Elder brother's garrison

Do not know why.

Just as New Jersey and the goddess of the hearth locked eyes.

Both New Jersey, nestled in Little White's arms, and the goddess of the hearth, standing on the floor, were slightly startled. Then, they opened their eyes simultaneously, as if sensing something strange, and looked at each other with some confusion, remaining silent for a long time.

The strange relationship between New Jersey and the goddess of the hearth was quickly noticed by Shiro and Yubari.

"Miss Vessel? What's wrong?" At first, Xiaobai thought the Vessel was a little angry because of New Jersey's timid attitude, so he quickly explained to the Vessel with some concern, "Well... Miss Vessel, New Jersey has just come into contact with human society and is not used to human understanding yet. Actually, she is a very sensible child..."

"Ah, I'm not angry, really not..." The goddess of the hearth quickly waved her hand, then tilted her head, curiously scratched her cheek, and stared at New Jersey for a while before slowly saying, "Hmm... it's just... a little strange."

"Strange?" Xiaobai was taken aback.

"Yeah, this is the first time I've seen this ship girl, but I feel like the atmosphere is a bit..." The Vestal tapped her chin, looking at New Jersey as she pondered.

“...Like Sister Iowa.” New Jersey lowered her head and spoke to Little White.

"what?"

“She has a bit of an Iowa sister vibe and an admiral vibe about her,” New Jersey whispered to Xiaobai. “...I like her.”

"Huh?" Xiaobai was taken aback. "You like it?"

"You think so too?" Upon hearing New Jersey's words, the goddess of the hearth's eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands together, saying with considerable surprise, "I also felt a sense of closeness from you just now, like a long-lost sister!"

Steamed Egg Custard

written request for leave

I wanted to eat KFC, so I took a day off to go have some chicken.

cluck cluck cluck

Purple sweet potato pudding

Chapter 1691 More Than Blood Sisters

"Sisters?"

Little White was immediately confused by the conversation between the goddess of the hearth and New Jersey. She stared at the goddess of the hearth and New Jersey, who suddenly seemed to be catching each other's eye, and opened her mouth slightly.

As for what kind of ship girl Vestal is, Xiaobai doesn't know yet because they haven't spent much time together. However, as the admiral, Xiaobai is quite familiar with the personality of this ship girl who was just recruited to the naval base in New Jersey.

New Jersey wasn't exactly the charming and sophisticated ship girl type, and because she accidentally ingested deep-sea metal and was now trapped in the aura of the deep sea, she had to expend a lot of physical strength and energy to activate the runes on her stomach to consume the aura of the deep sea. This excessive consumption left New Jersey in a highly lethargic and lazy state.

Ok.

To describe New Jersey today in a rather general way...

That's indifference.

New Jersey, this ship girl, is currently showing virtually no interest in anything or anyone. To her, everything else in the world is inferior, only the sofa is superior. Even if Little White pushes New Jersey to greet Vestal, given New Jersey's lazy nature, it would be an extraordinary feat for her to even squint and greet Vestal.

However, this New Jersey woman, after meeting the Goddess of the Hearth, told Xiaobai that she felt Iowa's presence in the Goddess of the Hearth? Even the Goddess of the Hearth herself said that she seemed to have found a sisterly feeling in New Jersey?

What happened?

its not right.

Putting aside the goddess of the hearth, New Jersey's reaction is really not in line with New Jersey's character.

—Is it because Vestal is a rare ship girl healer, and all ship girls get a favorability bonus when they see her?

That's not right either.

At least Changchun and Yubari reacted normally when they first saw the female hearth goddess...

Thinking about this, Xiao Bai's little head was filled with great doubt.

"Does 'close sisters' mean... the feeling between ships of the same class?" Xiaobai asked the goddess of the hearth with some curiosity.

"You suddenly brought up ships of the same class with me, but I don't have any sister ships of the same class." Vestal shrugged with a wry smile at Little White, then looked at Vestal with a puzzled expression, pondered for a moment, and said, "Hmm... but if I had a ship of the same class... maybe this is what it would feel like?"

“…Uh.” Xiaobai looked down at New Jersey. “And what about you, New Jersey?”

The sleepiness in New Jersey's eyes had faded considerably. When he saw Xiaobai looking at him, New Jersey pursed his lips, a rare occurrence for him, and spoke to Xiaobai.

"Hmm, she looks a bit like Iowa."

“Sister Iowa is alright…” Little White murmured New Jersey’s words, his gaze returning to the curious Vesta Goddess.

"Who is Sister Iowa?" The female hearth goddess touched her lips, looking at Little White with curiosity. "Is she a girl who looks a lot like me?"

“No, the Iowa that New Jersey just mentioned... she’s a very tall ship girl with a large bust, a slim waist, and hair that reaches her waist.” Xiaobai introduced to Vestal, “Hmm... like a fashion model on TV, she’s the older sister of New Jersey’s class.”

"That's completely unlike anything I've heard!" The goddess of the hearth exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

The appearance of the Vess is indeed completely different from that of Iowa. It's not that the Vess is less beautiful than Iowa, but in terms of art style, the petite Vess and the slender Iowa are two ship girls. One is a cute loli, and the other is a mature and elegant woman. They are simply very different at first glance.

To claim that the goddess of the hearth resembles Iowa after all this... New Jersey's statement is truly baffling.

"If I'm not mistaken, what New Jersey means is that she just felt a sense of closeness with Vestal, a ship of the same class, right?" Yubari, who had witnessed the whole thing, scratched her smooth, flat belly and said to Shiro, "These kinds of things do happen occasionally among ship girls."

"what does it mean?"

“The existence of ship girls originates from ships in human history, so in terms of emotions, they will inherit some of those feelings. Just like Bismarck and Hood in our naval base, and Akagi and Kaga, they are not ships of the same class, but they also have some emotional entanglements, right? These emotional entanglements were not developed during their life in the naval base, but were decided the moment they saw each other.” Yubari said to Shiro, “Maybe it’s because of the ship names that New Jersey feels a sense of familiarity with Vestal, which is similar to Iowa.”

Shiro listened blankly to Yubari's words.

"Oh... I see. It's because of the ship's name... As expected of Yubari!" Shiro thanked Yubari.

"You're welcome~" Yubari waved his hand.

"So, the reason why Vestal and New Jersey have feelings for each other is because the repair ship Vestal and the battleship New Jersey looked after each other in human history?" Xiaobai said to Vestal and New Jersey with sudden realization, "So you two are actually old acquaintances?"

"……Do not."

"No."

The next second, something incredibly embarrassing happened.

The goddess of the hearth and New Jersey shook their heads almost simultaneously.

"This is truly the first time I've ever met her."

"Yeah, first time."

"...Huh? But you just said you felt very close to each other..." Xiaobai.

"The sense of closeness doesn't seem to come from the ship's name, but from her as a person," Vestal said to Little White, pointing to New Jersey. "Personally, I don't really feel anything about the ship's name, New Jersey."

“Mm.” New Jersey nodded in agreement, it seemed she felt the same way.

"..." Xiaobai silently looked at Yubari.

"Ahem!" Yubari stood up awkwardly. "Well, I'm going to the kitchen to see how Xiao Changchun's cooking is going, and I'll help her out while I'm at it. Admiral, you guys continue."

Yubari ran out of the living room with quick, light steps.

Shiro sighed helplessly as he watched Yubari's retreating figure, then gave New Jersey and Vesta a strange look.

"Is the sense of closeness like Iowa's...coming from the person himself?" Xiaobai murmured softly. After thinking for a long time, he still had no clue about the cause of this phenomenon. In the end, he could only shrug his shoulders and give up thinking about it.

Forget it.

Anyway, it's a good thing that New Jersey and the Goddess of the Hearth have feelings for each other. Since it's a good thing, I don't need to worry about how it came about.

As Xiaobai was thinking, he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that the female Kitchen Goddess had somehow approached the corner of the sofa, pressing her small hand on the soft cushion with an amazed look on her face, her eyes sparkling with wonder.

"Hmm? What are you doing, Lady Hearth?"

"If you're staying overnight, of course I'll check the sleeping area!" The female kitchen goddess exclaimed, pressing her hand against the sofa cushions, letting the softness of the fabric envelop her. "Wow... your sofa feels so soft, it must be very comfortable to lie on!"

"...Miss Kitchen Goddess, the sofa isn't for sleeping..."

"Huh? But I just saw that you only have four bedrooms. Isn't that just right for four people?" the female Kitchen Goddess said matter-of-factly.

“…I’ll share a room with Changchun.” Xiaobai was silent for a while, then said to the Goddess of the Kitchen, “Sleeping on the sofa will affect your rest, so you should sleep on the bed, Miss Goddess of the Kitchen.”

"I don't care, your sofa is so big, I can easily lie down on it..."

"I'd feel guilty if you slept on the sofa, Miss Stove Goddess, so please sleep on the bed instead," Xiao Bai said to the Stove Goddess with a smile.

"Hmm..." Since Xiaobai had brought it up, the goddess of the hearth had no choice but to agree. "...Thanks then..."

"You're welcome."

"And..."

"Ok?"

"You only told me to stay at your house for two days, but you didn't tell me what I was supposed to do during those two days..." The female Kitchen Goddess propped herself up on the sofa, looked at Little White curiously, and swung her two little legs in mid-air. "Is there something you want to ask me?"

"Can't Miss Kitchen Goddess come and stay for a few days if there's nothing urgent?"

"Uh... no, that's not it..."

"After all, Miss Vestal, you chose to connect with my Admiral's network today, right? So, Miss Vestal, you're practically my friend now, aren't you?" Xiaobai said with a smile to Miss Vestal. "Do you need a reason to invite a friend over?"

"..." The female hearth goddess blinked, looked down at her dangling legs, and after a while, softly uttered, "Oh... thank you..."

"You're welcome."

"...And also... about that... about my online connection with your admiral today." The female hearth muttered a few words with her head down, then looked up at Little White with some embarrassment, "Actually, I..."

"Actually, Ms. Vestal didn't intend to become my ship girl. She only agreed to connect with my admiral's network to heal those two ship girls, right?" Xiaobai said with a smile while patting New Jersey's head.

"Hmm..." The female kitchen god stared at Little White for a moment, then awkwardly shrank back, her two dangling little legs settling down. "I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, I understand." Xiaobai didn't seem to mind. She smiled at Vestal and said, "It was all to save those two ship girls, right? Don't worry, even if I link with you, Vestal, I won't force you to do anything. And... if possible, if you ever encounter a situation like today where you need my help, please don't hesitate to come to me."

Xiao Bai is no longer in a hurry about whether the female Kitchen Goddess stays or goes.

After all, no matter what the female hearth goddess says, the fact remains that she is now connected to him online. In a sense, the relationship between the female hearth goddess and him is like a fait accompli. The female hearth goddess has already stepped into the newbie garrison, and the other half is just a matter of the female hearth goddess nodding her head.

Just nod...

If the feelings are right, then it's a matter of going with the flow.

As Xiaobai was thinking, she suddenly felt a prickly sensation on her face.

Xiao Bai looked to the side.

The female Kitchen Goddess looked up blankly, staring straight at Little White, and suddenly fell silent.

"...Miss Kitchen Goddess? What's wrong?"

"You really are an angel, aren't you?"

The female kitchen goddess's eyes reddened; she was deeply moved.

"...I think the goddess Vestal, who has been providing free treatment to civilian ship girls for so long, is the real angel."

Xiao Bai laughed.

Chapter 1692 Admiral, something's not right!

Xiao Bai really didn't expect to bring the Vesta Goddess back to the newbie garrison so quickly.

After witnessing firsthand the group of ship girls gathered at the entrance of the Vestal's house, queuing up like loyal fans waiting for the Vestal to heal them, Xiaobai understood the importance of the Vestal to them. In a sense, the Vestal had become the spiritual pillar of those civilian ship girls, an indispensable special existence in their hearts. And the Vestal herself certainly couldn't bear to abandon those civilian ship girls who needed help.

Ok……

Perhaps I could consider leaving Vestal at the Ship Equipment Research Center, just like I did with Yubari, once she's willing to join the newbie naval base and enjoy its protection.

Xiaobai isn't the kind of unreasonable admiral who insists on having every ship girl by his side. She's quite open-minded about where ship girls live. After all, Xiaobai's initial reason for seeking out Vestal wasn't to possess her. She simply didn't want the existence of the Abyssal Aura Shielding Device to be revealed to outsiders. As long as Vestal is willing to join the newbie naval base and become a reliable member of her team to protect this secret, Xiaobai doesn't really care where she lives.

Once the Vess is willing to join the newbie naval base, I'll get her a house in this neighborhood, decorate it carefully so she can live here long-term with peace of mind. She can also be neighbors with Yubari. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Hmm—but in that case, I'd have to consider the hordes of civilian ship girls who would line up outside Vestal's house in the future. It wouldn't be good to have so many ship girls flooding into the neighborhood and making noise every day. I should probably arrange a small clinic specifically for her to receive outpatient treatment or something...

"The steak is ready!" Just as Shiro was pondering the future, Yubari's excited cheers came from outside the living room.

Xiao Bai and the Kitchen Goddess looked out of the living room.

Yubari, holding a sizzling steak in each hand, excitedly ran into the living room and called out to Shiro and the Kitchen Goddess on the sofa.

"Admiral, Admiral! Xiao Changchun has already prepared the meal, and this steak smells delicious!"

A rich aroma of meat, along with the wonderful scent of roasting over a blazing fire, wafted through the air as Yubari rushed into the living room, making the goddess of the hearth stare longingly at him, her mouth watering uncontrollably.

"This, this is steak? The kind of steak you see in TV dramas?!" The female kitchen god jumped up from the sofa, staring intently at the dish in Yubari's hands. Her feet seemed rooted to the ground, and she couldn't move. Her mouth was watering. "This...this smells so good...even Aunt Wang's scallion pancakes don't smell this good!"

"How can a snack like hand-pulled pancakes compare to a Western-style meal! Here, can you hold this for me? I'll go to the balcony and get a table for dinner later!" Yubari ran up to the female stove goddess, shoved the sizzling, hot iron plate with steaks into her arms, and happily hummed a little tune as he skipped and hopped toward the balcony.

The sizzling iron plates were extremely hot; if an ordinary human were to touch them directly, their hands would surely be covered in blisters. Fortunately, as a ship girl, the temperature was not enough to harm Vestal's hands.

But the goddess of the hearth faces another difficult problem.