After leaving the farm, Dale, Lang Chi, and Soma visited the Tamer battalion's Medical Wing. There they met up with Markus Leiner, who had become the head of the department. The hospital is located away from the city as it was deemed experimental since the medical staff used monster skills to heal afflictions to the mind and body inflicted on their Tamer patients during combat.

Lang chi. "When we were entering this place, I saw the logistics and transportation wing loading up crates marked for the EUF. What was inside them?"

Markus. "Many of our monsters, including mine, have skills related to creating and nullifying Poison. We use state-of-the-art medical technology to synthesize a variant that has the same effects of our skills and mass produce it for the UGP troops fighting the Amphibian monsters in the territory of the EUF."

Dale. "Why not go there and heal the troops with your skills?"

Markus. "Not all of us have infinite Mana to use on others. So we put our best work into a bottle and replicate it in mass through conventional technology."

Dale. "But are those medicines as effective as your own skills?"

Markus. "It is not the same, but fifty to seventy percent effectiveness over a large number is far better than hundred percent on a few. Don't you agree?"

Dale. "That makes sense."

Lang Chi. "Don't you get tired from making these?"

Markus. "We rely on skill Transfer Tamers to borrow our skills when that happens. That way, we don't exhaust ourselves and keep a steady medicine output."

Dale. "They can borrow your skills? When did that happen?"

Soma. "My Intelligence wing recently discovered that the monster app can detect a deep emotional connection between a Skill Transfer Tamer and any other type of Tamer. It can be through a romantic partner, a familial bond between siblings, or being true best friends. The App will pair up the devices together to allow swapping of skills at any time for 30 minutes before it is reset and has to be swapped again. As long as the distance between the two is under one kilometer, anything further will not allow a swap."

Dale. "That's interesting. So you guys have partners like that here?"

Markus. "Several of us do, but it's all voluntary. We don't force anyone into it if that is your concern."

Lang Chi. "Has anyone tried transferring skills during a battle?"

Markus. "Would you like to be the first to try?"

Lang Chi. "Ah... no, I don't do sharing. Especially in a battle."

Markus. "That seems to be the prevailing problem. So for now, that skill is only useful in non-combat situations."

Dale. "Still, it is impressive that you are pumping out enough Antidotes for a whole army."

Soma. "It's not like that is the only medicine they make here. The stuff they have in the back is way more magical."

Lang chi. "Magical? Can we see them?"

Markus. "Soma, those are still in the experimental phase."

Soma. "Let them see what you guys are truly capable of, Markus."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Markus shook his head in a sign of defeat and then took the trio into the R&D room, which housed the Scientific Research Wing. Entire shelves are filled with Red liquid in see-through rubber bottles. Dale picked up a bottle to examine it and opened the lid to smell it.

Lang Chi. "This smells like the herbs in the ancient forest that Richard's Dino created."

Markus. "That is quite the sense of smell you have on you. But, yes, this concoction is made from those same herbs. It has remarkable properties that stimulate the cells in the body to heal damaged tissue and restore vitality."

Dale. "Really? Strange how they have the same color as Health potions in fantasy games."

Markus. "Oh, no, that is just edible food coloring. Our studies discovered that Tamers are willing to drink it if they think it will taste sweet or resemble potions in fantasy games. It also helps to make it more distinctive than the Blue Mana Elixirs."

Dale. "Mana Elixirs?"

Markus. "They are trickier to create since the Tamer has to make his monster add its own Mana during the creation of the concoction. It is very time-consuming and takes a toll on them."

Dale. "Can I restore my Mana pool by drinking it?"

Markus. "Of course! But since the production is difficult, the supply will be far less than the health Elixir."

Lang chi. "If they were easy to produce, these potions wouldn't be called Magical."

Markus. "I prefer to call them Elixirs instead of Potions."

Lang chi. "Whatever! Wait... what are those bottles with Yellow liquid?"

Markus. "Those are Stamina Elixirs for Tamers whose monsters don't need Mana. It stimulates the adrenaline gland to allow the body to fight twice the amount of time it would normally be capable of."

Lang Chi. "Damn! I want ten of each of these bottles! I will be fucking invincible on the battlefield with them."

Markus. "I am afraid the limit is only one bottle per Tamer for every mission. Drinking too much in a short period will cause their potency to be lost, so we advise against relying on them like in fantasy games."

Dale's eyes lost their shine when he heard the last bit. For a moment, he thought that he had found a way to power up his skills at night.

Soma. "Don't assume that these Elixirs are cheap to make. If the UGP was still operating on money, then none of us would be able to afford them."

Dale. "I have been meaning to ask about that. How come they aren't reintroducing currency?"

Soma. "Well... this is still in the development stages, but we will be following the Starship Trooper style of governance."

Dale. "What the hell is that?"

Soma. "You should really expand your knowledge of Sci-fi literature. Basically, we are going full military-focused style of government. We will reward those who volunteer to serve in our war against the monsters by providing food, accommodation, official rank, and the right to vote. Those who refuse to join and serve will receive nothing from the UGP, and their votes will not be counted in any future election."

Dale. "So you are saying that... we don't have to worry about income and expenditure as long as we serve them?"

Soma. "Kinda... as I said before, it's still in the development phase, and they might abandon it if the invasion is repelled."

Lang chi. "Fat chance of that happening any time soon."

Markus. "I admit, this kind of government does not sound appealing, but I would rather have some kind of order and incentive to fight than total anarchy."

Dale. "Is this just for Tamers or for non-tamers too?"

Soma. "Applies to everyone! We cannot win this war if we follow the old governance systems or go back to being separate nations. Therefore, the leadership has decided to make radical changes in how we do things to increase our strength for the coming battles."

Dale. "Radical... Like what?"

Soma. "For starters, we will make a recruitment video during your upcoming mission in Texas. We even found a Tamer who has cameraman-like monster skills to record it all."

Lang Chi. "That must be one fucked up Tamer to have that ability."

Dale. "Any other surprises that I should know about before the mission?"

Soma. "We will be calling you 'Black Phoenix' from now on. Personally, I prefer calling you 'Ra's Dive Bomber.' It kinda suits you more, but I am not the one who picks them."

Dale. "Why code names all of a sudden?"

Markus. "Well, codenames have always been a thing in the military for important individuals."

Lang Chi. "Whose idea was this exactly? Seems like an idiot came up with it."

Soma. "I wouldn't go around mocking Chairman Zao's naming sense."

Lang chi looked horrified by that revelation.

Lang chi. "How come I don't know about it?"

Soma. "He only discussed it with the Admiral and me yesterday. Zao wants society to look at Tamers who serve the UGP as heroes of mankind instead of tools for the military. It is a similar concept when referring to him as the son of Heaven."

Dale. "So I pretend to be a hero in a recruitment video during an Evac mission for two hundred people? That sounds messed up."

Soma. "I know it sounds like that, but getting more people on our side is important. By doing this, you will be saving countless lives instead of a few hundred."