Before long,
Fire Lydia came excitedly into the private room where Zhao Chen was.
"Your Fierce Dragon Majesty! I passed the assessment! I passed!" Fire Lydia shouted excitedly.
"I know you passed. I could hear your voice from miles away," Zhao Chen said, rubbing his ears.
Because she had had a few dealings with Fire Lydia back in the Fierce Dragon Kingdom, Fire Lydia had come to know this Fierce Dragon King's character thoroughly.
In private she was not overly restrained; the two were like friends.
A hand came down on Fire Lydia's head and rapped it.
"Ow!" Fire Lydia clutched her head, feeling that familiar knock.
Then she turned around and saw her brother, looking stern for show.
"Look at you; what kind of behavior is this? When you see His Fierce Dragon Majesty, mind your manners." Fire Phoenix seemed to be scolding his sister, but no anger showed on his face.
Fire Lydia at once hid behind Zhao Chen, clutching her head, and stuck her tongue out at her brother.
She said, "His Majesty said that in private we can get on like friends. I've only come to report good news. What, brother, don't you like seeing your little sister become captain of a T2 starship?"
Feeling his sister's provoking look and the somewhat show-off tone,
Fire Phoenix covered his face, looking helpless.
Zhao Chen raised his hand, signaling both of them to be quiet for a moment.
He looked at Fire Lydia and said, "Fire Lydia. You've passed the assessment now; though for now you're only captain of a single starship, Marshal Chu Xuan and I both think highly of you. I now formally confer on you the rank of Fierce Dragon brigadier general. After this you'll also need to study fleet combat in addition, to prepare for the future."
Fleet combat?
Fire Phoenix's heart jumped; this was as good as saying outright that his sister would in the future be not merely a captain, but might become a fleet commander,
one able to command dozens of interstellar warships, even a hundred or more.
Thinking that this sister he had watched grow up had one day suddenly surpassed him in some respect, he even felt a trace of something sour in his heart.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I've long been ready. Whether you give me thirty starships or three hundred, I guarantee I'll manage them properly!" Fire Lydia, not standing on ceremony in the least, thumped her chest very confidently.
Zhao Chen looked at Fire Phoenix: "Fire Phoenix. I've seen your record governing your country on Dragon Star this past while. I'm thinking of having you govern broader territories in the future. Do you have any thoughts on it?"
Fire Phoenix looked at Zhao Chen in surprise.
"I mean that in the future we'll have more planets. These planets need colonies built, need order established. I need a leader to take charge of this. Having observed for now, apart from my own Fierce Dragon people, among the many candidates, you, Empress Nancy and the Third Prince of Aalborg, you three are the most suitable. I'm thinking of grooming you three in particular in the future. Of course, it also depends on whether you yourselves are willing."
Hearing such an arrangement, Fire Phoenix's expression went blank for a moment.
He hesitated and did not answer at once.
"Do you have some worry? Worried I'll be wary of your power in the future? Worried you'll raise private armies for your own ends?" Zhao Chen said with a smile, seeing straight through Fire Phoenix's thoughts.
This truly was the worry in Fire Phoenix's heart; though he himself had no such thoughts, that did not mean others had none.
"Just set your mind at rest. So long as the technology in my Fierce Dragon Kingdom's hands always stays ahead of what's out among the people, who do you think could shake my Fierce Dragon Kingdom's position?" Zhao Chen asked in return.
Fire Phoenix looked at Zhao Chen incredulously; he had never imagined this man would have such confidence.
But on reflection it was so.
All along, the Fierce Dragon Kingdom's technology had seemed inexhaustible; what limited its technological progress seemed to be not research time, but production and manufacturing time.
"Set your mind at ease and work well with me. Very soon you'll not only be master of a planet. You could even be master of a star system. When the time comes I'll give you a star system; how about naming it after the Frost Dragon?" Zhao Chen looked at Fire Phoenix with a grin.
Fire Phoenix's eyes went wide.
A star system named after his own kingdom?
He himself, overlord ruling a star system?
At the very thought of this, Fire Phoenix felt his blood boil.
He saluted Zhao Chen solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Whatever comes in the future, I, Fire Phoenix, am your loyal warrior!"
Zhao Chen gave a slight smile and clapped Fire Phoenix on the shoulder.
————————
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Around Dragon Star an interstellar industrial zone had been built, where T1 interstellar warships of every kind could be built in great numbers, and even T2 interstellar warships.
"This Mighty Dragon Interstellar Industrial Zone, we've made modular. Though for now it's limited to T1 and T2, it can be upgraded and expanded without end. In our plans, it can be upgraded through the generations to the T5 level of technology. That can greatly cut the cost of demolishing and upgrading," Annie said, eating a chicken drumstick, sitting beside Zhao Chen and pointing at that Mighty Dragon Interstellar Industrial Zone in the distance.
"Before, it was at the T1 stage; now part of it has finished its T2-stage expansion and upgrade. If you give me another half a year to a year, there's hope we can build T3-grade interstellar warships too."
"How is construction of our T3 interstellar industrial ship coming?" Zhao Chen asked.
To raise their technology level fast, interstellar industrial ships were vital.
"Then by then, will we be able to build T3 interstellar warships!" Fire Lydia was beside them too.
She was now the fleet commander of a small fleet, entitled to attend the upper-level discussion meetings.
"The T3 interstellar industrial ship is still under construction. It can be finished within a month. But our T3 combat interstellar warships may be able to enter service early. Our T2 Iron-Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships are building T3 interstellar warships right now. Mainly two classes: the T3 Wolverine-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyer and the T3 Flame Dragon-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer. These two classes of interstellar warship have low construction requirements and short build times. The first batch may come off the line five of each," Annie muttered.
Five of each off the line.
That meant there was hope of ten T3 interstellar warships entering service at once!
Fire Lydia swallowed; before, she had thought her T2 Snow Mastiff-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship very fine.
But now, knowing T3-grade interstellar warships were about to enter service, her heart began to itch again.
It must be understood that the T2 Snow Mastiff-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship in her hands had not yet even seen real combat.
Of course, this was not her fault.
If anything was to blame, it was only that the Fierce Dragon Kingdom's technology for replacing its interstellar warships with new generations was simply too fast!
"How many starships do we have now?" Zhao Chen looked at Marshal Chu Xuan.
"Five hundred starships in total. One hundred T2 starships and five hundred T1 starships. Six hundred starships in all,"[1] Marshal Chu Xuan said.
Six hundred.
Zhao Chen did the sum; in numbers it was still a little few.
But this could not be helped; in this period they had had to attend to technological upgrades and produce interstellar warships at the same time.
Attending to both, output was naturally much lower.
But if they poured everything into producing interstellar warships, the speed of improving starship technology would suffer greatly.
Now they could only hope the Dax Empire's fleet would come a little later.
The brief meeting ended.
Marshal Chu Xuan walked along the corridor; she raised her hand, and on her wrist was already a handheld terminal developed by the Fierce Dragon Kingdom.
She looked at some photos in the handheld terminal.
In the photos was a little girl who looked to be in the kindergarten class.
She reached out and stroked the little girl's picture.
Lately she had spent most of her time up in the sky,
with no time to attend to her child on the ground.
But every day the subordinate responsible for looking after the child would send her messages.
In a few days she could ask for leave and go down to see her child.
There even seemed to be a parents' meeting she could attend.
Only, as the child gradually grew, she had begun asking about her father too.
The child's father…
A complicated look came over Marshal Chu Xuan's face.
Never mind thinking so much for now.
Go and set out the next training tasks, and then she could go down at ease.
At the thought of this, Chu Xuan's mood was much better.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
Suddenly!
Her handheld terminal flashed red.
Chu Xuan's face changed; she had not yet boarded her starship, and she turned at once and went.
She went back to the meeting room.
Chu Xuan saw Zhao Chen already sitting in the chief seat.
"The enemy's here?" Fire Lydia asked excitedly.
Zhao Chen nodded and looked at Secretary Officer Barbara beside him.
Secretary Officer Barbara stepped forward and called up the latest information received: "The latest information. The outposts we deployed at the edge of the star system have found a fleet about to reach our star system. Its size is not yet certain!"
"Keep watching; inform all the Fierce Dragon leadership at once of any other leads!" Zhao Chen said.
"Yes!"
"Chu Xuan."
"Here."
"The combat mission is entirely in your hands. Keep the battlefield as far from our controlled area as possible; don't let it threaten our production and life. If you need anything, send word to us at once. Our rear will give you full support!" Zhao Chen said.
"Yes!"
————————
The Frey civilization.
In the temple, everyone had arrived.
"The latest information. That Dax Empire fleet is about to enter our star system," the Lord of Frey said earnestly.
Hearing this news, the ministers present all looked tense.
"We don't yet know the size of the enemy fleet. But however many come, we must meet them with everything and destroy these invaders to the last. Now mass our fleet at once and hurry to the border. All other departments are to support this battle unconditionally. If anyone fails in their duty and affects the fighting at the front, whatever the reason, they'll be killed without mercy!"
"Yes!"
The ministers in the temple all went off at once to see to it.
The Lord of Frey raised his hand and called up the data of every fleet.
"Master. How many fleets are we sending this time?" a confidant minister beside him asked.
"Our interstellar warships in service now have reached a thousand. But we have no T3-grade interstellar warships yet. For this battle, keeping back a hundred interstellar warships will do. The other nine hundred interstellar warships all sortie!" the Lord of Frey said.
The confidant minister hesitated, then said quietly, "Your Majesty, after this battle, do you think our policy toward the Fierce Dragon Kingdom should change?"
"You mean that once the war is over, we settle accounts with the Fierce Dragon civilization at once?" The Lord of Frey looked at this subordinate of his.
"We're both Trial civilizations, and both in one star system; sooner or later there'll be a war. Better to take this chance and make a surprise attack on the Fierce Dragon civilization straight after the battle. That way we can unify our star system and so speed up our development!" the subordinate said.
The Lord of Frey thought a moment and shook his head, saying, "No; as things stand now, we can't break with the Fierce Dragon civilization yet. Once we break with them, if the fleet the Dax Empire sends after this is bigger than ours, we'll have no margin for error left."
"The Master is right." The subordinate lowered his head and said nothing more.
——————
At this very moment,
two fleets had set out from different directions, but both had one aim.
The bridge of T2 Snow Mastiff-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship No. 1.
Fire Lydia sat in the captain's chair, giving instructions for every starship's sailing.
"Why aren't we using the warp interceptors this time?" the adjutant beside her asked, puzzled.
Fire Lydia glanced at this young adjutant of hers.
A young graduate fresh from the Starship Academy, with very good marks in theory but not much real combat experience.
Some of the ideas were still too naive.
"Do you think anyone falls into the same pit twice? The Dax Empire fleet coming this time is sure not to warp straight into the star system. Most likely it'll stop in the edge space outside the star system, then sail into our star system on its conventional engines. That way, where they'll come in from, there's no telling. Even if we deployed a line of defense in advance, could we guard a star system's border that vast? Since we can't guard it all, we may as well not waste the effort guarding; let them come in first, and then we'll see."
Hearing this, the adjutant understood at once.
"I just don't know how many fleets the Dax Empire has sent this time. Last time it was three hundred. This time it surely won't be that number. Will it be a thousand? Or even more?" the adjutant muttered quietly.
Even more?
How many starships the Dax Empire fleet would send,
Fire Lydia in truth had no idea either.
But going by the fighting strength of the Dax Empire's interstellar warships recorded in the first battle, their staff department had worked out the odds.
Counting their fleet and the Frey civilization's,