333: Saratoga Baldie

After having dumplings as an appetizer, the other Eagle Union shipgirls who joined later were, of course, each taken by Lin Lan as well.

Although he had lost face in the evening because of the freezing talisman spell, during the overtime work that night, Lin Lan regained his dignity as a commander.

As he fell asleep in the latter half of the night with satisfied Eagle Union shipgirls nestled in his arms, he had to admit—this role of "hero" really suited a commander perfectly.

Otherwise, he couldn't even imagine how he would face the married shipgirls in his port.

Early the next morning, before the sun had risen, Hammann and Maury were the first to get up and start preparing breakfast.

After the meal was ready, they called Gridley over to say goodbye to Lin Lan.

Hammann was going to look for Mrs. Yorktown, Maury was going for a morning jog, and Gridley was heading off to get their photos developed as keepsakes.

Essex, upon learning that Lin Lan was heading to the Administrative Hall to see Saratoga and the others, also said temporary goodbyes to him after breakfast.

As she was leaving, Essex blushed and warmly invited Lin Lan to visit her dorm room sometime.

Naturally, Lin Lan readily agreed—he wasn't the kind of commander to go back on his word.

At that moment, the only Eagle Union shipgirls remaining by his side were his two bodyguards, Anchorage and Eldridge.

And the war goddess of the Eagle Union—Enterprise.

Since Enterprise was the wise and courageous war goddess of the Eagle Union faction, Lin Lan naturally had to bring her along to the Administrative Hall for discussion.

After changing into a clean commander's uniform, Lin Lan set out with the dashing aircraft carrier shipgirl in a white navy shirt and a black combat overcoat, along with his two adorable bodyguards.

As soon as he stepped out the door, Lin Lan saw the sun just rising from the horizon and felt a trace of chill in the fresh morning air.

Even the Eastern Continent seemed to be on the verge of a full-fledged winter.

Thinking about the bitter cold winter he endured last year in the Eastern Continent, and the large-scale wave of unemployment that was about to break out, Lin Lan couldn't help but sigh.

Looking at the white mist from his breath, he gave a bitter smile.

Thanks to the Sirens' schemes, it seemed a truly unforgettable winter was about to arrive for most Orlanians.

Orlan United States—how could the Sirens ever let go of this otherworldly nation?

As the car Enterprise had called pulled up slowly in front of them, Lin Lan could only suppress these thoughts for now and got in, heading to the Administrative Hall.

"Commander, if the discussion ends this morning, is there anywhere you want to go this afternoon?"

Hearing Enterprise's question, Lin Lan thought for a moment and replied:

"I'll visit your dorm today, spend some time with your sister and Hornet."

He had originally planned to see Helena today, but considering he didn't know how long the meeting would last in the Administrative Hall, he decided to postpone that to tomorrow.

Since Yorktown and the others had come to take care of him the day before yesterday, their dorm likely wasn't far away.

"In that case, I'll message my sister and the others later to let them know to get ready."

Enterprise, who was driving, smiled brightly when she heard the commander wanted to visit their dorm today.

"Yorktown big sis… snacks… really yummy!"

Anchorage, sitting in the backseat, also let out a cheer of excitement upon hearing Lin Lan was going to Yorktown's dorm.

Gentle and considerate Mrs. Yorktown was very popular among the kids in the port, which explained why Anchorage was so happy.

It didn't take long before Lin Lan and the others arrived and got out by the roadside near the Administrative Hall on the artificial island.

As he walked toward the entrance of the hall, he glanced at the time on his phone and asked Enterprise somewhat uncertainly:

"It's just past eight. Has Little Sara and New Jersey already arrived?"

"You said yesterday you'd come today. Of course they've been waiting."

Enterprise responded with certainty. And indeed, that was the case—Lin Lan had already spotted a familiar petite figure standing at the entrance of the hall.

VROOOM!!!

At the same time, a carrier aircraft suddenly whooshed over his head with a gust of wind, blowing his navy cap right off. Thankfully, Enterprise reacted quickly and caught it.

"Whee~! Commander, Sara's been waiting forever!"

Hearing that lively voice, a smile appeared on Lin Lan's face.

He eagerly lifted the pink-haired chibi idol who had rushed over to him. 

Today, Little Sara was wearing her usual post-modification idol outfit, with a white navy coat draped over it.

Seeing her cheerful and excited expression, Lin Lan playfully pinched her cheek:

"Another prank? What if your aircraft grazed my hair off and made me bald, huh?"

"Don't worry, Commander! Sara's aircraft control skills are top-notch in the entire port... but Sara, that was indeed a bit dangerous just now."

Enterprise said calmly from the side.

The ever-serious Eagle Union hero didn't realize Lin Lan was only joking with Saratoga.

"It was just a prank~ Sara didn't put her aircraft into combat mode or anything!"

Saratoga gave Enterprise a sweet smile from Lin Lan's arms, then turned back to Lin Lan with a mischievous grin:

"Besides, didn't you always used to call me 'Saratoga Baldie'? If you go bald too, wouldn't we be a perfect match~?"

Lin Lan burst into laughter. He didn't expect that after all this time, Little Sara still remembered that joke.

Of course, Saratoga wasn't actually bald. The nickname came from a prank among players back in the day.

The official game account once used Saratoga's image as its profile pic, and a user on Weibo pushed the hair of a Saratoga figure back, making her look bald from the front.

That hilarious photo sparked a wave of edited memes targeting Little Sara.

Even the official account, still bearing her icon, replied and reposted it—officially sanctioning the joke.

Since then, Saratoga gained the infamous and absurd nickname.

In response to Little Sara's teasing, Lin Lan joked back:

"Being bald isn't bad at all. Ever heard the saying: 'the less hair, the more power'?"

"Huh? There's such a saying? Then let Sara help cut your hair later~"

"Please don't. I was joking..."

Just as Lin Lan put the enthusiastic Saratoga down, New Jersey came running out of the Administrative Hall.

"Honey! Let me hug you too~~~"

After just getting pranked by Saratoga, Lin Lan was now swept into the arms of this passionate and goofy bunny-scented face wash.

Well, considering the energetic and clingy personalities of the Eagle Union shipgirls, Lin Lan figured he'd need a bit more time to get used to it.

With those two leading the charge, the whole Eagle Union faction's atmosphere felt far more relaxed than that of Ironblood.

After getting lovey-dovey with New Jersey for a while, Lin Lan finally walked into the Administrative Hall with everyone.

As they headed to the meeting room, he shared the analysis he had come up with over the past two days with New Jersey and Saratoga.

"So that's what it is... why there are so many prototypes of cube technology in this country… it all makes sense when the Commander lays it out like that. It's the Sirens' doing after all."

After arriving in the spacious meeting room and listening to Lin Lan's reasoning, the smile on Saratoga's face gradually faded, replaced by a serious expression.

Lin Lan then noticed that the metal round table in the meeting room was covered with paper documents and letters.

After sitting down, he casually picked up one and found it was a letter from a general representative of a city in the Eastern Continent.

And there were many more similar letters on the table, including envelopes stamped with the Orlan Navy's seal.

It seemed Saratoga and New Jersey, despite their lively and easygoing personalities, were extremely meticulous when it came to important matters concerning faction safety.

While Lin Lan was scanning the documents and letters, New Jersey pulled out a remote from who-knows-where and pointed it at the wall at the end of the table.

Immediately, a holographic, rotating emblem of the Eagle Union appeared, transforming into a three-dimensional blue display screen.

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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

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