Lilith understood Zhao Chen's meaning. She asked, "Then what scale is this meeting to be held on?"
"We must show our warmth, naturally."
Zhao Chen smiled faintly; then he went on to ask, "And as for that mysterious Doctor. Is there any thread to follow? This fellow has torn two holes in my nets one after another. Until the day he is found, I shall not sleep easy!"
Lilith shook her head in dejection, and called up a set of data files.
The quantity of it fell short of the data files touching the Angel Race just now by a hundred and eight thousand li.
Zhao Chen had, indeed, read the whole of it through with a single sweep of his eyes.
"By these recorded materials, this Doctor came into the Disciple family's view back when Prince Yan opened his cooperation with the Disciple family, and there was contact between them in private. The only one who dealt with him along that single line at the time was the old chieftain Andrew; what was said in their dealings no one knows, and there is no record of it here either. Thereafter Prince Yan lost the civil war, and this Doctor fled outright; while upon the Disciple family's side a small fleet had long since been arranged to lie hidden at the Starlight Empire's border, and having picked this Doctor up, it fled back to the Holy Radiance Empire. What came after that, you can guess for yourself. The Disciple family treated this Doctor as a treasure, and supported his research without condition, hoping he might develop better hive-race technology for them. But who could have thought that what the Disciple family had invited in this time was a very god of pestilence. Who threw the whole Holy Radiance Empire into the bargain outright." Lilith shrugged.
By any estimate, could that old chieftain Andrew return to the past, he would assuredly not take up the least connection with this Doctor.
Down to the present hour, all who had any connection with this Doctor.
From the imperial prince Qin Ming to Prince Yan, and on to this Disciple family — not one of them had come to a good end.
"That interstellar research institute provided for this Doctor's experimental research is simply gone, because of the cosmic bug-nest's appearance. So the recorded data and materials within it touching this Doctor are all gone as well. This is the whole of what we were able to gather." Lilith let out a sigh.
"Is there not still that old chieftain Andrew? Did he not have direct contact with the Doctor?" Zhao Chen raised.
Lilith shook her head. "We questioned that old chieftain Andrew long ago, and even brought technical instruments to bear. We discovered that his memory has been altered. He knows only that this Doctor exists; but what the Doctor looked like, and what was said when they talked in private — of all that he can now recall nothing whatever!"
Zhao Chen was greatly startled. "Memory-alteration technology?"
This was a technology whose development was forbidden within the Galactic Alliance's borders, on the ground that it ran counter to the bonds of human nature.
Much like human cloning technology.
"Our conjecture is that it is connected with that; we can obtain no thread of value touching this Doctor at all. After that interstellar research institute exploded and the cosmic bug-nest appeared, no one knows whether he lives or is dead, or where he is now," said Lilith.
Zhao Chen clenched his fist, and said low and grave, "Which is to say that this fellow has hidden himself away again. And only when he next makes some move shall we be able to find him!"
"Er… in theory it is so. I am very sorry; we have found no useful thread." Lilith said it in apology, for she knew too how very great this Doctor's threat was.
Zhao Chen's brows unknit; he sighed, and waved a hand. "There is no need to apologize. This is not your fault; you have done all you could. It is simply that this fellow is far too cunning. He had best not appear before me so long as he lives; otherwise I should rather like to see just what manner of devil in man's shape he is!"
This Doctor bore far too great a debt of blood upon him.
Those subjects of the Snow-Swallow Star Region buried in the maws of the interstellar hive-race, and the people of the Holy Radiance Empire now fallen under the interstellar hive-race's threat.
Though it was not he who had butchered these lives with his own hand.
Yet all of it had begun with him.
"Enough — let us not think of this cursed business now. Go and make the arrangements. I have already come to terms with Saint Cana. Hereafter we shall grant technology licenses to those starship yards of the Holy Radiance Empire, and allow them to produce a portion of our T2 and T3 series of interstellar warships. Have our side over in the Owl Dragon Star System send several technical personnel across, to help them set up production lines quickly and grow familiar with our starship manufacturing technology," said Zhao Chen.
"And the license fee?" Lilith narrowed her eyes at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen made an "OK" with his fingers. "It is all settled already; when the time comes you need only collect the money."
Lilith, that mistress of the household accounts, wore a look of perfect understanding.
"Then are we to arrange for our various interstellar trade groups to work their way in as well?" Lilith asked.
"That we most certainly are. We are exceedingly fond of helping others, after all." Zhao Chen showed a somewhat shameless smile.
If not to cut himself a slice of the Holy Radiance Empire's pie at a time like this, then when?
——————
The Holy Radiance Empire, in due order and under the control of Saint Cana its Empress, began to change by degrees.
The interstellar hive-race threat remained; but among the common people there was plainly a great deal more hope.
And because of the Angel Race, Zhao Chen, who had made ready to leave long since, could only stay on in the Holy Radiance Empire a while longer.
At the last, in a certain small star system upon the border between the Holy Radiance Empire's Eastern and Northern Star Regions.
Zhao Chen received his guests.
"Report. An interstellar fleet has already sailed within our radar detection range. The number is estimated at some 3,000 ships. By detection of their starship energy fluctuations, the lowest among them are T3-grade interstellar warships, and there are besides a considerable number of T4-grade interstellar warships, in a proportion of about 10 to 1. No T5-grade interstellar warship energy fluctuation has been found." Lilith made her report to Commander Zhao Chen.
"It is time we got in touch with these guests come from so far away. It would be discourteous to give them a fright by and by." Zhao Chen smiled slightly.
A quantum-communication request, using the Disciple family's old contact cipher, was sent to the flagship of the fleet opposite.
Aboard a pure-white interstellar fleet sailing at a steady speed in the distance.
Upon one flagship.
A beautiful woman with a pair of pure-white wings and golden irises sat in the captain's chair, wearing upon her not that sort of military uniform, but a lady's armor of some material or other.
Which made this Angel woman seem the more gallant and dashing; but what her face showed, more than anything, was the cold, proud look of an iceberg beauty.
"Report, Commander. We have received a communication request from the Disciple family's former representative," a subordinate reported.
"Put it through," said the iceberg beauty.
"Yes."
Thereupon a video window opened.
The figure of a man appeared opposite.
But the iceberg-beauty Angel knit her brows, for this was not the Disciple family representative she had met before.
"How do you do. My name is Zhao Chen. If it is the Disciple family's people you are looking for. I am very sorry — I have already wiped them out. In the Holy Radiance Empire now, I say what goes."