ALL NOVEL Chapter 45 - Conversation
Chen Hao’s smile became even more sincere. This young girl handed over the medicinal plants, which would bring her great benefits, without any conditions or hesitation. This wasn’t just transparency; it was also a sign of trust in him and Prince Arthur.
Even if this child were to be overwhelmed by the Xi family, she would still understand the value of these medicinal plants. Moreover, she was clearly someone with a plan.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible for her to reveal the Xi family’s schemes to the public through a survival game show.
From his perspective, the child still seemed a bit naive and too trusting, but being trusted by her made him and Prince Arthur feel good.
And knowing Prince Arthur’s character, he would not betray this child’s trust.
“Miss Lucy, the song you played in the oasis desert has a therapeutic effect on mental injuries. Prince Arthur happened to be injured, and he felt quite good after listening to your song,” Chen Hao said with a smile.
He saw the girl’s eyes widen slightly in response to his words, confirming what Prince Arthur had guessed—she truly did not know about sound therapy.
“Although we had the program team delete that video, someone might have already noticed. After all, it’s common for practitioners to suffer from mental injuries. But don’t worry, Prince Arthur has already talked to your family, and you have been admitted to the Blue-Black Empire’s Special Talent Training Center. After the show, if you don’t want to return to the Xi family, you can go directly to the training center,” Chen Hao’s tone softened.
Mai Dongzi was initially startled by the realization that her cover had been exposed. Hearing Chen Hao speak with such a familiar tone, she felt a bit reassured.
Fortunately, she had hinted at having psychic abilities earlier; otherwise, Chen Hao would not have told her about her sound therapy skills.
She was unsure if others already knew about her being a psychic, and she had to cover her tracks to avoid embarrassment and potential blackmail.
Chen Hao noticed that the girl looked a bit dazed after hearing his words. Despite the Xi family’s previous treatment of her, she was still a young adult and likely had some attachment to her family.
The Xi family might be full of cunning individuals, but some of her peers genuinely cared for her.
While she was mocked as a fake and a waste, a few of her peers defended her. Though their efforts were small and had little impact, they still showed some support.
After she started the survival game show, they even gave generous rewards.
The presence of these supportive peers might have lessened her disappointment in the Xi family.
“You can also visit your family if you want. The few children in your family who are close to you are not bad. The training center is personally managed by our King, and no one dares to harm the people there,” Chen Hao reassured her.
“Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Chen,” Mai Dongzi said gratefully, looking at Chen Hao. He truly was a good person.
The original memories did not include information about the training center, but an institution personally managed by the King was undoubtedly authoritative.
Mai Dongzi was extremely relieved that her sincere approach had paid off. It seemed that Prince Arthur not only intended to protect her but would also actively support her due to her abilities.
“Just call me Brother Chen. Given the relationship between our families, we are considered friends, so we should address each other as elder and younger siblings,” Chen Hao said, not minding the chance to get closer.
Mai Dongzi noticed that the young military officer who had been standing silently behind Chen Hao, like a statue, cast a glance at Chen Hao when he said this as if expressing disapproval.
Mai Dongzi suppressed a smile, knowing that Chen Hao was over thirty while she was only eighteen.
According to family customs, she should address him as Uncle. Given their roughly twenty-year age difference, they should not be from the same generation.
However, Mai Dongzi was happy to build a rapport with him, so she willingly responded, “Brother Chen, please have someone study that medicinal plant first. I ate it raw yesterday, and it can quickly restore mental power.”
She specifically mentioned the effects of the gastrodia elata on Prince Arthur’s injured mental power, but she only hinted at it.
Prince Arthur’s mental injury—surely he could find a high-level psychic to help him recover.
It was clear that he had not done so because of his position, fearing potential sabotage.
As Chen Hao talked about sound therapy, related memories immediately surfaced in Mai Dongzi’s mind.
In the interstellar era, whether a psychic had special abilities was unknown to others except themselves.
No one could guarantee that psychics wouldn’t use their healing opportunity to implant instructions into Prince Arthur’s mind to harm or control him.
Such incidents had occurred frequently. Therefore, without absolute understanding or trust in psychics, no one dared to let them assist in healing.
So Mai Dongzi did not mention her sound therapy skills but talked about the effects of Gastrodia elata instead.
Chen Hao admired the girl’s intelligence upon hearing her explanation.
“Brother Chen, I discovered the first type of medicinal plant because I had seen similar images in the Xi family’s collection. Out of curiosity, I decided to dig it up, only to find that my wood abilities could detect these energetic plants up close. The other two types of plants were discovered by sensing them as I walked by,” Mai Dongzi said candidly.
Since she had already pledged her allegiance, she might as well raise her value.
She believed that Prince Arthur had sent his top aide to see her because he valued her abilities and intended to make use of her.
Once she handed over the medicinal plants, they would likely be protected, and she wouldn’t be able to collect them freely.
However, with official approval and authorization from Prince Arthur, Mai Dongzi could legitimately seek benefits for herself.
While earning secretly was advantageous, having official recognition was even better, especially after entering a high-level authoritative training institution where visible training resources were necessary.
The Blue-Black Empire wanted to develop Water Blue Star, but the current unclear situation made plant experts hesitant to enter the forest for development.
Chen Hao’s eyes lit up when he heard Mai Dongzi’s words. If the medicinal plants she provided were confirmed to have such effects, her abilities would be unquestionable.
With fewer people from the Plant Medicine Research Center involved, it would be better and more advantageous for Prince Arthur to control such important cultivation resources, benefiting their future plans.