329: Culture of Another World

"Th-Then, Commander, it's a promise, okay..."

"How could I possibly lie to you? You think I don't miss Bunker Hill and the others?"

Hearing the commander's firm promise, Essex finally agreed to Lin Lan's suggestion.

Her amber eyes, focused on the steering wheel, still wanted to negotiate more benefits for her younger sisters, but she understood this couldn't be rushed.

After all, the commander would be staying in the Eagle Union camp for the time being. 

She believed in the charm of her sisters—there was no way this old lecher of a commander would resist coming by.

For now, she had more important things to worry about—like how to win over the commander tonight before Enterprise did.

As for what to eat after getting back to the residence, Lin Lan wasn't too concerned.

Compared to other factions, the Eagle Union faction was far more relaxed when it came to food.

Even just grabbing some convenience store fast food could make for a satisfying dinner.

Of course, this kind of eating wouldn't fly in factions like Dragon Empery, Sardegna Empire, or Sakura Empire, which put a strong emphasis on balanced nutrition.

And Lin Lan figured that during his stay in the Eagle Union camp, he'd need to exercise more to burn off those extra calories.

High-calorie fast food was the easiest way to gain weight, and he definitely didn't want to become a fat commander.

"Teacher! The crystal... melted..."

Anchorage's soft voice suddenly reached him. Lin Lan quickly turned to look—sure enough, the ice crystal in her hands had shrunk considerably.

After all, it had been exposed to sunlight and wind while the car was moving, so it was melting faster than usual.

Thinking about how much Anchorage loved those dodecahedral crystal toys, Lin Lan realized constantly making meltable ice crystals for her wasn't a long-term solution.

He thought carefully and came up with a good idea.

He could use his hero's ability to draw spell charms and make ten or so ice condensation talismans for Anchorage.

These talismans, capable of forming ice elements, could be used by anyone and were simple to activate—just burn them like other charms.

That way, Anchorage could summon ice crystals whenever she wanted.

Seeing the cute girl's pitiful face, Lin Lan gently coaxed her:

"Anchorage, once we get back to the villa, how about I teach you how to make ice crystals too?"

"Teacher... Anchorage... can summon... crystals..."

To his surprise, Anchorage raised her arm, still wrapped in her white, fluffy sleeve, and a delicate, dark-yellow metallic dodecahedral crystal floated in front of him.

Right. Lin Lan had completely forgotten that Anchorage naturally possessed the strange ability to create such crystals.

The reason she always clung to the ice crystals was because they were gifts from him.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Lan changed his approach and smiled warmly at Anchorage:

"Anchorage, how about I give you a gift that can create ice crystals? It'll be something I make with my own hands."

As expected, at the mention of a gift, the look of distress on Anchorage's face vanished instantly. Like a pure-hearted child, she broke into a joyful smile:

"Teacher... gift... love! Mhm!"

It wasn't just Anchorage. Gridley and Maury, the two little destroyers, were also filled with curiosity and anticipation about Lin Lan's promise of a gift.

As energetic and adorable destroyers, they certainly enjoyed the privilege of playfully asking the commander for presents.

While chatting with Anchorage, they finally returned to the residential area on the artificial island's hill.

Lin Lan checked the time—it was just past 5 PM, still a while before dinner. Drawing simple talismans would only take a few minutes, so it wouldn't delay anything.

Before long, they arrived at his villa. Just as they got out of the car, Enterprise arrived safely behind them, carrying Eldridge and Hammann.

Lin Lan mentioned the idea of having them stay for dinner tonight. Enterprise didn't think too much of it and agreed with a nod.

Hammann, however, blushed and looked at Lin Lan warily. In the end, she said nothing and simply nodded as well.

Once everyone entered the villa on the artificial island, Lin Lan finally had time to properly look around the place.

Last night, as soon as he returned, New Jersey had carried him straight up to the second-floor bedroom. 

Then Anchorage and Eldridge kept him up until well past midnight.

He only managed to glance at the living room this morning before heading out for the medical checkup.

The large white villa had three floors. 

From the outside, Lin Lan had already noticed that the rooftop had a garden and a swimming pool, no less grand than the beachfront villa in Yalang City.

It was absolutely luxurious.

When Enterprise and Essex found out there was a large bath on the second floor, they both wanted to bathe, especially after their intense motorbike battle today.

Even if it was just motorcycle riding, Lin Lan now understood that true competition on the track was definitely physically exhausting.

And considering both Enterprise and Essex were top-class Eagle Union beauties, how could Lin Lan refuse his shipgirls when they wanted to bathe at his place?

So he happily agreed, watching the composed Enterprise and the blushing Essex head upstairs, while he continued exploring the first floor with Anchorage and the four girls.

They soon found the kitchen. Seeing how fully equipped it was, Maury confidently stepped forward and volunteered:

"Commander, let Hammann and I take care of dinner tonight. We can't eat fast food all day, after all."

As a sprinter and track-and-field enthusiast, Maury was used to a healthy diet with smaller, more frequent meals—so of course she could cook.

"Hmph! It's not like Hammann wants to cook for you, stupid commander! But since I'm already here, I guess I'll show you what I've got!"

Though Hammann's tone was as stubborn as ever, the way she stood with hands on hips and pouted clearly conveyed she was a skilled Eagle Union chef too.

After all, Yorktown was a gentle and capable woman, and Hammann, who always accompanied and cared for her, wouldn't be lacking in cooking skills either.

With the two girls eagerly offering to cook, Lin Lan was naturally excited. Smiling, he placed a hand on each of their heads and said:

"Then I'll leave dinner to you. Let me see what you two can do."

Once the girls began bustling in the kitchen, Lin Lan continued exploring the villa with Anchorage, Gridley, and Eldridge. 

Before long, they found the study.

Pushing the door open, Lin Lan was surprised to find that the study was decorated in pure traditional Dragon Empery style.

From the ink-wash paintings on the wallpaper and framed on the walls, to the dark wooden desk, chairs, tea table, and bookcases—everything was made of brown wood.

There were also many elegant potted plants, and the faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the room.

Lin Lan quickly realized something—his Eagle Union shipgirls wouldn't have gone out of their way to furnish a study like this.

In this other world, this style would be considered "Natlan" decor.

Even though the Orlan Federation and the Natlan Empire had fought a century-long war, during their earlier alliance period, their cultures had intermingled significantly.

During his year at the Red Maple Naval Academy, Lin Lan had studied the histories of many nations in this world.

This kind of Natlan decor, which closely resembled that of ancient Dragon Empery, was still highly popular among the upper class of Orlan today.

Especially here on the Eastern Continent, many villa design blueprints from interior design companies featured this style for the study—it had become the norm.

Immersed in this serene and natural ambiance, it was much easier to calm the mind—true in any world.

Of course, Liaozhou's decor, similar to Sakura Empire's, was also popular among Orlan citizens, but that style was more often used in garden settings.

As for the architectural style of the Church/Holy Teaching Nation, it wasn't that Orlan people didn't want to imitate it, nor was it just about the rarity of magical materials from the Church Nation.

Rather, many Church Nation structures required a continuous power supply from magic crystal stones to sustain magical buildings and furniture.

Magic crystals were an important resource that the Church had never sold in large quantities to Orlan—not even before the Siren Crisis.

Even that sly merchant Akashi had only managed to get two or three crystals when Sun Dewang brought local specialties from Yunhai City's Lihu County.

Those had come from black market smugglers back in the day.

Lin Lan highly doubted whether there were even more than ten of those rare magic crystals in all of Orlan today.

He suspected the grand cathedral doors in Yunhai City, which opened with some unknown mechanism, were powered by Church Nation magic crystals.

Because of this, the Western Continent had more Church-style architecture and furniture than the Eastern Continent—thanks to Yunhai City's presence.

Still, compared to the Church Nation, Lin Lan felt a stronger sense of familiarity and interest toward the Natlan Empire.

"The Natlan Empire... what kind of nation is it really? Those Extremists are just like cultivators from xianxia novels..."

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