Zhao Chen knit his brows slightly; there was no small amount of information in these words of Governor Chu's. Just as Zhao Chen was about to open his mouth, Governor Chu cut in first. "Don't ask too much; those matters aren't yet ones the present you can take part in. All you need do is develop quietly, and expand your interstellar fleet as much as you can. Though your current Viscount title only permits you a private fleet of 100 interstellar warships, you can, when the time comes, transfer the T2 warships under your hand into the names of some trustworthy star-families within your domain, and keep to a fleet scale of around 150 in the ordinary run of things — that won't be any great problem either. In any situation whatsoever, only the interstellar warships you hold in your own hand are the one force you can rely on."
Since the old man put it so, Zhao Chen didn't ask further either. It was, in all likelihood, bound up with the Starlight Empire's internal affairs — the Prince Faction, say… This sort of drama, whether in the ancient ages or in the interstellar era of late, had never once been absent from the stage.
As for the matter of fleet scale, Zhao Chen had, from beginning to end, never once thought of limiting the number of his interstellar warships. The principle that truth is forever within firing range — of that, Zhao Chen had had deep experience in his past life. And besides, Zhao Chen had a Lion King System; at worst he'd hide a batch of interstellar warships away in the Lion King System, and recall them when there was genuine need. With the existence of the star gate, this was merely a matter of a little time and the expenditure of a little gate resource.
And it was just then that Governor Chu, too, received the feedback sent back from his several ship-research institutes. Every one of them marveled without exception at how far ahead these ship technologies were; though this was only a part of the ship technology, set upon the two T4 warships already in service in the Starlight Empire, it far surpassed them.
"The 7 billion star coins of the second-batch technology-licensing fee — do you want it all converted into raw materials?" Governor Chu looked at Zhao Chen. He'd already tossed clean out of his mind the thing he'd said before — that to gather these raw-material resources in so short a span was of no small difficulty.
"I have a raw-material order here; just go by what's on it." Zhao Chen sent over a raw-material order. Governor Chu took a look — there was nothing scarce among the raw materials.
"Since we happen to be talking today, then let's do this. This year I mean to produce a third batch of T3 Flame Dragons, projected at 300 T3 Flame Dragons, with a technology-licensing fee of 45 billion star coins. I'll pay you 13 billion star coins first, and the final payment should be cleared around year's end. This sum of funds — do you need it converted into raw materials for you as well?"
Worthy indeed of his own dear Grandpa Chu — knowing what he lacked just now, and sending precisely that. Of course, this was also because this T3 Flame Dragon-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer of Zhao Chen's delivered; otherwise Governor Chu wouldn't have produced three batches, one after another. It showed that this T3 Flame Dragon's showing on the battlefield was exceedingly outstanding.
But there was, too, a layer of latent meaning in it: the Chu family seemed to be building up "armaments" as well. Close to 50 billion star coins — this couldn't possibly be funding put up for the Empire's military; in all likelihood it was the Chu family's own expansion of its forces. And it ought, moreover, to have drawn on no small part of the Chu family's savings. For by Zhao Chen's understanding, the Chu River Star Region's military budget for a single year was no more than 30 billion star coins!
But these still weren't matters for Zhao Chen to concern himself with just now; Zhao Chen's most pressing task was to see well to his own little patch of ground.
"Very well — by that raw-material ratio from just now, you can prepare me a total of 20 billion in resources and raw materials," Zhao Chen said.
Governor Chu nodded. "The first batch will be delivered to you within half a month, and the whole lot shipped to your Owl Dragon System within three months. It's just a pity your system has no star gate, or this pace could be a bit faster."
Zhao Chen put on a look of feigned helplessness.
"You're a Viscount now; if you have the chance to be promoted to Count, I can find a way to get you another system that can build a star gate, or that already has one. The Owl Dragon System's situation really isn't much to speak of, after all. I'll think of something for you." Governor Chu muttered over the matter.
Zhao Chen's eyes lit up; though he didn't mind the Owl Dragon System's poverty, if he truly could have another Starlight Empire system out in the open, that would naturally be finest of all. By then he could openly possess a star gate in that system, and secretly build a T3 Radiant Moon-class star gate besides — which could greatly increase the efficiency of a whole string of work.
"My thanks, Governor," Zhao Chen said.
Governor Chu had no other matters to speak of, and his meeting with Zhao Chen came, with that, to a close.
And this meeting had let Zhao Chen not only happily take delivery of 20 billion star coins of raw-material resources, but also feel the air of a coming storm — the wind filling the tower before the mountain rain — within the Starlight Empire.
Zhao Chen gave Lilith a brief account of the news that Governor Chu would, in the future, be delivering them 20 billion star coins of raw-material resources. Then he left the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship and came to T3 Blizzard No.1.
"Commander." Charlotte stood up straight and saluted Zhao Chen.
The crowd of women-soldiers on the bridge, too, were a touch excited. This place had once been Zhao Chen's flagship, but after the T3 Phoenix entered service, Zhao Chen hadn't shown his face for several months.
"This time I need to use your flagship, to make a trip back to the Owl Dragon main planet," Zhao Chen said. Because the T3 Phoenix was, at present, still in a stage of being kept secret from outsiders, for this return to the Owl Dragon main planet Zhao Chen would use the old flagship, T3 Blizzard No.1.
"Yes." Charlotte nodded, and at once laid out the voyage task. Bound for the Owl Dragon main planet.
"Commander, please." Charlotte gestured to the position of the captain's chair.
"You're the captain; if I sit there, won't I be stealing your seat and leaving you nowhere to sit?" Zhao Chen said, teasing with his mouth — though his backside had already sat down onto it.
Charlotte said in earnest, "You're the Commander; every seat here belongs to you. There's no such thing as stealing or not stealing."
"But it does, after all, leave me feeling a touch bad about it. Why don't you sit here too." Zhao Chen patted his own knee.
This sight made the women-soldiers off to the side all cast sidelong glances over; a few of them were, indeed, already fairly straining their eyes with longing.
Charlotte's face reddened in an instant, and the tail behind her stiffened and stood straight up.
"No… no… no… there's no need."
But the very next second, Zhao Chen, on the captain's chair, darted out and appeared behind Charlotte. This mobility of the Commander's, near the equal of a modified super-soldier's, Charlotte had seen before as well. And then she felt her nape being lifted up. In one instant, Charlotte's whole body was as though touched by an electric current, gone numb and tingling all over.
"When I tell you to sit, you sit." Zhao Chen returned once more to the captain's chair, and set Charlotte down sideways upon his own lap. Just now Charlotte's whole body was drawn taut; she felt as though her little heart were about to leap right out of her. And that tail of hers had nowhere at all it suited to be put — now standing straight up, now swaying left and right, now going limp and drooping down.