Chapter 166

Chapter 166

Bai Xiaoyu was slightly amused to see the Little Prince leaving in a huff with Little Bai. However, with only two or three hours left before the arrival of the spacecraft carrying members of the royal family, he needed to ensure that the two children were safely placed inside containers filled with concealing medication. This was to prevent any potential detection by the masked man who might be aboard the spacecraft.

After sending the two children away, Bai Xiaoyu shifted his attention back to the eggs. Some of the egg yolks had numerous tiny, shallow vortices, while others had only a few. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the eggs which had fewer vortices were in the early stages, with tiny, almost invisible spots appearing in areas that lacked vortices.

After thoroughly examining several eggs, Bai Xiaoyu discovered that these small spots would gradually change, forming small circles, which would then develop into vortices.

This indicated that these small vortices might grow larger over time.

However, since Bai Xiaoyu hadn't noticed before, he couldn't be certain and would need to observe over the next few days to confirm.

Using medication to reduce the innate aggression of his mental energy, Bai Xiaoyu endured the pain as he snapped and used over a dozen mental energy filaments, but found nothing significant within the yolks.

It seemed that they contained only undeveloped conscious entities within the small vortices. Of course, he did notice that larger vortices or those with slightly deeper indentations had stronger conscious entities.

In contrast, areas with small spots or without any abnormalities barely emitted any conscious fluctuations.

Other than that, he didn't find anything significant.

Moreover, despite these changes in the egg yolks, the overall development of the eggs was unaffected.

Both the data Bai Xiaoyu gathered and the data from the transparent display screen on the incubator showed that these twenty-three eggs were slightly behind in developmental data compared to other eggs, but they were developing normally.

This was different from the previously encountered critical issue eggs, which couldn't begin developing unless the issue was resolved, or they would get stuck at a certain stage or slowly turn into silent eggs.

Among those previous eggs, only the dormant conjoined double-yolk egg was developing normally. To this day, the two young eagles remained conjoined but had two distinct consciousnesses. In that conjoined double-yolk egg, there were also two different conscious entities in each yolk.

Now, observing these small vortices with only slight fluctuations, he still wasn't sure about the exact situation.

However, it is generally impossible for there to be multiple consciousnesses in a single egg yolk.

Bai Xiaoyu researched it for a while longer but made no significant discoveries.

Realizing that it couldn’t be resolved in the near future, he had no choice but to put it aside temporarily, as he had accumulated too many tasks that needed his attention over the past week.

Bai Xiaoyu then moved on to pharmaceutical refinement, watching as the biological robots operated the pharmaceutical refinement instruments.

The packaged crates of medicaments only made a small pile. After all, they had to supply over a hundred planets’ breeding facilities and stationed warriors every day, and the demand was indeed high. In addition to the batch that the Sixteenth Legion had taken, it was understandable that they didn’t have much stock left.

Bai Xiaoyu had just arrived when Lou Hao arrived shortly after.

As soon as Lou Hao entered, he exclaimed, “Boss, you finally have some time.”

Over the past half month, Bai Xiaoyu had been in the process of pharmaceutical refinement for ten days, leaving Lou Hao to handle various matters alone. Although Bai Kan occasionally helped out, he had his own set of tasks to deal with, so Lou Hao had been overwhelmed with tasks during this period.

Bai Xiaoyu noticed that Lou Hao seemed to have lost some weight and cleared his throat, “You’ve worked hard during this time.”

Lou Hao said, “Now it’s time for you to take over the hard work.”

With a smile, he sent a stack of documents requiring Bai Xiaoyu’s signature or decisions through the optical brain, then stood by as Bai Xiaoyu handled them.

The feeling of watching someone else be busy was quite satisfying.

Lou Hao said, “In the past seven days, over twenty planets have applied for Fire Seed to become one of their pharmaceutical suppliers. The documents and processes are included here, and they all need your signature.”

Bai Xiaoyu was handed a stack of documents, including what Lou Hao mentioned, as well as other miscellaneous matters.

It seemed like it would take some time to process, but it was manageable. After all, Lou Hao had already handled what he could, and the remaining tasks either required Bai Xiaoyu’s signature or couldn’t be postponed.

Thus, Bai Xiaoyu took care of the matters at hand while Lou Hao reported by his side.

"The newly added more than twenty planets have already reached the limit of our current potion delivery and herb supply capacity. So, when I communicated with these planets, I stated that we had not yet confirmed the specific date for the potions to arrive at the stores. However, these planets were willing to sign the contract first and supply the potions later. Nevertheless, since the contract has been signed, according to interstellar law, the supplier needs to achieve a stable supply of potions within three months."

Bai Xiaoyu turned his head to look at their potion reserves. "Mo Yan and the others have returned already, bringing back that batch of herbs. I'll have the robots transport them over shortly."

Lou Hao followed Bai Xiaoyu's gaze and said, "Boss, our herbs are sufficient for now, but don't forget that the medical team established by Fire Seed and our future plans to illuminate other planets will require a large amount of potions. Therefore, we need to expand again. These several dozen refining instruments are simply not enough."

Bai Xiaoyu replied, "I am aware."

Upon hearing this, Lou Hao also had a thought. He accessed the account that Bai Xiaoyu had authorized him to view. In the past few days, payments from various planetary potion stores were transferred, with about 70-80% already spent.

The main expenses were for procuring a thousand-person super-large aircraft for Dawn. After all, Dawn's aircraft are highly reputable and cannot be used for cargo transport.

Additionally, there were the upgrades and modifications of Dawn's mechs to enhance their performance without allowing others to recognize them. The cost was considerable, but it was much cheaper than purchasing equivalent mechs directly.

Besides, there were their weaponry, energy for more than a thousand mechs, and more. At present, the allocated funds might not be enough, especially since Tao Limeng has a tendency to exceed the budget.

With the remaining credits, it is uncertain whether it would be sufficient to allocate to the medical team's construction. The two fell into silence as the funds for the potion refining instruments also represented a major expense.

At that moment, someone came to see them. It was Hao Qiao.

Hao Qiao wasn't alone; Chen Ying was with him.

As soon as they met, Hao Qiao spoke directly, "Little Chen came to me to learn about the various elements of building the medical team. After careful consideration and combining various instruments and equipment, I've estimated the required funds."

Bai Xiaoyu quickly received the budget plan and felt relieved that it was enough.

Lou Hao, seeing Bai Xiaoyu's expression, thought the funds weren't enough. But when Bai Xiaoyu forwarded the document to him, Lou Hao's expression twitched upon seeing the amount.

Comparing Bai Xiaoyu's remaining balance and the required funds again, once this amount was deducted, only more than a hundred credits would remain. With just more than a hundred credits left, the next batch of payments from the planetary breeding facilities would arrive only next month.

His gaze towards Bai Xiaoyu changed instantly. Truly his boss, remaining calm in the face of adversity, it was genuinely admirable.

Bai Xiaoyu pretended not to notice his gaze, having grown accustomed to it since the last time.

Panicking now wouldn't solve anything.

Having some leftover was already quite good.

Bai Xiaoyu calmly transferred the budget over. Hao Qiao, upon receiving the huge sum on his optical brain, was stunned, "Boss, why did you transfer funds to me? Isn't it for Little Chen and the others?"

Chen Ying next to him hurriedly shook his head, "No, no, I would lose sleep. Besides, senior has more experience and should be our captain, right?"

Bai Xiaoyu patted Hao Qiao's shoulder, "Did you hear? These newcomers are still inexperienced. Moreover, with the royal family members returning again, you'll need to leave once more, right? It's perfect to take these medical team members with you and purchase some equipment on the way back."

The Dawn members returned the day after the royal family members left. After a hearty meal at the canteen, they stayed. Occasionally, they would blend in, disguised among the herb procurement staff, familiarizing themselves with various herbs and tasks. They also identified the locations and contacts of the pharmacy departments on various planets and delivered the prepared potions.

The part of the team arranged here didn't need to leave, but for precautionary reasons, the rest of Dawn and the ferocious beasts had to stay hidden.

However, this time they wouldn't need to take the Little Prince and Little Bai with them. With the mental energy isolation potion refined after Bai Xiaoyu's promotion, they wouldn't need to travel as far as last time, just being cautious not to expose themselves in the neighboring star system.

This was a good opportunity for Hao Qiao to mentor these students and gradually build the entire medical team. With this team that he had built from the ground up, starting this would create more bonds in the future.

Thinking of this, Bai Xiaoyu's mood improved significantly, and the pressure from the earlier balance was pushed aside.

How could Hao Qiao not understand Bai Xiaoyu's intentions? After all, the other party had made no secret of wanting to help him and the medical team connect from the very beginning. From arranging for the students to now leading them to establish the medical team, Bai Xiaoyu had never stopped. Now, faced with the chance to set up his dream medical team, he found that he couldn't refuse.

Hao Qiao was stunned for a moment, his mouth opening and closing several times. Finally, he found himself saying, "Okay."

Chen Ying next to him jumped up, pulling Hao Qiao and saying, "Then, senior, should we inform them to prepare now?"

Bai Xiaoyu said, "The medical team is in your hands. And you must hurry, aim to leave within half an hour."

Hao Qiao said nothing, nodding with a mixture of complexity and relief, before quickly leaving with Chen Ying.

After they left, Bai Xiaoyu's mood was very good as he continued to handle the documents.

Lou Hao could no longer remain silent. "Boss, you must promptly consider how to increase the balance and restore the cash flow. We'll need to continue adding potion refining instruments, which will require a constant influx of funds."

Lou Hao looked at the boxes of potions and thought about the endless expenses. "Perhaps we can increase the number of potions sold on the star network."

Bai Xiaoyu said, "That could work, but we have limited quantities of potions."

Just as they were concerned about the funds, news came that the royal family members had arrived. As soon as they got off the flight, they started looking for the little golden tiger and the White Tiger, trying to cause trouble for them.

When the message came back, Lou Hao rubbed his chin. Weren't they a group of ready-made fat sheep?

His thought process wasn't incorrect. After all, apart from Bai Xiaoyu's maternal clan lacking influence or power, most of his siblings were backed by powerful forces.

These forces had met Bai Qing's approval, and most of them were exceedingly rich.

He had seen these royal family members' extravagant spending many times in Imperial Star. Bai Qi was the prime example.

Moreover, according to the intelligence they received, during these seven days, this group of royal family members had expended a significant sum on dining, drinking, and amusement across other planets.

Bai Xiaoyu was unaware of Lou Hao's ulterior motives and was troubled by the fact that these guys were lingering. He was worried that the masked man might be hidden among them, putting them in a passive position with the enemy in the shadows and them in the open.

At that moment, Little Golden Tiger was surrounded again by them. He had been about to go back to find his brother when he realized that these guys had reappeared, just as his brother had said they would, and were blocking his way. He immediately became somewhat irritated and snarled at them, "Get lost, I don't want to fight you today."

Little Golden Tiger, with his little crown, opened his mouth wide to reveal a broken baby tooth. No matter how angry he was, he didn't look intimidating at all.

The leader, a boy, along with a group of lackeys around the same age, all laughed loudly. "Not seen you for a few days, and your baby tooth has actually fallen out. What happened, did you get into a fight with someone?"

Little Golden Tiger had already been upset about his broken baby tooth. Although his brother had already said he would get Tao Limeng to make him a false tooth, for beastmen, sharp teeth and claws were the embodiment of their strength and dignity.

Now, his dignity had been shattered by Big Black's claws, and to make matters worse, Big Black hadn't even lifted a paw. He was already feeling upset, and now these guys were mocking him.

If he couldn't bite Big Black, couldn't he at least bite these guys?

Soon, a scream was heard, and the scene quickly became chaotic.

However, without the White Tiger present, his combat effectiveness was limited. He was struggling in a fight with an older brother and was even being ambushed by others from time to time.

Bai Yi touched his hand, which had a small hole bitten into it, and howled in agony.

His physique was already considered good, and the hardness of a tiger's teeth was somewhat related to his physique. Little Golden Tiger had bitten through his hand, revealing an unusually good physique.

He had fought Little Golden Tiger before, quite fiercely about seven or eight days ago. Previously, Little Golden Tiger hadn't been able to injure him so easily. Now, his physique had actually improved by a small grade. It was no problem for him to bite now.

Even someone with double S-rank potential couldn't advance so quickly. Could it be Bai Xiaoyu's potions at work?

The other royal family members were also watching, their expressions filled with surprise. They were also aware of Little Golden Tiger's strength, and soon they recalled the intelligence reports they had received about this area.

Not long ago, many people in this area were said to have had their physiques mysteriously enhanced, and some who had been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time even advanced. After investigation, it was discovered that almost all of them had experienced these changes at the same time, after smelling an extremely attractive top-grade potion fragrance. Besides their physiques, some even had their mental energy enhanced.

The description matched the scent they had smelled that day. They had hurried back for these top-grade potions that could enable people to advance just from their aroma.

Although no one knew why the weather had changed dramatically that day, with thunder in clear skies, they were putting those natural phenomena aside for now. What they cared about were the potions that could enhance physique or mental energy.

Little Golden Tiger's double 3S aptitude already exerted immense pressure on them. There was nothing they could do about innate aptitude, but upon learning about these potions, they couldn't sit still.

Now, the other royal family members also had their subordinates of similar age test Little Golden Tiger. Suddenly, Little Golden Tiger had more opponents.

Just then, a child's voice called out, "Let go of Little Golden Tiger brother."

Everyone looked and saw several cubs with faint blood patterns on their faces. They were angered by seeing so many people bullying Little Golden Tiger.

The royal family members recognized them. These cubs were the batch that Bai Xiaoyu had hatched previously, using various potions made by that master alchemist.

They still remembered the aptitude of these cubs when they were born. Almost none of them had an aptitude lower than S-level.

Many people turned to look at those beside them. Here, almost all were chosen by the royal family members from their clans as the best talents to be nurtured as their future right-hand assistants.

Compared to those specially selected individuals, any random cub from this group had an aptitude no less than theirs.

Little Prince Bai Yi looked at these strange arrivals, "And if we don't let him go?"

The leader of the cubs clenched his little fists, "Then don't blame us for being impolite."

Bai Yi asked, "You want to join? Are you planning to follow him in the future?"

"What following? I'll say it again, Little Golden Tiger is our brother from the breeding facility, and we won't let you bully him."

"Even if you come, you're just asking to be beaten."

The semi-beastman cub wiggled his ears, "Who said we only have this many people?"

As soon as his voice fell, a group of cubs emerged from the grass ahead, some with patterns and some without, all waving their little fists and staring at them.

The royal family members laughed upon seeing the group of cubs.

Even with good aptitude, they still needed time to grow. With a few more years or even a decade of growth, they would still have the advantage over these newly hatched kids.

As fifth or sixth graders, they could easily handle these younger children. Were they supposed to think everyone was like Little Golden Tiger with a 3S aptitude?

A ten-year-old boy walked up to the semi-beastman cub and pushed him, "Go back and eat your eggshells. If you haven't finished your eggshells, don't come here smelling like them and causing trouble."

The semi-beastman cub's faint blood patterns suddenly turned bright red, and before the boy could react, he jumped up and punched him, sending the boy flying.

The boy covered his eye and screamed. When he let go, a black eye was visible. "Oh man, get him!"

The royal family members believed these children had used the master alchemist's potions, and with aptitudes similar to theirs, this was a perfect opportunity to test their strength.

So the other children rushed over, and the blood pattern cubs became excited.

They usually fought among themselves and had been doing so since they were in eggs. It got boring after a while. Training with the warrior brothers and sisters from the Herb Base was no fun either since their opponents were too strong, and they were taught not to bully the weak. But now, these older kids who were stronger than them were fair game, right?

Back with Bai Xiaoyu, he soon received another message. The group that had been trying to get back at Little Golden Tiger, having been beaten into a stack by Little White Tiger and Little Prince last time, had now gotten into a fight with the blood pattern cubs.