A week later,
in the Owl Dragon Empire's universe, an interstellar fleet came through out of a blue mist and appeared in this universe.
These warships were utterly unlike Owl Dragon-line warships,
every one of them as beautiful as a work of art.
And some way off from this interstellar fleet, an Owl Dragon interstellar fleet could be seen waiting here.
"Opposite is the second[1] elf legion fleet the Sacred Elf Empire has sent. And coming with it this time is the Flame Elf Queen, one of the Sacred Elf Empire's five Elf Sovereigns. His Majesty has ordered us to receive her with every attention," the adjutant said to Marshal Zhao Ruyue before her.
"I understand." Marshal Zhao Ruyue looked coolly at this elf legion fleet before her.
In view of the visitor's standing, and since Zhao Chen could not get away, naturally an Imperial marshal one grade below had to be arranged.
And of them all, Zhao Ruyue was, if anything, the most suitable.
For Zhao Ruyue was not only an Imperial marshal of the Owl Dragon Empire, but Zhao Chen's sister too, a member of the Owl Dragon Zhao royal house.
She naturally had standing enough to receive an Elf Queen here.
At this point she too began to contact the other side.
Then a video window appeared.
On the other side was the Flame Elf Queen; she had never seen her in person, but in carrying out this task, Zhao Ruyue had naturally looked over the footage and material concerned,
and had seen pictures of the Flame Elf Queen.
"Honored Excellency the Flame Elf Queen, I am the supreme commander of the Owl Dragon Empire's Sixth Legion Fleet Group, an Imperial marshal. I've been ordered to receive you here. On behalf of the Owl Dragon Empire I welcome your arrival, and welcome the Flame Elf Queen's visit to our Owl Dragon Empire." Zhao Ruyue, neither servile nor overbearing, looked at the Flame Elf Queen opposite with a smile.
The Flame Elf Queen too looked at Zhao Ruyue before her with interest. "Marshal Zhao, I've heard of you. You're the Owl Dragon Emperor's sister. With an extremely high gift for battle and for command, you became the Imperial marshal you are now within the Owl Dragon Legion by your own ability. I greatly admire your gifts in commanding battles."
Zhao Ruyue was not surprised that the Flame Elf Queen was so warm from the start, for the material had said plainly that this Flame Elf Queen was the easiest to talk to of the Sacred Elf Empire's Elf Sovereigns,
and very interested in war and military fleets besides, and that good relations could be kept with her.
"You flatter me. I only do what I ought to do in my post. Your Excellency the Flame Elf Queen, do you and your fleet need rest? If so, we can rest and refit here a while. If not, we can set out now for the temporary base where you'll be stationed. There we've made everything ready for your legion fleet," Marshal Zhao Ruyue said.
The Flame Elf Queen nodded in satisfaction and said, "About your preparations, the commander of the first legion fleet to come has already reported to me. The military base you've prepared is very professional, with no problems at all. We don't need rest; we'll go straight to the military base."
"Good. I'll have someone send you a sailing plan; my fleet will accompany your legion fleet and escort it all the way to the military base where it will be stationed. If there's any problem, contact me at any time. At the same time, in the course of it, no warship of your legion fleet may leave your legion fleet without our leave."
"I understand," the Flame Elf Queen answered coolly.
Before coming here, she had made herself ready for this.
But that could not hold back her curiosity about this Owl Dragon Empire.
"Marshal Zhao, once I've gone with the legion fleet to the military base, I'd like to ask to go and see the Owl Dragon System. Please pass that on to His Excellency the Owl Dragon Emperor for me." The Flame Elf Queen spoke her wish.
Zhao Ruyue said, "That's already arranged; His Excellency the Emperor gave instructions that if you'd like to go anywhere in the Owl Dragon Empire, so long as it's within the permitted bounds, I can go with you. For this while, I'm the Elf Queen's guide."
The Flame Elf Queen glanced at Zhao Ruyue and said with a smile, "Then thank you in advance, Marshal Zhao."
After a few more words, the communication ended.
The Flame Elf Queen sat in the captain's chair, her face very composed.
But an elf adjutant beside her could not hold it in; she spoke up. "My Lady Elf Queen, these people of the Owl Dragon Empire go too far! We come out of good will to support them, and they're watching us! We've only just arrived here; put it nicely, these Owl Dragon fleets are receiving us; put it bluntly, aren't they watching us!"
The Flame Elf Queen looked at her adjutant and said coolly, "What's wrong with that? Wasn't the legion fleet the Owl Dragon Empire sent to our universe before under our watch too? Where we let their fleet berth, that's where alone it could berth. On our ground, they could do as we arranged. On their ground, why can't we do as they arrange?"
"How is that the same? We're high elves, and they're only……" The elf adjutant made, without thinking, to say something, but felt the Flame Elf Queen's gaze grow cold by degrees.
She knew she had said the wrong thing.
In the Sacred Elf Empire, saying such a thing to the other Elf Sovereigns would be no problem.
But only with the Flame Elf Queen would it not do, for with the Flame Elf Queen there had never been any division of bloodline or race, only of strong and weak.
So long as one was strong, one could have her respect.
"This is the Owl Dragon Empire; for a long time to come we'll be dealing with the Owl Dragon Empire. If you keep thinking like that, sooner or later it'll bring us trouble. If so, I'll consider transferring you out of the expeditionary fleet." The Flame Elf Queen said it without ceremony to this trusted follower of hers of many years.
At once the elf adjutant lowered her head and said with regret, "My lady, what I said just now was wrong. I promise I won't make that mistake again!"
"Mm; I don't want there to be a next time either," the Flame Elf Queen said coldly.
Led by Zhao Ruyue's small fleet, a million elf warships, using the star gates the Owl Dragon Empire had arranged especially, all reached the military base provided for them within the short space of one day.
"What kind of star gate is this? So efficient?" The elf adjutant looked at the star gate behind them, her face showing she could hardly believe it.
"An advanced, powerful, complete star-gate network. It can send a million warships to any place within a day. That shows well enough the Owl Dragon Empire's capacity for infrastructure, and its legion fleets' capacity for dispatch. In our Sacred Elf Empire, at least, sending these million warships the same distance would take at least two days," the Flame Elf Queen said, not in the least sparing with her praise.
The elf adjutant said nothing now either, for it was indeed the fact.
"It looks like only a small star gate. In fact it shows the Owl Dragon Empire's military capacity as well. Star gates can carry interstellar fleets, and at the same time they can carry logistics supply fleets. On the strength of this star-gate network, in a war of home defense the Owl Dragon Empire's legion fleets will be enormously strengthened!" the Flame Elf Queen said in praise.
At this point the elf adjutant too could not help praising it. "By what I've observed, the star gate we just used should be a T6-grade large star gate. And more advanced than our Sacred Elf Empire's T6 star gates. By the look of it, the Owl Dragon Empire must indeed have cross-universe sailing technology. Only they keep it very secret."
This elf adjutant had once been in charge of a star gate, and knew no little about star gates.
She knew too that in this cooperation between the two countries, the Sacred Elf Empire's universe star-gate technology was to be used, and that the two sides had had a 'dispute' over it.
In the end, with the Elf Sovereigns holding firm, and bearing the cost of building the core technology modules without charge, the use of the Sacred Elf Empire's technology had been settled.
At the time, to prove his Empire had equal cross-universe sailing technology, the Owl Dragon Emperor had even brought out a technology framework for the Emerald Elf King to look at.
As it looked now, the thing must be true.
"T6 star gates as the main, T5 star gates in support: they've built up the Owl Dragon Empire's vast star-gate network infrastructure." The Flame Elf Queen began to look forward somewhat to the temporary military base the Owl Dragon Empire had prepared for them.
Very soon, in a stretch of star region, a stretch of interstellar installations appeared.
It was not far from the star gate they had come through; two or three minutes' sailing and they were there.
That made things convenient too for the legion fleet stationed at this military base to meet anything that happened at any moment.
And the military base before them now:
most conspicuous of all was a large starport in the middle, and around it, like a six-pointed star, lay starports of different sizes.
By the look of it, there was one T6 starport, and a number of T5 and T4-grade starports.
Besides these, in the distance an industrial base built on a small asteroid could be seen.
At this point Marshal Zhao Ruyue's request for communication popped up.
"Your Excellency the Elf Queen. This is the military base we've prepared for you and your legion fleet. The other four military bases are in the main much like this one; about the only difference may be the number of lower-grade starports. But the difference isn't great. We call these five military bases by code names: Elf Base No. 1, Base No. 2, and so on. The one before you is Elf Base No. 2."
Marshal Zhao Ruyue began to explain in detail. "The one we used just now to come here is a T6 Altar-class Large Star Gate, set aside especially for dispatching the interstellar fleets of this military base. In wartime it will be used wholly for deploying interstellar legion fleets. In this military base there is one T6 Star Fortress-class Large Starport, three T5 Moonwell-class Large Starports, and fifteen T4 Storm-Fortress-class Large Star-Ports. And an industrial base has been set up too. Besides the industrial installations concerned, the industrial base can provide warships with every kind of repair. And it's also fitted with a hundred T5 Stellar-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships and five hundred T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships. You and your soldiers can rest in the starports; we'll provide services for every side of daily life. This place can meet the stationing and rest and refit of at least 1.5 million warships of a regular elf legion fleet."
When she had heard all Marshal Zhao Ruyue said,
the Flame Elf Queen was very well satisfied.
She nodded and said with a smile, "His Excellency the Owl Dragon Emperor has thought of everything for us. Even what we hadn't thought of, he's thought of for us. With military base installations like these, we're very well satisfied."
"I'm glad you're satisfied. If there's anything you need later, contact me directly," Marshal Zhao said with a smile.
"Thank you."
After that the elf legion fleet quickly moved into this military base.
Having made sure the elf legion fleet had finished moving in,
the Flame Elf Queen decided to go to the Owl Dragon System.
She even refused the suggestion that she take a fleet with her, and brought only her own ship,
going to the Owl Dragon System together with Zhao Ruyue's fleet.
Before long
the Flame Elf Queen's own ship sailed out through the Owl Dragon System's star gate,
the first of the Sacred Elf Empire's Elf Sovereigns to visit the Owl Dragon Empire's center of power.
"So this is the Owl Dragon System." The Flame Elf Queen let slip no scene she could see.
The Owl Dragon System was not so dazzling as the Sacred Elf Empire's Sacred Tree System, true.
But here too she noticed no few details.
She saw great numbers of interstellar transports, and a huge industrial zone in the distance.
She knew very well this was the Owl Dragon Empire's advanced warship-building base.
Those T6-grade warships were built here.
The Flame Elf Queen was very curious about it.
But she also knew very well it was the Owl Dragon Empire's military secret, and that she, an Elf Queen though she was, would most likely have no right to enter it.
Beep beep beep
A request for a video window popped up at this point.
When the Flame Elf Queen opened it, on the other side appeared the Owl Dragon Emperor, Zhao Chen.
"Your Excellency the Flame Elf Queen. On your visit to the Owl Dragon Empire I ought to have received you in person. But there were some things I couldn't get away from, and I could only trouble my sister, Marshal Zhao Ruyue, to receive you," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
Normally, Zhao Chen ought to have received her.
And now she had come to the Owl Dragon System;
if he did not show himself now, it truly would not be fitting.
So Zhao Chen had made time early to receive the Flame Elf Queen.
"No matter; I've enjoyed talking with Marshal Zhao very much," the Flame Elf Queen said with a smile.
"Since this time the Elf Queen has come to my ground, I ought to play the host. Please follow me." Zhao Chen's own ship led the way ahead.
With Zhao Chen clearing the way, the Flame Elf Queen's own ship naturally had the highest clearance, and came without the least hindrance all the way to a huge interstellar building.
Even the Flame Elf Queen, seeing this interstellar building, was dumbfounded.
She stared at that golden 'signboard.'
Chang'an City!