Chapter 31.1 - Rich Resource
After returning to Dragon City, Su used half a day to finish the business with the biological specimens. These creatures’ specimens would undergo a preliminary analysis by the dragonriders’ biochemistry laboratory, and then it would be available for various families, research organizations, and interested buyers to purchase. From time to time, special specimens would also be open to some large companies with more power, but they would oftentimes have the supplementary conditions of sharing the results of scientific research and so on.
Before that, Su could obtain roughly thirty thousand basic funds. Grade one were ten thousand each, while grade two were a thousand each. Once the specimens were sold, Su could obtain some additional bonuses.
He already contacted Persephone’s private hospital as well. Perhaps due to Su and Persephone’s special relationship, the price Helen gave was unexpectedly fair. The base price for the surgery of removing mutated tissues was twenty thousand, and the follow-up costs might exceed eighty thousand. When he heard this price, Su still released a breath of relief. Based on the price of grade A slaves being 150, B grade 100, and F grade slaves 1000 or higher price, Kane’s batch of slaves might be able to sell for a hundred thousand or so, enough to pay for the surgery expenses. Perhaps the leftover costs might even be enough to purchase some equipment for his own use.
When he saw how someone like Kane who did business around those that operated around the Black Dragonriders made that much money, not only did it make Su who couldn’t be much poorer blush with shame, he also gained a deeper insight into Captain Curtis’ ‘steal money, steal food, steal women’ philosophy. However, Su wasn’t envious. Before he was able to provide the welfare a subordinate should have, Su didn’t plan on interfering with his business in the wilderness, and he even more so wouldn’t stop him from continuing to vent his hatred towards the wilderness mobs.
The Black Dragonriders’ missions system still operated with rather high efficiency. An hour after handing over the specimens, the basic funds were transferred into Su’s account. Su already had plans for how this sum of money should be used. He paid the costs for registering two subordinates and then transferred ten thousand to Persephone’s account. Finally, he left himself with the remaining hundred or so yuan. This amount of money was just enough for him to purchase a few bullets and replenish some medical equipment. These were all of the most fundamental sort.
After completing these preparations, Su felt a wave of relief. However, no matter what, his debt towards Persephone was still a bit less, even if it was an insignificant bit. What was regretful was that Persephone wasn’t in Dragon City and was off on a mission who knows where.
At this time, the screen in front of Su suddenly lit up, and Helen’s completely emotionless poker face appeared. In an ice cold voice, she said, “Second Lieutenant Su, I hope you can immediately come to the hospital. I need to conduct a comprehensive examination on you.”
Su was momentarily stumped for words. Countless data returned from various parts of his body with prompt timing. “Examination? I feel like my body is in quite excellent condition right now.”
“Whether your body has any problems is something I have the final say on, and not you. Second Lieutenant Su, please remember that I am the doctor.” Helen’s words was always machine-like, ice-cold, and strung together. They were as precise as surgical equipment.
Su knew that arguing with her would only be a waste of time. He could only helplessly agree to immediately visit the hospital.
Once a dragonrider left the transactions hall, his or her private account would immediately be closed from the booth’s end. Su had already understood this from the operations manual, so since he already promised Helen that he would hurry over, he got up and left before even waiting for Helen to hang up. Of course, he didn’t see the remaining balance in his account suddenly increase a bit either.
To the south of Dragon City, inside the lush Auburn Palace Mountain Valley was a peaceful and quiet manor. When one came here, they would feel as if they returned to the olden era’s eighteenth century. The interior design of the manor was victorian style. The main building was connected to several auxiliary housing through long hallways, and the entire structure seemed to be made of bricks. Gypsum relief sculptures, wind roses, fine hanging flowers, ledge designs, floral ceramic tiles that decorated the balconies, and other decorative details that were full of artistic characteristics exhibited a low-profile extravagance. In front of the main palace was a large renovated lawn, and separating it from the road was a wall garden. Apart from the dense radiation of the sky, this place seemed just like a manor that managed to escape the fires of war.
However, no one would set their eyes on this place, because this was the main residence of the Arthur family.
In one of the classical style study rooms towards the east of the top floor, O’Brien stood in front of the French style window while carefully looking at the screen in front of him. Transaction messages flashed past the screen. With his extremely sharp eyes, in just a second, he could sweep his eyes over all of the information on the screen. From time to time, he picked up one or two bits of business information, and after only skimming over the information on the individual this transaction involved, he directly doubled the amount before tapping on the screen and sending it out without even looking at the concrete transaction details,
He stood there for ten whole minutes, flipping through twelve transaction messages and carried out this work of doubling the sum. After completing these things, O’Brien pushed down on the edge of the screen, and the meter tall widescreen shrunk into the wall on its own. He changed directions and looked at a portrait on the wall, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
This was an oil painting that was rich with history. The individual in the painting was clad in a general’s uniform. On his face that was covered in a thick beard, his ashy green pupils flickered with a deep, cold radiance. The medals and ribbons covering his body proved his illustrious accomplishments. Like the portraits of many historical people, the general posed with his foot on a rock with towering mountains serving as his backdrop.
The name of the general was Taylor Arthur, an individual who racked up countless achievements in the olden era continental war of independence. Following the war victory, he made great contributions to both politics and commerce, and as such was able to establish a foundation for the Arthur family to multiply and develop for hundreds of years. The descendants of this individual, who was originally a prisoner, were from then on showed utmost respect and admiration by all of the Arthur family’s later generations. There was no lack of individuals among the Arthur family’s later generations that travelled further in the domain in politics and commerce, but what the people respected about Taylor Arthur was the wisdom and extraordinary courage it took to build up so much from so little.
O’Brien stared at this portrait of his ancestor for a long time, a perplexed expression flashing past his face that was clearly still a bit young and immature from time to time. After a while, flames suddenly ignited within O’Brien’s eyes. He walked out from the room with large steps, running straight for the basement.
Underneath the main building, a thick door made of an alloy materials was slowly pushed into the wall by O’Brien. The space that was revealed behind it was frighteningly large. O’Brien moved through the deep passageway, reaching the Magic Ability training field. There were training dummies made of alloy materials arranged here, and pieces of alloy vehicle armor hung from above. Prisoner rooms lined the walls, and inside were all types of dangerous mutated creatures with powerful offensive capabilities.
The sounds of footsteps reverberated through the training hall. This was O’Brien’s personal training area. With each step he took, the cold air around him would become a bit heavier.
O’Brien suddenly released a mad roar and picked up speed. He quickly reached his fastest speed, and the cold air around his right arm instantly produced an ice lance! His figure flashed, and he had already appeared in front of a piece of suspended alloy armor. His right hand operated with his greatest strength and fiercely slammed down on the armor!
With a tremendous bang sound, the ice lance actually skewered through the centimeter thick alloy vehicle armor that was used on tanks! Then, the ice lance subsequently collapsed, and the uniform covering the right arm O’Brien used to penetrate the armor became covered in gashes. The cloth was now in tattered condition, and the arm that was exposed was covered in white markings. Soon after, the white markings turned into lacerated flesh and continuously poured out blood.