In the end, amid an atmosphere of amity and concord, Princess Blanche and the Giant Lion chieftain agreed to every condition Zhao Chen's side had put forward.
And guaranteed besides that within one week they would withdraw every garrison from those jointly administered star regions; and as for those tribal populations who had earlier migrated there—
Zhao Chen's side declared most generously that they would not be repatriated.
For as Zhao Chen saw it, they were all of them the same, and joining this great family of his was merely a matter of sooner or later.
By this reckoning, of the original twenty great tribes, the number submitted to Zhao Chen or destroyed by him had reached 12 — the Fury Bear tribe excepted.
Add the Fury Bear tribe to that, and the task's condition of 13 would be met.
Enough to claim a Bronze Treasure Chest.
Some might wonder why he did not scrape up a few more.
For within the quarterly task there stood two further thresholds — the Silver Treasure Chest and the Gold Treasure Chest.
It was not that Zhao Chen did not wish for these task rewards; but considering the task's term, and the actual circumstances at hand—
Zhao Chen determined that managing 13 and claiming the quarterly task's Bronze Treasure Chest would suffice.
For Zhao Chen understood very well: a rabbit pressed too hard will bite.
These two before him, if truly pressed hard enough, might well choose to fight him to the death of both.
Which was in fact no great threat to the Owl Dragon Legion.
But it must be understood that for the sake of that T5 interstellar industrial base blueprint, the reward of Zhao Chen's annual task—
Zhao Chen could permit no mishap whatever at this juncture.
Which of the watermelon and the sesame seed matters more, Zhao Chen understood very well.
So, after consulting with Charlotte and Lilith, he judged the present conditions the most suitable.
They could both bring these two to consent, and win the greater interest besides.
Zhao Chen watched that treaty of alliance concluded.
He looked at the two before him with a face full of smiles. "Gentlemen, let us strive together for the Warhammer's fair tomorrow!"
Princess Blanche forced down the impulse to roll her eyes.
The corner of the Giant Lion chieftain's mouth twitched without cease; there was no telling how many times he had cursed this fellow before him inwardly.
Princess Blanche composed her feelings and stressed that the Demon Race threat must now take first place.
"Your Excellency the Owl Dragon lord, since we have satisfied these conditions of yours and signed the treaty of alliance. I ask whether we may now discuss the other matters." Princess Blanche spoke to Zhao Chen, though her eyes swept across Charlotte, who had not made a sound up to this point.
She knew that although Charlotte was now the Hundred Beasts Alliance's supreme leader.
The one who truly held control was this Owl Dragon lord.
Blanche had investigated all this beforehand: whether it was the Hundred Beasts Alliance's founding, or Charlotte's rise as supreme leader — as the Valkyrie — and so on, the Owl Dragon Legion had been the hand behind it all.
"You mean the fighting against the Demon Race fleet." Zhao Chen's grinning, easy manner of a moment ago changed altogether, and his gaze grew sharp in an instant.
As he spoke, an interstellar holo-table presented itself before Blanche.
That interstellar holo-table showed the Dragon-folk tribe's northern territory and a stretch of the region beyond it.
"Princess Blanche, let me first confirm with you the battlefield information I have on my side. The Demon Race fleet's known number at present is 30,000… 27,000 and more. After the fierce fighting with the Dragon-folk fleet groups the Dragon Emperor led, they did not press on to attack Dragon-folk territory, but garrison and refit at a position two or three star systems' distance beyond the Dragon-folk tribe's northern territory. Is that so?" Zhao Chen pointed at the position marked upon the holo-table where the Demon Race fleet lay.
This intelligence was naturally all of it word fed back by those interstellar scout ships Zhao Chen had sent out.
"That… that is so." Princess Blanche looked in some surprise at this Owl Dragon lord before her, whose whole presence had changed.
Why does his bearing make it seem as though the territory the Demon Race fleet has invaded were not the Dragon-folk tribe's but his own Owl Dragon star system?
The killing air and the will to battle in those eyes were nothing feigned.
"Very well; let me first set out our thinking. Because of the Demon Race fleet's peculiar character, and the unknowns about them. I hold that we cannot attack rashly. My proposal is to build a line of defense in those systems of the Dragon-folk tribe's northern territory that border the outer regions, and make defense our chief business. And then, in the subsequent engagements with the Demon Race fleet, to look for our opening!" Zhao Chen set out his thinking.
"Why not consider attacking directly! Destroy the Demon Race fleet outright at one stroke! Has your Owl Dragon Legion not a T5 interstellar warship? And with your Owl Dragon Legion's elite composition besides, do you truly fear you could not beat the Demon Race fleet?" the Giant Lion chieftain said, with something of a challenge in it.
"My fleets are strong; I do have a T5 interstellar warship. But that does not make me a fool. To press forward rashly with no understanding whatever of the enemy will in the end only add needlessly to my own fleets' casualties, and may cost a grievous price besides. If you are willing to go and fight, I shall not stop you." Zhao Chen said it with contempt.
The Giant Lion chieftain was taken aback, and then heard the mockery in the other's words.
Mocking their earlier civil war against the Hundred Beasts Alliance; mocking him for thinking now of going to fight the Demon Race fleet, which was the act of a fool.
"I hold that we must first make defense our chief business. The Warhammer's internal fighting has, after all, only just subsided, and a great many links need some time to be understood. The mustering of strategic materiel, for instance. I agree with the Owl Dragon lord's view: build a line of defense and wait for our opening. But this scheme cannot be borne by our Dragon-folk tribe's strength alone. For once anything goes wrong with the Dragon-folk tribe, the Demon Race threat will drive straight into the Warhammer's heartland. I need a firm promise from you gentlemen." Princess Blanche looked to Zhao Chen, to the Giant Lion chieftain, and to Charlotte and the Fury Bear chieftain beside them.
The meaning being: do not think to stand behind and watch the play; you must put in your strength.
"I…" The Giant Lion chieftain hesitated, seeking some pretext to put it off, or to send fewer fleets.
He was of course exceedingly glad to see the Dragon-folk tribe's strength worn down; by that time his Giant Lion tribe might seize the moment and rise!
"Our Owl Dragon Legion is willing to dispatch five legion fleets to garrison the frontier systems of the Dragon-folk tribe's northern territory, and to bear all consumption of combat resources ourselves. Set your mind at rest, Princess Blanche; our Owl Dragon Legion will assuredly protect Dragon-folk territory to the death, and will not permit that crew of evil Demon Race to violate so much as one planet of the Dragon-folk tribe's!" Zhao Chen said it with righteous solemnity.
At this scene the Giant Lion chieftain beside them was struck dumbfounded.
Hey — little brother?
Have you not got this wrong?
Have you picked up the wrong script?
Not long ago you and the Dragon-folk tribe were at each other's throats.
If I remember rightly, you destroyed two of their fleet groups outright, and held another to ransom under threat besides.
How is it you now stand upon one line with the Dragon-folk tribe?
And with every appearance of protecting the Dragon-folk tribe to the death?
Are you having me on?