Chapter 79: The Overhauled New Port Area (Part 2)

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.

_______

20+ advanced chapters on patreon.com/SenatusTheta

_______

If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!