“Purchase successful! The Sunkern genetic template has been added to your inventory!”
A line of text flashed across the System’s translucent interface.
“Just the genetic template?” Jiang Ming looked at the contents of his System inventory with some disappointment.
He had originally thought he would receive a fully formed Sunkern.
When he had obtained the beginner’s gift pack, the System had provided him with Dratini’s genetic template as well as a ready-made egg—the very one he currently possessed.
However, Jiang Ming understood the reason behind this.
When he had first received Dratini’s genetic template, he had taken the time to study it carefully.
In simple terms, although the System could help him create Pokémon, these creatures ultimately originated from another world.
Introducing them into this world without proper preparation could lead to all kinds of unpredictable changes.
After all, even organisms transferred between different environments within the same world could struggle to adapt.
The risks would be even greater when moving between entirely different worlds.
To create a Pokémon, Jiang Ming needed to use the genetic template of the desired species as the foundation.
He would then combine it with genes from similar organisms in this world, along with the appropriate elemental energy.
Once the necessary materials were prepared, the System could create the Pokémon in a single, streamlined process.
Take the Sunkern genetic template he had just obtained, for example.
All he needed to do was place sunflower tissue from this world near the template, add an item containing Grass-type elemental energy, and provide some nutrients.
After waiting a few days, he would have a Sunkern egg.
The entire process required no particular location and very little effort.
The most difficult step—genetic engineering—was handled by the genetic template itself.
It was practically foolproof.
This was precisely what gave Jiang Ming the confidence to make such bold promises to Xue Wenhui despite being nothing more than an undergraduate in biological cultivation.
As for the equipment he had told Xue Wenhui he wanted to purchase, that was merely a cover to conceal the System’s true capabilities.
“Phew… Hrr…”
A soft snore came from Jiang Ming’s arms.
Looking at the little bubble that repeatedly expanded and contracted over Dratini’s nose, Jiang Ming couldn’t help smiling affectionately.
“Sleeping so soundly, are you?”
He gently picked up Dratini and placed it in its own little bed.
After freshening up, he went to sleep himself.
With Xue Wenhui’s approval, the equipment Jiang Ming had requested was purchased and delivered in no time.
Construction of the accompanying biological cultivation laboratory also began.
After all, the equipment was only an entry-level biological cultivation unit.
Coastal City was large enough to qualify as a major city, so obtaining something like this wasn’t particularly difficult.
Inside the general manager’s office, Jiang Ming and Xue Wenhui sat facing each other.
“Xiao Ming, I’ve got the equipment for you. But let me make one thing clear from the start: you have only six months. If you’ve achieved nothing by then, don’t blame your Uncle Xue for being ruthless!”
Xue Wenhui spoke with a stern expression.
Jiang Ming nodded repeatedly.
“I understand, Uncle Xue.”
“Good!”
With that, Xue Wenhui left to attend to his other responsibilities.
Time passed quickly.
Once Zhengming Company’s biological cultivation laboratory was ready, Jiang Ming eagerly locked himself inside.
Watching Jiang Ming’s impatience, Xue Wenhui shook his head helplessly.
He simply instructed the staff to ensure that Jiang Ming’s three daily meals were delivered safely and then left him alone.
Since they had already agreed on a six-month deadline, Xue Wenhui had no intention of making things difficult for Jiang Ming during that period.
Young people like him often refused to give up until they had run headfirst into a wall.
Perhaps a good failure would teach him a lesson and bring him back down to earth.
Zhengming Company would eventually belong to Jiang Ming anyway.
The money being spent now could simply be considered the price of a lesson.
Inside the laboratory, Jiang Ming was already hard at work, dressed in full protective gear.
According to the System’s instructions, as long as he had the appropriate genetic template and all the necessary materials, he could create a Pokémon almost anywhere.
Nevertheless, he had already bought the equipment.
He couldn’t very well leave it sitting there merely for decoration, could he?
Besides, if he eventually revealed a Pokémon and someone discovered that the equipment had no record of ever being used, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself no matter how hard he tried.
Thanks to his university studies, Jiang Ming had operated similar equipment before.
Although the current model came from a different manufacturer, the underlying principles were much the same, and the general procedures remained similar.
The equipment had also been calibrated during installation, so it was ready for use.
Under normal circumstances, biological cultivation with this type of equipment began with using a computer to design the required genetic program.
The necessary substances would then be extracted from prepared materials.
Finally, the extracted compounds and a culture medium would be added to the cultivation chamber, where the process could proceed.
(The author’s explanation: This is made up, so just go along with it.)
After all, this was only an entry-level piece of equipment.
Jiang Ming couldn’t expect it to offer more advanced functions.
Fortunately, with the System’s assistance, he could bypass the first and most difficult step by using the genetic template directly.
He placed the sunflower seeds he had prepared earlier and the specially purchased plant leaves rich in elemental energy into the extraction chamber.
Once the extraction process was complete, he transferred the Sunkern genetic template into the cultivation chamber.
And with that, his part of the work was finished.
The cultivation chamber was a cylindrical glass container filled with green culture fluid.
It looked much like the equipment used by Giovanni to cultivate Mewtwo in the anime.
This type of chamber belonged to the small-to-medium-sized category and was also the most common model available on the market.
As for chambers capable of cultivating large organisms directly, their exorbitant prices meant that almost no companies other than a handful of major corporations could afford to use them.
Normally, biological cultivation was an extremely time-consuming process.
However, because Jiang Ming already had a complete genetic template for Sunkern, the process proceeded much faster.
As the culture fluid was gradually consumed and replenished, the preliminary form of a Pokémon egg appeared inside the chamber after only two hours.
Although Jiang Ming knew that failure was practically impossible, he still couldn’t bring himself to relax before seeing the final result.
He therefore decided to stay in the laboratory for the time being.
As for Dratini, Jiang Ming had already made arrangements.
He went to the laboratory’s rest area and opened a suitcase he had brought with him.
Nestled among the carefully prepared bedding was a little blue Pokémon, fast asleep.
Perhaps sensing something, Dratini slowly opened its eyes.
“Dratini~ (つ｀)～”
Still half-asleep, Dratini drowsily looked around.
The moment it spotted Jiang Ming, it woke up completely and shot toward him.
“Dratini! (≧▽≦)!”
Jiang Ming hurriedly caught the little creature and soothed it until it had settled down.
He then walked over to the control console and casually switched on the cultivation room’s monitoring system.
“Dratini, this is going to be our new companion.”
Jiang Ming pointed toward the cultivation chamber, where the Pokémon egg had already begun to take shape.
“Dratini… (⊙o⊙)”
Dratini pressed its little head against the display screen and stared at the image in wide-eyed fascination.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
At last, a fully formed Pokémon egg appeared, its surface decorated with green patterns.
Without wasting a moment, Jiang Ming activated the equipment’s incubation function and transferred the egg to a dedicated hatching chamber.
Even an entry-level unit had all the basic functions one would expect.
Incubation was certainly among them.