"And upon the field of those three star regions, a certain compass has already been brought under control. The speed of the interstellar hive-race's invasion has slackened greatly. And we have smoothly withdrawn 50 billion of the common people from the dangerous districts ahead of time."
Saint Cana looked toward Zhao Chen. "Though the case is under control now, the danger stands all along. In seeking you out, what I wish to ask is this. When can this hidden peril be brought wholly under control?"
Zhao Chen was silent a while, then said, "To speak honestly, I cannot give you a settled answer as to time just now. I can only tell you that if a danger beyond control should befall you here, I shall find means to help you deal with it. But as the case stands at present, the threat upon the Demon Race's side stands equally. So we must handle these problems properly. Though I can give you a limit. Six months! Before the middle of this year I shall open a wave of military action against these interstellar hive-race swarms; and though there is still no way to close those cosmic bug-nests entirely, I shall find means to narrow the compass in which they move."
Six months' time.
Which was, in the main, when the Owl Dragon's new batch of industrial systems would be built, and when the new batch of T5 interstellar warships would come off the line and into service.
By that time the Owl Dragon Legion could free a little strength to deal with matters here in the Holy Radiance Empire.
"Six months…" Saint Cana said it over, and fixed her eyes upon Zhao Chen. "Then I shall wait for you."
Thereafter Saint Cana spoke with Zhao Chen of certain matters in the Holy Radiance Empire's development, and there this meeting ended.
Zhao Chen went straight on to see that representative of the Angel Race's survey fleet.
"How do you do, my lord. I am the Angel Race's representative of the survey fleet, appointed by the lady Tilia — Tabitha." The angel Tabitha made her salute to Zhao Chen.
"Miss Tabitha, I wonder how your survey of us has come out this time?" Zhao Chen inquired with a smile.
The angel Tabitha kept her eyes upon Zhao Chen, and came directly to the point. "To speak honestly, in surveying this stretch of the star-heavens there has been one riddle throughout. And that riddle is you. Your appearance took a barren Owl Dragon Star System and raised it at a bound into the strongest thing in the Starlight Empire — and now it even controls, indirectly, the Warhammer Interstellar Federal Kingdom and the Holy Radiance Empire. Those starship technologies your Owl Dragon has brought out, and now even the technology of T5 interstellar warships. All of it is like the legends I heard from childhood up. And now such a figure of legend stands before me. I wonder whether I may ask you one thing. How did you bring it about?"
Zhao Chen smiled slightly, and shrugged. "Every person has certain secrets unknown to others, and not to be spoken of. I have mine; and so, equally, has your Angel Race. Is it not so?"
Hearing Zhao Chen's intent to turn the question aside, the angel Tabitha did not press it.
But asked another question outright. "At the end of last year, I heard that you ambushed 300,000 demon interstellar warships come to make expedition against you, there in that demon lane. I have heard a great many versions of the tale; I should like to hear the answer from you, their leader."
Zhao Chen answered levelly, "It lasted… five days. We paid the price of a 30 percent loss rate, and annihilated 300,000 Demon Race interstellar warships."
Perhaps because she had heard the report long since.
The angel Tabitha showed no astonishment, but pressed on. "How many of the Demon Race's T5 interstellar warships were destroyed?"
"Two," Zhao Chen answered, clean and direct.
At this the angel Tabitha fell silent, and the cast of her eyes was complicated.
"Then may I now have from Miss Tabitha your estimate of us? Or rather — do you think there is any possibility of an alliance between our two sides?" Zhao Chen inquired.
The angel Tabitha let out a sigh, and looked at Zhao Chen. "My lord, speaking for myself: you and your Owl Dragon are the best object of alliance our Angel Race could have, for we have a common enemy, and your Owl Dragon possesses besides a very strong capacity for war. But… the case among our Angel Race is not simple either. I do not know whether those great personages above will agree to an alliance with you. But I shall convey all that I have come to understand, and my own advice besides, to the lady Tilia. I believe the lady Tilia will support this matter of an alliance with you."
"I look forward to an alliance between us all the same." Zhao Chen shook the angel Tabitha's hand; then each returned to her own ship to make ready for departure.
Zhao Chen's wish to work with the Angel Race came from the bottom of his heart.
Whether for the System mission's sake, or for the Owl Dragon's present situation.
To work with the Angel Race was beyond question the best choice.
The 31 Owl Dragon ships drove slowly out of the starport, and the 30 Angel survey ships beside them followed out of port as well.
"Coordinate input complete; we shall carry out a warp run of 10 days."
…………
Beside them, the Angel fleet flagship · bridge.
"My lady, they… they mean to take 30 T4 interstellar warships across?" The adjutant pointed at that Owl Dragon fleet next door.
One could see clearly 30 interstellar warships ringed about one vast interstellar warship.
Through this stretch of surveying the Owl Dragon, they knew very well what these interstellar warships were called and to what grade they belonged.
Thirty T4 interstellar warships and one T5 interstellar warship — the fighting power of such a fleet…
"I hope those angel lords above us can, through the materials we report, come to understand clearly the Owl Dragon's value. A thing of this kind… can only be made a friend. And should it become an enemy…" A thread of ferocity flickered at the bottom of the angel Tabitha's eyes. "Then such an enemy must be destroyed as soon as may be. To develop, in a bare five years, to the strength it now has. This Owl Dragon's terribleness far surpasses the Demon Race's."
With the angel Tabitha's words her subordinates all agreed.
At the first moment of coming to this stretch of the star-heavens, they had carried a certain conceit in them, holding this to be a backward quarter of the sky.
And at the outset it was indeed as they had supposed.
But very soon they discovered they had been wrong.
A great many places here were indeed very backward.
But wherever a place had any bond with that Owl Dragon, it was changing at an astonishing rate of development.
Take a certain Holy Radiance Empire star system they had first reached — a system that had some cooperation with the Owl Dragon, and was at that time wholly unremarkable.
A month and more apart.
When they came back to it, they found the place enormously changed.
Wholly unlike what it had been a month before, and a great many things under building besides!
All of it brought about by this Owl Dragon.
And above all, that with 30,000 interstellar warships, at the price of a 30 percent loss rate, they had annihilated 300,000 demon interstellar warships entire.
Which made these people utterly believe in the Owl Dragon's terrible capacity.
This was a terrible thing that could only be made a friend.