Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

"This safe zone is so well hidden. With a design like this, they must not have planned on accepting any students here for the joint graduation exam," Ning Xuan questioned, looking down at the zone below from Di Youlin’s back.

"The Seventh Legion has always been arrogant. They only take orders from the Star Sky Council," Di Youlin said.

"Let’s go. We’ll head down and take a look inside," Ning Xuan said.

Lin Mo, Lan Xin, and Qinghe had already slipped inside, leaving just Ning Xuan and Di Youlin. They still didn’t know the specific details of the bounty, and Ning Xuan felt it was safer to split into two groups to investigate.

Ning Xuan and Di Youlin stood in the line to enter the city, overhearing a young student behind them excitedly talking with his companion. "We’re so lucky we managed to find the location of Zone 13. This place is so well-hidden; I never would have found it by myself."

"Seriously, so lucky. If we hadn’t found a safe zone to resupply soon, our squad wouldn’t have made it," the other person agreed.

"Newcomers, line up over here to register your information!" someone with a megaphone directed the queue.

Ning Xuan watched as the metal gate slowly opened and beams of light swept back and forth across the line of people entering. She carefully suppressed her Bloodline Energy, forcing it deep into her marrow and leaving only a trace amount flowing through her veins.

"Identity verification." A guard in a cold, metal mask swept a sensor over Ning Xuan. The device, glowing with an eerie blue light, showed no abnormalities. The guard brought it close, examining the reading intently before finally waving her through.

Di Youlin had a chip implanted in his body by the Military Department. It was a control measure, originally installed to prevent him from suddenly breaking down and undergoing a monstrous transformation.

’Those implants haven’t been removed yet. I wonder if the scan will detect anything unusual.’

Ning Xuan’s heart was in her throat, but Di Youlin was perfectly composed. He raised his arm and tilted his head back, allowing the guard to perform the scan. The result: no abnormalities.

The two of them passed the security check and entered Zone 13.

The interior of the safe zone resembled a steel forest, its angular buildings covered in a honeycomb-like defensive matrix.

This safe zone’s defensive capabilities were clearly a cut above the rest. It was obvious a vast amount of resources had been spent on its construction—just as one would expect from the wealthy and powerful Star Sky Council.

After entering, Ning Xuan and Di Youlin detected no unusual attention on them. They followed the group that had entered just ahead of them, first to the Merit Point exchange counter. They watched as the others turned in the Exotic Beasts they had hunted, converted them into Merit Points, rented lodging, and then headed off to browse the marketplace.

"Military-grade Flame Blades! Any customer with Fire Element Bloodline Energy, come take a look! This blade is a special custom order from the Fire Blade special forces! If you’ve got Fire Element Bloodline Energy, come and give it a try! Just channel your Flame Energy into the blade and unleash its Flame Ability!"

"Don’t just walk on by, you can’t miss this! Step right up, take a look! Military-grade Flame Blades, only two in stock! You can’t lose, and you won’t get fooled!" the vendor hawked, pushing his wares with gusto.

"Hey, boss! I’m a Fire Element user. Let me give it a try," a young man said, pushing his way out from the crowd of onlookers.

"Be my guest, be my guest!" the vendor said, his face breaking into a wide grin.

Ning Xuan had seen enough. She turned and headed for another stall.

’That Flame Blade has no energy fluctuations whatsoever; it’s completely incapable of storing Fire Element Energy. The vendor and that young man are probably in on it together, just trying to lure in a sucker.’

Ning Xuan had no intention of exposing the vendor’s scam, nor any interest in watching the rest of the show.

After wandering around for a while to confirm they weren’t being followed or watched, Ning Xuan and Di Youlin secretly rendezvoused with Yun Han and the others.

"Contractor, this safe zone is rich in all kinds of resources, including many goods brought from the Federation," Yun Han reported. "A force of 8,000 troops is stationed here under four commanders, but they all answer to a ’Young Master Mo.’ He’s said to be from the family of the Chairman of the Starry Sky Council, and he basically does whatever he wants here."

"I also saw the bounty," Yun Han continued. "It highlights three main traits: a female Alchemist, young, and powerful. It also makes special mention of her companion being exceptionally strong."

For them to have such a clear picture of Ning Xuan’s situation, the person who issued the bounty had to be someone who knew her.

"The description is unmistakable! That Young Master Mo is looking for you, Contractor!" Chen Nan exclaimed, jumping to his feet. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"What’s the reward for this bounty?" Ning Xuan asked.

"They say anyone who provides a lead will be guaranteed safety and transport to the final assembly point at the end of the exam," said Yun Han.

Ning Xuan’s expression remained neutral.

No one would be happy to find out there was a bounty on their head.

"Contractor, it’s getting late," Yun Han said, approaching her. "I’ve already prepared a room for you. We should get some rest and deal with everything else tomorrow."

"Other matters can wait until tomorrow," Ning Xuan instructed. "Qinghe, Lin Mo, first investigate everything you can about this Young Master Mo."

Qinghe immediately accepted the order and departed.

Ning Xuan returned to the rooms Yun Han had rented for her. The lodgings were beautifully constructed, fully equipped with a bathroom, a training hall, an Alchemy Room, and even an Artifact Refining room. Before she had even stepped foot inside, Yun Han had already swept the place countless times, removing all hidden cameras.

That night, Ning Xuan and her team held a meeting. The main topic of discussion was how to acquire the supplies they needed without drawing attention to themselves.

’Honestly, it’s shocking.’ Seeing man-portable Electromagnetic Cannons for sale with clearly marked prices was something Ning Xuan had never encountered in any other safe zone. Not only did they have personal-use Electromagnetic Cannons, but also all sorts of precision mechanical components and a comprehensive selection of parts for motorized vehicles. She found herself regretting not bringing Wang Teng and his people; they would have known exactly which materials were most valuable to procure.

Still, having worked together for so long, Ning Xuan and her team had a good idea of what they needed.

There were so many things Ning Xuan wanted to buy, but unfortunately, all of them required zone credits, which she, as a newcomer, had none of.

Ning Xuan looked into how to earn credits and saw that it involved completing various officially posted missions. The mission with the highest reward was, unsurprisingly, Young Master Mo’s bounty.

Providing any information about a young, female Alchemist would not only earn the protection of Zone 13 but also a reward of 10,000 credits.