Azur Lane Under the Stars

Page 534

“Your friends, why are you dumping them on me? I don’t want them,” said Duke Abruzzi. “I finally got a day off this afternoon.”

"This afternoon, Lord Littorio is enough," Littorio said with an air of undisguised confidence.

"Come on, you idiot. If it weren't for me and the commander this morning, where would you have taken them? Huh? The training ground? Or your so-called medal room? Or the Sardinian Empire's conference room?" Veneto said irritably.

"Are you brainless?" Duke Abruzzi was genuinely astonished.

“You’ll have to work hard this afternoon. Show Giuseppe around, with Littorio accompanying you. Veneto has things to do this afternoon, and I also have some work to do, but I’m worried about leaving Littorio alone…” Ren Shuo said.

Having briefly showcased his "talent" in the morning, the afternoon's task is to foster Giuseppe's familiarity with the port area, and the Duke of Abruzzi is undoubtedly the best choice.

"Alright, since the commander has said so, and besides, I'm not comfortable with Littorio either, let alone you guys," Duke Abruzzi shrugged.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm still here. Is it okay for you to say that? It's my image!" Littorio said, clearly displeased.

"Image? Are you sure you still have any image in front of me?" Ren Shuo asked with a half-smile.

Just kidding, ever since you found out what Littorio really is, what kind of image has you had? Your public persona has completely collapsed.

“Okay, I understand.” Littorio shrank back.

Veneto and Duke Abruzzi were very curious about what had happened to make Littorio so easily controlled by the commander.

Chapter 581 Mining? Salvaging a Ship!

"We'll see about Duke Abruzzi this afternoon." Ren Shuo and Veneto sat facing each other in Veneto's room, drinking tea.

"Commander, I don't understand why you're not here with me. Isn't this a great opportunity to build goodwill?"

Veneto couldn't quite understand Ren Shuo's actions.

Ren Shuo, however, said: "That's because you lack experience in salvaging ships. It's the first day I've met them. As long as I leave a good impression for a while, that's enough. If I keep getting close to them, it's just to tell them that I'm a commander with ulterior motives."

"Then, after I left, she was able to relax her guard a little. In addition, Duke Abruzzi was initially unwilling to take people for a stroll at noon, but he agreed after I spoke up. This further dispelled her vigilance."

"Littorio is Giuseppe's friend, so he was more relaxed. And since the Duke of Abruzzi is his sister, there was bound to be some closeness between them. So, over time, she would mention me a few times, which helped me get to know her indirectly."

"This is called subtly winning someone over and building goodwill; it doesn't necessarily mean I have to follow them around 24 hours a day."

Ren Shuo said with great pride.

Veneto, feeling both confused and impressed, clapped his hands and said, "Commander is amazing!"

Ren Shuo, hands on hips: "That's right!"

This method was devised by their own ship salvage team, including Amagi, Jintsu, Frederick the Great, Belfast, and Zhenhai. It has an efficiency rate of up to 60%.

"So, we can just stay here this afternoon and show our faces in front of people every day."

“This is going to be a long and protracted war,” Ren Shuo said.

“But Commander, have you considered that they’re on a tour and might leave at any time?” Veneto asked, puzzled.

Ren Shuo's hand, which was holding the teacup, suddenly froze.

…………

At this moment, another world.

"How is the mining progressing?" Frederick the Great sat regally in his chair, his desk in front of him covered with various mining data and reports.

"Well, we've already mined almost half of the underwater deposits. It should be finished in a few more days. I just don't know how things are going in New Jersey."

Gneisenau glanced at the report, pushed up his glasses, and said.

"Never mind that over there... But this new mining machine is really fast! How long has it been, and it's almost finished?"

Frederick the Great remarked.

Gneisenau nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, with the previous mining technology, it would probably have taken one or two years to finish mining. This has shortened the time by more than a factor of ten."

"So Akashi's oft-repeated statement, 'Science and technology are the primary productive forces,' is absolutely correct."

Frederick the Great laughed.

"Who says otherwise... Okay, let's stop talking. I'm going to check if any Sirens or humans are approaching."

"Well, hard work."

On the other hand, New Jersey, unlike Frederick the Great, didn't sit up straight and was lounging in a deckchair, looking rather bored.

"Can't you be a little more motivated?"

Georgia, who worked with her, was somewhat speechless.

"No! I'm telling you, no! I haven't seen the Commander for days! I'll die if I don't see the Commander!"

This silly rabbit from New Jersey is throwing a little tantrum.

"What do you mean 'a few days'? Didn't we just see each other the day before yesterday?" Georgia said, exasperated.

Ever since this guy got the Oath Ring, he has gradually evolved in the direction of Taihou. This is a classic case of Commander dependency.

"I don't care, I don't care!" New Jersey threw a tantrum.

"You rascal... just hang in there for two more days, and you'll see the Commander, then you can go back." That was all Georgia could do to comfort him.

"Waaaaah, New Jersey is just too miserable." New Jersey lamented to himself.

You think you're so bad? Look at Taihou, the Commander didn't take her out, the Commander went home, Taihou was forced to go out, and now that Taihou is back, I reckon the Commander will come here to check on us again.

Georgia thought to herself that no one dared to tell Taihou about this yet, since Taihou was counting down the days until she could go back and receive a loving hug from the Commander.

If Da Feng finds out, she won't be able to make a scene, but as Da Feng's partner, poor Niu Niu will have to be Da Feng's punching bag.

Niu Niu is so cute, how could you bear to hurt her?

The offshore oil extraction site where Taifeng is located.

Da Feng stared wide-eyed at the clock in front of her, muttering to herself.

"In 36 hours, 28 minutes, and 10 seconds, I'll be home to see my Commander~"

"Dafeng! Can you come and help me? Niu Niu, Niu Niu is too busy!"

Kashino looked at the mountain of data reports and situation reports in front of him, and felt like crying.

A huge slime was placed on the table, which was very magnificent and spectacular. It was indeed the number one slime in the port area.

I'm already exhausted, my shoulders are sore and aching, and now I have to work overtime like this. They're really pushing their luck.

Then there's Da Feng, who's partnered with him, and she's completely distracted from work. Poor Niu Niu.

"Don't make a sound. Taihou is trying her best to convey her feelings to the Commander."

Daihou glared fiercely at the gentle Kashino, who immediately whimpered and dared not speak.

"Hehehe... Commander~" Taihou pulled out a secretly taken photo and laughed very unrestrainedly.

…………

"Phew, it's almost finished. Thanks to the help of the Manjuu and the Commander Meows."

On a deserted island, towering walls rose up, and the scene inside resembled a bustling construction site.

Akashi was holding a large construction drawing in his hand and wearing an oversized yellow hard hat on his head, which made him look somewhat comical.

Behind them, the Manjuu and the Commander Cats are working very hard, carrying bricks.

"In that case, we can probably move in as soon as the furniture from St. Louis arrives."

Yubari also walked over with a "tap tap tap" sound.

"However, it's just a temporary residence, why make it as large as a normal port area... Although it can't compare to our own port area, it still costs money."

The stingy Mingmiao felt her heart bleeding; she wished she could have kept all that money.

St. Louis, they have so much money they don't know what to do with it, humph.

"Hehe, sometimes the master stays here for a few days, so it's important to make it as comfortable as possible. Besides, it's not your money, so why are you so worried?" Yubari said with a grin.

"That's true, but it still hurts my heart." Akashi was still very conflicted.

"I'm not saying anything more, I'm going to supervise the construction."

Akashi twitched her cat ears, trying to ease her inner pain with busy work.

"Hmm, I wonder how far Master has progressed in his strategy for conquering the research ship..."

Yubari hugged his tail to his chest and stared blankly at the construction site in front of him.

…………

"Hahaha, so Zhenhai, you really are a remarkable person! I never expected that someone as gentle and weak as you would actually be a martial arts expert!"

Binjiang's hearty laughter echoed from an office in the Maritime Safety Administration.

The two sat facing each other, each with a cup of fragrant tea in front of them. Although Binjiang didn't like the taste and found it bitter, preferring alcoholic beverages, he couldn't very well ask his guests to drink with him.

Zhenhai casually leaned back on the sofa used for receiving guests and said, "Don't all the ship girls of Donghuang know some Donghuang martial arts to some extent?"

Even Hai Tian, ​​who looks the least refined and gentle in the port area, wields a nine-section whip with great skill and flair.

"I thought Ninghai and Pinghai were invincible, but I didn't expect you, their older sister, to be even more valiant than them," Binjiang exclaimed. "This makes me even more curious about Yixian's skills. You're saying she's stronger than you?"

Zhenhai nodded: "Yes, but Yixian generally doesn't like to take action; she prefers needlework."

"That does suit Yi Xian's personality... By the way, is what you said true? If I join your port, I can fight every day?"

Binjiang asked slyly.

"Of course, and the kickboxing in Maryland, the boxing in Prince Adalbert... they're all top-notch, so you can have a great time then."

"That's great! I'll go back to the port area with you then... By the way, you're capable of going back, right?" Binjiang was very excited.

“Of course, would I lie to you?” Zhenhai said. “Donghuang Ship doesn’t lie to Donghuang Ship.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to your commander directly once he arrives,” Binjiang said.

"By the way, since you're all preparing to join our port area, I have a few questions for you." Zhenhai became serious.

"You ask? I know exactly what to do. I know I should bring a gift," Binjiang said cheerfully.

"Although it may be a bit rude, I still have to ask, what kind of experience do you have? It seems like I climbed over the wall so easily."

Now that both sides have already spoken frankly, and all that's left is to meet the commander so they can be considered sisters, Zhenhai asked directly.

"Well, I know that I'm not a ship girl from this world."

Binjiang began to recount what had happened to him.

"When I was first born, I encountered a swarm of sirens, and I couldn't defeat them. As a result, the sirens didn't sink me. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, was small in stature. He said something about lacking variables or something that I didn't understand, and then he threw me into this world."

"I was almost taken back by those guys who wanted to find ship girls as weapons of war, but then I was rescued by a senior ship girl. After I recovered from my injuries, I hope I can guard this area."

"Then I lived a relatively peaceful life, just eating, sleeping and fighting Sirens. The open and covert struggles outside had nothing to do with me. I only knew how to protect the city and the people behind me. But... one day, that senior also died in the infighting and conspiracy of humans."

"Then, I lost all hope in this world. I stayed here only to repay the kindness of that senior and because I couldn't go back to my original world. Now, hearing how wonderful your world is, I have a better choice. I've been in this world for almost 30 years and have nurtured quite a few ship girls. I guess I've repaid the kindness. So I can leave whenever I want."

His benefactor is gone, he doesn't belong to this world, the world is in a mess, and he already knew this world would eventually perish... all these factors combined make it impossible for Binjiang to feel a sense of belonging to this world.

Zhenhai listened silently. She knew the reasons, the decisions, and even the disappointment behind it all. They probably weren't as nonchalant as Binjiang was making them out to be. But since he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't be foolish enough to reopen old wounds. So she offered some comfort:

"The days ahead will be great. Our world can be described as a paradise for us ship girls."

"Hehe, as long as there's good wine, good food, and a good opponent, then it's paradise for me." Binjiang chuckled.

"There's something else I need your help with..." Zhenhai whispered in Binjiang's ear.

Binjiang listened, his expression shifting between strange and excited. He nodded vigorously, patting his soft chest, and said, "Leave it to me. But only that guy is here for a while. The rest of them will probably be gone for some time. Only one or two will be difficult to deal with; the rest will be easy to handle."

Zhenhai said with a smile, "Then I'll leave it to you."

…………

After an afternoon of sightseeing, Giuseppe was very eager to visit the Duke of Abruzzi.

Look, she has a better figure than me, and her demeanor is that of a dignified and elegant person in a position of power, which I admire. Plus, she's nominally my older sister...

It can be said that, under the deliberate guidance of the Duke of Abruzzi, in just one afternoon, the person Giuseppe now respects most has changed from the big sister to the Duke of Abruzzi, whom she has only known for one afternoon.

The sister bonus is terrifyingly powerful. Moreover, those who can serve as secretary ships are all seasoned ship spirits who have already been trained. Controlling a younger sister is a piece of cake for them.