Akashi instinctively continued talking, but before she could finish, Lin Lan cleared his throat.
"I seem to vaguely remember dreaming last night about two little troublemakers whispering in my ear. What was it they said?"
"Meow..."
With Lin Lan's words, Akashi immediately felt several unfriendly gazes on her.
"Total... Total cost isn't much, meow. After all, it's for the Commander, hahaha..."
Lin Lan smiled at the awkwardly grinning little merchant.
Did you really think I'd forget the previous account?
It's not that I'm avoiding it now, but I don't have any extra funds on hand.
"Regarding the facilities on land, they are only temporary residences. When the next fleet from the Iron Blood Fortress arrives, I think we can build an impregnable fortress along this coast."
Brünnhilde was introducing their plans for the port area to Lin Lan.
"Ah, let's skip the fortress idea. I don't think it's necessary."
As expected.
Lin Lan knew that the Iron Blood faction had a particular fondness for constructing impregnable fortresses or strongholds.
Noticing Lin Lan's expression, Ulrich spoke up at the right moment:
"I think we could build a floating island fortress at sea and shield it with a mirrored sea area."
"On a daily basis, we could operate and live in the fortress while treating this port area as an external office."
"This way, outsiders won't notice, and your safety will be greatly assured. What do you think, Commander?"
After hearing Ulrich's suggestion, Lin Lan considered it carefully and realized it was entirely feasible.
If he adopted Ulrich's proposal, the port area on land could be dedicated to handling external matters.
Any future events requiring the reception of others could be held here.
After all, Lin Lan didn't want just anyone coming in and disturbing the lives of his shipgirls.
"I think Ulrich's suggestion is workable. Brünnhilde, do you agree?"
Upon hearing Lin Lan's words, Brünnhilde nodded with no objections.
For her, this place would only be a temporary residence. Eventually, the Commander would return everyone to the port area previously guarded by the Royal Navy.
That would be the place where all the shipgirls were most accustomed to living.
"Currently, we will stay here for a while, until Bismarck and the others arrive."
After concluding the discussion, Lin Lan walked along the road, surveying the newly constructed houses with satisfaction.
The sounds of drills and renovation echoed from these buildings, showing how diligently the Manjuus were working.
The Manjuus working alongside them had already dispersed to their respective tasks.
Under the diligent work of these natural workers and engineers, the speed of the port area's construction was astonishing.
It was now completely different from the ruins he had seen before; he was very satisfied.
"That's the square. A fountain is planned for the center. Over there is the warehouse area; the current resources can be stored there until they are moved to the floating island fortress later…"
Brünnhilde continued to introduce the various sections of the port area to Lin Lan. It was clear that she had focused much of her energy on this project.
Though the port area was far from comparable to the one in the game, it had all the necessary facilities.
After a few minutes of chatting and laughing, they arrived at the seaside.
A three-story attic with a higher completion level than the other buildings stood by the beach.
"This is where the Commander's office and residence will be. The port's command hall is also included."
Brünnhilde pointed to the small attic as she introduced it to Lin Lan.
Lin Lan looked up at his office attic, which already had grass and trees planted in the courtyard.
From the outside, it was already one of the fastest-built structures in the port area.
Just as Lin Lan and the others were about to enter, at the corner of the road outside the courtyard, Deutschland and her sister Spee, dressed in the clothes Lin Lan had bought for them, each carrying two bags of fruit, approached.
"Oh, finally back, servant! I heard you almost kicked the bucket without your master around?"
The cute pocket battleship Deutschland, seeing Lin Lan and the others, excitedly threw her bags of fruit on the ground and rushed into Lin Lan's arms.
The entire action was smooth and natural, completely ignoring the presence of others.
Even though she said sarcastic remarks, her tight hug showed her worry for Lin Lan over the past few days.
"Sis, you're so unfair. I also want to hug the Commander…"
The silver-haired angel Spee, hurriedly picking up the pears her sister had dropped on the ground, looked longingly at Lin Lan and voiced her grievance.
"Forget the fruit for now, Spee, come over and help me check if the servant is missing any parts."
Deutschland, grinning, started patting Lin Lan's body and even called her sister over to join in.
Lin Lan initially wanted to refuse, but he recalled how it felt when Deutschland bit his hand before.
It really hurt.
In the end, he chose to endure and allowed the Deutschland sisters to carefully inspect his body.
Of course, whether these two pocket battleships had any ulterior motives was unknown.
"Hmm, if only I could be like Deutschland... No, no, I am a noble aircraft carrier…"
The silver-haired girl, Elbe, looked enviously at the two little U-boat girls who were also inspecting Lin Lan, feeling jealous.
But she kept reminding herself not to be impulsive like a child.
As an Iron Blood aircraft carrier, she had to always maintain her dignity.
"Alright, Deutschland, let the Commander go for now. His body has just recovered this morning, and he can't stand for too long."
Ulrich, observing the playful interaction between the Iron Blood princess and the two U-boat girls, spoke up to intervene.
"Ah, the body of lower animals is indeed so fragile. They should be kept in a protected environment…"
Upon hearing Ulrich's words, Deutschland reluctantly stopped teasing Lin Lan.
Although she spoke of such alarming topics, both Lin Lan and the surrounding Iron Blood shipgirls had long since grown accustomed to her way of speaking.
"Nimi, Z46, please inform the other companions of the Commander's return. We'll take the Commander inside to get familiar with the place."
After watching the two little U-boat girls leave, Lin Lan finally entered his temporary office attic.
Upon entering, he found the place very spacious, with some potted plants already set up along the grand staircase.
As Brünnhilde introduced each floor's function, Lin Lan gradually understood the layout of his office attic.
The first floor was mainly a hall, with a conference room and two large empty rooms.
The second floor contained Lin Lan's office and the port area management hall, where he could monitor surrounding enemies through radar devices.
The third floor was his living space.
Apart from the large and luxurious bedroom, there was also a balcony and an outdoor swimming pool that had yet to be filled.
From the balcony, Lin Lan could overlook the entire beach and ocean.
Each floor of the attic was spaciously built and exquisitely decorated, resembling a luxurious small villa.
Lin Lan had to admit that this attic had reached a level of immediate usability without inspection.
The construction ability of the Manjuus was truly beyond imagination—so outrageous.
He had painstakingly studied construction techniques for years and still couldn't match a bunch of little yellow chicks…
When Lin Lan received a bunch of yellow metal keys from Brünnhilde, he suddenly felt several gazes fixed on the keys.
However, when he looked at his shipgirls, he found that no one was looking at them.
Including Ulrich and Brünnhilde, every shipgirl was eating the pears Spee had just washed.
Hmm, maybe it was just my imagination.
Lin Lan accepted the pear Spee handed him and put the keys in his bag.
It was almost lunchtime.
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The lunch was set in the conference room on the first floor of Lin Lan's attic.
According to Brünnhilde, the public dining area was not yet completed.
At this time, the port area was mainly functional with the shipgirls' dormitories already in use.
It would likely take another week or two for all the port area's facilities to be fully completed.
The conference room on the first floor was spacious, easily accommodating dozens of people for a meeting.
Lin Lan glanced at the large round table and projector in the conference room and decided not to question where the furniture came from.
With Akashi managing these matters, he no longer had to worry about them—just hand over the money and be done with it.
While Lin Lan was contemplating how to operate the projector in the large conference room, the aroma of food wafted in from outside.
When he saw the chef carrying dishes into the conference room, he was once again stunned.
It was the Manjuus, once again, this time wearing chef hats.
These little yellow chicks were bringing steaming Iron Blood dishes to the table, leaving Lin Lan dumbfounded.
He was deeply impressed by these versatile little creatures.
No wonder in the previous player's port area, so many shipgirls' logistical tasks were handled without any trouble for the player.
Before long, other Iron Blood shipgirls arrived.
"Commander! I'm here!"
The energetic little U-boat girl U1206, with wine-red hair and black highlights, suddenly appeared at the courtyard entrance.
Upon seeing Lin Lan standing inside, she dashed towards him.
"Eh?!"
Just as she was about to leap into Lin Lan's arms, she tripped on the seemingly flat ground and lost her balance, falling toward the ground.
"Be careful!"
Fortunately, Lin Lan had anticipated this possibility as soon as he saw U1206.
He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the little girl's waist and lifting her high into the air.
"Isn't this Little U… U1206? Let me see if you've gained some weight recently."
Lin Lan held the little girl aloft.
The carbonated coffee he had tasted in the fortress was actually a product of this little girl's suggestion.
However, he had to suppress the nickname "Toilet" that he almost blurted out.
The reason for this little girl's historical sinking was quite amusing.
A submarine sinking due to a toilet system malfunction was not only unprecedented but likely unmatched in the future as well.
"Commander, don't think I didn't hear what you were about to say. But don't worry, I won't make such accidental mistakes again. You have to trust me!"
The little girl in the black bikini swimsuit, held aloft by Lin Lan, saw through his thoughts. Lin Lan smiled awkwardly and then gently brought the cute little girl into his embrace.
"Ehehe, the Commander is still so nice to me."
Held warmly in Lin Lan's embrace, U1206 made happy purring sounds.
"U1206! Don't hog the Commander's hug!"
Seeing this scene from the attic, U101 rushed out, followed by U556.
"That's right, don't hog the Commander!"
"I-I'm not!"
Watching the three little U-boats bicker, Lin Lan laughed and gathered all three of them into a hug.
Feeling the warm breaths of the three energetic little ones in his arms, Lin Lan couldn't help but feel that little girls are truly amazing.
Ah, once again, I must clarify that I am really not a lolicon.
After soothing the three adorable U-boats, Lin Lan stood up and was about to stretch when footsteps approached the door.
"Yawn~ Ah, it's the Commander!"
With a lazy young female voice, Lin Lan turned around and was immediately enveloped in a tight hug from a tall woman with gray curls.
The soft touch that greeted him left Lin Lan momentarily stunned. At this moment, a weak girl's voice also came from outside the door:
"Sister Lützow is unusually energetic today… C-Commander? It's been a long time, um…"
It turned out that the woman who had sneak-attacked him was none other than the flagship of the Iron Blood's famous first reconnaissance fleet, the battlecruiser Lützow.
No wonder the first sound he heard was a lazy yawn.
This girl usually appeared indifferent and relaxed about everything.
But ever since Lin Lan increased her affection to maximum and made a vow, Lützow had transformed into someone who only seemed motivated in his presence.
Finally managing to break free from the embrace, Lin Lan could clearly see the happy smile on Lützow's pretty face.
The graceful, gray-haired beauty was dressed in a white European-style off-shoulder long-sleeve top and a brown skirt.
Her long, alluring legs, clad in black over-the-knee boots, revealed a delicate and fair skin that added a touch of sensual beauty to her lazy demeanor.
"Commander, you naughty thing, leaving me alone and disappearing. I should have eloped with you when I was your secretary ship."
Lützow whispered in a reproachful tone into Lin Lan's ear.
Lin Lan then responded with an apologetic smile, hugging the soft, accusing battlecruiser girl.
"But it's okay, Commander. Lützow isn't holding a grudge. I'll make sure to find an opportunity to visit you in the next few days."
Oh?
Lin Lan was taken aback, and Lützow, with a mysterious smile, pulled away from his embrace.
Before he could ask more, he saw two graceful and beautiful young women standing outside the courtyard.
One was the pure Eastern swan, the Iron Blood light cruiser Emden, with silver hair and blue eyes.
At that moment, Emden was holding Lützow's black little shark pillow.
She had changed back into her white translucent tights and long gown, looking like an elegant fairy with a captivating smile.
The other, a beautiful girl with white long hair and red-blue heterochromatic eyes, held an umbrella and tightly clung to Emden's slender arm.
Her red-blue eyes revealed a desire to greet Lin Lan but were also troubled by her own shyness, her innocent face showing her inner struggle.
Seeing this adorable and self-conscious girl, Lin Lan chose not to dwell on Lützow's words and smiled at her:
"Elbing, why are you still like this? Didn't I tell you to be more confident?"
"Ugh, the Commander is still the best."
Encouraged by Lin Lan, Elbing seemed to gain a bit more confidence and no longer clung tightly to Emden.
Lin Lan observed the three members of the Iron Blood's Open Sea Fleet.
They moved with an air of noble elegance, like aristocratic young ladies.
Watching them enter the courtyard, Lin Lan recalled that the Iron Blood was once a powerful maritime nation during the era of the Open Sea Fleet.
And as members of the Iron Blood's strongest maritime era, Lützow and the others certainly possessed a different demeanor compared to the Iron Blood shipgirls reborn from the flames later on.
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