Seeing that Cecil put Lu Xia’s safety first, both Graces and Smelian were very pleased.

Neither of them interrupted Cecil, but listened intently.

Cecil, seeing that neither of them intended to object, was also satisfied with their attitude. He continued, "We have to see this through. Since we’ve already decided to overthrow the Imperial Family, we’re in it for the long haul. We absolutely cannot give up halfway. If we were going to do that, it would have been better not to start at all."

"I have no objections," Graces said.

Then Smelian stated his position as well. "I feel the same way."

Seeing that they had both made their positions clear, Cecil nodded and continued, "Okay. I don’t know anything about fighting a war, but I can fund you. Your equipment, warships, anything—as long as it benefits the Alliance Army, I’ll have anything that isn’t up to par replaced with the latest models. We won’t fight a war we aren’t prepared for."

Cecil said this with great confidence. Clearly, he wasn’t just talking—he really had the money.

Graces didn’t stand on ceremony with him. "I’ll make a list for you," he said directly. "And I’ll have you look over the procurement details."

Cecil nodded in approval. "Good."

And just like that, the three of them reached an agreement on the matter.

Then Cecil looked around the place and said with disdain, "This place is still too crude. It’s not safe as your base of operations. I have a private residence you can move to. No one will check up on it."

In fact, with his status as a member of the Imperial Family providing cover, no one would dare investigate his assets.

It was indeed a more suitable location for their secret base.

Graces didn’t refuse. After thanking Cecil, he began arranging for the personnel at Nanxi No. 19 to evacuate and relocate to Cecil’s private residence.

After they finished discussing business, Cecil couldn’t help but look at Graces. "I know it’s better to keep what we’re doing from my sister for now, but Graces, when are you planning to end all this? She’s really worried about you. Don’t make her wait too long."

Smelian had said the same thing before. Graces was silent for a long moment before replying, "As soon as I can."

Smelian, who had been quiet, spoke up. "What do you plan to do about Lady Dain and Victoria?"

Graces wasn’t surprised that Smelian knew about it. "They’ll go where they belong. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they never appear in front of Xiaxia again. I absolutely will not let something like that happen again."

Smelian was satisfied with Graces’s answer and said nothing more.

After leaving Nanxi No. 19, Cecil began the process of handling the funds.

Transferring a large sum of money to Graces without attracting attention would require some finesse. Of course, this was no challenge for Cecil, it would just keep him busy for a while.

The two of them returned home, one after the other, to find Doctor Eugene giving Lu Xia a check-up.

Smelian hurried over and asked with concern, "How is she doing?"

Doctor Eugene smiled and replied, "Don’t worry, everything is fine. The fetus is developing well. Just keep doing what you’re doing."

Hearing this, Smelian smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

Lu Xia glanced at Smelian. "How come you’re back so early today? Weren’t you busy?"

"That’s right. It wasn’t too busy today, so I left work early."

Lu Xia didn’t press him further. She then looked at Doctor Eugene. "Have you heard from anyone at the Fertility Research Institute recently?"

"Ever since they hit a wall with me last time, they’ve been very quiet. I imagine they can’t find a suitable reason to approach you again."

’Lu Xia knew perfectly well that the people at the Fertility Research Institute likely hadn’t given up their designs on studying Little Pu Tao. It was just as Doctor Eugene said—they simply lacked a good reason. But give them the slightest opportunity, and they would pounce. Of that, there was no doubt.’

"I’ll have to keep troubling you with this matter."

In response to Lu Xia’s gratitude, Eugene smiled. "You’re too kind. It’s my duty."

After seeing Doctor Eugene out, Cecil came in to check on Lu Xia. "Are you alright, sister? How are things?"

"Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine. Doctor Eugene was just here for a routine check-up. There’s nothing to worry about."

By now, Lu Xia was beginning to show a little, but since she wore loose-fitting clothes, the change wasn’t noticeable.

Besides, she had very few pregnancy symptoms. If she didn’t say anything, no one would ever guess.

After all, natural conception was an incredibly difficult feat in the Empire—a miracle the general public considered impossible.

Noticing that Cecil was also home much earlier than usual, Lu Xia smiled. "It’s perfect, you’re both here. I’ve asked the butler to prepare hot pot. We can have a nice big meal together."

Ever since her pregnancy began, Lu Xia had been craving spicy food, almost to the point where a meal wasn’t a meal without it.

Upon hearing her words, the old butler immediately had the kitchen start preparing. Neither Cecil nor Smelian objected. As long as Lu Xia was happy, they were happy.

The spread for the hot pot that evening was lavish, featuring almost all of Lu Xia’s favorite ingredients. However, it was clear that neither Cecil nor Smelian could handle spice nearly as well as Lu Xia could.

Lu Xia didn’t insist, having the old butler prepare a tomato broth and a mushroom broth for the two of them instead.

Watching Lu Xia pluck a vegetable from the bright red broth and eat it, Cecil asked nervously, "Sister, isn’t that spicy?"

Lu Xia smiled and nodded. "It is, but it feels great."

Cecil looked impressed, but still said with a hint of concern, "You should drink some water, sister. Your lips are all red."

Lu Xia laughed softly. "I’m fine, don’t worry. This level of spice is nothing to me."

Seeing that she genuinely enjoyed it, Cecil stopped trying to dissuade her.

Just as Lu Xia was happily eating, the terminal on her wrist suddenly rang.

It was a voice call request from the nightclub owner she had met when she went to the club with Lan Ya.

’Lu Xia raised an eyebrow. The last time she was at the club, after buying the Ice Spirit Gene, she had exchanged contact information with the owner and asked him to keep an eye out for any other Alien Genes. Could he have some news?’

With this in mind, Lu Xia picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth.

She said to Smelian and Cecil, who were looking over at her, "You two go ahead and eat. I’m going to take a call."

She stood up, left the dining table for the living room, and accepted the call.

The nightclub owner’s voice quickly came through. "Hello, Duke. I hope I’m not disturbing you."

"Of course not. Are you calling with good news?"

’If it wasn’t good news, she couldn’t imagine any other reason for the nightclub owner to contact her.’

"Of course, Duke. You’re in luck. I just received a Golden Spirit Gene tonight. I was wondering if it’s what you’re looking for."

Upon suddenly hearing the words "Golden Spirit Gene," Lu Xia subconsciously glanced toward Cecil. If she weren’t so certain that she had only ever discussed the Golden Spirit Gene with him, she would have thought this was no coincidence.