Chapter 226: Fertility Value
"Dr. Ai, Lanlan is not your research subject. Please be mindful of that."
Ye Ming knew Dr. Ai was a research fanatic and a workaholic. His record was staying in his lab for fourteen days straight, forgoing food and drink for only nutrient solutions.
Judging by Dr. Ai’s expression, Ye Ming had no doubt he had his eyes on Shi Lan.
A look of regret appeared in Dr. Ai’s eyes. "Eldest Prince, I mean no harm. I was just thinking I should upgrade the scanner again. I suspect that Miss Shi Lan’s Spiritual Power Level is above S."
"Besides, we have never seen a female exceed S-level before. When they are tested, the threshold line usually gets infinitely close to S, but we’ve never seen this kind of anomaly where it surpasses the S line and wavers back and forth like it did with Miss Shi Lan."
Ye Ming frowned. "That won’t be necessary, Dr. Ai. I’ll need you to keep this secret under wraps. You only need to know that Lanlan is S-level. Nothing more."
S-level females were already rare, and for some unknown reason, not a single one had appeared among the younger generation in recent years.
Shi Lan’s spiritual power suddenly jumping from the F-level everyone used to talk about to its current S-level was already earth-shattering. If people found out her Spiritual Power Level was higher than any female in history, the trouble would be endless, and the danger to her would be even greater.
Shi Lan quietly moved to Ye Ming’s side, her expression showing she agreed with him.
’Innocence is no protection when you possess a treasure.’ Her status as an S-level female was already conspicuous enough; there was no need to prove anything more.
"Very well."
Dr. Ai looked disappointed, but he couldn’t help but add, "Eldest Prince, although your collapse values have suddenly dropped, no one can be sure they won’t become High Level again. We must find a real solution before that happens. Otherwise... well, no research has confirmed what terrible risks a second High Level spiritual power collapse might entail."
"Eldest Prince, if Miss Shi Lan’s spiritual power is truly above S-level, perhaps she is the key to treating High Level spiritual power collapse. May I collect a sample of Miss Shi Lan’s blood for research?"
"No!"
Out of a desire to protect Shi Lan, Ye Ming refused flatly. Even though Dr. Ai was someone he trusted, Shi Lan’s safety was more important.
"Very well then. In that case, Eldest Prince, can you tell me how your collapse values suddenly dropped? You said before that you’d tell me when you had the chance."
Dr. Ai settled for the next best thing. He felt that Ye Ming and the others were still hiding something about the matter of their collapse values.
Ye Ming lowered his gaze. He had indeed said that before, but at the time, he didn’t know Shi Lan’s spiritual power might exceed S. There were, at least, other females with S Spiritual Power. But if hers was higher, Shi Lan would be one of a kind. That was too risky.
He pressed his lips together. "Dr. Ai, I suggest you continue focusing your research on Chao Si. If you keep modifying that last formula of yours, it might actually succeed."
As soon as Dr. Ai heard this, he knew Ye Ming had no intention of saying anything more.
The hopeful light in his eyes dimmed a little. Shi Lan knew the whole story but didn’t interject. She wasn’t that selfless; she had her own selfish desire to protect herself.
Ye Ming spoke again. "Dr. Ai, let’s proceed with the Fertility Value measurement."
"Right."
Dr. Ai understood Ye Ming’s personality. Since he had decided not to talk, no amount of questioning would get him to reveal a single thing.
He didn’t press the matter further. He only gave Shi Lan one more look before leading the two of them to another testing room.
The Fertility Value test took longer than the spiritual power test. It required Shi Lan to lie down inside a special testing pod.
Shi Lan lay down as instructed. The testing pod closed, and blue lines began scanning her body from the neck down, a bit like a CT scan.
A minute or two later, Shi Lan heard a mechanical voice announce, "Scan complete. Analyzing Fertility Value."
Xiao Du seemed to sense something and suddenly spoke in her mind. ’Master, I took a look around during the scan just now. I’ve discovered that as your soul changes, your body is becoming more and more like your own.’
’Huh?’ Shi Lan thought, not quite understanding what it meant.
Xiao Du continued, ’This means your Fertility Value is related to your previous body. Your Fertility Value shouldn’t be 0.’
Suddenly, Xiao Du let out a surprised cry in her mind. Shi Lan asked with concern, ’What’s wrong?’
Xiao Du quickly shook its head. ’Master, the little vine awakened its spirit body too! It just said that it’s energy gathered and nurtured from the plants of Black Star. Because you came from Earth, and the plants on Black Star originally came from Earth, its energy has a more significant effect on you. After your body was transformed by the Energy Ball, it seems your Fertility Value can reach 100.’
’What?’
Shi Lan almost cried out loud. This time, she was truly terrified. ’How could it be 100? That’s too dangerous!’
A Fertility Value of 100 was different from having S Spiritual Power. If someone with ill intentions discovered it, she could be captured and used as a breeding machine.
Xiao Du seemed to be communicating with the vine in her mind. After a moment, it spoke again, ’Don’t worry, Master. It said that because your main spirit body is special—it says I’m a fungus—your Fertility Value is unique. You can choose to hide or display it.’
’It was hidden just now. The final result will most likely be 0.’
Hearing this, Shi Lan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The color slowly returned to her pale face.
’Anything is fine, as long as it’s not 100.’
But Shi Lan was still a little uneasy. She waited for another two minutes until she heard the machine report, "Test results are in. Fertility Value: 0." Only then did she finally relax completely.
That had really scared her to death just now. She had even been thinking about how to change her name and go into hiding, finding some place to disappear just like Donald.
When Shi Lan emerged, her face was still pale. Ye Ming thought she was upset about her Fertility Value, so he gently pulled her into his arms and comforted her. "It’s okay. I don’t care about having children. If Lanlan likes kids, we can adopt a few in the future."
Dr. Ai had never seen Ye Ming act like this. Listening to his words and seeing the gentle look in his eyes as he gazed at Shi Lan, he felt a mix of complex emotions.
The Eldest Prince, a dignified male with 3S Spiritual Power, heir to the Empire, with a Fertility Value of 47, was actually willing to give up his own excellent bloodline for this female, even forgoing descendants.
The reason having children was so difficult in the interstellar era was that it required both partners to have high Fertility Values. This only increased the probability of producing offspring; it wasn’t a guarantee. There were even females who, after having one child, would not conceive again for decades.
And a value of 0 meant it was completely impossible.
However, the Eldest Prince’s affairs were not Dr. Ai’s to manage. He just thought about it for a moment, his eyes fixed on the veins beneath the fair skin of Shi Lan’s wrist, a look of longing in his eyes.
Too bad the Eldest Prince was completely unwilling to let him draw a bit of blood for his research.