Elder brother's garrison

Just like she had treated the previous ship girls, the goddess of the hearth meticulously repaired the ship girl's equipment. After the repair was completed, she tirelessly analyzed the causes of the injury for the ship girl, each point containing golden sentences that could help the ship girl break through tactical bottlenecks, making the ship girl's eyes light up with admiration.

The treatment is over.

The civilian ship girl reluctantly stood up from the sofa and bowed several times to the goddess of the hearth.

"Thank you, Goddess of the Hearth! Your words are worth more than ten years of study! I will keep your advice in mind!" the civilian ship girl said excitedly to the Goddess of the Hearth. "I will come again next time! Thank you, Goddess of the Hearth!"

Regarding the amazing repair ship, Vesta, fan-made ship girls say that it's truly unbelievable unless you see it with your own eyes.

The legendary repair abilities of this ship girl were already fantastic, but after experiencing it firsthand, I discovered that not only were the repair abilities real, but even the service attitude of the Vesta was ridiculously good. The Vesta did not show any arrogance towards the ship girls who came to her for treatment because of her unique and noble status. On the contrary, during the treatment, she kindly inquired about the cause of the damage to her ship equipment, painstakingly analyzed her ship equipment, and corrected her bad habits in battle, from which I benefited greatly!

It's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish!

This is a real doctor!

The ship girls in the fandom are truly convinced of the power of the female hearth goddess.

"Next time, I'll come back next time! Sister Goddess of the Hearth!" the civilian ship girl said excitedly to the Goddess of the Hearth.

"Hahaha... Next time... I guess I'll pass." Faced with the incredibly excited civilian ship girl who had turned into a fangirl, Vesta didn't have any special reaction. She just scratched her head and smiled a little shyly at the civilian ship girl, "If nothing unexpected happens... I probably won't have a next time."

"Huh? There won't be a next time?" The civilian ship girl was taken aback.

"Hmm." The goddess of the hearth nodded, glanced at the little white dog guarding the door, thought for a while, and then let out a long sigh of relief towards the civilian ship girls, as if she had unloaded a burden that had been lifted for many years, revealing a look of relief, "Although it's a bit sudden... however, I... may have to leave Kyoto."

Chapter 1727 Farewell

"I may have to leave Kyoto." The goddess of the hearth said slowly to the civilian ship girls, as if she were talking about something very ordinary, extremely calmly.

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

However, when these words were heard by the other two people in the room, they were so shocked that their eyes widened.

Xiaobai and the civilian ship girls stared wide-eyed at the calm-faced goddess of the hearth.

"Miss Stove Goddess?" Xiaobai stared at the Stove Goddess in surprise. "You...you're leaving Kyoto? When did that happen? What happened?"

"Sister Vestal? You...why are you leaving Kyoto?" The civilian ship girl stared at Vestal in astonishment, her expression turning somewhat fearful at the thought of her leaving Kyoto. "Did...did I just make you angry? I...I apologize...I apologize to you right now..."

"You two calm down..." The goddess of the hearth quickly raised her hand to stop Xiaobai and the civilian ship girl. She looked at Xiaobai and the civilian ship girl's faces, thought for a while with some helplessness, and then said to the two of them, "I had my own reasons for leaving Kyoto... and it was voluntary. No one forced me, and it was not because you made me angry or anything."

"But, but I heard from my sisters that you, Sister Goddess of the Hearth, have been in Kyoto for a long time..." The civilian ship girl said nervously to the Goddess of the Hearth.

“I’ve been in Kyoto long enough, haven’t I? I need to look forward, right? Staying here all alone is so boring and lonely. I need to pursue my own happiness too.” The Vessian spoke to the civilian ship girl, placing her hand in front of her lips in a shushing gesture. “You don’t need to keep my departure from Kyoto a secret, nor do you need to spread the word. Those who care about me will find out naturally once I’m gone. If possible, could you please pretend you didn’t hear anything until I leave?”

"Ah, this..." The civilian ship girl stared blankly at the goddess of the hearth.

"..." The goddess of the hearth smiled gently.

“…Okay…okay.” The civilian ship girl lowered her head, her expression complicated. “I…I will.”

"Thank you." The goddess of the hearth smiled and nodded, her gaze fixed on the doorway. "Then, next ship girl!"

The civilian ship girl left the house of the goddess of the hearth, feeling utterly dejected.

"Miss Vestal..." After the civilian ship girls left, Xiaobai spoke to the Vestal, "What you just said about leaving Kyoto, could it be...?"

"When I was looking for you, little girl, I used my transformation power, didn't I? You can't hide the truth forever. Once this news spreads throughout the ship girl community, people who recognize my power and yearn to have me join their organization and become their fighting force will probably come from all over the world to find me, right?" The female hearth goddess smiled apologetically at Xiaobai. "...At that time, I will truly have no peaceful life anymore, and I can't stand that kind of situation the most. So it's better to take advantage of the current situation and leave here honestly and voluntarily."

"Huh? Ah..." Xiaobai looked lost and disappointed.

I see.

Xiao Bai said that the Kitchen Goddess seemed a bit strange today...

Xiao Bai recalled the scene of the security team from the Ship Equipment Research Center seeing off Vestal when he went out with her today, as well as Vestal transferring money to the damaged ship girls she had treated at the bank, and the scene of her exceptionally meticulous treatment of the ship girls today.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems the goddess of the hearth probably didn't ask the security team for leave this morning, but rather resigned directly!

The fact that she went to the bank to transfer money to the badly damaged ship girls who had received treatment, and the extra care she gave to the ship girls who came to her door... these are probably all signs that Vestal is preparing to leave Kyoto and say goodbye to her past life...

Xiao Bai recalled what the female Kitchen Goddess had told him yesterday: she would give Xiao Bai an explanation for what happened yesterday sooner or later.

Could it be that the instructions the female hearth goddess gave were her plan to leave Kyoto...?

Xiao Bai suddenly realized what was happening, but her thoughts were in disarray when a voice called out beside her.

"Um... little girl." The female Stove Goddess lowered her head, reached out to smooth her hair behind her ear, and called out to Little White.

"Ah...ah?" Xiaobai looked at the female stove god in a daze.

"Now I'm really homeless," the goddess of the hearth said to Little White.

"..."

"This time I'm truly homeless." Seeing Xiaobai staring blankly at her, the female Kitchen Goddess raised her eyebrows, grabbed Xiaobai's sleeve, and said, "Aren't you going to do anything for me? What if I get cheated by bad people while I'm out here alone, and they swindle me out of twenty years' worth of wages?!"

"Ah...oh!" Upon hearing this, Xiaobai finally understood the meaning behind the goddess of the hearth. Her eyes suddenly lit up, then she was startled, and then overjoyed. "Ah! Miss goddess of the hearth, you...you mean you want to join our garrison?"

“After all, I’ve already connected with your admiral’s network, right… Where else can I go now?” The goddess of the hearth sighed, then gave Little White a helpless look. “Besides, after what’s happened these past two days, I’ve also become a bit disillusioned with this human society full of schemes.”

"Okay!" Little White quickly grasped the Stove Goddess's hand and said to her with delight, "Don't worry, Miss Stove Goddess, everyone in the garrison and I will take responsibility to protect you!"

"Then please guide me from now on." The female hearth goddess grinned at Little White, showing off her pearly white teeth. "Admiral?"

"Hmm! The goddess of the hearth!"

"Don't worry, I didn't let you take me in for nothing! Now that I'm eating your naval base's rice, I'll help you as much as I can!" The female hearth goddess said to Little White with conviction. "Whether it's in combat or repairs, I'll help you as much as I can! In short, let's set a small goal first! Let's strive to become the world's number one naval base!"

"Okay...wait?" Xiaobai was just about to nod gratefully when he suddenly paused, "Number one in the world?"

"Yes! Number one in the world!" The goddess of the hearth puffed out her chest confidently. "With me here, the world's number one naval base is no problem!"

"..." Xiao Bai looked at the female stove god with a subtle expression.

Oh……

Yes.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever told the female hearth goddess about my garrison.

Perhaps in the eyes of the goddess of the hearth, her naval base is just an ordinary... or an ordinary-to-high-level naval base?

"Miss Stove Goddess, actually our garrison is originally..." Xiao Bai thought of this and wanted to explain to the Stove Goddess.

"Sister Vestal? I'm the next ship girl... Ah? No, excuse me, have I disturbed you?"

However, Xiaobai's explanation was quickly interrupted by the next ship girl who entered the room. The next ship girl walked into the room in a daze and saw Xiaobai and the female hearth shaking hands and looking at each other in a strange atmosphere. She thought that Xiaobai and the female hearth had some kind of unusual relationship. Her face turned red and she covered her face and turned her back.

Xiao Bai and the Kitchen Goddess quickly let go of each other's hands.

Somewhat embarrassing.

Forget it.

The fact that the newbie naval base is already the world's number one naval base, and that Vesta doesn't need to work hard anymore, is actually quite discouraging for Vesta... Maybe I should wait until there's a suitable opportunity later.

Xiao Bai scratched his cheek, suppressing the thought in his heart.

The Vesta didn't tell the next few ship girls who came in that she would be leaving Kyoto. After healing the waiting ship girls one by one, before the last ship girl left, the Vesta casually asked about the location of the bar in the Kyoto ship girl community.

Mutsu didn't appear in the Vestal's courtyard until the Vestal healed the last ship girl, so it seems Mutsu was truly absent today. Fortunately, the Vestal had previously inquired about Mutsu's status in the civilian ship girl community, so following the clues from the ship girls' conversations to find the bar and then asking relevant people about Mutsu's residence shouldn't be too difficult.

After all, according to the ship girls, the bar is full of fans and admirers of Vestal. If Vestal were to personally select one of her fans, the others would probably be eager to come up and share the news.

The last ship girl has left.

The goddess of the hearth stood in the living room, her expression complex as she surveyed the surroundings. Then, gazing at the place she had lived for the past twenty years, she sighed meaningfully.

The Goddess of the Hearth used to be very poor; she didn't own any decent furniture and always wore her work clothes. Now that she was leaving, she didn't need to pack much; she could just stuff a few everyday items into her ship equipment space. The Goddess of the Hearth and Little White left the house and closed the door. The Goddess of the Hearth took out a piece of white paper and wrote the four characters "关业大吉" (meaning "May your business prosper") on it, intending to stick it on the door. However, after thinking for a long time, she put the paper into her ship equipment space with a complicated expression.

Xiao Bai silently watched the goddess of the hearth perform her movements.

We left the alleyway.

The female Stove Goddess approached the pancake vendor's stall and earnestly expressed her gratitude to the kind-hearted woman for a long time. The kind-hearted woman, unaware of the situation, was beaming with joy. She then made two plain hand-pulled pancakes for the female Stove Goddess and Xiaobai for free. This time, the female Stove Goddess insisted on paying, even borrowing four yuan from Xiaobai and handing it to the vendor. Finally, she added a thank you for her care during this time.

Seeing the unexpectedly stubborn expression on the female stove goddess's face, even the kind-hearted aunt seemed to understand something. She quietly looked at the female stove goddess for a while, then at Xiaobai for a while, and finally silently accepted the four yuan that the female stove goddess handed over. She then picked up her chopsticks and added a few sausages and a handful of pork floss to the female stove goddess's scallion pancake. Afterward, she reached out and touched the female stove goddess's head, sighed, and whispered, "Little sister, don't go hungry in the future."

Chapter 1728 There are no traitors in this world, or perhaps everyone is a traitor.

The female stove goddess bid farewell to the pancake vendor and left the small town with Xiaobai.

It's afternoon now, right at rush hour, and the streets of Kyoto are gradually becoming congested and bustling with people coming and going.

Following the route provided by the ship girls who had previously visited the Vestal Goddess's house for treatment, the Vestal Goddess and Shiro arrived at a bustling street corner. They then wandered through the alleyways around the corner like a maze, turning east and west, until finally, in a secluded corner of an alley, they found the bar that the ship girls had mentioned.

Perhaps to avoid attracting attention, this bar is not only located in a remote area, but its facade is also extremely dilapidated.

The already cramped and small storefront was covered in rust, and the neon lights flickered weakly on the signboard. At this time, only the words "bar" could be vaguely seen on the signboard. As for the prefix "bar," it had turned yellow and white from long-term exposure to wind, rain, and sun, making it difficult to recognize.

Based solely on its dilapidated facade, Xiaobai felt that this bar wouldn't even attract passersby to go inside and explore, let alone those who actually came here; they probably wouldn't even bother to glance at it.

Xiaobai and Vestal stood at the entrance of the dilapidated bar, checking the map over and over again. Only after confirming that this was the bar the ship girls had been talking about did they cautiously push open the door.

"This bar is really... even more exaggerated than those civilian ship girls described..." Xiaobai exclaimed to the Vestal Goddess.

Previously, when the goddess of the hearth asked about the location of this bar, the ship girls she asked all told her that this bar, which was exclusively for ship girls, had its facade deliberately decorated in a somewhat old-fashioned way to avoid the view of ordinary people.

However, Xiaobai and the female Kitchen God never expected that the so-called "old" state of this bar was far more exaggerated than they had imagined.

"I feel like we've been tricked by those ship girls... Is this really a bar, or some old, abandoned warehouse that hasn't been used in over a decade?" Vesta frowned as she looked at the bar's facade, muttering to herself in distress.

"Probably not... Miss Vestal, aren't you quite popular among the civilian ship girls? Those ship girls wouldn't lie to us." Xiaobai said, walking to the dilapidated bar door and grabbing the handle. "Anyway, since we're already here, let's go in and take a look. Maybe we'll find the interior isn't so bad after all..."

As Xiao Bai spoke, he opened the bar door under the suspicious gaze of the goddess of the hearth.

Although the bar's door was covered in rust and looked dirty, the doorknob was spotless, and pulling the door wasn't as heavy as I'd imagined, nor did it make any creaking or scraping sounds; it was very smooth.

The door opens.

Immediately, the girls' laughter, like blooming flowers, drifted out from the open door as Xiaobai pulled it open wider.

Xiao Bai and the Kitchen Goddess were drawn by the girls' laughter and looked intently into the doorway.

Sure enough, the interior of the bar was much nicer than the exterior—exquisite, elegant, clean, and refreshing.

The bar was filled with people. Young women sat in their seats, holding refreshing drinks and chatting with other girls around them. These girls had different appearances and figures, but they were all beauties that were rarely seen on the street.

These girls, each with their own unique appearance, are naturally civilian ship girls who have gathered in Kyoto for various reasons. I recognize some of them; those are the ship girls who received treatment at the Vestal Goddess's house these past two days. However, there are many more ship girls I'm seeing for the first time.

"Miss Vestal... are these all ship girls who received treatment at your house?" Xiaobai turned around and asked Vestal.

"Uh... um..." The female hearth goddess covered her chin, squinting as she surveyed the bar, her voice wavering, "They all seem somewhat familiar, maybe... perhaps... almost... probably... they've all been to my house?"

So all the ship girls in this bar are fans of Vestal...?

"Miss Kitchen Goddess, you truly have a multitude of students..." Xiao Bai exclaimed to the Kitchen Goddess.

Is this how you use the phrase "a hall full of peach and plum trees"?

"Ha ha……"

Just as Xiaobai and Vestal were talking at the bar entrance, the ship girls inside the bar also noticed Xiaobai and Vestal in front of the door.

Upon seeing the Vestal for the first time, all the ship girls' eyes lit up. They immediately stopped chatting with the ship girls next to them, jumped up from their seats, and showed the Vestal at the door with delighted smiles.

"Ah! It's the goddess of the hearth!"

"So the goddess of the hearth has finally come here!"

"I guessed right! The Goddess of the Kitchen asked us for directions here because she wanted to come over after get off work today!"

The ship girls who had previously received treatment at Vestal's house stood up from the corner of the bar, their faces flushed with excitement as they waved their arms vigorously at Vestal, looking exactly like fangirls who had just received their idol's autograph.

"...Speaking of which, Miss Vessel, did you never intend to come here before?" Xiao Bai asked the Vessel out of curiosity, looking at the lively scene inside the bar.

"I was so busy with work before, I didn't have time to get involved in this kind of thing, and I'm not interested in it anyway." The female hearth muttered to Xiaobai, then coughed twice, walked into the bar, waved to the ship girls, and greeted them softly, "Yo, hello."

"Oh my gosh!!! The goddess of the hearth looked at me! She just looked at me!"

"Sister Goddess of the Hearth!! Ah, I'm dead!"

"Welcome, Goddess of the Hearth! Welcome here!!"

The ship girls inside the bar transformed into waves, one after another. A large number of ship girls stood up from their seats and immediately crowded the entrance of the bar, pulling Vestal and Shiro into the bar and pressing them down in a spot with plenty of open space on both sides.

The Vess and Little White sat down, and the ship girls, some standing and some squatting, gathered around the seats, smiling at the Vess like a field of blooming sunflowers.

"Sister Goddess of the Hearth, would you like something to drink?"

"Sister Goddess of the Kitchen God, there are some snacks here, would you like some?"

"Sister Goddess of the Hearth, here is the wine list!"

Before Xiaobai and the female hearth could speak, a menu was respectfully opened and handed over by the ship girls.