Chapter 372: Persuasion
Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Persuasion
Ning Xuan chose those seeds because she found a few among them that looked very familiar. Even though she had only ever seen them in pictures, she recognized them at a glance as a species from Earth.
Now that Ning Xuan had the seeds, she picked up a black, oval-shaped one and held it under her nose to smell it. There was no mistake—this was a seed from an incense tree.
The resin secreted by the incense tree is known as Incense. Incense is used to awaken the mind, promote blood circulation, and relieve pain. Clinically, it is often used to alleviate symptoms such as comas, chest pain, and traumatic injuries. Applied externally, it also acts as an antiseptic and promotes tissue regeneration.
In the course of learning the Alchemy Technique, Ning Xuan had worked diligently on its foundation: identifying medicinal ingredients. Her Spiritual Power Level was high, and as a result, her memory was excellent. She had an eidetic memory for any book she had ever read, which was why she was able to quickly identify various medicinal ingredients during her later expeditions.
However, despite considering herself an expert on all the known native medicinal plants of this world, she was certain that none of the books she had read on plants or Spiritual Medicines ever mentioned the incense tree.
To test her theory, Ning Xuan immediately used her Light Computer to look up information. The Light Computer connected to the Star Network, where the data was vast and varied.
Ning Xuan’s slender fingers flew across the virtual keyboard projected by the Light Computer. She first pulled up the complete database of the *Federation Spiritual Plant Atlas* and typed the two words "incense tree" into the search box.
A "Searching..." progress bar flickered in the air for three seconds before a red notification box popped up: "No matches found."
When that search came up empty, Ning Xuan quickly switched to the *Federal Spirit Medicine Examination Record* database. She even spent a small fortune to activate the research-grade plant gene bank comparison system, but still found nothing.
Ning Xuan had no choice but to keep expanding her search. She broadened the criteria to include entries containing keywords like "incense" or "fragrant tree," and even uploaded a photo of the seed’s morphology. However, the search only returned a few completely unrelated, common medicinal herbs.
The blue light from the Light Computer cast shifting shadows on her face, illuminating her grave expression.
’Perhaps I shouldn’t search for it by this name.’ Ning Xuan had already considered that even if the incense tree existed in this world, it wouldn’t necessarily be called by the same name. Since she couldn’t find it, she would have to try a different search method.
Ning Xuan sketched the incense tree from memory, clearly drawing its shape, leaves, and bark. Once finished, she photographed the drawing and uploaded it to the search system to find similar plants.
This time, the Light Computer screen was flooded with results. There were trees with similar shapes, plants with similar leaves, and even some with similar bark patterns—a wide variety of matches. Within moments, hundreds of entries had appeared.
Ning Xuan checked each entry, but none of them were a match. In other words, the current databases contained no information on the incense tree.
Ning Xuan examined the other seeds. Besides Red Eucalyptus Wood and Green Wind Vine, she didn’t recognize any of them. However, a few of them pulsed with powerful energy, marking them as anything but ordinary.
Lin Yuzhi had been there when Ning Xuan chose the seeds. She had tried to stop her, telling her that while the seeds were rare, they were also useless. The Plant Research Institute had tried planting them before but had never succeeded in cultivating anything.
Ning Xuan hadn’t listened to Lin Yuzhi’s advice. She wasn’t interested in any of the other rewards; only these seeds appealed to her.
Besides, if she could actually grow an incense tree, she would have an endless supply of Incense for her use. She had often used it in her medicinal formulations in the past.
Seeing she couldn’t be persuaded, Lin Yuzhi had let her be.
At the victory banquet after the war, Base Commander Yue Qingtian was incredibly warm toward both Ning Xuan and Lin Mo. Lin Mo had distinguished himself in the recent war and had been promoted to the rank of Admiral. He was still quite young, however. Though he had the rank, he still had a long way to go before he wielded the real power that came with it.
Of course, Lin Mo wasn’t in any hurry. In fact, he was quite satisfied with his current position. He got two months of family leave every year, and as long as the base wasn’t at war, he didn’t have to stay there, provided he managed his duties and his subordinates’ affairs on schedule.
During the banquet, Yue Qingtian teasingly asked Ning Xuan when she and Lin Mo planned to hold their Contract ceremony.
The moment Yue Qingtian spoke, the color drained from Lin Mo’s face. He was sitting right next to Ning Xuan, and upon hearing the question, he instinctively glanced toward his mother.
’Lin Mo cursed inwardly. He was sure his mother had put Yue Qingtian up to this. What was the difference between this and openly pressuring Ning Xuan to make their relationship official?’
On High-level Planets, things were different from low-level planets. Among Spirit Controllers with Spiritual Power of B-Level or higher, the gender ratio was severely imbalanced, with a hundred times more men than women. As a result, it was common for one Contractor to have many others bound to them. Of these other Contractors, only a select few could hold a formal Contract ceremony with the one they were bound to, announcing it to friends and family.
At that moment, Ning Xuan also turned to look at Lin Yuzhi. She, too, suspected Yue Qingtian was asking on Lin Yuzhi’s behalf.
"I’ve never really thought about it before. Thank you for the timely reminder, Commander Yue. I’ll give it some thought when I get back," Ning Xuan said with a smile.
"Hahaha! Miss Ning, so young, with such a high Spiritual Power Level and such incredible medical skills! A truly rare talent! General Lin, you are one lucky woman! And Miss Ning, you know Lin Mo’s strength as well as I do. Plus, with his latest achievements, he’s now an Admiral! How many young Admirals like him are there in the entire Federation? So you see, Miss Ning, you’re lucky too. Look at you two, just look! You look so good standing together. A match made in heaven!" Yue Qingtian nodded, looking more and more pleased.
"When you two hold your Contract ceremony, I’ll definitely be there to celebrate! Don’t forget to send me an invitation," Yue Qingtian added. He had clearly had a lot to drink and was getting chatty.
As Yue Qingtian continued to harp on the subject, Ning Xuan’s smile became strained. Seeing this, Lin Mo quickly raised his glass to toast Yue Qingtian and subtly changed the topic. He didn’t want to listen to the commander anymore. If this went on, he was afraid Ning Xuan would lose her patience and storm out.
As Yue Qingtian brought up the matter of the Contract, Lin Yuzhi had been secretly studying Ning Xuan’s face. Seeing her expression, Lin Yuzhi’s heart grew heavy. Ning Xuan made no effort to hide her feelings; Lin Yuzhi didn’t need to be an expert at reading people to see that Ning Xuan had no desire to hold a Contract ceremony with Lin Mo—at least, not now or anytime in the near future.