Wei Jing’s eyes lit up. "Is that true?"
"Of course. We at Dragon Base never lie," Ji Yizhi said with a smile and a nod.
"In that case, thank you!" Wei Jing accepted cheerfully.
Originally, Xin Wan had brought five of these Evolution Potions. Now, seeing her parents’ poor condition, she decided against offering the maximum reward. While it wasn’t entirely the Iron Wing Fleet’s fault, they had, after all, nearly starved to death under their care.
If Wei Jing had known this, he would have made sure Xin Yu and Guo Yao were kept plump and healthy!
"If there’s nothing else, we’ll be heading back," Ji Yizhi said, preparing to leave.
"Wait a moment!" Wei Jing stopped Ji Yizhi. "Our fleet is running low on food. Is it possible to purchase some from Dragon Base?"
"Of course. As long as you have resources we need, you can come and trade with us anytime," Ji Yizhi nodded. "However, you should have said so earlier. We could have brought the food over during the talent trade."
"That was indeed an oversight on my part." Wei Jing nodded slightly. "Once we’ve determined what resources we can trade, we’ll contact you."
"Alright, we’ll wait for your message!" Ji Yizhi waved, then gave the order to return to Dragon Base.
The Dragon Base vessel turned around and headed back at full speed.
Wei Jing stood at the bow, watching them depart. He sighed, "If only we had a ship that fast."
"That’s nearly impossible in the short term," an aide beside him said, shaking his head.
Wei Jing glanced at him and replied, "Then tell the lab to keep trying!"
Then he turned and walked toward the ship’s cabins.
Meanwhile, Xin Yu had completed his physical exam. Other than malnutrition and weakness, there were no other issues.
Xin Wan took him to the ship’s mess hall to get him something to eat.
Even before they entered the mess hall, Xin Yu could smell the aroma of cooked food—there was even the scent of meat!
Considering Xin Yu hadn’t eaten properly in a long time, Xin Wan ordered some easily digestible food.
When Xin Yu saw her scan a code to pay for the food, he quickly said, "Just a bowl of congee is enough for me. We should be frugal!"
Xin Wan smiled slightly. "Dad, don’t worry. Food on Dragon Base is very cheap! You’ll never go hungry again!"
Xin Yu was stunned. "Cheap food? Has Dragon Base made some major breakthrough in agricultural technology?"
"To be precise, it’s Peach Blossom Base that’s had a major breakthrough in agriculture," Xin Wan replied with a smile.
"Peach Blossom Base?" Xin Yu felt as if he had become completely detached from the world.
"You’ll learn all about it later," Xin Wan replied. "For now, just eat."
Xin Yu nodded and ate all the food Xin Wan had ordered for him.
"It feels so good to be full!" Xin Yu remarked, then asked tentatively, "Wan’er, it seems like you have a pretty high status on Dragon Base?"
Xin Wan paused for a moment, then shook her head. "It’s not that my status is high, but my position as the Head of the Logistics Department for Peach Blossom Base is highly respected."
"Huh? You’re not a member of Dragon Base?" Xin Yu was surprised.
Xin Wan nodded. "Right, I’m from Peach Blossom Base. The reason Dragon Base treats me with such respect is because our leader is the master of Dragon Base’s three captains. And I happen to be quite close to our leader."
"Master?" Xin Yu was even more astonished. ’What era is this? Who still uses such an old-fashioned title?’
But he was more concerned about the last part of her sentence.
"What is your relationship with this leader?" Xin Yu’s brow furrowed. He clearly suspected that the leader of Peach Blossom Base had taken advantage of Xin Wan.
Xin Wan instantly understood what he was thinking and rolled her eyes, exasperated. "The leader isn’t the kind of person you’re imagining. I’m just one of the founding members who survived at sea with him from the very beginning!"
Xin Yu nodded slightly, breathing a sigh of relief.
Xin Wan pouted and muttered, ’I might be interested, but the leader isn’t!’
"What are you mumbling about?" Xin Yu hadn’t heard her clearly.
"Nothing. Let’s go check on Mom," Xin Wan said, getting up to leave.
The father and daughter arrived at the medical bay. Guo Yao was lying on a bed with an IV drip, her complexion much better than when she first arrived.
As if sensing Xin Wan’s presence, Guo Yao slowly opened her eyes. Seeing her daughter, tears streamed down her face again.
"I’m not dreaming, am I?"
Xin Wan quickly sat by the bedside and used a tissue to wipe away Guo Yao’s tears.
"Of course not. Our family is finally reunited," Xin Wan replied.
"It’s so good to be reunited!" Guo Yao grabbed Xin Wan’s hand, holding it tightly as if she would disappear the moment she let go.
The two of them talked for a long time before Guo Yao fell into a deep sleep again.
Xin Wan arranged a room for her father and told him to get some rest as well.
By the time they arrived back at Dragon Base, it was already one in the morning.
Xin Wan wasn’t in a hurry to get back to Peach Blossom Base, so she just spent the night on the ship.
Early the next morning, Xin Wan took Xin Yu and a now-mobile Guo Yao to have breakfast in the ship’s mess hall.
Seeing the hearty breakfast, Guo Yao was naturally astounded.
"Does Dragon Base have a lot of food?"
"Lots. More than we can eat," Xin Wan replied with a smile. "We’ll just make do with this for breakfast today. When we get back to Peach Blossom Base, I’ll cook something delicious for you myself!"
Guo Yao nodded in shock, not quite understanding why Dragon Base would have more food than they could eat.
After breakfast, Xin Wan said her goodbyes to Ji Yizhi, then boarded a speedboat with Xin Yu and Guo Yao to head for Peach Blossom Base.
Having stayed in the cabins since boarding Dragon Base’s large ship the day before, Xin Yu and his wife hadn’t really noticed its speed.
Now, sitting in the speedboat and watching the sea race past them, Xin Yu asked in amazement, "Where did you find a speedboat this fast?"
"We didn’t find it. This speedboat was enhanced by our leader!" Xin Wan explained with a smile. "You probably didn’t notice yesterday since you were in the cabin, but last night, our large ship traveled six hundred kilometers in five hours!"
"What? That’s impossible!" Xin Yu exclaimed. "A ship that large could never reach one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour! Neither the engines nor the hull strength would support it!"
Xin Wan took out her phone, found a video, and played it for Xin Yu.
The video showed a destroyer effortlessly toying with an entire aircraft carrier fleet.
After watching the video, Xin Yu was still in disbelief. "This must be special effects, right?"
Xin Wan rolled her eyes. "Dad, the world has changed. You can’t keep looking at things with your old mindset!"
Guo Yao nodded in agreement. "That’s right. I believe it’s real. Otherwise, why would Dragon Base openly sell Evolution Potions?"
Xin Yu paused, then nodded.
’If they hadn’t made a breakthrough in naval technology, no base would dare to openly sell Evolution Potions. Without enough power to protect themselves, offering Evolution Potions would only bring disaster upon them!’
Having figured that out, Xin Yu continued to ask, "How does Peach Blossom Base enhance these ships? What materials do they use? I’m thinking these materials might have applications in the space program!"
Xin Wan was a bit exasperated. "Don’t bother trying to research the materials; you won’t get anywhere. But if you have a spacecraft, the leader can enhance it for you."
"Huh?" Xin Yu’s face was full of confusion.
"It’s impossible to explain. You just need to focus all your efforts on developing a craft that can travel through space," Xin Wan replied helplessly.
As they spoke, Xin Wan and her parents arrived back at Peach Blossom Base.
Seeing the vast Banyan Forest, Xin Yu and his wife were once again completely shocked.
They truly felt like they were out of touch with this new world.
"Welcome to Peach Blossom Base!" Ren Yuanyang greeted them with a smile.
Xin Wan quickly made the introduction. "This is the leader of our Peach Blossom Base."
Xin Yu was stunned again. ’He’d always assumed the leader of a base would be middle-aged at least. He never expected the leader of Peach Blossom Base to be so young!’
Guo Yao, on the other hand, was looking Ren Yuanyang up and down, the way a mother-in-law sizes up a potential son-in-law.
Xin Wan quickly tugged at Guo Yao’s sleeve and said, "Leader, I was wondering if my parents could also live here at Peach Blossom Base?"
Ren Yuanyang replied with a smile, "Of course they can. Your parents can choose for themselves whether to live within the Banyan Forest or on a ship."
"Thank you, Leader!" Xin Wan replied happily.
But Xin Yu spoke up and refused, "We won’t be staying at Peach Blossom Base."

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