Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

The villa gifted by the Controller Protection Association was near the Central Star Military Academy, so Ning Xuan decided to move in for convenience when she started school.

The gift was presented by the president of the Protection Association himself. He said that for Ning Xuan to achieve so much at such a young age brought honor to all Controllers. In addition to the priceless villa, the two well-trained young slaves also had notable identities and backgrounds.

When the president had them delivered, he also sent along their identity files and a Contract. The Contract was equivalent to an officially certified indenture.

It only took Yan Fuzhen one day to thoroughly investigate both of their backgrounds.

Ning Xuan curiously sized up the two scantily clad youths kneeling before her. According to their files, both were newly adult Half-beastmen. One had a pair of fluffy red fox ears, while the other had long hair the color of sea-blue. What they had in common were their pristine, innocent features, making them quite easy on the eyes. This was especially true for their eyes—one had alluring, passionate fox eyes, while the other had shy, timid peach-blossom eyes. Although both eye shapes were inherently charming, their gazes held an unworldly, charming innocence. This contrast struck Ning Xuan as quite fascinating.

Sensing no malice in Ning Xuan’s gaze, the one with fox ears cautiously shuffled forward on his knees. As he moved, his already loose collar gaped open even wider, revealing a large patch of snow-white skin and his delicate collarbones.

Ning Xuan chuckled softly. She glanced at Yan Fuzhen, who immediately stepped forward and led the two away.

’Half-beastmen... another group she’d had little contact with and had barely heard of. Her understanding of this world was still far from complete.’

However, the ever-thoughtful Yan Fuzhen soon provided her with highly detailed information on the Half-beastmen, covering their origins, geographical distribution, physiological traits, and more.

Half-beastmen were considered a minority group. However, even as a minority, their numbers weren’t insignificant when measured against the Federation’s massive population.

When humanity adopted gene-fusion technology, some experienced perfect integration without any flaws, while others suffered from genetic collapse and died. Naturally, there was also a group whose integration was imperfect, leaving them with defects.

The Half-beastmen were that defective group.

From birth, Half-beastmen exhibit beast-like characteristics, most commonly tails, eyes, ears, or claws. Their Spiritual Power Levels are generally high, and their constitutions are superior to those of humans. Most even possess some of the special talents of their base animal.

For example, feline Half-beastmen possessed a sense of smell, agility, flexibility, and speed that were difficult for humans to match.

However, despite their extraordinary talents, they have a fatal flaw: their innate Mutated Degree is too high, and their spiritual power is unstable. Upon reaching adulthood, they constantly face the risk of their Mutated Value spiraling out of control, leading to a collapse of their spiritual power.

This makes it very difficult for Half-beastmen to survive.

However, there is a way out. If a Half-beastman stays near a female Spirit Controller with a high Spiritual Power Level, the risk of losing control and collapsing is reduced. This solution works until their power reaches SS-level or higher, at which point they can freely transform between their Superpower Body and their physical form, thus eliminating the existential threat.

But women with high Spiritual Power Levels are exceedingly rare. Many male Spirit Controllers are unable to find a Contractor of a similar Level, so how could flawed Half-beastmen possibly win the favor of a Female Controller? 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

To survive, the only path for Half-beastmen is to become slaves. Yet, even if they willingly enter servitude, their acceptance still depends on the whims of Female Controllers.

Through millennia of this selection process, the Half-beastmen who survived were either exceptionally talented and powerful, or beautiful, docile, and skilled at serving others. The ugly, deformed, and untamably wild ones simply didn’t live long.

The two Half-beastmen sent by the Controller Protection Association were from an A-level Star, Sirius. One, named Nine-tailed, was from the Sky Wolf Tribe; the other, named Lan Xin, was from the Fire Snake Tribe. The two youths had been chosen through a rigorous selection process, and both their looks and talents were outstanding. Only such Half-beastmen were given the chance to be trained by the Controller Protection Association and, upon successful completion, be assigned to a suitable Controller.

Ning Xuan sighed, looking at the two thick folders in her hand. They documented every event in the two youths’ lives from birth to the present day: their maternal and paternal bloodlines, their form, length, and weight at birth, their Spiritual Power Value, their Talent Abilities, and so on. Following that were annual records of their physical data and development. The latter half detailed their two years of training at the Controller Protection Association.

’In Ning Xuan’s mind, the principle was "liberty or death." Yet, to survive, the Half-beastmen chose willing servitude. She didn’t know whether this had become their default choice spontaneously or through human intervention. Regardless, it was now established practice.’

"Contractor, please have some tea." Chen Nan approached Ning Xuan, bowing as he offered her a cup of tea.

Chen Nan held a tray with one hand. In the white jade bowl on the tray, three emerald-green tea leaves floated in a pale green, crystal-clear liquid. With a gentle swirl from Chen Nan, a refreshing, soul-soothing fragrance wafted up with the rising steam.

Ning Xuan hadn’t felt thirsty, but the aroma piqued her interest in tasting the tea.

Ning Xuan took the tea bowl, set it on a nearby table, and asked Chen Nan, "Didn’t I tell you to go home for a few days? Why are you back so soon?"

As soon as Ning Xuan had returned home, Chen Nan’s mother, Chen Jingyu, had sent a formal request for a visit, saying she wanted to see her son. Many other requests had arrived along with Chen Jingyu’s—a thick stack in total. Not wanting to be disturbed, Ning Xuan had Yan Fuzhen turn them all down. However, since Chen Jingyu was Chen Nan’s mother, Ning Xuan felt it would be improper to dismiss her in the same manner. So, she gave the request to Chen Nan and told him to go home and spend time with his family to ease their worries.

’Chen Nan only went home this morning. It’s just noon, and he’s already back?’

Recalling the instructions his parents had given him when he got home that morning, Chen Nan immediately knelt before Ning Xuan. "Contractor, please forgive me. Mother submitted the visiting request because she wanted to report to you on the Inhibitor sales. Mentioning me was just a pretext. She was very surprised to see me home and thought I had made a mistake and been sent back because you were displeased with me."

Only after hearing Chen Nan’s explanation did Ning Xuan remember. Before the alchemy competition, she had given his mother, Chen Jingyu, the formula for an improved Inhibitor. It seemed Chen Jingyu had already successfully produced it and brought it to market.