The North Wind Star Region.
"Governor, the data-modification suggestions you handed us earlier regarding the T3 White Eagle-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser let us successfully break through the knotty problem that had been troubling us before! It's let our T3 White Eagle upgrade-and-rework project carry on!" A ship engineer dressed in white looked at the North Wind Governor, greatly worked up.
On the strength of just those few data points the North Wind Governor had given, they'd saved themselves at least several months, even a year, of research time!
"Don't thank me — I asked someone else about it too," the North Wind Governor said with a chuckle.
"Someone else? Might I know which chief ship engineer's high insight it was?" the ship engineer asked, curious.
The North Wind Governor said proudly, "My grandson-in-law!"
His grandson-in-law?
These words left the other man momentarily at a loss — and then it dawned on him. The North Wind Governor's grandson-in-law was none other than the Chu family eldest miss's fine dragon-riding son-in-law[1]…
"All right, all right — just see to your own affairs and it'll do; don't go asking about the rest." The North Wind Governor waved a hand.
The North Wind Governor closed the comm window, calling to mind how that man named Zhao Chen had, with but a single glance at the portion of ship data he'd given him, been able to pick out every one of the problems.
"What sort of dog-luck did Chu Changhe strike, to have found a grandson-in-law this fine — why, the man's a walking treasure vault."
The North Wind Governor couldn't help a touch of envy; and then he thought of those several good-for-nothing grandsons and granddaughters of his own. Many descendants though he had, not one was as likeable as his granddaughter Chu Xuan on the daughter's side — and now, moreover, Chu Xuan had gone and found a golden-turtle son-in-law[2] like this. By comparison, that odd-tempered granddaughter of his own worried him half to death.
"Never mind, never mind. Children have blessings of their own to find." The North Wind Governor shook his head with a sigh.
……
Galactic Star Calendar, year 3031, mid-December.
Two months' time had passed since the Empire procurement. After the Northern Goose Group carried off the procurement order, they'd at once set about expanding the T2 Tibetan Mastiff's production line. A full several-dozen-fold expansion over what it had been before! By Li Yaqi's goal, the monthly output of T2 Tibetan Mastiffs was to reach at least 2,000 ships! And the annual output had to exceed 20,000! That the Northern Goose Group would rise to become one of the most renowned ship manufacturers in the Starlight Empire was, in the eyes of the world, only a matter of time.
As for the Hurricane Conglomerate, pushed down from its altar by the Northern Goose Group — it saw a great wave of order cancellations break out, and at the same time its capital chain ran into trouble. Over this stretch it had fallen into silence, though it seemed to show no sign of outright bankruptcy. But having lost the money tree that was the T2 Hyena, for the Hurricane Conglomerate to rise again was, likewise, an impossible thing.
The Owl Dragon System.
Zhao Chen was enjoying a rare stretch of holiday aboard the T2 Bronze Eden-class Ship. He'd been in this world a year and more now, and had, basically, spent all of it rushing about east and west, with never a proper rest. These two months could well be called his finally getting a good taste of what the life of a lord was like.
Zhao Chen lay on a beach chair by the lakeside, taking in the sight of one lovely figure after another frolicking in the water — the scenery here was fine beyond compare.
The one with the finest figure was, naturally, Lilith, in a black swimsuit, her allure fairly bursting off the scale. Next was Shen Bing; one hadn't been able to tell before, but though Shen Bing was of humble birth, on that figure of hers the growth had fallen not one bit behind. Charlotte was fine too — above all that tail and those ears, which lent her a flavor all her own. At the outset, Charlotte had still been unwilling to go into the water; it was said she had a particular loathing of it! It was Zhao Wan'er who, mischievously, had dragged Charlotte down into the water, and only so had gotten Charlotte to play about with them all.
By the lakeside there was one more figure: Chitong. Chitong wore a one-piece swimsuit, and one could see, at no few spots upon her body, black markings, as though they'd formed naturally. And even in a setting like this, Chitong still wore her mask.
"Commander."
Suddenly, a form shaped rather like a potato blocked Zhao Chen's line of sight.
"Hey… hey…" Zhao Chen had been right at the height of his enjoyment, and being suddenly blocked like this made him genuinely a touch put out.
"Annie, has no one ever told you that when someone's admiring a fine view, you're not to disturb them?" Zhao Chen, a fierce look on his face, pinched Annie's plump little cheeks.
Annie flailed both her hands about, and with no small effort at last escaped from Zhao Chen's devil's clutches, then rubbed at her face most pitifully.
"Admiring a fine view? I'd rather not even poke through that little scheme of yours, Commander." Annie looked at Zhao Chen in disdain.
Zhao Chen gave a cough. "Out with it, then — you coming to find me all of a sudden, what is it you want?"
"The T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship formally rolled off the line and into service today, and has completed all its trial-sail items; I've come to notify you," Annie reported.
Zhao Chen sat straight up all at once, and, a smile filling his face, rubbed at Annie's cheeks. "You know, I find that you're really rather adorable after all, Annie. Come — let's go have a look at our big darling."
"Why is it that when you're unhappy you rub my face, and when you're happy you rub my face too!" Annie, feeling at her face — nearly rubbed raw of its skin — kept a wary eye on Zhao Chen.
"Because it pleases me to," Zhao Chen said with a wicked grin.
"You… you…" Annie pointed at Zhao Chen, striking the pose of one about to give him a scolding.
"I've watched you these past days, dutiful and conscientious — I'm minded to grant you a bonus."
The instant Zhao Chen's words fell—
Annie at once gave Zhao Chen a 90-degree bow. "My thanks to you, Commander! Our efforts could never be apart from the Commander's trust and cultivation; and in our successes, too, there's a share of merit that belongs to the Commander!"
"Then may I still rub your face?"
"Which side would you like? The right — go with the right; the right has better bounce to it."
Zhao Chen looked at Annie, wearing the very picture of a money-grubbing miser, and stopped ribbing her; he greeted Lilith, Zhao Wan'er, Bessie, and the others still frolicking in the lake, and said he was off to see the newly commissioned T3 Phoenix.
The moment the women heard this news, which of them had any more mind for play? In a single streak they followed straight after Zhao Chen. They'd been awaiting the T3 Phoenix's commissioning all along. And they had their eyes on that vacant captain's post, too. Who wouldn't want to become the captain of the T3 Phoenix? This was a carrier starship, no less!
Zhao Chen thereupon led everyone by shuttle toward the T3 Phoenix.
"Come to think of it, why didn't you simply notify me by video comm, rather than coming to find me in person?" Zhao Chen suddenly thought of this and looked at Annie, whose expression was a touch guilty. "You weren't, by any chance, thinking of slacking off a while, were you?"
Annie, as though her mind had been poked straight through, at once pointed out beyond the porthole. "Quick, look! Our T3 Phoenix!"
Though everyone knew of Annie's wish to change the subject, all their attention was nonetheless drawn by that gorgeous figure beyond the porthole.
A hull painted crimson red — an enormous interstellar warship! The whole hull presented the shape of a great disc, with the markings of a bird upon it; at a single glance it did rather resemble the posture of a phoenix wrapping its whole body up within its wings. Not far off, a T3 Blizzard lay docked. The T3 Blizzard, which could once have been called a giant ship, seemed just now, before the T3 Phoenix, for all the world like a small child. The gap between them was simply too great!
"This, then, is our Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship!" Charlotte, looking at the crimson interstellar giant before her — though she'd long been prepared for it — found, when she truly beheld it, that the shock within her heart still could not be hidden.