"But I've heard that the dwarves are actually very reluctant to join other stellar powers and prefer a more natural way of life. I don't want to force your people to work for me either." Zhao Chen put on a conflicted expression.
Annie immediately spoke up, "It's true that many dwarves don't like being bound by others, but most dwarves have one particular trait! They absolutely love to drink! Especially the adult dwarves! You know, in the current cosmic environment, food is extremely precious, let alone alcohol—it's a luxury far beyond fruits. As long as you, Commander, can satisfy their drinking needs once or twice a month, they'll definitely work for you wholeheartedly!"
After saying this, Annie looked quite pleased with herself.
"So, Annie, do you drink too?" Zhao Chen glanced at Annie. It was hard to imagine what this little loli would look like while drinking.
Annie swallowed, then placed her hands on her pants pockets, turning them inside out. "No money." Then, looking toward the dining area, she swallowed again and whispered, "And that alcohol is too expensive! Earlier... I didn't feel right asking you, Commander, to treat me. After all, you have your own meal allowance. It wouldn't be right to ask you to buy a bottle of alcohol for an ordinary craftsman like me, right~"
As she spoke, Annie put on a pitiful expression and let out a long sigh.
Beside her, Lilith struggled to hold back her laughter. She could see Annie's lowered head, her eyes constantly darting glances at Zhao Chen from the corner. How could Zhao Chen not know what this little girl was thinking?
"What kinds of alcohol do we offer now?" Zhao Chen asked Lilith.
Lilith quickly replied, "Currently, we only offer a small selection of fruit wines, such as beer, rice wine, grape wine, and bayberry wine."
"Actually, rice wine is pretty good," Annie nodded earnestly.
"Use my Food Allowance Standard to get a bottle of rice wine," Zhao Chen ordered directly.
Soon, a bottle of rice wine was brought to Annie. As she held it in her hands, Zhao Chen couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt, as if he were committing a crime.
"Earlier, you weren't willing to tell us which planet you came from. Now you're already planning to arrange jobs for your people?" Zhao Chen teased, looking at Annie.
Annie cradled the rice wine as if it were a treasure and said seriously, "To be honest, at first, I was worried about what you, Commander, were really like. But after these few months of interaction, I can fully trust you. Your radiance outshines even the stars, your charm surpasses the countless constellations, and even black holes pale in comparison to your allure..."
"Stop! Stop! No matter how much you praise me, you're only getting this one bottle today," Zhao Chen cut off Annie's exaggerated flattery.
Annie stuck out her tongue and this time spoke sincerely, "What I said first was true—you really are a good person, and you treat all of us Starship Crew members well. Beastmen, Succubi, and dwarves like me—you treat us all equally. You've kept every promise you made. So, I believe it's a wise choice for my people to follow you."
And I miss my family too. I want them to be able to sleep in clean, warm beds, to have full bellies every day, and not have to face all kinds of dangers just to survive!
So... Commander, I can vouch for their abilities and loyalty. Please, you must let them join your Fierce Dragon Fleet!"
After saying this, Annie actually put down the bottle of rice wine in her hand and saluted Zhao Chen.
In theory, this should have been a solemn moment, but seeing a dwarf loli barely over a meter tall, with grease still at the corner of her mouth, saluting you... Zhao Chen just couldn't take it seriously.
"Alright, alright, I understand what you mean.
Tell me, where is your people's planet located, and what's the population? I can dispatch a fleet to pick them up." Zhao Chen asked the key question.
Annie raised her hand and opened a star map—a massive one that included the Galactic Alliance and parts of the Mechanical Race's stellar territory.
Aside from these two major regions, there were also many gray areas.
"My planet is located here, but I'm not sure exactly which star system or which planet. However, if we go to that area and obtain a detailed star map from the locals, I can pinpoint the exact location." Annie pointed to a gray area on the cosmic star map.
Secretary Officer Lilith examined it closely and soon reported to Commander Zhao Chen, "This area is located within the Reef Starfield. The Reef Starfield is a star sector situated at the border between the Mechanical Race and the Stellar Glory Empire.
It is a very barren star sector, difficult to defend and easy to attack.
As a result, neither the Mechanical Race nor the Stellar Glory Empire is willing to take control of this region, and it has remained in a state of self-governance.
If we are to travel to this Reef Starfield using the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser, and assuming we cannot confirm whether there are Stargates available in the local star systems,
it would take approximately half a month."
Half a month one way, a full month round trip—that's not a short amount of time.
"How many of your people are there?" Zhao Chen inquired further.
Annie counted on her fingers, "On the planet where we live, there are about two hundred thousand dwarves.
Additionally, there are several other clans in our star sector. According to my father, there are three to five million people in total."
Three to five million people...
Even accounting for some elderly, weak, women, and children, there would still be at least two million able-bodied adults. If half of them are female, that's still a significant number.
And these are all Stellar Artisans!
Zhao Chen's eyes lit up as if he had seen gold.
We must go!
We absolutely must go!
At this moment, Zhao Chen had completely forgotten Governor Chu's earlier warning. As the saying goes, great wealth comes from great risks!
Moreover, Zhao Chen would be leaving the Stellar Glory Empire entirely this time, which actually made it less dangerous.
"However, there is a problem here. So many dwarves... although it's still uncertain how many we can actually take with us... but even if it's just tens of thousands, transporting them would be a major issue." Lilith raised a concern at this point.
Transporting dwarves would require some starships.
After all, relying solely on the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser, even at full capacity, could only carry a thousand people at most.
Faced with a dwarf population of hundreds of thousands, it would be completely insufficient.
"This is a problem, I'll think about it." Zhao Chen looked at Annie: "I need some time to prepare. When the time comes, I'll take you back to your home planet, and you'll be responsible for persuading your people to join us.
During this period, Captain Jenny has also mentioned that she lacks the capability to oversee the interstellar industrial ships. So, you will serve as the Deputy Captain for both interstellar industrial ships, helping them coordinate and arrange the construction plans during this time."
Annie nodded firmly: "Alright! Annie really wants to go home and see her family..."
Then, Annie blinked and looked at Zhao Chen: "Commander... does this count as an increase in workload and a promotion? Can my benefits and compensation be raised accordingly?"
A raise?
"This issue... I'll think about it when I get back." Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes.
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