Revisit Azur Lane

"Let me look for it first."

After Zhou He responded, he opened the warehouse, selected the furniture selection, and started swiping through the items one by one. Among the furniture selection, there were many items that were very expensive in the store. The most cost-effective items were the functional buildings with the Manju (a type of building), followed by residences, which came in various sizes.

After searching for a while, he locked his gaze on a luxurious manor with a courtyard and fence, and the Ironblood flag hanging above the house, decorated with black and red colors. He long-pressed to read the description and confirmed his selection. Then he selected this small rectangular manor in the warehouse and entered 'browse' mode.

When purchasing the hot springs and restaurant, Zhou He had already experienced what a large house was like, but compared to this Iron-Blooded Manor, the former two were like kittens meeting big cats—

After selecting to browse, Zhou He himself was at the entrance gate of the manor. The walls on both sides were about sixty meters long in total. The walls were made of concrete bases and diamond-shaped steel railings. The Iron Blood Flag was flying above the gate. In the center of the manor was a duplex house with three floors. The number of rooms could not be seen from the front, but the size of the walls could be roughly estimated to be about 1,000 square meters. If we add the three floors together, it would be more than 2,000 square meters. The outer walls were all gray, as if they were made of some special material. The Iron Blood Flag was flying at the windows of the three floors, making it look like a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"too exaggerated."

Zhou He lowered his head and looked around to adjust the direction, sitting facing south towards the sea. After observing repeatedly to ensure there were no errors, he chose to put it into use.

In that instant, countless points of light expanded outward from his side, 3D printing the entire manor from bottom to top. At the moment of completion, Zhou He seemed to feel the ground tremble.

However, there were others who were even more shocked than him. Even Bismarck's eyes flashed with surprise and doubt as he looked at the huge manor that was completed in an instant. Looking at Zhou He's effortless demeanor, he couldn't express the emotions in his heart.

"Wow, it's huge! It's the size of two command buildings and three dining halls."

To get a clear view of the whole building, Zuikaku had to step back seven or eight meters, making the other two buildings mere units of measurement.

"Heh, what's the big deal? Once we have enough resources, I'll completely renovate the whole island."

Zhou He's heart was also racing, but he couldn't show it in front of others. He turned around, beckoned to Ruihe with his finger, and smiled, "There will be more reward events like this in the future. Whether you can get them depends entirely on your strength and luck."

"Cut~"

Zuikaku wasn't buying it at all, raising an eyebrow: "Commander, you just wait."

Chapter 89 Illusion

The Iron Blood Mansion was built quietly, but many people still noticed it. The Cleveland sisters, who were playing in the middle of the bay, and Tosa and Kaga, who were talking outside the forest deep in the island, were all drawn to the huge building that had suddenly appeared.

"Bismarck, this area is now your territory. Be careful to manage it well. If you want to add any equipment later, you can come to me to apply."

After exchanging a few lighthearted words with Ruihe, Zhou He turned to Bismarck and gave her a hand gesture of instruction.

This manor was a reward for Bismarck, but its completion also marked the establishment of the Ironblood faction's base. Future Ironblood buildings will be located nearby—unless someone specifically suggests that they don't want to live here and want to build a house elsewhere.

"Understood, I will take good care of this place for my other companions."

Bismarck nodded slightly. Her inherited memories included some grand scenes, and although she felt joy at the sight of the new mansion, she managed to suppress it. She stepped forward to the manor gate, pushed open the iron gate, and then, holding the door frame, turned to Zhou He and the others: "Commander, would you like to come in and have a look around?"

"Let me be healthy!"

Zhou He had been waiting for this question. He answered in a loud voice and strode into the manor with U556 and Ruihe, who were also filled with excitement.

The central duplex building of this manor occupies about a thousand square meters, while the courtyards on the front, back, left, and right sides still cover more than a thousand square meters. A main path, more than five meters wide and about ten meters long, leads straight to the main gate of the building. On the left and right sides are neatly trimmed green walls, about 1.2 meters high, which only occupy the first half of the entrance to the main path. This first half extends to the left and right, forming a green maze. Out of curiosity, Zhou He went over to take a look and found that these walls were actually formed by support frames placed inside, and then climbing plants grew and extended on their own.

'So that's the structure.'

Zhou He sighed inwardly, truly believing that the grass walls often seen in anime and comics were specially planted greenery that had grown into this shape.

"Oh dear, isn't this place too big?"

Ruihe was more like a villager than Zhou He, and walked even faster than Bismarck. He had already reached the square and open space in front of the house. He shielded his eyes from the light, stood on tiptoe, and looked around. Once inside, he would find that the manor was much larger than he had imagined from the outside.

"It certainly seems big when only a few of us come in. But in the future, there may be dozens or even hundreds of Ironblood ship girls living here or outside, and then it won't feel so big anymore."

Zhou He walked over to Ruihe with his hands in his pockets and began explaining in an air of 'I know it all'.

In fact, he had already envisioned this before construction began. After all, a hot spring garden costing 15 yuan is 150 square meters, and this mansion would cost at least several hundred yuan in stores. Its size was entirely within his expectations.

However, the feeling of building a house for one's own family is truly indescribable – even though it's all done automatically by the system and he didn't touch a single brick or tile, he still feels a great sense of participation.

"Hiss, that seems to be the case."

Ruihe was convinced by the wise Zhou He. After all, when she first joined, the command building was very empty, and she could feel echoes when she walked around inside. Now that every room was occupied, it was as if there were invisible walls restricting entry, and she even felt a little restricted in her movements.

"Sister Bismarck?"

U556 wasn't very interested in architecture and stayed close to Bismarck. After Zhou He finished speaking, she noticed a slight change in Bismarck's expression and reached out to tug at her sleeve.

"...It's alright."

Bismarck reached out and placed her hand on U556's shoulder, her eyes reserved and her whole demeanor somewhat listless: "I was just wondering what Tirpitz and the others, who were separated from us, are doing now."

"Hey~ Bismarck really cares about Tirpitz."

U556 laughed instantly upon hearing this, but quickly recovered: "If only Bismarck could be this straightforward when facing Tirpitz."

"Feel sorry."

Bismarck was also troubled by this. Although she was fearless no matter who she was facing, when she stood in front of Tirpitz, she seemed to lose her ability to express herself. She could not accurately control what she thought, what she said, or even her facial expressions.

"Ah! Sister Bismarck, there's no need to apologize. We'll practice together more in the future, and we'll definitely be fine when we meet again!"

Upon hearing this, U556 quickly waved her hand to cheer Bismarck on. Even Bismarck, after becoming human, would have weaknesses. This is something everyone has, and it's perfectly normal!

The conversation and commotion were caught by Zhou He and Ruihe, who were walking ahead. The two exchanged a glance and, in perfect unison, chose to pretend they hadn't heard anything. They quickened their pace, strolled around the square, and then ran to the entrance of the mansion, pushed open the door, and slipped inside to become country bumpkins.

……

There are only a few buildings in the port area. While Zhou He and his group were visiting inside, others who went out for a stroll also discovered them and quickly gathered around, chatting and commenting animatedly. As a result, when Zhou He and Ruihe came out, they were immediately surrounded.

Zhou He was surrounded, mainly because Harman Javelin and others were apologizing for their actions that morning due to their distrust of Zhou He. Upon hearing this, Ruihe immediately took the initiative and magnanimously stated that he had already apologized and that everyone should not take it to heart.

Then Shoukaku grabbed her ear and pulled her aside, where she was given a severe scolding with a bitter expression.

After this minor matter was resolved, everyone's attention shifted to the building in front of them, which was even more luxurious than the command headquarters. However, without Bismarck's permission, they were too embarrassed to go inside. So they asked Zhou He about the inside. Then, while Zhou He was giving a thorough explanation, Bismarck came out and granted everyone's request to go inside.

Zhou He tried to blend in, but when he saw Hu De in the crowd, he hesitated and decided to give up, leaving the cold wind blowing outside the door.

"With such a magnificent manor, the royal residences must be equally impressive in the future."

As everyone knows, Ironblood and Royal were historically rival factions. Joining the port area might erase historical hatred, but competition is inevitable. Zhou He leaned against the stone pillar supporting the corridor and opened the system map:

Starting yesterday, mass-produced Sirens have entered many of the sea areas he had previously reclaimed. At this point, enemies are everywhere. Even the area near his island shows the presence of Sirens, to the point that he would be besieged if he went out.

However, these are all minor issues that can be dealt with gradually as long as one is willing to put in the effort. After a brief observation, Zhou He focused his attention on the West Fourth District and the South Third District. It is known that there is a human port ruin in the South Third District and a Siren base that is in operation in the West Fourth District.

"The ruins of the South Third District are worth seeing, but the Siren base in the West Fourth District is even more important. The Mirror Sea is a common experimental area for the Siren, used for fighting enemies and setting up ambushes, so a well-established Siren base must exist in the Mirror Sea."

Zhou He's eyes flickered. He could collect ordinary dormitories and functional buildings with Home Coins, but large buildings that could serve as faction gathering places could only be obtained by exploring the Mirror Sea and obtaining the furniture selection boxes.

In that case, the target for the next strategy is basically determined.

"What's going on with this building? It just appeared out of nowhere. Did you do this, Commander?"

Not everyone was interested in visiting the new house. For example, Kaga, who had never seen Zhou He use his 'Commander's Power', was more interested in the reason for the building's existence than the building itself. After observing it from the outside, she came to Zhou He's vicinity and casually asked him about it.

"That's it."

Zhou He closed the system interface, turned his head and saw Kaga and Tosa walking over. They had similar temperaments, and he said with a smile, "Your relationship has gotten even better."

"Hmph, of course. The strong always gravitate towards each other, and that's exactly what happened between Tosa and me."

This made Kaga very happy. She raised her hand and poked herself with her thumb, her chin slightly raised, proud like a peacock spreading its tail feathers. Zhou He found it quite rare, since Kaga was basically just a storage unit when playing games, and if she was to be taken out for a stroll, it would be the aircraft carrier Kaga.

If it were Kaga, who was flying a small plane, he certainly wouldn't have this youthful and impetuous attitude.

"We are looking for traces left by Kursk."

Tosa neither agreed with nor denied Kaga's statement, but simply explained why he had come together with Kaga.

Although the two sisters do not resemble each other, their indomitable spirit is ingrained in their bones. Tosa has her sights set on Kursk, and Kaga, after hearing about Kursk from Tosa, also becomes interested in her. It seems that the two sisters are planning to capture Kursk, who is a top-notch hunter.

It sounds like a crazy idea, but it's precisely this kind of thing that brings out the youthful spirit—Zhou He prefers the youthful personality of Zuikaku Kaga to that of a seasoned veteran like Hu De who remains calm no matter what happens.

"Kursk."

Zhou He glanced at Tosa. Judging from Tosa's previous contact with Kursk, Kursk was not averse to Tosa, but it was not at the level of casual contact either.

So, Kursk's attitude towards him is quite close. He usually goes along with Kursk's wishes in their communication and missions. If we were to judge by favorability, he would probably have a favorability rating of around 60 to 70.

"Are you two interested in coming with me to a hot spring?"

Qianxun

Suddenly, Zhou He thought of a way to determine the strength of his ship girls' affection for him, and immediately conducted a test.

"Hot spring? The one at home?"

Kaga reacted faster, one hand on her hip, her eyebrows raised in a smug way: "This morning, from what I heard, it seems the Commander took Yuudachi back to his room. Could it be that he's got his eye on us again? Although I know my beauty is very attractive to men like you, Commander, it won't work. You look weak, and you're not my type right now."

"Really? What a pity."

Zhou He didn't care. Kaga's rejection was within his expectations. This inexplicable sense of control actually made him feel amused, which he then showed on his face.

"Ugh, what a boring fellow."

Looking at Zhou He's smile, which carried a hint of 'doting', Kaga saw a person from her memory and suddenly realized that she had been too relaxed. How could the man in front of her, who could control the entire port area, be a simple weakling? Even if he was not as good as Amagi, he was still a very smart guy. If she revealed too many flaws, she would definitely suffer a great loss.

"It's alright, Tosa, what's your answer?"

Without trying to figure out what Kaga was thinking, Zhou He turned the question to the silent Tosa, who glanced at him, took the sword from his waist and held it upright in front of him, pressing his palm against the hilt: "As long as you can take this sword, Commander, I will acknowledge that you are not weak."

"..."

Zhou He shrank back. Tosa was indeed Tosa; its attack power was far superior to Kaga's.

He had previously handled Zuikaku's sword, which was of very high quality. In Zuikaku's hands, it was like a toy, but it actually weighed six or seven pounds. He could barely hold it up with just a few swings of his wrist. He estimated that Tosa's sword was about the same. It wouldn't be difficult for him to take the sword from Tosa's palm with all his might, although the process might be a bit unsightly.

But he wouldn't back down, so he leaned back tactically and looked at Kaga: "Before taking office, I had never handled a knife. Kaga, do you know any knife-disarming techniques that would suit me?"

"I don't use knives, how would I know about this thing?"

Kaga casually made a comment, then turned around curiously to Tosa's side. She bent down, gripped the scabbard, and tried to test the difficulty—but it wouldn't budge. She raised an eyebrow and gradually increased her strength until her fair palm turned red and the veins were visible, but she still couldn't move the sword an inch. She glanced at the cracked floor tiles, then looked up at the expressionless Tosa, stood up, and shook her hand: "See? I don't understand this."

"I see it."

Zhou He may not have the strength, but that doesn't mean he lacks discernment. The two were so intense that the floor tiles cracked. Tosa didn't even give Kaga any face, which shows that she hasn't fully accepted her adopted older sister yet.

"Haha, Commander, why don't you give it a try?"

Kaga, having suffered a setback, decided he couldn't be the only one to suffer, so he began to encourage Zhou He: "Having strength and wisdom is important, but even more important is the courage and perseverance to face everything without giving up. Come on! Abandon your weak past and embark on the path to becoming a strongman!"

"So, Kaga, you're quite the talker?"