Chapter 238: Keeping Her Word I [BONUS]

The afternoon sun beamed down over the courtyard of the Starlight facility in District Two.

Six massive military transport trucks sat in a neat line, their engines humming quietly while armed Provost soldiers stood guard around the perimeter.

Raymond Wells walked alongside Major Bradley, clutching an electronic clipboard with trembling fingers. His eyes were wide with pure disbelief as he watched the automated loading droids transfer pallet after pallet of emerald-glass jars into the climate-controlled cargo bays.

All ten thousand jars of Star-Jade Cellular Regeneration Salve were officially sealed and packed. Every single container carried the dual seal of Starlight Pharmaceuticals and House Vesper, flanked by the newly minted imperial defense stamp.

"Ten thousand units verified and accounted for, Major," Raymond said. "Every single batch passed purity testing at ninety-nine point eight percent."

Bradley signed the electronic manifest, turned to Raymond and handed him a thick folder stamped in crimson wax.

"Thirty million have just been deposited into Starlight’s primary operating account," Bradley announced with a gruff, satisfied grin. "That covers the initial procurement bonus and the first military requisition payment."

Raymond bowed toward Bradley and then toward Evren, who stood nearby on the loading platform.

"Chairman Evren, Miss Calista, we did it," Raymond whispered.

"You and the staff earned this, Raymond," Evren replied with a warm nod. "Distribute a ten percent production bonus to every cleanroom technician on shift today."

Raymond beamed with pride. "Right away, Chairman! I’ll process the bonuses before the evening shift starts."

Major Bradley walked over to join Evren and Calista near the entrance of the administrative wing. The veteran officer looked relaxed, his usual stern expression replaced by genuine satisfaction.

"Director Crowe spent his morning in an interrogation cell at the Provost garrison," Bradley said in a low tone. "Our investigators seized every document from his desk and locked down the Board’s affiliate laboratories across District Two."

"Did Crowe confess to where he acquired the trial sample?" Calista asked.

"He tried to blame a junior clerk, but the audit trails told the real story," Bradley answered with a sharp chuckle. "A corrupt logistics officer at the military sanatorium leaked a test jar in exchange for stock options in Crowe’s shell company. Both of them are facing military tribunals under Decree Twelve."

"Good," Evren said smoothly. "Corrupt officials who gamble with soldiers’ lives belong behind bars."

"The Defense Division agrees completely," Bradley replied, tapping the stout leather folder under his arm.

"Your charter is officially registered across all imperial registries," the major continued. "No civilian bureaucrat can ever touch Starlight again without answering to an imperial court-martial."

After Bradley departed with the convoy, Evren accompanied Calista back inside the main facility to her private research laboratory on the third floor. The room was bright and sterile, filled with modern alchemical distillation arrays, centrifugal chambers, and vacuum-sealed storage cabinets.

On the central workbench, two rows of slender glass vials rested inside a temperature-controlled cooling rack. One set contained a shimmering teal liquid, while the other glowed with a soft, radiant silver hue.

"The Star-Jade Salve takes care of external physical trauma," Calista explained, leading Evren to the workbench. "It closes lacerations, seals burns, and repairs damaged muscle tissue from the outside."

"And these two?" Evren asked, studying the glowing solutions.

"These are the other two formulas I told about from the beginning," Calista said, her eyes lighting up with professional pride. "The teal solution is the Verdant Meridian Clearing Tonic. It targets internal mana pathways, dissolving the microscopic sludge and micro-blockages that form after high-intensity combat."

She pointed to the silver vials beside them. "The second is the Starlight Mana Condensation Elixir. It stabilizes core density and helps Awakeners restore their mana pools three times faster than standard military rations."

Evren nodded with genuine admiration. "Between physical tissue repair, channel clearing, and core recovery, you’ve created a complete medical ecosystem."

"I couldn’t have done all of these without you, Evren."

"Now for the centerpiece of your research," Evren said with a smile.

He reached into his spatial ring and retrieved the Level 80 Sanguine Kraken Boss Core. The crystalline crimson sphere hummed with a rhythmic pulse, filling the sterile cleanroom with a warm, restorative red glow.

Calista’s sapphire eyes lit up with pure wonder as she carefully received the dense crystal with both hands.

"I kept it in my ring during the morning rush so you wouldn’t have to worry about security," Evren told her. "Now it’s officially yours to work with."

Calista carried the glowing core over to the hermetic vault built into the cleanroom wall, setting it securely inside a reinforced lead-lined cradle.

"I’ve been calculating the molecular variables in my head all morning," Calista said, turning back to him with excitement. "The regenerative enzyme inside a rift beast with regenerative ability is unlike anything on land. If I extract micro-doses of this fluid into the meridian tonic, it won’t just clear blockages; it will actively widen the channels and strengthen their walls against mana strain."

"How long will it take to finalize the synthesis?" Evren asked.

"Now that Major Bradley placed all three formulas under the Defense Charter, I have access to imperial grade testing gear," Calista replied with a radiant smile. "Give me two weeks with our automated cleanrooms, and I’ll have the first stable production batches ready for field trials."

"Take all the time you need, Calista," Evren told her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Starlight is your kingdom now. Don’t rush yourself."

By seven in the evening, the two of them returned to the Sky Palace penthouse in District One. The city below had begun to sparkle with millions of neon lights, stretching out toward the distant riverfront.

Evren sat on the deep leather sofa in the living lounge, leaning back against the cushions.

The non-stop intensity of the past few days... clearing the flooded rift the day before, harvesting the abyssal core, and dismantling Director Crowe’s scheme, had finally caught up to his muscles.

A soft click came from the hallway, followed by the light, graceful sound of footsteps.

Evren looked up to see Calista walking into the lounge. She wore a comfortable silk loungewear set, her silver hair brushed back over her shoulders.

In her hands, she carried a small porcelain bowl containing warm, fragrant herbal oil that drifted through the room with the soothing scent of white jasmine and crushed mint.

"Someone looks completely worn out," Calista murmured, stepping up beside the sofa with a teasing smile.

Evren looked up at her, an easy grin spreading across his face. "Fighting giant sea beasts and sitting through alchemical press conferences takes more stamina than I thought."

Calista set the porcelain bowl on the low marble table. She placed her hands on her hips, her sapphire eyes sparkling with fond amusement.

"Do you remember the promise I made to you back on the seventy-fifth floor?" Calista asked softly.

Evren chuckled, remembering the quiet conversation by the window weeks ago. "You said once you were steady on your feet without wobbling, I wouldn’t even have to ask for that massage."

"I keep my word, Chairman," Calista said, stepping around behind the sofa. "Sit up straight and roll your shoulders forward."