Annie came to Zhao Chen's desk.
By now the outline of a warship had already been projected here, with boxes beside it marked with every kind of figure.
When it came to work, Annie still had a rigorous attitude.
She looked over the updated data model of this warship.
She frowned slightly and said, "Its main weapon's performance parameters still aren't quite good enough. If it's designed and built to these figures, its power will at most be 3.4 times better than the T6 Purple-Gold Silver Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship we're about to roll off the line. And there's a big limitation in the materials; they can't bear energy output this intense for this long, so the durability falls short."
Zhao Chen nodded at Annie's assessment.
"I've thought of that too. It's mainly the materials holding us back. Without a breakthrough in materials, it's very hard to cross the threshold of the T7 technology grade. Even this technical blueprint in front of us, if it were designed and built, would at most be a quasi-T7-grade warship."
Chief Engineer Nana said beside them, "But in this past month we've looked at every material, and in the main none of them reach the T7 technology standard. Even though we now have a department set aside researching new materials, it would be hard to use them on starships within a short time."
Zhao Chen frowned.
He had long known a certain saying:
the chief factors that limit a science's development are 'materials' and 'energy.'
Only by breaking through on those two could there be hope of developing a true T7-technology-grade warship.
Or else, like Order, use who knew what means to turn the main body of one's civilization wholly into a state of consciousness.
"Actually, there's one more problem. Suppose we really do develop a T7-grade warship. Could our present industrial base, the T6 Steel Star Cities, say, carry out the job of building a T7-grade warship?" Annie did not forget to twist the knife beside them.
Zhao Chen heaved a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.
All the warship technology he had had before had been given him by the System.
Only now, setting his own hand to research and development, did he know how hard it was.
Even though Zhao Chen's brain had been remade and was far beyond an ordinary man's,
to break through the technological barrier and develop a T7-grade warship was truly very hard.
Zhao Chen raised his hand and threw out the whole of the original plan in one sweep.
Chief Engineer Nana looked at His Majesty in astonishment.
"Our direction before was wrong. What I had in mind was to design a warship that reached T7 grade and then raise the performance concerned step by step. That's building a pyramid starting from the tip. It simply can't be done!"
Zhao Chen rejected his own former idea.
"We'll first break a warship down into its technology modules, and raise each of those modules to T7 grade separately. Then put them together again. Build the base of the pyramid first, and then the pyramid can stand of itself," Zhao Chen said.
Chief Engineer Nana nodded in approval.
Chief Engineer Annie, on her side, had already started moving.
Several boxes with writing in them surfaced before the three of them.
"A warship has hundreds of performance modules. But on the whole, the most important are just those few: the energy system, transmission system, weapon system, control system, master control system, armor system, skeleton system, plug-in system, navigation system and life-support system."
Annie enlarged several of them.
"And among these, the most important few are the energy system, the transmission system, the skeleton system, the armor system and the weapon system. The energy system naturally needs no telling. To have a warship that's truly T7 grade, you must have a T7-grade heart." Annie tapped on that point.
Nana said beside her, "On that point, the fittest things we have to research at present are the 'hearts' of the several flagships. Their energy cores are T6 grade, but to some degree they've already reached quasi-T7 grade. So long as we research and dig deep into the flagships' energy cores, and in time work out a T7-grade 'heart,' we'll not only be able to develop mass-produced T7 warships, we'll even be able to upgrade and refit the several flagships to T7 grade."
Zhao Chen said in approval, "That's right. Rather than create it out of thin air, better to raise what we already have a step further. Nana, you gather a group who've researched starship energy systems, preferably technical chief engineers, scientists, researchers and engineers who've been in charge of T6-grade warship building projects. Set up an 'Owl Dragon Heart' research plan."
Nana made a note of it and nodded hard. "Noted."
Annie, on her side, went on, "The transmission system: a lot of people actually overlook this technology. When energy is turned into some kind of power, it isn't passed straight on to the starship as the thrust it needs, or as the energy medium some energy weapon needs. So you need to build a long road to carry that energy down to the places that need it. And along the way, turn that energy into the form each module needs. It partners with the energy system. If the energy system is the heart, the transmission system is the body's blood vessels; it's no use being able to make blood, you have to send the blood out too."
This time, before Zhao Chen could speak,
Nana said straight out, "The technology of the transmission system actually has some things in common with the technology of the energy system. I think it can be merged right into the 'Owl Dragon Heart' project. That way the two research projects can exchange directly, and keep plans from failing to match when the time comes."
Zhao Chen nodded in approval.
"The skeleton system and the armor system, these two are much alike too, only one is inside and one is outside. The skeleton system some people call a starship's keel; it bears directly on a warship's structural strength. For mind, a starship sailing, fighting, passing through star gates, and making spatial folds: all of these are enormous tests for the starship itself. If the skeleton system isn't sound enough, it may be like a paper boat in a storm, crushed in an instant. And the armor system is the starship's outer armor, its last line of defense. The armor system nowadays takes in the star-shield defense system as well. The star-shield defense system needs no explaining; how to defend against the enemy's attacks more efficiently is what it's for. And these two happen to be tied up closely with materials and energy. Without a breakthrough on those two, it's very hard for the skeleton system and the armor system to break through either," Annie said frankly.
At the mention of materials and energy, Nana fell silent too.
It was a hard problem set before them, a great mountain.
"I'll find a way about that. But we can't hold off research just because we haven't the materials and energy. We can set up a 'Dragon Scale' project first, to research the skeleton system and the armor system ahead of time, so that when we really do develop the materials and energy we need, they can be joined up quickly. To save us time," Zhao Chen said.
Nana nodded and made a note of it.
And now there was the last great circle, not yet spoken of.
Everyone's eyes fell upon it:
the weapon system.
Annie shrugged and said coolly, "The weapon system I needn't say much about. If a warship doesn't have a T7-grade weapon system, then however strong it is in everything else, it will never be a true T7 warship! But this part, if anything, isn't too big a problem for us right now. For with the several flagships here, we can research their super-weapons. On that basis, find a way to raise them to T7 grade. Still, raising the weapon system can't get around materials and energy either. Only stronger materials can bear the 'backlash' when a stronger weapon attacks. And only stronger energy lets a stronger weapon fire to its heart's content! It's like a big, burly man with a child's heart. If it's like that, then it's strong outside and hollow inside."
Materials, energy.
They seemed like two great mountains pressing on Zhao Chen's head,
so that Zhao Chen could hardly breathe.
But they were the two great mountains Zhao Chen had to cross now.
If he did not cross them, Order's scythe would hang over Zhao Chen's head forever.
"I understand. I'll find a way about materials and energy," Zhao Chen said in a deep voice.
At this point Annie pouted and mimicked Zhao Chen. "'I'll find a way about materials and energy.' The technological barriers on those two aren't something that pops out just by flapping your lips."
The moment Annie finished, Nana rapped her on the head.
Annie clutched her head in pain and looked at Nana, much wronged.
Nana said with no ceremony at all, "You're not to be rude to His Majesty. Since His Majesty says new materials and energy can be developed, then they certainly can. I believe in His Majesty the Emperor!"
Good grief.
Had this sister of hers worked herself into a breakdown?
Annie grumbled inwardly, but did not dare say it aloud.
Zhao Chen looked at Annie.
Under this heavy pressure, a touch of amusement came over him in spite of himself.
"Annie, you don't believe I can come up with T7-grade materials and energy, do you?"
"Of course that's not it; of course I believe in our great Majesty the Emperor!" Annie said with a smile at this point; whether from a guilty conscience or from fear of the sister beside her, there was no knowing.
Zhao Chen tapped his fingers on the desk and looked at Annie with a faint smile. "I know you don't believe it. So why don't we make a bet? If within three years I can come up with new materials and energy, then I win. And from then on, whatever time Nana starts work, you start work; whatever time Nana rests, you rest. Whatever Nana tells you to do, you do. How about it; are you in?"
Besides slacking off and loving to eat, drink and play, the lass Annie
had one more little trait: she could not stand being challenged.
"And what if I win!" Annie put her hands on her hips and looked at Zhao Chen.
"If you win, I'll give you several options. One: you can retire early. Two: you know the Northern Goose Group, don't you? From then on you'll be the Northern Goose Group's legal representative, with free lifetime use of every business under the Northern Goose Group. The Northern Goose Group is a military-industrial group now, but you should know it has begun investing in every field within the Owl Dragon Empire, above all in the everyday economy: building tourist cities, building all kinds of entertainment sights, founding high-end gourmet restaurant chains and more. It's growing on every front. On top of that, I'll give you a ten percent dry share! Three: ownership of a hundred T6 Purple-Gold Eden-class Starships!"
Zhao Chen's words struck Annie like one sugar-coated cannonball after another,
leaving Annie somewhat dizzy and dazzled from the pounding.
But Annie still calmed down, comparatively.
She began to weigh the advantages and drawbacks of the two, and in the end she found that this bet was in truth very much in her favor.
For even if she lost the bet, things did not seem likely to get much worse than they were now.
"Fine! I'll take your bet. You'd better keep your word." Annie glared at Zhao Chen, eyes wide.
"A word once spoken, four horses can't catch it back," Zhao Chen said frankly.
"Fine!" Annie nodded hard.
Nana, beside them, glared at Annie; this big sister of hers truly dared take any bet at all.
And she did not even believe in His Majesty!
At the same time, in truth, she was somewhat worried for His Majesty in her heart as well.
For the thing truly was extremely hard.
"All right. To sum up what we've just thought: set up the 'Owl Dragon Heart' project, in charge of developing the T7-grade energy system and transmission system. Set up the 'Dragon Scale' project, in charge of developing the skeleton system and armor system. Set up the 'Dragon's Wrath' project, in charge of developing the weapon system. These three projects, Nana, you're in charge of setting up, with Annie holding a post in them as well. You may draw people from any research institute within the Owl Dragon Empire," Zhao Chen said gravely.
"Yes!" Nana and Annie said together.
Annie was quite earnest too; though she had made that bet with the Emperor, her character where work was concerned, apart from slacking off,
was that one was one and two was two.
She would not cut corners to win the bet.
That was not Annie's character.
Zhao Chen and Nana both knew this well, so they were not in the least worried on this point.
"Materials and energy I'll take charge of in person," Zhao Chen said in a deep voice.
His deep gaze seemed to be looking at something.
In truth, as for materials and energy,
Zhao Chen had long had ideas about both.
After he had been carried, by the System's doing, to that world called the Star Alliance universe, a small universe had appeared, back then, between the two universes.
Within that small universe were some rare resources.
The two universes had come to blows back then over just these rare resources.
And at the time Zhao Chen, using some small authority of his, had got hold of some of these rare materials.
The conclusion drawn at last was this:
the strength of these rare materials far surpassed every material Zhao Chen knew.
And on this point, after his identity was revealed, Zhao Chen had talked it over with Zhao Chengcheng.
She too thought this was an important way through to breaking into T7 technology.
And Zhao Chen had only to find, or develop himself, this material,
and there would be hope!