The council ended.
As Zhao Chen and Lilith moved between rooms.
He said with a smile, "Now we have a channel for disposing of certain of our old high-end interstellar warships."
Lilith nodded.
Within the Owl Dragon Legion's hands there were certain old T4-grade interstellar warships: repair them and they would serve, but the value for the cost was not high.
Yet to hawk them abroad — this part belonged to the high-end classes, and the selling price is high; very few interstellar powers can procure them in quantity.
Now, with this compensation agreement of the Angel Race's here.
Zhao Chen could fulfill the agreement at the least cost of all.
"Get in contact with Li Wei's side; if there are T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships above two years in service, they may be sent straight over and given to the Angel Race. They want fighting strength badly now, and we must help our allies properly." Zhao Chen smiled slightly.
Among the interstellar warships provided this time, Zhao Chen gave a great many T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships.
For which the angel Tilia expressed a deep thanks besides.
In fact this move of Zhao Chen's was wholly so that his Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships might get a footing among the Angel Race's ships in service.
And this class's greatest merit is an exceedingly strong firepower output — and at the same time an exceedingly great consumption.
By and by, once the Angel Race's commanders had tasted the pleasure of that output, they must assuredly find means to procure more interstellar missiles.
And Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon industry could hawk those missiles to the Angel Race in an unbroken stream.
And the Angel Race's wealth and raw materials would flow in an unbroken stream into Zhao Chen's pocket, to grow the whole of the Owl Dragon's industry.
Some may say that Zhao Chen is too cold-blooded — that he plays small schemes upon an ally who but now fought at his side.
Zhao Chen does not think so.
In this world there are no everlasting allies, and no everlasting enemies.
That men stand together at all is nothing but for interest.
Had the Angel Race not set store by the interest lying in the Owl Dragon, they would never have sent so many interstellar warships to help Zhao Chen.
The whole of it is nothing but a trade.
"Whom do we see next?" Zhao Chen asked Lilith what the schedule held.
Lilith answered, "The Empress Saint Cana, to discuss the detailed arrangements after this campaign. And the matter of their procuring interstellar warships from us hereafter. For they want a great quantity of interstellar warships to watch this permanent Grade-5 cosmic bug-nest, and resting upon those T2-grade odds and ends will assuredly not answer. By my guess they hope we shall sell them some T4-grade interstellar warships — or even T5s."
"T4-grade may be arranged, but T5-grade we cannot possibly sell abroad at present. Say what you will, we must at the least be able to arm a small fleet's worth of T5s ourselves first," Zhao Chen muttered.
Just at this time Zhao Chen's handheld terminal flashed, and a prompt box sprang up.
Upon it besides was a small grey-and-white cartoon figure knocking at a door.
Which an ordinary communication prompt has not.
Zhao Chen halted his steps and charged Lilith, "Put back the talk with Saint Cana; I have some matters here to see to."
"Yes," Lilith answered.
Within Zhao Chen's office.
He looked at the figure of light skipping and hopping before him — which even sat straight down upon his own desk, swinging both legs.
"How do you do it?" Zhao Chen looked at the little girl in his puzzlement.
"You mean, how do I send my image straight across through your communication terminal?" The little girl blinked her eyes at him.
Zhao Chen nodded.
The little girl poked at her own chin, thought a moment, and shook her head. "That cannot be explained to you in a moment; it is very deep."
"Then what is it you want with me this time?" Zhao Chen sat upon the sofa beside him.
That he did not sit in the chair at the desk was because that angle, facing a little girl in a princess dress, was truly not fitting.
"The thing I agreed with you before, of course. Do not forget: about the Leviathan-Shaman-class Hive Mothership, it was I who warned you. Can it be you mean to pull your trousers up and deny the reckoning again?" The little girl pouted and stared at him.
This creature could truly say anything whatever.
"Speak of the business." Zhao Chen said it with a show of gravity.
The mischief went out of the little girl's eyes, and even the legs swinging upon the desk stopped swinging.
"I want your help."
Zhao Chen looked at her in puzzlement. "You said before that you are the highest existence of the Machine Race, and you have a powerful Machine Race at your back. What help can I possibly be to you?"
The little girl said quietly, "In name I am indeed the highest in standing among the Machine Race. But that does not mean the whole Machine Race obeys my orders. Above all at this present hour."
Hearing what lay within her words.
Zhao Chen looked at her doubtfully. "Do you mean… that within the Machine Race too there is… division?"
"Yes." The little girl nodded.
Zhao Chen was the more puzzled. "That ought not to be. Is your Machine Race not ranked and ordered clearly? Since you are the highest existence, you may command every mechanical life."
"It was so at first. But from I know not when. Another voice arose within the Machine Race. An existence holding authority second only to mine. The mechanical lives call it the Mechanical Prophet." As the little girl spoke that name, Zhao Chen felt for the first time a murderous air about her.
"The Mechanical Prophet?" Zhao Chen paused, and asked, "Meaning that this Mechanical Prophet would seize your power?"
"It is not only that it would seize power. It would reform; it would overthrow the Machine Race's original mission!" the little girl said with indignation.
In this moment Zhao Chen felt as though a corner of the Machine Race's secrets had been lifted before him.
"What is the Machine Race's original mission?" Zhao Chen asked, his voice low.
The little girl said nothing.
It seemed this question she did not yet wish to explain to him.
"Do you know why the Demon Race came by that evil technology of life-energy? Why they could grow, in so short a time, into a thing that holds the Angel Race down? The whole of it is in fact this Mechanical Prophet making mischief behind them!" And the little girl spoke another secret to shake the heavens.
The Demon Race's rise had to do with the Machine Race!
Zhao Chen looked at her in surprise. "Then have you… no means of getting rid of it?"
The little girl shook her head. "At present I cannot even find it. When I marked its threat, it hid itself away. But within the Machine Race a religion has arisen."
Zhao Chen was struck. A religion… among the Machine Race?
Curse it — those two things surely could not be joined together at all.
"The Mechanical Divine Church; so they style themselves. That creature has not appeared in near ten years, but I can be certain this Mechanical Divine Church carries out its will! And I want you to help me find it, and root it out! Else it will bring upon this universe a disaster such as has never been — a hundred times more terrible than the swarm tide you have just faced!" The little girl fixed exceedingly grave eyes upon Zhao Chen.