Chapter 035

Chapter 035

The long-life lock in his palm was exquisitely crafted and shimmered with a faint silver glow under the sunlight.

Big Black Egg liked it even more, bouncing around wildly, rolling and rubbing against Bai Xiaoyu.

Finally, it stood in front of Bai Xiaoyu, swaying back and forth, rubbing each time it moved.

Bai Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh and cry, "It's not that I don't want to put it on you, but..."

He sized up Big Black Egg; it was so big that he couldn't even wrap both hands around it. Even if he wanted to touch it, there would still be a considerable distance.

He thought Big Black Egg might be a large creature in its current form, but when it transformed back into human form, it wouldn't be much different from other young ones. The long-life lock was made for that size.

He figured this was just the size of an ordinary necklace. Placing it on Big Black Egg's head would only cover the top with a small circle and a pendant. It would surely fall off as soon as he let go.

"Bai Hei, how about we wait until you hatch before I put it on you?"

Big Black Egg continued to rub against him. The gift from Bai Bai was something it really wanted to wear.

Bai Xiaoyu, helpless, fiddled with it for a while. Finally, he used glue to affix the chain of the long-life lock like a star pattern, similar to how a girl would apply delicate decorations.

Don't ask why he didn't place it at the top; it looked like a giant whorl at first glance and like a bald spot at second glance...

In the end, Bai Xiaoyu also picked some small flowers from the ground and stuck them on to embellish it. With a twinkling star on the side of its shell, it looked perfect.

Big Black Egg was even happier now, but it became very reserved, no longer rolling or bouncing wildly, unlike before when it would leave a dent in the ground with every bounce.

It wiggled its egg body in front of Bai Xiaoyu.

Bai Xiaoyu praised, "Big Black, you look really good, super universe invincibly handsome."

Big Black Egg blushed and twisted shyly, enjoying itself for a long time.

Bai Xiaoyu chuckled and opened the box Xiao Zhu sent, which was filled with various herbs, including a box of Xiansui Grass.

Big Black Egg stopped wiggling and seemed to be staring at the herbs, bouncing vigorously.

The long-life lock hit its shell, making a crisp sound, and Big Black Egg immediately stopped.

Bai Xiaoyu patted Big Black Egg, and it calmed down, continuing to admire its new look happily.

Before Xiao Zhu left, they had reached a cooperation agreement.

For now, they would provide Xiansui Elixir and Peiyuan Elixir, just like with the Sixteenth Legion, supplying herbs, with half the finished products going to him.

In addition, there was a fee of fifty million credits. Almost immediately after receiving this payment, the Sixteenth Legion also transferred eight million credits.

Bai Xiaoyu felt immense pressure because he could not provide many elixirs, considering that Big Black and Xiao Xi needed a lot of them previously.

Now, he needed to spend more time refining elixirs to send over, although it would still be insufficient.

He glanced at his balance, stunned by the long string of numbers.

A thousand bottles of advanced cultivation fluid had been distributed, purchased by various cultivation centers using their own funds, totaling ten billion credits. There were also payments from parents, including Duan Yang and others, who paid full price, while others paid far more than the agreed one thousand credits.

Bai Xiaoyu tried to return the money, but they sent it back again, making it awkward. They decided to send some Peiyuan Elixir suitable for both adults and children.

Looking at the credits, Bai Xiaoyu thought about the equipment at the cultivation center.

He searched the Star Network for the most advanced cultivation equipment, determined to transform this rudimentary center.

After all, the latest equipment could incubate a hundred eggs at once, far superior in function and appearance to the outdated devices in Bai Xiaoyu's center.

However, it was expensive, costing five billion credits.

Besides the equipment, he needed to renovate the entire center.

After two months of incubation, the eggs would need more space to move around.

With their abundant energy, if they had nowhere to release it, he would be the one suffering.

Bumper cars, arranged.

Merry-go-round boats, arranged.

Swimming pool, arranged.

Egg roller coaster, arranged...

In short, everything was arranged!

Thus, Bai Xiaoyu's vision transformed the entire cultivation center into a mini amusement park.

With a week left before the new eggs arrived, there was still time for a major renovation.

This time, it took three days, and he saw the center transformed into a children's playground.

The future popular interstellar cultivation center was built hastily.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the amusement park-like cultivation center, a slight smile on his face.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yi and the others missed out last time. When they come back, they can play too.

If the eggs can play, the young ones can too. Even adults... it doesn't matter.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at Dahan Dan, who was fixated on the playground swing, and found it amusing. After all, the equipment here was designed to withstand Dahan Dan's weight.

Dahan Dan gently touched the swing, which then intelligently lowered itself. A circular slot appeared, into which Dahan Dan carefully hopped. Once settled, the swing began to sway automatically.

Dahan Dan was having a great time.

Bai Xiaoyu completed the asset registration for the new additions to the playground, filling out each item meticulously before submitting them.

Soon, he received a message from the mainframe.

"Please note that due to the upgrade of the breeding facility in Sector 9 of D36 Planet, where Breeder Bai Xiaoyu has invested ninety percent of the assets, the decision-making authority of the facility has been transferred from the region to Breeder Bai Xiaoyu. Future revenue sharing will be adjusted based on funding allocation and asset investment."

Bai Xiaoyu was surprised and checked further, discovering that the decision-making authority of the breeding facility had previously been held by the region. This meant that if the regional leaders had agreed to accept egg incubation requests from Imperial Star, he would have had to comply.

This time, Bai Xiaoyu noticed that the regional authorities had not yet intervened, as he had been handling the requests himself over the past few days.

What Bai Xiaoyu did not know was that the regional head was currently dealing with pressure from the powers of Imperial Star.

Their region was the most backward among all, and they had never managed to secure a breeder despite repeated applications. Eggs sent elsewhere were often neglected or rejected, resulting in weak hatchlings.

Now, they finally had a precious breeder. Just look at his grandson's adorable fluff; even his tiny beak resembled his great-grandfather!

All this was thanks to Breeder Bai, who had enabled their family to once again have fully-formed beasts after three generations, instead of just wings or claws.

Moreover, it was clear that Breeder Bai had conflicts with Imperial Star and had already rejected their requests. How could he possibly accept them now?

Furthermore, he had no intention of interfering with the breeder's affairs. Some people, however, were relentless and kept pressuring him.

He was deeply troubled when Breeder Bai funded the major renovation of the breeding facility himself! When the mainframe asked if the region should increase its investment to control the decision-making authority, he promptly declined.

First, the region was both backward and poor.

Second, this move would effectively silence the powers of Imperial Star.

Third, Bai Xiaoyu had already established a small pharmaceutical research department, which would benefit the region and even the planet in the future.

Moreover, Bai Xiaoyu had the support of the Sixteenth Legion and the Twenty-ninth Legion, making it impossible for Imperial Star to touch him right now.

The frustrated powers of Imperial Star were nearly driven mad. They believed the regional head was insane for relinquishing the decision-making authority of such a promising breeding facility so easily!

Thus, Bai Xiaoyu became the first breeder to have complete decision-making authority over a regional breeding facility.

As long as he did not agree, other regional forces could not send eggs here.

Of course, he could not refuse eggs sent from Sector 9.

While watching Dahan Dan on the swing, Bai Xiaoyu occasionally gave him a push.

At that moment, he saw a notification on his terminal and turned to Dahan Dan, saying, "Dahan, stay here and play. I'll be back soon."

Dahan Dan immediately stopped, got off the swing, and indicated that he wanted to go along.

Bai Xiaoyu, used to Dahan Dan's clinginess, took him to the adjacent pharmaceutical research building.

Upon arrival, many people were carrying or carrying on their backs various items, all of which were medicinal herbs they had come to deliver.

Initially, only a few parents brought herbs, but word spread quickly, and more and more people started delivering herbs.

In the post-war reconstruction of the fringe planet, the area was sparsely populated and geographically dangerous, with severe dark matter contamination. Various investors were unwilling to take risks, leading to significant challenges in rebuilding D36 Planet. Those who stayed had limited job opportunities, but fortunately, there were still forests where they could gather medicinal herbs as a source of income.

However, they had to send the herbs to the regional pharmacy department, specifically Huang's Pharmacy in Sector 9, which offered low prices.

The assistant had mentioned this issue before, but shipping costs made it unviable unless the volume was large.

Now, Bai Xiaoyu was purchasing the herbs at normal prices, and nearby residents were bringing their harvested herbs directly to him.

Seeing Bai Xiaoyu approach, they looked a bit nervous.

"Breeder Bai, we have quite a lot today. Will you need all of it?"

Bai Xiaoyu saw that most of the herbs collected were for the cultivation fluid and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll take everything."

With the cultivation fluid refining device, he could handle any amount, and what they had was far from enough.

Everyone's unease vanished. "That's good."

If Bai Xiaoyu could take them, they wouldn't need to go to Huang's Pharmacy.

The credit points they received for their hard-earned herbs were sometimes less than half of what Bai Xiaoyu offered.

Thinking about Huang's Pharmacy, everyone's resentment grew. The acquisition officer there had a terrible attitude, treating them like beggars.

Before, they had no choice, but now they had a better option. No one wanted to go to that place anymore!

Seeing so many freshly gathered herbs, Bai Xiaoyu realized they were one or two percent more effective than those he bought online. He was delighted and raised the price slightly.

Both parties were satisfied with the transaction.

While they were content, someone was not.

It was the head of Huang's Pharmacy in D36 Planet. The purchase price of medicines was one or two percent lower than the market rate. However, since he was stationed in this remote place, he needed to make some extra profit. He usually lowered the acquisition price by another two or three percent based on his mood.

Usually, people dared not complain, but why were there fewer deliveries these days? Medicine sales here were already low, and the regional pharmacy store, which belonged to Bai Xiaoyu's breeding facility, brought in around eight or nine hundred thousand credits per quarter. He had planned to raise the prices to reward himself, but Bai Xiaoyu did not buy cultivation fluid from them last quarter, and this quarter, he had connections with a master pharmacist and no longer needed their basic fluid.

Moreover, the military personnel stationed here occasionally purchased medicines. But last quarter, the personnel from the Sixteenth Legion did not buy any medicines either!

With no hope from the breeding facility or the military, at least he could still acquire herbs to meet the quotas.

Now, even this guaranteed quota was at risk?

It really is raining misfortunes on an already leaky roof, isn't it?

In a fit of irritability, he was even less courteous to the people selling herbs. He walked over and grabbed a handful of their herbs, squeezing them. "The quality is too poor; we'll buy them at fifty percent of the price."

"These are too dry; the medicinal efficacy has severely diminished. We'll offer thirty percent of the price."

"And these, these..."

He kept talking, completely oblivious to the angry glares from the people who were checking their optical brains.

Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore and snatched back their herbs. "I'm not selling!"

The head sneered. "If you don't sell to me, no other pharmacy here will buy your herbs. They'll rot, and you'll lose everything. Think carefully. If you leave and come back, the price will be half of what it is now!"

Someone pushed him aside and ran out with their herbs, followed by others who also fled, stepping hard on his foot as they passed.

Pain and anger surged through him, and he pointed at the crowd, trembling with fury. "You're all going to regret this! Just wait and see how I'll deal with you next time!"

Meanwhile, Bai Xiaoyu had just finished tallying the batch of herbs. Thinking that he was almost done gathering enough for a thousand doses of nutrient solution, another group arrived.

"Excuse me, do you still accept herbs?"

They weren't being paranoid; after all, the amount of herbs a private buyer could take was limited.

Bai Xiaoyu was taken aback but pleased with their herbs. "Yes, we'll take as many as you have. By the way, I'll give you a list later; we'll buy all the herbs listed."

The crowd cheered, and Bai Xiaoyu, having received more than a thousand doses of herbs, felt quite good.

However, he knew he wouldn't have time to keep buying herbs like this, so he sought out the parents of Sixteen and Seventeen.

Their family situations were the worst among all the children, both being single-parent households.

It was these two parents who usually gathered herbs and brought them over. Initially, they refused to accept his credit points, but after negotiating, they signed a contract.

From then on, they would be responsible for collecting herbs from nearby residents. In addition to their monthly salary, they would receive two bottles of nutrient solution as a bonus each month.

After sending off the grateful parents, Bai Xiaoyu started refining nutrient solutions with the herbs. Following the previous batch, this time he produced over a thousand bottles. The herbs' efficacy was slightly better, bringing the quality close to S-grade, though it didn't quite reach that level.

In the 'Bai Bai's Dear Black Egg' shop, another thousand bottles of S- grade nutrient solution appeared.

The cultivators who missed out last time applied frantically.

Bai Xiaoyu once again asked the system to help screen the applications. After some negotiation, the system informed him that ten thousand points could only be used three times.

While screening the cultivation facilities, he remembered the stories told by those who brought the herbs today. He decided to select only the facilities directly under Huang's Pharmacy, excluding those in heavily polluted areas.

First, he chose the six cultivation facilities on their current planet, which all canceled their orders for the next quarter from Huang's Pharmacy Department in the region simultaneously.

The person in charge was utterly baffled, completely unaware of what was happening.

But seeing the significant shortfall in herb acquisition targets, he nearly went mad.

Huang's Pharmacy hadn't yet noticed the issues with their regional branches, given the vast number of stores across the galaxy. The current losses were negligible.

This time, Bai Xiaoyu earned nine figures, now with a balance of fifteen billion credit points.

He began purchasing a new spacecraft to replace the one destroyed by the original host, a B-grade mech, and high-grade energy boxes needed for all instruments, spending over a hundred million.

System: "Host's earning ability needs improvement."

Bai Xiaoyu: "?"

System: "After the points exchange mall opens, your current credit points won't be enough to redeem the nutrient solution refining device you previously drew, as the system's technology surpasses real-world technology."

Bai Xiaoyu: "Then why call it a points exchange mall?"

System: "Points are still required; without points, you can't even qualify for redemption."

Bai Xiaoyu: "...Alright."

He continued reviewing the incubation applications for his facility when he received an official message from the regional authority.

[D369 District has allocated 37 new eggs, which will arrive in three days. Please prepare accordingly.]

This batch had twice as many eggs as the last.

His facility could incubate a hundred eggs, with sixty-two positions available besides the fixed spot for Big Black.

Bai Xiaoyu continued reviewing the incubation applications and saw a message on the Hatchery Association's homepage.

—The insectoids attacked D95 planet. The Sixteenth Legion rescued fifty-two new eggs, which suffered varying degrees of damage. The Hatchery Association offers thirty million credit points as funding to find cultivators to incubate them. Individual contracts are available, with funding based on the extent of damage to the eggs.

Bai Xiaoyu's heart stirred, and the system popped up simultaneously. "A new mission is now available. Please successfully incubate these fifty-two eggs. Base reward: twelve thousand points. Additional points based on the health of the eggs. Failure to incubate any egg results in a deduction of ten thousand points."

The cultivators present were all reviewing the details, hesitating. After all, failing to incubate would significantly impact them. A few shook their heads, noting visible cracks on some eggs, making the task seem hopeless.

Just as they were indecisive, all the eggs were claimed within five minutes.

Everyone was instantly curious, discovering that the same code name had claimed all the eggs, shocking them.

Who on earth was this brave soul?!

Many thought the person claiming these eggs was either overly confident or not thinking clearly. They would know who it was during the live stream.

Then they would see for themselves.

Bai Xiaoyu took custody of this batch of eggs and was also summoned for a talk by President Luo. After the situation was explained to him, he took on another egg that no one else wanted to incubate.

Now he had about ninety eggs to incubate. Including Dahai, it would be ninety-one.

There were still a few spots left, so he would see if the Sixteenth Legion and the Twenty-ninth Legion needed any.

Bai Xiaoyu sent out a message and prepared at the breeding facility, waiting for the arrival of the new batch of eggs three days later.

At this time, in Imperial Star, a woman stumbled and fell hard when she went out.

She clutched her stomach in pain and was taken back to the villa, where a doctor arrived quickly.

Bai Qing rushed back and waited anxiously outside.

Soon, the doctor came out. "Your Majesty, both mother and child are safe."

Bai Qing walked in, and Feng Shuang'er was staring blankly. She looked at the transparent nursery box near the bed repair instrument, where the egg was, her expression dazed.

She had fallen, and the egg in her belly, which was supposed to hatch in another week, had been surgically removed.

When the doctor first held it in his hands, it was so small. Even though it was premature, being seven days early should not have made such a difference.

It was incredibly tiny; she had never seen an egg so small before.

Seeing the egg, Bai Qing's eyes flickered slightly, then returned to normal.

He sat down beside the bed. "Shuang'er."

Feng Shuang'er held his hand. "I want to see him."

Bai Qing nodded and brought the nursery box over.

Feng Shuang'er gestured, noting that the egg barely covered her palm.

It was only slightly larger than her palm.

Finished.

These two words appeared in her mind. When Xiaoyu was born, he was much smaller than other newborn eggs, and later, after hatching, he had the dual F-class physique. The word "waste" followed him all his life.

No matter what medicine he took, his mental strength and physical condition remained unchanged.

The current egg was even smaller than Xiaoyu's when he was born...

She suddenly felt a sense of despair. "Where is the doctor?"

The doctor entered. "Madam, do you have any questions?"

Feng Shuang'er: "I want to know about the egg's condition."

The doctor glanced at Bai Qing and, upon receiving permission, said, "It has a weak constitution and could die at any moment. The chances of hatching are extremely low. If it does hatch, its potential will be lower than Bai Xiaoyu's, and it may not survive to adulthood."

Everyone present knew who "Bai Xiaoyu" referred to.

Feng Shuang'er suddenly felt hopeless. The egg she had hoped for turned out to be even worse than the first one.

Bai Qing comforted her, "Fortunately, his brother has grown up. Send it to him for incubation; there might be a surprise. Maybe we'll get back a little beastman pup you've always wanted."

Feng Shuang'er suddenly felt hopeful again. "It seems we can only rely on Xiaoyu to try."

The doctor couldn't help but speak up, "This egg is very fragile and might not survive the multiple spatial jumps from here to the edge of the galaxy."

Bai Qing replied, "I'll send the most stable escort to transport it, and you go with them to ensure its safety."

Seeing that Feng Shuang'er did not object, the doctor sighed inwardly.

Meanwhile, Bai Xiaoyu was unaware that his unscrupulous parents were sending him a surprise.