Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1251 - 415: Jiao Long Nest Blossoms and Bears Fruit, Siblings’ Personality Changes

"My lord, Minister Mu has arrived!"

"Show him in."

Xia Hong, previously lost in deep thought, had his concentration broken by the guard’s announcement from outside the hall. Upon hearing that Mu Dong was here, he immediately offered a smile to Xia Chuan and remarked, "You only just made it back the day before yesterday, so you likely haven't heard that the Craftsmen Department recently finished producing some rather impressive items. Why don't you stay and take a look with me?"

Hearing this, Xia Chuan immediately deduced that the conversation must concern the bounty Xia Hong secured from the Jiao Long Nest mid-September, which had finally yielded results.

His intuition was correct; Mu Dong did not arrive alone, as he was accompanied by five individuals, each carrying various objects.

"Mu Dong offers his respects to the lord and to you, Minister!"

"Drop the formalities. You seem quite pleased with yourself; it is evident you have had some significant breakthroughs. Do not keep us in suspense any longer—spill the details!"

Xia Hong also appeared eager. He had been sequestered in the Star-picking Hall focused on his Cultivation, and having received a notification from Han Yue earlier that day regarding Mu Dong's request for an audience, he had already formed a few theories.

Though he had instructed Mu Dong to prepare for a formal meeting before dusk, the unexpected report from Xia Chuan regarding Chu Yan’er and her group had taken precedence. Realizing Chu Yan’er had surreptitiously infiltrated the Inner City to visit Yuan Cheng’s residence, he had decided to investigate that matter with Xia Chuan first.

Nevertheless, he remained curious about the potential treasures salvaged from the Jiao Long Nest.

"The 24 varieties of Spirit Plants recovered from the Jiao Long Nest have been processed by the Medicine Cauldron, resulting in the successful formulation of 13 brand-new elixir recipes. Directors Cheng Feng and Bai Dongying are currently preoccupied at the He Yin Station overseeing the transplantation of those Spirit Plants and could not attend personally, so they have sent their subordinates to present these elixirs to you, my lord..."

Representing the Harvesting Department, Mu Dong spoke with visible enthusiasm. He paused briefly before gesturing to the first individual behind him, who proceeded to uncover the tray they were carrying.

Resting on the tray were four small porcelain bottles, each a distinct color. Mu Dong unstoppered them one by one, eagerly explaining their functions to Xia Hong:

"Out of the 13 new recipes, these four are the most valuable.

The first is the Jiao Transformation Pill; it uses Jiao Long Blood as its primary component, bolstered by 26 rare Spirit Plants, and it is capable of pushing past the limitations of an individual's Battle Body Talent.

The second option is the Blood Jade Pill, crafted with Beast King Blood and 17 rare Spirit Plants. It functions similarly to the Blood Essence Pill in accelerating the Reshaping Skin phase, yet it is five times more potent.

The third is a unique creation we call the Spiritual Milk Pill. Its main ingredient is a Spirit Plant known as the Holy Young Fruit, combined with 8 auxiliary materials. It is intended to replace our camp’s current standard supplement and should be administered to children between three and six years old once a month, allowing them to passively boost their physical strength without hindering their natural development."

The mention of the Spiritual Milk Pill’s effects caused Xia Hong’s eyes to brighten. "Can you estimate the growth potential it provides?"

Mu Dong bowed and replied, "The pharmacists within the Harvesting Department predict that as long as the supplement is administered consistently before the age of six, a child’s strength can be elevated to at least the Logging Realm."

This revelation left both Xia Hong and Xia Chuan astounded.

While the growth limit for any youth consuming elixirs ultimately relies on their innate talent—something difficult to measure accurately at this stage—the fact that the Harvesting Department could definitively guarantee a threshold of the Logging Realm was monumental.

This was a game-changer! It implied that in the coming years, any child in Great Xia given the Spiritual Milk Pill starting at age three would possess the strength of the Logging Realm well before they even reached the age of six to begin formal Cultivation.

"Have you ever considered that perhaps the day will come when every citizen of Great Xia is capable of Cultivation, with children as young as five or six already possessing the strength of the Logging Realm?"

The thought crossed Xia Chuan’s mind, and he glanced at Xia Hong with a flicker of deep emotion.

That specific question had been posed by Xia Hong a decade ago. It was during his return from the Rogel Camp to the Mud Slope after the team successfully hunted the Wood Puppet Monster; he had brought the idea before him and Yuan Cheng while discussing changes to the meat distribution policy.

Back then, he and Yuan Cheng had merely laughed, assuming Xia Hong was indulging in a flight of fancy. To them, at the time, the idea of a five-year-old having the status of a Logging Realm practitioner was absurd.

Today, while there were indeed five or six-year-olds who reached the Logging Realm—his own son, Xia Yuzong, being one—they remained extreme anomalies. However, with the advent of the Spiritual Milk Pill, the landscape was permanently altered.

Wait—a thought struck him.

Xia Chuan realized there remained a critical hurdle to achieving such a reality across the entire population.

"Can the Spiritual Milk Pill be mass-produced?"

Xia Hong had asked the exact same question, so Xia Chuan simply leaned in, waiting for Mu Dong’s answer with bated breath.

Mu Dong offered a somber shake of his head. "That Holy Young Tree was among the 24 Spirit Plants salvaged from the Jiao Long Nest by our lord. By the time our department got to it, there were only 29 ripe fruits remaining. With the necessary auxiliary materials, we only managed to refine 29 batches, yielding 8 pills per batch—a total of just 232 units.

Cheng Feng estimates the blooming and fruiting cycle of this tree to be at least ten years. Even if we succeed in transplanting it to our medicine field and utilize coal stone and silver to expedite the process, it will still take seven or more years to mature, with a projected yield of only 50 fruits per harvest..."

The Harvesting Department managed thousands of specimens, and Cheng Feng had refined a system for predicting the maturity cycles of Spirit Plants, with a margin of error of less than a year. Thus, based on these projections, large-scale mass production of the Spiritual Milk Pill was currently impossible.

Disappointment flickered across Xia Hong’s face. Even though providing a boost to the Logging Realm for children between three and six wouldn't radically change the camp’s immediate military power, the long-term implications for their future strength were staggering.