Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

"Oh?" Long Hai's eyes lit up: "Good, good. Then you will represent the Empire, bring a generous gift, and go there in person. This time, you must order more equipment!"

"However, Your Majesty..." He Jin said with some worry, "I heard that the number of races participating in the Dark City press conference this time is more than double that of the last time! We probably have quite a few competitors..."

"and......"

He Jin paused for a moment, then continued, "I predict that the Ye family will definitely go as well!"

“Hmm… the Ye family…” Long Hai’s fingers gently rubbed the armrest of the throne, as if he was thinking about something.

The new Dark City is no longer the Dark City it used to be.

The current Dark City is located in a neutral zone. It is neither the territory of the Light Race nor the Dark Race, but rather at the border between the two factions! It is a gray area! It was established eight years ago by a mysterious person.

That area was originally a completely polluted wasteland, filled with poverty and disease, savagery and violence. Only those who had nowhere else to turn would gather there. Those who lived in such a place were either fugitives who had offended powerful figures from various races, or heinous criminals who had committed heinous crimes!

But after that mysterious person arrived, he easily solved the pollution problem in that area and built Dark City! He also used his wealth to make that region prosper rapidly!

No one knows the true identity of that mysterious person, what kind of power is behind him, or even what race he is. All that is known is that he often comes up with some amazing and groundbreaking inventions that shock all races.

For example, at the last Dark City press conference, the mysterious person announced a new product—a potion—that could awaken and evolve ordinary creatures without supernatural powers into extraordinary beings, granting them the ability to control supernatural powers!

Moreover, that mysterious person is willing to take in almost any creature from all races. He doesn't care about your origins or whether you are being hunted down. As long as you can bring him value and are willing to risk your life for him, even if you are a dark race, Dark City will accept you without hesitation.

This is also why Dark City is famous.

"Approximately how much readily available capital do we have right now?" Long Hai asked.

He Jin replied, "There are about 100 billion Imperial Coins, which is 100 million Gold Coins."

"Only 100 million gold coins!?" Long Hai frowned. "How could it only be that little?"

He Jin smiled wryly: "Your Majesty, in order to research and crack the Ye family's extraordinary alchemy synthesis technology, almost half of the empire's expenditure in recent years has been invested in the Extraordinary Academy... Now it's the end of the year, and we really have no budget left..."

Long Hai wrinkled his nose. There was no doubt that bringing such a small amount of money to such a high-end press conference would make them a laughingstock among the other races! Did they want all the races to laugh at their human empire for being poor?

"I'll allocate another 900 million gold coins to you from the national treasury!"

Long Hai waved his hand and then looked seriously at General He Jin: "A total of 1000 million gold coins. Take this money with you and make sure you find a way to bring back the best invention released by Dark City to the Empire! If money alone isn't enough, you can also talk to the master of Dark City and promise him some... well... other benefits within reasonable limits. In short, this matter is entrusted to you!"

"Yes!" He Jin nodded. "Your Majesty, I will certainly do my best to live up to your expectations!"

"Oh, right." Long Hai suddenly remembered something and glanced at him: "If those men you sent to the Ye family are caught, they shouldn't reveal anything, right?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured," He Jin assured him. "They have all received specialized training. If they are captured, they will immediately commit suicide. Moreover, their brains have been sealed, so they will absolutely not reveal a single piece of information!"

"Hmm." Long Hai said calmly, "What has that girl Long Ying been up to lately?"

He Jin paused for a moment, then replied, "Her Highness the Ninth Princess has been studying at the War Academy for the past eight years and rarely returns to the palace. It is said that she has made rapid progress and broke through to the Thousand Soul Realm at the beginning of the year!"

Long Hai: "I heard that she has been in close contact with that demonized young master of the Ye family all these years?"

“That’s true. It’s said that the two of them often sparred with each other at the War Academy.” He Jin paused, “But it seems that it’s always Her Highness the Ninth Princess who takes the initiative to challenge them.”

"What's the result?"

"Uh... I heard they've never won a single time..."

"..."

Long Hai was silent for a moment, then narrowed his eyes slightly: "Now that Ye Ge has come of age at eighteen, as the chosen ones, their wedding day is fast approaching..."

"Next time she returns to the palace, have her come to my chambers to see me. I have something to say to her."

He Jin nodded: "Yes."

......

"This bottle, three times a day. Then this bottle, twice a week..."

Ye Ge placed several bottles of secret medicine in Xia Xiyao's hands.

Among these elixirs, some help extraordinary individuals enhance their innate learning abilities, some can increase cultivation speed, and some can improve intelligence...

"I have to take medicine again..."

Xia Xiyao muttered, "This medicine is so bitter..."

"Good girl, these are all good for your cultivation." Ye Ge smiled and gently patted Xia Xiyao's head like she was coaxing a child.

Over the years, Ye Ge has also fed his little green plums a lot of rare and precious herbs and gene-enhancing drugs, so their extraordinary levels have not fallen behind.

Xia Xiyao has reached the first level of the Thousand Soul Realm, while Gao Shenxue has reached the third level of the Thousand Soul Realm.

"Then I want Xiaoye to feed me!"

"Sigh, you're such a grown-up..."

"The medicine is already very bitter, but if Xiaoye can feed it to me by hand, it won't be so bitter," Xia Xiyao said with a smile.

Ye Ge was both amused and exasperated, with a helpless expression on her face. She had no choice but to take a spoon and feed Xia Xiyao spoonful by spoonful.

Xia Xiyao: "Ah~"

At this moment, Bai Xueling walked into the room from outside.

I happened to see Ye Ge feeding Xia Xiyao.