Chapter 48: Unexpected Gains

For the next few days, the Third Corps and the Exploration Corps remained on Frostfall Star to complete the final cleanup of the battlefield and decontamination efforts.

After resting for several days aboard Landis' warship, Xiao Sa felt his depleted mental energy gradually recover.

One morning, Landis placed a file of records and a commendation promotion application in front of Xiao Sa.

After flipping through the documents, Xiao Sa looked up at Landis in surprise. "You're recommending me for a promotion?" Has the sun started setting in the west?

Xiao Sa currently held the rank of first-class soldier. Normally, a cadet who hasn't graduated yet couldn't be promoted. However, as with everything, there were exceptions—especially since he had performed a great feat in public and had Landis, the powerful general of the corps, vouching for him.

Xiao Sa gave Landis a once-over, blinking. "Don't you not want me to stay here?"

Landis sighed, his brow furrowing as he looked at Xiao Sa. "Of course, I don't want you to stay here, but if you insist, it's not impossible to let you remain in the Exploration Corps."

He secretly thought that it was still better than letting Xiao Sa go to the Independent Combat Corps.

Xiao Sa had originally planned to continue searching for his clan members on this planet with the Exploration Corps. But after hearing the secrets Landis revealed, he now wished that his clan members would leave the planet as soon as possible and avoid any encounters with the imperial corps. Now was definitely not the time to be exposed.

Either way, Haino had already intercepted their signal frequencies, making it easier to find them in the future.

Xiao Sa thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, I plan to return."

Landis raised an eyebrow, surprised that Xiao Sa, a stubborn person like himself, had changed his mind.

"Why?"

Xiao Sa said, "I have other things to take care of."

Since the fact that his clan members were alive had been confirmed, there was no immediate rush to find them. For the time being, he needed to prepare for the final round of the Heavenly Ascension Arena and get ready for the operation to reclaim the gem necklace.

Moreover, since Landis had severe psychological shadows, he should ease Landis' concerns.

Landis didn't press him further about what other matters he had to attend to and visibly brightened, walking over quickly to put his arm around Xiao Sa's shoulder and give him a kiss.

"My work here is almost done too. I'll return with you, baby."

Xiao Sa clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes at Landis.

Landis' once harsh and rigid mouth now smoothly uttered these affectionate terms more and more. He wondered where Landis had picked them up.

Landis continued, "However, some lower-level officers of the Third Corps have learned about how you calmed the mental energy surges of ordinary soldiers in the Exploration Corps..."

He paused, seeming hesitant, but eventually continued, "There are also some soldiers in the Third Corps whose mental energies have been injured and need soothing."

"But it's very difficult for us to request a mental healer from the Royal Association, and they won't treat ordinary soldiers and lower-level officers."

"If it's too much trouble, I can turn down the request for you."

Landis, in his heart, certainly didn't want his partner with mental trauma to exhaust his precious mental energy.

But as a general, he couldn't turn a blind eye to the soldiers' strong needs.

To Landis' surprise, Xiao Sa agreed without hesitation. "Of course, I have no problem."

Landis frowned. "Are you sure you don't need a few more days of rest? Don't overexert yourself."

Xiao Sa casually waved his hand. "Don't worry."

Landis already knew his own strength, but he still worried about this and that like he used to.

Xiao Sa reached out and pinched and pulled at his cheek, instantly contorting Landis' handsome face.

"Landis, when are you going to change this habit of being long-winded? Careful you don't turn into an old hen."

Landis swatted his hand away with a scowl. "What are you talking about?"

Under Landis' leadership, the Third Corps operated with far greater efficiency than the Exploration Corps.

On the first day, Caro brought over ten soldiers with severely injured mental entities. Xiao Sa easily helped them one by one. On the second day, there were thirty, and by the last day, there were fifty.

He felt he was becoming more adept at soothing mental entities, evolving from a beginner to a seasoned pro.

The soldiers of the Third Corps somehow heard that Xiao Sa preferred fluffy mental entities.

Xiao Sa lounged in his chair, stamping another form, when he suddenly noticed a snake mental entity whose owner had put a fluffy white rabbit hat on it.

Xiao Sa had an unspeakable expression: "..." This was hard to rate.

After sending the snake away, Xiao Sa shifted positions, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair. He yawned leisurely: "Next."

Moments later, Black Flame strutted over and squatted in front of him, staring with round, dark golden eyes, tilting its head and swishing its thick tail behind it.

Xiao Sa raised an eyebrow and turned to see Landis standing at the other end of the corridor, like a teacher doing a surprise inspection.

Xiao Sa waved Black Flame over. The black lion immediately rubbed against him happily and got a playful tap on the head. "What are you barging in for, huh? Next!"

Black Flame stared in disbelief, instinctively raising a paw to cover its head, and walked away with a aggrieved look amidst the stifled laughter.

Later that night, back in the room, Xiao Sa saw Landis looking at something on a holographic screen by the desk.

Xiao Sa called Black Flame over, stroking its large forehead, finally satisfying the black lion's desire to be petted. He fashioned a stick into a cat teaser and waved it in front of Black Flame.

Landis glanced up, looked at him, and remained silent, sipping his coffee and pressing his temples, feeling a bit tired.

Xiao Sa noticed Landis' tired expression and touched his forehead. "Not feeling well, Landis? You're not feverish. Are you just tired? You should rest early."

Landis shook his head. "Maybe I didn't rest well recently. I'll go to sleep after finishing this last bit of work."

For some reason, he'd been feeling sleepy lately and had stopped smoking, relying only on coffee to stay awake.

Seeing the cat teaser in Xiao Sa's hand, he helplessly pursed his lips. "Black Flame isn't a cat. It won't like playing with such boring and childish toys."

He hinted pointedly at Xiao Sa. "Instead of teasing cats and soothing others' mental entities, shouldn't you focus more on your own health and family?"

For example, getting a male fertility check-up or something.

Xiao Sa found it amusing that Landis, who had asked for his help soothing the soldiers' mental entities, ended up being the jealous one.

"Doesn't Black Flame like the cat teaser?" He waved the toy for a while, with Black Flame crouching in front of him, sharing the same speechless expression as its owner.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Sa smeared a bit of pheromones on the cat teaser and poked Black Flame's nose with it.

Black Flame froze, its wet nose twitched, and it let out a roar before pouncing on the teaser, chasing it back and forth, much to Xiao Sa's amusement.

Landis just stared, speechless. He took a deep breath, glared at the embarrassing mental entity, turned off the holographic screen, grabbed Xiao Sa's arm, and fiercely said, "Sleep!"

Over three days, after soothing countless mental entities, Xiao Sa's reputation in the Third Corps soared. His legend was circulating everywhere on the Third Corps' battleship.

This made the neighboring Exploration Corps incredibly envious.

His old squad leader, Major Lo Kai, even went to Colonel Horan to demand an explanation. "Isn't Xiao Sa one of us? Why is he over there with the Third Corps? Are they keeping him because he's a healer?"

Colonel Horan coughed lightly and said, "Didn't you know? Xiao Sa is the spouse of General Landis."

Lo Kai was dumbfounded. "What?"

Pero nodded silently.

Lo Kai stared at them in disbelief. "You all knew about this?" He had always known that Xiao Sa had connections, but he hadn't expected them to be this strong.

Unable to help but feel a little sour, he said, "Great, now the Third Corps has their own personal healer. They'll be untouchable from now on."

Pero consoled him, "They were already untouchable even without a healer."

Lo Kai: "..."

※※※

Half a month later, Xiao Sa returned to Central Star with Landis.

That afternoon, as Landis was handling military affairs at the military headquarters, two unexpected guests came to see Xiao Sa.

The third prince, dressed in luxurious court attire, nodded at Xiao Sa with his snow leopard beside him. "Long time no see, Mr. Xiao Sa."

The third prince, known for his reserved nature, brought only a small entourage. About twenty security personnel stood silently outside the manor, with only a few ordinary attendants accompanying him.

Xiao Sa gave him an inconspicuous look and then glanced at the other middle-aged man accompanying the third prince. He gestured politely for both to sit on the living room sofa.

The attendants quietly served tea.

"Your Royal Highness, what brings you here? General Landis is not around. Should I call him back?"

The third prince, with his gentle temperament, didn't put on any airs of a crown prince as he gently apologized to Xiao Sa. "Sorry for the abrupt visit; we didn't notify you in advance."

He gestured to the middle-aged man beside him. "This is Mr. Saren, the president of the Royal Association of Spiritual Healers."

The middle-aged man took off his hat and nodded at Xiao Sa. "Good afternoon, Mr. Xiao Sa. I asked the third prince to accompany me here today to meet you."

While maintaining perfect etiquette, his eyes never left Xiao Sa, scrutinizing him closely.

Ignoring the fine tea in front of him, he got straight to the point. "I have heard about your glorious deeds in the Exploration Corps and the Third Corps, Mr. Xiao Sa. It's truly impressive how someone so young can calm so many distressed mental entities at once."

Xiao Sa remained calm, lifting his teacup for a sip. "It was nothing much."

Saren said, "No, it's not a small matter. You may not know this, but your name has spread throughout the Royal Association. I came here personally to meet you and to invite you to join the Royal Healers Association."

Xiao Sa, having guessed their intentions, smiled faintly. "I currently have no plans to join the Royal Association. Besides, I don't have a mental entity and am not a professional spiritual healer. It was just a small favor."

Saren secretly frowned. It was precisely because Xiao Sa didn't have a mental entity that the members of the Royal Association were puzzled. If he weren't the spouse of General Landis, they would have already taken Xiao Sa to the lab for a full examination to see what was so peculiar about him.

Saren exchanged a glance with the third prince and patiently said, "Mr. Xiao Sa, by law, every imperial spiritual healer must register with the Royal Association and undergo a thorough mental energy assessment. The association would then assign you to provide healing services to the military or others, ensuring your safety and protecting your interests."

He paused. "You should know that spiritual healers in the empire are extremely rare and valuable. On lower planets with poor law enforcement, illegal groups often kidnap and force them to work."

"I heard that you also came from a lower planet, so you should have some understanding of this situation. Joining the Royal Association is meant to protect you."

"Even the spiritual healers from noble families need to be registered with the Royal Association. You won't be forced to work for the military, and the Royal Association provides a substantial monthly salary."

Xiao Sa scoffed internally. Nice words, but empty promises.

He lazily blew on the foam of his tea and said, "With Landis around, I'm sure you don't need to worry about my safety. As for money, I don't lack it."

Sa frowned, a clear hint of displeasure on his face. "To be blunt, Lord Xiao Sa, the Royal Association has its own rules."

"All spiritual healers are part of the empire and must pledge allegiance to the royal family."

"Those who aren't registered with the association aren't qualified to conduct large-scale calming and treatment for the military."

"Also, I heard that you've provided some high-concentration inhibitors through unofficial channels."

"I understand this was out of goodwill, but these actions violate the Royal Association's rules. Since you weren't aware of the rules, we'll overlook it this time."

"If you agree to join the association and follow its arrangements, your inhibitors must be uniformly manufactured and distributed by the Royal Association."

"I believe that with your high-concentration inhibitors, you'll earn a very handsome reward. At the same level, you can even earn two to three times more. The association only takes a 30% commission. Trust that the Royal Association won't mistreat you."

Xiao Sa scoffed internally. So this is what they really want.

These people were coming at him aggressively today because his presence threatened their monopoly on mental healing and inhibitors.

Xiao Sa could understand this, but what he couldn't grasp was why, while working for the empire, these people, who clearly held such important resources, were so stingy about giving more to ordinary officers and soldiers.

They only cared about maintaining their lofty status and rarity to earn more wealth.

For soldiers like Broken Peak, once they were cut off from the military and the Royal Association's inhibitor supply, they were as good as dead.

To these people, inhibitors were an endless cash cow.

The lives of the lower-class people were worthless, only receiving a trickle of the lowest-grade inhibitors to barely sustain themselves.

Xiao Sa began to understand why Landis was so opposed to the Royal Association.

Seeing Xiao Sa's continued silence, the third prince smiled and smoothed things over. "Let's change the setting. Lord Xiao Sa, we can show you around the Royal Association and the sanatorium."

At the mention of the sanatorium, Xiao Sa's brow twitched.

He knew that soldiers who had mutated were forcibly sent to the sanatorium. The last time Landis nearly went berserk, Caro and the healer also mentioned sending him to the sanatorium.

Although he had no interest in joining the Royal Association, he was very interested in exploring the matters related to those mutations.

Xiao Sa nodded. "Alright, I'll go take a look with you."

The group soon arrived at the sanatorium on Central Star via a shuttle. It was located right next to the Royal Association. Behind it stood a white circular building dedicated to researching mental contamination, human mutation, and developing inhibitors.

As they walked, the third prince explained, "The officers treated here are those who have rendered great service to the empire."

"After showing signs of mutation, these officers are sent to the sanatorium where the empire provides them with free lifetime treatment. Their families are provided with a substantial pension."

Xiao Sa walked through one treatment room after another, hearing the odd cries from inside, and frowned as he asked, "Is there anyone who can be cured and leave this place?"

President Sa gave him a knowing look. "If the condition isn't too severe, there's a chance of being cured and leaving. But if it's advanced to the point of full-body transformation into a beast-like state..."

He let the implication hang in the air.

Xiao Sa looked thoughtful. The risk of becoming a soldier in the Dawn Empire was indeed immense.

Unless they were uninfected, or had a spouse and could mitigate the pollution through deep bonding, others either died on the battlefield or ended up virtually incarcerated in a sanatorium.

No wonder the central AI mandated forced marriage matching for imperial soldiers.

Even someone as rare and powerful as Landis couldn't fully control his own marriage and had to rely on matchmaking.

The third prince strolled slowly beside Xiao Sa, a smile on his face, his tone gentle. "I heard the inhibitor you provided to the Exploration Corps was very effective. The Royal Association is in great need of talented individuals like you."

"As you can see, these soldiers serving the country will inevitably end up in the treatment rooms if they don't have a spouse. Can you bear to watch them suffer?"

He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Xiao Sa. "I know you're definitely not just any C-class spiritual healer."

Xiao Sa was startled, his gaze sharpening as he asked calmly, "What are you getting at, Your Highness?"

The third prince smiled. "I mean that you're extremely capable and talented. Although General Landis can protect you..."

"To be honest, he's notoriously eccentric and arrogant, with a strong desire to control. And you, from what I can see, are not someone who would be content to stay in the background."

"If you wish to make your mark, whether it's entering the military to earn titles and honors, or becoming a high-ranking spiritual healer in the Royal Association, I can help you."

"Wealth, prestige, status—all of these can be yours, if you're willing."

Xiao Sa looked at the third prince's confident expression and couldn't help but think that the prince was indeed a born politician.

Even without his status as a prince, he could build a vast empire of deception with his eloquence alone, being exceptionally skilled at probing others' needs and making promises.

Xiao Sa smiled inwardly. Landis was much more straightforward compared to him.

"There's something I'm curious about."

The third prince made a gesture of invitation. "Go on, I'm listening."

"If spiritual healers are so scarce, why are there so many inhibitors on the market? It's not like each healer makes them, right? Even if they worked themselves to death, they couldn't produce nearly enough."

President Sa smiled. "Those inhibitors aren't all made by the spiritual healers themselves. It's a scientific achievement of the Royal Association. You'd only learn about it by joining the association and becoming a senior member."

At that moment, an attendant hurried over and whispered something to both the third prince and President Sa. They excused themselves and left hurriedly.

This actually gave Xiao Sa the opportunity to observe the treatment rooms on his own.

He touched the earring on his left ear and asked in a low voice, "Haino, do you know how the empire produces inhibitors in bulk?"

Haino: "The research institute of the Royal Association has a Pox agent that can mass-replicate the inhibitors made by spiritual healers, but it reduces the concentration and has side effects."

Xiao Sa noticed the white semicircular building behind the sanatorium and the association. "Is that the research institute? Can you retrieve the formula?"

Haino: "It's a state secret, usually kept offline in offline storage. I only know it's stored in the core data repository of the research institute. The data can only be physically transmitted."

After a moment of thought, Xiao Sa considered this an excellent opportunity. Since he was already here, it would be a waste not to investigate the lab.

He made a swift decision. "Help me reroute the surveillance around this area and the patrol routes of the guards."

Normally speaking, the security around the lab should have been quite tight, but Xiao Sa had Haino, the "inside man" who was betraying his own side.

Xiao Sa still had the vial of venom he had taken from the man-eating flower belonging to Vinci, the former match of Landis. After his modifications, it had become an invisible and colorless mildly toxic gas that could cause paralysis and drowsiness.

Haino helped Xiao Sa plot a route through a blind spot in the security patrol.

Along the way, the surveillance cameras along the route mysteriously turned to face another direction, allowing Xiao Sa to walk right into the Royal Association's research lab.

On all the monitors in the surveillance room, Xiao Sa was nowhere to be seen.

All infrared checkpoints and password-protected gates opened freely for Xiao Sa.

Xiao Sa arrived at the core data storage room of the research institute very smoothly.

In the center of the storage room was a terminal independent of the Central AI, connected to a separate local network.

"Haino, can we perform a brute force hack?"

Haino: "It is possible, but if we do a brute force hack, the researchers here will discover it immediately, triggering the alarm. I can spend some time analyzing the security interface to ensure we aren't detected. It will take ten minutes."

Xiao Sa thought for a moment. "Alright then."

He took off his neural interface and placed it at the terminal connection point. Haino's projection immediately appeared.

Haino’s projection flickered with streams of data as it fully entered a state of data analysis and transmission.

Xiao Sa quietly surveyed the room. There was another door in the storage room.

He put on gloves and gently pushed it open. A wave of cold air hit him, making him shiver. It was like a frozen warehouse inside.

Rows of vertical cylindrical glass tubes stood within the cold storage, filled with a green liquid. Some of the cylindrical tubes were empty, while others contained human bodies.

Xiao Sa frowned and examined them one by one. These were obviously corpses. They had visible fatal wounds, but being submerged in this liquid, they had not completely decayed.

Then he spotted a burly middle-aged man with a label that read: Former Fourth Legion Commander, Admiral Eric.

Xiao Sa’s eyes widened in shock—wasn't this the person Broken Peak mentioned? The one who committed treason, was sent to a military court, and executed? How could his body be here?

Haino's voice suddenly reached his ears. "Xiao Sa, someone is coming!"

Moments later, two patrolling personnel lazily yawned and walked down the corridor with flashlights, perfunctorily shining them at each door.

One of them complained, "Everyone else went to the gathering. Why do we always get stuck with the bad luck?"

"Don't complain. Let's finish this quickly and move on to the next place."

"Did you see that? There’s some light coming from inside."

They pushed the door open and swept their flashlights around the room.

Xiao Sa held his breath. Haino’s transmission data showed the progress: "90%... 95%..."

He quietly opened a vial of diluted man-eating flower paralyzing gas. The invisible and colorless gas quickly dispersed, seeping into the patrol personnel's noses.

Their heads felt heavy, and they shook off the drowsiness. "I feel a bit sleepy..."

And then, they both collapsed.

"Data transmission: 99%... 100%, transmission complete!"

Xiao Sa exhaled in relief, dropping down from a corner of the ceiling, retrieving his neural interface, and silently leaving the way he came.

※※※

Just as he reached the entrance of the association, someone called out to him from behind:

"Xiao Sa, where have you been? I was just sending people to look for you," said Saren, the president of the Royal Association, as he slowly approached. "Have you thought about my proposal?"

Xiao Sa turned around and replied calmly, "I’ve said it before, I'm not a professional spiritual healer. I have no intention of joining the Royal Association."

Saren's face suddenly darkened. "You—"

Before he could finish, a low, cold voice came from behind the two men. "Lord Saren, Xiao Sa has already said he has no intention of joining. Didn't you hear him?"

Landis, clad in his deep black military uniform, strode forward confidently, positioning himself between them, his expressionless face blocking Saren. His glare was like ice, pinning Saren in place.

Saren’s scalp prickled with unease, and he secretly fumed inwardly. In the past, General Landis may have disliked dealing with the association, but he had never been so blatant and rude before.

Was it because of Xiao Sa’s presence that the Royal Association was now being disregarded?

Landis, without sparing him another glance, took Xiao Sa's arm. "Let's go home."