Going from the Northstar system to the Arctic Fox system, Zhao Chen felt nothing especially different, in truth; had no one told him, he might not even have believed he'd come to another star system at all.
Because near enough everything within sight was much the same — the black cosmos, the boundless reaches, and planets, moons, and asteroids of every varied shape…
When Zhao Chen woke from the hibernation pod once more, the discomfort of that first time had eased somewhat — but his legs were still trembling.
"Captain, our ship has reached the outer zone of Arctic Fox Starport," Charlotte reported.
Zhao Chen looked at the vast starport before him, its bulk who-knew-how-many times greater than the starport of the Northstar Starship Military Academy.
Because this was a true starport!
One might even call it an interstellar city!
"Contact this person, and say it's Zhao Chen of the Blizzard Zero." Zhao Chen raised a hand and sent a comm link over to Charlotte.
Charlotte did as bidden, and before long a video window popped open.
On the far side was a woman of refined bearing, in what looked to be a work uniform.
"Good day to you, Mr. Zhao Chen. I'm the staff member in charge of your account at Arctic Fox Starport, registry number CC11; it's my honor to serve you. Per the requirements you set out when you contacted us earlier— —a large starship refit-build-and-upgrade workshop has been made ready for you. I'll send you the address. You've reserved it for a two-month usage period, at a price of 100,000 star coins. In addition, the 'goods' you ordered, totaling one and a half million star coins, are all in place; per your instructions, they've been placed within your ship workshop." The woman in charge spoke with a smile on her face.
"One and a half million star coins!" Zhao Wan'er cried out, staring in astonishment at the unruffled Zhao Chen.
Charlotte, too, shot Zhao Chen a surprised glance — though years of steadiness kept her from losing her composure the way Zhao Wan'er had.
"Thank you, miss; I'll treat you to tea some other day," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
The woman in charge covered her mouth and laughed softly. "You jest, sir. For the duration of your stay, I'm your dedicated liaison; should you need anything at all, you may contact me at any time. I'm at your service around the clock," Her piece said, she didn't forget to throw in a coquettish wink.
This was a big client, after all; the bonus on this order came to a good half-year of her ordinary base pay!
Charlotte was given the location of the starport berth, and, under the starport's traffic direction, sailed slowly over, making ready to dock.
"What's this hundred-and-fifty-thousand… this million and a half star coins about?" Zhao Wan'er couldn't hold back, and asked again.
"I sold a piece of T1 ship technology." Zhao Chen made no attempt to hide it; before long there'd be no point in hiding it anyway.
"You sold T1 ship technology?" Zhao Wan'er was dumbfounded.
Zhao Chen produced an imperial card, tapped it, and holographically projected the balance on it.
Over 1,900,000 star coins!
"Where did you come by so many star coins!" Zhao Wan'er was aghast.
The Owl Dragon Star System's whole family fortune didn't come to this much.
"I sold the T1 ship technology for 3 million, and shook 50,000 more out of Zhang Haoran. Renting this Arctic Fox Starport ship workshop for two months cost 100,000 star coins. The batch of goods I ordered ran 1,000,001 half. And the resupply before Blizzard Zero set out earlier came to 10,000. Add up all the odds and ends, and there's about this 1,900,000 star coins left." Zhao Chen shrugged.
Zhao Wan'er listened to all this and was a long while coming back to herself.
She'd caught the crux of it, too. T1 ship technology?
"Where did you get T1 ship technology!"
"Developed it myself."
"Since when could you develop ship technology?"
"You saw me assemble a ship, didn't you?"
"Assembling and developing are two entirely different things."
"To my mind, it's just a matter of it being a touch harder."
Zhao Wan'er put a hand to her head. Since when had developing a wholly new ship become a matter of merely "a touch harder"?
Beep, beep, beep.
Just as Zhao Wan'er was about to press him further, her handheld terminal flashed. She glanced at it, and her face turned solemn. "It's that hidden watcher our sister placed!"
"Ask her if she can do a video comm," Zhao Chen said.
Zhao Wan'er asked. "She says she can — but only five minutes!"
"Five minutes is enough."
The video comm opened quickly, and a video window appeared before Zhao Chen and Zhao Wan'er.
On the far side was a refined, gentle-mannered woman.
The woman's information surfaced in Zhao Chen's memory.
A minor manager in the Owl Dragon Star System's interstellar-trade line.
He'd never imagined she was the hidden watcher his eldest sister had placed. Jiang Hong, it seemed she was called.
"Second Young Master, Third Miss." Jiang Hong gave a slight bow.
"Let's keep it brief — tell us, just what is the situation in the Owl Dragon Star System?" Zhao Chen asked outright.
Jiang Hong gave a start; she'd never expected the once-timid Second Young Master to speak in so hard a tone. But this was, in any case, what she'd come to say.
"Two days ago I got word. Several Owl Dragon nobles have colluded with interstellar pirates. They mean to use the pirates' hands — to send a fleet, while you and the Third Miss are returning to the Owl Dragon Star System on holiday, to ambush the two of you. And with that done, they can petition the empire to have a new lord raised up. I haven't been able to reach the Eldest Miss on my end, so for now, Second Young Master and Third Miss — whatever you do, do not come back!" Jiang Hong said.
An interstellar pirate raid?
Zhao Chen gave a cold snort. A ploy this old was truly a hackneyed one — and yet, it had to be admitted, it was extremely effective.
"Do you know how many ships the interstellar pirates they've contacted have readied to ambush us? And the list of nobles taking part in this scheme, along with the number of ships they command?" Zhao Chen asked.
Jiang Hong didn't understand why Zhao Chen asked such things, but as it happened she knew. "That band of interstellar pirates isn't really much of a force, in fact — they're drifters who've wandered this way. Only 30 ships, of which five are T2 ships and the rest all T1. As for the Owl Dragon nobles plotting this scheme, I already have a list; if the Second Young Master needs it, I can transmit it to you. The fleets these nobles control number only a dozen-odd ships, most of them T1; a few of those families have a T2 ship or two."
"Transmit the list to me at once. You keep your identity hidden and stand by. If there's any further intelligence, notify me immediately," Zhao Chen instructed.
"Yes." Jiang Hong gave a start — how had she come to be taking orders from the Second Young Master? She hurriedly asked, "And the Second Young Master's plan?"
"We won't be going back for the time being. If I have other plans, I'll contact you," Zhao Chen said.
"Then I'll find a way to reach the Eldest Miss; so long as she steps in, this matter can surely be handled. It isn't wise for me to keep the line open long, so I'll stop here. Second Young Master, Third Miss — take care for your safety," His piece said, Jiang Hong cut the comm.
And just then, a list appeared before Zhao Chen and Zhao Wan'er.
The Cui family, the Bao family…
There were a dozen-odd family powers on it, great and small, but most of them were nondescript little houses of no account.
Only those first two carried, for the Owl Dragon Star System, a weight out of the ordinary.
"I never imagined the Cui family and the Bao family would collude with interstellar pirates to try and murder us!" Zhao Wan'er said, seething.
"The Cui family and the Bao family have long since grown more powerful in the Owl Dragon Star System than our Zhao family. Our lordship's seat is nothing but an empty name. Their ambitions have already outgrown mere satisfaction; they have no wish to remain merely nobles within a single star system."
Zhao Chen looked over the list, and said with some surprise, "But what I hadn't expected is that her family, of all things, isn't on it."
"So what do we do now? Oh — and you still haven't explained clearly just what we've come to this Arctic Fox Starport for!" The questions in Zhao Wan'er's heart were, by now, all but a volcano about to erupt.
"Didn't I say so before? Build a ship," said Zhao Chen.
"Build a ship? Build what ship?" Zhao Wan'er was baffled.
Just then Blizzard Zero sailed into that great ship workshop.
This ship workshop was dozens of times larger than the one at the Northstar Starship Military Academy! Even with Blizzard Zero berthed inside it, there was room and to spare.
"We've come to Arctic Fox Starport because it has a few of the large ship workshops so scarce in the Starlight Empire's northern region — and its supporting facilities are complete in every particular, with every sort of raw material available on call at any moment; it enormously increases the speed of building a ship."
Zhao Chen looked out at the ship workshop before him, an excited feeling stirring in his heart.
"Build a ship… build a ship — just what is it you mean to build?" Zhao Wan'er couldn't help pressing.
Zhao Chen raised a hand, and a holographic image of a starship appeared before Zhao Wan'er — and in that instant, it seized her gaze.
It was a carrier starship, its lines magnificently wrought.
"This one."