"Report — we've connected through to the T3 Radiant Moon-class Star Gate No.2!" Sister Bull reported the moment it happened; even Sister Bull, steady as she always was, was greatly worked up in tone just now!
Annie did not at once give in to delight; instead she said in earnest, "Confirm it once more — is it truly the T3 Radiant Moon-class Star Gate No.2!"
"I've confirmed it 10 times over on my end — I can guarantee it's the gate signal of the T3 Radiant Moon-class Star Gate No.2! Report — we've received a voyage request from the other gate. A T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate is to make a gate jump!" At this point Sister Bull reported another matter.
Annie looked to Zhao Chen; the authority now rested with him.
"Permitted," Zhao Chen said.
"Gate jump permitted!" Annie relayed at once. In truth, even without Annie's relay, Sister Bull had already heard Zhao Chen's word on her end and begun the operation.
"Ship beginning gate jump." As Sister Bull finished speaking, everyone's eyes, at this instant, stayed fixed upon the T3 Radiant Moon-class Star Gate No.1! Some seconds later, a T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate, hull number 005, appeared here at the T3 Radiant Moon-class Star Gate No.1.
"Report — this gate jump's voyage was stable, without any problem whatsoever!" Sister Bull, watching the data, reported at once, worked up with excitement.
"Yeahh — we did it!" Annie, elated, jumped and skipped about on Zhao Chen's bridge. And a faint smile showed at the corner of Zhao Chen's mouth as well.
The gate connection between the Owl Dragon System and the Lion King System was complete. From here on, the tie between the two places would be closer still; no longer, as before, would a half-month's one-way voyage be needed — a mere few seconds' time now, and one could arrive on the far side outright.
"How much resource did this voyage consume?" Secretary Lilith asked from the side.
Sister Bull at once reported a figure on her end. "Some 200 star coins' worth of resource consumed."
Gate voyaging, too, consumed no small amount of resources. Set against the time Zhao Chen had earlier taken the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser from the Owl Dragon System to the Lion King System, those gates used along the way had cost 4,000 or 5,000 star coins! Perhaps some might be surprised — the toll for passage was so terrifying? Indeed it was; and Zhao Chen's 200 was only the cost price. Using another's gate out in the wider galaxy, they'd naturally levy a certain profit on top. And a T3 warship consumed more resources than a T2. Were the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser to use a T3 Radiant Moon-class gate, a single trip would run to about 600 star coins, by estimate. But set against the earlier half-month a single trip took, and the 4,000 or 5,000 star coins' price, this was already quite fine.
But then consider — in the future, should one use the gate to project a large interstellar fleet: a legion-grade interstellar fleet of 3,000 ships, all of them T2 warships, and a single trip would come to close on 600,000 star coins! Sure enough, to possess a vast interstellar fleet — merely possessing it was only the first step; without wealth enough to maintain it and to meet its daily voyaging consumption, it would be no more than an ornament parked at home.
"Come — let's go take a look at the Lion King System," Zhao Chen proposed.
Over on her side, Sister Bull at once made the arrangements. The T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser slid slowly into the T3 Radiant Moon-class star gate, and after the space of a single instant, the scene before them had changed — still a stretch of cosmos, yet it was already the Lion King System.
Ahead there were several Owl Dragon Fleet ships waiting besides — the T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber, the T3 Andromeda-class Interstellar Medical Ship, the T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship, and others.
"Commander." Over on their side, Charlotte and Zhao Wan'er at once popped up video windows.
"Now that we've got a gate, there's no need to fret over the distance between the two places anymore. The Lion King System is, in effect, a 'satellite' system of the Owl Dragon System." Zhao Chen was much satisfied.
After that, the flagships of Charlotte, Zhao Wan'er, and the rest each tried the gate in turn as well, all of them smoothly and without a single problem.
The business of the gate was settled, and within the domain there was, for the moment, nothing to give Zhao Chen cause for worry. The matter of going to the Starlight Central Star Region to attend the Empire procurement was, then, to be put on the itinerary; the time Zhao Chen fixed on was the middle of September.
Before departing, Zhao Chen naturally had first to make all manner of arrangements clear. Secretary Lilith would remain in the Owl Dragon System to preside over the various works; the Lion King System's side would be in the charge of Charlotte and Secretary Aili. Annie, besides being in charge of the Owl Dragon System's industrial construction, would now also have to attend to the industrial situation on the dwarf planet over in the Lion King System. Before this, that would have been a matter of no small difficulty — but now it was exceedingly convenient.
And Zhao Wan'er, on learning that Zhao Chen was going to the Starlight Central Star Region, proposed going along too. The reason she gave was that she hadn't seen Big Sis in ever so long, and this trip was just the chance to go find Big Sis in the Starlight Central Star Region! On top of which, with no fighting going on just now, Zhao Wan'er was idle anyway. Zhao Chen thought it over and assented to Zhao Wan'er's proposal too. If they truly did meet Big Sis, then with Zhao Wan'er present the atmosphere between the two of them might be a little the easier for it. After all, the times Zhao Chen had spent with, and seen, Big Sis were truly few and far between.
"Then get yourself ready. Your T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber is to stay in the Lion King System, handed over for the time being to your deputy captain's charge," Zhao Chen instructed.
"Yes." Zhao Wan'er was exceedingly excited — whether it was on account of the chance, this time, to see Big Sis, there was no telling.
In mid-September, Zhao Chen and Zhao Wan'er began making ready for the journey to the Starlight Central Star Region.
And on the very eve of Zhao Chen's departure from the Owl Dragon System, Zhao Chen came into another piece of good news.
With the completion of the two star gates, September's full production capacity of 30 T2 Iron Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships had all been thrown into the building of warships. In this bare half-month, combat-type interstellar warships alone had rolled off the line and into service like dumplings dropped into the pot — over 10 of them. And the vast bulk of these were the T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigates, with their extremely short build cycle! But whatever the case, this pushed the number of the Owl Dragon Fleet's combat-type interstellar warships clean past the figure of 30. Which meant, too, that Zhao Chen's quarterly mission would be completed a full half-month ahead of time!
Quarterly Mission: Redeem one T3 interstellar warship from the System mall (complete). Combat-type interstellar warships reach thirty (30/30) (complete).
Mission complete — mission reward may be claimed.
Zhao Chen at once claimed the mission reward, looking forward to just what sort of reward this quarterly mission would grant him.
Claiming mission reward — congratulations, acquired one "T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship" technical blueprint.