If it had been the genes of the eight demons from Jackie Chan's Adventures, perhaps the strength would have been much greater. However, when it came to the Black Shadow Corps, there was no real threat to the truly strong individuals in this world.
"Extract abilities," Mio commanded mentally.
Immediately, the abilities were extracted.
To be honest, Mio didn't have high expectations for this extraction. Although the two individuals' abilities were decent, they weren't exactly suitable for him. More accurately, there weren't many abilities in this world that could truly match him.
"Starting extraction~ Extraction successful. Congratulations on extracting the ability [Ghost Body] and obtaining one-tenth of the comprehensive attributes of the cultivated creature!"
"Starting extraction~ Extraction successful. Congratulations on extracting the ability [Summon Black Shadow] and obtaining one-tenth of the comprehensive attributes of the cultivated creature!"
"Huh…"
Seeing the extracted abilities, Mio's eyes lit up with surprise.
If there was one ability that suited him best, it was undoubtedly [Ghost Body]. Combined with his [Replacement] ability, his survivability had taken yet another huge leap.
As for [Summon Black Shadow], while not particularly powerful in combat, it wasn't without value. It could be developed to higher levels and used for handling chores or other side tasks.
Moreover, despite extracting two abilities consecutively, the attribute improvements were only barely noticeable to Mio. This small change was a clear sign—Mio's physical strength had already reached an incredibly high level. Though there was still a gap between him and the top powerhouses, the distance wasn't too great anymore.
Snap!
Mio snapped his fingers.
Inside the cultivation tank, two cat maids appeared before him.
Facing the two naked girls, Mio subconsciously touched his nose, feeling a bit shy despite everything. After all, he was still quite young.
"Which one of you is the older sister, and who is the younger?" Mio asked curiously.
The cat maid who had inherited the [Ghost Body] ability immediately replied, "I'm the younger sister."
As she spoke, her cat ears twitched adorably and her tail swayed lightly.
"Then you're the older sister?" Mio turned to the other cat maid with the [Summon Black Shadow] ability.
"Yes," the other girl nodded.
Mio pondered for a moment.
Sisters, huh? Their names needed careful thought.
After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "From now on, the younger sister will be called Penny, and the older sister will be called Renee."
"Thank you, Master," Penny and Renee said simultaneously, bowing respectfully.
"Call me 'sir' from now on," Mio corrected with a smile.
"Yes, sir!" they both responded cheerfully.
Looking at their twitching cat ears, Mio couldn't help but reach out and stroke them. Immediately, the sisters' cheeks flushed slightly, and their tails swayed faster.
"It feels good," Mio grinned, before telling them to wait while he fetched clothes.
After retrieving some clothes from Erica, Mio let Penny and Renee dress before introducing them to Erica and the others.
Then, he assigned the sisters their first mission.
Their task was to establish an intelligence network.
Originally, Mio had considered sending them directly to the New World. However, after careful thought, he rejected that idea. For now, the best place to start building an intelligence network was the first half of the Grand Line.
In the New World, underground kings and powerful pirates already had strongholds and influence. Developing a new intelligence network there would be extremely difficult.
On the other hand, the first half of the Grand Line was less crowded with strong forces. Most of the true elites had already entered the New World. The remaining pirates were either rookies, failed veterans, or pirates who had returned from the New World.
Given the sisters' strength and abilities, building an intelligence network here would be much easier—with some financial support, of course.
Thinking about funding, Mio tapped his chin thoughtfully before asking, "Renee, do you have any ideas about developing an intelligence network?"
Renee thought for a moment before answering seriously, "Sir, I have three ideas.
First, we can establish taverns on the central islands of each route. Taverns are excellent places for gathering pirate intel.
Second, manpower isn't an issue for me. Others might find intelligence gathering time-consuming and dangerous, but I can easily handle it."
As she spoke, Renee raised her right hand.
Immediately, dark shadows formed all over the deck, and shadowy warriors rose from them, kneeling respectfully.
In just moments, dozens of shadow warriors covered the deck.
Snap!
Renee snapped her fingers, and the shadows dissipated.
"With the Black Shadow Corps," Renee continued, "I can deploy shadow warriors to kingdoms and famous islands to gather intelligence continuously. They don't fear death or injury, so we have a significant advantage."
"And the third idea?" Mio asked, intrigued.
"We can create our own newspaper," Renee said confidently.
"A newspaper?" Mio was briefly stunned but quickly realized it was a brilliant suggestion.
"Yes," Renee nodded firmly. "By creating a newspaper, we can publish the intelligence we gather and sell it. At the same time, we can offer rewards to encourage pirates and others to submit information to us."
"It sounds promising," Mio said thoughtfully. "But what about training News Birds? Those are key for newspaper distribution."
News Birds, typically seagulls, were trained to deliver newspapers across the seas. Finding and training enough birds would be a significant challenge.
"We don't need seagulls," Renee said, shaking her head with a smile. "We have the Black Shadow Corps. Through the Black Shadow Kingdom, they can travel anywhere instantly and gather contributions at any time. It's much more efficient than relying on seagulls."
"Hahaha!" Mio laughed happily. "It's good that you're so confident. Next, we're heading to Alabasta. I'll drop you two off there and provide some starting funds. After that, it's all up to you."
"Rest assured, sir," Renee said confidently. "I'm sure we'll have the intelligence network expanded to the New World in no time!"
At that moment, Penny raised her hand shyly. "Sir, since we're making a newspaper… what should we call it?"
"Name, huh?" Mio scratched his head.
The famous news giant Morgans' newspaper was called the World Economic News Agency. Mio needed a unique name for his own newspaper—something that wouldn't easily reveal his involvement to the World Government or the Marines.
After some thought, Mio smiled brightly.
"Let's call it the Linglong Economic News Agency."