New life, new cooperation

The aroma from the kitchen in the west building wafted from the courtyard into the living room. Du Yuan had gotten up early and had already started stewing crucian carp and tofu soup, and fried a few golden and crispy poached eggs. He ate one portion himself and would bring another portion for the new mother later.

The crucian carp soup is milky white and thick. No salt or other seasonings were added to the large pot. After it is divided into individual bowls, black pepper, chili oil, and salt can be added according to taste.

Du Yuan used purebred wild crucian carp, which had a few more bones, but was also more delicious and had firmer flesh. When making soup, Du Yuan only used the fish head and belly meat, and used the parts with the most bones to grow flowers and trees.

The milky white broth is topped with bright green scallions and sprinkles of black pepper. Small rectangular pieces of tofu float gently to the surface. The smooth, tender tofu is subtly infused with the savory flavor of the crucian carp broth, yet retains its characteristic bean-like taste.

"Can't new mothers eat salt here?" Sangye asked while adding seasoning. "She should recover quickly, right? Last time in the snow mountain, her puncture wound healed in an hour or two."

Du Yuan and she looked at each other in disbelief: "Is that so? I've never given birth before."

"I don't know either, I'm just guessing."

The two looked at the only local present. Lin Changli froze for a moment, then nodded affirmatively: "You'll probably be fully recovered by the time you wake up."

He was present throughout the birth of his younger sister, Lin Yangchuan, and Lin Shuangqiao fully recovered within half an hour.

The sentries might be a little slower than the guides, but not by much.

After finishing breakfast, Sangye carried the food box to the hospital.

They were the first group of people to come and visit. Before they even got close to the private suite, earth-shattering cries echoed throughout the entire floor, one after another, as loud as if they had megaphones right next to their mouths.

The doctors and nurses waiting there looked exhausted and helpless.

This made Sangye slow down his pace.

She recalled the two mischievous devils in her dream not long ago.

It felt like a dream had come true.

"It's okay, it's okay, don't cry." Jiang Sili's gentle voice kept soothing her crying sister as she tried to put the bottle in her mouth.

The older sister, who had been happily nursing in Aso Mente's arms, suddenly let go of her baby when she heard her younger sister crying. She refused to nurse anymore and started crying as well.

Although neither of them were first-time parents, they hadn't cared for a newborn for many years and were somewhat at a loss.

The long snake coiled itself around Jiang Sili's shoulder, its small face showing a hint of helplessness.

Du Yuan and Sangye pushed the door open and entered at that moment.

The guides gently released their spiritual energy, and the two sisters gradually calmed down.

While infants and toddlers require some emotional support, the need is not high. However, these two are clearly "high-need" babies.

Du Yuan had recently become quite familiar with Aso Mente. She took the food box from Sangye and placed it on the table by the window, then took her sister from Aso Mente's arms.

Out of curiosity, Kuwano took his younger sister.

The couple had been busy all night and only now had time to sit down and have a meal.

With the soothing guidance of the guide, the two sisters quickly stopped crying and pouted, searching for their bottles.

The two sisters have identical large eyes and features resembling Asso Ment, but their fine, soft baby hair is entirely black and glossy. This isn't surprising, however, as black hair is a dominant gene expression, and blondes can't compete.

Both sisters were quite robust, and even among babies, they were considered to have long arms and legs.

Du Yuan touched this and looked at that, unable to hide her affection.

Moreover, they weren't the wrinkled, newborn babies still soaking in amniotic fluid; after a few hours, their skin had smoothed out, becoming round and smooth. Their faces were rosy and full, like ripe red apples.

Then I looked at my mother, who was eating by the window. She had already crossed her legs and was leaning back in the cushioned armchair, comfortably drinking her soup with her head tilted back. She wasn't even wearing a hospital gown; she was dressed in a bright nightgown or morning robe. Her hands, feet, and face showed no signs of swelling, and she was still agile, strong, and full of energy.

There was no indication that she had just given birth.

Jiang Sili across from her carefully picked out the fish meat and placed it on the small plate in front of her, to be eaten with a little vinegar.

The child was adorable, but also quite heavy. And Kuwano still harbors lingering fear about that dream.

After his arm started to ache, Sangye handed it to Lin Changli's arm.

The little child wasn't even as long as his forearm.

To Sangye's surprise, Lin Changli was very skilled at holding the baby. He even held his younger sister upright after she finished drinking milk, patted her shoulder to burp her, to prevent her from spitting up milk unconsciously in her sleep if she was too full, and also to prevent bloating.

"Did you learn this while taking care of Chuan Chuan?" Sangye gently held his little sister's hand and asked in a low voice, full of mischief.

Lin Changli nodded: "My mother was very busy with official duties. She went to a parliamentary meeting an hour after giving birth, and she didn't trust anyone else to take care of her. I had just left the army by then, so I took care of Chuan Chuan until she was a little over a year old." Thinking of the past, his gaze softened, "The first word Chuan Chuan learned to say was 'brother'."

But what happened later... let's not talk about what happened later.

Lin Changli looked away, making sure no one noticed anything amiss.

Aso Mente's mother, Ms. Sophia, is elderly and had experienced mental health issues in her youth. She is physically and mentally sensitive, and Aso Mente rarely disturbs her sleep at night. Giving birth is not a dangerous thing for her, and no one else can help, so why should his mother worry about him?

So Sofia didn't know her granddaughters had been born until she woke up naturally.

Others came to visit one after another, speaking softly and moving very quietly.

It is difficult for humans with high-level spiritual beings to reproduce, a problem that current technology cannot solve.

Therefore, the birth of a newborn is always a joyous occasion. New life means new hope. Sentinels who come to Black Tower may never be able to leave, but newborns are different.

Moreover, Black Tower Star is not without hope now. The arrival of Sangye has brought new hope and given them the possibility of being healed.

As the three of them left, Kuwano turned back.

Sunlight streamed through the window, making the room bright and warm.

A pair of delicate cradles, padded with mattresses, were placed by the window. The sleeping child covered his eyes and basked in the sun with his bare hands and feet.

Sofia looked at the children while talking to her daughter and son-in-law. She had a gentle smile on her face, her eyebrows and eyes relaxed, and her previous melancholy was gone.

Noticing Sangye's gaze, Aso Ment looked at Sangye. She hadn't changed much; she was as sharp and alert as ever, but more determined and gentler.

Aso Mente nodded to her.

Sangye gently closed the door, letting the family spend some time together.

After seeing the child, Du Yuan was overwhelmed with longing for Rong Cheng, who was on duty in the snowy mountains, and kept calling her.

There's a time difference over the snow-capped mountains, and Rong Cheng answered the phone groggily, "Hello?" Her voice was full of sleepiness.

"Great! You're still awake!" Du Yuan was overjoyed and quickly shared the news with Rong Cheng.

Rong Cheng: "......"

Sang Ye and Lin Changli behind Du Yuan: "..."

*

After returning to the West Building, Sangye sorted out the various crops harvested in the cave, while the robots worked diligently around her.

These raw materials will be sent to various bases on Black Tower Star and Jiang Siwei's processing plant. After being given a demerit by the school, she has become much more obedient. Recently, she has not dared to personally transport the goods anymore. Instead, she has assigned trusted family members to watch over them. Each time the goods are transported, they go directly to the processing plant's warehouse and are guarded.

Judging from the setup and level of security, Sangye assumed she was guarding the grain supplies.

Having not paid attention to the main base for too long, Sangye made a thorough inspection upon his return and discovered that the entire base, where no paving stones were laid, was covered by a continuous expanse of black soil. It wasn't very deep, but it was enough for trees to take root.

This is due to the growth of Sangye's spiritual power. All living things produced from her cave can still receive a small amount of nourishment from the cave even after leaving it.

Sangye divided the base into different areas, planting different trees in each area.

In the area in front of and behind the Sentinel residential building, large open spaces are planted with osmanthus trees, shrubs and rose bushes in a staggered arrangement. Grass seeds are also sown in the empty spaces, and the land will become lush and green after the grass grows.

The entire residential area has been completely transformed.

In the space between each house, Sangye transplanted two types of shrubs, one tall and one short, to see which house owner preferred and then dig up the other one later.

She divided the remaining blank area, like the fields in the backyard of Xi Xiaolou, into small squares, all of which were used to grow vegetables.

Since Kuwano started promoting semi-finished products, many Sentinels have abandoned nutrient solutions and begun to embrace real food, actively purchasing various kitchen utensils to cook at home.

They also bought ingredients from Sangye and learned to cook some home-style dishes, but beginners are always unskilled, and the sentries here have difficulty controlling their mental energy, so kitchen explosions are often heard in the residential area. Everyone is used to it.

Sangye planted ordinary vegetables in the vacant lots of residential buildings. The growth efficiency and yield were certainly not as good as Sangye Cave, but one harvest was enough for one meal.

Sangye didn't care about the small amount of money she made selling vegetables to the base sentries. Her main income came from dividends, so there was no need for her to haggle over such a small amount.

You should give others benefits when the time is right.

And she'll buy the planet eventually anyway.

After the residential area was renovated, Kuwano turned to the hospital.

The hospital occupies an area roughly the same size as the residential area, but for convenience and due to the hospital's unique nature, it consists of only three buildings, forming a semi-enclosed structure resembling the Chinese character "冂".

Moreover, the buildings are not connected; the two buildings are diagonally built on the left and right, providing a wider view.

Therefore, there are far more vacant land areas than residential areas.

Sangye didn't grow vegetables at the hospital because she found a lot of Chinese medicinal herbs in Du Yuan's private collection.

It's such a waste not to grow medicinal herbs on this open space around the hospital.

However, only common herbs can be grown; divine herbs like *Ganoderma lucidum* and *Artemisia argyi* can only be grown in the Mulberry Grove Cave. Fortunately, in this era, medicines are all auxiliary, their effects achieved through...

However, Chinese medicinal herbs are not like ordinary fruits and vegetables. They have low survival rates, low yields, and even lower rates of high-quality products. Once they are removed from the winter environment of the base, Sangye has no idea what kind of fruit they will eventually bear. Moreover, among everyone on Black Tower Star, only Sangye and Du Yuan know about planting.

In addition, the mulberry trees, arranged in a way that the most fragrant ones are placed closest to the hospital area, so as to provide the sentries with spiritual support.

Camphor trees, fishwood, paper mulberry, crape myrtle, red maple, podocarpus, hibiscus, osmanthus and other tree species have created a lush green belt around the hospital, making the originally cold, iron-gray buildings look softer and less harsh against the backdrop of greenery.

Aso Ment sat by the window, gently rocking the baby cradle. She could see the changes that had taken place in the hospital grounds in just one afternoon, thanks to the combined efforts of the sentries and the robots.

The soundproof windows blocked out most of the noise, and the ward remained quiet.

However, many of the alert sentries watched intently for the entire afternoon.

The cost of growing plants is more than the fuel cost of space jumps, not to mention the subsequent maintenance.

Even the Black Tower Star, where gold coins explode with a pinch, never does things that serve no purpose other than being aesthetically pleasing.

The two children were quietly enjoying the fragrance of the osmanthus blossoms, without crying or fussing at all.

"Can't you take another year or two off?" Mrs. Sofia looked at her granddaughters with affection. "You should spend more time with them. They're still so young."

Asu Ment snapped out of his reverie and looked at his mother: "Re-establishing control of the legion is not an easy task for me either, and I haven't been on the battlefield for many years. I need time to adapt, the sooner the better. Besides, I've already submitted my application to His Majesty, there's no turning back."

Sofia was still a little upset: "Then why don't you take us with you? I don't want to be separated from you."

Aso Ment patted her arm, his tone gentle and patient. She looked out the window and said, "I think the environment elsewhere isn't as good as Black Tower Star right now. And the people here make me feel more at ease."

Unlike Sentinels, Guides grow up alongside Guides with strong mental abilities, which is more beneficial for their future mental development. The nobles of the capital planet place Guide children in museums, academies, or even send the more capable ones to the palace as the emperor's pageboys from a young age, allowing them to receive regular mental nourishment two or three times a week.

The guidance provided by experienced guides will greatly benefit them.

More importantly, she believed in Sangye's character and kindness, and with the care of her mother and Jiang Sili, her child would receive the best care during childhood.

*

With the help of robots and sentries, Kuwano didn't need to exert much effort.

She prepared a floor plan of the base, sketching out areas to be renovated, and occasionally giving instructions.

When she looked up again, Melusin had come down from her penthouse suite at some point, wearing a loose, white nightgown and standing barefoot beside the field of Chinese herbal medicine, as if deep in thought.

Sangye waved the blueprints in his hand, greeted her, and was about to leave when he was stopped.

Melusin walked up to her: "Sangye, is this soil from your spiritual power?"

Sang Ye nodded.

There is no way to explain the scene before us except through mental or physical abilities.

"If this soil can be transplanted to Black Tower, can it be transplanted to other planets?" Melusin blinked her innocent-looking eyes and asked, "It can even spread and grow on its own, it's really amazing."

But Sangye shook her head and pointed to her head.

Sangye thought of this earlier than Melucin, and also had Jiang Siwei try it.

Unlike the creatures that were planted or raised later, the phoenix trees and black soil in the cave were originally part of her. When the black soil left the cave, just like the small phoenix tree planted in Lin Changli's spiritual landscape, as her spiritual power improved and the cave was upgraded, she was able to sense the existence of all the transplanted black soil.

Last time, she asked Jiang Siwei to bring back a cup of soil to plant in her backyard. The moment Sangye could no longer sense the existence of the black soil, it lost all its activity and turned into ordinary soil. It was exposed to the natural environment and "died" completely within a few hours.

Moreover, Sangye can control the cave to transmit spiritual energy to the spiritual soil. When she refuses to transmit, the transplanted black soil will not only not spread and grow, but will also gradually turn into ordinary soil.

It can be said that all the green plants on the surface of Black Tower Star now rely on the mulberry fields to survive.

As her mental strength grows stronger, the range and distance she can perceive also increase.

Sangye transformed into a spiritual entity and spiritual power to explain things to Melusin.

Melusin didn't say anything upon hearing this, but gently tapped her chin with her left hand supporting her right.

If Lin Changli were here, he would tell Sangye that this was a little trick by Melusin before she made a big profit.

As Sangye was about to leave, Melusin caught up: "My sister—my aunt's daughter—works at the Imperial Botanical Research Institute, specializing in the resurrection of ancient plants. If she hears about your achievements, she'll be eager to come over. She's a research fanatic; the pine species with the highest survival rate in the Empire is the one she cultivated and resurrected. Although they can easily get sick and die if not carefully cared for, the maintenance costs are high."

Sangye listened quietly without interrupting.

“The Empire bought out this patent, and the patent fee was as high as this amount.” Melusin raised both hands, one hand making a five and the other making a zero. “The unit is hundreds of millions.”

Kuwano almost understood what she meant.

"Well, I'm just an ordinary person. All I care about is money, and that's all I know how to do." Melusin shrugged indifferently. "I heard about your cooperation with the Jiang family, so I'm asking if you'd like to cooperate with me? I wouldn't dare say that our downstream network and coverage area can compare to the Jiang family's business chain, since we're on different tracks. But in the scientific field, we still have quite a bit of influence."

"So what do you need me to do?" Sangye asked curiously. "Ordinary tree species, flower seeds, and crops are easy to grow. They have high yields and grow very quickly. If we cultivate farmland later, they will grow even faster. But I can't say for sure what will happen if we expose Chinese medicinal herbs to the outside world, and they are very difficult to cultivate."

Historically, precious Chinese herbal medicines have always been highly profitable, much like antique shops. They either don't open for business at all, or when they do, they make enough to last them for three years.

Only the person involved knows the hardships they endured.

“I’ll provide the seeds, lots of seeds. You don’t need to worry about how to plant or raise them; I’ll have my sister bring her team. After the patent is sold, we’ll split the profits 30/70: you get 30%, I get 10% as a middleman, and my sister and her team get 50%.” Meluxin was calculating her options. “And even if the patent isn’t very valuable to sell, it can still be sold. You can give it to the Jiang family to continue selling, or I can introduce you to other people. I know quite a few; they don’t sell to individual customers, they sell to businesses. They specialize in supplying certain large families, corporations, governments, factories, the military, schools, and hospitals.”

These words are not hard to understand. The Jiang family is targeting all the people; however, government and corporate procurement is not as easy and casual as personal procurement. This part of the procurement needs to go through public accounts, the demand is large, the requirements are high, and the price is often higher.

“Like I said before, everyone has their own path.” Melusin was small in stature, but her tone was calm and her words were sincere, which made her convincing. “And there’s another advantage to working with me.”

Her mysterious manner piqued Sangye's curiosity: "What?"

“I always know how to make the most money,” Melusin said smugly. “You don’t have to worry about not making money, or which method is more profitable.” The Pixiu’s tail swished behind her.

“However, we don’t force sales in business. Think it over.” Melusin extended her wrist, tapped the terminal against Sangye’s, added him as a friend, waved goodbye, and returned to her luxury suite.

After saying so much, Sangye unknowingly walked to the entrance of the outer corridor of the West Building.

In front of the corridor, a tall figure leaned against a pillar, waiting for her.

The little phoenix perched on his shoulder, its head nodding off sleep.

Sangye quickened her pace and rushed to his side, linking arms with him as they slowly walked home together.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them.

"What did Melusin say to you?" Lin Changli chatted with her casually.

Sangye didn't hide anything. But in truth, she couldn't judge whether it was reasonable to tell Lin Changli about this.

In the interstellar era, resources are more easily concentrated, and the royal family is undoubtedly one of the wealthiest families in the empire. Furthermore, because of their strong connection to imperial taxation, the idea of ​​Merusin profiting from the empire is somewhat sensitive.

Lin Changli was unsurprised: "This is normal for Melusin." He looked at Sang Ye with a very gentle gaze. "You don't need to worry about me. The money comes from the imperial treasury and has nothing to do with our family. No one does things for free. Making money is a perfectly normal thing."

Lin Changli probably misunderstood something. Sangye was just hesitant about whether it was appropriate to talk about this, but even if Lin Changli objected, she would not refuse to cooperate with Melusin.

What could be more important than making money?

But Lin Changli clearly misunderstood that Sangye cared about his thoughts, and he became very pleased with himself.

Sangye glanced at him but didn't expose him.

She made up her mind to go and talk to Melusin again tomorrow about the specific details of the cooperation. In addition, she wanted to do some ideological work with Du Yuan and get her to bring out her private collection of seeds. She would first raise them in the Sangye Cave, collect a large number of seeds, and then cultivate them for the team.

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Sangye shook Lin Changli's arm and tugged at the sleepy little phoenix.

The little phoenix was startled. Realizing it was Sangye, it immediately moved closer to her and nestled against her chest to continue sleeping.

"I've been planting trees all afternoon and I'm still not this sleepy. Did you go dig a hole?" Sangye rubbed it.

The little phoenix in Lin Changli's mental image shook its head, indicating that it didn't know why the little phoenix was so sleepy either.

Lin Changli lowered his eyes and did not respond to those words. He shifted his gaze to the West Small Building that appeared in front of him.

The outer corridor connects to the entrance to the central courtyard, where a warm yellow light shines from inside, welcoming the two people returning home.

Laughter and cheerful voices came from inside the door; Wu Jianing and Du Yuan were playing hide-and-seek.

The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes, as sweet as honey, wafted through the air, constantly tempting Sangye.

Sangye's stomach rumbled a few times.

Lin Changli then asked, "Do you want pasta?"

This was a new type of noodle that he had heard Sangye mention before, and it was different from the plain noodles, chicken soup noodles, and other similar noodles he had eaten before.

If Lin Changli hadn't mentioned it, Sangye would have almost forgotten about it.

“Sure. Let’s make spaghetti bolognese and a creamy chicken stew. You stir-fry the meat sauce, and I’ll make the chicken stew.” Sangye agreed, and he and Lin Changli divided the tasks as they walked.

Amidst the lively chatter, we stepped into the central courtyard.