As she spoke, she glanced at Wei Peng, who was hunched over his food. Although he had cultivated a curious Psionic Skill that completely concealed his power, a Hero Tier expert could still sense the secret he was desperately trying to hide.
Lin Zhichen was dumbfounded. It took him a good while to recover, and when he did, he was almost beside himself with joy. "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! I never would have thought of such an important secret if you hadn't told me!"
"This is a closely guarded secret among the major powers." Conilia smiled. "Grow stronger as quickly as you can. The commander of a Psionic Battleship and the commander of a Psionic escort are two completely different things!"
Lin Zhichen gave her a long look. Just as she thought he was about to be moved, he asked leisurely, "I heard the Federation's advanced genetics can let different species intermarry?"
Conilia froze. A blush suddenly spread across her face. "As expected, a dog's mouth can't spit out ivory!"
Seeing her furious, embarrassed expression, Lin Zhichen finally burst out laughing.
"Beep, beep~"
A notification sounded from the holographic wristband biaa. Looking down, Wei Peng saw a conspicuous line of text appear before his eyes. He glanced at it and immediately felt his mouth go dry. He could hardly stand.
"4,000,000 Energy Coins have been deposited. Please check your account."
"We made it! We made it!" Wei Peng grinned foolishly, his legs and arms going weak until he nearly collapsed. Lin Zhichen caught him and helped him into the captain's chair. "Young man, you need to work on your nerves. You've got to toughen up!"
Struggling to hold back his excitement, Lin Zhichen knew what he wanted. In the grand scheme of his plans, this sum wasn't even enough to make a ripple. It was only his first pot of gold, and he could still just about keep his composure.
"Right, I do need to toughen up. Maybe send a few more waves of Energy Coins my way and bury me under them!" Wei Peng was dizzy with excitement, his words coming out in a muddle.
What did four million Energy Coins mean?
To ordinary people, it was simply a string of zeroes too long to count. To the Federation's upper echelons, it was still a sum large enough to make people's eyes turn green.
If Conilia hadn't transferred the money through a secret channel and erased the information about both parties, a transaction this large would already have drawn who knew how many people's attention.
"From now on, Meteor is bound for rapid growth!"
The Qinyuan Hao initiated another Space Jump, traveling straight from the Dover Galaxy to the Solar System.
After more than ten minutes at breakneck speed, Earth came into view in the distance.
"My God, what's that?" Wei Peng cried out, interrupting Lin Zhichen's thoughts. Lin Zhichen instinctively looked out the porthole and saw a colossal object moored in orbit beyond the planet.
The starship was so enormous that it defied imagination. Earth Starport, newly built, couldn't even accommodate such a behemoth, so it had to berth directly in outer space.
"The radar says this starship is more than eighteen kilometers long. My God, it's even bigger than the Mammoth-class Titan we saw!" Wei Peng exclaimed.
"What's a starship that big for? Could it be a Transport Ship?"
Of the conventional starships, only Transport Ships were built on such a massive scale. Colonial Transport Ships, in particular, could easily be dozens or even hundreds of kilometers long. Now those were true giants.
As they drew closer, the starship's outer armor nearly filled the porthole. Compared to it, the Qinyuan Hao, less than two hundred meters long, was as inconspicuous as an ant beside an elephant.
The Qinyuan Hao wasn't the only ship there. More vessels circled the silent giant, seemingly awed by its immense size and drawn there to take a closer look.
Honestly, this was a rare sight in the Solar System. Until now, the largest starship here had been Meteor Mercenary Group's Light Carrier, less than two kilometers long—not even a tenth the size of this behemoth!
"Beep, beep~"
A Holographic Communication signal sounded, and the radar operator quickly traced its source. "Captain, we're receiving a transmission from that giant starship!"
Lin Zhichen's eyes shifted. Recovering from the shock of seeing the massive vessel, he immediately understood where it had come from. "Open the channel."
"Zzz..."
Wu Tianyi's excited voice came through the holographic projector. "Big brother, we've struck it rich!"
That's right. This enormous starship was the large Industrial Colony Ship Conilia had promised, hailed as a "mobile shipyard" and an "all-purpose production factory."
Because it carried a massive amount of industrial production equipment, Industrial Colony Ships were always enormous. Among similar vessels, only cargo Transport Ships and Colonial Transport Ships could exceed them in size.
"Take us over for a look," Lin Zhichen ordered.
But there was no need to approach. The large Industrial Colony Ship had a special way of handling little ships like the Qinyuan Hao. A hatch opened at the bottom of its hull, revealing a vast interior space.
The Qinyuan Hao entered through the hatch and followed the navigation system to a suitable berth. There was even enough room here to dock Battleships!
Why were large Industrial Colony Ships called mobile shipyards?
Because their interiors could be used to repair and maintain starships at any time. With enough materials, they could even serve as ship factories, building starships of the appropriate size right there!
"Big brother, this giant ship's shipyard has a total capacity of twenty-four units. It can build up to twenty-four Frigates or three Battleships at once!" Wu Tianyi had come to greet Lin Zhichen. Seeing his gaze fixed on the shipyard, he immediately understood what he wanted to know.
Capacity was a special unit used for measuring shipyard size in the New Universe.
Generally speaking, a Frigate took up one unit of capacity, a Destroyer two units, a Cruiser four units, and a Battleship eight units.
"Not bad. We finally have a shipyard of our own!" Lin Zhichen breathed out, feeling greatly relieved.
The point of having a shipyard wasn't to build ships right away. It meant they could start training shipbuilders and engineers. At first, they could repair damaged starships; later, they could build ships themselves. It was enormously important.
What did shipbuilding mean in the Interstellar Era?
Just as the automobile industry could support a national economy in the Planetary Era, the Industrial System of the Interstellar Era rested largely on shipbuilding.
"We owe Conilia for this. I'll remember this favor," Lin Zhichen said with a sigh. He looked at the vast sea of machinery within the enormous hull. Countless pieces of Engineering Machinery stretched away into the depths of the vessel.
"How many people would it take to run this ship?"
"Big brother, that's the biggest problem!" Wu Tianyi said, rubbing his temples.
"If we only want to pilot the ship and get this Industrial Colony Ship moving, a hundred or so people would be enough. But if we want to make full use of all its machinery and production capacity, we'll need at least three thousand people, including engineers from almost every field!
"And if we want to maximize its output, we'll need ten thousand!"
"Do we have enough people?" Lin Zhichen asked.
"For now, yes. But the backup personnel we've trained were all meant for building the base. If we reassign them, we won't have enough hands," Wu Tianyi replied.
"If we don't have enough, we'll just keep training people. Don't you think this giant ship is the perfect training academy? We can train all kinds of engineering specialists here." Lin Zhichen's words made Wu Tianyi see the light.
With the talent Diligence Repays the Heavens, every batch of people trained aboard the giant ship could be reassigned to establish specialized factories. As long as they had NPCs, their shortage of skilled workers could soon be resolved.
"I hadn't thought it through," he said, finally feeling relieved.
"What happened while I was away this past week?" Lin Zhichen asked as they walked. Surrounded by Engineering Machinery of every shape and size, he felt as if he were wandering through a steel jungle. All of it spoke to the giant ship's industrial capacity.
"Nothing much. But ever since the Industrial Colony Ship arrived, StarNet has been in an uproar." Link answered.
"Nothing like this has ever appeared in the Solar System. The moment the Jujing Hao showed up, it scared the wits out of a lot of people. Many still think a bigger starship must be stronger, not realizing that most combat vessels aren't as large as Transport Ships!
"But our Mercenary Group has become even more famous. We've cemented our place as the Solar System's number-one Mercenary Group. Every day, a flood of people come to headquarters looking for work. It's like a talent market from the Old Era."
"The Jujing Hao? That's a good name. That's what we'll call it from now on. How are the crew doing after their rest?" he asked.
"They're all rested up, and the new batch of pirate NPCs has settled in. We can put them to work without worry," Wu Tianyi said.
"Big brother, I think we can get moving. The Jujing Hao is too conspicuous just sitting here, and leaving it idle is a waste."
"I brought back four million Energy Coins this time, enough to support our development for a while." As soon as Lin Zhichen said this, someone nearby drew a sharp breath. The enormous sum had clearly shocked them.
Four million Energy Coins was enough to assemble a small fleet, with more than ten thousand ships in total—from Titans to Frigates, from combat vessels to Auxiliary Ships, every type represented.
"I was originally planning to buy a batch of starships. But since we have our own shipyard, we might as well be patient and build them ourselves with the materials we buy. We can train engineers at the same time and prepare for our future industrial development," Lin Zhichen instructed.
"Manager Xu, you're in charge of the Industrial Department. Technically, the Jujing Hao belongs to your department. Make the necessary plans and coordinate with Tianyi. Get the people and materials ready, and start the shipbuilding program as soon as possible!"
"Yes, Commander!" Xu Wen, the excited manager of the Industrial Department, saluted. Then he hesitated and said, "But, Commander, we're short on Transport Ships, and our shipbuilders have only just been trained. At the beginning, I'm afraid—"
"You can figure that part out. I only care about the results." Lin Zhichen waved him off, cutting him short. "If it's too difficult, start with civilian Transport Ships. Once you've gained experience, move on to Frigates, Destroyers, and Battleships, one step at a time. For the finances, go to Tianyi."
"Understood," Xu Wen replied.
The Jujing Hao was enormous, but it didn't seem particularly remarkable. Industrial equipment was built to be sturdy, durable, and practical. Most of it looked plain and unremarkable.
Lin Zhichen soon lost interest and went to rest in the Jujing Hao's lounge.
For the foreseeable future, this would be Meteor Mercenary Group's new headquarters.
In the Dakan System, near the Dakan System, space suddenly rippled in the void. The Qinyuan Hao emerged from nothingness.
"Good luck. There are no enemy ships nearby." Although he had already used Psionics to predict what lay ahead, Lin Zhichen finally relaxed only after the Radar Scan was complete.
"So this is the Dark Galaxy? It doesn't look much different from the Solar System." Wu Tianyi cautiously peered out into space through the porthole. With the star behind them, the light here was decent; at least, everything in sight wasn't shrouded in darkness.
"Danger doesn't always show on the surface. Use your Psionic perception to feel it," Lin Zhichen reminded him.
Wu Tianyi soon changed expression, his eyes still tightly shut. "I take it back. This place really is an unbroken darkness!"
In his senses, danger lurked everywhere. It was like walking bare-skinned through a frozen wasteland, the wind cutting like a blade, with nowhere to hide.
In the command cabin, Lin Zhichen watched Li Heng, the material science prodigy NPC he had unexpectedly acquired, sitting stiffly.
In fact, only Super-Class NPCs like him had independent names instead of cumbersome codes. It was a sign of their extraordinary talent.
"Mr. Li, it's time to claim your glory. Go on—put your hand on that Crystal Stone." He pointed to the Psionic Crystal.
Li Heng regarded the crystal warily and stepped forward. After spending some time with Lin Zhichen, he knew that the man wouldn't make an offer without reason, nor would he abandon him without cause.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the scholarly NPC placed both hands on the Psionic Crystal. Surging Psionics enveloped him.
More than ten minutes later, he emerged from his cocoon and was reborn.
Lin Zhichen opened his personal profile:
``` Name: Li Heng Elite Human, Yellow
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