Zhao Chen finished setting out a whole series of tasks, a third of them having near enough to do with Annie.
Being away from the Owl Dragon System better than a month, he owed Chief Engineer Annie a little of a leader's care, after all.
The work laid out, Lilith withdrew.
And Zhao Chen opened his own System interface.
Host: Zhao Chen
Occupation: Top-tier Starship Engineer
Special attributes: Fleet Luck-Value bonus; Eye of Insight
System points: 3,900,000 (monthly fleet earnings: 1,900,000 points)
Task points: 650
Interstellar warships: 30,131
Missions: Annual Mission (in progress); Quarterly Mission (in progress); T5 mall permission task (in progress · 20%)
Warehouse: T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought technical blueprint; Hades Matrix module; T5 Creator interstellar warship technical blueprint; T4 Shadow-Demon-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber technical blueprint
System points had by now come to be, for Zhao Chen, so much string of digits — the more so as the T4-series combat-type hull classes had, in the main, all been redeemed already.
And the auxiliary hull types that remained were of no great consequence.
So that he might redeem goods directly once the T5 mall opened, Zhao Chen meant to lay up some wealth first.
As to the state of the three tasks now in progress.
Annual Mission
Task one: the death of Qin Ming (complete)
Task two: control at least four star regions of the Starlight Empire. (Progress: Azure Star Region, Chu River Star Region, North Wind Star Region, Grey Moon Star Region 84%)
The annual mission was near enough on the point of completion; at the Owl Dragon Third Legion's present rate, the Grey Moon Star Region could be wholly controlled within half a month.
Quarterly Mission (April)
Task: raise Saint Cana's trust value toward the host.
A trust value of 60 counts as a pass, and the base reward may be claimed.
A trust value of 70 may claim one bronze treasure chest.
A trust value of 80 may claim one silver treasure chest.
A trust value of 90 may claim one gold treasure chest.
Saint Cana's trust value: 61
On this quarterly task, Saint Cana's present trust in him met the passing line and nothing more.
Zhao Chen had thought before of keeping Saint Cana at his side to grind the trust up; but trust was not a thing one could grind simply by keeping her about.
Weighing gain against loss, Zhao Chen had chosen to let Saint Cana go after all.
At least there was a base reward to fall back on, so he came off no worse.
The more so as throwing her back into the Holy Radiance Empire held the greater latent value.
Nor did he know whether the woman had reached the Holy Radiance Empire yet; and once she did, there would presumably be a whole mess of business waiting for her to deal with.
Enough to keep her busy.
T5 System mall task, activation completion: 20%.
New task ~updating~……
Zhao Chen knit his brows. This was the task Zhao Chen cared about most at present, and to this hour it had still not refreshed into view.
The System could hardly be idling on the job, could it?
But this System of his was not a thing Zhao Chen could control, and looking at it he could only chafe.
He closed the System interface.
Zhao Chen stretched himself.
And thought of a certain matter he had been ready to see to earlier — though at the time circumstances had not allowed it, and so it had been put off.
And now it could be carried out very well; before the last great battle in the Starlight Empire, the Owl Dragon Legion's fighting ability could be raised a step further!
Zhao Chen opened the comm interface and raised Lilith directly.
"Lilith, make the arrangements: I want a conference of the Owl Dragon Legion's senior officers, the Owl Dragon Third Legion's side included. Whoever can be spared is to attend this conference."
"Very well. I'll see to it at once," Lilith said.
Half an hour later.
Zhao Chen came into a spacious conference room, with Lilith and Chu Xuan standing behind him on either side.
"Commander-in-Chief, these are the data you set us to analyze just now, and this is the result obtained." Lilith bent down as she said it, so that a mere slide of Zhao Chen's eyes would have shown him no end of fine scenery.
But what Zhao Chen cared about just now was his own warships.
He looked over the figures he wanted. Very good — every one of them within the bounds he had required.
Which being so, his plan could be carried out.
As the conference hour drew near, holographic figures appeared upon the chairs about the round table, one after another.
The Owl Dragon Second Legion's commander Chitong; deputy commanders Zhao Wan'er and Bessie.
The Owl Dragon Third Legion's commander Shen Bing; deputy commanders Baixue, Su Lan, Xue Xiaoxiao and Medusa.
"Shen Bing, this doesn't affect the fighting of your campaign over there?" Zhao Chen looked at her.
The look in Shen Bing's eyes had plainly changed a great deal from before — as though a fledgling eagle had become an eagle soaring between heaven and earth.
"It does not. We are in our Third Legion's period of standing down just now," Shen Bing answered.
Zhao Chen looked round about. Everyone was present.
"Since all are present, let us begin. The situation being tense at present, and the gentlefolk having their own affairs, we'll keep this conference simple; I shall give my orders directly, and you need only hear them and take them in. Though if anyone has any objection, it may be raised on the spot."
As Zhao Chen spoke, every eye turned upon him; for the Commander-in-Chief to call these senior commanders together at such an hour must mean some matter of weight.
"By my reckoning of what our Owl Dragon Legion's building will require in future, and of what the battlefield requires— I have decided to establish two special fleets: the Owl Dragon Interstellar Missile-Ship Special Fleet, and the Owl Dragon Interstellar Stealth-Bomber Special Fleet. The former is to be built with interstellar missile ships for its main body, a small number of interstellar escorts carrying the work of protection, and interstellar supply ships the work of logistics. Commander of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Missile-Ship Special Fleet: Baixue. From this day Baixue resigns the post of deputy commander of the Owl Dragon Third Legion, and is to return at once to the Owl Dragon System to take up command of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Missile-Ship Special Fleet, and to see to the relevant training and preparation. And let me add: the interstellar missile ships required are separately arranged, and will not be deducted from the T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships now held by any legion fleet."
At which words of Zhao Chen's, the company were somewhat astonished.
And of them all, none was more delighted than the wolf-girl Baixue.
The wolf-girl Baixue rose straight to her feet, both ears standing up, her tail swinging without pause behind her. "Commander-in-Chief… then this special fleet… how many interstellar missile ships is it to have?"
Zhao Chen naturally knew what was in Baixue's mind, and smiled slightly. "Provisionally established at 300 T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships for now."
300!
Astonishment showed in every face present.
Mind you, of the Owl Dragon's three legion fleets, each had only 50 T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships in service.
And this one special fleet alone was to have a full 300!
Set that upon a battlefield and let it fire one salvo — what would the state of things be?
Baixue's tail swung faster than ever, so that Zhao Chen grew a little concerned it might swing clean off.