Star Hunter.

Chapter 248 A Hot Commodity

Xilin didn't comment on Yuan Xingchen's words, remaining silent without denying or confirming them.

No one can be certain about this matter. If what Yuan Xingchen said is true, then this matter concerns the previous generation. The only way for Yuan Xingchen to find out is to go to his grandfather, the former King Fuji. His grandfather has not been involved in politics for many years, only appearing once or twice a year during family reunions to inquire about the affairs of the younger generation.

Even though Yuan Xingchen was the next heir to the throne of King Fuji, he spoke the most to the old man among the younger generation, but this "most" was limited to ten sentences. Therefore, Yuan Xingchen did not understand the affairs of that generation.

After Yuan Xingyao and Yuan Xingming told Yuan Xingchen about Xilin, Yuan Xingchen personally intervened without alerting his father or letting the rest of the Yuan family know.

From the moment he entered until now, although Yuan Xingchen hadn't obtained much useful information from Xilin, his attitude had remained quite polite. If the lucky mark on Xilin's hand wasn't the kind from his grandfather's generation, Yuan Xingchen's attitude towards Xilin would definitely have been different. If Xilin were of the same generation, Yuan Xingchen might have adopted a more forceful approach to compel Xilin to reveal more details, even though Xilin was currently Guan Feng's student.

Meanwhile, at Guan Feng's residence.

Inside the living room, Guan Feng sat on the sofa with a stern face, looking quite grumpy. This was the complete opposite of the usually refined and gentlemanly Guan Feng with a smile on his face. This version of Guan Feng was quite similar to Pistura.

On the guest seat opposite Guan Feng sat three people. One of them had a bullet hole in his collar. Facing Guan Feng's cold face, the three exchanged glances, signaling who would speak first, since waking Guan Huli from his afternoon nap was no good idea.

"Ahem!" The person on the far left was probably the highest-ranking among the three, and he was the last to speak.

"Guan Feng, we know your habits. If we were too pressed for time, we wouldn't bother you at this time."

Guan Feng looked at him, his face still cold, and said, "Spit it out!"

If the students outside heard Guan Feng say this, they would be shocked. Who would have thought that Guan Feng would swear?

"You've finished venting your anger, look, you almost sliced ​​my neck off!" the middle man said.

Guan Feng raised an eyebrow: "I knew it was you. Otherwise, do you think your neck would still be intact?"

Seeing Guan Feng's obvious impatience, and with the other two people giving him a look, the person on the far left finally revealed the purpose of their visit.

"You know about aquamarine, right?" the man asked.

Aquamarine is an alloy and the most important building material used in deep-sea probes and submersibles to date. The proportions of various alloys and the types of certain ultrafine elements in aquamarine are not fixed, and researchers are constantly working to upgrade the alloy formula of aquamarine.

"I don't want to waste time," Guan Feng said expressionlessly. Although he wasn't a researcher from that side, he still knew a lot about the relevant things.

"Okay," the man said, handing Guan Feng an electronic file. He explained, "This is an image and analysis data sheet we received earlier. The aquamarine mentioned here is better than the aquamarine currently used. In other words, the aquamarine formula used in the detectors here is more advanced than what we use."

Guan Feng glanced at the instructions on the electronic file. He then turned to the three men and said disdainfully, "Even academicians of the Royal Academy of Sciences couldn't come up with a better formula than this?"

"no."

The three of them felt ashamed when this was mentioned. Although there were very few people specializing in aquamarine, they hadn't actually come up with a formula that was more effective. However, the mere mention of that formula gave them motivation.

"As you know, the 'Abyss' project has reached a critical stage and recently encountered a bottleneck. With this upgraded Aquamarine, this hurdle will be overcome quickly."

Guan Feng tossed the electronic data back, tapping his forehead. He knew about the "Abyss" project; it was one of the Royal Academy of Sciences' top ten research projects. He'd heard a few days ago that "Abyss" had encountered difficulties and hadn't found a solution. Now that they'd found a path to a solution, it was no wonder they were in such a hurry to interrupt Guan Feng's lunch break to explain. ...

"What does this have to do with me? I'm not a member of your 'Abyss' project," Guan Feng said, lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed.

The man rubbed his hands together. "The person who possesses the Aquamarine upgrade formula is in the Nineteenth Star Region of the Empire. We've contacted him remotely, and his situation is quite complicated, so we're preparing to send someone to talk to him in person. We can get him into the Royal Academy of Sciences, skipping the honorary scholar position and directly promoting him to academician. We'll have someone go to negotiate, and someone will need to escort him..."

  

Before the man could finish speaking, Guan Feng interrupted, "Get lost! My students aren't here to be bodyguards, and I have neither the time nor the inclination to do so!"

"Well, this counts as bodyguards. We have the military escorting us. After all, we trust the Royal Academy of Sciences' own people more, and it gives us peace of mind to bring some along. We've drawn some students from both the First and Second Affiliated ...

There was no other way; this time, I promised those people that I would poach them from Guan Feng. Guan Feng was very popular, after all, he had a reputation, and which of his students wasn't being fought over by various parties? Pistura, Fu Qingqing, and Goreyo were all approached and reserved by three parties before graduation, which shows how sought-after they were.

In other words, although the "Abyss" project team proposed this, the higher-ups at the Royal Academy of Sciences took the opportunity to get involved, preemptively building rapport by drawing some students from several renowned instructors to cultivate relationships with the Royal Academy. This way, even if these students later left the affiliated school and went to various factions, they would still maintain a certain connection with the Royal Academy of Sciences, rather than being limited to the ties forged through coursework.

Although members of the Royal Academy of Sciences often maintain a high-handed attitude, they cannot be arrogant. This is something that even the highest levels of the academy understand. And Guan Feng is undoubtedly a highly sought-after figure in everyone's eyes.

A former imperial tutor and leader of the military equipment and weapons engineering project, every student he mentored became a prominent figure. Even Pistula, Fu Qingqing, and Goreau, who are still relatively new to the field, will likely be known throughout the empire in just a few years.

Guan Feng waved his hand dismissively. "They're all busy!"

"Well, I heard you took on a new student! New students don't have any other tasks, and the new courses haven't even started yet."

Many people know about Guan Feng's new students, and they've been plotting against him ever since they found out.

"No way! I haven't even warmed my hands yet and you're already taking me away? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Upon hearing Guan Feng's words, the three of them brightened up. Since it wasn't a firm refusal, it meant there was still room for negotiation.

Xilin was unaware of what his new teacher had discussed with others, and his conversation with Yuan Xingchen was also stalled, with both sides holding back and revealing little.

Yuan Xingchen clicked her fingers and looked at Xilin: "When will the lucky mark on your finger give you a notification?"

"I don't know either. I thought there would be a hint when I saw you, but unfortunately, there wasn't." That's why Xilin revealed himself to them.

"Since that's the case, I'll have to ask Grandpa first. However," Yuan Xingchen stared intently at Xilin and said in a deep voice, "until we figure things out, it's best if you can keep this a secret!"

"Of course. I understand that."

Yuan Xingchen checked the time and stood up. He said to Xilin, "Since we've finally managed to meet, let's all have a meal together."

Xilin couldn't very well refuse the future King Fuji. Just as he was about to agree, his communicator rang. After glancing at the display, Xilin apologized to Yuan Xingchen and went to his study to answer the call.

"What's wrong? Weren't you taking a nap?" Xilin asked, looking at Guan Feng's image popping up on the communicator.

"I was woken up." Guan Feng's stern face had softened, and he returned to his usual expression. "Pack your things. I have a task for you. I'll explain the course details to the school for you. Come over here after you're done. You have two hours."

"it is good."

After the communication ended, Xilin walked out of the study and said to Yuan Xingchen, "I'm sorry, the plan has changed. I've been summoned by Director Guan and have a mission."

"Since it's a task assigned by Director Guan, I won't force you. Do a good job." Yuan Xingchen didn't mind. He could take advantage of Xilin's mission to ask his grandfather if he had any brothers or sisters back then.

Even though Yuan Xingming and Yuan Xingyao worked together in the room, they couldn't get any useful information out of the gray cat. When Yuan Xingchen called them out, they were both full of questions. They hoped to get answers from Yuan Xingchen, so without saying a word, Yuan Xingchen grabbed them and left.

"Going to Guanhu's place again?" The gray cat flicked its tail. "Are you sure he's not here to cause trouble for me, to avenge his fish?"

You're overthinking it.

Xilin grabbed the gray cat and headed outside. He didn't have a flying car yet, so he could only take the No. 1 Circular Line train.

When Xilin arrived at Guan Feng's residence, Guan Feng was bending over pruning his flowering trees in the yard, and he seemed to be in a very good mood.

"You're here?" Guan Feng said, holding a pair of pruning shears in his hand as he trimmed the branches. "There's a document on the table in the living room. Take a look at it first."

Xilin went to the living room and looked at the documents, and was able to roughly understand the mission.

"Finished reading?" Guan Feng walked in and tossed Xilin an electronic file: "This is the highest-grade aquamarine formula currently used within the Royal Academy of Sciences. Make a note of it. After you go there, verify the authenticity of the formula the old guys mentioned. If it is confirmed to be aquamarine, help them get the new formula."

Xilin nodded and then asked, "What are the benefits of this mission for us?"

Given Guan Feng's status, he could have refused if he wanted to, but he accepted.

Guan Feng held up two fingers: "Funding, Aquamarine. With these two, I can also develop the Razer DeathAdder S."

"Razer DeathAdder S?!"

"Yes, it was just a concept before, but now we can start trying it out." Guan Feng tossed Xi Lin an Imperial Savings Card: "Half of your salary has been prepaid, and the other half will be given along with the mission reward."

Xilin swiped his debit card in a special card slot next to the communicator. The gray cat perched on Xilin's shoulder stared wide-eyed at the amount displayed.

Gorejo is right; Guan Feng is indeed generous to his students.

Xilin put the card away, and Guan Feng tossed him a box containing emergency medicines and compressed food. These were items unavailable outside; some were circulated within the Royal Academy of Sciences, and some were made by Guan Feng himself. If they were sold, they would fetch a considerable sum.

After explaining the medicine and food to Xilin, Guan Feng added, "The Royal Academy of Sciences has a dedicated signal network. As long as you are not in a severely affected magnetic field interference zone or an isolated area, you can contact me through a communicator."

"clear."

"Okay, if there's nothing wrong, you can go wait in the courtyard. A flying car will come to pick you up in a bit. By the way, although I don't manage the students very much, there's one thing I want to emphasize."

"I'm all ears."

"Each mission involves students from different mentors, and friction between students is inevitable. Don't embarrass me!"

"learn."

Guan Feng's meaning was clear to Xi Lin: simply put, fighting was fine, but losing was not an option.

After saying that, he closed the door and waited for the car in the Xilin courtyard.

Sure enough, a flying car arrived shortly afterward to pick up Xilin. It was an autopilot flying car that took Xilin to an airfield.