The five Elf Sovereigns naturally stood in the best places; the other high-elf councilors could only take other places.
They were all craning their necks and waiting eagerly for that Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought to appear.
"Look! There! There! Good heavens, the graceful curves of that hull; just from the sheen of the hull armor you can see the armor technology this interstellar warship uses is out of the ordinary. And those weapon modules! It's nothing less than a work of art! Like a golden saint!" The words of praise from the Emerald Elf King's mouth now showed hardly any sign of stopping; he kept praising this bride who had come from afar.
If he had had the power, he would probably have wished he could go and carry this bride back on his own back that very moment.
The others, naturally, kept up their praise too.
Even the Radiant Elf King and the Nightglow Elf King stared with interest at that interstellar warship in the distance.
The Flame Elf Queen's eyes blazed even more; though she had given herself airs at the High Council before, if she said in her heart she had no feeling for this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought,
that was certainly false.
Of everyone present but the Emerald Elf King, she could be said to be the one watching this interstellar warship most closely.
As a soldier, how could she not be interested in such an advanced and mighty interstellar warship?
Watching this golden colossus draw nearer and nearer to them, everyone present could not help growing excited.
This Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought's speed began to drop, and the Holy Elf Empire's T6 interstellar warships that had cleared the way for it now sailed off as well.
The starport's pilot ship took over instead to guide this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought in, leading it toward where it was to berth.
For an interstellar warship this large to enter a dock and berth was a very hard thing, and naturally needed a great many barges to help.
At this point the starport manager had called up twenty-odd interstellar barges of every grade to surround this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought, with ten-odd more standing by on the outer edge, ready to join in at any moment if needed.
"Why is it so slow?" The Emerald Elf King looked at the Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought that had stopped before them; more than ten minutes had already passed, yet it still had not entered port, and he was growing somewhat impatient.
The starport staff member keeping them company beside them answered carefully, "It's going through entry procedures. Because it's an interstellar warship from the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, and a starship model that has never been registered besides, it takes rather more time."
The Emerald Elf King frowned and said, somewhat displeased, "Don't you know what the situation is now? Don't you know how important this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought is to us? Can't these procedures be cut down a bit?"
"Now, now, we're in no hurry for a moment or two; it's their job, after all," the Radiant Elf King said beside him, playing the peacemaker.
The Emerald Elf King curled his lip, then could not help saying, "How about this: arrange a shuttle for me now, and we board first."
Hearing the Emerald Elf King say this, even the Bluewater Elf Queen beside him could not keep from laughing.
It really was rather abrupt.
Their starship hadn't even finished berthing and you were already thinking of boarding; wasn't that rather abrupt?
But everyone could understand how the Emerald Elf King felt.
At last, after all their eager waiting,
this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought that had come from afar finally sailed into the dock harbor.
"Come, let's go and see this legendary interstellar warship properly," the Radiant Elf King said.
But his eyes still fell on the Flame Elf Queen.
For in name, this interstellar warship had been lent by the Owl Dragon Emperor to the Flame Elf Queen.
And they had expressly required that the Flame Elf Queen receive this interstellar warship.
So now the Flame Elf Queen could be said to be this interstellar warship's master.
"Let's go." The Flame Elf Queen did not pull a long face at these people either.
After all, the earlier matter had all been settled, and her terms all agreed to.
They would all still be "colleagues" from now on, so there was naturally no need to let relations between them grow too strained.
The whole party went in a great train toward where this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought was berthed.
Along a long corridor came a great train of over a hundred people.
At the very front, naturally, were still the five Elf Sovereigns.
And standing in the center place now was the Flame Elf Queen.
Now she was the lead; even the Radiant Elf King could only stand beside her.
Very soon the party reached the end of this stretch of corridor, and at the same time a very great space opened before their eyes.
And in this space was berthed an interstellar warship like a giant mountain.
Standing before this super colossus, these high elves all seemed as small as ants.
And this was where they stood, at half the height of this space; had they stood at the very bottom, they probably could not have seen the upper half of this interstellar warship at all.
"This is truly too magnificent!"
"I used to get that surging feeling only from the interstellar warships we designed and built ourselves; this is the first time I've felt this looking-up feeling from someone else's interstellar warship. Even just standing here quietly, I feel my blood swelling."
"A quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship… I feel as if this interstellar warship has a soul; I even feel an aura of awe without anger about it."
"Much as I don't want to admit it in my heart, this interstellar warship is stronger than any interstellar warship of our Holy Elf Empire's."
The people around talked among themselves.
And just then, at a position on the flank of this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought's hull, a hatch opened, and a long gangway passage stretched out and joined the dock's corridor.
With that, this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought was joined to this starport in the true sense.
Though it was far off, one could see some figures at the open hatch of that Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought.
They would be the Owl Dragon crew serving aboard this starship.
Though the Owl Dragon Emperor had lent this interstellar warship to the Flame Elf Queen, bringing this interstellar warship over still took crew and soldiers.
And for a long time to come, Owl Dragon soldiers would be needed here too, to handle this interstellar warship for the Flame Elf Queen.
After all, you could not just toss an interstellar warship to the other side and have them master it at once.
The more so as this was a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship.
"Come, let's go over." The Flame Elf Queen spoke and led everyone over that way.
But after a few steps she stopped and turned to look at the people behind her.
For there were too many people, over a hundred.
If they all went over, it would be rather too showy.
The Flame Elf Queen looked at the Radiant Elf King.
The Radiant Elf King naturally realized this too.
He looked over the crowd, then named a few high-elf councilors, and had the other high-elf councilors wait outside here, with no need to follow them.
The high-elf councilors not named felt somewhat let down at heart, but they had in fact expected such a situation long before.
Not everyone present could board this interstellar warship.
And the high-elf councilors who had been named were either of great achievement in starship technology or of rather special standing.
The other high-elf councilors could only stay obediently outside.
At most they could use some tools to take a tour of observation around the outside of this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought; the starship's interior was, basically, not for them.
And after such sifting, those left to follow the Flame Elf Queen into this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought came to exactly ten.
The Radiant Elf King looked at the Flame Elf Queen to ask her view.
The Flame Elf Queen, at this point, gave the Radiant Elf King full face too, and had no objection to the people he had picked.
After all, this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought would be under her charge in future, and when she wanted to let others board and look around, it would be entirely a word from her.
And behind such arrangements there was a great deal of room to maneuver,
and a boundless margin of profit besides.
But to return to the matter.
The Flame Elf Queen and the other ten soon reached the middle of the gangway that joined the Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought.
From the Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought, too, seven or eight people came down.
The one walking at the very front wore Owl Dragon uniform and the insignia of a major general.
This was an Imperial Major General from the Owl Dragon Empire.
After all, captaining a Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought took at least the rank of Imperial Major General.
When this Imperial Major General saw the party of high elves, she ignored the others and went straight up to Salaman, the Flame Elf Queen.
She first gave a military salute, then said, "Greetings, Your Excellency Elf Queen Salaman. I am the captain of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought, Wang Min. I am ordered to report with this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought. From this moment, I and the three thousand Owl Dragon soldiers aboard this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought will be under your command for the time being. We will be stationed here for three months to train for you a body of soldiers who can handle this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought, and then we will withdraw. The Owl Dragon Emperor states that you may command and order this Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought fully to carry out any combat task. The Owl Dragon Emperor also had me convey his thanks to you, thanks for the help you gave when the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire made its expedition to the Devourer Civilization's universe. You are the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's friend forever."