"If it's fine with you, I would like to name it Nephilim Pharmaceuticals."
'Why Nephilim?"
"Because it is the name that my other self gave to the new bloodline that would be created after I drink the elixir."
They started discussing other details but Zeke was constantly yawning. Katherine checked the time and saw that it was already 10:30 p.m. The kids usually slept at 9 so it was understandable that Zeke was feeling sleepy.
She looked at him and said, "You go to bed now. We will talk tomorrow after you return from school." Zeke sleepily nodded and went upstairs.
Alexi and Katherine stayed downstairs.
"So, what do you think about all this? Do you believe him?" Alexi asked.
"Honestly, I don't know what to think. Zeke took a big risk trusting us with his secret. The least we can do is give him the benefit of the doubt. And it's not like we have any other choice."
"That we do not. Well, it's getting late, so I'll see you tomorrow. I'll swing by in the morning." Alexi got up, ready to leave when Katherine stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Where are you staying?"
"At Blue Moon Hotel. Why?"
"Come stay with us. Here. At our house."
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean you don't have a place to live, and a hotel room does not count. I have many rooms here, so come live with us. That way you can also spend more time with the boys. So, what do you say?"
Alexi had a complicated look in his eyes. He took a deep breath and said, "Sure. I'll move in. But I still need to get my stuff from the hotel so I'll be back in a while."
Sleep was the last thing on her mind right now so she decided to look up Azure Grass plantations. Alexi soon returned with a suitcase. She led him to his room and got back to work.
The next morning, Cass woke up at 4:45 a.m. He then went to the bathroom to freshen himself. When he came back out, he had a mug full of cold water in his hand. He went inside Zeke's room and tried to wake him up peacefully.
When Zeke didn't wake up despite his best, he felt like he had no other choice. He took the mug, and swung it towards Zeke, causing the water to splash on Zeke violently. Zeke was instantly awake, confused and disoriented.
'What's going on? Did someone kidnap me?'
Then he realized that he was in his bed, with Cass standing over him trying to control his laughter. He looked at the clock and it was 5 a.m. He didn't bother saying anything because he knew how Cass would reply.
He went to the bathroom freshened up, changed, and got out. Cass was waiting for him but he ignored him and went to the gym in the basement. Cass instantly knew that Zeke was angry with him.
He followed behind and caught up to him on the stairs.
"I'm sorry. It was only supposed to be a joke but I went too far."
Zeke still didn't say anything.
"I'll study with you for two hours instead of one."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Then get ready. If you ever get sleepy during the lessons, just remember, I recently got a new water gun."
Cass slightly shivered and asked, "So we're good?"
"We're good."
They both entered the gym only to see a shirtless Alexi doing push-ups. He was sweating intensely and looked like he was under great pressure. Cass wanted to walk up to him but was held back by Zeke.
"What are you doing?"
"Saving your life. If you go near him right now, you'll be crushed into a paste."
"Huh?"
"He's right you know. Well, not exactly. You wouldn't be crushed into a paste but blood mist."
Alexi stood up and started wiping the sweat off his face. Cass took a step back, just for safe measure.
"So, you boys here to train? If so, I can help."
"You can?" Cass asked with stars in his eyes. Anything related to training excited him to no end.
[We got ourselves a handsome Rock Le- Oi dumb Realm_Weaver! This is my section. If you want to talk, go get your own.]
"Yeah. And it will be many times more efficient and simpler than the training that you've been doing till now."
"How?"
"You'll be training just like I was, under enhanced gravity. Of course, I'll adjust the intensity according to both of your physiques. And we'll go back to the very basics. Push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, triceps dips, etc. It's a skill of mine."
Alexi began instructing them. They first did a light warm-up. Then he used his skill on them. He put Cass under 3Gs. Zeke on the other hand could only handle 2Gs due to his weaker physique. Their workout went on for about an hour. By the end, both of them were utterly exhausted and just lay on the floor, not bothering to get up.
"You both do realise that we aren't done yet, right? We still need to work on your flexibility in the swimming pool."
Half another later, Alexi fished the boys out of the swimming pool and fed an F Grade healing potion to both of them. Healing potions were the only reason that he felt comfortable pushing them to their limits. Soon, the blood and bone soup and the bone pills would replace the healing potions. Although they would work countless times slower, they would build a better foundation for boys.
The boys recovered after half an hour. Then they started getting ready for school. Zeke came down before Cass. Alexi said, "I'm going hunting today. Are there any requirements other than affinity for the monster beasts?"
"No. Just choose one beast per affinity. Please also bring the slimes today with two mana insulation cages."
"Anything else?"
"Hmmm...right. I almost forgot. Just buy any F Grade potions for blood regeneration you find."
"Why do you need those?"
"Because w-"
"What are you guys talking about? And where is Aunt Kat?" Cass asked them as he came down.
"Nothing and she is sleeping. She was up late for some work-related stuff so I'll be taking you guys to school today. I also made your breakfast."
They ate their breakfast and Alexi dropped them off at school. He also met some of his old teachers. Not many were still teaching, most of them had passed on, but the ones that did still remembered their gang. One of them had even become the Principal of the school. They talked for a while and then he left.
When he returned home, Katherine had just woken up.
"Hey there, sleepyhead."
"Good morning. Where are you coming home from?"
"I just dropped the boys off at school. Hey, did you know that Mr.Singer became the Principal of the school?"
"Yeah, I did. Wait, what is the time right now?" She hurriedly checked the time and saw that it was 9 a.m.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Because you were sleeping and I took care of things. We promised to do this together so we're doing this together. Now listen, I'm going hunting. You get the equipment ready for the refinement of the blood and bones. By the way, do you know any good butchers around here? I could do it myself but these are best left to the professionals."
"Alright, I will. Just send me the credits before you go. I think we can outright buy that cosmetics company. I was looking it up last night and the owner is looking to sell. Something about not generating profits. He'll sell the company, the land, the plantations owned by them, all of it. He just has one condition. We can't fire the employees. That is non-negotiable."
"Sure, I'll do that and you can go over all the details. As for his condition, I think we can agree to it. It gives us the advantage as we won't have to hire many people. Just add a condition of our own that all employees, even the janitors, must make a System Oath to not reveal the company secrets. Nothing special, just the standard ones for pharmaceutical companies.
From what I've heard, they're very similar to the ones that we made last night. And specify to him beforehand that the employees might have to move when we build the headquarters. I'll be back around lunchtime."
"There is a butcher shop by the name 'Hendrick and Sons' near Lockwood Avenue. Tell them I sent you and they'll know what to do."
Alexi gave her a questioning look but she ignored it. After he left, she went to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast but saw a few sandwiches covered in serene wrap on the counter. They had a sticky note on them that said, 'Sleepyhead'. She unwrapped the sandwiches and ate them before taking a shower. Then she got to work.
She started contacting some of her old contacts from when she was working under the Institute's Head to ask about any Azure Grass plantations they knew about. She started making a list. The Federation had about 15 Azure Grass plantations that she could find that grew and supplied over 95% of the Federation's Azure Grass. Of the 15, the company that they were hoping to buy owned 5. That left them with 10 plantations that they had to buy.
The plantations were relatively cheap, and they could purchase them all along with the company for 400 million credits. That would leave them with just 50 million credits, half of what they wanted to set aside for other expenses. She also thought of another big problem. Even if they bought the plantations, the military could easily build more.
It's not like they could get a patent for Azure Grass itself. She decided that she would discuss this with Alexi and Zeke before making any further moves. And before doing that she needed to register a company. She opened her laptop and went to the Earth Federation's official website. Then she proceeded to register a private company under the name 'Nephilim Pharmaceuticals'.
Usually, this would be a long process but, her past affiliation with the Earth Federation Institute of Research helped a lot. The verified scientists of the Federation had a lot of privileges. One of them was being able to open pharmaceutical companies. Of course, these companies would be under strict scrutiny for a short period but if their products were safe, the government would leave them alone.
After she had done this, she went to her lab. It wasn't anything big, just a small lab with the basic equipment but it was enough for refining some F Grade ingredients. She turned the necessary machines on so they could warm up. She checked the time, and it was time to pick the boys up from school.
She got in her car and drove to the school. She was a little late and saw that Cass and Zeke were waiting for her with Mr. Wilson. She got out of her car and walked up to them.
"I'm David, their class teacher. And you must be Ms. Katherine. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine. Thank you for looking after the boys."
"It's nothing. They are my students and it's my duty to look after them." Then he looked at the boys and said, "I'll see you boys tomorrow." Then he went back inside the school.
Katherine and the boys got inside the car and she started driving.
"I'm sorry I was late. How was your day?"
Cass said, "Mine was good but Zeke, his day was great."
"Now, you got me curious. What happened that made Zeke's day so great?"
Cass started giggling. "Zeke go-"
"Castiel Ashbourne, you better shut up."
Katherine was amused to see Zeke so riled up. She looked at Cass through the rear mirror and said, "You don't need to worry, I'll deal with him. So tell me, why was Zeke's day so great?"
Cass giggled even harder. He said, "Zeke got a girlfriend."
SKREEEECHHH
Katherine had pushed the breaks a bit too hard. Fortunately, the road was empty. She looked at them both, a giggling Cass and a slightly blushing Zeke and asked, "HE WHAT?"
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Author's Note:
Hey guys, I hope you like the novel.
Sorry for the delay. I'll try my best to post another chapter today. On the plus side, this chapter is my longest one so far.
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Shout-out to @_ASURA_2414_ and @Aditya_Chandra_6960.
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