A brief silence hung in the air.
Gen Chisei carefully reviewed the list of items again, then, choosing his words carefully, spoke slowly. "Miss… Uchiha Hikari, the items you've listed are indeed products that human society has developed, but…"
"There's a small issue."
Gen Chisei tapped the paper lightly. "Quite a few of these instruments aren't available in Japan. We'd likely need to contact manufacturers in Europe or the Americas directly. Even if negotiations succeed, the cost would probably be astronomical…"
This was normal.
In the field of scientific research, the biggest expense was always experimental equipment.
Especially for cutting-edge, high-precision devices—ones only a handful of manufacturers could produce and that were typically used only in national institutions or advanced labs—the price tags were often astronomical. On top of that, the costs for training and maintenance afterward could easily exceed the equipment's base price.
A conservative estimate put the total at tens of billions of yen to complete the purchase.
This wasn't like buying a few manga books.
The Uesugi family, despite their vast wealth and status as the shadow emperors of Japan's underworld, would struggle to mobilize such a massive cash flow on short notice.
Moreover…
Uesugi Etsu had only recently returned to the Uesugi family. To move funds of this magnitude, they'd likely need to consult the other family heads…
Worried that Uchiha Hikari, as a "Dragon King," might lack common knowledge of human society, Gen Chisei explained in detail.
"…You don't need to go into so much detail. I get it."
Uchiha Hikari waved a hand.
She hadn't calculated it carefully before, but now that she thought about it, the total cost of these instruments was indeed no small sum. The Uesugi family could definitely afford it, but it would take time and might impact their other businesses, possibly even stirring discontent among some members.
—If this were Su Enxi, she probably wouldn't care, considering how she could whip up a hundred million dollars for Lu Mingfei in minutes…
"Alright."
"I know this request is a bit much, but I'd still appreciate your help. In exchange…"
Uchiha Hikari thought for a moment, then pulled out two universal capsules, opening one of them.
"This serum suppressant was made by someone I commissioned. It can effectively stabilize the bloodline ratio of hybrids, preventing them from losing control… It should be useful for the 'ghosts' in your family. You can take it back, study it, and see if you can mass-produce it."
The so-called "ghosts" referred to the Uesugi family's hybrids whose bloodlines had gone out of control.
Eri was technically a "ghost" too, but because she'd been raised in isolation and protected, her temperament remained stable, keeping her from becoming like the fierce ghosts of the crowd.
In theory, if the serum suppressant worked for her, it should work for the other "ghosts" as well.
"And…"
Uchiha Hikari opened the second capsule. "This thing's no longer useful to me. Take it and see if you can make some alchemical weapons out of it."
As the sealing jutsu unraveled, a pile of blood-drenched bones materialized in the wooden room.
A sturdy spine, dark cyan scales, massive clawed limbs…
Even though it was just a fragment of the complete corpse, one could still sense the majestic and imposing presence of its owner in life.
That's right.
This was the corpse of a Dragon Bone Essence!
The Dragon Bone Essence was enormous, even larger than the Ten Thousand Serpents. The main portion had been taken by Totosai earlier, but Uchiha Hikari had kept a smaller piece of the remains.
Initially, she hadn't decided how to use this part of the corpse. She'd even considered digging out the meat to roast and eat, but now…
"If you can make weapons from it, save one for me."
Compared to Uchiha Hikari's casual tone, Gen Chisei froze for a moment before bolting up from the sofa, staring in shock. "This is…?!"
"A pureblood dragon's corpse?!"
…
"That's right, a dragon!"
At the same time, a dozen white-coated researchers in the control room stood up from their chairs in unison.
Eri had always had several medical teams monitoring her.
But after Uchiha Hikari, the suspected "White King incarnate," appeared, this team—originally tasked with observing "Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto's" health— was quickly expanded. Their duties now included researching the "White King lady's" origins, temperament, preferences, and her relationship with "Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto."
To better accomplish these tasks, nearly every medical staff member had a copy of Naruto.
The Uesugi family even funded a studio for Kishimoto Seishi, assigning a few clan members with artistic talent to assist him, constantly trying to "awaken" Kishimoto's memories of entering "Nibelungen" back then.
Whether they succeeded or not was unclear, but the plot of Naruto had started veering in increasingly bizarre directions…
And now, with Uchiha Hikari's reappearance, the medical team sprang into action.
"By analyzing the two lists Miss 'White King' provided, we can infer she's studying human physiology—last time through H-manga for surface observation, this time through medical equipment for internal study…"
"The so-called 'serum suppressant' might be made from her own blood. According to ancient texts, a Dragon King's blood can stabilize a hybrid's bloodline…"
"This corpse she's brought out now is likely from a third-generation dragon… no, maybe even a next-generation dragon!"
"Based on the length and size of that claw, we can roughly model its living body structure…"
Amid the heated discussion, someone raised a hand. "Is it possible that Miss 'White King's' two requests aren't related, and she just wanted something spicy to look at…?"
"Quiet! How can you use human thinking to judge a Dragon King?"
Another person shot back sternly.
The one who raised the hand muttered, "But history does record Dragon Kings who liked spicy stuff, like Attila the Hun over a thousand years ago…"
"Hm…"
The control room fell silent for a moment, then a new round of debate began.
…
Uchiha Hikari had no idea that her "White King" image had solidified further thanks to the Dragon Bone Essence corpse.
Right now, she was making another request to Gen Chisei. "One more thing.
I need a legal identity and passports for the major countries of this world. That should be easy for the Uesugi family to handle, right?"
Been swamped with overtime lately, only finding time to write after getting home, so updates are coming late. Once this busy period is over, I'll get back to a normal schedule. Thanks for your understanding…
(End of Chapter)