The transparent glass skywalk stood five or six meters above the ground; one could see that below one's feet was a great spread of farmland, planted all in natural crops, large of size and vast in number!
Field upon field of vegetable crops, a pleasure to the eye.
Looking further off, one could see a stretch of artificial lake, and in the artificial lake were farmed fish and seafood — fish of every kind; now and again one could even catch sight of a fish leaping clear of the water.
On the far side of the artificial lake was a stretch of orchard, able to furnish all manner of fruit.
Further off still was a stretch of pasture and livestock-rearing zone.
Chiefly pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and ducks.
"This… this… to build so vast an ecosystem inside a single starship — just to maintain it, how much resource would that eat up!" Annie thought at once of this question.
The rabbit-eared girl explained now with a smile, "Apart from the construction resources spent at the T2 Bronze Eden's first building, and the funds spent buying the first batch of these seeds, seedlings, and the like— —maintaining the running of this ecological farming-park afterward needs no resources at all; the cosmic-element collectors mounted on the hull gather all the nutrients required from the vacuum environment. Of course, energy like that needed for the ship-engine's voyaging must still be replenished on schedule." the rabbit-eared girl said.
"This… this… how is this possible…" Annie wore a look of shock — this simply overturned every notion she'd held before.
"And aboard this starship, the growth cycles of these crops and livestock are greatly shortened, yield raised several times over, and quality of the top grade. Basically there's a set share of output every month. One T2 Bronze Eden like this can meet the minimum living needs of 1 million people." the rabbit-eared girl said.
"1 million people…" Annie gulped.
Annie now understood why this Commander's ships could keep up so lavish a meal standard every day.
However lavishly and wastefully the crew ate, this one T2 Bronze Eden-class ship alone could meet the living needs of tens of thousands of crew with no trouble at all.
Beside her, Lilith — though she'd long known such a ship was under construction — was still much shaken when she saw it all with her own eyes.
"Very fine." Zhao Chen was well satisfied with all before him.
Though he'd seen the relevant information on the blueprints long ago, to see such a ship laid out before his own eyes — that sense of shock was there all the same.
He lifted his head and looked at the holographically projected sky and sun.
Were he not told he was, at this moment, aboard a starship out in space, Zhao Chen might well have taken himself for standing in some farm on a planet.
"One T2 Bronze Eden like this can reach a single-month output value of 1 million star coins. If I could build 10, 20 of them— —wouldn't that be money made lying down every month." Zhao Chen fancied the fine scene.
For, amid the great environment of the cosmos and its food shortage—
—the grain trade had already become an industry of profit second only to the starship-arms trade.
Those very few agricultural planets that yielded high-quality natural crops were the money-trees of the empire's nobles and great conglomerates!
"Commander, this is fruit that has only just ripened. Please have a taste." At this the rabbit-eared girl led Zhao Chen and the others down off the transparent glass skywalk and into the dense orchard.
Practiced, she picked a fruit, washed it, and handed it to Commander Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen took it and bit down; a mouthful of juice, a sweet flavor coursing down along his throat.
"Very fine. You two may pick and eat some yourselves." Zhao Chen looked at Lilith and Annie, who were watching him, and pointed at this ripened orchard.
With Zhao Chen's leave, Lilith stood on no ceremony; she picked a fruit and set to eating it, a happy smile brimming on her face.
Annie stared at a very large apple; she gulped, reached out her hand to pick it… pick it…
Standing on tiptoe, Annie still couldn't get her hand to that fruit.
She steeled her heart and gave a leap.
That big apple still hung there safe and sound, as though mocking her.
"Little one, let big sister pick it for you." The rabbit-eared girl came over now and thoughtfully picked that big apple down for Annie.
"I'm not a little one!" Annie was indignant, but the moment she bit into that big apple, a happy smile brimmed on her face.
So sweet!
There was fruit in the ship canteen too, but the price was far higher than that of ordinary meals.
After all, for the same planting-unit area, planting fruit was far lower in yield and utility than planting crops.
Add to that that fruit couldn't fill the belly, and the existence of fruit was a product bearing the name of "luxury."
The Owl Dragon Fleet's crew could eat only one or two pieces of fruit a month.
"So then, our Owl Dragon Fleet ships' food needs will no longer have to be bought from outside — they can be met by self-supply outright," Zhao Chen said, satisfied.
By the meal standard Zhao Chen had set, for 100 or 200 people before, there might have been no problem.
But now the Owl Dragon Fleet's soldier-count was climbing swiftly, and under this meal standard it was no small monthly outlay.
And now, this problem was thoroughly solved!
Having toured the T2 Bronze Eden, Zhao Chen and the others turned back.
Annie and Lilith each carried a great basket of fruit besides — all of it fruit Zhao Chen had allowed them to bring back to share with friends.
Annie's little belly, jutting out, held no small amount already.
"Hic…" Annie sat aboard the shuttle and gave a comfortable, well-fed hiccup.
This was the first time she'd tasted the feeling of eating fruit to fullness — truly quite a luxury.
"Annie, how do you feel now about the suggestion of staying on in my Owl Dragon Fleet?" Zhao Chen looked to Annie and raised this again.
Annie didn't answer at once, but plainly wasn't so torn as the first time.
"If you're unwilling I won't force you, but you know too — what our Owl Dragon Fleet keeps to is: as much as you give, so much you get. The crew are the same; they work for me, and so can have their due meal standard and crew treatment. Your past month in the Owl Dragon Fleet counts as privileged treatment I gave you, but a thing like that can't go on forever — it would be unfair to the other crew. If you truly won't work for me, I can send you off." When Zhao Chen said this—
—Lilith beside him couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Come to so happy a place, and only a fool would be willing to leave!
But why, Lilith wondered, did this scene give her a sense of something seen before.
"And besides, if you find the living treatment here of mine to your liking, in future you can even take in all your own family and kin. So long as they're willing to work for me, I can give them the same living treatment, and I'll guarantee their safety too. Here with me, there'll never again be anyone who can harm you!" Zhao Chen said.
Annie bit lightly at her lip; she looked at the fruit-basket brimming beside her, and at the last made her choice.