"Red dragon."
"Wait… I take that one. Let me see… what to discard." Chu Xuan looked at the tiles before her with a thinking face.
In the end her hand came down upon a little bird. "One of bamboo."
"Out."
"Out."
"Out."
Shen Bing, Su Lan and Ye Xiaotong pushed their tiles over all at once.
One shot, three reports?
There was nothing but astonishment upon Chu Xuan's face.
At this time Zhao Chen and Lilith came into this little courtyard.
He cast an eye around it.
Soaking in the hot spring, drinking, playing mahjong, and making good things to eat.
Every one of them had her own enjoyment.
It is hard to believe that these people, not so long since, were women generals and women marshals riding the wind and cloud upon a field.
"Back so early?" Charlotte, seeing Zhao Chen come back, asked in some perplexity.
"The New Year video is recorded, so I came back," Zhao Chen said with a laugh.
Today is New Year's Eve, and Zhao Chen has gathered the whole of the Owl Dragon's high officers here to rest a good while.
At a guess, after this rest there will not be much chance of rest next year.
Seeing the enjoyment and the idleness upon everyone's faces, Zhao Chen was warm within too.
Is this not the very life he has always wanted?
Ta, ta, ta, ta.
At this time two figures, one tall and one short, came darting out and rushed straight to the side of the hot spring.
The Spider Queen Iris hooked up with her own foreleg the Annie soaking so happily within the hot spring, and lifted her clean out.
"Eh? How is it I am floating?" Her body being out of the hot spring, Annie felt a chill at once; she gave a shiver and opened her eyes.
And saw before her her own younger sister Nana.
"Did you not say just now that you were going to fetch the data? Did you fetch it into the hot spring?" Nana set both hands upon her hips, for all the world like one catching a pair in the act.
Annie was somewhat guilty within; she muttered, "I… my foot slipped and I fell in!
"Yes! That is how it was."
Nana pointed at the bathing dress upon Annie. "Oh? And with that one slip your bathing dress slipped on too?"
At this time the Spider Queen Iris dropped Annie upon the bank besides.
Nana without any courtesy took Annie by the collar outright and walked off toward the outside of the courtyard. "It was agreed before: the building programs of those several new warship classes are to be settled and then we rest!
"Keep your word!"
Annie, wearing a look as of one for whom life held nothing, was dragged out by Nana.
And passing by Zhao Chen, Annie gazed at Zhao Chen with a wronged look besides.
For her workload this year grew chiefly because the Commander brought out at one stroke the technical materials of so many T5-grade warships.
Which led straight to her working overtime at the year's end!
All at once!
Thud.
Her backside took a hurt, for in the dragging her backside had struck the threshold.
Nana, seeing it, simply had the Spider Queen Iris pick Annie up and hold her clear of the ground.
Thereafter the three went up to the second floor.
Upon the second floor of this little holiday courtyard, Nana and the Spider Queen Iris have set out a room expressly for their work.
Through the window giving onto the long gallery Zhao Chen could see Annie taken back into that room.
"Our three chief engineers are hard-working and uncomplaining indeed," Zhao Chen said in praise.
Lilith could not keep from laughing; then she walked with Zhao Chen to an empty place and sat down. "I have reckoned up the figures upon our several sides.
"At present, leaving out of account those military purchase dealings, the capacity of production and the rest within our Owl Dragon and the three empires comes to a single month's output of some 10 trillion star coins.
"And this does not take in the share the three great empires keep for the people's livelihood and for basic military purposes."
10 trillion star coins a month — that is a very rich figure indeed.
For the Angel Race at its fullest, reckoned out, came to no more than some 20 trillion a month.
But there is this difference: that the Owl Dragon's 10 trillion a month may every coin of it be used to enlarge the Owl Dragon's industry and military strength.
With no need to take much thought for the people's livelihood.
Which is the good of the Owl Dragon's system.
"10 trillion a month — then how many interstellar warships can we produce?" Zhao Chen began to reckon over his plan of enlargement again.
Lilith very soon gave out a string of figures. "Leaving out of account the capacity of the starship yards.
"By the newest frame we have set for an Owl Dragon legion of thirty thousand warships as the standard.
"The cost of purchase for a single Owl Dragon legion stands at some 40 trillion star coins."
Zhao Chen rubbed his own chin. "Which is to say that leaning upon our own output alone.
"Four months are wanted barely to build one Owl Dragon legion?"
"Yes.
"And because we shall go on producing some auxiliary-type and industrial-type warships and works of our own besides, the time spent may be longer still."
Lilith paused, and went on. "But happily, we have now set up a long-term trade of military purchase with the Angel Race.
"Upon the average we complete orders worth 40 trillion star coins each month.
"And with those two great orders from before besides, we have no little to spare.
"To answer for our enlargement of interstellar warships, there is at present no difficulty whatever."
40 trillion a month in military purchase orders, and this without reckoning certain orders placed as occasion serves.
One knows not whether to say that the arms trade truly makes money, or that this great tree of an Angel Race truly has depth stored in it.
"Then supposing I would double the scale of our present forces.
"How long would we want?" Zhao Chen asked.
"Double?" Lilith's brows drew a little together.
At this time Charlotte's voice came from beside them. "Is it your wish to enlarge the establishment of the several legion fleets upon the ground of the ten Owl Dragon legions we have?"
"You seem not to approve of it?" Zhao Chen marked the meaning within Charlotte's words.
Charlotte spoke it plainly. "I have reckoned it: by our present style of fighting.
"An establishment of thirty thousand warships to a single Owl Dragon legion is already the limit.
"Unless our case alter hereafter, I advise that we hold always to an establishment of thirty thousand warships to a single legion fleet."
There is much reason in this speech of Charlotte's; sometimes a legion fleet's fighting strength does not grow greater the more warships it holds.
Sometimes it may instead fall out that the legion fleet grows over-bloated.
Thirty-five thousand warships do not come to the effect upon a field of the same thirty thousand.
Zhao Chen set out his own thinking. "In truth I have taken thought of that too, and so the enlargement to come will be an enlarging of the number of Owl Dragon legions.
"From the ten Owl Dragon legions we have, to twenty, or even to thirty."
Zhao Chen set out his own thinking.
He would have the Owl Dragon Legion hold a million interstellar warships!
For in this universe as it now stands, saving that part of the Machine Race's military strength which is unknown.
With the other several interstellar giants Zhao Chen has crossed hands, and has in the main felt out their strength.
Let the Owl Dragon but hold a scale of a million starships, and in this universe, saving the Machine Race, there will be none left who can threaten the Owl Dragon!