Chapter 353: Maneuvers of the Celestial Fleet

Apart from unraveling the mysteries of the Civilization Bastion, another matter urgently demands careful consideration.

This is how Heaven Realm I should maneuver.

Heaven Realm I is currently undergoing replacement of its latest Fusion Engine module—a process estimated to take about 15 days.

Its current location is 173 astronomical units from Earth, positioned beneath the Ecliptic, in an area completely devoid of significant asteroids or large meteorites.

This means Heaven Realm I cannot replenish its resources locally; it relies entirely on the supplies it carried when it first departed.

However, due to the hasty departure, its resources were extremely limited, and even the variety of supplies was insufficient.

Once the new energy engine module is installed, no major construction projects can be undertaken.

Although the Tur Fleet hasn’t forcefully entered the Solar System, that doesn’t mean they lack the capability to do so.

Therefore, Heaven Realm I must never be recalled.

Du Qiu’s plan is to ramp up development on the Ninth Planet and transport its resources to Heaven Realm I.

Before that, Heaven Realm II—carrying ample supplies of various resources—is already en route, designated as the first phase of resupply.

Heaven Realm II is an optimized design based on Heaven Realm I, featuring not only the latest Fusion Engine module but also a complete upgrade to a state-of-the-art silicon-aluminum-titanium ternary alloy hull.

This new material is far more robust than the previous silicon-aluminum alloy, discovered by Du Qiu in the Navigators’ database as a mass-producible hull material.

Most importantly, with such a durable hull and the boost from the new Fusion Engine, its maximum speed is dramatically enhanced.

While Heaven Realm I—despite its engine replacement—can only reach 8,000 kilometers per second, Heaven Realm II can hit 15,000 kilometers per second.

Such a sturdy vessel can soar at high speeds without fear of countless tiny meteorite impacts, making it ideal for ultra-long-distance interstellar travel.

Heaven Realm II now houses a substantial population—over six million—since the space fleet recruited more than one million individuals, each with an average of four to five immediate family members.

In contrast to the 11 million aboard Heaven Realm I, this nearly 50% reduction means more resources can be allocated per person.

Du Qiu was only familiar with the warships of the Dominant Civilization; that civilization in Dreamland is already at level six, on the verge of level seven, with ships capable of powerful spatial jumps.

During ultra-long interstellar voyages, if resources are needed, a few spatial jumps will reliably bring them to a solar system where resupply is possible.

Thus, when Du Qiu was learning to build a space fleet, he had no proper reference and overlooked these supporting measures.

Dream Technology’s current level of civilizational technology is extremely uneven; if measured, it barely qualifies as a level three civilization.

However, Du Qiu’s flagship—barely a mid-level four—lacks the critical superluminal capability, leaving resource resupply on ultra-long interstellar voyages as a major problem.

For this reason, Dream Technology’s fleet must build auxiliary warships, and the construction of large transport ships has now become a top priority.

Regarding the design of these large transport ships, Du Qiu isn’t worried; he has already entrusted the task to Director Hao of the Warship Design Institute.

Currently, Dream Technology’s warships and spacecraft exhibit a marked generational gap; if they travel together on long voyages, serious issues will arise.

For instance, the first batch of 20 frigates had a top speed of only 3,000 kilometers per second, while Heaven Realm I, after its new engine upgrade, can reach 8,000 kilometers per second.

Yet Heaven Realm II can hit 15,000 kilometers per second, the main battle ship tops out at 18,000 kilometers per second, and the latest frigates have been boosted to 20,000 kilometers per second.

As for the Wyvern Fighters, the first generation had a maximum speed of 3,000 kilometers per second with 300,000 units produced, whereas the second generation—of which 200,000 were built—can reach an astonishing 30,000 kilometers per second, about one-tenth the speed of light.

Thus, if new and old generation vessels are mixed on long voyages, especially in evacuation scenarios, significant challenges will arise.

After extensive discussion, the final plan is to swiftly construct Heaven Realm III and transfer personnel and supplies from Heaven Realm I to it.

As for the first-generation transport ships, frigates, and Wyvern Fighters, they will be consolidated near Mars and the Moon, integrated into the Earth Frigate Fleet as Earth’s final line of defense.

Currently, the construction cycle for Heaven Realm-class vessels is a mere two months.

Rin Feng’s Earth Frigate Fleet has cracked down on and cleansed Earth, resulting in remarkable order and harmony on the planet.

The board has unanimously decided to exchange the first-generation fighters with nations that have shown outstanding performance, while also authorizing the exchange of some technologies from Heaven Realm I.

This approach will reclaim existing semi-finished resources to accelerate construction of current warships and fighters, while also giving Earth’s populace renewed hope.

Previously, during the frantic retreat of Heaven Realm I, it was impossible to evacuate any citizens due to the sudden and emergency nature of the situation.

Now, with the timing of the Tur Fleet’s entry into the Solar System uncertain, capable nations are encouraged to build manned spacecraft so that, if the Tur Fleet does break in, more lives can be saved.

Du Qiu is confident in this strategy because Dream Technology’s fleet has already undergone a generational update—a gap that is only set to widen further.

With this progress, Dream Technology is poised to lead Earth’s technological development and won’t fall short of its own ambitions.

Yet Du Qiu remains dissatisfied with Dream Technology’s current space warships, believing their overall level still falls short of mid-level four.

Firstly, they lack the electromagnetic shield technology typical of a level three civilization; secondly, they are missing the superluminal capability expected of level four warships.

Of these, shield technology is more basic, or put differently, it has a lower threshold—merely matching a civilization’s level.

At the level three stage, electromagnetic shield technology is sufficient, but upon reaching level four, it should be upgraded to energy shields that match that higher level.

At level five, spatial shield technology arrives; at level six, dimensional shields come into play.

At level seven, multi-layer composite shield technology is developed.

This is what Du Qiu recently discovered from the Navigators’ database. He initially assumed that the flagship’s primary shield was a standard energy shield.

After reviewing the database, he realized it was actually an energy shield enhanced with dimensional control.

Unfortunately, the database only provided basic principles without the corresponding manufacturing techniques, leaving Du Qiu yearning for the distant Base 11.

Of course, he is even more captivated by the Ge Ya Civilization motherships’ space weaponry, which can concentrate fire to obliterate Dominant Civilization motherships.

Clearly, the Ge Ya Civilization has a unique understanding of space, evident in both their astonishing Civilization Bastion and their immensely powerful spatial weapons.

After the board meeting, Du Qiu immediately convened a series of sessions with major research institutes, assigning these two critical projects.

Although Professor Weitman had already begun research on superluminal travel, Dream Technology’s tradition is to assign each project to at least three separate research teams.

Du Qiu believes that, under the same principles, the innovative Earth scientists might devise alternative methods—yielding unexpected breakthroughs.

This strategy not only sharpens Dream Technology’s research teams but also fosters healthy competition, encouraging every scientist to maximize their creativity.

As for the extra two resource units consumed by the researchers, in the interstellar age it simply means ramping up the extraction and production of intelligent robots.

Such is the interstellar age—brimming with vast cosmic resources!

Not to mention the resources from the asteroid belt and the Kuiper Belt; even that newly discovered Ninth Planet boasts a variety of metallic and non-metallic resources rivaling those found on Earth.