Azur Lane Under the Stars

Page 508

Ren Shuo was still very happy to see the girls performing on stage with sparkling eyes below.

Look, this is our daughter.

To be honest, it was originally said that the judges would be responsible for scoring, but then they said it was unfair, and since everyone had seen it, everyone should score together for it to be fair.

So, having no other choice, Akashi and Yubari had to come up with a voting device so that everyone could vote and score to choose their favorite stage play.

Originally, after the scoring, the rankings would have already been determined, but now, that's not necessarily the case.

Moreover, the result in Ren Shuo's hand was somewhat unexpected.

It's not that the rankings have changed; it's that they're completely different from before.

Of course, it's possible that some players gave high scores to support their own faction, but it's impossible that someone deliberately gave low scores to other factions in order to secure a victory for their own faction.

After all, we're all family, so there's no need for such backstabbing... except, of course, when it comes to the commander.

Ren Shuo cleared his throat and spoke amidst the anticipation of the crowd: "Ahem... Finally, as is customary, we'll first announce the faction in the center..."

The Royal Navy, Sardinian Empire, and Sakura Empire factions are in the middle range, meaning their rankings have changed slightly, but the others haven't changed much and are all in this middle position.

The girls from these different camps were quite happy, had fun, and were accepting of the final result.

However, the changes at the beginning and end were quite significant, and the girls in the remaining three camps were on tenterhooks.

Saratoga, especially among the White Eagles, prayed frantically in his heart, hoping for a miracle.

After all, if the original rankings were followed, his own faction would have collapsed entirely because of his unauthorized changes to the lines.

I hope the sisters who voted will use rat tail juice.

Ren Shuo looked at the girls in the three conflicting camps below and felt that his perverse sense of humor had been satisfied.

"So, who is the second place winner? Who is she...?"

With this heart pounding, if the commander hadn't announced it here, even if you were Belfast or Amagi, we would all risk being hunted down by the Sakura Empire or the Royal Navy and getting a good beating.

But Commander, never mind, I'm afraid I'll just be asking for trouble.

However, the three factions that were struggling with their decision were eager to fight. So what if they got beaten up? It was no big deal. If they could get a cross-shaped brace in return, it would be worth it.

Tiancheng, who was behind him, also felt the resentful gazes from below the stage. Looking at Ren Shuo, who was like a big kid, he stepped forward and whispered a reminder: "Master, stop playing around."

If you keep playing like this, something bad is going to happen.

Ren Shuo readily agreed: "Then, let's congratulate everyone from White Eagle on the second place!"

"Wuhu! We're taking off!"

The girls from White Eagle cheered. Although they weren't number one, they had still done very well, especially considering that the judges' scores were the lowest.

What does it mean to make a comeback from a desperate situation?

Saratoga's reaction was the most intense.

Because that way, she wouldn't have to suffer her sister's beatings.

However, everyone was quite surprised.

After all, Ironblood and Iris of Freedom are left with only one first place and one last place.

Therefore, the girls from both camps became even more nervous.

The other girls were also whispering among themselves.

"Really? I think both Ironblood and Iris of Freedom are pretty good."

"Not necessarily, everyone has their own preferences."

"I really like the stage plays of Iron Blood. I feel like I've learned a lot, and the script is the best. Iron Blood should be number one."

"Indeed, the story of Free Iris... well, it's not that it's bad, it's just that I'm not used to familiar stories being turned into a medley..."

"Am I the only one who thinks the Iris of Liberty is great and suits my taste perfectly?"

"Me too! Me too!"

Amidst the whispers around him, Ren Shuo remained unmoved: "Let's announce the last place first... Let me make it clear, everyone was great, and I gave everyone a perfect score, proving that everyone is equally good to me. Besides, this isn't a formal competition, just an exchange activity, so don't be too discouraged. There are rewards for everyone from first to last."

After Ren Shuo said that, everyone relaxed a little. After all, ranking was secondary; what mattered most was the commander's approval.

Thumbs up gesture.jpg

Ren Shuo then announced, "It's a pity that the last place went to the Ironblood kids... Let's congratulate the girls from Free Iris!"

Cheers and screams came from Free Iris and Vichy Church, while Ironblood was somewhat helpless, but still generously offered their congratulations and applause.

"You Ironbloods are the last ones."

On the second floor, New Jersey bowed to Frederick the Great.

Frederick the Great, still smiling, said, "Ah, what a pity."

However, seeing Frederick the Great's eager smile, New Jersey said speechlessly, "But judging from your expression, you don't seem to be disappointed at all."

"That's just how this woman is. Every time she says she's so disappointed, she can't wait to comfort her 'children.' Or rather, this woman can't wait for her children to fail so they can run into her arms and cry. It's really awful."

Hutten showed Frederick the Great no respect whatsoever, and said...

Frederick the Great remained noncommittal: "Then I'll take my leave?"

Hutten gestured with his lip: "You're too late. Look, the commander has already started comforting them."

Frederick the Great was now genuinely disappointed: "Is that so..."

Down below the stage, Ren Shuo went to the group of Z-Drive destroyers and, seeing their low spirits, patted each of their heads.

"That's already very good. You all did an excellent job. I'm very satisfied."

"But we're still in last place." Z23 pursed his lips, looking somewhat upset.

“Competitions and events always have a sequence, and besides, the scores between you are actually not that different,” Ren Shuo said.

“Really?” Z23 asked.

"Really, and actually, it's not that your performance was bad, it's just that the subject matter you chose was a bit off."

Ren Shuo said, "Z23, you're also a teacher, you should know how serious it is to go off-topic when writing an essay, right?"

Z23 nodded: "I know... but what does it have to do with this?"

Ren Shuo explained, "Look, as I said, this stage play was inspired by fairy tales, which is why we came up with the idea for this play, remember?"

Z23 said, "I remember... Could it be?"

"Yes, you're putting on a historical drama on a fairy tale stage. It should have been a light and fun activity, but you've turned it into something very serious and earnest. That's why people feel there's a contrast, and that's why they think yours isn't very good."

Z23 said helplessly, "So that's how it is..."

"So there's no need for you to be discouraged. Even though you went off-topic, the fact that you still got a score that's not much different from other scripts is already the greatest compliment to your performance."

"I understand! Thank you, Commander!" Z23 said, regaining her spirits.

"Thank you, Commander!" The other Z-Destroyers, led by Z1 and Z23, also expressed their gratitude.

Z46 remained silent, not saying a word. In her mind, she was already a married ship, so why should she ask for thanks? She was family, so she didn't need to be polite.

If the commander can't get over the decision to push him away, he can just pack up Z23 and give it to the commander.

Z46 squinted at Z23's curvaceous figure, assessing the feasibility.

Z23 shuddered, wondering who was talking about it.

After a brief celebration, Ren Shuo returned to the stage. The rankings were settled, but there was also a reward.

Ren Shuo determined the rewards based on the participants from each camp, without considering rankings or the value of the gifts, only whether they were suitable.

"Let me make this clear first, the gifts I'm going to announce next won't be ranked. I'll just give them to whoever comes to mind."

Ren Shuo said, "Then let White Eagle go first. This gift was proposed by Lexington, and I think it's alright."

"Anchorage is a custom-made princess dress, then Spence and the two Santiagos are a snack gift pack, Littorio's merits and demerits cancel each other out... Big Bluefin and Saratoga... Thirty-eight sets of ship girl exam papers!"

"What is that?!"

Compared to the overjoyed others, the mackerel and Saratoga were furious. This wasn't a reward; it was practically persecution!

"Ahem... Go tell that to your sister Lexington... I was just a messenger." Ren Shuo disclaimed responsibility without batting an eye, as if he wasn't the one who had previously expressed agreement.

The main problem is that these two kids are too unruly, so there's no other way but to discipline them a little like this.

Otherwise, things would really get out of hand.

So, under Lexington's brutal suppression, the two brats could only "happily" express how much they liked the gift.

"And then there's... Ironblood, Z23, what you want, Bismarck has already said: expand the library, and also expand the Z-Drive's activity room."

Although it was the last one, the gift looked better than the ones before it.

All I can say is that this time, the gifts and rewards weren't about being expensive or not, but about choosing the right ones.

"Mutsuki-class, you guys said you wanted to build a candy shop? No problem... Just go find Akashi and St. Louis then."

"The Sardinian Empire... You guys really have an endless supply of pasta."

Agreed, agreed, and still agreed.

In short, Ren Shuo approved all of these reward requests.

Many of the girls watching were kicking themselves, wishing they had participated too.

Who knows, my ambitions might just come true.

"If I had known, I would have joined too. Maybe the commander would have agreed to let me be the wedding ship."

Mikasa beat her chest and stamped her feet.

Nagato, with her hands behind her back and a stern, fox-like face, said, "I think it's unlikely. The Commander isn't the type to use something as a reward... probably."

Faced with the conversation between the two powerful figures from Sakura Empire, Jiang Feng tried to minimize his presence.

I had a good time at the time, but then Mikasa and Nagato teased me for days, and I was exhausted from doing commissions for many days. I even had to start clearing content after a long period of stagnation... and then they made me lead a unicorn in the back row, can you believe it?

If the unicorn hadn't undergone the modification and activated its annihilation mode, it probably would have gotten a beating and then had Empres go to the arbitration body to bail it out.

Is this the Sakura Empire leader who always claims he wouldn't use his position for personal revenge? This is quite laughable.

The girls from Free Iris also got what they wanted.

Triumphant return with a full set of knightly attire and accessories, plus a set of expensive red tea.

The evil part is a large amount of snacks and soft drinks, plus a week of paid leave as a reward.

Shen Tong got what he wanted: the jade pendant and folding fan, as well as the jade chessboard and chess pieces.

As for the remaining three—Advanced, Xiafei, and Unyielding—to be honest, Ren Shuo was at a loss.

The three girls were too embarrassed to ask for anything expensive, and he felt awkward giving them something to get rid of them, since he had made quite good progress in salvaging the ship these past few days.

"How about we give you a set of equipment?" Tiancheng said.

“We already gave away one set because of the Royal Ark incident,” Ren Shuo shook his head. “Let’s think about it again.”

"Then just invite them to join the port area. That way, they should be more comfortable asking for things they want, right?"

Ren Shuo felt a little guilty: "But I'm not really confident about this."

“Let’s take them out to sea, try patrolling, try sniping the mass-produced sirens,” Amagi thought. “They long for the sea, but haven’t they never been there because of the old nun’s worries?”

"With us protecting you, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

Ren Shuo's eyes lit up: "That's good, I'll go ask them."

After finding Xiafei and the other two and explaining his idea, Ren Shuo could tell that they were very interested, but for some other reason, they were still very hesitant.

"How about this, I'll take you to see Her Excellency the Sister and ask her. If she agrees, what will you say?"

Xiafei said, "If the nun agrees, we would certainly be happy to."

"Then it's settled. Let's rest for a day first, and tomorrow we'll go see the old nun." Ren Shuo smiled.

The event concluded successfully, and everyone left the lecture hall in small groups, still talking about it with great interest.

It seems that everyone is quite satisfied with this event.

"We should organize more events like this in the future; everyone is having so much fun," Ren Shuo said.

“Indeed… but if we visit tomorrow morning, would you like me to come with you?” Belfast said.