Having learned ahead of time when the Devourer Civilization would launch its invasion,
the Owl Dragon Empire naturally began further preparations.
The Owl Dragon Empire's six Imperial fleet groups and five ace fleet groups had all made ready for battle.
"At present our main fleets' warships number around three and a half million. Besides that, in truth we've had some warships to spare this while. By the original plan, had the war come a few months later, perhaps we could have formed a seventh Imperial legion fleet group. But as things stand now, that isn't fitting. But these spare warships can serve as a reserve; once the war comes, when the interstellar legion fleets on the front-line battlefields lose crews, these reserve warships can fill the gaps," Charlotte analyzed, looking at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded, looking at the interstellar holo-table before him.
On it were several points of light, large and small.
"Our Military Department has made its battle dispositions, spreading the legion fleets among these strategic points. For we don't know where the Devourer Civilization's invading fleets will come in. So for now we can only prepare ahead. These positions are in the main the sailing hubs in every direction of our Owl Dragon Empire, from which we can reach anywhere in the shortest time. They're divided chiefly into five strategic regions. These five strategic regions have five local battlefield commands. The battlefields are named for these five local battlefield commands: the Chang'an Battlefield, the Northern Luoyang Battlefield, the Southern Yanjing Battlefield, the Eastern Kaifeng Battlefield, the Western Jinling Battlefield. Each centered on one of our five chief interstellar cities." Charlotte pointed at the five most dazzling points on the star chart as she explained.
Lilith said beside her too, "We've already arranged ahead in these five interstellar cities the strategic resources that will need moving, as supply points behind the battlefields. On the battlefields of the five regions, once fighting breaks out, the battle stores needed can be provided from the nearest battlefield supply point to the interstellar legion fleets engaged on the battlefield."
Zhao Chen nodded, then said, "I told you before: prepare some regular stocks of strategic weapons and ammunition that both our Owl Dragon-line warships and the elf-line warships can use. At least a month's consumption. How has that been arranged?"
Lilith said, "What's been produced so far can meet only about twenty days of regular battle consumption. But as things look now, holding out a month in the end is no problem at all."
Charlotte put in beside them, "And the precondition for all this going smoothly is that the universe star gate we're building with them is finished smoothly and on time. If that step goes wrong, it will badly affect our plans!"
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte; since Charlotte could raise this point, she must surely have prepared for it long since.
"The Military Department drew up different battle plans for the strategic points everywhere well in advance. On the list of first-grade strategic points is the site of the universe star gate. The universe star-gate site is very near Luoyang City. Stationed at Luoyang City is Xue Xiaoxiao's Owl Dragon Fourth Legion Fleet Group; she's already been told. If what we foresee happens, she's at once to send legion fleets under her to protect the universe star gate, and at the same time make sure the universe star gate is finished on time," Charlotte said.
Zhao Chen frowned. "If that happens, Xue Xiaoxiao's Owl Dragon Fourth Legion Fleet Group alone carrying out that task: it's no small difficulty."
"No small difficulty, and it still must be done. If this universe star gate isn't finished on time, our campaign against the Devourer Civilization will go straight to the difficulty of hell!" Charlotte said gravely.
Zhao Chen sighed; he knew too that this was how things stood; he was silent a moment, then said, "Go by your plan. But remember one thing: don't put all your hopes on others. Be ready to meet anything that may happen!"
What Zhao Chen meant by these words was, beyond doubt, to remind Charlotte and the others not to place a hundred percent of their hope in the Sacred Elf Empire.
At a time like this there was no such thing as a hundred-percent loyal ally.
……
The time passed, little by little.
Among the Owl Dragon Empire's people, all seemed as usual, but those who had contact with the upper levels could all feel a heavy air spreading.
Every star gate and starport had gone into a state of semi-military control, and the upper ranks of every interstellar trade group within the Empire had all been told to be ready at any moment to come under Imperial military control.
And every war-industry enterprise under the Owl Dragon Empire had put off all its orders; what it produced without pause twenty-four hours a day was all being shipped to the five chief interstellar cities.
The Owl Dragon Empire's eleven marshals of the supreme Military Department kept always at least three marshals on duty.
And the Owl Dragon Empire's Military Department had issued an order as well: any fleet, any starship, in any circumstances, on receiving the order,
every combat member of the military must be back at their battle post within half an hour.
In this moment the giant that was the Owl Dragon Empire had taken up its fighting stance, to meet an enemy that might come out of the dark at any moment.
The Owl Dragon Empire's Cosmic Space Dynamics Monitoring Department
Throughout the department, everyone was watching every fluctuation of value on every instrument.
At the least trace of anything unusual, all would be on the alert at once.
One staff member saw a line of values give a tiny jump.
Tiny as it was, she noticed it.
But tiny fluctuations of this kind appeared under normal cosmic fluctuation too, like the great waves that rise now and then on the sea.
Still, she kept a little watch on it.
Suddenly!
She found the value of that fluctuation had, in a very short time, risen outright to twenty times what it had been before!
Though it had lasted only an instant, not even a second,
she pressed the alarm button beside her at once.
A red ring appeared above her work station.
"One yellow-grade abnormal fluctuation in Area XY771!" the staff member reported loudly.
The head of the department came over at once, to this staff member's work station, and looked at the abnormal fluctuation marked out.
"This kind of abnormal fluctuation, though only an instant, by our past records cosmic fluctuation can hardly reach this grade," the staff member reported.
"Understood. Keep watching." The head of the department did not hesitate, and at once reported this information up to the Imperial secretarial department.
Though she could not be sure whether this fluctuation meant invaders, reporting upward was her job.
The secretarial department soon gave a reply too:
keep watching.
So the head of the department stood at this station, watching the instrument display before this staff member.
A minute passed.
The abnormal fluctuation did not appear again.
Two minutes passed.
All normal.
Three minutes passed.
Never mind an abnormal fluctuation like the one before; there was not even a rather high fluctuation of value.
Five minutes passed.
Just as the head of the department had put her mind at rest for the moment, and was about to leave,
suddenly!
The staff member cried out, "Report: the yellow-grade abnormal fluctuation in Area XY771 has appeared again, fifty times stronger than the abnormal fluctuation before! And lasting as long as 1.3 seconds!"
Without the least hesitation, the head of the department reported the news up again at once,
and at the same time told the staff at the other posts to watch closely for this type of abnormal fluctuation.
Another five minutes passed.
This time a staff member watching another area found a similar abnormal fluctuation.
The head of the department reported this too, by procedure.
Close on it, in the half hour that followed,
yellow-grade abnormal fluctuations appeared at least thirteen times.
The head of the department contacted the secretarial department again, and even said outright that this was certainly no coincidence, and asked those above to take it seriously!
After that this happened more than ten times more.
At last, half an hour after the first abnormal fluctuation appeared,
several staff members reported abnormal fluctuations at once, and this time they were sustained abnormal fluctuations.
And these abnormal fluctuations were concentrated in three areas!
"Report: it can be confirmed that enemies are invading the Owl Dragon Empire's universe, from three coordinate positions: Area XY771, Area XM981 and Area XQ003!"
"Received. Thanks to your careful work, we sent military forces half an hour ago," the secretary-officer on the secretarial department's side added at this point.
The head of the department's heart jolted.
Military forces sent half an hour ago!
It meant those above thought very highly of their work, and trusted every report they made.
That alone was a recognition of their diligent work here!
The head of the department set her mind at rest, and at the same time her gaze fell on the positions of those three areas.
The spatial fluctuations in those three areas had already shot past the red line.
She knew another war had come to the Owl Dragon Empire!
……
In a star system neighboring the Luoyang System
This star system had now gone into a state of war; everyone who could be evacuated was evacuated at once.
Those who could not be evacuated in a short time all went into the shelters within the planets.
At the same time, warships by the tens of thousands were coming into this star system through its T5 Voyager-class Medium Star Gate.
Besides that, in the marginal space at the star system's edge countless 'stars' could be seen: the engine halos of warships come from nearby in support.
Because it was very near the Luoyang System, the response here had come at once.
The Luoyang System was one of the Owl Dragon Empire's chief core star systems now; it had not been called by that name at first, but had been renamed for the interstellar Luoyang City built within it,
and was now counted one of the Owl Dragon Empire's five great star systems.
And in this star system neighboring the Luoyang System, 'rotting' marks could be seen appearing now in this stretch of space,
as though the sky were a cloth, with little spots of black rot seeping through it.
It sent a chill down the spine.
These scattered black spots of rot were fully several hundred in number.
And behind these black spots of rot, the other universe's space on the far side could be seen clearly, and warships, thick-packed and savage, waiting in battle array!
Luoyang City
The Owl Dragon Fourth Legion Fleet Group · super-flagship corps fleet
"Report: the Devourer Civilization's invading fleet has been found in Luoyang System No. 02!"
"The enemy's warships have begun jumping through space. There's abnormal electromagnetic fluctuation near the target spatial fold points; some of our warships' performance goes abnormal when they approach!"
"Report: a hundred thousand of the enemy fleet's warships have now landed in our Luoyang System No. 02!"
Report after report came to Xue Xiaoxiao, supreme commander of the Owl Dragon Fourth Legion Fleet Group.
"Who'd have thought I'd be the one to catch it. These fellows really know how to pick their spot!" Xue Xiaoxiao put her hands on her hips, looking at the star chart before her, and gave order after order, quick and practiced,
sending Owl Dragon legion fleets one after another to Luoyang System No. 02.
But at the same time she still made sure some Owl Dragon legion fleets held firm in Luoyang System No. 08.
For Luoyang System No. 08 was where the universe star gate connecting to the Sacred Elf Empire was being built!
The two systems were not neighbors, but once the enemy got out of control, it would be like a dam bursting, and could threaten the universe star gate under construction in a very short time.
And at the same time, to guard against the enemy appearing elsewhere too, Xue Xiaoxiao naturally could not send all her Owl Dragon Fourth Legion Fleet Group's military strength to Luoyang System No. 02.
"At the same time, set up the logistics supply network between Luoyang City and Luoyang System No. 02 at once. Make sure battle supplies can reach the battlefield without delay!"
When Xue Xiaoxiao had given these instructions,
she looked at a command window beside her; on the other side was a legion commander.
"Zhong Xiaoxia, I'm leaving you ten corps fleets, thirty thousand warships, to hold Luoyang City. Whatever happens, make sure Luoyang City keeps running safely! Logistics I leave to you too. I'm setting out now for Luoyang System 02 to take command of the fighting there!"
Zhong Xiaoxia, as deputy commander of the Owl Dragon Fourth Legion Fleet Group, naturally had the standing to take on this heavy charge.
"Let the Marshal rest easy. I guarantee to carry out the task."
Xue Xiaoxiao nodded, and then made ready at once to set out in support of Luoyang System No. 02.
Meanwhile she was watching the interstellar holo-table too.
The number of invading legion fleets kept growing.
And with the abnormal electromagnetic reaction in the enemy's spatial fold area besides, even the interstellar fleets deployed ahead of time could only fire partial barrages from a distance, and could not get the best effect in battle.
This must be a self-protective means of the enemy's,
to protect its own side while it delivered forces from afar this way, so as not to be pinned down and beaten.
That being so, there was nothing for it but to build a line of battle outside the area of interference,
and fight it out with the enemy with real swords and spears.