Two billion, four hundred million Imperial Credits was no small sum. Such a large-scale transfer of funds would naturally attract the attention of the banks. Just as the payment was credited to Yang Ying’s account, a letter arrived from the bank.

The gist of the correspondence was that his client tier had been automatically upgraded by one level, and a senior executive at the bank wished to schedule a meeting with him in the virtual world soon to discuss how they might offer him superior wealth management services.

Yang Ying had received similar correspondence when his account balance first topped one hundred million. Having dealt with the bank before, and living within the Empire, he understood that some tedious formalities still had to be observed. After all, the Empire was an extremely advanced civilized society where human interaction with society was highly integrated; it was simply impossible to achieve anything without ever leaving one’s quarters. Tax matters resulting from the sale of his potions, for instance, he entrusted entirely to the bank.

Leaving the laboratory building, Yang Ying informed his three close friends that the potion had been successfully formulated, and then they treated themselves to a meal at the best restaurant near the academy.

The Empire’s culinary culture boasted a long and storied history, with many dishes prepared to exquisite perfection, offering a blissful indulgence. This was the second time Yang Ying had visited this particular restaurant. Previously, the young boy, Wu Li, had treated him to a meal here after the desperate outlaw incident.

Except for Dan Nan, everyone in the group was a master above the third tier; for them, eating was no longer a biological necessity, but a form of enjoyment.

It was worth noting that one of the most common dining implements in the Empire was the Gravitic Chopstick. This was a slender stick, resembling a chopstick, that could project a thin beam of tractor light from its tip to draw food toward it. The user could control the amount of food lifted and its state in mid-air using a small, button-sized roller on the chopstick’s shaft, making it remarkably convenient. The group ate, drank, and chatted, first celebrating Yang Ying’s sudden windfall. After a few minutes of conversation, Laya asked a question: “Igor, what are your plans now? Are you going to take the examination to qualify as a Senior Alchemist with the Alchemist Association?”

At this, both Dan Nan and Dimas turned their attention to him, clearly intrigued.

Yang Ying nodded. “You are right, obtaining the qualification for Senior Alchemist is imperative.”

The Empire maintained extremely strict controls over medicinal raw materials. To prevent drug abuse, ordinary alchemists faced restrictions on purchasing ingredients, and many rare medicinal herbs were simply unavailable. Senior Alchemists, however, faced far fewer limitations.

After a pause, Yang Ying continued, “Let’s set aside the Senior Alchemist issue for now. Since I’ve accidentally earned such a considerable sum, I should be able to achieve a goal I set some time ago.”

“What goal?” the others pressed.

Yang Ying smiled. “A private alchemical virtual laboratory!”

“Wow!” Laya exclaimed in surprise. “That won’t be cheap. A genuine set of virtual laboratory software will eat up the better part of that windfall you just secured.”

“Are you dissatisfied with the virtual laboratory here at the academy?” Dan Nan asked, puzzled. “A private virtual lab is an investment nearing a billion. You need to be cautious.”

“Dan Nan is correct,” Dimas agreed.

“The academy’s lab is the academy’s, and one day I will leave the academy. I set this goal a long time ago,” Yang Ying stated calmly. “Besides, what great alchemist doesn't have their own virtual laboratory? To my knowledge, Dean Faskelun has one, and while not every Senior Alchemist possesses one, Professor Tis-Ah certainly does.”

Most alchemists in the Empire who could afford it would acquire their own virtual laboratory. It was like having a domain entirely belonging to oneself, where one could experiment freely. The academy’s virtual labs, being shared resources with some data publicly accessible, made true confidentiality difficult.

The others understood this point. Laya sighed softly. “That’s true. There's a difference between using your own and renting someone else's...”

“Then it’s settled,” Dan Nan said, resting a hand on his forehead. “Your ten-digit fortune hasn't even had time to warm up before you’ve shaved it down to nine figures. You certainly have nerve when it comes to spending.”

“You all will have your day too. I am certain of it,” Yang Ying chuckled.

“Come! Let’s drink,” Dimas raised his glass.

“Right, let’s forget about the future for today and just drink,” all four raised their glasses. “Cheers!”

The meal concluded amidst cheerful chatter. The group dispersed, and Yang Ying returned to his villa-style dormitory alone, locking the door after instructing the robotic servants not to disturb him. He then entered the Floating Continent.

Today was not only the day he made a fortune; it was also an extraordinary day for the Terran race.

After a long period of gestation and development, the second-generation battlecruiser, the Minotaur-class, was officially rolling off the production line today.

The very first Minotaur-class battlecruiser was naturally named the Minotaur, and from this day forward, this vessel would replace the Behemoth as the flagship of the Terran Yulei Fleet.

The Minotaur’s hull measured seven hundred meters long, two hundred meters longer than the Behemoth-class. Its exterior maintained the design language of the Behemoth, featuring a mace-shaped prow, but boasted stronger firepower, thicker armor, and vastly improved overall performance in every aspect.

The schematics for this new battlecruiser had undergone several revisions following the initial draft—No, after several rounds of discussion and revision—finally settling into its current configuration. The standard armament included eight Level-Seven Uranium Cannons, delivering ferocious firepower; any single one of these possessed firepower comparable to the main Yamato Cannon of the original Behemoth-class. Moreover, the Minotaur's own Yamato Cannon reached Level-Eight capability. Coupled with the inherently extreme range of the Yamato Cannon, it was destined to be a nightmare for any enemy.

In addition, the Minotaur's hull was studded with a large number of various turrets and missile silos. At a moment's command, it could instantly transform into an untouchable porcupine, its firepower density greatly increased along with its strength.

Simultaneously, as the hull grew larger, the internal space of the warship expanded significantly, meaning it could accommodate more landing troops and more carrier-based aircraft. However, the actual increase in onboard forces was not as substantial as the theoretical maximum suggested.

This was because one aspect of the original Behemoth-class battlecruiser had drawn considerable criticism. Many crew members submitted suggestions to the Research Institute stating that the Behemoth-class’s internal space, due to an overemphasis on theoretical optimization, was utilized to its absolute extreme—nearly every cubic centimeter was accounted for—resulting in extreme crowding that hampered efficiency during combat.

A single Ghost fighter had a fuselage fifteen meters long; simply carrying one hundred and twenty such aircraft was already challenging, let alone the embarked ground troops, armored units, transport squadrons, and essential hardware like the power core, thrusters, ammunition depots, crew quarters, and so on. To cram so much into a single Behemoth-class battlecruiser illustrated the resulting congestion.

To alleviate this cramped situation, the Minotaur-class battlecruiser's embarked complement was reduced from the theoretical maximum. In practical terms, the number of Ghost fighters remained at one hundred and twenty, and the number of ground troops stuck to the structure of two infantry regiments. The increase was seen in the armored divisions, transport squadrons, and the inclusion of some newer troop types.

This adjustment resulted in the warship’s interior feeling significantly more spacious.

In the northern sector of the Floating Continent, within a super-large warship production facility, Yang Ying presided over the unveiling ceremony for the Minotaur. The ship’s captain would remain Howard, whom Yang Ying simultaneously promoted to the rank of Element, granting him full command over the twenty thousand Behemoth-class vessels and the five thousand Minotaur-class vessels.

Yes, as the Minotaur-class began rolling out, there were already five thousand units ready.

With the advancement of production capability, Yang Ying’s pace of construction accelerated dramatically. While the first batch of the Behemoth-class consisted of only ten ships, the first batch of the Minotaur-class numbered five thousand—a colossal difference.

Furthermore, Yang Ying received news from the Luminary Executor Cass that the Protoss race was also preparing to unveil their second-generation carriers soon, intending to rectify the flaw of having too few interceptors on their previous models.

Perhaps due to the Protoss’s dense artistic sensibilities, the design philosophy of the first-generation carriers stood in direct opposition to the Terran battlecruisers: the battlecruisers were too crowded, while the carriers were too sparse.

A single Protoss Interceptor fuselage measured only three meters long, though its wingspan was about six meters wide, making it resemble a crab. Its volume was far smaller than a Ghost fighter. Yet, despite having the title of ‘carrier,’ the first-generation vessel carried fewer interceptors than the Terran battlecruisers carried Ghost fighters.

Although the carriers possessed built-in Interceptor fabrication facilities—allowing damaged interceptors to be repaired instantaneously and destroyed ones to be replaced with extreme speed—the sheer scarcity of their numbers remained the bottleneck constraining the carriers' combat effectiveness.

In simulated combat exercises against Terran Behemoth-class battlecruisers, many Zealots piloting the carriers discovered that their firepower lagged, causing their overall combat power to be significantly inferior to the battlecruisers. In one-on-one engagements, the carriers lost far more often than they won.

Consequently, the Protoss research department subsequently received extensive feedback for revisions, ultimately leading to the design of the second-generation carrier.

Its hull, like the Minotaur-class, was lengthened to seven hundred meters, but the internal compartments dedicated to storing interceptors were expanded tenfold. Almost all the added space within the carrier was dedicated to housing interceptors, boosting the embarked complement to an astonishing eighty squadrons, totaling nine hundred and sixty aircraft!

The modifications to the capital warships of the Terran and Protoss races had once again diverged radically: the Terran battlecruisers were trending towards spaciousness, while the Protoss carriers were moving toward extreme compactness.

Yang Ying could not find any definitive way to judge these contrasting approaches; he chose to let them drift, allowing both races to pursue their own paths, as long as combat capability increased, it was a positive outcome.

It was like what a certain great figure said five centuries ago: it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat.

After a night of busy work completing the battlecruiser unveiling ceremony, Yang Ying returned to the real world.

The sky was just beginning to lighten. Yang Ying’s mind focused on the private virtual laboratory, so he wasted no time, heading straight out of his residence to the Pharmacy Institute.

Diamond had only recently secured the official dimensions for interstellar flying units, leading him to revise some previous data during this update cycle; the previous five hundred meters had indeed been a bit too small. Please bear with the necessary adjustments. Also, National Day is approaching; I hope everyone will continue to support Starfleet in Hand. Requesting minimum monthly votes!!! O u hú shùn xún shū shài qí sǎn