Chapter 225

Chapter 225

The Little Prince swung his tentacles, his small sharp teeth still showing.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at those little fangs and felt an itch in his hand, wanting to reach out and poke him, but the Little Prince dodged away.

The Little Prince snorted, "What do you think you're doing?"

Bai Xiaoyu said, "You've worked hard, Little Breaker. How about you help like last time by lending a tentacle? No need to show those teeth."

The teeth looked quite fierce, but they were also kind of cute—at least in Bai Xiaoyu's eyes. To others, it might be different. To Bai Xiaoyu, the little guy was adorable, but to others, he seemed like a fierce demon. Ordinary people would start shaking if they looked at him for too long. After all, the Little Prince didn't hide his aura in front of Bai Xiaoyu, and even though he looked less than ten years old, the strength of a prince was already evident.

The Little Prince glanced at him. As a Zerg prince who rarely gave, he had been giving constantly for Bai Xiaoyu's sake. Of course, he was showing his teeth.

He looked at the eggs and counted in his mind. How many were still missing? Until they gathered the other high-ranking leaders, he would have to continue helping.

Bai Xiaoyu pinched his cheek. As long as the little guy didn’t show his teeth or release his aura, everything would be fine, just like with Little Bai.

The Little Prince handed the herbal essence to Bai Xiaoyu. "How many more herbs are there? I'll process them all for you at once, so I won't have to bother with it again."

He then urged Bai Xiaoyu to have the herbs brought over, extracting the essence of each type of herb. The essence of each herb was placed in large test tube-shaped vials, about twenty centimeters tall and as thick as a wrist.

Finally, drawing from the previous experience with the dragon cubs' use of restorative and vitality agents, Bai Xiaoyu tried to stop the little guy. "That's enough. We don't need this much."

But the Little Prince said, "Besides these thirty eggs, there will be more than fifty high-ranking leaders in the future. Let's just get it all done at once."

Bai Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment, then felt both amused and exasperated. "We don't even know where the next fifty-some high-ranking leaders are. The chances of us encountering them are slim. They might have already been born."

The Little Prince and Little Bai suddenly turned to look at him. "Are you going to be indecisive again?"

High-ranking leaders couldn't be born casually. Without the guidance and stimulation of royal-level mental energy during incubation, they couldn’t hatch.

Normally, an Insect Emperor or young emperor would know exactly how many high-ranking leaders they had given birth to, how many were missing, and roughly where they were. But Bai Xiaoyu didn't know any of this. Yet, he was the one who could make high-ranking leaders break out of their shells. Was he really being limited by his human body?

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

Why are we back to this topic again?

Afterward, the Little Prince and Little Bai left with large insect crystals, heading to the warehouse to eat some high-energy blue beef.

Once the two cubs left, Bai Xiaoyu immediately began refining medicine with the herbal essence.

It took him most of the day to refine around seven hundred bottles of highly active vitality and restorative agents. Based on the previous batch of eggs, the critical period required at most ten to twelve bottles per egg, with a minimum of three to five, totaling around two to three hundred bottles. The amount here was more than enough for the current batch of eggs, and there would still be enough even if thirty more eggs were added. A third of the herbal essence remained.

By the time he finished, he had over a thousand bottles of each agent. He didn't know why the Little Prince and Little Bai were so sure that he would encounter more eggs that could hatch into Zerg high-ranking leaders, but having this much prepared was better than being caught off guard.

After Bai Xiaoyu finished, he stored the agents away. Tomorrow would be the day when this batch of cubs started to hatch. The eggs would break open over the next few days, and he needed to be prepared.

Before this, he had already extracted more than two thousand black energy containers in his spare time.

He took out an energy box, only palm-sized, each one at the peak of 2S+ grade. None exceeded 3S grade, which seemed like a bottleneck for him. The factors affecting the extraction of 3S energy boxes included whether the container could handle the energy level and the strength of his mental energy, which played a bigger role.

Due to his physical condition, his mental energy had been stuck at the peak of 2S+ grade, while his physique was currently at A-. He had only recently broken through. His external mental energy grade had also improved, but he was stuck at this threshold.

Actually, by releasing 3S-grade mental energy through his beast ears and tail, he could refine 3S-grade agents and energy boxes. But the consumption of mental energy was high, requiring more time and effort, and even the quality of the herbs needed to be raised a notch. Most 2S+ grade agents could help over 90% of people in the star system. So, there was really no need for 3S-grade agents.

The same went for energy boxes.

There aren’t many 3S-grade mechs in the star system right now, and some 3S mechs even use 2S+ grade equipment. The most obvious drawback is their limited endurance. For instance, a 2S+ energy core that can last eight to ten days in a same-grade mech would only last less than two days in a 3S mech.

However, the warriors have already started using these energy cores, especially the 2S+ peak versions. The feedback from the warriors was that the energy inside these cores is much purer than that of market-grade energy cores at the same level, containing over five to six times more energy.

According to evaluations and comparisons of various data from market-grade energy cores, these completely outperform those high-grade 3S energy cores.

Each warrior now has an energy core, and they can’t put them down. These are energy cores that look like 2S-grade units but actually contain 3S-level power.

As Bai Xiaoyu touched the energy cores, his optical brain flashed. He checked it and saw two messages.

One was the identity application for the cubs on the F73 planet, which had been rejected again. The other was a surprisingly large credit transfer notification.

After reading the first message, he resubmitted it and then carefully examined the second message. He discovered that the Empire's Ministry of Finance had allocated funds to him for the reconstruction of the F73 planet. The amount wasn’t small, a total of one hundred billion credits.

This would help alleviate his financial pressure. After all, with the ongoing construction on F73, his credits were being poured into the planet, and the balance was almost in the red. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to extract energy cores for the auction.

At that moment, his optical brain flickered again. He checked it and saw that Liu Lingxi was contacting him.

As soon as the connection was established, Liu Lingxi said, "It's been a while, Brother Bai."

Bai Xiaoyu replied, "We haven't spoken in a while. What can I do for you this time?"

Liu Lingxi glanced behind him, satisfied that he didn’t see any annoying figures, and then said, "We've received the energy cores for our legion. My mech can use them, with an energy efficiency of 98%. Just like the high-grade potions you’ve been custom-refining for us, these appear to be 2S+ grade but actually reach 3S."

Some of Liu Lingxi's mech energy cores were provided by the Empire's military department, mostly at the 3S level.

However, there aren’t many people in the Empire's military with 3S-grade mental energy. The energy cores are partly produced by engineers and technicians, who have a relatively high success rate. Creating a 3S-grade energy core requires both high-quality black minerals and a skilled extractor, which is a demanding process. Therefore, the production of 3S energy cores has always been low.

With so many legions in the star system to supply, it’s barely enough during peacetime. Now, during wartime, the supply of 3S energy cores for commanders is limited. After using them, they have to switch to 2S+ peak cores, needing a replacement every day or two. At the frontlines, commanders spend at least half of their time using 2S+ energy cores, reserving the 3S ones for more intense battles. This is because 2S energy cores limit the performance of 3S mechs, preventing them from reaching their full potential.

The one who uses the most 2S energy cores is definitely Bo Chen. His mech is the highest grade and sees a lot of combat, so the entire Sixteenth Legion consumes a considerable amount of energy cores.

Liu Lingxi saw that Bai Xiaoyu wasn’t surprised by the information about the energy cores. People from the Sixteenth Legion had already informed him.

With the Sixteenth Legion gathered around Bai Xiaoyu and the previous competition for potions, although they receive a monthly supply now, it’s still not enough. Liu Lingxi urgently asked, "Brother Bai, do you have more of these energy cores?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, "I just extracted a batch, but I can’t give these to you. F73 needs funding for reconstruction, and I plan to auction them."

Liu Lingxi asked, "Reconstruction? Didn’t the Ministry of Finance allocate funds to you?"

Bai Xiaoyu replied, "They did. One hundred billion just arrived."

Liu Lingxi was stunned and then frowned, "That’s not enough. I remember that the reconstruction cost for a planet is based on the extent of damage. One hundred billion is typically the budget for a minimally damaged ordinary planet, the lowest tier. Your planet was in the hands of the Bug race for over a century and is mostly abandoned. It’s unfair they’re only giving you this much."

Bai Xiaoyu had already guessed that the Empire's forces were suppressing F73, unwilling to grant the cubs an identity and now clearly neglecting them.

Bai Xiaoyu said, "The Ministry of Finance probably doesn’t want to give more."

He had just checked the funding rules. They would allocate one hundred billion every month for three years, and during these three years, they wouldn’t have to pay half of the planet’s tax revenue to the Empire.

This way, the funds from the auctioned energy cores could be fully used for F73's reconstruction.

Liu Lingxi said, "You should reapply. Even if you can’t increase the monthly funding, try to push back the deadline for tax payments."

He already knew that Bai Xiaoyu was planning to build an energy core production base. The importance of energy in the star system, combined with the immense profits it brings, is enough to drive people crazy.

Bai Xiaoyu said, "I’ll give it a shot."

He then resubmitted the application.

The imperial finance department naturally disagreed with Bai Xiaoyu's request for 500 billion credit points for the reconstruction of the F73 planet. They didn't believe that the planet where the insect cubs were staying required so many credit points for reconstruction.

"Just let them be like the Bugs, left to fend for themselves. They're not even human, so why bother rebuilding? Let it stay as it is."

"It also mentions that if the reconstruction funds can't be increased, F73 will need more time to rebuild and develop. Can the application for no taxes be extended from three years to ten?"

This news delighted the various factions on the Imperial Star. The finance department hadn't expected to receive half of the taxes from the long-abandoned F73 after three years anyway.

Ten years?

The F73 planet was located at the border between the human and Bug races, as well as a meteorite belt. Transportation was extremely inconvenient. Even in a hundred years, it might not be possible to fully develop.

This time, the approval came quickly. Before Bai Xiaoyu could even hang up the call with Liu Lingxi, the message arrived. Bai Xiaoyu opened it and let out a soft exclamation.

Liu Lingxi: "The application just now? How did it go?"

Bai Xiaoyu nodded: "Nothing else changed, but I requested no planetary taxes for ten years, and they approved it for a hundred years. I didn’t expect the imperial finance department to actually do something reasonable for once!"

Liu Lingxi quickly guessed what had happened and couldn't help but laugh: "Great. In that case, why not hold the auction in the Imperial Star? The empire's 3S energy boxes are mostly supplied to military commanders. The various factions don't have many, and the people in the Imperial Star are quite wealthy. The auction houses there will fetch a much higher price than ordinary planets. By the way, the Royal Auction House on the Imperial Star is highly reputable."

This could help raise the profile of the F73 black mineral energy boxes, preparing for the production line that would produce energy boxes in the future. He also knew from Bai Xiaoyu that the energy boxes produced using the large energy converter would have a minimum grade of S+, and even reach 2S. Apart from the 3S energy boxes, these two grades were actually the mainstream in the star system.

After hanging up the call, Bai Xiaoyu thought of the royal auction house from his memory. The original owner used to be a regular there. However, because he spent lavishly, he bought various mech materials and potions for his lackeys at auctions.

He was already familiar with it. In fact, because he was such a big spender, the person in charge of the auction house had even proactively added his contact. The person in charge, being from the royal family, added him to ensure he wouldn't embarrass the royal family too much. As for the credit points he spent, they would eventually return to the royal family, boosting their performance. It was a win-win situation.

Bai Xiaoyu found the contact of the person in charge and said, "I have a batch of 2S+ peak grade energy boxes made from F73 planet's black mineral, with data comparable to 3S. Arrange it. They will arrive in a few days."

The person in charge was still laughing about the subsidies for F73 and the fact that it was the first planet to be exempt from taxes for a hundred years when he received this message and was left dumbfounded.

Energy boxes comparable to 3S grade from F73?

Is this for real?

In less than half a day, all the factions in the Imperial Star knew about this. If it were potions, they wouldn't be surprised, but 3S black mineral energy boxes? Was there a mistake?

The next day, Bai Xiaoyu was receiving the parents while watching the eggs hatch one by one. Meanwhile, the Dawn team happily delivered the energy boxes to the Imperial Star for handover with Bai Kan.

Why were they so happy? Because Bai Xiaoyu had equipped them with these energy boxes as well. Currently, only the ten or so members of their squad had them, but by the time they returned, Bai Xiaoyu would have them bring a batch of energy boxes for the other Dawn members. With such advanced energy boxes, they could go one or two months without changing them, acting as delivery speedsters all the way.

The various factions on the Imperial Star were also shocked. After inspection by the Royal Auction House, it was confirmed that over two thousand energy boxes from F73, comparable to 3S grade, were indeed real!

At the same time, Liu Lingxi contacted many commanders who were short on energy boxes, showing off the pile of energy boxes he had obtained and sending them the test data.

Seeing their interest, he couldn't help but secretly laugh.

Bai Xiaoyu now controlled both energy sources and potions. He needed to establish more connections with powerful figures to ensure smoother sailing in the future.