436: Mother's love? Broken glass

"What is it?"

"The flowers are very special."

"But the flower language of black roses is 'unique love,' and also 'unknown deep affection.'"

She raised her eyes to meet Shang Wan Ning's confusion.

"Next time you send flowers, Your Majesty should choose the right meaning."

Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow slightly, and the irritation caused by the pile of official documents was swept away.

"The place I have for you in my heart is already unique."

"These flowers were not sent in error." Having said this, she did not linger, turned around, and walked crisply out of the Secretariat Office, temporarily casting the pile of official document jade slips to the back of her mind.

Little Four, who had been quietly hiding in the System Space gnawing on data snacks, was suddenly choked by this statement. Its newly changed skin flickered in shock, and its girlish voice imitated dry heaving: "Yue…"

"Host, your lines are so cheesy, what a scumbag! My database is about to be sealed with grease."

"Ugh… ugh…"

"Get lost!"

Shang Wan Ning retorted in her Sea of Consciousness, sounding annoyed.

Passing through the corridor, the Empress stopped by the Research Institute.

Institute Director was already waiting at the entrance. As soon as he saw her, he hurried up to greet her, his face filled with unconcealable excitement: "Your Majesty! You've finally arrived. The breakthrough this time, if I were to say it out loud, would drop the jaws of the entire Underworld."

Shang Wan Ning raised a hand to press her brow, getting straight to the point: "Don't beat around the bush. Has the cost of the nine nether annihilation pagoda actually come down or not?"

"The samples I gave you—the pure divinity of the Tier 8 Elf Goddess and the divine origin of the young god—didn't go to waste, did they?"

"They didn't go to waste! Absolutely not!"

Institute Director nodded repeatedly, leading his Empress toward the central area of the Research Institute.

"Do you remember, Your Majesty? Previously, the cost was stuck at 35 billion, and the core problems were 'the conversion efficiency of divine blood is too low,' and 'the consumption of rare ores to stabilize the array base is too great'…"

Shang Wan Ning listened attentively: "Yes, the previous report mentioned that the conversion efficiency was less than 30%, and the ores had to be mixed with black iron and star meteorite sand in a three-to-seven ratio; both of these are priceless and hard to find."

"Exactly!"

Institute Director clapped his hands.

"But the sample of the Elf Goddess sent by the Secretary-General had pure, impurity-free divinity. We discovered that this kind of divinity can serve as a 'conversion medium,' directly increasing energy conduction efficiency—the original 30% conversion rate has now been forcefully pushed to 65%."

He led Shang Wan Ning to stand in front of a giant holographic projection, which displayed the exploded view of the core components of the nine nether annihilation pagoda, with the highlighted parts glowing blue.

"And the divine origin of that young god has stability that happens to neutralize the rigidity of black iron. We adjusted the ratio, reduced the amount of black iron by half, and can even use ordinary meteorite iron to replace a small portion of the star meteorite sand."

Shang Wan Ning stared at the projection, her fingertip tapping on the core array base on the screen: "So the cost has dropped by 20%, saved on ores and energy loss?"

"Not just that."

Institute Director leaned in closer, his tone even more jubilant, "After the conversion efficiency was improved, the cooling system for the core components could also be simplified."

"Previously, we needed three sets of backup cooling devices; now one is enough. This saved another billion-plus in labor hours and material costs."

He calculated, "Overall, the ore cost dropped by 30%, energy loss cost dropped by 40%, and the cooling system cost was cut in half, adding up to exactly 80% of the original."

A genuine smile appeared in Shang Wan Ning's eyes, and she nodded: "Well done. The entire Research Institute will have their bonuses tripled this month. Additionally, I will allocate 20 billion in special funds for you to upgrade experimental equipment."

"Subordinate, on behalf of the entire Research Institute, thanks Your Majesty for the reward!" Institute Director was so excited that his beard trembled slightly, but in an instant, hesitation appeared on his face, and he rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat awkward.

"Your Majesty, there is a matter that I, as your Subordinate, dare to bring up to you."

"Speak."

Shang Wan Ning withdrew her gaze and looked at him.

"The experiment has achieved a key breakthrough, and the data collection is sufficiently complete." Institute Director stole a glance at her expression, his voice softening a little.

"Her Highness Princess Shang Wugou has had to come to cooperate with the extraction of origin energy almost every week for the past few months. Although the dosage each time is not large, Her Highness is only a few years old after all. Could we appropriately reduce the number of experiments?"

He paused, with a sense of certain misunderstanding hidden in his eyes. "Subordinate knows that the great cause is paramount, but the bearing on the little Highness is just too similar to Your Majesty's. Anyone who sees it cannot help but overthink."

"Tossing her about so frequently, if it harms her foundation, it is ultimately inappropriate."

Shang Wan Ning watched him quietly for a moment, until the old director's scalp tingled, before she slowly spoke: "The Director is indeed thoughtful in showing consideration for me."

She neither admitted nor denied that secret connection, only saying indifferently: "The experimental progress cannot be delayed. We are just one last set of limit data away from finalizing it."

"As for Wugou…"

Her expression turned cold, "Origin energy is special; its recovery speed is even faster than that of ordinary high-tier gods. This bit of loss is nothing. When it needs to be used, there is no need for hesitation."

Institute Director's heart trembled, and he quickly lowered his head: "Yes, Subordinate understands. I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust and will complete the final set of data collection as soon as possible."

Just after he finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly remember something, his eyes brightened, he stepped forward half a step, his tone carrying unconcealable anticipation: "Your Majesty, taking advantage of this technical breakthrough of the nine nether annihilation pagoda, I have another proposal."

"Should we add several hundred billion more in investment and take advantage of the momentum to research spiritual nuclear weapons to deal with Tier 8 gods?"

"With the sample of the Tier 8 Elf Goddess, combined with existing technology, we might be able to build a cross-tier weapon of mass destruction!"

Hearing this, Shang Wan Ning shook her head with a calm expression: "No need."

She looked up at the gloomy sky outside the Research Institute dome, "Tier 8 and Tier 7 are a qualitative leap. The spiritual energy technology of the Underworld now needs to develop for at least several thousand years before it is possible to touch this field."

"As a god at the peak of Tier 8, I naturally understand how difficult it is to annihilate a Tier 8 god."

She turned her face, her divine sense landing on Institute Director, saying firmly: "There is still room for maneuver with Tier 7, but for a Tier 8 god, even if the physical body is destroyed, the soul can hide in the gaps of the void, and returning from the ashes is just a matter of time."

Institute Director was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

"Subordinate understands. It was Subordinate who was eager for success and did not consider things thoroughly."

Shang Wan Ning's footsteps paused slightly, her tone softening a bit, filled with just the right amount of indulgence: "It's no matter. Institute Director is just anxious because of concern."

She raised her hand to help him up in the air, her divine sense revealing a gentle consolation, "You have always been steady and thorough; this time, it was just that you were too anxious about this matter. It does not count as a fault."

The topic turned slightly, hiding an indisputable guidance, "In the future, calm your heart more when encountering matters. I trust your sense of propriety."

Having said this, she turned and left the Research Institute.

Walking in the dim corridor, the Empress's face was calm, but she sneered in her heart.

"Worry? Maternal love?"

She looked in the direction of the Wangchuan River, her gaze deep.