Elder brother's garrison

Rome is actually a very easy-to-understand ship girl.

Since both sides have reached a consensus, Xiaobai has nothing to be coy about anymore.

"Then I'll have to trouble you two, Rodney and Roma," Xiaobai said with a smile to Rodney and Roma.

"Admiral! I'm ready!" Roma shouted excitedly, swinging his arm as he ran up to Rodney and extended his hand. "Rodney, please guide me in the exercise! I'll give it my all!"

"Well! Since you've said so, Roma, I'll do my best!" Rodney said to Roma with a smile.

"Uh...actually, I think Rodney, you could have gone a little easier..." Roma paused, stammered for a moment, and glanced nervously at Veneto behind her. After being warned by Veneto with a look, she swallowed hard and quickly shook her head, "No, it's nothing! I...I'll go wait for you on the sea!"

Rome quickly ran onto the sea and in the blink of an eye, it had sped far away.

"Then, Admiral, I'm going too." Rodney smiled and released his ship equipment, chasing after Rome's retreating figure amidst everyone's gaze.

Rome and Rodney arrived at the spot where the Empire and Lexington had previously stood, facing each other from a distance.

"Empire, can you see their exercise clearly from this distance?" Xiaobai asked Empire.

"……Um."

After the empire set sail from Rome, she stared intently at Rome on the sea. Only when Xiaobai asked her a question did she slightly come back to her senses and nod to Xiaobai.

“Rodney is a famous battleship ship girl in the naval base. Her skill is the same as mine, an attack called Big Seven,” Nelson explained to Empire. “Although it’s called an exercise, this sparring between Rodney and Roma is more of a demonstration of their respective skills. We ship girls are very subjective beings. As a modified ship girl who hasn’t unlocked her skills yet, Empire, your skills are still undefined and have great potential. If you watch this exercise carefully, the experience and insights you gain might help you improve the form of your skills in the future.”

"Hmm." Empire tugged at Little White's arm, then bowed slightly to Nelson.

“Nelson is as gentlemanly as ever.” Veneto walked up to Nelson with a smile and said, “Thank you for your explanation. I believe this exercise will be helpful to the Empire.”

“I should be the one thanking her,” Nelson said with an apologetic smile to Veneto. “I was quite surprised when Rodney suddenly said she wanted to have an exercise with Rome. I’m very grateful that she was so accommodating to my sister’s whims.”

“Likewise.” Veneto crossed his arms.

Veneto and Nelson looked at the two ship girls on the sea and remained silent.

"……Um……"

Xiaobai and Empire stood between the two. They blinked and rubbed their hands together. They first looked to Veneto on the left and then to Nelson on the right. They found that the two ship girls were gazing at the distant sea with the kind eyes of elders, looking quite absorbed and serious.

The atmosphere was peaceful.

But it was somewhat quiet.

Somehow.

Perhaps because the surrounding environment suddenly became too quiet, Xiaobai couldn't help but want to find something to talk about. Xiaobai scratched his head and suddenly asked the two people looking at the sea.

"Veneto, Nelson, who do you think will win, Roma or Rodney?"

Veneto and Nelson's ears twitched.

“Is that even a question? Of course, it’s my sister.” Veneto and Nelson spoke in unison, their eyes fixed on the sea, almost without hesitation. Suddenly, they paused, turned to look at each other, frowned slightly, and their voices became a little agitated. “…Hmm?”

crackle.

A flash of lightning struck between Veneto and Nelson.

The atmosphere instantly turned sharp.

Steamed Egg Custard

Chapter 1774 Little White Loses Face

"Ha, ha, ha. Veneto, you really like to joke around. I didn't expect you to become so humorous after not seeing you for several years." Nelson and Veneto looked at each other, revealing a meaningful smile. "Although Rodney and I weren't among the first ship girls to arrive at the naval base, we've served here for seven or eight years. Just considering combat experience, the outcome of this battle should be a foregone conclusion, right?"

“I admit that Rodney is one of the strongest ship girls in the naval base, but sometimes, the outcome of an exercise can’t be measured solely by the amount of combat experience, right?” Veneto smiled and looked up, meeting Nelson’s gaze without flinching. “Although Roma is still young and her luck is somewhat unpredictable, I don’t think anyone in the entire naval base can completely suppress her talent in combat.”

“We’ve certainly seen Roma’s efforts. She is indeed a rapidly developing rookie, but Veneto, isn’t it a bit too hasty to say that Roma can surpass my Rodney right now?” Nelson laughed. “Or is it that Veneto’s sisterly affection for Roma is making you overlook the difference in fighting ability between Roma and Rodney?”

"My judgment is undoubtedly the most professional. I know my sister's abilities best; she absolutely cannot lose."

"What a coincidence, that's exactly what I wanted to say too."

"So, does that mean one of us is unprofessional?" Veneto narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his head a little. "That... is quite interesting."

"Oh?" Nelson narrowed his eyes, his tone rising slightly.

Veneto and Nelson did not speak to each other again.

The two men maintained a dignified and upright posture, looking at each other from above. Their gazes seemed polite on the surface, but Xiaobai felt as if lightning and thunder had suddenly struck between them, with sparks flying everywhere.

It looks like a fight is about to break out any second...

Finally, realizing that he might have asked the wrong question, Xiaobai quickly raised his hand and spoke to Veneto and Nelson.

“Veneto, Nelson, um, I just…”

"Admiral, you've come at the right time." Before Xiaobai could finish speaking, Veneto and Nelson turned their heads as if by reflex, looked at Xiaobai, and then asked in unison, "Admiral, who do you think is more right?"

Veneto and Nelson cast earnest glances at Xiaobai, their eyes clearly those of two elementary school students who had been fighting and were now seeking their teacher's opinion on who was right and who was wrong.

"Huh? This..." Xiaobai's raised hand suddenly froze in mid-air.

"Admiral, who do you think will win, Rome or Rodney?" Veneto and Nelson took a step closer to Little White.

"Uh..." Xiaobai withdrew her hand.

Wasn't this the question I just asked those two people...? How come they've already given me this answer after only a few words...?

Staring at Veneto and Nelson, Xiaobai suddenly felt immense pressure.

Only now did Xiaobai realize that the question he had just asked was really too... fatal.

How am I supposed to answer that...?

There's simply no way to answer that...

Regardless of who wins, it seems that the current situation will only get worse. Even my answer, which is that Rome and the Empire are evenly matched, might displease Nelson and Veneto...

Xiao Bai's forehead was sweating.

"me……"

Xiaobai stammered.

Veneto and Nelson stared intently at Little White, and couldn't help but take another step forward.

"Admiral?"

"I...I'm just an emotionless bystander!" Xiaobai forced herself to speak, quickly grabbing Empire's arm and saying to the two ship girls, "I...I'm just like Empire right now! Just an emotionless bystander, not making any statements favoring either side! Everything will be based on the results of the exercise!"

Veneto and Nelson were taken aback.

Veneto and Nelson exchanged a glance.

“…Based on the results…?” Nelson murmured, then chuckled softly. “As expected of the admiral, he talks a lot.”

"Huh?" Xiaobai.

“Indeed, compared to pointless verbal sparring, the question of who will win will be clear once the results of the exercise are in.” Veneto nodded slightly and looked away. “As expected of the admiral, your mind is always so clear. This time, Nelson and I were at a disadvantage and really lost our composure.”

"Hmm?" Xiaobai.

"Whatever the outcome of this exercise, I will accept it calmly," Nelson said.

“Me too,” Veneto said.

Veneto and Nelson exchanged another glance.

The two chuckled softly.

He revealed a magnanimous smile, as if heroes could appreciate each other and let bygones be bygones.

"Uh..." Xiaobai blinked, staring blankly at the two ship girls.

What just happened...?

The way these two acted was like a Sichuan opera face-changing act...

Xiao Bai was completely bewildered.

Suddenly, a loud boom came from the distant sea, and a spray of water shot up from beyond the horizon, splashing and splashing onto the sea surface.

Everyone quickly turned their gaze to the distance.

Just now, the exercises between Rome and Rodney officially began.

In the training exercises of the newbie naval base's own ship girls, there is usually no referee calling out "one, two, three, freeze!" The start time of the exercise depends entirely on the two players discussing it themselves. However, "discussing" is actually just a matter of looking at each other from a distance, nodding slightly to each other, and the exercise is officially started, and both sides can enter battle mode.

Because everyone on the beach had been focused on the conversation between Veneto and Nelson, they didn't see the start of the exercise immediately. When they turned their attention to the sea, the two battleship girls who had been looking at each other from afar had transformed into two fast-moving figures on the sea, circling and hovering around each other amidst bright red flames.

Boom...

Boom boom boom…

One after another, crimson shells shot out between the two intertwined, rapidly moving figures, whistling through the air and tearing apart the surrounding space. They transformed into burning fireballs and hurtled towards each other's path, only to be narrowly dodged at the last moment, before crashing heavily into the sea and creating towering splashes of water that shot straight into the sky.

Why is it that cannons are associated with the romance of naval warfare?

Although Xiaobai has only a superficial understanding of ship girl battles, he is very clear that the aircraft carrier exercises between the Empire and Lexington to seize air superiority were no less intense, tense, full of practical information, and highly technical than those between Rome and Rodney, who are currently bombarding each other. In some ways, they were even more intense.

but.

The exercises between aircraft carriers are really not good to watch... They don't have the same grand and imposing mid-ship battles as battleships, where you fire one shot at another, and countless cannon shells are actually bombarding the water, which is exciting and exhilarating.

Moreover, most of the people present were ship girls who were skilled in artillery warfare. Compared to the headache-inducing precision operation of piloting aircraft, watching artillery warfare gave them a more realistic feeling of watching an exercise.

"Rodney's movement is incredibly aggressive." Behind Shiro, Yubari clicked his tongue in amazement as he watched the battle unfold on the sea, muttering to himself, "Although on the surface they're all dodging enemy fire, Rodney's movement is remarkably aggressive and dangerous. Even standing here, I can clearly feel the aura emanating from Rodney that makes him want to thoroughly wash the enemy's deck inside and out three times over..."

“Rodney’s movement is very dangerous, but it is precisely because of this danger that her counterattacks are a real threat to Rome at all times, which puts a lot of pressure on Rome in the battle.” Lexington nodded slightly and said to Yubari, “This pressure is two-way, it’s on both Rome and Rodney, it’s just a matter of who can’t hold on first.”

"Huh? Lexington, do you understand artillery warfare?" Xiaobai looked at Lexington in surprise when he heard her speak.

"I know a little bit." Lexington looked at Whitey and smiled slightly. "But I'm just an aircraft carrier. In the end, my knowledge of artillery warfare is just talk. My understanding is really shallow. I hope I haven't said anything wrong."

“Wow! Lexington, your analysis is spot on!” Yubari quickly chimed in, saying to Lexington, “Indeed, just as you said, the battle between Rome and Rodney may seem ordinary, but they are actually locked in a fierce confrontation. Rome is launching a full-scale attack, and Rodney, facing Rome’s offensive, has not taken any defensive action but has instead chosen to counterattack Rome with the purest form of offense!”

“Oh…oh…” Xiaobai stared blankly at Yubari and Lexington.

To a complete novice with no combat experience, the battle between Rome and Rodney was simply more intense than a typical ship girl battle. She couldn't analyze as many intricacies as the battles between Lexington and Yubari.

Xiao Bai secretly glanced at the Empire beside him.

The Empress Dowager gazed at the distant sea as if in deep meditation. She silently held Xiaobai's arm, her eyes wide open, her large pupils reflecting the sparks splashing on the sea like mirrors.

Although the Empire is also an aircraft carrier, she has been with Rome since birth. Veneto taught Rome the skills and knowledge that battleships should learn from scratch. As an observer, the Empire naturally learned a lot from her, and in some ways, the Empire may even know more about battleships than she does about aircraft carriers.

Watching the battle between Rome and Rodney with great interest was certainly no problem for the empire.

Xiao Bai withdrew her gaze and looked at the distant sea with a touch of melancholy.

Ok……

Always felt……

My own ship girls know so much, while I, the admiral, am completely clueless... It's really embarrassing...

Chapter 1775 The Strongest Spear

Just as Lexington had said before, the battle on the sea was not a typical one-sided attack and one-sided defense, but a situation where both sides were exerting all their strength and resources to launch an offensive.

The cannon fire from Rome and Rodney intertwined to form a crimson curtain, turning the sky orange-red. Wave after wave of deafening cannon fire made the battle seem as fierce as a thousand troops fighting.

This situation.

It's a bit like two strong men arm wrestling without holding back.

The battle between Rome and Rodney may seem to be at a standstill, but in reality, it is a fierce contest rife with undercurrents. Every cannon shot fired by the two sides is a hidden game of strategy, a relentless and intense struggle full of details.

In the end, this battle will be decided by who loses their nerve and becomes disheartened in the fierce competition. In this arm-wrestling contest, if either side experiences even a moment of exhaustion, the other will seize the opportunity and crush them in one fell swoop.

If we're really talking about hard power...

Actually, Rome is not as good as Rodney.

Rodney is, after all, a ship girl who has served in the den of dragons and tigers, the naval base, for seven or eight years. The combat experience she has accumulated over the years is so rich that even if Rome is talented and hardworking, it is not so easy for her to overcome.

but.

The competition between ship girls isn't about everyone showing off their basic stats and comparing data to see who wins. Although Rome's raw strength is not as good as Rodney's, it doesn't mean she has no chance of winning.

On the sea.

Faced with Rodney's swift and fierce offensive and counterattack, Rome's persistent bombardment gradually weakened, and the originally evenly matched battle seemed to be tilting towards one side as Rome's bombardment momentum weakened slightly.

But even so.

Just when Rome's artillery fire was about to weaken by a fraction of a second and be completely overwhelmed by Rodney's barrage, Rome's formation unexpectedly hardened. They stubbornly struggled against Rodney's bombardment, and no matter how much Rodney intensified his efforts to expand his advantage, Rome remained like a small boat on a stormy sea, showing no sign of being overwhelmed despite the raging waves.