"That... all the goods on the order have been delivered. If there's nothing else... I'll take my leave now..." The female manager cautiously glanced at Zhao Chen.
She didn't dare have any ulterior motives now—this man's background must be extraordinary.
He actually dared to refuse the invitation from that woman who didn't even give face to the Black Fox Society outside.
A character like this was not someone an ordinary woman like her could afford to provoke.
After Lilith saw the female manager out, she returned to Zhao Chen's side. Looking at the closed door behind them, she could faintly hear the sound of someone kicking the door, along with complaints and vibrations.
"That... are you really not going to engage with this Miss Chu?" Lilith inquired. "Her identity is quite extraordinary."
"You know her identity?" Zhao Chen looked at Lilith.
Lilith raised her hand, and a holographic projection displayed the image of the golden seal 'Chu' from earlier.
"After becoming your Secretary Officer, I used my spare time to familiarize myself with various intelligence about the Stellar Glory Empire.
Among that information was something about this Miss Chu.
Although there are no visual records of Miss Chu on the network, based on those detailed clues, her identity can be basically determined," Lilith explained.
Zhao Chen, who had been walking toward the T2 Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship, slowed his pace and gestured for Lilith to continue.
"The Arctic Fox System we are in is under the jurisdiction of the North Wind Star Domain, and the Governor of the North Wind Star Domain is Miss Chu Xuan's maternal grandfather, who holds the title of Imperial Duke.
Additionally, the Governor of the Chu River Star Sector, one of the eight major star sectors of the Stellar Glory Empire, is Miss Chu's paternal grandfather. He also holds the title of Imperial Duke and concurrently serves as the Empire's Five-Star Marshal!
Most importantly, this Miss Chu Xuan is Duke Chu He's only granddaughter! She has always been deeply cherished.
The Governor of the North Wind loves this granddaughter even more than his own grandsons.
She can truly be called the precious jewel of two star sector governors," Lilith said with a serious expression.
Two star sector governors—one her grandfather, the other her maternal grandfather.
This was enough to show how terrifying Chu Xuan's background was. No wonder even the Black Fox Society didn't dare to act recklessly, and she dared to openly challenge the lord of the Arctic Fox System to come find her if he had the guts.
"You think I should befriend her, right?" Zhao Chen said.
Lilith looked at the Captain with confusion, not understanding his meaning. Wasn't it obvious?
"The more prominent her identity, the further we should stay away from her.
Right now, what we need to do is develop discreetly. Although we have two starships that are top-tier at the T2 level, we are still very fragile when facing real enemies," Zhao Chen said calmly.
In truth, there was another reason: Zhao Chen didn't believe that the granddaughter of a duke would suddenly show such enthusiasm toward him. Where there is strangeness, there must be something amiss.
Moreover, with the secrets he carried growing increasingly numerous, who knew what might happen if he got too close to someone like her.
Naturally, it was best to stay as far away as possible.
"Understood," Lilith replied.
"The raw materials I ordered have all arrived. Our next task is to complete the construction of the T2 Black Rhinoceros-class interstellar heavy assault frigate by the end of the year," Zhao Chen said, his eyes gleaming with determination.
If Chu Xuan, who was currently blocked outside the door, knew that her charm couldn't even compare to a T2 Star Escort Ship, she would probably be so furious that she'd want to challenge Zhao Chen to a showdown.
"What's with this guy, can't he even recognize who I am? I, the young lady, invite him to a meal, and he actually doesn't give me face?" Chu Xuan stood with her hands on her hips, shedding her previous dignified demeanor as a female officer, somewhat losing her composure.
The female aide beside her covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Young Miss, you couldn't possibly have fallen for this gentleman, could you?"
"Pah, pah, pah! We've only met a few times. How could I possibly like him? And he's such a clueless straight guy. Me, like him? Unless my head gets hit by a starship when I step out the door!" Chu Xuan huffed angrily, rolling her eyes.
"Then why did you come all the way to the Arctic Fox Starport? Was it really just to invite him to a meal and get to know him?" the female aide asked skeptically.
Chu Xuan calmed her emotions and looked at the door, as if she could see Zhao Chen's figure inside. "I had someone look into that starship called the Zero Blizzard. There's no record of it anywhere. Even the other carrier starship has no records. I even expanded the search beyond the Stellar Glory Empire, but still couldn't find any matching starship types."
Squinting her eyes, Chu Xuan said seriously, "That leaves only two possibilities. First, he has a very secretive purchasing channel and bought these two starships from a vendor we don't know about. Second, these two starships weren't bought by him—he designed and built them himself!"
"He designed and built them himself? How is that possible? Although T2 starships are only semi-military grade, they aren't something just anyone can design and manufacture," the female aide questioned this answer.
"I don't believe it either, which is why I want to investigate. If it's the former, we can use this channel to purchase a batch of these incredibly powerful starships. If it's the latter, then he's a talent. If we can recruit him for our Chu Family, it will definitely enhance our family's strength. The situation in the Stellar Glory Empire is very complicated right now. We must seize any opportunity to strengthen our Chu Family."
After saying this, Chu Xuan shot her aide a glare. "You didn't really think I was just a big-chested, airheaded romantic chasing after a man, did you?"
"I never thought that," the female aide quickly shook her head, though her eyes weren't entirely convincing. She then glanced at a certain area and muttered, "Besides, it's not exactly 'big-chested and airheaded.'"
Chu Xuan's lips twitched. "You little brat, how dare you tease me!"
"Reporting, Young Miss, there are communication requests from two dukes," Xiao Song walked over at that moment, projecting two communication request links via hologram.
"Hey, don't answer!" Before Chu Xuan could finish, Xiao Song had already connected.
Then, as if he didn't see the murderous look in the young miss's eyes, he turned and walked away.
The female aide nearby also tactfully stepped back.
Chu Xuan covered her face, and soon two all-too-familiar voices sounded in her ears.
"Precious granddaughter, are you alright? I heard a Level 2 Cosmic Insect Nest appeared near you, and you went into battle with just thirty starships?"
"Little Xuan! Are you hurt? I've already dispatched my fleet to support you!"
Two old men appeared in two separate video communication windows.
"You old bastard surnamed Feng, I told you before not to let Chu Xuan go to your place, and you swore to me that nothing would happen. Now look! Such a big incident has occurred.
If anything happens to my granddaughter, I'll tear your skull off!"
"Hey, you can't say that. Little Xuan came to her grandpa here because she was scared of being locked up by you.
And this time was completely an accident; I never expected Interstellar Zergs to appear.
But don't worry, Little Xuan is very safe now, absolutely no problems at all!"
"Precious granddaughter, you should come back quickly. Even if you really want to command a fleet at the grassroots level; our family has its own fleets. Whichever one you want, you can have it.
If that's not enough, Grandpa's Personal Guard Fleet will let you command it! The flagship is a renowned T4 Star Battleship! You really like it, don't you? It's yours!
I heard that at that old bastard's place, your flagship is just a T2 Starship!
That thing doesn't even have a star shield; what if something goes wrong?"
"In our North Wind Star Domain, although we don't have T4 starships, we do have T3 carrier starships! Those Stellar Fighters flying everywhere look so satisfying, and you don't even have to be on the front lines, much safer than any interstellar battleship.
I'll arrange it for Little Xuan right away; tomorrow our Little Xuan will be a Captain!"
Chu Xuan looked utterly miserable; it was precisely because she couldn't stand the 'smothering love' of these two old men that she ran away.
Now she could only temporarily set aside Zhao Chen's matter and first placate these two old men, promising them she would return to see them.
Otherwise, who knows what they might do.