"Is there anything else, Sir?"
"Nothing more."
Donna bowed to Qin Mo, then turned to leave, softly closing the door behind her.
Soon, the door creaked open again as the next visitor entered to see Qin Mo.
"Sir Donna is quite different from the other nobles..." Kline, seated across from Qin Mo, had intended to complain about Donna cutting in line earlier but held his tongue when he saw Qin Mo engrossed in his work. Instead, he silently placed a request document on the desk.
Qin Mo picked up the file, his eyes widening in surprise. He had expected it to be a promotion request, perhaps for a higher title of nobility—but it turned out to be a resignation letter.
"You're quitting?" Qin Mo tossed the paper back to Kline, leaning back in his chair to fix him with a steady gaze. "In Creed's military plans, there's a section about training strategic advisors. I was planning to send you to military school for a year, so you could become an advisor."
The planetary defense forces of the Tyron System didn't have advisors, but Creed believed that due to the inexperience of the officers, they needed individuals capable of providing strategic counsel. If Kline stayed on as an officer, he would be on par with the new legion commanders.
"But the war is over," Kline said, his innocent smile unclouded by the harsh realities he'd faced. "If it had been before, I wouldn't have resigned, but now, the last remnants of enemies on Tyron II are about to be wiped out."
Qin Mo was silent, deep in thought. He didn't see Kline's departure from the military as a positive thing.
Seeing Qin Mo's reluctance, Kline explained further, "I've always wanted to be a merchant. As a commander, I've been inadequate... My family has hidden a small fortune on Flower Street in the southern Hive, and I intend to use that money to buy a merchant ship."
Kline went on to outline his dreams. Buying a merchant vessel, venturing beyond the Tyron System, conducting business...
While the Hiveworld was doing well, it had become a place filled with grief for him—his family had been slaughtered by the enemy.
From Kline's words, Qin Mo could sense the man's weariness. He knew that Kline genuinely no longer wished to serve as a military officer.
"Keep your family's wealth as seed money for your trade ventures. I'll build you a ship," Qin Mo finally said, catching Kline by complete surprise. "A powerful vessel, equipped with a dimensional engine."
"A ship... There's really no need for such heavy firepower... but, it's a ship, after all..." Kline hesitated, feeling the offer was too generous.
Though the ship's construction wouldn't require hired workers, the cost of materials remained high, far beyond what Kline's family fortune could cover. In Kline's original plan, he had intended to purchase a refurbished, second-hand vessel, perhaps something that had been decommissioned.
"Take it. Consider it a reward from me," Qin Mo continued. "Back in the Lower Hive, you were the first commander to support me."
Kline nodded and then shook his head, torn between accepting such a grand gift and his own reservations. He wanted to accept but felt uneasy about the gesture—it was, after all, a ship.
"Take it. You can repay me in other ways," Qin Mo added. "When you travel to other star systems, keep an eye out for anyone like Yao En. Then, quietly bring them to me."
"Is that all?" Kline asked, confused as to why Qin Mo would want untouchables like Yao En. He suspected Qin Mo was merely offering an easy condition, a mere token for reciprocity, much like the ship itself.
"You can also help gather information for me. After all, I don't even know where the Tyron System is located," Qin Mo said with a slight smile.
"Understood." Kline stood up and offered the Imperial Eagle salute. "Thank you, truly..."
Qin Mo nodded with a faint smile. "It's settled. Go prepare, wandering merchant."
"Yes." Kline nodded again before turning to leave.
As Kline shut the door behind him, Qin Mo began considering what type of merchant ship he would create for him.
First and foremost, it had to be equipped with a dimensional engine. The firepower needed to be respectable as well. After all, merchant wanderers could easily encounter raider vessels or even Eldar pirates.
Eventually, Qin Mo decided he would design the ship personally.
It would be an unprecedented honor, a distinction unmatched by any other merchant in the Tyron System. No other trader would ever receive a ship designed by the system's ruler himself.
Qin Mo deemed it worthy of such effort, for Kline and the 47th Regiment had been among his earliest supporters. Throughout the wars against gene-stealing traitors, assaults on the Hive City, and the campaigns against the rebels on Tyron II, they had never missed a single battle. Even during small skirmishes where they weren't required, the 47th had always stood guard at the fortress.
Kline would receive his ship as a reward, and every member of the 47th Regiment had already been granted their well-deserved honors. They were currently enrolled in the military academy and talent cultivation system that Creed had proposed. When the next batch of recruits graduated and joined the 47th Regiment, the veterans would step into officer roles.
The same was true for the other regiments of the First Army.
...
After finishing his meetings with the officers waiting outside, Qin Mo could finally settle into the work he truly desired—creation.
First, there was Kline's merchant ship. It would be based on the current escort frigate design but modified. Half the close-range defense systems would be removed, replaced with two fully directional particle lance turrets. Additionally, a large fusion reactor would be installed solely to power its shields, greatly enhancing its defensive capabilities.
Even under heavy assault from four Moon-class cruisers, the ship would be able to hold out long enough for its dimensional engine to fully charge.
Once the merchant ship's design was complete, Qin Mo immediately uploaded it to the orbital dock and initiated production.
Next, he turned his attention to another urgent technology—one that wouldn't require his personal involvement to charge: a teleportation device.
The power supply for teleportation devices had always been a challenge. The main AI first needed to lock onto the target's location, then channel energy to transport the target into the dimensional pathway and guide them to the pre-designated destination. This meant that even a simple transfer of ground troops could consume ten times the energy of a ship's teleportation—let alone the energy needed for civilian applications.
To solve the energy problem, Qin Mo decided to create a device capable of harvesting energy from stars. He would then upgrade the teleportation system, integrating it with the energy-harvesting mechanism.
While multiple large-scale teleportations in a short period could potentially reduce the star's lifespan by tens of millions of years, it was a minor concern. The star in the Tyron System had at least 20 billion years left.
Qin Mo had never measured it, but he could sense the lifespan of stars, an instinct that seemed inherent to a Star God.
Star Gods could devour souls as well as stars, though Qin Mo didn't feel any hunger for the time being. Still, he couldn't rule out the possibility of feeling hungry later...
But under no circumstances could he devour the Tyron System's star. Instead, he would dispatch fleets to alien-controlled systems to siphon their star's energy and bring it back for consumption.
Perhaps, by then, a new warning would echo throughout the galaxy:
"The Tyron Fleet is coming. Hide your stars!"