to everyone simply because you found it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin found the valley because he got lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This irritated him later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He would have preferred a better story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A secret map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An ancient inscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Twenty years of scholarship culminating in a brilliant deduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, his mule wandered away while Tarin was relieving himself behind a tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He followed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then followed the wrong hoofprints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then became spectacularly lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By sunset, he had discovered something nobody had seen in perhaps a thousand years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The valley was blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not metaphorically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blue flowers covered the ground from one mountain wall to the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Millions of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their petals glowed faintly as evening approached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin stood on the ridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Below him, the valley slowly became a field of stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He forgot about the mule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He descended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The flowers reached his knees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each blossom had six translucent petals surrounding a silver center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin had studied plants for twenty-three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He knew every documented alpine species in the western kingdoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had never seen anything remotely similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He took out his notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Something was moving among the flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A deer stepped into view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its antlers were covered in blue blossoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not tangled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin whispered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The deer looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then returned to grazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin spent three days in the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He found insects that existed nowhere in his books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A pale fox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trees whose leaves folded underground at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A pool containing tiny silver fish that appeared to have no eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And everywhere, the blue flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He collected specimens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the third morning, he noticed his hands no longer hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin had suffered swollen joints for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He flexed his fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He looked toward the flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He experimented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A tea made from one petal reduced swelling within an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two petals reduced fever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three caused vomiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five made Tarin unconscious for most of an afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wrote everything down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the time he left the valley, Tarin knew he had discovered something important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps very important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His first thought was publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His name would appear in every botanical academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tarin&#8217;s Blue.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps <em>Tarinia caelestis.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He practiced saying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then felt embarrassed despite being alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He imagined lectures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A permanent position at the Royal Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No more begging wealthy idiots to fund expeditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He packed six flowers carefully between sheets of paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he looked back at the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A thought arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People would come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin sat on the ridge for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scientists would come first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then physicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then merchants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then whoever merchants brought with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harvesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Someone would discover that the flowers were worth money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was usually the moment when a rare thing stopped being rare and started becoming inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin unpacked the specimens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He almost threw them away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead he kept one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Royal Institute, Tarin lied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNothing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor Halen stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThree months in the mountains and you found nothing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSeveral mosses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMosses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Halen rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI convinced the board to fund you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou promised unexplored habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI found mostly rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMountains do contain those.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin apologized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His funding ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For two years, he kept the valley secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He returned alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He studied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The flower&#8217;s medicinal properties were greater than he&#8217;d first understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Properly prepared, it reduced certain fevers that killed thousands every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It eased joint disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It slowed some infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin began to feel sick about his silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every time he heard that someone had died of fever, he thought of the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every time he saw an old woman struggling to close swollen fingers, he thought of the flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Protecting beauty was beginning to look suspiciously like hoarding medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So Tarin told one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Doctor Seli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then examined the dried petal he&#8217;d brought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI won&#8217;t tell you yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She looked offended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTarin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI need you to promise something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou don&#8217;t even know what.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know you&#8217;re about to ask a physician to keep a medicine secret.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had no response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seli leaned closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow many people could this help?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don&#8217;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHundreds?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThousands?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd you&#8217;re protecting flowers?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;m protecting the place that makes them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin looked at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seli went to the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her opinion changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the first day she remained practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHow quickly do they reproduce?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSlowly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCan they be cultivated elsewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI&#8217;ve tried.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHarvest limits?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then she saw the deer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then the silver fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then the flowers glowing after sunset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the third morning, Seli said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe can&#8217;t tell them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe can&#8217;t tell anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI brought you here because you said that was immoral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hadn&#8217;t seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat shouldn&#8217;t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt does.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seli looked around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause now I understand what would be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They tried cultivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For seven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seeds planted outside the valley died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cuttings failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soil transported from the valley worked briefly, then became ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever produced the blue flowers depended on the entire place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not merely the plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That made the medicine finite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And secrecy harder to justify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then Seli&#8217;s son became ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fever began on a Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Thursday, ordinary medicine had failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seli came to Tarin&#8217;s house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neither needed to say anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They rode through the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her son recovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Physicians asked what Seli had used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She lied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lie spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Someone accused her of withholding treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually Professor Halen visited Tarin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was old now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His hands shook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin&#8217;s stomach dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShow you what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Halen placed Tarin&#8217;s original expedition notebook on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The notebook Tarin thought he&#8217;d burned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou were always terrible at destroying records.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Halen tapped one page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A drawing of the flower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou found something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cImportant?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUseful?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Halen understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have hidden a useful discovery for nearly a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo you understand what you&#8217;ve done?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo, I don&#8217;t think you do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Halen stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cKnowledge does not belong to the person who discovers it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThen who does it belong to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEveryone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd the valley?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat valley?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe thing that knowledge will destroy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Halen stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin took him there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wanted Halen to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was his mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Halen understood perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He simply reached a different conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis could save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThen we use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd when it&#8217;s gone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe learn everything we can before that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin stared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou would destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would spend it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s not yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNeither is it yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The argument neither man could solve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They made an agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The location would be disclosed to a small medical council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harvest would be limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No permanent buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No commercial sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every removed flower recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every use documented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a while, it worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then a king&#8217;s daughter became ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then a wealthy merchant offered money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then someone leaked the location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first unauthorized harvesters arrived within a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin stood on the ridge and watched smoke rise from a camp below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seli stood beside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe should have kept it secret.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou don&#8217;t believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin looked at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYour son is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seli said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo are four hundred and twelve other people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They had counted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That somehow made everything worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Below them, guards removed illegal harvesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the guards, the flowers still stretched across the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But not as densely as before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were bare patches now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Small ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin spent the remainder of his life protecting the valley he had revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He became famous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He hated that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The flower was named <em>Tarinia caerula.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He hated that too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thousands eventually received medicine derived from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He could not hate that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The valley diminished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He could not forgive that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No conclusion arrived to organize these facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Tarin was very old, a student accompanied him to the ridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Below them, blue flowers still glowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fewer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The student asked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo you regret discovering it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDiscovery wasn&#8217;t the choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTelling people, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWould you keep it secret if you could do it again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The student frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat isn&#8217;t an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin sat on a stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a while he said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I was young, I thought morality meant finding the choice I wouldn&#8217;t regret.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNow I think some choices are large enough to leave regret whichever road you take.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The student looked into the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo how do you know which one is right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarin watched the last light gather in the blue petals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don&#8217;t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut if you ever become certain that something precious must be sacrificed for the greater good, count carefully who receives the good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He pointed toward the flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd count just as carefully what cannot grow back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p 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Tarin found the valley because he got lost. This irritated him later. He would have preferred a better story. A secret map. An ancient inscription. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tales-from-the-universe"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Last Blue Place - Depth Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/depthguide.com\/?p=567\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Last Blue Place - Depth Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tales from the Universe Moral Dilemma: If discovering something beautiful could help the world but exposing it might destroy it, does knowledge belong to everyone simply because you found it? Tarin found the valley because he got lost. This irritated him later. He would have preferred a better story. A secret map. An ancient inscription. 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