Capítulo 74: Chapter 74: The County Navy Office
"Commander, you still can't move, can you... mmm~"
Elbe's cute little face was pinched, and she pouted, making a very adorable sound.
Lin Lan wouldn't really make things difficult for this high-damage, low-defense girl, but it was necessary to give her face a good rub.
Seeing this white-haired little cutie daring not to move, looking like a frightened little rabbit as he kneaded her, Lin Lan chuckled and released his grip.
The silver-haired girl's face, now freed, was already flushed red. She didn't get up immediately but continued to hold the same pose.
Elbe even raised her colorful eyes slightly and looked at Lin Lan with a tempting, eager expression, as if wanting more.
"Are you addicted to being pinched? Go on, go on, I need to get out of bed."
Lin Lan chuckled and lightly flicked Elbe's forehead.
"Oh dear."
The silver-haired girl covered her head and retreated to the bedside with a sulky look.
He certainly knew Elbe's personality.
Despite her usual haughty demeanor, she had a peculiar fondness for being pampered by the commander.
If he continued to tease Elbe, it would only serve to satisfy her.
"Commander, have you recovered?"
Seeing that Lin Lan could now use his arms, the other little girls' eyes lit up with joy.
"I ate something and finally have some strength now."
Lin Lan said as he attempted to get out of bed.
With the help of Teacher Nimi and Z46, he finally got out of the hospital bed and stood on the floor.
"In that case, let's head back to the port area. It feels uncomfortable staying here."
Seeing Lin Lan being assisted by the two little destroyers and successfully taking a few steps in the ward, Ulrich suggested.
Lin Lan walked to the window, where the morning sun was just rising halfway.
He was in a high building, presumably the inpatient building of Lihu County's hospital.
"Sure, let's go back."
There were many things he needed to do once he returned to the port area.
Aside from reuniting with Brunhilde and the others, he also needed to give his opinions on the port area's reconstruction plans.
As he was contemplating what to handle first upon returning, he heard music coming from his hospital gown pocket.
"Well, well, I haven't had a call in ages."
Lin Lan was surprised to take out his phone from his pocket. It had been in a state of no network signal for so long that he had almost forgotten it could make calls.
Seeing the unfamiliar caller ID, Lin Lan answered the call.
"Hello, is this Commander Lin Lan of the Lihu County Port Area?"
A pleasant female voice came through, startling Lin Lan.
"This is Lin Lan. Who's calling?"
The other party responded with excitement:
"Commander Lin Lan, you're finally awake. I'm Sun Xiaozhu, the new head of the Navy Department office assigned to Lihu County just yesterday."
The Navy Department office?
Upon hearing the introduction, Lin Lan took a few seconds to recall relevant information.
Generally, every county in the Orlan Union has a Navy Department office.
The main role of these offices is to assist the port area commander with handling the intricate naval affairs in the county and managing external commissions.
Moreover, since the port areas are located by the sea and cannot connect to the network in a timely manner,
Delivering orders from the Navy Department to the port area commander is also a primary responsibility of the Navy Department office.
"The previous staff here had gone missing, so I was dispatched from Dongyun City to take over. I hope Commander Lin Lan will look after me!"
Sun Xiaozhu's voice on the phone didn't sound very old. Lin Lan guessed she had probably just graduated from college not long ago.
"You should know my port area location. If you have any questions, just come to see me. The commissions aren't urgent for now. Just get the county affairs settled first."
Lin Lan wasn't particularly interested in Sun Xiaozhu, but there were some things he needed to instruct.
After all, he wasn't willing to accept just any commission.
For instance, commissions from the Scimitar military industry; he was already giving them face by not causing trouble.
"Ah, well, Commander Lin Lan, the Navy Department's commendation has arrived."
"If you don't come by, I'll have to sell the oil barrels to the local market, and I'll transfer the funds to your account…"
"Where are you located? I'll come over shortly."
Lin Lan had already placed his finger on the hang-up button, but hearing "oil barrels" on the phone, he immediately changed his attitude.
What he was most short of right now was oil; money was secondary.
After communicating with the other party, Lin Lan put his phone back in his pocket.
"Let's go pick up the oil before heading back to the port area."
Upon hearing Lin Lan's words, the iron-blooded ship girls all agreed without objection.
They knew the importance of oil; only with more oil could they meet other companions sooner.
So, after changing back into the navy commander's white uniform, Lin Lan and his group went to the first floor of the hospital, completed the discharge procedures, and headed to the Navy Department office in the inner district.
Walking out of the hospital and breathing in the refreshing morning air, Lin Lan felt his body had fully recovered.
Ulrich had already informed him about the Demon King Army and the process involving the Purifiers and Brunhilde's group when they came here.
Hearing about the Purifiers' experiment, Lin Lan immediately recalled the black-red, incomplete magic cube revealed after the black mist cleared.
No wonder the black-red magic cube looked so familiar; indeed…
It was the Sirens causing trouble.
A thousand years ago, the Demon King Army's monsters managed to break the seal and reappear so far away in Orlan.
After learning about the Purifiers' experiment, Lin Lan finally solved all the mysteries.
Only the Sirens had the capability to do all this.
Lin Lan had never thought deeply about why the Sirens and those familiar ship girls appeared in this alternate world he had traveled to.
After all, the ship girls of the Orlan Union, Royal, and Eagle Union never existed in this world.
He thought it was just a coincidence in this alternate world.
However, it now seemed that the wisdom cubes used by Orlan to build ship girls were probably brought from other worlds along with the Sirens.
This wasn't a coincidence; everything was under the Sirens' control!
What exactly were the Sirens planning?
Before reuniting with his girls, Lin Lan wasn't concerned with these matters. After all, he hadn't interfered with the Sirens' power.
But now that he knew there were so many of his ship girl wives in this world, he needed to carefully ponder the Sirens' schemes.
At the very least, as a commander, he must ensure that his port area's ship girls can live safely and happily.
Not constantly overshadowed by the Sirens' shadow.
Of course, one step at a time. Reuniting with his girls was the most important thing.
The location Sun Xiaozhu mentioned was not far from the hospital, just a ten-minute drive from Lin Lan's hospital.
On the way, the residents of the inner district occasionally looked at Lin Lan, guarded by the iron-blooded ship girls, with gratitude.
After all, he had made headlines in the morning news, becoming the guardian of the area.
When they arrived at their destination, Lin Lan saw the Navy Department office compound on the street under construction.
Many construction trucks were constantly bringing in materials and soil, and numerous construction machines and workers were rebuilding the place.
"Hi! Commander Lin Lan!"
As soon as the phone call's female voice was heard, a woman in her early twenties, wearing glasses and a white uniform, approached Lin Lan and greeted him loudly.
"Hello, Miss Sun."
Lin Lan was about to step forward to shake hands but found he couldn't move.
Elbe and U556, on guard, tightly held his arms.
You guys are too vigilant…
Lin Lan couldn't help but complain internally. Even if he pampered each of his girls, it would be enough for him; how could he possibly be interested in other women?
"Ahem, Elbe, U556, don't interfere with the commander's work."
Z23, being a sensible little teacher, knew it was impolite and quietly advised the two cautious "bodyguards" beside Lin Lan.
"Hmph, what if something happens to the commander again?"
Elbe huffed, unwilling to let go, and Z23 had no way to convince her.
Seeing Lin Lan being blocked by his ship girls, Sun Xiaozhu, with a businesslike standard smile, showed no sign of displeasure.
"Commander Lin Lan and all the ship girls, hello. I'm the new head of the Navy Department office here. Please take care of me."
Seeing Sun Xiaozhu's tactful attitude, Elbe's vigilant gaze softened.
Sun Xiaozhu stood straight, her smile unchanged, and attentively said to Lin Lan:
"Commander Lin Lan, as you can see, this place was previously very dilapidated."
"So, I contacted a construction team to renovate and rebuild it. Currently, we can't host you properly. I hope you won't mind."
Hearing Sun Xiaozhu's words, Lin Lan smiled indifferently and said:
"It's fine. There will be other opportunities. Miss Sun, by the way, where is the oil stored?"
Seeing Lin Lan being so easy to talk to, Sun Xiaozhu seemed relieved.
She had been nervous about the vigilant looks from these ship girls, almost feeling scared.
Despite their young age, except for the black-haired short-haired ship girl and the silver-haired long-haired girl, these ship girls were children.
But the pressure they brought was far more terrifying than the heavy cruisers she had seen in the city before.
Although she maintained a calm exterior, she was internally panicking and nearly cried.
Sun Xiaozhu had heard that some port area commanders, due to multiple battles with the Sirens, had difficult personalities.
She was worried about how smoothly her work would go here.
However, it seemed that as long as she did her job well, Lin Lan wouldn't actively cause trouble for her.
"Follow me, Commander Lin Lan. I rented a warehouse to store the oil. I've already contacted the local transport team, so they can send it directly to your port area once they arrive."
Hearing Sun Xiaozhu's words, Lin Lan was somewhat surprised. This young woman seemed quite meticulous in her work.
However, contacting the transport team was unnecessary.
"Miss Sun, tell the transport team not to come. My girls and I have our own way of getting the oil back."
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