Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

"The coordinates for the assembly point have appeared. Now comes the chaos." Ning Xuan smiled as she looked at the coordinates.

In the early stages of the exam, most candidates formed teams to survive, complete exploration tasks, and hunt Exotic Beasts for Merit Points. After several months of fighting and growth, all the surviving candidates now possessed a certain level of strength.

As everyone converged on the assembly point, higher-ranked teams and individuals would become thorns in the sides of others. A small, high-ranking team like Ning Xuan’s was undoubtedly a juicy piece of meat in the eyes of their competitors.

"Where are the coordinates? Are they far from us? Should we head over there now?" Tang Xue asked, running over.

"The assembly point is at coordinates (90, 90). It’s very close to us. We can go submit our mission, and then head to the assembly point anytime," Ning Xuan replied with a smile.

They could skip submitting other missions, but they had to turn in the one for successfully mapping the Dark Forest. After all, the reward was too generous, and it came with a lot of Merit Points.

Their current location was the Dark Forest, at coordinates (83.4, 87.9). The reason Ning Xuan chose to explore the Dark Forest near the end of the exam was that, with a hint from Ying Yaoshi, she had long guessed the assembly point would be in the central region. As it turned out, her guess was correct.

Of course, the Seventh Legion’s ability to seize such an advantageous position as Zone 13 was also a display of the powerful influence the Mo Family and the Star Sky Council wielded at every level of the Federation.

"Contractor, we plotted against Mo Yu not long ago. If we go to Zone 13 to submit our mission, aren’t we just walking right into a trap?" Lin Mo asked, worried.

Not only was Zone 13 located in the central region, but its area of influence was also vast. The nearest safe zone, Zone 12, was hundreds of kilometers away.

Choosing the farther option over the closer one, and rushing there and back, would be a waste of time.

Besides, the Mo Family was powerful. If they had already sent people to lie in wait at Zone 12, it would be pointless for them to go.

"Contractor, uh, before we came, Housekeeper Yan gave me a token. He said General Ying arranged it. If we run into any trouble in Zone 13, we’re to take this token and find General Cui Shaobing." Chen Nan raised his hand, pulling a medal the size of a gold coin from inside his jacket and handing it to Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan was a little surprised. She took it and saw that it was a golden medal engraved with a line of clear, small words: Battle of A164 Commemorative Medal.

"You’re quite obedient to him, aren’t you? He gives you something, you take it. He tells you when to show it, and that’s when you show it." Ning Xuan toyed with the medal, looking at Chen Nan with a half-smile.

Hearing this, Chen Nan immediately dropped to his knees, not daring to utter a single word. In his heart, he believed that since General Ying was also Ning Xuan’s Contractor, he would never harm her. Besides, General Ying was the supreme Commander of the Federation Military—a man of lofty status. Obeying his commands was, in Chen Nan’s mind, perfectly normal.

Initially, when Ying Yaoshi confirmed that Ning Xuan was going to register for the exam, he had planned to assign a team of his personal guards to protect her. However, Ning Xuan rejected the idea as soon as he brought it up. Later, Ying Yaoshi offered to arrange some helpers for her, which Ning Xuan also refused.

With no other choice, Ying Yaoshi went to great lengths to push through a new rule allowing female Spirit Controllers in the joint graduation exam to bring two Contractors or slaves with them. Of course, any accompanying Contractors or slaves had to be under twenty-five years of age.

However, even with Yun Han and the others by Ning Xuan’s side, Ying Yaoshi was still not at ease. From among those accompanying Ning Xuan, Ying Yaoshi chose Chen Nan and briefed him on the backup he had secretly arranged, instructing him to call for aid immediately if the need arose.

"If you’re so obedient to him, why don’t you have him transfer you to his side?" As soon as Ning Xuan said this, Chen Nan was panic-stricken.

"No, Contractor! I know I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Please, punish me!" From what Ning Xuan had just said, Chen Nan finally understood why she was angry.

First, he shouldn’t have secretly accepted something from General Ying, especially since it wasn’t a personal matter between them but concerned Ning Xuan. Second, even if he believed it was for Ning Xuan’s own good, he should have reported it to her immediately after accepting it, not waited until now to bring it out.

Realizing this, Chen Nan ignored the presence of Tang Xue and the others, hugging Ning Xuan’s leg and begging for forgiveness.

"Contractor, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have secretly taken orders from General Ying."

Chen Nan recalled how, before they departed, he had suddenly received a video call from Ying Yaoshi, who told him that he’d had Housekeeper Yan send something and instructed him to take good care of Ning Xuan.

The whole exchange had the air of a first wife giving instructions to a junior concubine. He hadn’t found it the least bit odd and had agreed without hesitation.

After all, the hierarchy among Contractors was typically determined by their own social status.

General Ying’s status was plain to see. It was perfectly normal for him to adopt the attitude of a first wife.

"Alright. You were bold enough when you did it, so why put on this pathetic act now? Take it back. I’ll settle this score with you later." Ning Xuan tossed the medal onto the ground in front of Chen Nan.

In truth, she wasn’t that angry. When she had first decided to participate in the joint graduation exam, Ying Yaoshi had wanted to place people by her side. She refused, and they argued. In the heat of the moment, she had also refused the connections he offered. Later, she actually felt a bit of regret. After all, Ying Yaoshi had only meant well.

Ning Xuan knew in her heart that whether she was willing to admit it or not, she couldn’t change one fact: Ying Yaoshi had shielded her from a great deal of trouble, both openly and behind the scenes.

For one thing, there was the situation with Di Youlin’s family. If it weren’t for Ying Yaoshi backing her, the Di Family might have actually gone so far as to abduct and imprison her.

It was just that Ying Yaoshi’s domineering behavior during their first meeting had left a lingering sense of awkwardness in Ning Xuan’s heart.

Ying Yaoshi had then turned around and given the connections he had prepared to Chen Nan. Now that Ning Xuan knew, she wasn’t so much angry as she was filled with an indescribable feeling. However, she couldn’t condone the two of them communicating privately about her affairs, though now was not the time to press the issue.

"Thank you for your mercy, Contractor." Seeing that Ning Xuan didn’t intend to punish him right now, Chen Nan picked up the medal and withdrew to the side.

They then returned to discussing how to submit their completed mission. Clearly, uploading it to the cloud at Zone 13 was the best option.

"The assembly point coordinates were just announced, so there isn’t much activity around here yet. In a few more days, Zone 13 will get very busy. All the candidates preparing to return will gather in this area. As an official safe zone, they can’t refuse entry to candidates. We’ll go in disguise, quickly finish what we need to do, and then leave. It shouldn’t be a problem," Ning Xuan said.