Another universe
A place wreathed in cloud and mist, like a fairyland.
"Divine Maiden, just now we sensed an energy scan from another universe." A lightly clad woman knelt on the ground and said it respectfully.
An airy voice came out of the mist. "Another universe? Is there really a universe of T6 technological civilization around here?"
"We do not know."
"Send someone to look into it. At least make sure first what kind of interstellar civilization the other side is."
"Yes."
…………
Zhao Chen naturally did not know that his second experiment, with Machine No. 2, had in truth already had an enormous effect.
But even had he known, he would likely have gone on without a backward look,
for he had no choice.
Zhao Chen had already begun the review of Machine No. 2's experiment.
"There's still great instability in the energy transmission; first we must fix the energy's nature more precisely. And the method of transmission needs improving. The circuits in this area need a third more, to raise transmission efficiency, and find a way to improve the materials used further still. Where they truly can't be improved, find a way to use some cooling equipment, to make sure the equipment can keep running smoothly when it runs over load later."
"And as for this device's materials, their strength should lean more toward bearing the high-intensity energy inside. And to add that property, we can add strength on the inside and not worry about the outside. For this thing's start-up energy runs from inside outward, after all, not from outside inward."
"A great part of the cause of this explosion was in the core drive: long, high-intensity energy input to keep it running this machine. In the end it couldn't bear it, and exploded. This core drive needs further improvement."
…………
Dr. Camille listened closely beside him to these suggestions of His Majesty the Emperor's.
Having worked with His Majesty the Emperor for some time, she had found that his suggestions commonly went straight to the vital point.
If His Majesty the Emperor could stay with their project plan group all the time, it would be an enormous help to their project plan.
But she knew that was impossible.
As far as she knew, in the Imperial Military Industry Research Academy alone there were now as many as five top-secret projects that His Majesty the Emperor was overseeing in person.
Ordinary people could not learn of them at all; it was only because she was a top talent in certain fields of technology, and the projects could not avoid needing some exchange with one another,
that she had come to know of these things.
So every time, Dr. Camille treasured the chance to talk with His Majesty the Emperor, and let slip not one important point His Majesty the Emperor made.
"Next comes building Machine No. 3. By how our experiments stand now, I estimate Machine No. 3's performance can rise at least three to ten times." Zhao Chen looked at Dr. Camille, and asked, "This time, how long do I have to wait, Dr. Camille?"
"Two months," Dr. Camille said, flat and decisive. "In two months, Machine No. 3 can be built."
Zhao Chen looked at Dr. Camille approvingly and nodded. "Good; then I'll wait two months for your machine. In the meantime I'll help you with the upgrade of the technical data concerned too. Anything you're unsure of or have questions about, contact me. Our cooperation this while has been perfect."
"Your Majesty the Emperor's knowledge is so vast we could never imagine it. With your help, the success of our project plan is only days away!" Dr. Camille would swear that what she said was no flattery at all,
but came from the heart.
Nearly every doctor, scholar and researcher working here
admired His Majesty the Emperor from the heart: his scholarship, his technical ability, and his wisdom past belief!
Only days away?
He too hoped it truly was only days away.
Zhao Chen gave Dr. Camille a few last instructions and left.
On his side there was more work to deal with.
Though every project plan had set up its own group, much of the core technology research, at least on the theoretical side, needed Zhao Chen to take charge of it.
With helpers like Annie, Nana and Camille, still he could only hand over the later practical parts to them.
Zhao Chen went back to his own office.
This time Annie was sitting dutifully at her desk, busy; though had there been no white ice cream at the corner of her mouth, it might perhaps have been better still.
Zhao Chen did not pursue it either, and sat back down in his chair,
rubbing his temples.
"Your Majesty, this is a plant grown on a planet of the Angel Race called Bolaf; it's something like the tea of the human race. Drinking it eases mental fatigue. That is, it refreshes and clears the head." The angel assistant Nicole brought a cup of tea over and set it on Zhao Chen's desk.
He smelled its faint fresh fragrance.
"Thank you." Zhao Chen picked it up; it was just the right warmth, and he drank it in one go.
He had to say, the taste really was very good.
Seeing the satisfied look on His Majesty's face, the angel assistant Nicole let out a breath of relief too.
This stuff was a great rarity even among the Angel Race.
Because that planet could produce this superb plant, the Angel Race had set it aside especially for growing it, yet even so the yield was very small.
And this was of the very top grade besides.
Before, only the Angel Sovereigns could enjoy it.
"Your Majesty, there are some matters here to report to you." The angel assistant Nicole asked in a low voice beside him, "Will you rest a while first, or……"
"Just tell me." Zhao Chen waved his hand.
At once the angel assistant Nicole began her report.
What she spoke of first was all the business of the several project plans Nana was in charge of: there was progress, but it was all rather slow, nothing of a breakthrough.
And the problem in them was naturally the raw materials and energy.
Besides that, there were the Owl Dragon Empire's present industrial production plans:
besides making good the warships every fleet group had lost in the war before,
there were naturally the building plans for new fleet groups as well.
Last of all, the angel assistant Nicole brought up holograms of several warships.
"These are the several warships you handed to the starship production department some time ago to be put into production. The technology of some has been mastered and put into production. Within a week to half a month, the first batch of these warships will roll off the line and enter the trial-voyage stage before delivery."
This last matter the angel assistant Nicole reported
stirred a little interest in Zhao Chen.
For these were the technologies suited to the Owl Dragon Empire now, sifted out by Zhao Chen from all the plans the System had last given him.
When Chief Engineer Nana received these technologies, she could not help exclaiming:
with these technologies, the Owl Dragon Empire would pass wholly into an age of T5 as ordinary technology and T6 as top technology!
In truth this was also the place Zhao Chen meant the Owl Dragon Empire to hold for some time to come.
For the bug that was the System existed no longer.
The Owl Dragon Empire's growth in future was bound to slow, even to return to the growth rate of an ordinary interstellar civilization.
So Zhao Chen needed to lay down a fixed order of technology for the Owl Dragon Empire:
among the people, chiefly T5 technology and below;
for the military and certain high-value areas, chiefly T6-grade technology;
forming such an ecological chain of Imperial technology.
It could be called the first great technological renewal since the Owl Dragon Empire's founding.
For this time Zhao Chen had brought out truly a great deal of technology,
not only filling out the map of T6-grade technology, but even the map of T5-grade technology.
Perhaps some would wonder:
with more advanced T6 technology plainly in hand, why use the T5 technology a grade behind?
Because in the Owl Dragon Empire, if you used T6 grade in every place and site, there might be waste,
as in some out-of-the-way star systems.
But not to build these things for them would be as good as pushing them away from the Empire.
So T5 and T6 technology working hand in hand was the best solution in Zhao Chen's mind.
Zhao Chen looked at the holograms before him, one after another.
"And that's only the starships and some important interstellar installations; some small civilian technologies there's no need to put before Your Majesty one by one," the angel assistant Nicole said beside him.
That was true.
For the holograms before him alone ran to double figures.
Some were combat warships, but more were auxiliary starships and industrial installations.
For example:
there were only two military weapons among them.
The T6 Boreas-King-class Heavy Interstellar Battlecruiser!
This was one of the few pieces of the Owl Dragon-line warships' puzzle still missing.
Beside it was a very small, dainty hologram:
the T6 Phoenix-Guard-class Medium Multi-Role Interstellar Combat Mecha.
Even in the age of T6 technology, the combat mecha was an indispensable piece on the map of battlefield equipment, even if it now played only a battlefield support role.
It was still not to be done without.
The rest were some battlefield support starships:
the T6 Star Sprite-class Heavy Interstellar Supply Ship, the T6 Sacred-Glory Staff-class Medium Interstellar Medical Ship, the T6 Silent Ghost-class Light Interstellar Stealth Reconnaissance Ship.
The appearance of these support starships would greatly add to the Owl Dragon fleet groups' fighting power on the battlefield.
When he had looked at these,
Zhao Chen looked at another pile of holograms.
The angel assistant Nicole had plainly sorted them, to make it easier for Zhao Chen to look through.
The T6 Star Fortress-class Large Starport, the T6 Altar-class Large Star Gate.
The T6 Black-Iron Smith-class Medium Interstellar Industrial Ship, the T6 Star-Sea Whale-class Super-Heavy Interstellar Transport, the T6 Mechanical Ant-King-class Heavy Interstellar Mining Ship.
The T5 Moonwell-class Large Starport, the T5 Voyager-class Medium Star Gate.
The T5 Scavenger-class Heavy Interstellar Mining Ship.
From starports to star gates, to interstellar industrial ships, interstellar transports and interstellar mining ships,
it could be called complete in every part.
It had even filled all the gaps once left at T5 grade.
With all these technologies brought out, how could this not be a great renewal for the Owl Dragon Empire?
When these technologies were all at work in the Owl Dragon Empire, what sort of sight would the Owl Dragon Empire be then?
Large and small star gates working together, the large star gates the trunk lines and the small star gates the branch lines, forming a star-gate traffic network linking the whole Owl Dragon Empire,
so that every star system had at least one star gate linking it to the world outside.
This had been in Lilith's plans for building the Empire long since.
And starports too:
large and small starports, built as each star system needed.
True, Zhao Chen had the more advanced T6 Divine Palace-class Interstellar Complex under construction.
But that thing, laid out across the whole Owl Dragon Empire, would cost far too much, and give very poor value for money.
And with these large and small starports working together, an allocation of three grades, upper, middle and lower, could be formed,
so that every star system of the Owl Dragon Empire had a starport, and yet without waste.
The interstellar mining ships and interstellar transports naturally needed no telling: the advanced ones for long-haul transport, the advanced ones where the demands of gathering were high.
It was not that the most advanced was the best; the point was to choose what fitted better!
And the T6 Black-Iron Smith-class Medium Interstellar Industrial Ship made up for what the T6 Steel Star Cities lacked.
Building projects that needed to move could be carried out by interstellar industrial fleets made up of T6 Black-Iron Smith-class Medium Interstellar Industrial Ships.
"Secretary-Officer Lilith asked me to ask you: when this batch of new warships rolls off the line, or when they're formally delivered for use later, will you attend to cut the ribbon?" The angel assistant Nicole passed on Secretary-Officer Lilith's words.
Since giving birth, Secretary-Officer Lilith had gone back to work in almost the shortest time possible.
Though the work before had all been handled by the secretarial department,
Lilith still did not feel easy about it, and would go through some of the important matters again.
And with the Owl Dragon Empire now at peace and in a period of rapid growth, there were naturally more things needing her to handle and arrange.
And with all these technologies Zhao Chen had brought out besides, Lilith was busier than ever now.
"No need for that. Let Lilith or Charlotte attend," Zhao Chen said coolly.
Such a thing, very glorious in outsiders' eyes, seemed to Zhao Chen now worth less than the time spent coming and going; better to edit one more section of program, or set one more theory in order, in his office.
"Chief Engineer Nana says that to fully digest the technologies you gave before, civilian technology included, will take at least three months to half a year. The military side may be quicker," the angel assistant Nicole added.
"The technology is all in their hands; how to arrange it is their affair. I only look at the results," Zhao Chen said coolly.
He ran his eye over these technology holograms once more.
Everything the System could bring out, he had brought out now.
From here on, the road the Owl Dragon Empire had to walk, and the difficulties it had to face,
truly rested on themselves alone.
Zhao Chen clenched his fists.
It was a kind of pressure he had never known before,
from the enemy, from the future, and from Zhao Chen's own heart and responsibility.
The Owl Dragon Empire:
a boat rowing upstream; not to advance is to fall back!