Zhao Chen nodded, satisfied.
It was still not a true T7-grade interstellar warship,
but to give the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire one more quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship was a very great help all the same.
The more so as this was a quasi-T7-grade interstellar cruiser: not only could it have the edge in speed and maneuver, but because it was an interstellar cruiser, its building cost would be far below the Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought's.
The Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought was very strong, but one huge problem with it at present was that it cost far too much to build.
By what Lilith had now projected,
this year, to meet the demand for building Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts as far as possible, they had kept squeezing the resources put into other areas.
Even so, they could only barely meet a building plan of about a hundred of these interstellar warships a year.
A hundred Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts looked good.
But if it came to a great decisive battle across several battlefields, they would still be at a disadvantage in numbers.
So a cheap mass-produced quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship was urgently needed to fill the gap.
Mind you, the oath-duel thirty months from now would take a whole universe for its battlefield, which meant the battlefield would be very large.
And everyone would be fighting in the open, without the advantages of surprise attacks and sneak attacks.
That greatly lessened the advantage Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon legion fleets drew from being elite fleets.
"Besides that, there's been some breakthrough in universe-exploration technology, mainly thanks to technology the Holy Elf Empire supplied, and some technology we got through trade channels from other interstellar civilizations' universes. We may be able to extend our universe-exploration radius a good deal more before the end of this year," Annie said casually.
To her, these things were just work, so she did not care how they were used.
But for Zhao Chen it was a huge gain!
Mind you, better universe-exploration equipment and technology meant the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire could explore farther.
Among many universes, who sees whom first matters most in relations between universe civilizations.
That way, whether you meant well or ill, you held the initiative.
It was like being in a forest: if you saw a quarry first, then whether to shoot or not was entirely up to you.
The other way round,
if you fell under the other side's eye, you were the quarry within range of their gun, as if a blade hung over your head that might fall at any moment.
So this advance in technology was in no way inferior to having the technology for a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship.
"Besides, there's cross-universe star-gate technology. Because we've had experience of actually building one, and some of our researchers and scientists followed it the whole way, the technology has come on quite a bit too," Annie added.
Zhao Chen nodded approvingly.
Cross-universe star-gate technology was very important too; it bore on the universe transport network for the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's future dealings with other interstellar civilizations.
"The rest? Just small progress, no big breakthroughs." Annie shrugged as she said it.
With breakthroughs in these few areas, Zhao Chen was already quite content.
Mind you, for other interstellar civilizations' powers, a single technological breakthrough took decades, centuries, or a thousand years and more.
The Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire now had breakthroughs every year.
Part of this was Zhao Chen's leadership, and part of it was the foundation laid by the Owl Dragon technologies of before.
Only by learning from those Owl Dragon technologies and refining them again and again had the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's technology, in recent years, come to make breakthroughs through its own scientists and researchers alone.
"As for the research on T7 interstellar warships, we'll keep working at it. Besides, I've already sought help from the Holy Elf Empire. A batch of the Holy Elf Empire's rare raw materials will be shipped over soon. You can use those for research first," Zhao Chen said.
These rare raw materials were naturally connected with the Holy Elf Empire's World Tree.
Because of Zhao Chen's long courting of the Holy Elf Empire, and some investments,
and with the "help" of the Flame Elf Queen and the Emerald Elf King besides, getting some rare resources of this kind was no great problem.
After all, he had sent them a whole Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought; Zhao Chen's sincerity was there for all to see.
If your Holy Elf Empire would not lend a hand in the fighting, so be it; but to be stingy on this front as well would be indefensible.
So on this the other Elf Sovereigns and high-elf councilors had no great objection.
"Those raw materials: I've looked into them a bit too. If we have those, we really can find a way to do the research on them, and maybe make quite a breakthrough," Annie said thoughtfully, while her hands did not forget to grab more snacks.
Doing two things at once, with no hindrance at all.
Annie ate a few more mouthfuls of snacks, but for a good while Zhao Chen's next question did not come.
She was not quite used to it, and could not help looking over at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen was looking at the starry sky outside the window just then, a somewhat melancholy look on his face, as if gazing at something.
Chewing the food in her mouth, Annie thought to herself: What's the matter with him? He's the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's interstellar emperor now, enjoying what no one else can; what's there for him to worry about?
"Annie, do you think we can build a true T7-grade interstellar warship within two and a half years?" Zhao Chen said gravely, gazing at the starry sky outside.
Annie thought it over, shook her head, and said, "Two and a half years: never mind building it, even developing a true T7-grade interstellar warship would be no small task. Even if we got raw materials and energy that met T7 technology's needs right now, developing a true T7-grade interstellar warship from them would take at least two to three years. And then it has to be built. Building is a problem too. After all, this is a true T7-grade interstellar warship; to build an interstellar warship of this grade you need an industrial building base of this grade. And at present we only have T6-grade ones. It isn't that a T6-grade industrial building base can't build a T7-grade interstellar warship, but the time and effort it takes go up enormously. And since it'd be the lead ship, I estimate the building time alone would take a year to a year and a half. So getting a true T7-grade interstellar warship within two and a half years is, in theory, impossible."
——————
Devourer Civilization Universe
Black-God Emperor's Temple
On a brand-new throne sat the Black-God Emperor, and in the great hall below, several hundred people knelt on the floor.
In the front row were the several Black-God Commanders, and several ministers in charge of domestic affairs.
Behind them, most were officers under the Black-God Emperor or governors who ran his domains.
And a small handful had once been under the Troll Monarch and the Drought-Fiend Sovereign.
For certain reasons, they had all now gone over to the Black-God Emperor and become his subordinates.
"I proclaim that from this day forth, the Devourer Civilization has one sole regime: His Majesty the Black-God Emperor. Every power within the Devourer Civilization is to obey every command of His Majesty the Black-God Emperor without condition. Long live His Majesty the Black-God Emperor!" a minister standing in the front row read out loudly.
Then he knelt.
"Long live His Majesty the Black-God Emperor!"
"Long live His Majesty the Black-God Emperor!"
"Long live His Majesty the Black-God Emperor!"
Wave after wave of cheering echoed on and on through the great hall.
The Black-God Emperor, seated high on the throne, still wore his suit of armor, so the look on his face at this moment could not be seen clearly.
"That will do," the Black-God Emperor said slowly; no feeling could be heard in his voice,
but everyone present could feel the terrifying pressure from the Black-God Emperor's person.[1]
Above all, a killing aura.
For mind you, since that campaign, though the Troll Monarch and the Drought-Fiend Sovereign had both died,
it was still somewhat hard to rule the domains that had been under those Sovereigns completely.
And for ease of governing in future, the Black-God Emperor held a blacklist.
Every name and power on the blacklist was to be removed.
That time had shrouded the Devourer Civilization's universe everywhere in an air of blood; no interstellar power dared speak out of turn then,
for fear of bringing utter ruin on its own family.
Some interstellar powers that had once belonged to the Troll Monarch or the Drought-Fiend Sovereign seized the chance now, one after another, to declare themselves to the Black-God Emperor, offering up their wealth and armies to show their loyalty,
for fear that if they were a little slow to declare themselves, it would bring the tragedy of ruined homes and dead families.
While the Devourer Civilization everywhere was going through this White Terror,
the Black-God Emperor was arranging other matters at the same time.
And this was one of the matters he meant to arrange.
"Enough of the empty show. Next I have real business to tell you." When the Black-God Emperor had said this, his gaze fell on everyone in the great hall, and he said, "The lords of every domain and the heads of every industrial production zone, all of you step forward one pace."
Hearing the Black-God Emperor's words, those he had named all trembled.
But they did not dare be the least bit slow, and at once stepped forward and stood respectfully,
praying in their hearts: Surely nothing dangerous is coming for me? I've kept a very low profile lately.
A hundred-odd people stepping out from several thousand and standing at the very front of the great hall looked very conspicuous.
Those not called out felt a good deal easier now, and looked at this lot with some glee at their misfortune.
Those called out were in fact the ones standing near the top of the pyramid of power in the Devourer Civilization's universe.
So naturally many were secretly jealous of them, and to see this lot come to grief now was naturally very welcome.
When the Black-God Emperor saw that everyone he had named had taken their places, he at once began setting out his orders.
"I now issue the first order of the Black-God Emperor. From this day forth, the domains you are responsible for must each month hand over the required output of resources on time and in full. And each month must be more than the month before. Likewise, those of you responsible for each industrial production base must take proper charge of each base's production plan. Each month the production plan must be completed on time, and the interstellar warships due to come off the line and enter service must be completed as scheduled. At the same time, each month's output must also rise above the month before. Before each of you are your own requirements. You all know, too, that all this is for our oath-duel with the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire thirty months from now. In this duel we are permitted only victory, never defeat. So in these thirty months we must produce the most interstellar warships in the shortest time, and further raise the scale of our interstellar fleets! If anyone's area of responsibility does not complete these production plans on schedule, I will set up special supervision squads, and they will punish the heads who have not completed their production plans on schedule. In a word: I don't care what means you use. I only want to see a satisfying result. If anyone can exceed the production plan, I have rewards on my side as well. Is that all understood?"
Below in the great hall there was dead silence.
At this moment the production plan each had to complete appeared before them.
The production plans set out their demands very simply: how much was to be handed over in the first month, how much more was to be produced in the second.
Simply hard requirements,
with no regard at all for whether other practical factors might exist.
And when they saw these production requirements,
the first month was in fact all right.
Everyone could manage it by gritting their teeth.
But when they saw the production plans that kept rising after that, their hearts beyond doubt were utterly crushed.
Normally, production output would generally rise.
But for most, it was one plan for an increase a year.
With this Black-God Emperor now, it was an increase every month.
In a newly risen interstellar power or enterprise, such a thing might have been possible,
such as the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire at its very beginning.
But in the Devourer Civilization as it was now, it was beyond doubt impossible.
If these production plans were really to be completed on schedule, these heads were bound to resort to some extraordinary measures.
None of their faces looked well.
At last someone stepped out and said, trembling, "Your Majesty the Emperor, this production plan is no problem for the first few months. But after that… the increase is too fast; it will really be very hard to complete. If these production plans must be completed regardless, very bad things may happen. I beg you to think again."
The Black-God Emperor looked at the man and said flatly, "That is, you can't complete it."
"It… it has some difficulties," the man said quietly.
"If it's difficult, then never mind," the Black-God Emperor said.
At these words some present felt a flash of joy in their hearts, but more of them showed no change of look.
For they knew the Black-God Emperor's temper; he would certainly never give way so easily on such a thing.
Sure enough!
The next second, a laser beam shot across and pierced straight through the fellow's head.
The fellow's headless corpse dropped into a pool of blood; those beside him, terrified, wanted to scream, but clapped their hands over their mouths at once.
They watched the blood flowing out, about to reach their feet,
wanting to dodge it, yet not daring to move rashly,
able only to hold down the terror in their hearts, their eyes fixed.
The Black-God Emperor lowered the gun in his hand and swept a calm gaze over the heads present. "Who else has difficulties? I can solve them for him."
Who would dare step out and speak now?
Solving difficulties: this was plainly solving the people who had difficulties.
"No, none…"
"Long live the Emperor; we will do our utmost to complete the production tasks you have given us."
"For the Emperor, for the Devourer Civilization, for the great Order, we guarantee to complete your orders."
Since there was no way to refuse, some simply began to flatter.
Since they could not refuse anyway, saying some kind words now might leave a good impression on the Black-God Emperor.
As for whether they could really complete these building and production tasks when the time came, that could wait till then.
Anyway, dying later was always better than dying sooner.
After this, no one present dared raise any objection.
For no one wanted to end up like that corpse on the floor.
"You. From now on you take over his position. Do you have any problem?" The Black-God Emperor pointed offhandedly at the foremost man in the group behind.
The man pointed at looked somewhat startled.
In the past, such a rise in standing would surely have been cause for joy.
But now it was a hot potato; whoever caught it would suffer.
But with his predecessor's example lying there, who would dare refuse at such a moment?
"No… no problem; I'm willing to carry out any order Your Majesty the Emperor gives." The man at once knelt on the floor with his head bowed.
Those around him looked at him with pity.
With his head bowed, no one could tell whether he was suffering or glad.
When this matter had been settled, other matters followed.
None of them great.
If there was any great matter, it was perhaps the repair and building of star gates.
For after the ceasefire before, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had played them a trick,
leaving many of their star gates damaged and wrecked, so that the Devourer Civilization's universe's star-gate transport network had been very seriously affected.
If it was not repaired, it would have a huge effect on every side of the Devourer Civilization's universe.
So repairing and building was a must.
But to repair it in a short time to its prewar level was impossible for the Devourer Civilization's universe with its present industrial capacity.
Naturally they could only patch some of the more important routes first, at any cost, in the shortest time.
When he had given these instructions, the Black-God Emperor's first great-hall meeting came to an end, more or less.
And it was because of this great-hall meeting that the Devourer Civilization's universe would, in the thirty months that followed, meet its most nightmarish thirty months.
All that was for later; let it be for now.
When the meeting was over, the Black-God Emperor was the first to leave, for he had important business of his own to see to.
And the others, naturally, left the great hall in twos and threes.
This meeting had been rather special; nearly everyone had come in person, and no one had dared be absent.
And of those who came out of the great hall, many were naturally discussing the oath-duel, or the production plan this time.
Above all the heads concerned, every one of whom wore a worried face.
They either left quickly, heads down without a sound,
or pulled others aside to pour out their woes without end.
And among them,
the small circle of the several Black-God Commanders was of the highest rank.
No.
These several Black-God Commanders had now been raised to Black-God Marshals!
Besides holding their own Black-God Marshal legion fleets, they were wholly in charge of commanding every one of the Black-God Emperor's legion fleets.
"Sigh. These production tasks His Majesty the Black-God Emperor has ordered are going to make life hard for us," the Black-God Fourth Marshal said with a wry smile to the other Black-God Marshals around him.
"You're not the one in charge of that; what are you worrying about it for?" the Black-God Second Marshal said, looking at him coldly.
The Black-God Fourth Marshal shrugged and said helplessly, "I don't want to worry either. This business has nothing to do with us, but under me… some people are mixed up in it. Like my seventy-third wife's father, who's in charge of just this sort of thing. It happens to be an interstellar warship production base, and I'm the one who found a way to put it in his hands back then. Who'd have thought he'd land in a thing like this? He was just now clinging to me, pouring out his woes. If I hadn't found an excuse to come and find you lot, the old fellow would still be clinging to me now. I don't care whether the old fellow lives or dies, but if he dies, my share… won't it be gone?"
So it turned out the fellow was worried not about his relations with his father-in-law, or whether this wife of his would grieve, but about the share of profit he could get his hands on.
One could imagine: he had found this starship production base for his father-in-law, so wasn't the father-in-law obliged to give him some sweeteners every month?
And once the Black-God Emperor made trouble for his father-in-law, wouldn't that share of profit be gone?
That was the thing this Black-God Fourth Marshal was worried about.
The Black-God Second Marshal threw him a roll of the eyes and did not care to take up the remark at all.
"But His Majesty's issuing this order means the next thirty months are sure to be a disaster for every domain in our Devourer Civilization's universe. Some places may even… see some bad things happen," the Black-God Third Marshal said just then, looking somewhat melancholy.
"How so?" the Black-God Fourth Marshal asked curiously.
"Do you think, under normal conditions, the heads below can complete the production plans His Majesty has ordered on schedule?" the Black-God Third Marshal asked back.
The answer was something everyone present knew perfectly well.