Galactic Star Calendar 3038 · early September
The Machine No. 3 experiment began.
Machine No. 3's total running time: one minute thirty seconds; its range of cosmic space scanning five times that of Machine No. 2.
Result: the map of Universe No. 1 scanned in full; Universe No. 1's extent half again as large as the Owl Dragon Empire's universe; its age projected as somewhat older than the Owl Dragon universe.
Part of the map of Universe No. 2 scanned; the range scanned so far, an area half the size of the Owl Dragon Empire's universe.
In this experiment, no other universe was found.
——————
Galactic Star Calendar 3038 · October
The Owl Dragon Empire issued a series of civilian technologies, and began step by step to put them into real use.
They were expected to cover the main star systems before the end of the year.
In the same month a series of Owl Dragon-line warships appeared one after another, with no great handover ceremony made of it.
But when these Owl Dragon-line warships, never seen before, first appeared before everyone,
and above all before the Owl Dragon-line military buffs,
it spread across the Owl Dragon Empire's interstellar net almost at once.
Every Imperial forum was full of high-definition photos of every type of warship.
【Owl Dragon System: Owl Dragon line's newest T6 interstellar battlecruiser spotted!】
【Owl Dragon line's newest T6 interstellar battlecruiser appears to keep the Boreas name】
【Super-giant interstellar transport debuts; several interstellar traders eager to buy】
【New star gates appear in many systems: is the Empire driving a grand star-gate network?】
…………
News of every kind flew about within the Empire.
"Chief Engineer Annie. Our new starships are very famous out there now." The angel assistant Nicole looked excitedly at Annie, working away like a salted fish.
"Naturally. Look who was in charge of them." The corner of Annie's mouth lifted slightly.
"But the news does seem to spread rather too fast. There are even high-definition pictures of the warships taken. And some even know what our warships are called. Does that count as a leak?" the angel assistant Nicole said worriedly. "Do you think there might be spies?"
"If this kind of leak counts as spying, then that Majesty the Emperor is the biggest spy of all," Chief Engineer Annie said with a light laugh.
The angel assistant Nicole was taken aback; for the moment she did not see what this meant.
Chief Engineer Annie looked at this angel assistant; this assistant of hers was very diligent at work.
But her biggest problem was that she was too naive; when she thought things over, her mind would not turn corners.
Like choosing food at the buffet: of two chicken drumsticks, one big and one small, she would very honestly take the small one at the front.
Didn't she know to take the biggest one at the back?
"This universe all bears the name Zhao now. Who would dare court death at a time like this? Spies? Heh heh heh; the Royal Embroidered-Uniform Guard has long since worked its way into every place. Without his leave, do you think these photos and this information could spread? Some of them may even be the Royal Embroidered-Uniform Guard's own doing," Chief Engineer Annie said coolly.
Hearing Chief Engineer Annie's words, the angel assistant Nicole gave a cry. "So all this is actually something His Majesty the Emperor tacitly allowed?"
Annie made no sound, and went on working.
The angel assistant Nicole, eyes full of adoration, murmured, "His Majesty the Emperor means to show our Empire's present industrial capacity as though by accident. To let everyone know clearly that the Owl Dragon Empire is very strong now, and to have no little notions! A display that looks careless is in fact no less effective than those public displays, and even stirs up more heat!"
It was like a beauty stripped bare set out on show, who is, if anything, less alluring than a beauty half-hiding, half-revealing.
That is a trend of a creature's nature.
"How are Camille's experiments going lately? Any results? Our several project plans all need new materials and new energy to push ahead in earnest." Annie yawned and asked.
As the highest-ranking Chief Engineer of Owl Dragon industry, Annie naturally knew a great many things.
The angel assistant Nicole, as Zhao Chen's assistant, now also helped Zhao Chen deal with some affairs of this kind, and naturally knew too.
"The third experiment was done not long ago. But His Majesty didn't seem very satisfied. There'll likely be a fourth experiment before the end of the year," the angel assistant Nicole answered.
"And the research into the device for crossing universes?" Chief Engineer Annie asked.
"In that field there seems to have been enormous progress. They say it has to do with that 'ink'; His Majesty supplied very important data in that area. The scientists of that project department have hardly left the laboratory this while, very excited. When I went before, I even saw a researcher holding a body of theory, shouting excitedly that it was epoch-making technology," the angel assistant Nicole said.
Chief Engineer Annie pouted and muttered, "Don't tell me he'll actually manage to cook up the technology to go to other universes?"
Chief Engineer Annie had in the main seen Zhao Chen's aim by now:
he wanted to research how to enter other universes,
and surely wanted to find new materials and energy in other universes, to break through the difficulty now before the Owl Dragon's war industry.
"But that doesn't mean other universes will have new materials and energy, either." Chief Engineer Annie curled her lip.
Though she had her bet with Zhao Chen, to tell the truth there was still a voice in her heart hoping that fellow Zhao Chen could succeed.
For it was for the Empire's future, after all.
It was only her little streak of prickly pride at the time that had kept her from holding back from the bet with Zhao Chen.
But think about it: at worst, if she lost the bet, she'd work some overtime.
It wasn't as if she'd never worked overtime.
What was there to fear?
"The new year's nearly here again in the blink of an eye. Last new year, because he wasn't here, we never had a proper new year at all. I wonder if we can get some holiday this year." Annie stretched.
She began to look forward to the year-end holiday.
All this while they had been busy with the project plans; though Zhao Chen had said every researcher's holidays were as usual,
in the main every researcher had given up their holidays, and had there been no compulsory rest time, some extreme researchers could have stayed in the laboratory three days and three nights without closing their eyes.
And Annie, by comparison, was one of those with more rest time, though of course she did her share of overtime too.
Not that Annie wanted to work overtime herself.
It was truly the others' rat race that dragged her in.
Before, it had been bad enough with her little sister Nana racing away over there.
Now Zhao Chen's office was right in front of her, with not even a wall.
When the time to leave work came and Zhao Chen was still working over there, she, the hired hand, could neither go nor stay.
Were she to go, Zhao Chen would say nothing.
But let Chief Engineer Nana come 'dropping in' at that moment, and Annie would be sure to get a scolding from her little sister.
Now Nana had even learned to tell tales.
In a call home not long ago, Nana had, seemingly by accident, let slip in front of Annie's parents the scene of His Majesty still working while Annie had already left for the day.
That led straight to Annie's parents sending her a video call, and a scolding from the first word:
That His Majesty was still working, and she had the face to leave early!
Did she not know that the life they had now had all been given them by His Majesty!
That having this job, she ought to be deeply grateful to His Majesty!
And so on.
Annie could only listen and take it meekly.
Then, quietly, in her contacts she changed her little sister Nana's label to 'Tattletale Sis.'
And afterward, when she carelessly let the label be seen, she naturally got a punch from Nana.
But all that is for later.
"There should be some holiday this time. For it's the second anniversary of our Owl Dragon Empire's founding. At the first anniversary every ceremony was canceled for special reasons. This time it ought to be done in a big way," the angel assistant Nicole murmured.
"Let's hope so." Annie shrugged helplessly.
……
Time flew.
In the blink of an eye it came to the last week of Galactic Star Calendar 3039,[1] which was also the last week of Owl Dragon Star Calendar Year Two.
In this week there were a good many things.
For example,
at this moment Zhao Chen was conferring rank on two newly raised Owl Dragon marshals, which also marked two new full-strength fleet groups appearing in the Owl Dragon Empire.
"I confer on Leona the rank of Imperial Marshal, to serve as supreme commander of the Owl Dragon Empire's Fifth Legion Fleet Group."
Zhao Chen looked at the dragon-folk princess before him; the tail behind her was beating the floor in excitement, and a sound like drumming could be heard.
Perhaps Leona herself noticed the noise; she looked at Zhao Chen in embarrassment. "Your Majesty, I forget myself……"
"No matter; I've heard of it. Among the dragon-folk, on certain important occasions, you beat the drum with your tails." As he spoke, Zhao Chen pinned the five-star marshal's badge on Leona.
After that he pinned on as well the fleet crest standing for the Owl Dragon Empire's Fifth Legion Fleet Group.
"Marshal Leona, I trust you will lead the Empire's Fifth Legion Fleet Group to build a glory of your own in our Empire!"
Marshal Leona's breast rose and fell without pause; though she had once been a dragon-folk princess,
she had known great rises and falls too.
From the day she had resolutely joined the Owl Dragon Legion, starting as a cadet:
graduating, enlisting, rising in rank;
captain, fleet captain, corps fleet captain, legion commander;
and later deputy commander of a fleet group; she had come all that way.
She truly felt she had become part of the Owl Dragon Legion.
Here there were no interstellar races, no strife between races.
Everyone was a comrade-in-arms:
on the battlefield, comrades one could trust with one's life;
at leisure, friends one could drink and swap tall tales with.
Compared with her time before, in the dragon-folk tribe,
she found that this was the life she had longed for.
From some moment she could not name, guarding the Owl Dragon Empire had become the mission she took pride in.
Marshal Leona suddenly went down on one knee, her hand on her breast.
"What is this?" Zhao Chen was somewhat startled.
Within the Empire there was no such courtesy of kneeling.
"Perhaps once I still had doubts in my heart, and resentment. But now I'm certain. Your becoming Emperor is the most fortunate thing in this universe. I, Leona, am willing to be loyal to you forever. To fight for you, and for the Empire!"
Seeing how moved Marshal Leona was,
Zhao Chen smiled and patted her shoulder.
And in the seats for spectators some way off:
because this was an internal conferring of rank, with no video broadcast apart from the announcement to be made outside afterward,
those receiving rank had been specially allowed to invite some family and friends to watch.
Leona had naturally invited her little sister Blanche,
and also her good friend from the Goddess Academy days,
Midai.
As for Zhao Ruyue, there was no need to invite her;
she was part of this ceremony herself.
Blanche looked at her elder sister and smiled, gratified.
She perhaps thought her sister too much the idealist, but at least such a result was no bad thing.
Her sister, a princess of the dragon-folk tribe, had become a five-star marshal of the Owl Dragon Empire, and could now lead one of the Empire's six legion fleet groups:
that alone showed her standing.
It could serve as the dragon-folk tribe's backing too, to secure the dragon-folk tribe's place in the Warhammer Interstellar Federal Kingdom.
Midai, beside her, looked on with envy, but admired Leona as well.
They had graduated from the Goddess Academy in the same class.
Before this they had both become deputy commanders of fleet groups, one after the other.
Though this time she had not become supreme commander of a newly founded Imperial fleet group, she had no regrets either, for she knew very well Leona had won it by her own strength.
She was truly glad for her sister-in-arms.
Next,
Zhao Chen walked up to the other officer receiving rank today.
He looked at the familiar face before him:
Zhao Ruyue.
The sister and brother exchanged a look, and smiles appeared.
"I confer on Zhao Ruyue the rank of Imperial Marshal! To serve as supreme commander of the Owl Dragon Empire's Sixth Legion Fleet Group."
When he had said it, Zhao Chen pinned on this eldest sister of his the five-star marshal's badge, and the fleet crest of the Sixth Legion Fleet Group.
"Sister! Sister!" Zhao Waner shouted loudly some way off, beside herself with excitement,
glad for her eldest sister, not minding in the least that she herself was supreme commander of an ace fleet group, with the rank of Imperial Marshal.
"Congratulations. We've all seen how hard you've worked this while. This honor is your due. I'm proud of you," Zhao Chen said, looking at his sister.
Zhao Ruyue looked at her younger brother; there was a family warmth in her gentle gaze, and she said softly, "Now I truly stand at your side, don't I? From now on I can be a sword in your hand, to cut through thorns and brambles for you. My Majesty."
Zhao Ruyue laid her hand on her breast and made a solemn salute.
With that, the Owl Dragon Empire had two newly founded Imperial fleet groups.
The number of warships the Empire held grew by another million!
The Owl Dragon Empire's present military strength had grown.
At the same time, in the war industry production plans to come,
at least three more Imperial fleet groups would be born in future.
But ten Imperial fleet groups might, in Zhao Chen's mind, be far from enough.