Chapter 426: Private Armed Force
The last time Ning Xuan and the others were able to explore the New Star Body was an opportunity the government fought hard to secure for new graduates. It was done under the pretext of a joint graduation examination, and they still had to pass through multiple rounds of selection to be allowed entry.
The military had agreed because Space Buttons were unusable on the New Star Body at the time. The students exploring there could only gain some experience; they couldn’t take any resources with them. However, the military later learned of the Primitive Civilization Ruins on the New Star Body and, to their surprise, discovered Space Artifacts within them.
To recoup their losses, they conducted a large-scale search of all graduates and their entourages at the graduation ceremony. They found more than a dozen Space Artifacts from the New Star Body’s primitive civilization. Along with confiscating the artifacts, they also seized half of the valuable resources stored within them.
For more than a year, the Federal Research Institute has been studying these Space Artifacts. They are unique in that they function in both the Federation and the New Star Body, two Star Domains with differing spatial rules. The institute hoped to develop more artifacts of this type, but after over a year of research, progress has been slow.
However, the topographical survey of the New Star Body’s main regions is now largely complete, as is the resource survey. The major military districts and powerful clans have already carved up some of the important resource zones. According to Yu Mingche’s information, Yun Han’s Heavenly Might Corps was allocated several resource-rich mining areas.
“Actually, if Xuanyuan wants to go, it’s not impossible,” Yu Mingche suggested. “Yun Han will be heading to the Heavenly Might Corps’ base on the New Star Body soon to take command. You could join the Heavenly Might Corps and go with him.”
Ning Xuan’s compulsory service with the Second Legion had ended, so she was now free to work wherever she pleased without restriction. However, although Lin Mo had been promoted to Admiral, his standing in the Second Legion was still no match for Yun Han’s in the Heavenly Might Corps. If Ning Xuan stayed with the Second Legion, she might not be able to secure a slot for the New Star Body expedition.
“I will not join the Heavenly Might Corps,” Ning Xuan refused flatly. She remembered that Qiao Yu and others from the Heavenly Might Corps held a strong grudge against her for enslaving Yun Han.
“If you won’t join the Heavenly Might Corps but still want to go to the New Star Body, we’ll have to look for another opportunity,” Yu Mingche said. He knew that the Extraordinary Influences had their eyes on Ning Xuan. But the New Star Body was currently restricted by certain rules; those with excessively high power levels would be suppressed upon arrival. For a Spirit Controller like Ning Xuan, whose Spiritual Power Level was right at the edge of the allowed limit and whose own Comprehensive Combat Power was immense, the place was actually quite advantageous.
Therefore, hearing that Ning Xuan was interested in the New Star Body, he didn’t try to stop her. On the contrary, he felt it would be an excellent destination for her.
‘I can talk to Ying Yaoshi later and ask him to figure something out,’ he thought. ‘Honestly, getting Ning Xuan there isn’t the difficult part. The challenge is arranging an entourage to ensure her safety. That requires careful, long-term planning.’
“There’s no rush on that,” Ning Xuan said. “Ming Che, these goodies I brought back from the New Star Body… can I sell them off now?”
While leading troops in the Edge Star System, Ning Xuan had taken in over a dozen subordinates she had saved on the battlefield, all of whom were fiercely loyal to her. She didn’t bring them back to the Central Star. Instead, she sent them to the Garbage Star to build a power base, tasking them with finding and cultivating promising young talent. To date, they had established more than ten Mercenary Corps of varying sizes. Ning Xuan had files on every member, and even the systematic training they underwent followed plans she had personally devised.
The Combat Power of these forces increased rapidly under the systematic training, but their resource consumption also grew. No matter the society, maintaining a private army is an incredibly expensive endeavor.
Ning Xuan still had many rare ores she had brought back from the New Star Body, all of them expensive and scarce materials. She was currently holding a shimmering piece of Lan Green Ore, easily the size of a person’s head. This single piece of ore would be enough to serve as the grand finale treasure at the Federation’s largest auction house.
Yu Mingche’s expression faltered as he looked at the ore. He frowned slightly. “You can sell it. It’s been over a year, and the investigation from back then is over. However, Lan Green Ore is expensive because it’s extremely scarce and is an essential material for the critical fields of Starship construction and spatial teleportation. In truth, neither application requires a large quantity. You have so much on hand that if you sell too much at once, you’ll likely crash the price.”
Having accompanied Ning Xuan on her adventures through the New Star Body in the form of a Little Fox, Yu Mingche knew exactly how much of this ore she possessed. The memory of how shocking it was to first see that valley was still fresh in his mind.
“Then let’s sell off the other things first. I have plenty of Golden Scale Stone, Earth Fire Crystals, Purple Gold Sand, and Thunderstruck Wood, as well as many rare medicinal herbs. Of course, I normally wouldn’t sell the herbs, but the Prajna Fruit is an exception. How about this: I’ll sort everything out first, and once it’s organized, I’ll give you an inventory list.” Ning Xuan patted Yu Mingche’s shoulder.
Yu Mingche now managed all the businesses under Ning Xuan’s name, which included more than ten auction houses. He was the most suitable person to arrange the sale of these items.
“Yes,” Yu Mingche acknowledged with a nod.
The next day, Ning Xuan finished sorting the items she wanted to sell and handed the list to Yu Mingche. She then took Yun Han to the underground Training Institute of the Controller Protection Association.
Yun Han had once spent a month there, where he had endured unspeakable treatment. He desperately wanted to avoid the place, and his face had already turned pale the moment he realized Ning Xuan was heading toward the Controller Protection Association.
Seeing Yun Han’s ghastly pale face, Ning Xuan patted his back comfortingly. “Don’t be nervous. I’m just here to find Qinghe. I only brought you along so you could protect me. Didn’t you say someone was secretly keeping an eye on me?”
Though he didn’t answer, Yun Han visibly let out a sigh of relief upon hearing her words.
However, Yun Han couldn’t completely relax. The closer they drew to the underground Training Institute, the more clearly the conditioning he had once endured surfaced in his mind, as if memories he had forcibly forgotten were uncontrollably flooding back.
“Miss Ning, you’re here!” Chairman Wang exclaimed, looking overjoyed. “You just finished your ceremony and you rushed right over. You truly are a person of your word.”
She had worried that Ning Xuan’s promise to visit had just been an excuse and feared that it would be delayed indefinitely. Chairman Wang had been thinking she might have to shamelessly pay another visit in two or three days. She never expected Ning Xuan to actually show up on her own.