During this period, Zhao Chen had also been observing Jiang Hong.
He had learned about Jiang Hong's background.
Jiang Hong was a little girl picked up by the Zhao family's eldest young lady while she was traveling on a planet in another star system. At the time, she was lying dazed on her mother, who had already starved to death. She wanted to cry but was too hungry to make a sound.
It was the Zhao family's eldest young lady who took Jiang Hong in and buried Jiang Hong's mother.
From then on, the Zhao family's eldest young lady treated Jiang Hong like her own younger sister, teaching her to read and write and imparting various kinds of knowledge to her.
Gradually, Jiang Hong's talents began to show.
She learned many things quickly and was particularly skilled at management. In fact, over the years, many of the affairs in the Fierce Dragon Star System had been managed by Jiang Hong behind the scenes, with Old Madam Zhao conveying the orders.
Zhao Chen was only the nominal lord; the Zhao family's eldest young lady had already confidently become a hands-off boss years ago.
Gradually, Jiang Hong became highly proficient in handling all sorts of matters.
Most importantly, she was absolutely loyal to the Zhao family—or rather, to the Zhao family that had raised the eldest young lady.
Currently, Zhao Chen had no usable talents around him. He couldn't stay in the Fierce Dragon Star System, as it was too impoverished.
Charlotte was a General, good at commanding starships in battle, but asking her to govern the Fierce Dragon Star System was out of the question.
Therefore, Zhao Chen chose Jiang Hong.
This woman who did not submit to him.
"You're willing to entrust the Fierce Dragon Star System to me to manage?" Jiang Hong voiced her doubt.
Zhao Chen nodded. "I trust you to manage it."
For a moment, Jiang Hong didn't know what to say.
Zhao Chen then began to outline the plan he had in mind: "For the Fierce Dragon Star System to rise and prosper, three key opportunities are needed.
First: the Stargate.
A star system without a Stargate has no prospects for development.
This problem can't be solved in the short term, but I'll find a way.
Second: industry!
The Fierce Dragon Star System has always only had low-level T1 Technology Industry, barely enough to sustain self-sufficiency. In fact, whenever emergencies occur on those planets, deaths from starvation are common.
If I remember correctly, the Galactic Alliance has a rating system, from 0 to 10, based on the living conditions of a star system's people, right?
Our Fierce Dragon Star System's rating is only 0.3—not even reaching the average of 5!
So we must develop a promising industry, one with advantages for external trade! Only then can we draw funds from outside to build up the Fierce Dragon Star System.
I've already figured out how to handle this, but it still requires some preparation time.
Third: a new order!
Most of the old nobles are either gone or have left.
Now the Fierce Dragon Star System needs a new order. Although I'm not happy with those nobles, there still needs to be some presence of major families.
Your task during this period is to reconsolidate the order of the Fierce Dragon Star System, establishing an order centered around the Zhao family. You can elevate the status of some smaller families loyal to the Zhao family or newly establish and support some loyal families.
I believe you can handle this task."
Listening to Zhao Chen's lengthy explanation, Jiang Hong thought the first two points were pure fantasy and utterly impossible to achieve.
But the third point was the only one she agreed with.
Now that the Fierce Dragon Star System was in ruins and needed rebuilding, the first priority was indeed a new order and system.
"The task the young lady entrusted to me is to guard the Fierce Dragon Star System and the Zhao family in her absence." Jiang Hong looked coldly at Zhao Chen. "I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing it for the young lady."
This woman still had to act a bit tsundere at a time like this.
After simply reaching an agreement, Jiang Hong left.
Zhao Chen used his handheld terminal to project a holographic map of the Fierce Dragon Star System, gazing at this star system.
He raised his hand as if caressing this expanse of stars.
"Since this was your wish before, let me fulfill it for you." Zhao Chen spoke as if to someone, a faint smile on his face.
Then, he opened the System Interface.
[Host: Zhao Chen
Occupation: Top Starship Engineer
Special Attributes: Fleet Luck Bonus, Eye of Insight
Points: 1100
Task Points: 8
Starship Count: 2
Tasks: None
Warehouse: T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser Technical Blueprint, T1 Wolf Louse-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer Technical Blueprint, T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship Technical Blueprint, T2 Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship Technical Blueprint]
He now had 1100 System Points and 8 Task Points.
Next, he checked the conditions for upgrading the System Store.
[T2 System Store Upgrade Conditions
First Requirement: Exchange for two T2-level commodities (1/2)
Second Requirement: Complete two C-grade System Missions (1/2)
Third Requirement: Consume 2000 System Points for store upgrade (1100/2000)]
Zhao Chen's face darkened. It seemed his meager savings were far from enough to upgrade to the T2 System Store.
Forget it, he would tackle the upgrade conditions one by one.
The third requirement couldn't be rushed.
The C-grade missions for the second requirement would have to come as they may.
So, he would start with the first requirement: exchange for two T2-level commodities. Previously exchanging for the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship already counted as one T2 commodity, so he was still one short.
Coincidentally, Zhao Chen already had something in mind.
"I remember seeing it before, but where was it..." Zhao Chen searched through the T2 commodity section of the System Store.
Finally, he found the 'commodity' he had seen earlier.
[T2 Bronze Eden-class Starship Technical Blueprint]
Since it hadn't been exchanged yet, he couldn't see the detailed data, but he could read a brief introduction.
[T2 Bronze Eden-class Starship: A Support-type Starship capable of infinitely developing and operating agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries without consuming resources.]
In simple terms, this was an Interstellar Farm, Ranch, Forestry Farm, and Fishery—all without any cost!
[Consume 400 System Points and 3 Task Points to exchange for the commodity 'T2 Bronze Eden-class Starship' Technical Blueprint?]
"Confirm."
[Congratulations on obtaining the 'T2 Bronze Eden-class Starship' Technical Blueprint]
[Remaining System Points: 700]
[Remaining Task Points: 5]
Zhao Chen immediately began reviewing the data for this starship.
As described in the introduction, the T2 Bronze Eden-class Starship was a Support-type Starship capable of interstellar travel. By utilizing nutrients converted from Cosmic Microparticles, it could infinitely cultivate agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries within the starship.
In simple terms, it could grow crops, raise livestock, and more without consuming any resources.
In fact, the Galactic Alliance has also researched this technology, but its cost-effectiveness far exceeds that of cultivating crops on planets, so it has never been commercialized or mass-produced.
However, Zhao Chen's situation is different.
The construction cost of a single T2 Bronze Eden-class Starship is only three million Star Coins!
In comparison, it might seem somewhat expensive.
After all, the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship only costs one and a half million Star Coins to build—a difference of twice the price!
The key point, however, is that the monthly crop production of a single T2 Bronze Eden-class Starship is equivalent to a market value of about one million Star Coins, with the exact amount depending on the types of crops cultivated.
And this production can meet the needs of at least one million people!
Calculating this way, building just five hundred T2 Bronze Eden-class Starships would eliminate the food crisis in the Fierce Dragon Star System!
Moreover, natural crop-based food has always been a hard currency in Interstellar Trade.
In the future, it could also become a significant part of the Fierce Dragon Star System's external Interstellar Trade.
This is also why Zhao Chen had long planned the second point he mentioned to Jiang Hong earlier.
This was his plan.
He aimed to achieve "food freedom"!