Azur Lane Under the Stars

Page 554

A golden submarine! Only a fool would disagree.

"Then, I'll trouble you to make a trip to the research lab then."

Rome felt somewhat apologetic.

"It's alright, it's all within the port area anyway," Ren Shuo said, indicating that he didn't care.

“From now on, we are truly sisters.” Veneto finally couldn’t maintain her aloof expression and approached Rome with a gentle smile.

Yay! I now have three sisters: Littorio, Empire, and Rome. And this newest sister seems pretty reliable.

Rome glanced at Veneto.

He said with some dissatisfaction, "Veneto, I've heard about what you did in the port area. Repent."

Veneto: "?"

"You have been terribly derelict in your duty as flagship; you are about to tarnish the glory of the Sardinian Empire."

"So I've already discussed it with Duke Abruzzi. Once my strength is sufficient, I will be in charge of the Sardinian Empire's flagship in the port area," Rome said.

Veneto looked somewhat bewildered.

How come the moment a younger sister walks in, I'm suddenly usurped from power?

Meow meow meow?

Chapter 600: Leonardo da Vinci in Scientific Research

When Rome and Veneto returned to the port, the welcoming ceremony was already prepared.

Veneto raised his glass somewhat blankly throughout.

Because this happened so suddenly.

The welcoming ceremonies of Rome and Giuseppe, as well as the inauguration ceremony of the Sardinian Empire's flagship, were all held together in this banquet.

As for Leonardo da Vinci, that child...

To be honest, after returning, Giuseppe did try to call them, but their research was at a critical stage, so they just casually told Giuseppe, "You guys eat, don't worry about me," and sent him away.

Giuseppe had no choice but to return to the scene and start singing and dancing with everyone.

During this time, several newcomers to the Sardinian Empire, created by Ren Shuo, expressed that they were very interested in ballet, stage plays, and the like.

As a result, Rome and Giuseppe gained a few more students.

The next day, Ren Shuo was called over again because of the resignation issues of Binjiang and Brest in that world, and he helped them pack their things.

After completing his research project, Giuseppe was completely numb.

Where is the commander? Wasn't he supposed to come the next day to receive his oath? Why isn't he here?

Does that mean they don't want me anymore?

Or are you angry?

Da Vinci was starting to panic.

It was only after Veneto told Ren Shuo that he had to attend to some important matters that he was able to calm Da Vinci down, who was on the verge of tears. Otherwise, Da Vinci would have really become withdrawn.

But things aren't much better now; I'm huddled under my blankets, shivering.

…………

Ren Shuo had already arrived in Binjiang and Brest.

"Oh, Commander, good morning."

"Good morning, my hero!"

Binjiang and Brest greeted Ren Shuo.

"Hello... but why does your maritime bureau need me, the commander, to intervene in your resignation?" Ren Shuo said, somewhat puzzled.

In her world, it wasn't the first or second time that a girl had left the Maritime Bureau. Even when George V left, he simply handed over his work and then went with her. She didn't really show up much during the whole process.

What are we doing here? Do we need to submit an application?

"Actually, it's not really about submitting an application. It's just that the situation here is quite special, and we're worried that the ship girls might be threatened, so this step came about."

Binjiang said.

"Ship girls can be threatened?" Ren Shuo was stunned.

"In your society, a commander will have multiple ship girls, so when they go out, they will be accompanied by ship girls. Here, it is common for a commander to have only one ship girl."

"So, there are always times when the ship girls aren't around. At those times, those so-called warlords and ambitious people will kidnap the commander or the ship girls' close friends and then threaten those ship girls to do things for them."

"Then isn't this inspection by the Maritime Safety Administration just superfluous? They've already tied people up." Ren Shuo didn't understand.

"This is the only way we can do it. And if you find out, it's easy to find out whose territory that area is, and then the maritime bureau will organize a rescue... Generally speaking, if someone is recognized, they won't kill the hostage or anything. Instead, they'll release the person on their own initiative."

Binjiang explained.

Brest added, "After all, if you're going to kill the hostage, nobody wants to face a full-scale attack from all the ship girls in the entire area."

That would be digging your own grave.

Ren Shuo could only reluctantly accept what was not a solution in this world.

"Okay, I'll go with you... You have to protect me then."

Ren Shuo was joking.

"Don't worry, with me, Binjiang, here, no one and no ship girl can lay a finger on you, Commander."

As soon as he finished speaking, Brest stepped forward, took Ren Shuo's hand, and then turned to Binjiang, saying, "Look, I've moved."

Binjiang: "..."

Are you trying to cause trouble?

After making a fuss for a while, the three of them went to the Maritime Bureau.

The director of the Maritime Safety Administration was a kind-looking old lady.

Unlike Ren Shuo's maritime bureau, which is entirely staffed by ship girls, the maritime bureau here has a mix of human and ship girls at the top, creating a system of checks and balances.

Ren Shuo politely said, "Hello, Director, I am the commander of Brest and Binjiang."

"You're so promising at such a young age; you've managed to snag both Brest and Binjiang."

The old lady said with a hint of helplessness, "These are some of the backbone of our team, and I'm really reluctant to part with them."

"What will happen to this defense line if you leave?"

Ren Shuo could only smile awkwardly, while Bin Jiang, on the other hand, propped his chin up with one hand and rolled his eyes.

"Don't give me that. We haven't been on the front lines for the past few years. The new recruits under the Maritime Safety Administration are already capable of handling things on their own. If it weren't for the fact that you refuse to pay our retirement pensions, we older ship girls would all want to retire and travel around."

The old lady wasn't annoyed. She shook her head and said, "You're still the same old you. Alright, the process is over. I'm not worried about you being scammed or anything."

"Then thank you very much for taking care of me over the years," Brest said softly.

"Yes, good, good." The old lady smiled kindly as always.

Binjiang was getting a little impatient: "Alright, alright, we've finished talking, we'll be leaving now."

"Wait... I'm sorry, excuse me, Director." Ren Shuo was pulled away by Binjiang and could only turn back to apologize.

The old lady continued to smile kindly, but after the group left, she slightly suppressed her smile and began to process the work documents in her hands.

"Binjiang, why did you suddenly leave?"

Ren Shuo was being led by Binjiang down the street, completely bewildered.

For some reason, he always felt that Binjiang disliked this old lady very much.

Brest explained, “My lord, please don’t blame Binjiang. To be honest, I don’t really want to deal with the director either.”

"why?"

"This world is different from yours. It's so chaotic. How many of those who can hold their positions are truly kind-hearted? Everyone has some dirty tricks up their sleeve."

Brest said.

Ren Shuo thought about it and agreed. Politics is a dirty thing, especially in the context of this world.

"Forget it, you won't need to worry about these things anymore anyway. Things are much better on our side. The Maritime Bureau is handled by the ship girls themselves."

Ren Shuo said with a smile.

"That's why we're willing to go with you, Commander," Binjiang said with a look of disgust. "Those things are so annoying, it's much more satisfying to just fight."

"Huh? Binjiang? And Brest? Where did you go? I didn't see you guys last night. And who is this?"

A clear, crisp sound rang out, and Ren Shuo and the others looked over and saw a person dressed very much like a Northern Alliance ship girl.

"Ah, it's Chkalov! You're back?" Binjiang greeted him happily. "How's work out there? Is it going well?"

"Things are going smoothly... What are you doing?" Chkalov asked.

Brest smiled gently, then suddenly hugged Ren Shuo's arm, a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

"This is my hero~ He's here to say goodbye to the Maritime Bureau~"

Chkalov, who was familiar with Brest, knew all too well what the "hero" she was referring to meant, and looked at Ren Shuo with a surprised expression.

"You found the commander already? So fast? I've only been gone a few days!"

“Time isn’t about how long it is, it’s about whether you’ve met the right person,” Brest said, uttering what seemed like a philosophical statement.

“That makes sense… Binjiang, you’re here to see Brest off? That explains why you weren’t in your rooms last night.” Chekalov suddenly realized.

Binjiang revealed a subtle smile: "Is it possible that I was also with Brest...?"

Chkalov was amused: "Impossible, absolutely impossible, you two were rescued? What kind of superhuman commander is this?"

Then, under Chekalov's somewhat stunned gaze, Binjiang said, "Commander, she said you're a god."

"Commander?!"

Chkalov's voice cracked slightly. You see, ship girls don't joke about commanders. If someone adds another person as their commander, it must come from their heart.

So...

My two roommates have really fallen for him?! Who is this guy anyway?!

Chekalov then took a closer look at Ren Shuo.

Hmm, good physique, very tall, handsome, and quite young. He also has a gentle and refined demeanor. However, his abilities remain to be verified...

No, no, no, there's no need for verification. Being able to get both of your friends is already pretty impressive.

"Do Plymouth and Prince Rupprecht know about this?" Chkalov asked.

"I don't know, why should I tell them?"

Brest looked somewhat displeased, which piqued Ren Shuo's curiosity.

Who is this person who can make Brest show such an expression?

Hmm, it seems like those two research ships were mentioned in the intelligence Binjiang gave us before? Never mind, I didn't look closely, I don't remember.

"Aren't you afraid that your commander will be targeted by Plymouth?" Chekalov asked.

“She dares!” Brest’s pointed ears perked up immediately.

Ren Shuo was surprised to learn that it could stand upright.

“Plymouth is easy to deal with, it’s just curiosity, but this prince… he’s really a handful.”

Binjiang is having a bit of a headache. Plymouth, although a bit... cunning?, is generally reasonable, at most just playing pranks on others.

But this Prince Rupprecht was simply a brat, completely unruly.

When she was first created, some clueless guys tried to deceive her into becoming their war machine. As a result, one guy went straight into their house and dismantled it. Although the ship girl blocking the way was not in any danger, she was restored to normal after being put into a canal.

However, those on the scene were all beaten so badly that they were missing limbs.

To put it simply, it was a scene of a mischievous kid and his husky wreaking havoc on the house.