Geno Solution

"What?" Freeman froze upon hearing what Rowan had said. "B-but, your mother..." He stammered, his face going pale upon thinking of what Lena would most probably do to him if anything happened to her precious Rowan. In fact, it was a miracle nothing had happened to Eric yet, and he was intent on making sure Rowan did not become a reckless person.

"Don't worry about my mother. She always knew what I intended on doing. Working as a Noble for the Black Gold Organization and entering xenogenic spaces comes with a lot of risk. Her allowing me to join means that she understands those risks." Rowan waved his hand in the air, as though waving away Freeman's worries.

"...Fine, then. No special treatment, but do not come running back to me after facing a scary xenogenic." Freeman wagged his finger in front of Rowan.

"Don't worry, Uncle Freeman. I won't come running back." Rowan grinned.

Freeman sighed deeply, his face sagging in defeat. He already knew what Rowan was like, and knew that the boy was serious about not coming back to ask for special treatment.

"Alright, as for you, Maxwell. I had originally called you here to keep a close eye on Rowan, but since he does not want it, that is no longer relevant. Instead, I have a new assignment for you." Freeman turned his attention back to Maxwell, and the expression of a defeated, doting uncle completely disappeared. He had that stern look on his face again.

Maxwell immediately sat up straighter the moment the attention of the Director was turned to him.

"Tomorrow, when you begin instructing the recruits under you, make sure to drill them extra hard. I want to see the best of the best coming out of those four recruits. Do you understand me?" He asked, a brow quirked up. The action made him look even more intimidating, scaring Maxwell.

"Yes, sir!" Maxwell saluted. In the moment that their eyes made contact, he had felt the aura of an Earl slip out and surround him for the slightest second. That aura had nearly made him wet himself, but he also had a firm will as he was a Noble himself.

"Good, now you may leave." Freeman waved away Maxwell, and the Baron quickly departed from his office with a cold sweat drenching his back.

After the disturbed Baron had made his leave, Freeman finally turned to face Rowan.

"So, Rowan, how have you been?" He asked. They had not seen each other for quite a while, and even then, the last time they had seen each other was over a video call.

"I've been doing okay, Uncle Freeman. I'm just rather eager to start my duties here." Rowan replied with a smile.

"Good." Freeman nodded his head. "I have something for you." He said and reached for an item underneath his table. Rowan was unable to see what the item was, but he was still curious.

"I'm sure your mother already told you this, but I need to bring up this matter again in order to explain some things to you." Freeman began with a solemn expression on his face. "Rowan, you are a not a naturally conceived child. You are a test tube baby." He looked straight into the eyes of the eighteen year old opposite him.

"I'm aware of that, Uncle Freeman." Rowan nodded.

"Good, that makes it easier." Freeman let out a relieved sigh when he saw that Rowan was not disturbed by this fact concerning his birth. "Well, in order to conceive a test tube baby, a special geno solution is needed. My organization was in charge of providing the geno solution that your parents had used to conceive you and keep you nourished until your birth."

"Now, you know about the Xenon, yes?" Freeman asked after the short explanation he had given.

"Yes, we were taught about the Xenon in school. They are a vicious race that had made exceptional breakthroughs in the field of genetic mutations." Rowan said.

"Good, good. You're a smart boy. I'm sure you can already tell where this is going." Freeman looked at Rowan with expectation. Rowan did not disappoint.

"Yes. This is leading up to the point where you expose that the geno solution that was used to conceive me was derived from Xenon technology, or something like that, at least." Rowan nodded.

"Haha, smart boy! Roland certainly did not disappoint. He produced a wonderful boy!" Freeman suddenly burst into a fit of hearty laughter.

"Ah, anyway, yes, you are partially right. There was a wreck of a Xenon ship that was found in one of the xenogenic spaces that is present on Henan. It was a particularly big ship that showcased some of the best of the Xenon's advances in the technological field. On it, we found a host of geno solutions of different kinds. But there was a special one..."

"...One that was for the artificial conception of a child." Rowan put the pieces together.

"Indeed. It was a gamble, but one that Lena and Roland agreed to. And their bet might turn out to be a good one, if we complete the procedures, that is." Freeman nodded his head to tell Rowan that he was right.

"So, what step is left in the process?" Rowan asked.

"There were two phases of the gene treatment. First was the conception of the child. The second phase can only be carried out when that child had begun the process of generating their geno armor. So, that means the second phase will be carried out in the following months. The sooner you generate your geno armament, the sooner the second phase will be over." Freeman explained seriously.

"Oh... So, what benefits are there to this process?" Rowan eventually asked after some time had elapsed in silence.

"Even we are not too sure, but the only thing we are sure of is that you will be able to stand out from your pairs after becoming a Baron." Freeman shrugged.