Saint Kana's trust value: 81
Zhao Chen looked at the figure in astonishment. A month and more without seeing her, and this trust value had climbed clean up by leaps and bounds?
A trust value of 81, which won Zhao Chen a silver treasure chest besides the quarterly mission's basic reward.
Quarterly mission reward claimed — acquired 300 task points and one silver treasure chest.
Zhao Chen willed it: open the silver treasure chest.
Silver treasure chest opened — acquired the T4 Thunder-Warrior-class Medium Interstellar Combat Mecha technical blueprint.
A combat mecha?
Not a warship blueprint, granted.
But it happened that Zhao Chen was short of a suitable combat mecha just now.
Combat mecha were of no great use in interstellar warfare, but for the policing and patrol work of the domains of each star region they were exceedingly well suited.
The Starlight Empire had only just been restored to peace, and needed precisely such a defensive force to maintain the safety of its various star regions and systems.
But after Zhao Chen had read the detailed introduction to this technology, he was more delighted still!
This was no simple combat mecha.
T4 Thunder-Warrior-class Medium Interstellar Combat Mecha
Class: interstellar combat mecha / interstellar fighter
Tech grade: T4
Frame armor strength: 2,000–3,000 units
Shield energy value: 10,000 units
Mecha-mode cruising speed: 40 star-knots
Maximum speed: 60 star-knots
Fighter-mode cruising speed: 800 star-knots
Maximum speed: 1,600 star-knots
Frame height: 36 meters
Mass: 1,088 tons
Crew posts: 1
Frame weapons: six sixty-three-barrel Gatling-style medium beam machine cannons; 500 cells of small missiles; one particle heavy cannon; one Thunder lance (mecha mode only); one Thunder chain-sword (mecha mode only)
This was, of all things, a transformable interstellar combat mecha.
It had two combat modes: the main mode an interstellar combat mecha, and the secondary mode an interstellar fighter.
Which could greatly increase this combat mecha's fighting ability between the systems.
For as everyone knows, the weak spot of an interstellar combat mecha is its mobility; to move within a star system it must either be carried by an interstellar transport, or else be fitted separately with portable rocket-assisted thrusters.
The former costs time; the latter costs too much.
But now this T4 Thunder-Warrior could transform of itself.
Which meant that to go from one planet to another, it need only turn itself into its secondary mode, the interstellar fighter!
And its firepower output could stand comparison with that of some T3-grade warships — only, because the munitions the frame can carry are limited in number, it could not match a vast warship, nor keep up a long stretch of fire.
But it must be borne in mind that ordinary policing has no call whatever for vast quantities of combat resources.
This T4 Thunder-Warrior-class Medium Interstellar Combat Mecha was quite simply tailor-made for Zhao Chen's present governing of the Starlight Empire.
Fit out a star system with 30 of these T4 Thunder-Warriors, and that system's safety could be protected and its order maintained.
Low cost, high return!
A blueprint of the relevant plan had already surfaced in Zhao Chen's mind.
Thank you, Saint Kana!
Zhao Chen thanked Saint Kana from the heart. There was no telling how she fared now in the Holy Radiance Empire; when there was time he might make inquiries after this old friend.
Quarterly mission updated.
Quarterly Mission
Content: Choose to annihilate or bring to submission twenty great tribes of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth.
Complete ten — the basic reward may be claimed.
Complete thirteen — a bronze treasure chest may be claimed.
Complete sixteen — a silver treasure chest may be claimed.
Complete twenty — a gold treasure chest may be claimed.
A quarterly mission to do with the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth, of all things.
The System had seen the Starlight Empire near enough settled, it seemed, and was making ready to open a new map.
Which suited Zhao Chen's own thinking.
The Starlight Empire's present state wanted only slow digestion.
And over on the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth's side, because Zhao Chen had laid out his pieces early, the Warhammer Revolutionary Army he had propped up already had the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth in gunsmoke on every hand.
And there was Charlotte's Valkyrie banner planted there besides.
What remained was for Zhao Chen, the player of the pieces, to enter the board.
Noting this quarterly mission, Zhao Chen swiped a finger upward.
The annual mission appeared before his eyes.
Because the Starlight Empire was already under Zhao Chen's control, the second stage of the earlier annual mission was essentially complete.
And looking at it now, he found, of all things, that a third task had refreshed into being besides.
Annual Mission
Task one: Qin Ming dead. (complete)
Task two: Control at least four star regions of the Starlight Empire. (complete)
Task three: Control four star regions of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth.
Four star regions of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth?
What a coincidence — the quarterly mission and the annual mission both pushed toward the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth.
Warhammer, oh Warhammer — you cannot blame your elder brother for hard-heartedness. Whose fault is it that you are already a dish set before the System?
Zhao Chen looked over task three in detail; tapping it open, he could see a map of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth.
Upon it were colors of every kind, of which gold stood for the areas Zhao Chen presently controlled.
Zhao Chen made a comparison, and found that of the areas the Warhammer Revolutionary Army held by present intelligence, only those held by Charlotte's Dragon-Tiger Legion and the White Tiger tribe were gold.
Which showed that the Warhammer Revolutionary Army did not wholly belong to Zhao Chen.
Which was understandable enough: they were not like the White Tiger tribe and Charlotte, who regarded Zhao Chen as a sovereign already.
The greater part of the Warhammer Revolutionary Army took Zhao Chen merely for an opportunist, an ally.
"It seems the Warhammer Revolutionary Army will want a clearing-out when the hour comes." Zhao Chen rubbed at his chin; what he needed was not allies but a pack of faithful hounds.
Zhao Chen went on swiping down, and this time saw the T5 mall task, which had refreshed into being.
Of T5-series technologies, Zhao Chen had essentially redeemed them all.
If he could obtain T5-series starship technology, it would greatly increase the Owl Dragon Legion's combat power.
T5 Mall Unlock Task (completion 20%)
Next, please make your selections by the task prompts; once the selections are made you will gain the corresponding completion rate, and when completion reaches 100%, the T5 System Mall is unlocked.
More than one of the following options may be completed. Time limit: six months.
Option one: Win over the Siren Queen of the Siren tribe — 10% completion.
Option two: Win over the Harpy King of the Harpy tribe — 10% completion.
Option three: Win over the Spider Queen of the Spider Queen tribe — 10% completion.
Option four: Win over the Fox Clan Empress of the Fox-folk tribe — 20% completion.
Win over?
Why did that word sit so very ill?