When the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet sailed away from the Black Great-Wall Base,
those Pitch-Black Legion fleets still attacking the Black Great-Wall Base made no interference with them, as though these eight hundred interstellar warships of the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet did not exist at all.
"Commander, we have just now made a reckoning. The number of interstellar warships presently at the Black Great-Wall Base is put at about seven million, and this does not include those under major repair within the industrial base, or under maintenance within the star port. Counting that portion, it is put at about ten million interstellar warships. And as for those Pitch-Black Legion fleets outside the Black Great-Wall line, though there is no knowing of what they are made, yet the same energy fluctuations as interstellar warships can be detected from them still. They are put at about three million interstellar warships," a young succubus at his side reported, somewhat nervous.
This was the Hades' secretary officer, and one of the disciples Lilith had taken.
Rather young; though she had seen Zhao Chen several times.
Yet this was the first time she executed a mission with the Commander alone.
For before this, there had always been other senior succubi present.
When the little succubus secretary officer reported these figures, Ah-Yin was at his side as well.
Zhao Chen made no avoidance whatsoever.
"Three million? And how many T6 among them?" Zhao Chen asked.
"Those suspected to be T6 interstellar warships are about five," the little succubus said.
Zhao Chen looked toward the one at his side, who was still studying the drink in her cup called passion fruit, and taking a sip of it now and again.
"Were the Pitch-Black Legion fleets that came to raid before all upon this scale of numbers?" Zhao Chen asked.
Ah-Yin raised her head toward Zhao Chen and said, "In the common case, the number of a Pitch-Black Legion fleet's single assault is about ten million interstellar warships, covering at least twenty T6 interstellar warships. This time there are but three million interstellar warships; it may be counted the smallest in number since records began. There is no knowing whether it is by reason of the interval from the last assault being but two months."
Having said it, Ah-Yin looked again to the drink in her hand, and took a sip.
There seemed to be something held within her mouth: to swallow it would not do, to spit it out would not do; and she put out her tongue besides to look at it.
That tongue was of some soft material, and red as well.
Upon it were several seeds.
"Those are the seeds of the passion fruit; they can be eaten. If you do not like to eat them, you may spit them out as well." Zhao Chen shook the lemon tea in his hand, long since empty, and threw the cup with its little snowman wrapping into the refuse robot beside him.
Ah-Yin obediently chewed a few times and swallowed it down.
"By the by, can you mechanical lives eat as well?" Zhao Chen asked all of a sudden.
"We can. We possess digestive organs of a special sort, and can digest the greater part of foods. But to digest these foods requires the consumption of energy, and at the same time we gain no benefit by it, so we do not do so futile a thing," Ah-Yin answered.
"Then have you a sense of taste?" Zhao Chen asked again in his curiosity.
"We have. We can taste out sour, sweet, bitter and hot. By the records of our data, you carbon-based lives can, through this so-called sense of taste, come by certain emotional value in the tasting of food. Quite a wondrous ability. But we mechanical lives do not have it. For us, it is only a flavor," Ah-Yin said blandly.
Zhao Chen looked upon Ah-Yin at this moment with eyes of sympathy.
A life without good food, to think of it was to think death better than living.
Zhao Chen looked toward the navigation star chart.
At this moment there was long since no trace of the Black Great-Wall Base upon the radar, but one fluctuation could be felt throughout.
That was the Beacon Torch.
Through the working of the Beacon Torch, Zhao Chen's fleet could fix throughout the direction in which their own fleet lay, and keep from straying off the course.
For all about was pitch-black, without any light, and without any object of reference.
Sailing within this pitch-black surrounding, it was as though time and space alike had stopped.
One day……
Two days……
Three days……
Ten days……
Fifteen days……
Before they knew it, Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Guard Fleet had sailed half a month upon conventional engines.
Because throughout this course they must keep seeking that coordinate position,
the starships could not enter a state of warp; otherwise a moment's carelessness might carry them past it.
But these interstellar warships, T5 to a ship, sailed very fast upon conventional engines besides.
This one week's time, set within the universe of before.[1]
Would long since have crossed who knows how many star systems.
Yet the scene outside the viewport at this moment was unchanging still.
Zhao Chen set down the meal in his hand and looked at the pitch-black prospect outside the viewport at one side of the compartment; but for the particle light of the engines of several interstellar warships upon the flank, all was pitch-black.
Exactly and entirely the same as the scene of a week before.
It might even make one doubt whether the interstellar warships had sailed at all!
Standing still where they were?
Zhao Chen turned his head and looked at Ah-Yin opposite, who was eating her food.
"Didn't you say that food was a futile consumption for you? Yet this half-month you have gone with me to the ship's restaurant besides." Zhao Chen looked at Ah-Yin opposite in his doubt.
When Ah-Yin had chewed what was in her mouth, she said slowly, "Because a great curiosity toward you carbon-based lives has arisen in me, and I wish to study you more closely. And food occupies an important part within your life and within your culture. So I too must taste your food in person."
Saying it, she bent her head and went on eating.
Zhao Chen looked at Ah-Yin with suspicion.
Had it been Annie who said this, he would assuredly have suspected her of lying with a great show of gravity.
But this before him was a mechanical life.
"You said before that the Gate of Gaia opens commonly once in a month. Our sailing this time is set at a month; and within this month, whether we have found that hive-race coordinate or no. We must all turn back. In the going we use conventional sailing. Thirty days. For the return we need only use warp, and in one day we can return to the Black Great-Wall Base," Zhao Chen said.
"In thirty days it should be possible to find the coordinate position of that star system, sent to the Master by spirit. By your fleet's speed of sailing, the distance of thirty days' sailing is already very far. An ability such as the spiritual transmission of a message cannot be used across too great a distance," Ah-Yin said as she ate.
"Let us hope so." Zhao Chen's gaze went once more to outside the viewport.
To speak truly, upon this setting out,
his heart was much torn as well; he did not know whether what he did was in the end right or wrong.
For what he sought was, after all, the hive-race……
Ten more days of sailing passed.
Of the thirty-day limit, less than a week remained.
Just as the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet was sailing within this pitch-blackness,
they came at last by their harvest!
"Report, Commander, an unknown group of creatures found ahead! But the life signal is faint…… It seems… it seems to be a Hive Mothership!"