The North Wind Governor at once grasped Zhao Chen's meaning; he looked at Zhao Chen with narrowed eyes.
"You mean to make yourself into that bait? What you're doing is very much a gamble."
"What I do has always been a gamble," Zhao Chen said.
"Very well, then. I know now what I ought to do. But you're to remember: if there's anything you need this old man's help with, you have only to say. I'll not deny it — I'm no match for that old rascal Chu Changhe; but this old man is, when all's said, the North Wind Governor." As the North Wind Governor spoke, he carried an authority that needed no anger to command it!
For, after all, he too was a man who'd held the office of governor; how could he possibly be without some real capability?
"Set your heart at ease — when the time comes that I need you, I'll not stand on ceremony with you," Zhao Chen said.
The conversation ended here.
Zhao Chen looked at the closed comm window, and looked toward the merry voices and laughter in the distance — so that, come this same day next year, everyone might still gather together free of care and worry, there were some things, gambles though they were, that had to be done.
"Commander…" Seeing Zhao Chen's comm at an end, Lilith drew near and looked at him with concern.
Zhao Ruyue, off to the side, was somewhat worried as well.
For the Prince Faction to make its move at a time like this was, after all, no small pressure.
Were the Prince Faction truly to dispatch a fleet to search the Owl Dragon Star System, then the matter of the T3 Radiant-Moon-class star gate could surely never be kept hidden.
And were they, by then, to further uncover the true relationship with the Princess, then the Owl Dragon Star System and the Zhao family would be in genuine danger.
"Rest easy. For coming to this step, I've long since made my arrangements. The Prince Faction wants to cast a stone to feel out the road; they take me for that stone, to be shoved about at their pleasure." Zhao Chen picked up the wine cup beside him with a cold smile, and looked at the red liquid churning within it.
"But that depends, too, on whether they have the strength to shift it — let them mind they don't go injuring their own foot."
"Everything is to be carried out per the original plan; should there be any change, I'll notify you the first thing." Zhao Chen looked toward his big sister.
"You and the little Princess needn't worry either. This place is surnamed 'Owl Dragon'; no matter who comes here, here it's your brother who calls the shots!"
"Do be careful, whatever you do." Zhao Ruyue cautioned him with this one line, and said no more.
This younger brother of hers was already no longer the man he'd been; he had his own plans and his own mind, and all she need do was assist from the side.
"It's nearly New Year — Sister Lilith, hurry over here!" Several succubi in the distance waved their hands this way.
Zhao Chen, too, bade Lilith and Zhao Ruyue and the others go and play, and not mind him.
Meanwhile, overhead there appeared an enormous countdown of light and shadow.
The figures counted down from 60.
And at last, with the appearance of light-effect fireworks, the arrival of the year 3033 was proclaimed.
A scene such as this appeared, too, aboard the other Owl Dragon interstellar warships; and in the surrounding star-firmament there appeared, besides, patch upon patch of light-effect fireworks.
Through the relayed holographic imagery, one could see that these were fired off by the T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships.
"Rather pretty, that — only, it's not so satisfying as real interstellar missiles." At the party, the wolf-girl Baixue watched the relayed cosmic light-firework display, somewhat unsatisfied.
With the arrival of the year 3033, Zhao Chen, for his part, had his own matters to see to.
The new annual mission and quarterly mission refreshed at the same moment.
First was the comparatively simple quarterly mission.
Quarterly Mission
Content: Exchange for one T4-grade interstellar warship technical blueprint.
This mission was simple; Zhao Chen could complete it at any time.
Reading on down, then, to the main event.
Annual Mission:
Requirement One: The Owl Dragon Legion's directly subordinate industries' monthly income reaches "20 billion / 30 billion / 40 billion / 50 billion / 60 billion" star coins. (Incomplete)
Requirement Two: Possess "3,000 / 6,000 / 9,000 / 12,000 / 15,000" interstellar warships of the T2 grade or above. (Incomplete)
Note: the interstellar warships counted toward the completion of this mission may not be hawked off within half a year after the mission's completion; otherwise the system will mete out punishment — the consequences on your own head!
Requirement Three: Possess "1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5" T4 combat-type interstellar warships. Progress: 1. (Incomplete)
Requirement Four: The count of active-service T4 interstellar warships reaches "10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50." (Incomplete)
Requirement Five: The star regions under the host's direct and indirect control reach "1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5." Progress: 1. (Incomplete)
Note: the standards for dividing star regions, and the standards for judging mission completion, are determined by the system.
Mission reward: for the above five mission requirements, the completion of each runs from one star to five stars, for a maximum of twenty-five stars. A completion reaching twenty stars counts as the annual mission's completion being a "pass," and gains the base reward; a completion reaching twenty-three stars counts as "good," and, on top of the former, gains one further extra reward; a completion reaching twenty-five stars counts as "excellent," and, on top of the former, gains one further mystery reward.
Zhao Chen looked over this stretch of the annual mission's description; there was no denying that this year-end mission spanned a great range, taking in every facet — the economy, military strength, interstellar territory, technological depth, and the rest.
And each sub-category of the mission had, besides, its division of completion, from one star to five.
To complete one star was basically no difficulty at all.
The hardest was the five stars.
Besides, the system had grown cleverer this time — especially upon Requirement Two, where it clearly noted that the interstellar warships that met the mission's targets could not be taken and sold off within half a year.
That meant it had stopped up any chance of Zhao Chen doing as he'd done last year: over here he'd just finished building 3,000 T2 interstellar warships, completed the annual mission, and claimed the reward — and turning right around, had sold them to the little Princess.
Slipping through a bug in the system mission.
"Well then. This time I'll just have to build honest and true." Zhao Chen gave a shrug.
The difficulty of this annual mission was no small thing; to complete 20 stars would take throwing in his every strength, and as for 25 stars, that was quite hard indeed.
Meanwhile, over here, while everyone was still enjoying the pleasures of the shared feast, Lilith received yet another comm.
She tapped it open to look, and the female crew member on the far side reported, tense, "Secretary — just now we intercepted a T2 interstellar warship that came charging into our Owl Dragon Star System. A woman aboard the ship says, says… that she is the Lord Commander's… wife. Says the Commander led her on and then cast her off — abandoned his wife and child… She wants to see the Commander."
Hearing these words, Lilith's face changed abruptly; she at once closed the comm window.
But perhaps on account of having drunk a bit of wine, when she was checking over the content of this comm, she failed to take notice of the companions at her side.
Several succubi — and Annie, who happened to be right beside her — all heard these words.
The succubi looked, a most vivid light in their eyes, toward the Lord Commander lounging at his ease upon the recliner in the distance.
Annie, for her part, at once cried out in her excitement, pointing at Zhao Chen.
"Aha! Who'd have thought you were, of all things, a great scumbag — that you'd actually have a woman on the outside, and cast off your wife and child, no less!"
These words very nearly detonated the whole of the banquet grounds in one stroke.
Zhao Chen, who had originally been off at the banquet grounds' edge, became, all at once, the target of every arrow; the gazes of the whole crowd of women couldn't have been more vivid if they'd tried.
Hearing these words, Zhao Chen fell straight off the recliner and onto the ground with a plop, his head in a fog.
"What in the world's going on?"