Three days later.
Two matters of weight came at once.
The first was the formal roll-out and delivery of the new batch of T4 interstellar warships.
On this day Zhao Chen came to the site himself, and from an observation room looked out at the T4 interstellar warships of every class and model ranged in the distance.
Other Owl Dragon commanders were on hand as well.
"Whoa~~" Xue Xiaoxiao had her face all but pressed flat to the observation room's glass dome, both eyes fixed on one warship whose hull was covered over with heavy cannons.
"So that's the T4 Gorgon-class Heavy Interstellar Heavy-Artillery Ship they talk of?" Xue Xiaoxiao said in excitement. "So many heavy cannons! Won't the sight of those firing be something magnificent!"
"400 Gorgon-type particle-energy heavy-cannons, to be exact," Zhao Chen put in from beside her; and then, looking at the thoroughly excited Xue Xiaoxiao, "Well? Taken with it? Care to think about changing ships?"
That choice brought Xue Xiaoxiao up short at once.
The T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship… the T4 Gorgon-class Heavy Interstellar Heavy-Artillery Ship…
If it came to the weight of a single shot, it was the interstellar battleship, beyond all question!
But so very many heavy cannons… the sight of that salvo…
Mind you, all this while she had envied the picture of the wolf-girl Baixue conducting her interstellar missile ships in salvo. It was too splendid for words!
Only a pity — she favored interstellar battleships still, favored the martial swagger of great guns.
Xue Xiaoxiao bit lightly at her red lip, and in the end forced the thought down. "No. I'm a very constant sort! I'll not be leaving my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! No one is parting me from it!"
So saying, Xue Xiaoxiao even set both hands at her hips, the very picture of one swearing an oath — while her eyeballs went roving 'hungrily' over the T4 Gorgon all the same, and she swallowed once or twice as they went.
"Gorgon…" Medusa said the name over, and a strange light glinted in her eyes.
That name — she half suspected the Commander-in-Chief had built this warship for their snake-folk.
And she liked the way this warship was conceived very much besides: excellent output of long-range firepower, and its consumption not so very great either.
Had the snake-folk kingdom of her forebears possessed warships of this kind, how should their homeland ever have been trampled, how should they have been driven from their native soil to sink at last into the Reef Star Region.
The others took no notice of what was in Medusa's mind, for every one of them was drawn to those excellent warships, and could not shift their eyes from them.
"That Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile-Battlecruiser is simply too perfect. Being a battlecruiser, its speed isn't cut down by much, and it carries a considerable number of interstellar missiles into the bargain. With a configuration like that, one ship's firepower can stand against a regular small fleet of the Empire's!" Zhao Ruyue said, and there was envy in it.
Zhao Ruyue had heard from Zhao Chen that the Owl Dragon Legion had new ships coming into service and had asked whether she might come and see them; with Zhao Chen's consent, she had arrived as agreed.
She wanted warships of this kind very much herself — but as things were she was now commander of the Imperial Princess Fleet-Group. Envy was likely all that fell to her share.
"Big Sis, you like this Tyrant?" Zhao Chen asked.
Zhao Ruyue was taken aback, and then Zhao Chen followed straight on with, "Then take one away with you when the time comes, as your flagship and Qin Xiaolei's. Set the Vermilion Bird against this Tyrant and there's still a wide gap between them. No refusing."
Without thinking, Zhao Ruyue made to stand on ceremony a little — but she caught the look in her younger brother's eyes as he watched her.
She understood well enough in her heart: this was her brother thinking of her safety.
"Very well. Then I'll have someone arranged to come and take her over," Zhao Ruyue said.
Just then a voice sounded at Zhao Chen's ear.
"Lord Commander-in-Chief, how is it I get the feeling that this T4 Skeleton-King-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyer of yours is a good deal better than that T4 Skeleton-Legion-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer you gave our Chu family?" Chu Xuan stood with her arms folded, looking at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen had had no thought of keeping these new ships of his from Chu Xuan.
He had kept things from her before because his own strength had not been enough.
Now Zhao Chen had strength enough, and did not fear others casting an eye over this little estate of his. If you have the ability — come and fight for it.
"Well? Taken with it?" Zhao Chen smiled, and reckoned Chu Xuan out an account. "This Skeleton-King is indeed the upgraded version of that Skeleton-Legion you were given. But the build cost is 10 times what yours runs to! And it makes very high demands on certain building techniques besides. Even were it handed to you, your Chu River Star Region's starship industry would find mass production a hard thing to manage in any short span. Do you still want it?"
1 billion star coins the ship!
Chu Xuan drew a cold breath. But then, thinking of the stately bearing of that T4 Skeleton-King-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyer — there was nothing of the interstellar destroyer about it; call it a medium battlecruiser and there'd likely be those who believed you.
"Take it as unsaid," Chu Xuan muttered. She had her own eye on these T4 interstellar warships.
It occurred to her too that if she asked Zhao Chen for the technology of these ships, he would very likely be willing to work with her on it.
But the trouble was — the Chu River Star Region could not take it in over any short span, and could not build them either!
It was for all the world the feeling of several great beauties set out before you, and you able to do nothing at all about any of it.
"You might mention it to your grandfather when you're back. I can sell him a few, and at a very fair price," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
He wasn't about to open a lion's mouth over it — but on T4-grade warships of this kind, the profit on a single ship was quite a rosy thing all the same.
Enough to match the selling of several hundred T3-grade interstellar warships.
Chu Xuan made a note of the words. Large-batch procurement their Chu family had not the means for, but a small number to equip an elite fleet — that much could be done.
And just at this moment, an immensely huge shape came slowly steaming out. Slow though its speed was by comparison, that huge shape left the other T4 interstellar warships around it much diminished in its presence.
Even the 13 kilometers of the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon's hull was, set beside it, for all the world like an infant standing next to a grown adult.
Every eye there gathered upon this giant ship!
The T4 Fallen-Angel-class Super-Heavy Carrier Starship.
Annie was over there running through this carrier starship's particulars in brief, and there was a note of showing off in her voice as she spoke — for this, after all, was one that she, Chief Engineer Annie, had overseen the making of.
Though eight parts in 10 of the work had been Nana's doing.
Just as everyone was marveling at this giant ship, Zhao Chen felt a gaze turned on him, and an eager one.
Zhao Chen looked over.
It was Su Lan.
Su Lan's expression just now could not settle; she bit lightly at her red lip, looked at that ship of surpassing hugeness in the distance, then looked at Zhao Chen. Several times her mouth opened, and not once did she speak.
It was Xue Xiaoxiao beside her who noticed, and who called straight across to Zhao Chen: "Commander-in-Chief, how do you mean to assign that carrier starship? I see only one came out of this build batch — it'd be a fine thing if a few more were made."
Annie, off to one side, rolled her eyes and said, "Little Miss Xiao, you say that lightly enough. One! Do you know how many labor-hours this one cost us? Do you know how much raw material it ate through? The raw materials for building a single carrier starship like this could have built 100 T4 Paladin-class Heavy Interstellar Missile-Escorts!"
Zhao Chen had noted Su Lan's gaze, and knew well enough what this senior of his was thinking.
"This T4 Fallen-Angel-class Super-Heavy Carrier Starship, Ship No.1, is to be assigned to the Owl Dragon Third Legion in due course as Su Lan's flagship. What Su Lan is best at is the carrier-starship system of battle; she knows how to bring its use to the fullest."
As Zhao Chen spoke, Su Lan's eyes were fairly shining; and were there not so many people about just now, she'd likely not have held herself back from darting up to him for an embrace.
Su Lan stood straight, laid a hand at her breast, and said in earnest, "Let the Commander-in-Chief rest easy — I will see to it that this Fallen-Angel shows its full worth!"
Chu Xuan asked from the side, out of curiosity, "This Fallen-Angel is so very large — how many interstellar fighters can it carry inside?"
The others turned curious looks that way as well.
How many interstellar fighters it could carry was, beyond doubt, the very token of a carrier starship's strength.