At last.
Upon the starship radar there appeared the energy signals of a batch of starships. For over 100 energy signals of T2-grade-and-above interstellar warships to suddenly appear here in the Lion King System — apart from Zhao Chen, there was no other possibility.
At this point, a video-comm request, too, popped up. The party was precisely Zhao Chen. Medusa, unable to wait a moment longer, accepted.
"Your Majesty the Queen." Zhao Chen looked with a smile at the Medusa opposite, who'd plainly been waiting a good long while.
"As agreed, I've brought this side the required 'payment'; a portion of it, we'll transfer through the Galactic Alliance account to the account you've designated." As Medusa spoke, an image window appeared behind her. Within it was displayed a fleet of interstellar transport ships docked amid her fleet — and what was loaded aboard those interstellar transport ships was, of course, the raw materials serving as payment.
"Very good. In accordance with Your Majesty the Queen's needs, 100 T2 Black Rhinos, 10 T2 Snow Mastiffs, and three T3 Blizzards have been made ready for you. Your people may take over these interstellar warships at any time," Zhao Chen said.
By this point, the fleet Zhao Chen led had already arrived near the star gate; through the deep-space telescopes, each side could gaze out and behold the other's interstellar warships. Medusa could, too, see the interstellar warships Zhao Chen's side was preparing to deliver — with some slight, fine differences upon their hulls from the prototype.
"There are some alterations to the hull's outward form, but Your Majesty the Queen may rest assured — there'll be no effect whatsoever upon their combat power. You may conduct a trial voyage right now. And, moreover, we can provide follow-on related guarantee-and-support services besides," Zhao Chen explained. Of course, these follow-on support services would require the payment of a fee.
"I thank you so very much — that you could provide us so great a number of interstellar warships within so short a span of time," Medusa said gratefully. The combat power of these interstellar warships, Medusa had before beheld with her own eyes; though few in number, each and every one of them was an existence able to take on many single-handed.
Next came the process of the two sides' handover. The whole process needed several hours' time. During this stretch, Zhao Chen and Medusa fell to idle chatting as well.
"By the look of it, the situation in the Reef Star Region just now isn't too good; I hear some small-scale fighting has already broken out." Zhao Chen looked at Medusa. This news was, naturally, the news that the T3 Silver-Rat-class Light Interstellar Stealth Reconnaissance Ships he'd dispatched had spied out and brought back.
"Yes. Of the Reef Star Region's 148 star systems — though the greater part of them are systems poor and lacking in resources, there are, too, not a few among them that can still furnish a small measure of resource output. And now, these few resource systems have, of course, become the target of every arrow. Once war breaks out, these resource systems will surely become the ground that must be fought over in the very first round of the fighting!" Medusa said in a low, grave voice.
Zhao Chen understood the principle within. Short-term fighting would be one thing; but were it long-term fighting, then the war reserves of each force would surely be exhausted before long — the energy blocks that furnished the interstellar warships' fuel above all. Purchasing from outside could, though, fill a portion of the shortfall — but distant water is hard put to quench a nearby thirst; and, moreover, once such a supply channel were severed, it would, beyond doubt, lead to a situation of one's interstellar fleet being held in the grip of another. At such a time, whoever grasped the resource systems — able to mine resources without cease, refine them into energy blocks, and supply the interstellar fleet without cease — that one held the greater advantage.
"Your Majesty the Queen, could you talk with me about the present situation in the Reef Star Region?" Zhao Chen asked, putting on a show of curiosity. On the greater part of the Reef Star Region's situation, his side did, in fact, hold a set of intelligence — but he wanted to learn a bit more from Medusa here, to see whether there was anything wanting in it.
Hearing that Zhao Chen took an interest in this, Medusa was, naturally, glad to give an introduction — for, after all, she wanted to draw Zhao Chen over to her own battle-line.
"The Reef Star Region has, in all, 148 star systems, and eight large interstellar forces in all. Among these there's the sort where several dozen small forces are united together in one bloc, and there's the sort like us Snake-folk, and there are, too, neutral forces that occupy merely a few systems but possess interstellar-trade channels. These eight hegemons of the Reef Star Region grasp two-thirds of the Reef Star Region's systems. On account of our joint action earlier, we annexed several systems — which has led our Snake-folk-controlled system count, at present, to be, on the contrary, the largest among the single forces. But of the eight interstellar forces: the Starlight Empire and the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth each hold three seats, while our Independent faction has only us Snake-folk and the Bramble Group."
"Isn't the Bramble Group a neutral force?" Zhao Chen said.
Medusa laughed and shook her head. "When it truly comes to the time of deciding the fate of the Reef Star Region — so long as you stand there upon it, there is not a single soul who can preserve an eternal neutrality." There was no knowing whether these words of Medusa's carried some veiled meaning within them — as though, for all the world, she were putting Zhao Chen's Lion King System on notice.
"At present, it's the side that supports surrendering to the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth whose strength is the greater; they control 63 systems, among which are three resource systems, and they boast of possessing 100,000 interstellar warships. Of course, of these the number of T3 interstellar warships is only around 100 — and that, still, is in a situation of the forces behind them lending support. Over 90% are T1-grade interstellar warships."
This, just this, was the Reef Star Region's situation: a very grand show of martial array — but, in truth, the overwhelming majority of it was a scattering of odds-and-ends fleets patched together. The fleets' quality simply couldn't measure up to a second-line imperial army of the Starlight Empire's sort.
"The faction that supports the Starlight Empire occupies 56 systems, likewise possesses three resource systems, and has close to 80,000 interstellar warships — of T3 interstellar warships, an estimated 70-odd."
Medusa paused a moment, and said with some helplessness, "And on our Independent faction's side, our strength is the weakest. We control 29 systems, among which is one resource system; we possess 20,000 interstellar warships, and of T3 interstellar warships, a bare 30-odd."
"The gap between you isn't just a bit and a half, is it," Zhao Chen said.
Medusa said hastily, "But it's not that there's no chance whatsoever! The situation of the Reef Star Region — you actually witnessed it, too, in those several campaigns of yours earlier. The combat caliber of most interstellar warships isn't high; the ones that truly possess combat power are only those T2 and T3 interstellar warships — and that is the key that decides the direction of a campaign. And so it's precisely why I've procured T3 and T2 interstellar warships in bulk: unable to hold the advantage in quantity, then win through in quality! If Your Excellency Zhao Chen is willing to join us, then I believe — I believe we have hope!"
Zhao Chen looked at that somewhat ardent, imploring gaze of Medusa's.
In the end, all the same, he gave no reply to her plea — indicating only that he still needed to think it over a while; but he promised that he would not join the supporters of either the Starlight Empire's or Warhammer's two sides.
Though she'd not come by Zhao Chen's exact answer, at the least, this time she'd come by the interstellar warships she needed.
"I believe that we shall have a day of fighting shoulder to shoulder!" Medusa looked at Zhao Chen with anticipation, and thereupon cut off the comm. Taking the delivered interstellar warships with her, she passed through the star gate and left the Lion King System.
Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair, and muttered, "Lilith — do you say I'm being a touch base and despicable? In my heart I've already thought of supporting this faction of Medusa's, and yet I'm still thinking of watching on from atop the ramparts, biding my time to move when the moment serves."
"Everything is for the sake of one's own interests; where's the despicable or not-despicable in that?" Lilith, though, said it with a bland, even expression. "And besides — if you wish to control this neutral faction, then the timing of choosing to join is very important; the principle of sending charcoal in the depths of the snow is one everyone understands well."
Zhao Chen fell silent, saying nothing.
In this matter of the depth of guile befitting one in a high station, he, Zhao Chen, still had a long stretch of road to walk yet.