Azur Lane Under the Stars

Page 498

“I don’t know either. Right now, only Gascon and Succouv are interested…” Richelieu said.

"How about we borrow someone? There's no rule against borrowing people, is there?" Louis IX suggested.

"That's possible... but they also need manpower, right? I guess each faction that wants to take the lead already has its own division of labor, so borrowing people isn't very realistic."

Richelieu shook his head. Did he really have to go himself in the end?

"...Then which church should we go to?" Louis IX suddenly had an idea.

“Over there? It’s not impossible…” Richelieu said thoughtfully. “Let’s bring the Commander with us. Those kids have met the Commander several times already, so let’s have them formally introduce themselves this time.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Louis IX agreed.

…………

"Huh? Going out again?"

The next day, Ren Shuo looked reluctant as he looked at Richelieu and Louis IX, who had extended such a warm invitation to him. Ren Shuo put on a mask of pain.

"Commander, you're such a homebody these days. You need to go out and walk around more."

Richelieu advised.

"That's not right, Richelieu. You were the ones who said I was always going out on business trips before, and now you're the ones saying I'm a homebody. What am I supposed to do?"

Ren Shuo felt exhausted. During that time, he was happy to bring everyone back, but none of the girls at home went out with him. They were all complaining that once they went out, they wouldn't see the commander for many days.

So after I found everyone, I didn't plan to go out again. Except for those official business trips that I absolutely had to go on, I was too lazy to move.

Now Richelieu is telling himself, "I'm too much of a homebody?"

Ah, women.

"It's not that I'm asking you to go on a long trip, it's just that you come with us on a trip."

Ren Shuo immediately shook his head: "I'm not going."

Are you kidding me? I finally managed to figure out Littorio's strange behavior, and now you want me to go out? No way, I'd rather die than go.

"If the Commander comes out with us, he can direct the play tonight however he wants..."

Seeing that Ren Shuo was unwilling to leave the house, Louis IX gritted his teeth and tempted him with a slightly flushed face.

Ren Shuo immediately jumped up and said, "If you say that, I won't be sleepy anymore!"

He immediately changed his mind from reluctance: "Of course I'll go! How can I not go when I'm going out with my wife?"

Richelieu and Louis IX looked at Ren Shuo with disdain. "Is that what you call accompanying your wife out? I'm too embarrassed to call you out on it."

After much persuasion, they finally managed to get Ren Shuo to leave the house.

So Ren Shuo happily handed over his work to Belfast and his tracking mission to the Empire, and then went out with Richelieu and Louis IX.

That said, is it really okay to hand over the mission to the Empire? Also, having Belfast finish the work is already making Hood cry; it's like taking away the Royal Navy's secretary ship that's actually doing the job.

…………

Where are we going?

Whenever they went out, as long as Louis IX was present, without fail, Louis IX would drive while Richelieu and Ren Shuo would sit in the back, cuddling intimately.

Louis IX kept glancing at the rearview mirror, then gritted his teeth and said, "You two, that's enough! So you're making me drive while you two are all lovey-dovey in the back... Hands, hands, what are you doing? Take them out from under Richelieu's skirt."

Richelieu blushed, stammered and remained silent, and finally covered his face as if burying his head in the sand.

Ren Shuo remained expressionless, withdrew his hand, and calmly took out a piece of paper to wipe his hands.

Louis IX sighed: "To be honest, ever since all the cars and yachts in the port area had their windows replaced with those specially made ones that are not visible from the outside, you really have become more and more unrestrained."

"Ahem... So, where are we going?"

Seeing that Ren Shuo was clearly changing the subject, Louis IX secretly thought his commander was shameless, and then explained, "Go do what you like to do most."

"There are many things I enjoy doing..." Ren Shuo stroked his chin. "Which one are you referring to?"

“The ship salvageer, the one you’ve met a few times before, who came to our port to chat with Richelieu,” Louis IX said.

"Who is it?" Ren Shuo didn't remember this person.

Louis IX was speechless: "Even though we only met a few times... surely you can't forget him?"

Richelieu also composed himself and whispered a reminder: "It was the last time they came to return a book to us, and the commander even invited them to stay for dinner, but they were in a hurry to go back and didn't stay."

"Ah!" Ren Shuo remembered, "Wasn't it that gray-haired guy with twin ponytails dressed in black and white?"

"What kind of description is that! Don't use such rude adjectives when we meet later."

Louis IX couldn't help but complain, "If any commander were to greet someone like that right now, they could forget about getting the ship back. They'd be lucky if the person didn't beat them up."

"Okay, okay," Ren Shuo replied obediently.

"Her name is Chaffee. To outsiders she is the Vichy Church, but in our port, she should be considered a ship girl of the Free Iris. The first ship of the Chaffee-class aircraft carrier, Chaffee, remember that."

Richelieu said.

Ren Shuo said he remembered it.

Louis IX continued, "And another thing, she also has two younger sisters who live with her. One is a little white-haired girl named Unyielding, who is considered a vicious sister ship. The other one likes to wear black and white clothes and is named Progressive. Got it?"

Ren Shuo said he understood. There were only three people; how could he possibly mistake one for another? Besides, he had seen Xia Fei before, and as for the other two, he had already told me their features; how could he possibly mistake one for another?

The group's destination was an old church. Although it was dilapidated, there was no sense of ruin or decay at the entrance. Instead, the grass at the entrance was kept clean, and clusters of flowers were blooming in profusion.

Beside the old bench, a few pigeons were cooing.

After Ren Shuo and the others parked the car, Louis IX led Ren Shuo to the back of the church with practiced ease.

There was a small house there, which looked like the living quarters of the old church.

“We often talk with the elderly nuns here. They are very kind old women. They found the newborn Xiafei and her sisters at sea and adopted them. They are like a family, an elderly mother and her beautiful daughter.”

As they walked, Richelieu introduced Ren Shuo to everyone.

Louis IX interjected, "Then that old nun, after a while, is going back to the Liberty Iris to enjoy her retirement with her children and grandchildren. She was thinking of asking Richelieu and me to help find a good place for Joffre and the others. Since this is a stage play, we came here to pick them up and see if we could get Joffre and the others out of trouble."

"Why don't you go to Free Iris with the old man? Aren't you family?" Ren Shuo asked.

“Who knows? Why don’t you just ask the old nun?” Louis IX said casually, then knocked on the door.

Chapter 548 The Operation Begins

"They're here, they're here."

Some elderly voices rang out, but it was easy to tell that the owner of the voices was a very kind old man.

The door opened, and an elderly woman dressed in traditional nun's clothing appeared before them.

Upon seeing that it was Richelieu and Louis IX, the old woman smiled kindly: "Oh, it's Miss Richelieu and Miss Louis IX! Please come in. And who is this?"

Richelieu explained, “Sister, this is my and Louis IX’s commander, Ren Shuo, who is also the commander in charge of this city.”

"Oh, it's Commander. Thank you for your dedication to humanity."

Upon hearing that Ren Shuo was the commander, the old nun became slightly more solemn, made the sign of the cross on her chest, and addressed Ren Shuo.

"Hello, nice to meet you..."

Ren Shuo replied to the kind old man.

"I'm sorry, I don't have anything to offer to our distinguished guests, just some tea leaves that I roasted myself."

"It's already very good, no need to bother."

Richelieu said.

The old nun shook her head and said cheerfully, "I'm getting old, and there aren't many customers coming here anymore. It's rare for customers to come, so let this old woman keep busy."

"I did have some guests before, but they were all there for my three lovely children."

"Besides, even when people get old, at least their eyesight isn't failing. Those people, even though they're commanders, are all just trying it out, and if it doesn't work, so be it. In your commanders' words, they're... salvaging the ship?"

“The children were getting impatient, and the young people who came were all lacking perseverance, so I contacted the Maritime Safety Administration. Thanks to the Maritime Safety Administration, there haven’t been so many people coming to bother us in recent years.”

The old nun talked a lot, sometimes even rambling and incoherently, but there were many elderly people like her, so Ren Shuo and the others played the role of listeners very well.

"Sister, where are Xiafei and the others? Why aren't they here?"

Louis IX asked.

The old nun said, "They went out to buy things. They've run out of supplies at home. They'll probably be back in a little while."

"By the way, Miss Richelieu, how's the matter that the old woman asked you to do last time?" the old nun asked.

Richelieu said, "We're already helping, but I'm curious, why do you insist that we find a good home for Joffre and the others? Can't they all go back to Free Iris together?"

Upon hearing Richelieu's question, the old nun said with a hint of melancholy, "I'm not surprised that you have this question. Although I'm not a commander and don't know much about ship girls, I've taken these children in and raised them well. The oldest is five years old, and the youngest is three years old."

"I don't understand ship girls, but I understand my children. To avoid worrying me, they haven't gone to practice with others or gone to sea. In their words, after several years, their training level is still only level two."

"Although I don't know what this means, it's still not good. As ship girls, we ordinary people call them the spirits of the sea..."

"But the spirit of the sea, because of my worries, has been imprisoned on the shore. I have seen Xiafei looking at the sea with a hint of longing more than once."

"Although I was the one who brought them back, I can't be too selfish. Children will eventually fly away to distant places, which is why I made this choice."

Looking at the elderly nun with a kind smile throughout, Richelieu couldn't help but exclaim, "You are a truly kind person."

“Thank you for the compliment, Miss Richelieu. Now, does Miss Richelieu have any suggestions for where to go?” the old nun asked.

"Hmm, there are. One is the Maritime Bureau, where many free-spirited ship girls join. And another is..."

At this point, Richelieu glanced at Ren Shuo somewhat awkwardly: "And then there's our port area. To be honest, apart from the Maritime Bureau and our port area, I really have no other choice. After all, I'm not a free ship girl, I'm a port area ship girl."

If it were a free-roaming ship girl, she might be able to list a bunch of ports she went to with Chaffee and the others, but since she has her own affiliation, there's only one option to recommend.

The old nun smiled kindly: "I understand, but a commander who can be regarded as a beloved figure by Miss Richelieu and Miss Louis IX must be an exceptionally outstanding commander, right?"

He glanced at the rings on the two women's hands with a slightly teasing look. The two women blushed slightly, but their faces were filled with happy smiles.

The old nun then turned to Ren Shuo and said, "Even so, I will not interfere with whether the children choose you or the Maritime Bureau, so I wish you success."

Faced with the old nun's slightly scrutinizing gaze, Ren Shuo couldn't help but sit up straight. This gaze... was just like scrutinizing the future partners of his daughters.

"Alright, do as you please. This old woman still has her prayers to do today."

After the old nun finished speaking, she stood up shakily and walked into the inner room, seemingly leaving the opportunity and space to Richelieu and the others.

"Commander, let's wait outside. They'll probably be back soon."

Louis IX said.

Richelieu then said, "Louis IX, let's go outside and sweep up those fallen leaves. Commander, please feel free to stroll around here. After all, it's your first time here, isn't it?"

Since the old nun had already delivered the words "ordered to salvage the ship" to his doorstep, Richelieu thought he should do something within his power to repay her.

Richelieu and Louis IX went to sweep up the fallen leaves around the area, while Ren Shuo went into the church.

The door opened with a creaking sound, and through it, one could easily tell that the church was very old.

Unlike the majestic church in its own port area, the church here is not so white and holy, but it is still very clean and bright.

Moreover, perhaps due to its age, the church exudes a sense of solemnity both inside and out.

Perhaps this is the result of time's sedimentation.

Sitting on a pew in the church, Ren Shuo stared blankly at the cross until he heard footsteps approaching.

“Riccioli?” Ren Shuo turned around and found a little girl he had never seen before.

She had short, grayish-white hair, wheat-colored skin, and a small nose. The round-framed glasses on her nose gave her an air of intellect and seriousness. She wore a black and white maid dress that revealed her delicate collarbones and rounded shoulders, but without showing any excessive skin.

Large pleated sleeves covered her entire arms and hands, white over-the-knee socks encased her straight legs, and she wore black round-toed leather shoes. She stood there looking at me with a hint of doubt.

"May I ask who you are?"

Ren Shuo recalled Richelieu and Louis IX's words. Hmm, white hair, white hair seems to represent unyielding spirit, right?

Could this girl in the maid dress be her?

Thinking this, Ren Shuo revealed a friendly smile: "You are the Unyielding One, aren't you? I've heard Richelieu and Louis IX mention you. Hello, I'm their commander, and I'm here to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ren Shuo sensed something was wrong with the little girl's expression, so he lowered his voice and finally asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"