Congratulations — obtained the "T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base technical blueprint."
Zhao Chen looked at this technical blueprint. He had supposed he would be greatly delighted; but perhaps because he had known of it long since.
He was, on the contrary, quite unmoved now.
He opened his own personal data page once more.
Host: Zhao Chen
Profession: top-rank starship engineer
Special attributes: fleet luck-value bonus; Eye of Insight
System points: 79 million (single-month fleet earnings: 39 million points)
Task points: 1,430
Number of starships: 73,321
Missions: annual mission (~updating~), quarterly mission (~updating~)
Warehouse: T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base technical blueprint; T5 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship technical blueprint; Dragon-Emperor Core Matrix
After three months' accumulation, and with this quarter's mission-reward task points besides.
Zhao Chen's ammunition was now ample once more.
Above all those two T5 technologies in the warehouse, which made a most gratifying sight.
But looking at these two interstellar warships, Zhao Chen felt at the first instant that something was wanting.
First, the T5 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship should by its design be like the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought — a flagship of that special order, of which by any estimate only one could be built.
And the T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base was of great importance, being the root and foundation of the Owl Dragon Legion's manufacturing industry to come.
But it was not, after all, fighting power.
The mass-production T5 combat-type interstellar warships in Zhao Chen's hands at present were only the T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyer and the T5 Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruiser.
Considering that the Demon Race fleets would assuredly come at them again in future.
Zhao Chen needed more T5 interstellar warships he could bring out — above all main battle types.
Carrier starships and interstellar battleships!
For weight among the ship types, those two are beyond question the ones.
Thinking so far, Zhao Chen set to searching within the T5 Mall.
And very soon Zhao Chen found what he wanted.
Expend 40 million system points and 700 task points to redeem the "T5 Holy-Redeemer-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Heavy-Artillery Battleship technical blueprint"?
Confirm redemption!
40 million system points and 700 task points expended; congratulations, obtained the "T5 Holy-Redeemer-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Heavy-Artillery Battleship technical blueprint."
Current system points: 39 million
Current task points: 730
At the first sight of this interstellar battleship, and of so long a string of a name, Zhao Chen found it a mouthful himself.
But after a brief look through certain of its technical materials, he was certain that this was the main battle type he needed.
Were it a matter of dealing with the Demon Race's T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser.
Then leaving aside any question of the enemy fleeing, a single T5 Holy-Redeemer-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Heavy-Artillery Battleship could take on ten T5 Blades of Terror opposite and think nothing of it!
From which one may imagine what degree of strength this T5 Holy-Redeemer had.
But how should the redemption of one such interstellar warship suffice?
For the Owl Dragon Legion's expansion technology in time to come, some further interstellar warships were wanted.
Expend 38 million system points and 700 task points to redeem the "T5 Fire-Qilin-class Heavy Carrier Starship" technical blueprint?
Confirm redemption!
38 million system points and 700 task points expended; congratulations, obtained the "T5 Fire-Qilin-class Heavy Carrier Starship" technical blueprint.
Current system points: 1 million
Current task points: 30
Zhao Chen, in one breath, redeemed two main battle types outright.
Which meant that those system points and task points he had saved up with such difficulty went back, at a stroke, to the days before liberation.
But looking at the two starship technologies now added to his hands, there was a heat in both Zhao Chen's eyes.
If these two T5 main battle types could be brought into service in his own Owl Dragon Legion.
If an interstellar fleet could even be built out of these T5 interstellar warships.
Though the fleet were but 300 hulls in scale.
That would mean the Owl Dragon Legion held a keen sword — a keen sword that could be driven at the Demon Race's heart at any moment.
Zhao Chen gulped.
He opened several operating interfaces on the instant, and began editing the plan of expansion for the Owl Dragon Legion to come.
First was the requirement in starship numbers for the Owl Dragon Legion.
Zhao Chen thought a while, and decided to expand the number of the existing Owl Dragon Legion's interstellar warships by degrees; the establishment of one Owl Dragon legion fleet at present is 3,000 interstellar warships.
First these 3,000 were to be expanded to 10,000.
In which case, without raising new Owl Dragon legions at all, the completion of this step would give the Owl Dragon Legion 100,000 interstellar warships.
But this was not the building plan for the coming year.
This was only the first step.
The second step was to expand the fleets once more, until a single Owl Dragon legion fleet held 30,000 interstellar warships — the same establishment as a demon legion has now.
At which time, 10 Owl Dragon legion fleets would be 300,000 interstellar warships.
Beyond this, certain new special fleets would be raised besides, and the existing special fleets expanded in number.
Take the wolf-girl Baixue's interstellar missile-ship special fleet: though 300 hulls, its might upon the field is terrible.
But in that recent engagement with the Demon Race fleets it could already be seen that 300 interstellar missile ships can no longer meet the firepower requirement of an Owl Dragon Legion campaign on the large scale.
And within that, of course, lies the requirement for interstellar missiles as well.
"The numbers to be increased are many, above all in this matter of T5 interstellar warships.
"Happily we now hold the T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base, an industrial technology of the T5 grade.
"When the time comes, we first expand that starship industry in great quantity.
"And lay the base for the legion fleets' expansion over the coming year; and once the foundations are well laid, then so long as the Owl Dragon Fifteen Star Districts develop smoothly, they can furnish blood to these starship manufacturing industries without cease, and build our Owl Dragon Legion more interstellar warships, and more advanced ones."
Zhao Chen's fingers, for all the world as though at a piano, went on editing certain memoranda of plan; and what he wrote was only an outline and a guide to development.
Merely to appoint a direction for his subordinates; the detailed plans would still want the people of the several departments to settle afterward.
And within these memoranda of plan there was one name that appeared at a very high frequency.
That was Chief Engineer Annie.
……
At this hour Annie, on holiday upon the Siren tribe's planet in the Warhammer Interstellar Federal Kingdom.
Was roasting a sea-fish taller than a man.
Of a sudden a sea wind came blowing across, and a shiver went through her whole frame.
"How is it I feel somewhat cold?" Annie muttered; though turning her head and seeing her younger brother and sisters and her parents holidaying so gladly, she flung the thought behind her again.
And when her eyes fell upon Nana, in a swimming costume and yet at her work still.
She felt anew that this younger sister of hers was too great a spoiler of pleasure.
Don't look at her, don't look at her!