The Owl Dragon Star System · Homeland Planet No.01.
This planet's air was still somewhat turbid; in places one could still see desolate desert and cracked, parched ground. But in certain districts one could already see stretches of emerald grass, and low shrubland.
The feeling it gave was for all the world of a natural environment in the midst of developing, growing better by degrees.
"This planet is the first the T5 Creator took in hand to remake, and near four months have gone by now. It is projected that another six months and more will be wanted to complete the remaking. But three months from now this planet will in the main reach the standard for habitation."
Within the shuttle, Zhao Chen, upon his tour of inspection of this planet, looked at the prospect beyond the port and heard Lilith's report.
"Of remade planets of this kind, how many are there now?" Zhao Chen inquired.
"To this moment, the planets the T5 Creator has taken in hand to remake number 172. Of these, 140 lie within the Owl Dragon Star System, 30 lie severally within the Owl Dragon Fifteen Star Districts, and two lie within the Warhammer's White Tiger Star Region. For which we have already put in near 200 billion star coins of resources," Lilith answered.
Two hundred billion star coins — no trifling outlay.
But Zhao Chen, looking at this planet so full of life, did not feel there was anything amiss in the investment.
Once these planets were remade, the several departments within the Owl Dragon system would establish their own departments and cities upon them.
And by that time the Owl Dragon Star System would be more flourishing still.
And within the Owl Dragon Fifteen Star Districts, a flourishing of the same kind would be copied across.
"Is there anywhere with a fine setting?" Zhao Chen inquired.
"There is a sea-island; the scenery is tolerable," Lilith answered.
"Then let us go there and rest a while, and picnic besides." Zhao Chen stretched himself lazily, and looked at a certain great white cat still poring over something or other. "It is hard enough work getting our great general out for a holiday. We had best find a proper place to rest."
Charlotte, beside him, flung Zhao Chen a rolled eye without ceremony, but said nothing all the same, for the materials before her were of more importance to her at this hour.
In no long time this shuttle found that sea-island.
The island was not very large — like a pearl set upon the sea; emerald woodland, and flocks of birds to be seen besides.
And beneath the sea's surface, certain fish could be seen as well.
Zhao Chen came down from the shuttle, looked round him once, and pointed at those fish leaping above the water. "These fish — are they fit to eat?"
The bodyguard leopard-woman who had come down after him at once produced an instrument and scanned them, and confirmed that they were fit to eat and harmless.
"Then today we shall fish for ourselves and eat for ourselves." Zhao Chen rubbed his fists and wiped his palms.
The bodyguard leopard-woman, understanding perfectly, set to making the arrangements at once.
Fishing gear, a rack for roasting fish, and the rest — in no long time the whole of it was set out.
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte, still at her work within the shuttle, and called out, "Charlotte, come down and rest a while."
"No time." Charlotte returned him two words without ceremony.
"There will be roast fish by and by," Zhao Chen called again.
And at this Charlotte did come out of the shuttle; she ran her eye over the boundless sea, then simply found one of the seats laid out beforehand, sat down upon it, and went on with her work.
"A holiday comes hard enough; can one not rest properly? And that fellow Spider Queen Iris too — I gave her leave to begin with, and told her to go back and visit the Spider Queen tribe. And the upshot is that she is now shut in the research room and will not come out." Zhao Chen shrugged helplessly.
Lilith flung Zhao Chen a rolled eye. "And the chief culprit in all this — is it not the Commander himself, for the things you brought out? Four T5 starship technologies. And among them a T5 interstellar industrial base! With a character such as Spider Queen Iris's, how should she have any heart left for a holiday?"
Zhao Chen smiled and said nothing; he drew out a fishing rod, then cast it heavily out.
He had not forced them to go on working; it was wholly of their own will.
"And it is not Charlotte alone. In truth, upon my side too, because of those four starship technologies of yours, and the two-stage Owl Dragon Legion expansion plan you drew up for the coming year, the secretarial staff I left on post are all working overtime to put it in order. And over on our starship industry's side, the building project for the T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base has been set going at once. For a building plan of so large an interstellar industrial base, the preliminary layout alone, and the movement of raw materials, want detailed arrangement and disposition," Lilith set out one thing after another.
"I know; but there is no help for it. Facing the Demon Race threat, and the interstellar hive-race, that time bomb besides, we must hasten the speed of our expansion. As for the other difficulties — let means be found to settle them," Zhao Chen said helplessly.
This letting means be found of Zhao Chen's meant, naturally, that Lilith and the rest were to find means to overcome these difficulties.
Lilith, in the intervals of the fishing, began setting out the business of work once more.
"There is one great difficulty before us just now, and first of all it is our largest engineering plan at present. That is the building works for our first T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base. The site is settled — within our Owl Dragon Star System's industrial park. But the cost of one T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base reaches 5 trillion star coins, which for us as we now stand is a very great figure! Bear in mind that under the Owl Dragon system as it stands, a single month's output value has only barely passed 1 trillion star coins. There is a very great shortfall upon the funding side," Lilith said.
5 trillion star coins. Zhao Chen naturally knew how high a price this was.
It even surpassed the terrible build cost of the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought.
But this was the shot of strong medicine the Owl Dragon urgently needed at present; only build one such T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base and the shipbuilding capacity of the Owl Dragon's industry could be increased several times over.
Above all in this matter of the T5 series of interstellar warships!
"Funds… for that we may yet find means. The three great empires must still hold some reserve of funds and raw materials in hand; we may borrow from them, and take it across first. And when the time comes we may agree upon how many interstellar warships it is to be exchanged for — using the T4 interstellar warships they want," Zhao Chen said, putting forward his own notion.
And Zhao Chen added besides, "We may establish an interstellar investment bank as well, and bind it to our Northern Goose Group. Are the interstellar warships the Northern Goose Group now produces not in demand beyond supply? Then we may set certain additional clauses: whoever is willing to invest with us, once the investment contract falls due, shall be repaid in the corresponding interstellar warships — the term may be set at about half a year or a year. Or again, whoever holds a long-term deposit in an account with our interstellar investment bank above a certain sum may stand as a VIP partner of ours. They may enter into interstellar trade cooperation with us in every line, and we may even give them 5 percent off! And should the deposit be greater still, then they may become our Diamond VIP!"
If the money in one's own purse will not stretch, there are always other people's purses.