888 Colorant

Khan knew he was stretching himself and his teams thin. He had added project after project to his list, and each had something revolutionary about it.

The tournament kept most of Khan's workforce busy, and far more was ongoing. Building the training grounds, reinforcing the relationships among nobles, descendants, Global Army, Thilku, and Ef'i, developing magic items and supplements, studying the Fuveall implants, investigating the living elements, and Khan's new training method were all important tasks, which could be too much even for a noble faction.

The structure of Khan's faction aggravated the issue. He wielded immense political power and had almost access to unlimited resources but could count the people he trusted with two hands. Khan needed specialized and loyal people on those important tasks but was running short of them. A few were already overloaded with work, too.

Adding specialized personnel to the tasks would solve part of the issue, but loyalty was rare, especially toward Khan's controversial figure. He could exploit Abraham and Garret's acquaintances in the field, but the risk of inviting spies into those important projects would increase with each new scientist.

The spies weren't a problem with the tournament, but Khan needed a monopoly over the revolutionary technology to retain his political leverage. No important project had borne fruits yet, but preventing leaks early on was the best approach, which Khan was adamant about enforcing.

Sadly, no easy solutions existed. More ships arrived in Baoway in the following days, bringing allegedly trusted members of the Bizelli family and other scientists close to Abraham. A new team of Fuveall also landed on the planet, joining forces with Sen-nu's group to help with the medical trials and living mana.

Khan believed things would hit the brakes afterward, but reality always found ways to surprise him. Monica's birthday was right around the corner when Garret and Abraham summoned him one night in one of his building's labs.

"What is it?

" Khan asked, barging into the lab before spotting something odd. He recognized most of the equipment and the two scientists, but one machine managed to stand out.

A strange metal chair stood at the lab's center. Tubes stretched from a transparent container on its back, circling toward the front and ending in long needles. The piece of furniture resembled a torture machine, but the smiles on the scientists' faces said otherwise.

"What am I looking at?

" Khan questioned, intrigued.

"Prince Khan, I stumbled into something interesting while researching solutions for Mister Parver's condition,

" Garret announced, approaching the strange chair and placing his hand on its back.

"We didn't always have reagents with high efficiency, so we compensated with technology.

"

Khan walked deeper into the lab, inspecting the chair from different angles. He was no scientist but could guess the machine's purpose, especially since he had given Garret a specific issue to solve.

"While researching the aided metamorphosis?

" Khan wondered, making the connection with Professor Parver's illness.

"Exactly, Prince Khan,

" Garret confirmed.

"We used to rely on similar machines to spread the reagents evenly throughout the body. We'd need to test how you react to it, but the homogeneous issue should be solved afterward.

"

The news sounded too good to be true. Garret couldn't have solved such a problematic issue in less than two weeks. Something had to be off, and Khan couldn't help but question it.

"Where's the catch?

" Khan asked.

"That machine is only part of those old procedures, My Prince,

" Abraham revealed.

"The records state the subjects had to be heavily sedated before the injections. Also, the metamorphosis happened through additional equipment to match the reagent's efficiency.

"

"I need to be awake in the pool,

" Khan pointed out,

"And I can't have a second machine handle my mana.

"

"Precisely, My Prince,

" Abraham confirmed.

"You'd have to do most of the work, which with your reagent of choice's nature …

"

"I get it,

" Khan stated.

"I'd have to be as precise as a machine while the plant's substance burns my insides.

"

The smiles disappeared after the statement. The scientists had found a solution, but the procedure remained far from safe. Actually, that new approach would probably require a higher pain tolerance from Khan.

Khan could also imagine the other dangers. Simple immersions in the pool could scar him, but the chances of lasting injuries were low as long as he kept the sessions short.

Meanwhile, using that chair would trigger a complete and irreversible reaction that would affect Khan's entire body. Much could break in a single session, even Khan himself.

Khan scratched his head while going over the new issues. Truth be told, he was confident in his ability to match a machine's precision. He could probably sense the changes in his body better than the scanners, so adjusting his mana flow accordingly wouldn't be a problem.

The pain was the main problem. Khan had temporarily lost control during the immersion, and the chair was bound to provide a far more intense experience. He didn't know if he could handle it well enough to deal with the procedure.

"Allow me to reiterate my warnings, Prince Khan,

" Garret announced, hoping Khan's silence meant reasonable hesitation.

"I fully believe you don't need this procedure. It's an unnecessary risk.

"

Abraham diverted his gaze. He knew about Khan's inherited mission and the looming war against the scarlet eyes. Its unclear timeline was also annoying, especially with all the enemies still standing in Khan's way.

The only solution and insurance Khan could obtain came in the form of his power. As long as he was strong, his chances of survival would increase, and his political opponents would have a harder time opposing him.

"Let's test this out,

" Khan eventually ordered, reaching the chair and sitting on it.

Garret held back a sigh and looked at Abraham, who only nodded in acceptance. The scientists got to work, injecting a watery substance into the transparent container on the chair's back before approaching their respective consoles.

"This will hurt, Prince Khan,

" Garret warned before activating the machine. The tubes moved, converging on Khan. Their needles reached his skin in numerous spots, basically caging him before halting their advance.

"The machine will pierce you,

" Garret explained,

"Reaching specific areas before injecting a colorant. The substance will allow us to check for barriers inside your body and adjust the injections accordingly.

"

Khan nodded, careful to avoid scratching the needles on his neck. He could also feel some poking at his back from the chair, so he closed his eyes, ready for the imminent pain.

"Oh, and don't worry, Prince Khan,

" Garret added.

"The colorant wasn't altered with mana.

"

"I know,

" Khan said.

"I would have smelled it.

"

The reply left Garret dumbfounded, but he quickly recovered, exchanging a glance with Abraham to begin the procedure. He pressed a key on his console, and the needles shot forward, piercing Khan's flesh and often reaching his bones.

Khan grunted, tremors running through his body as pain spread everywhere. Being poked by a dozen needles was far from pleasant, and remaining stuck in that position only worsened the experience. Yet, he had survived the pool, so that treatment was nothing extreme.

"Injecting the colorant,

" Abraham announced before activating the command.

A hot sensation spread inside Khan, filling his body with a flashing feverish feeling. More tremors took control of his spine, but the needles were stabbed deep enough to avoid being affected.

That didn't apply to Khan's mana. His energy sensed the foreign substance and promptly attacked it, quickly dispersing the feverish feeling. His body temperature returned normal, and the tubes retracted their needles afterward.

"I suspected this would happen,

" Garret sighed while Abraham hurried toward the chair wielding multiple tissues imbued with a special ointment.

"What?

" Khan questioned while Abraham cleaned the needle-sized injuries, wiping off the dripping blood.

"The colorant is too weak, Prince Khan,

" Garret revealed.

"We couldn't get any data before your body got rid of it.

"

"Solve it,

" Khan ordered, waving Abraham away when he tried to lift him to clean his back.

"I already did, Prince Khan,

" Garret exclaimed.

"I've prepared a series of colorants with different densities. Hopefully, one will survive long enough to give us a clear picture of your body.

"

"Hopefully?

" Khan repeated.

"The non-mana-based colorants at our disposal are very outdated,

" Garret explained,

"And scarce. The same goes for the data on them. We don't know what's more likely to work in your situation, Prince Khan.

"

'So, we are hoping something will stick,' Khan realized before giving the order.

"Continue.

"

Abraham and Garret got to work again, and a long series of tests began. Garret had prepared nine different colorants, and each required Khan to be stabbed by the needles again to check its effectiveness.

By the eighth test, Khan had begun to lose hope and blame his unique state for putting another hurdle on his path. Yet, to his surprise, the colorant didn't trigger his automatic defense mechanisms and spread through his body, granting the scientists the data they needed.

"I apologize for such barbaric methods, Prince Khan,

" Garret exclaimed while ordering the machine to retract its tubes.

"I swear, there was no other way.

"

"Do you have everything you need now?

" Khan wondered, leaving the chair and checking himself. He could almost picture Monica's face when she saw the holes that littered his body.

"Not quite,

" Garret revealed.

"We found the right substance, but the density has to be adjusted to match the reagent. I'm afraid you'll have to go through this one more time.

"