The one flaw in the jade is that once the starship Southern Heaven Gate is shut down, a week is wanted before it can be started again.
And that cost of building, terrible to the point of astonishment.
A single hull runs as high as 500 trillion star coins!
When that cost of building came out, Zhao Chen felt his own heart give a lurch.
The Starlight Empire at its fullest of old had an annual output of but 20 trillion star coins.
Which means that were the whole people of the Starlight Empire to go without eating or drinking and put every resource into this plan of building, five and twenty years would be wanted.
And even now, with the resources of three empires beneath Zhao Chen's hand, and those rising without cease.
500 trillion star coins is an astronomical figure for all that.
Were it a time of peace, Zhao Chen might build it slowly.
But at such a juncture as this, how should Zhao Chen put in resources so vast to build one T6 warship?
And there is the length of the building besides.
Were a single T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base to bear this plan of building, ten years at the least would be wanted.
Zhao Chen let out a long sigh, and looked once more at the phantom shape of this starship Southern Heaven Gate.
Like a beauty of the Heavenly Mountains, whom one may look upon and never reach.
"Wait a while yet.
"One day I shall have you." Zhao Chen understands very well this Southern Heaven Gate's strategic value; and should the case in fact allow of it, he will assuredly build one!
Putting away this small feeling of loss within him.
Zhao Chen looked toward another cursor that was blinking.
【The quarterly mission is complete. Please draw the quarterly mission reward】
This is the year's last quarterly mission.
And the mission's content being very simple, Zhao Chen had not troubled much over it then.
【Quarterly mission
Mission content: destroy one million demon interstellar warships】
This quarterly mission is simply a mission matched to the annual one: so long as the annual mission could be completed, this quarterly mission must assuredly be completed too.
And so Zhao Chen had not minded it.
And now, as it happens, the quarterly mission reward may be drawn.
A thought stirred in Zhao Chen's mind.
【Congratulations. You have obtained 3,000 task points and the technical drawings of the T5 Ark-class Heavy Interstellar Supply Ship】
To come by an auxiliary-type interstellar warship of T5 grade — though not of the fighting kind, this too is what Zhao Chen needs now.
That the Owl Dragon Legion could in this campaign bring off so glorious a record comes upon the one hand of the Owl Dragon Legion's own valor in the fighting.
And upon the other of the Owl Dragon Legion's solid team of logistics and supply, within which the auxiliary-type warships of every model played a very great part.
And a supply ship of this kind for the field plays a greater part still.
For it can bring the warships upon a field back to their state of battle within the shortest time, and put them into the fighting again.
Someone has reckoned it.
Of the interstellar warships in service with the Angel Race, the Demon Race and the Owl Dragon Legion, in efficiency of attendance upon the field, the Owl Dragon-line warships come to more than the former two together!
From which one may imagine why the Owl Dragon Legion can again and again make those splendid victories of the few over the many.
Zhao Chen moved down from the quarterly mission's list, and looked at another mission box.
【Mission (The Machine Race's Secret)
First-stage mission: seek out the coordinate of the Mechanical Prophet. (Complete)
Second-stage mission: open a punitive expedition against the Mechanical Prophet, and destroy at least three hundred thousand of the Mechanical Prophet's interstellar fleets.
Third-stage mission: prevent the Demon Race's invasion of the Machine Race.】
Seeing this mission, Zhao Chen's brows drew a little together.
In truth he could not himself understand this mission.
The Demon Race's invasion of the Machine Race?
How should that be possible?
For it must be remembered that the Machine Race played until now the part of a great boss within this universe, holding the interstellar civilizations of this universe in balance by its own single strength.
And even the Demon Race, its strength risen as it is, has not the power, in this present case of war with the Angel Race and with his own Owl Dragon, to declare war upon the Machine Race besides.
One against three?
Has the Demon King been struck upon the skull by a starship?
But the appearing of a system mission is never a thing that can go wrong; since it has appeared, there must be reason for its being.
"Which is to say that the Demon Race will hold a strength to threaten the Machine Race?" Zhao Chen muttered within himself.
That possibility is exceedingly low.
Even had the Demon Race swallowed a whole box of restorative pills, it could not within so short a time grow strong enough to invade the Machine Race.
Which leaves one possibility only.
If it is not the Demon Race growing stronger, then it is the Machine Race growing weaker.
"By the look of it I must have another talk with that girl." Zhao Chen raised a hand and sent out a request for communication upon his handheld terminal.
That is the secret channel of communication set up between himself and that little girl.
The little girl had said that so long as he be within this universe, whenever Zhao Chen wished it he might reach her.
And before this it had very nearly always been answered on the instant.
But this call went as a stone sinks into the sea, without any stir whatever.
Zhao Chen caught the scent of something amiss.
Where a thing falls out strangely, there is always a fiend in it.
Unable to reach the little girl, he could only find some means to reach the Machine Race's high officers — though that would take some time.
Zhao Chen laid the notion aside for the present.
He went on enjoying his massage, and then opened the system page within his mind.
【Host: Zhao Chen
Profession: topmost starship engineer
Special attributes: fleet luck-value bonus, Eye of Insight
System points: 560 million (single month's fleet return: 201.31 million points)
Task points: 3,150
Starship count: above five hundred thousand
Mission: the Machine Race's Secret · third stage
Warehouse: technical drawings of the T5 Ark-class Heavy Interstellar Supply Ship】
Upon three months' accumulation, and the task points come by this time, Zhao Chen's wealth has piled up once more.
Which can further enlarge Zhao Chen's collection of T5-series starships.
Zhao Chen opened the system shop and looked straight to the T5-series interstellar warships.
He chose an auxiliary-type warship outright to exchange for.
【Spend 60 million system points and 500 task points to exchange for the article 'technical drawings of the T5 Stellar-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship'?】
Confirm.
【60 million system points and 500 task points spent. Congratulations. You have obtained the technical drawings of the 'T5 Stellar-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship'】
【System points now remaining: 500 million system points】
【Task points now remaining: 2,650 task points】
Zhao Chen looked at the interstellar industrial ship before him, well satisfied.
By rights, Zhao Chen has a T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base already; why then should he want a class of interstellar industrial ship besides?
Here one cannot but speak of the T5 Galaxy industrial base's defect, which is that it cannot be moved.
At present the Owl Dragon Legion's industrial building within and without, and its fleets of construction, still lean upon the T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship.
And now, with the T5 Stellar-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship, there is formed a matched set of great and small with the T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base, and Zhao Chen's industrial foundation is made complete.