"Don't listen to his nonsense, come in quickly." Chu Xuan glared at Zhao Chen and pulled Zhao Wan'er into the room.
Zhao Chen followed with a smile.
The room was very large, and upon entering, one saw a huge living room, easily two to three hundred square meters.
One side of the living room was a massive glass floor-to-ceiling window, and outside the window, one could overlook a huge, artistic open-air exhibition hall.
Dozens of Interstellar Warship were displayed as holographic projections, and many people were admiring them and discussing various matters.
"Wow..." Zhao Wan'er was startled by the sight.
"Isn't this an Imperial Military Procurement? Why are there so many people?" Zhao Chen asked.
Chu Xuan explained, "Although this is nominally an Imperial Military Procurement, at times like these, it's also a good opportunity for various Starship manufacturers to promote their Interstellar Warship.
Even those Interstellar Warship not selected by the Imperial Army might still receive several Starship orders here.
This is also why there are so many Interstellar Warship moored outside the Starport.
After all, if it were solely an Imperial Military Procurement, there would only be a dozen or so related factions involved, so how many people could possibly come?"
Upon hearing Chu Xuan's explanation, Zhao Chen understood the underlying meaning.
He overlooked the entire exhibition hall; most of the Interstellar Warship were T2 Interstellar Destroyers, with only a small number of t1 interstellar battleships and T3 Interstellar Warships.
One could tell which interstellar warship was the most popular by the crowds gathered around each display booth.
"Among this year's Imperial Military Procurement, the two most popular Interstellar Warship are actually two models.
One is the t1 wolf louse-class medium interstellar destroyer from Northern Goose Starship Technology Group. Although the Imperial Army has no intention of purchasing it, this interstellar warship is highly admired by various interstellar territories.
It is estimated that it can receive many Starship orders through this opportunity.
The other is the T2 Hyena-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer, which has consistently dominated the T2 Interstellar Destroyer bestseller list. It is said that Hurricane Conglomerate even specially developed a brand new model for this military procurement order, and they are determined to win this military Procurement Order.
Moreover, the members of the Military Procurement Committee are also very optimistic about this T2 Hyena, and it is highly likely that this T2 Interstellar Destroyer will be selected," Chu Xuan said.
Zhao Chen's lips curved slightly, and he thought to himself, "That's not necessarily true."
"What is the military procurement process like?" Zhao Chen asked.
Chu Xuan said, "It's simply that before the deadline, each Starship manufacturer displays the Interstellar Warship they intend to bid with, states their pros and cons, and their prices, and so on.
Finally, the members of the Military Procurement Committee vote to select the winning interstellar warship.
Then, the relevant military procurement order contract is signed."
"Is the entire process completely open?"
Chu Xuan thought for a moment: "Except for some privacy clauses in the subsequent signing of the agreement.
Most of it is public. This has been a tradition since the Starlight Empire was established. Except for some top-tier Starships that are directly negotiated privately with Starship manufacturers, as there isn't much choice for those types of Interstellar Warship.
However, information on some T3 Interstellar Warships and all T2 Interstellar Destroyers and t1 interstellar battleships is made public.
This rule was set by the First Emperor who established the Starlight Empire to prevent corruption and malpractice, which could lead to problems in the Starship research and manufacturing industry and prevent excellent Starship manufacturers without connections from getting the opportunities they deserve."
Hearing this, Zhao Chen couldn't help but marvel at how thoughtful and farsighted the Emperor who established the Starlight Empire truly was.
No wonder he was able to make the Starlight Empire one of the three major polities of the Galactic Alliance.
"So, when is the final decision made?" Zhao Chen asked.
"The time for finalizing each military procurement order is different. As of now, this military procurement has a total of twenty-seven different project procurement requirements.
The time span could be as long as one week to half a month," Chu Xuan introduced.
"When will the T2 Interstellar Destroyer order be finalized?" Zhao Chen asked the question he was interested in.
Chu Xuan raised her hand and opened an electronic document, which contained detailed information about the military procurement exhibition.
"The T2 Interstellar Destroyer military procurement order project will be finalized on October 5th, as its order value is very large, making it a key military procurement order.
Although everyone implicitly believes that Hurricane Conglomerate's T2 Hyena will definitely win the bid.
The necessary procedures still need to be followed," Chu Xuan said.
October 5th, that's not long from now, only about a week.
"You seem very interested in Hurricane Conglomerate?" Chu Xuan asked curiously.
"After all, they were very hospitable to me before. I'm someone who never forgets 'old friends'," Zhao Chen said with a slight smile.
Chu Xuan continued, "You and Wan'er will stay here for the next two days. There are many rooms here, you can pick any you like.
During this time, I will accompany you to see the Interstellar Warship exhibition. You can also see if there are any Starship technologies you are interested in. If there's anything that can help with your... that, tell me, and our Chu family will find a way to get it for you."
The Chu family placed great importance on T4 starship technology.
Zhao Chen nodded, shrugged, and said, "I'm treating this as a vacation. My little sister-in-law and I will listen to you."
"Are you ever going to stop?" Zhao Wan'er grabbed a pillow from the nearby sofa and threw it at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen easily caught it.
Chu Xuan was now immune to Zhao Chen's words. She rolled her eyes and continued, "There's another important matter in between, which is a banquet three days from now.
Many high-ranking officials of the Starlight Empire and large conglomerates will attend, and the little princess will also be present."
The little princess!
Zhao Chen and Zhao Wan'er's eyes lit up.
Zhao Wan'er excitedly said, "Will my elder sister be there too?"
"I remember your Zhao family's eldest sister serves in the little princess's Royal Guard Fleet, right? But I'm not sure about the specific details.
You can try your luck then," Chu Xuan said.
Elder sister...
Zhao Chen felt a bit of anticipation at the thought of seeing his elder sister.
The figure in his memory was somewhat blurry now; he could only vaguely recall a silhouette.
"Then you two should rest first. If you need anything, you can just tell the smart assistant in the room," Chu Xuan said.
"Thank you, Sister Chu," Zhao Wan'er said sweetly.
This woman truly has one face in public and another in private. Before, when he mentioned Chu Xuan, she was inexplicably angry, but now she's calling her Sister Chu?
Zhao Chen glanced at Zhao Wan'er, and Zhao Wan'er happened to catch her older brother's gaze. Perhaps guessing what Zhao Chen was thinking, she stuck out her tongue at him.
This girl.
Zhao Chen no longer paid attention to Zhao Wan'er. He looked at the open-air exhibition hall outside the floor-to-ceiling window, where he saw that familiar interstellar warship and that graceful figure.
The stage has been set for you. Now, let me see how high you can climb.
