Ina thought for a moment, then asked First Officer Kong, "Sir, how many alchemical shells do we have left?"
Kong Qingyu knew, of course, that she meant the shells for the orbital main cannon. Without a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Five."
"Only five?"
What else did you expect? Did you think special shells infused with alchemical engravings and rare materials rolled off an assembly line, ready to be stocked by the hundreds? The first officer gave Ina a helpless look. Those psychics were great in every other way, but they had absolutely no sense of money when it came to spending it.
Ina didn't seem to mind. Biting her lip, she glanced at the towering godlike figure on the screen, then made a circle with her fingers and held it to her eye like a scope. After a careful look, she licked her lips. "Seems like... enough."
Enough for what? First Officer Kong had a feeling the girl was aiming at Duke Saduran's manifestation. The thought made him uneasy.
The officers and crew on the bridge immediately chimed in. It was only a golden-armored soldier ten thousand zhang tall. They'd fought enemy ships and Leviathan beasts even bigger than that. It was just a matter of firing one shell! If one wasn't enough, they'd fire another!
"Who told you to shoot at him? He's a duke, for goodness' sake! We're not at war with the Empire!"
Only then did everyone realize their plan was a little dangerous. If all the Empire's "liaison officers" aboard the Throne had not already returned home, this could have sparked a diplomatic incident. They hastily declared that whether they were shooting at the duke's manifestation or some ancient robots, they were ready for anything. They would make sure the ancients got a good look at