"Might I ask — can toppings be added to these noodles?" Annie stood on the tips of her toes, asking the cook behind the food-counter.
"They can," the cook answered with a smile, her gaze sweeping now and again toward the Lord Commander opposite, her cheeks faintly reddened.
Thereupon Annie began to order. "Add me a portion of beef, add a lobster, add two eggs, add two crab claws, add three abalone, add…"
Zhao Chen stood there and listened to a full half-minute of Annie's reciting-off of dish-names. The cook was dumbstruck for a good long while.
"That'll be all for now." Annie, thoroughly content, finished ordering this bowl of "noodles" she was to eat.
Well, then — before, Zhao Chen had thought wrong; this was the real Annie.
Zhao Chen, covering his face, walked with Annie over to a rather private booth off to the side.
"Speak, Lord Commander. You wouldn't climb the three-treasure hall with no matter at hand — coming to find me in person like this. There's another construction task, isn't there?" Annie was, by now, already familiar with this man's routine. When there was nothing up, he couldn't call her to mind. The moment there was something, then he'd come find her. And every single time he worked her half to death.
Zhao Chen raised a hand and sent a set of starship-technical-blueprint data to Annie. "This is the latest interstellar warship blueprint. I hope you can push back some of the other original construction plans, and get this interstellar warship into service as early as can be."
"What interstellar warship's so important, then?" Annie looked over this starship-technical blueprint — and when she saw that figure, she was dumbfounded. She rubbed at her own eyes, confirming that it was, indeed, a "4," and not a "3." Its full name: "T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser."
"A T4-grade interstellar cruiser!" Annie stared dumbstruck, mouth agape; the very next moment she made to stand up. Only a pity that… her two feet couldn't reach the floor, so she could only take back the notion. But her two legs, originally swinging to and fro, at this point went ramrod-straight. It was quite enough to show the shock within Annie's heart.
"Didn't you take charge of building two T4-grade interstellar warships before — what's there to be so surprised about?" Zhao Chen, for his part, said very calmly.
"Lord Commander, those two are auxiliary-type interstellar warships. This one is a combat-type interstellar warship; the significance is utterly different!" Annie was still amid her astonishment.
"Just tell me — can you build it or not." Zhao Chen tapped his fingers against the tabletop.
Annie pouted, and said, all aggrieved, "Can I say… no?"
"You can't." Zhao Chen knew Annie's capabilities. She was of a rare, uncommon gift; after joining the Owl Dragon Legion, she'd not only taken charge of the relevant main construction tasks, but had, snatching the spare time, gone besides to the Goddess Academy to further-study starship engineering. Her progress was swift as flight; she was fully capable of building a T4-grade combat-type interstellar warship.
Annie gave a shrug, wearing a whole air of resigning herself to her fate. "So — have I any room to negotiate? Fine, then; my upcoming holiday is going up in smoke once again."
After that, Annie, together with Zhao Chen, deliberated and studied out the construction task for this T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser. First, the one to undertake its construction was, of course, the T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship. As for the 1.5 billion star coins of materials and resources the construction required — though at present there might be something of a shortfall, Zhao Chen could guarantee he'd absolutely ensure the raw-material supply for the construction plan. And after that came the build time. Were it undertaken by a single T3 Furnace, it would need at the least 20 months' time. And so, Zhao Chen deliberated with Annie, and prepared to pull out five T3 Furnaces to take charge of building this T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser. It was estimated the construction plan could be completed within three to four months.
"Lord Commander, here I'd best say a thing in advance. Pulling away five T3 Furnaces' production capacity in one go — our original construction plans may well end up delayed. And when the time comes, you're not allowed to say I've been slacking off, and dock my wages!" Annie said gravely.
Zhao Chen rolled his eyes. "Do I look like that sort of person?"
Annie nodded in all earnestness.
Before Zhao Chen could refute her, the food the two of them had ordered was brought up.
Annie at once forgot the vexations of her work to come, gazing at the meal-bowl before her — bigger than her own face, taller than her own head. Those dishes Annie had added earlier had, one and all, been packed inside it.
"Commander, it's truly a pity you didn't order our starship dining hall's noodles. Our starship dining hall's noodles are quite delicious!" Annie said as she ate a lobster leg.
Zhao Chen grumbled inwardly: You're sure this is eating noodles? And not fishing about among those dishes for the noodles? He'd looked a good long while, and still hadn't so much as caught sight of a single strand of noodle.
Having finished negotiating with Annie about the T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser's construction plan, Zhao Chen, too, had to begin making his preparations to set out for the imperial capital system.
……
Governor Chu of Chu River's legion fleet · flagship.
"Chu Xuan, from today on, I hand over all command authority of our interstellar fleet to you." Governor Chu of Chu River looked at his granddaughter before him, her whole face one of care and worry.
"Grandfather! You can't go. This summoning of you back to the capital this time — one look and it's plainly no good intention. Though there's now no evidence to prove that this matter of the First Prince's murder has anything to do with us — we did, after all, go out there together with them; those old rivals of yours will absolutely not let slip this chance to throw stones down upon a man in a well!" Chu Xuan urged anxiously. Not long ago, the capital side had demanded to summon Governor Chu of Chu River, the reason being to learn the circumstances of the First Prince's murder. A seemingly simple reason — but behind it, undercurrents surged and churned! There was even a rumor that the capital's royal-house side was preparing to make its move against Governor Chu of Chu River.
"Chu Xuan, set your heart at ease. Grandfather won't come to harm. So long as our Chu River legion fleet doesn't fall into chaos, then Grandfather, over in the capital, will be safer even than here. That pack of fellows won't dare do anything to Grandfather. But if Grandfather doesn't go back, then that's defying and disobeying a command. It would be as good as handing all the various lords a legitimate excuse! The situation is chaotic now; the Starlight Empire cannot withstand the churning, and the Chu River Star Region cannot withstand the churning either." Governor Chu of Chu River stroked his granddaughter's hair and comforted her.
"But… but…" Chu Xuan was anxious beyond measure within, but now she truly didn't know what to do.
Governor Chu of Chu River rose from the captain's chair; he looked at the generals of every rank standing in two files before him, and at the several fleet commanders who couldn't be present in person but appeared in video windows.
"Governor, you mustn't go!"
"Governor, to go to the capital this time bodes far more ill than good — when they mean to pin a crime on you, why should they ever fear lacking a pretext![1]"
"Governor, in our hearts there's never been any such thing as the Starlight Empire; we know only that we were cultivated by you, and that we are, this whole life, men of the Chu River legion. Soldiers of the Chu family, one and all!"
Looking at these lads he'd raised up and led out —
Governor Chu of Chu River suddenly gave an angry roar. "Take a look at the state of you — with just this bit of gumption! It's no more than a single trip back to the Capital Star. Back in my day, I dared charge into a Mechanical Race interstellar fleet of 1,000 armies and 10,000 horses; what's this, next to that! You just heed me well: from this moment on, my granddaughter Chu Xuan is the commander-in-chief of the Chu River legion! You must all obey her command; and whoever dares not comply — when I get back, I'll behead him!"