Elder brother's garrison

Page 261

Ringo's words made Nia raise her head in surprise.

"If you just want to survive, there are other professions besides admiral," Ringo asked calmly. "What else are you doing being an admiral for?"

“…” Nia was unusually silent this time.

She turned to look at Cleveland standing next to Veneto before slowly saying to Ringo, "...I still want a family."

Nia's hands were tightly clasped together, revealing the turmoil in her heart: "I... lack the confidence to make friends, I don't have a father or mother, nor any older brothers or sisters... so... I want a family."

“If I were an admiral, I would have ship girls, right? Ship girls would always be with the admiral, so… that’s why I want to be an admiral…” As Nia spoke, tears streamed down her face. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m such a selfish person, I’m so sorry… I just… wanted friends and family… I’m so sorry…”

No one had the right to interrupt the girl's sobs.

Even Ian, who sees Nia as an outsider, wouldn't be so rude as to interrupt her.

The only ones who could stop the girl from crying were her family.

Cleveland pulled Nia into his arms and gently patted her back.

“I only came into this world because I wanted to be part of your family,” Cleveland whispered in Nia’s ear as he hugged her. “There’s no need to apologize.”

After saying that, Cleveland's angry eyes fixed on Ian's body like blades.

Ringo seemed to have finally found out what she wanted to know.

She also looked at Ian.

"Is his name Ian Isaac?" Ringo asked.

Ian swallowed hard, trying to avoid looking at the angry Cleveland, and instead looked at Ringo: "Yes."

“Admiral Nia is an excellent admiral,” Ringo said to Ian. “Your school will have no problem giving her the potion.”

Ringo's answer shocked Ian.

Ian waved his hand, his face full of disbelief: "Impossible!"

“Ian Isaac, nerve potions are never given only to the most academically gifted students, but to the most suitable ones,” Ringo said. “Perhaps Nia, as an admiral, lacks some qualities compared to you, but she possesses the most important thing that you don’t.”

Ringo then pointed to Cleveland: "Admiral Nia values ​​her bond with the ship girls immensely."

Ringo's answer was quite bland.

"Do you remember the last time you truly looked at your ship girl?" Ringo said to Ian. "Look back."

Ian turned around.

Ian's five ship girls stood in a corner of the Admiral's Guild, heads bowed and silent.

The injuries she sustained during the exercise have not yet healed, but the physical injuries are not the most serious. At this moment, her ship girl face is covered with a grayish-white expression.

Ian's breathing finally became rapid.

He finally remembered.

Even if Nia is targeted by thousands of people, even if Nia is abandoned by almost the entire world, even if I speak rudely to her, the first person to stand up is always her ship girl.

As for himself, whether he was thrown out of the Admiral's Guild, despised by others, or in that dejected state in the bar, his own ship girls never appeared.

This is certainly not a problem with the ship girls.

Ian's face finally turned pale.

He chuckled softly, took several steps back, and then leaned against a pillar.

Chapter 330 Their daily lives will continue thereafter.

Ian understood.

He lost.

A complete and utter defeat.

Ian finally understood why the school hadn't given the neurotoxin to him, but instead to Nia, who was behind him. He also finally understood why Xiaobai hadn't chosen to team up with him, but instead chose Nia and offered her so much help.

The problem is indeed quite simple.

Ian is unworthy, but Nia is.

"Ha." Ian leaned against the pillar, looking out the window, and laughed. "So that's how it is. Why didn't anyone tell me?"

“Someone must have told you,” Ringo said. “Whether it was a teacher, a parent, or a classmate, someone must have said it. You just didn’t listen.”

Ian nodded and stood up, leaning on the pillar.

He watched as Nia gradually calmed down in Cleveland's embrace, and for the first time, a look of loneliness and envy appeared in his eyes.

“You’re right, it’s just that I’m not worthy.” Ian looked at Barbatos.

Barbatos was stunned by a series of unexpected developments.

Only then did he realize what was happening, and he quickly flipped through several pages in his small notebook: "Um... so you mean you're willing to accept punishment?"

"Ah."

"Let me look for the one who was transferred to the garrison..."

“I’m not resigning as admiral,” Ian said to Barbatos.

Upon hearing Ian's words, Barbatos stopped flipping through his notebook.

Everyone in the Admiral's Guild looked at Ian.

“I’m not going to be the admiral anymore,” Ian repeated, then took off his hat and placed it on the ground with both hands.

“Ian Isaac, are you serious?” Barbatos’s eyes sharpened.

Ian didn't say anything, he just nodded to Barbatos.

Born into a family of admirals, he had been striving to become an admiral since he was conscious of it. Growing up under the influence and expectations of those around him, he was someone who had no other goal in life but to become an admiral. Yet, he gave up the position of admiral.

Even Barbatos didn't know just how much determination Ian had made.

"May I ask why?" Mr. Barbatos asked.

Ian turned around and looked at the ship girls standing in the corner.

Even after he declared that he was giving up being an admiral, the ship girls only looked up at him in shock.

Ian smiled at the five ship girls.

How did Ian manage to escape unscathed from the beach attack?

That's because one of these ship girls, after landing on the beach, used her heavily damaged body and ship equipment to find him and safely brought him to the mainland.

They are the best ship girls, but I am not the best admiral.

“From the moment I applied for the exercise with Nia, I had no intention of continuing as admiral,” Ian said to Barbatos. “Whether the exercise results in victory or defeat, I have no intention of continuing.”

As Ian spoke, he bowed to Ringo in a farewell gesture: "It was an honor to meet the Governor, but please allow me to leave now."

Barbatos looked at Ian and became worried as well.

Ian gave up his position as admiral, so the punishments meant for him will no longer apply to him.

Even the moment Ian said he would quit being the admiral, he had to leave the city.

This city, after all, belongs only to the admiral.

Ian didn't even turn his head; he simply pushed open the door and walked out.

What awaits him is the blame from his family, the ridicule from those around him, or even the contempt and humiliation from those who once flattered him—that is no longer Barbatos and Ringo's concern.

At least when he stepped out of the Admiral's Guild, he still acted like a man.

Ian's five ship girls remained at the Admiral's Guild. Watching their Admiral—no, their former Admiral—leave the guild, they were all somewhat at a loss.

Ship girls have their own choices. In such situations, if they truly love their admiral, they can even choose to remove their ship equipment and become ordinary people, following their retiring admiral back to their hometown.

But no, perhaps as Ringo said, Ian did not cherish his ship girls, so he had no bond with them.

"Ringo-neechan, what should we do with these ship girls?" Shiro finally found an opening to speak, and she walked over to Ringo and asked her.

“Find a suitable admiral.” Ringo gently pointed at Nia.

Xiaobai nodded knowingly and smiled at Ringo.

After a half-day break, the Admiral's Guild reopened.

After acquiring a considerable amount of deep-sea metal, these admirals gradually became more generous with their spending.

As soon as the Admiral's Guild opened, a large number of admirals brought their ship girls into the guild, and the spacious guild quickly became lively.

Of course, many observant admirals noticed that Ian had disappeared, and they inquired about his whereabouts.

Most people said they didn't know, but a few said they saw Ian leaving the city alone.

However, these admirals wouldn't let the whereabouts of an admiral they weren't particularly familiar with affect their mood, and after asking, they put the matter aside.

The admirals present firmly believed that those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune. After a period of jubilation at the Admirals' Guild, the first chapter of the sea gradually returned to normal.

The Admiral Guild funded a complete renovation of the beach at the first node, and the ban on the fourth node was also lifted.

At first, the admirals were afraid of some unexpected events and did not dare to go immediately. However, as time went by and influenced by the frequent successes of other admirals, more and more admirals returned to their respective nodes.

It is worth mentioning that during this period, Admiral Luo Yin and his ship girls finally decided to break through the first sea area. After completing the fourth node for the last time, Admiral Luo Yin submitted an application to the Admiral Guild to go to the next sea area.

For this man who has long held the title of the strongest admiral in the First Sea Area, it can be said that a new beginning has finally arrived.

Then the title of the strongest admiral in the First Sea Area fell to Nia.

At Ringo's suggestion, Nia accepted Ian's five ship girls. With the governor by her side, the matter was handled exceptionally smoothly. Nia treats the ship girls as family and will not mistreat them. Although as an admiral, Nia still has many immature aspects, her potential is still worth looking forward to.

After dealing with this matter, Ringo and the ship girls found a relatively quiet time to leave the city. After all, there were still many things waiting for Ringo to handle at the Governor's Mansion.

Then we returned to the hotel.

Xiaobai's four-person room is now overcrowded.

Veneto, Rome, Empire, the four Fubuki sisters, Sukhbaatar, Pachina, Enterprise, Saratoga, and Lexington—eleven ship girls in total—sat together, creating quite a lively scene.

After that, Lexington asked Xiaobai about the ring. Only after learning that Xiaobai had only bought the ring at Nia's urging and that it really didn't mean anything by it did Lexington feel relieved.

Veneto and her sisters sat on a bed, while the Empire held a book and read attentively. The four Fubuki sisters gathered together, pulling Rome on the bed to continue their tea party. Lexington sat with Sukhbaatar, who seemed to know Sukhbaatar's identity and treated him with great courtesy.

Saratoga and Pachina clung to Xiaobai like two waist ornaments, not saying a word, just sitting there as if they were sulking with each other.

“Ah!” Enterprise, sitting on the other side, suddenly seemed to remember something. She stared at Saratoga with her bright blue eyes. “Sara, although we were initially left at the naval base, we both ended up here.”

Saratoga realized this as well, but he grasped it much earlier than the company did.

After all, the fact that she can now be with Xiaobai is the result of Saratoga's hard work for a full two weeks.

But this was a case of getting what they wanted. So Saratoga freed one hand and slapped it together with the equally happy company.

The pleasant time is finally coming to an end.

Xiao Bai also knew that he could no longer stay in the first chapter.

After all, she wasn't part of this circle. No matter how well she tried to hide it (although she didn't actually try), she couldn't avoid giving herself away. Moreover, the presence of someone of Xiaobai's caliber here would indeed cause some unusual changes.

For example, the recent anomaly in the First Sea Area was, to some extent, caused by the existence of Xiaobai.

Just as the sea returned to normal in the first chapter, Xiaobai found Nia and said goodbye to her.

Nia was prepared for this and didn't show much excitement, only nodding with a somewhat somber expression.

Xiaobai is a superior being, and Nia has no reason or right to keep her by her side forever.

After bidding farewell to the two girls, who kept turning back to look at each other, Shiro led the ship girls away.

Nia watched Xiaobai leave, feeling utterly lost and dejected, as if her soul had been ripped out.

Perhaps this parting will be the last time I see him.

Nia and Cleveland returned to the Admiral's Guild.

At the Admiral's Guild, Mr. Barbatos had been waiting for Nia for a long time.

"Oh, my dear Miss Nia! No, you're officially Admiral Nia now!" Mr. Barbatos welcomed the arrival of this former most outstanding employee of the Admiral's Guild. "Admiral Nia! From today onwards, your reinstatement document is officially in effect, and you have once again become a glorious Admiral!"

“Thank you, Mr. Barbatos,” Nia said, but she couldn’t manage a smile.

“Oh, by the way, speaking of Admiral Nia, regarding your naval base,” Mr. Barbatos said, “would you like to change it?”

The garrison that Barbatos mentioned was naturally the deadly place that caused Nia to miss her chance for promotion.

Nia now has the incredibly powerful backing of Xiaobai, the favor of the governor, and, more importantly, her naval base has been reassigned. If Nia were to request a transfer to another naval base, it would be perfectly reasonable and justifiable.