Zhao Chen's doting-father humor was brought to rest only with difficulty.
"To business, to business." Zhao Chen coughed once, and cast his eyes round the bridge.
The crew, who until then had been holding in their laughter and watching the play, went back one and all to their posts at once.
"Where had we got to just now?" Zhao Chen looked toward Lilith.
Lilith said: "We had finished with the twenty legion fleets soon to be built."
Zhao Chen nodded: "Military matters being done with, as to how our several territories are developing. Have you been keeping an eye upon that?"
Lilith raised her hand and opened the whole great star map of the known universe.
It took in the Three Great Empires, and the territories of the Machine Race, the Angel Race and the Demon Race.
And upon it the various colors were plainly marked out.
The Three Great Empires, for instance, standing now wholly within Zhao Chen's control, were golden yellow, as the Owl Dragon Galactic Interstellar Group was.
The Angel Race's territory was white.
The Demon Race's territory was black.
The Machine Race's territory was bronze.
And besides these, the regions the two hive-race nests had already brought under their control were, every one of them, blood red.
Zhao Chen cast an eye over this map of the powers.
Since when he could not say, but the area of the Owl Dragon's holdings had come already to take up a quarter of the known universe.
"The territory we have newly expanded into at present lies chiefly upon this quarter, the Demon Race's eastern territory, which is to say the very place where we raised our rebellion at the first. First and last, we have brought under our direct control a quarter of the Demon Race's former lands. The whole of it is now held by those Demon houses we have raised up. We have made besides a certain investment in the people's livelihood there, restoring the ground conditions of their living, so as to make sure that those Demon houses we have raised up can win support enough upon the planets and star systems of the place. At the same time we have surveyed these regions, and have marked out all the resources within them. Here, and here again, were resource-grounds of the very first importance to the Demon Race! …"
Zhao Chen listened to Lilith setting it all out so carefully there.
It must be said that Lilith, as secretary officer, was truly able: not only could she keep the Owl Dragon Legion's logistics and inner affairs in perfect order, she had leisure besides to manage the whole Owl Dragon Galactic Interstellar Group exceedingly well.
"Only, up to now no true unified rule has been established over these Demon territories; stability has merely been restored for the time. I think this present moment the very best occasion for us to set up our rules upon this land, and to bring them under our control!" Lilith said, with something of excitement.
"It seems you have a plan already." Zhao Chen looked at Lilith with a smile.
Lilith's fair eyes gave a blink, and she snapped her fingers.
The Demon Race's eastern territory was divided again into small parcels, one by one.
"I have divided this eastern territory of the Demon Race into ten regions. I purpose to raise up in these ten regions ten Demon houses severally, to serve as our puppets. They will hold the place of demon lord over these ten regions, and enter into a relation of cooperation with us. By that time we shall, through supporting the building up of the people's livelihood, obtain control over those resource-grounds. Thereafter we shall build star gates there besides, and bring the place into the great sphere of our Owl Dragon. And supply our goods into the territories of these ten demon lords."
Zhao Chen listened to all these words of Lilith's, and put forward his own misgiving: "To bring the Demon Race into our system, will that raise no difficulty?"
Lilith shook her head, and brought out a dozen and more survey reports, saying: "In this stretch of time I have sent people to look into these Demons. And I have found that in truth they are not, as the rumor of them has it, one and all warlike and bloodthirsty beings. For the greater part it is only under the urging of the present Demon King that they have come to long for war abroad. For the Demon King told them: if you would live, if you would have food, if you would have a homeland, then you must go and fight, and go and seize! Such a spirit, so long as the Demon King's great army can keep on winning, is indeed a means to fire men's hearts. But once the war goes slack, and the resources won upon the battlefield can no longer be shared out among these Demons. And once it comes even to sucking the blood of these Demons of the lower orders, then their temper changes. And before this, the Demon King even seized great numbers of the lower-order Demons openly and outright, to be used as fuel for interstellar warships. This matter has been made public. Which brought it about that within the Demon Race not a few came to question the Demon King's creed, and even to attack it. It was upon these things that our earlier plan of rebellion could go forward so smoothly. And now, within the Demon Race, no little anti-war thinking has appeared. They are weary of war; they long to come by a life of peace and plenty. And now we need only tell them of the conditions of living within, for instance, the Starlight Empire, or the Warhammer Interstellar Federal Kingdom. They will naturally long for it, and hunger after such a chance of a good life as asks no war of them."
Zhao Chen nodded: "If the Demon Race is truly as you say, then they can naturally be brought in among us."
Lilith went on, her eyes shining: "Besides which, there are many advantages in these Demons. You know yourself that the Demon Race is one great unified race. Beneath it are thousands upon thousands of branches. The stock Chitong comes of, for instance, is one branch of the Demon Race. Even we succubi, a very long while ago, belonged among the Demon Race. Within the Demon Race there are many beings that carry gifts of every kind. We succubi, for instance, have the power of enchantment inborn in us, and are exquisite upon the side of the mind besides. While Chitong's own gift lies upon the side of war. And this is very plain in other Demons as well. We may perfectly well gather them in, and put them to our use! At the cost of very little indeed, we shall be in their eyes as saviors."
Listening to these somewhat mad words of Lilith's,
Zhao Chen swallowed, and only with difficulty brought Lilith to any calm.
"Then do as you have said, so long as it does not touch the war before us. Our weight is still upon the ending of this war," Zhao Chen reminded her.
Lilith nodded: "That I know well enough, naturally. Only, to carry out this part of the plan, I shall need you to show your face once."
"I show my face?" Zhao Chen was somewhat astonished.
Lilith looked at Zhao Chen, her eyes shining: "You are, after all, the highest commander of our Owl Dragon. Not a few of the upper ranks within the Demon Race now wish to see you, and among them those upper ranks who organized the rebellion. And those of Chitong's stock who lay hidden over here in those days, having the charge of the plan of rebellion. All of them hope that they may see you once."
Zhao Chen understood: Lilith hoped that he, this mascot, might show his face once.
The title of the Owl Dragon's highest commander was, after all, a very serviceable thing at present.
"I understand. Go and arrange it. Once the time is fixed, you need only tell me."
Lilith nodded with a smile, then came forward and leaned to Zhao Chen's ear: "There is one other matter besides. I wonder whether the Commander might arrange a time."
"What matter is that?"
"The matter of my child wanting to meet you, ten months from now."