Inside the secret biolab aboard the Scarlet Rose, a woman wearing a lab coat meticulously adjusted her lab equipment. Numerous sensors and scanners thoroughly screened a sample of the serum taken from the vial.

"How is it, doc?"

The woman raised herself from the screens and frowned for a time. She idly adjusted her odd green hair as she recorded a few notes.

"It's bad." She eventually replied. "Every single sample of the serum is identical to the depleted ones you've given me before. While it doesn't make sense, they're all inert. None of the biological components exhibit any signs of activity. While I cannot make any solid conclusions, I think it is highly probable that it can't be used to extend anyone's life anymore."

Ves looked crushed. Ranya's verdict matched his own judgement. If the mysterious life-prolonging treatments relied on life-attributed energy to achieve their intended effect, then a serum with no energy couldn't even add a single year to anyone's lifespan!

The loss was especially considerable when he considered that his vial contained a high-grade serum. If he saved it all up and used it at the right time, he could have lived up to four centuries old!

A lot of powerful people would literally kill to obtain this benefit! It took way too many merits to redeem such an advanced serum from the Big Two. Ves found it difficult to accept that he had lost all of the precious universal life energy.

While Ves felt very upset that his mother did not spare any of it, he knew he shouldn't blame her too much. She truly needed all of the strength that she could get. Not only did she manage to beat up the Unending One at his peak, she also exerted just enough strength to bring the material realm and the imaginary realm within touching distance.

He would have lost everything if he didn't sacrifice so much.

Besides, it was not as if all of the highly-potent energy disappeared. His mother retained much of it in the form of permanent growth. She had become more powerful than ever. None of the dark gods lurking in the Nyxian Gap should pose a threat to her anymore!

His mother had probably become the top predator of the Nyxian Gap with this power boost. Aside from some ancient hazards, she mainly had to watch out of the Five Scrolls Compact.

Ves was not sure how the Ruined Temple would respond once it found that Temple Protector Dista encountered a mishap.

Would the Ruined Temple dispatch another Temple Protector? What if they sent someone stronger?

One of his worst fears was encountering another Holy Son!

There was no way that Ves stood a chance against his nominal 'peer'. Compared to an actual Holy Son, Ves was probably worse off in so many ways. The Metal Scroll largely dictated their relationship and Ves also suspected that it was defective.

This was why he was in a hurry to leave the Komodo Star Sector! There was no way that he wanted to be within reach of the Compact's inevitable follow-up parties.

Fortunately, it should take a while for them to arrive. The new Milky Way Galactic Gate Network may have shortened travel times enormously, but the amount of gates was still sparse.

As Ves kept musing about how much time he had left in this star sector, Ranya slowly halted her examination.

"All of my attempts at inducing activity have failed." She spoke with a disappointed tone. "It's a huge shame we haven't preserved a single intact drop. I could have kept researching it even if the rest of the serum is ruined."

He heard a small hint of reproach from her tone. She still felt pissed that Ves did not entrust her with an active sample for more than a couple of hours every week.

It wouldn't have mattered. With the might displayed by his mother, she would have reached into this compartment as well in order to absorb any loose ends.

When it came to sucking energy, she was absolutely rapacious!

He coughed. "Let's not waste our time on recriminations. The serum has lost potency, but it should still have a lot of research value, right?"

She reluctantly nodded. "While it's not as good as a proper sample, we can still make use of the inert serum in several ways. We can separate each biological component and trace where they came from. We can feed some of the residue to other organisms in order to affect their growth. We can partially derive how the serum is synthesized and figure out how it affects the human body. In short, there is enough work to keep me occupied for decades."

"I'll leave the vial in your hands, then. I have no use of it anymore. Just make sure you don't waste any of the remaining serum on destructive experiments without my permission. I still have hope of reviving it someday."

He already tried to insert his spiritual energy into the serum. Alas, even if his spiritual energy was also based on life, it followed a different direction. There was no way for him to restore the serum's life at the moment.

Perhaps that might change in the future. Until then, there was little point carrying it on his person while it remained dead.

He proceeded to talk about other matters with Ranya. He hadn't paid as much attention to her in the last couple of months as fighting the pirates came first. Now seemed like a good time to make up for his neglect.

"How are the treatments of our injured Larkinsons faring along?"

"They're doing much better now that we've transferred them all to the Wodin Warriors." She replied. "We have been doing the best we can, but our medical specialists and treatment facilities are not up to par. The reinforcements can provide the wounded with much better care. I still envy the facilities aboard the Parma Imago."

The Parma Imago was the flagship of the Hexer reinforcement fleet. Classified as a 'light fleet carrier', the large sub-capital vessel packed up to 120 mechs in her hull.

He heard that the Wodin Warriors possessed even larger fleet carriers. It was a bit inconvenient for them to bring these proper capital ships in a region filled with asteroids, though.

"We'll solve both of the inadequacies you've mentioned." Ves promised. "Right after the previous couple of battles, we were unable to provide adequate treatment to hundreds of injured Larkinsons. They died unnecessarily because we didn't have the manpower and facilities to perform proper triage."

This was one of the areas he hadn't paid enough attention. Despite investing considerably in Ranya and the Larkinson Biotech Institute, a lot of the funding went towards expanding its augmentation capabilities.

"We'll be much better off once we return. Our institute has already recruited a lot of medical experts back on Cinach VI. The new Hexer vessels we've ordered should also come with much better treatment facilities."

"That sounds good, but don't go crazy. Once we begin our expedition, we'll stop by the Life Research Association. You can recruit as many doctors and biotech researchers as you want there. Don't be afraid of hiring more than we need. Our clan will continually expand as we go, but we can only stop by the LRA once."

"Understood, sir. We will make sure our Institute is filled with an abundance of doctors. With everything that has happened lately, it has become a lot easier for us to attract talented personnel."

They talked a bit more about what they expected to gain by visiting the Life Research Association. The unique second-rate state from Majestic Teal was a popular destination for many organizations looking to hire a large quantity of biotech experts.

"The LRA also offers other excellent services." She noted to Ves. "For example, we've often scratched our heads at the various mysteries that take place within your body. Your Jutland organ is especially mystifying. If anyone can help you decipher its bioprogramming, I believe some of the top researchers might be able to offer some insights."

"The CFA has already scanned my Jutland organ long ago."

"Did they ever get back to you about their findings?"

"..No."

Ranya chuckled. "That's the CFA for you. The fleeters only care about themselves. Look, your physique has changed drastically since that time. All the upgrades, augmentations and optimizations have turned your body into a puzzle from my perspective. While I haven't detected any serious concerns, it is truly best if you can consult a master in this field."

"Is it that serious?"

"Well, you can disregard my professional advice if you'd like. Just don't blame me if your Jutland organ spontaneously releases so much heat that all of your body tissue burns up in an instant one day. This is just one of the many accidents that can happen."

"...I see your point. I will put it on my list. I'm not sure if we can approach the LRA's top specialists. They're the equivalent of Master Mech Designers."

"I'm sure you'll manage somehow. Our Larkinson Clan is so famous these days that many powerful entities are willing to entertain us. Just make sure you offer something that is valuable enough to merit their attention."

She probably referred to his spiritually-enhanced mechs. It was not that much of a secret within the Larkinson Clan that Ves truly grasped a means of increasing the chances of breakthroughs.

Even if it had proven dangerous in some cases, Ves daily entertained requests to provide these specially-treated mechs to his mech pilots!

The surviving mech pilots who still retained their enhanced mechs attracted a lot of jealousy from the rest. Even after a month of reaping the benefits, the lucky mech pilots were still improving their skills and piloting acumen at a steady rate!

Even if these mech pilots never became expert candidates, they should still be able to become the premier elites of the Larkinson Clan!

Ves was not concerned about the Larkinsons who still lacked access to these precious mechs. It was too difficult to meet their demands without access to proper production facilities. He might as well wait until he returned to civilized space and produce a large batch of LMC mechs to placate his men. They all deserved to enjoy some of the best of what his design philosophy had to offer.

"How much progress have you made in your personal research?" He curiously asked as he looked around the lab.

He noted plenty of strange plants, some of which he hadn't seen before.

"Oh, if there is one benefit to this crazy trip, it's that I've managed to get my hands on a lot of rare and unique plants!" Ranya suddenly grinned. "You can't believe how much biodiversity the Nyxian Gap offers. I've found several interesting collections at Ulimo Citadel. I've found even stranger flora in the Gravada Knarlax. While I still have to sort through all of the new samples, I have already made several breakthroughs. I will probably proceed with the next stage of my self-augmentation after we have concluded our trip to the LRA."

"That fast?"

"I'm not getting any younger."

As Ves caught up with Ranya, he asked one more question before he left.

"Do you know Colonel Alexandria Wodin?"

Ranya nodded. "Of course. Every Wodin knows her. She's one of the most successful Wodins of her generation."

"Tell me something I should know about her. Is she related to Constance Wodin?"

"I don't know. I am not very familiar with what goes on at their level. I don't think they're close, though. Minister Constance is mainly preoccupied with internal matters while Colonel Alexandria mostly pays attention to external affairs. What I can say about the latter is that she's eager to take part in the Komodo War. I don't think you'll have to worry about her for long. Once she has completed her mission, she'll surely bring her troops to the frontlines."

"Ah." That explained the colonel's interest in his enhanced mechs.