"First arrange for Annie to go aboard T2 Iron-Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship Two, in charge of the T2 Black-Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy-Assault Escorts' construction work. What comes after, we'll see by her ability. As for her kin — by her meaning, she wants to observe us a while longer. Then let her observe. As it happens, we're not in any great want of technical trades just now." Zhao Chen instructed Lilith.
Under Zhao Chen's one sugar-coated cannonball after another, Annie had, in the end, chosen to work for Zhao Chen after all.
"Yes." Lilith noted the matter down.
"In a while Lilith and I will take a Blizzard Zero and a T2 Black-Rhino back to the Northstar Academy for a trip; Charlotte, you go on being in charge of things here." Zhao Chen instructed.
"All right," Charlotte answered.
By now Charlotte and Lilith were, near enough, Zhao Chen's left and right arms; with these two on hand—
—managing this fleet of under 30 ships was an easy matter, with capacity to spare.
As for why Zhao Chen was in such a hurry to return to the Northstar Academy — to check, of course, on the state of his assessment credits after the task's completion.
That bore on the annual task, after all!
Zhao Chen came from the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship back to the long-parted Blizzard Zero; looking at the somewhat old, worn bridge—
—Zhao Chen truly did feel a touch unaccustomed.
Before leaving, he threw a glance at the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser still under construction, hoping this T3 ship could enter service as soon as might be.
By then his own flagship could be this T3 ship.
Before setting sail back to the Northstar Academy, Zhao Chen opened his System page.
Host: Zhao Chen
Profession: Top-tier Starship Engineer
Special Attributes: Fleet Luck-Value Bonus, Eye of Insight
System points: 5,720
Task points: 34
Ship count: 19
Task: Annual Task
Warehouse: T2 Lion-King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship blueprint, T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser blueprint, T2 Black-Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat-Mecha blueprint…
Through the reward from that escort task, Zhao Chen's System points and task points had both reached an unprecedented peak.
The System points included, too, these past months' System-awarded "starship-point income" — though that was still at a slow-trickle stage.
"The T2 Lion-King is a key firepower-output point for the future, but the present task is completing the quarterly task before the end of March. So I won't arrange its construction for now; we'll talk again after March. My present task points and System points are more than enough to redeem a T2-grade ship — but a T3-grade ship is still a touch of a stretch. And to build a T3-grade ship now would mean sinking in a vast amount of resources and raw material; the Owl Dragon Fleet can't yet bear so great an outlay." Zhao Chen reckoned over the Owl Dragon Fleet's construction plans to come in his mind.
In the end, Zhao Chen decided not to redeem a new System ship for now.
With the current construction plan met, he could build a small number of T2 Black-Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat-Mecha.
Such interstellar combat-mecha could be carried aboard ships, and at certain junctures might come in useful.
Having chewed all this over, Zhao Chen closed the System screen and, well content, entered his hibernation pod.
When he next opened his eyes, he'd already reached the outer zone of the Northstar Academy.
The two ships began entering the starport berths Zhao Chen had reserved.
The first thing upon returning, Zhao Chen contacted Zhao Wan'er and Li Wei.
But to his surprise, this time Zhao Wan'er was, again, unreachable.
"This girl hasn't gone and gotten herself into some scrape again, has she?" Zhao Chen muttered.
Li Wei's comm, though, was soon connected.
"Old Zhao, you're back! I hear you completed a military task and got the fourth-year threefold assessment credits straight off!" On the far side of the video window, Li Wei looked at Zhao Chen, much stirred.
For a cadet, grade-skipping was no great secret, so near enough everyone would soon come to know of it.
"Where's Zhao Wan'er? How is it I can't reach her?" Zhao Chen asked.
"Your sister — she's taken part in an interstellar task the academy organized, a joint interstellar task with the Heaven's Glory Noble Starship Military Academy. It covers the fourth-, fifth-, even sixth-year students of both academies. Even your sister's Senior Su Lan is taking part; it's led by the vice-deans of both academies. Word is, those who perform outstandingly in this academy interstellar task will win a T3 ship as reward! The top five will win a brand-new T2 ship as reward too!" Li Wei said enviously.
A T3 ship for a reward — that was a thing to be envied even by children of the nobility.
After all, a T3 ship's sale price ran as high as 100 million star coins and more; even an ordinary noble household would find it hard to lay out that sum.
So this girl had gone off on an academy starship task, her aim that T3 warship, or the new T2 warships.
By that proud temper of hers, she'd likely been stung into it by his sudden, rapid growth, Zhao Chen thought inwardly.
"Oh, right… there's a thing… my sister…" Before Li Wei could get the matter out—
—a video window popped open on Zhao Chen's side, showing Vice-Dean Hong of the Northstar Academy.
"Li Wei, Vice-Dean Hong's contacting me on my end; I'll ring off first." Zhao Chen cut the comm.
Li Wei looked at the closed comm window, at a loss.
This brother of his had been terribly busy ever since half a year ago; months on end, and they couldn't be sure of getting a single meeting.
He'd meant to tell him his sister had come, and wanted the two to meet.
After all, to this day his sister was still digging into just what identity that person who'd once dealt with her held.
Li Wei was a man of principle; he'd kept his lips sealed all along.
In truth he was suffering inwardly for it — how he longed to tell everyone, his brother!—
—was none other than the starship designer who'd developed the hot-selling T1 Wolf-Louse-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer!
Though he didn't know why Zhao Chen wanted it kept secret, Li Wei chose all the same to keep this secret for Zhao Chen.
So it would just have to be a sorry business by his sister.
Sis, it isn't that I don't want to tell you — it's truly that Zhao Chen won't let me.
At this moment Zhao Chen didn't yet know that his business partner, Li Yaqi, had, for the sake of "unmasking" him, already come to the Northstar Academy.
As for Vice-Dean Hong's comm, asking him to come to the vice-dean's office as soon as he could — the reason, naturally, was his grade-skip.
Soon Zhao Chen reached Vice-Dean Hong's office.
He pressed the electronic doorbell at the great door.
"Detected as Cadet Zhao Chen, an invited guest; please enter." A mechanical woman's voice came from one side of the door, and then the door opened.
Vice-Dean Hong sat on the sofa within the office; seeing Zhao Chen come in, he beckoned to him.
But when Zhao Chen drew near, he found that on the sofa opposite Vice-Dean Hong's there sat one more person, watching him with a smile all over her face.
The eldest miss of the Chu family, Chu Xuan!
"Long time no see, Captain-Commander Zhao Chen."