Elder brother's garrison

"Yes."

“Little White, just tell my ship girls what you want to eat, and they’ll get it for you,” Nia said worriedly. “It’s very cold down there. What if you catch a cold when you go down?”

"That's not what I meant. What I meant was that I did some minor modifications to your cellar while you were away," Xiaobai said, holding Nia's hand.

"Huh? Remodeling the cellar?"

"Yes." Xiaobai nodded, then said somewhat apologetically, "Um, the modification was rather sudden, and I wasn't able to ask for your opinion beforehand, I'm a little sorry..."

"Ah, I don't care, I'm fine!" Nia quickly shook her head, but still said to Xiaobai with concern, "But... I'm just a lessee of this property. The owner is the Admiral's Guild. Only they have the right to renovate this property. Even if I want to plant some flowers and plants in the yard, I have to write an application letter to get their permission. I'm afraid they won't approve of something like modifying the cellar... And they also send people to inspect the damage to the houses regularly. If they find that the cellar has been modified without permission during their next inspection, they might hold them accountable..."

"Oh, don't worry about that." As if she had been waiting for Nia to say this, Xiaobai smiled and said to Nia, "Before renovating the cellar, I went to the Admiral's Guild and bought your house and yard, Nia."

"what?"

Chapter 2601 Xiaobai Lowers His Stance

"Sorry...maybe it's just my preconceived notions." Luo Lian stared apologetically at Veneto's chest, then asked, "...So can I touch it to see if it's real or fake?"

"It's real! I can tell it's pure, genuine stuff without even touching it!" Upon hearing this, Veneto immediately hugged his chest as if guarding against a pervert.

The moment Nia, who was not far away, saw Veneto and Luo Lian, the smile on her face turned into a blank stare.

"Eh...?" Nia stopped in her tracks, staring blankly at Luo Lian.

Just then, Xiaobai, who was beside Luo Lian, noticed Nia approaching.

"Nia!" Little White's face lit up with a smile when she saw Nia. She waved to Nia, "You're back!"

"Little, Little White..."

"Nia, you've had a hard time on the campaign! Come here, come here, look who's here." Little White beckoned the silly Nia over from a short distance, then took her hand and brought her to Luo Lian. "Ta-da!"

“Eh…” Nia stared blankly at Luo Lian.

Luo Lian looked away from Nia, then gave her a comrade-like smile.

"Hey, Nia, long time no see."

“Luo…Luo Lian?” Nia stared, her face filled with disbelief. “You, you actually…”

"I heard from Xiaobai that you're already the admiral of Chapter 8." Luo Lian extended her hand to Nia, not holding back her praise. "It's only been a year, you're really amazing."

"Ah no, no, it's not that amazing..." Nia waved her hand subconsciously. Looking at Luo Lian's serious expression, she swallowed carefully, then stepped forward and grasped Luo Lian's hand. "Um... Admiral Luo Lian... It's been a long time... It's nice to see you."

"Lianlian was specially brought over from Chapter Two by me through connections with the Admiral's Guild," Xiaobai said to Nia with a smile.

"Huh? Chapter Two..." Nia was stunned. "With Admiral Luo Lian's strength, how come you're still in Chapter Two after a year?"

"I haven't played the main storyline in a long time," Luo Lian replied.

"Is...is something wrong?" Nia asked anxiously upon hearing this.

"No, I'm currently the president of the Admiral's Guild in the second chapter," Luo Lian said with a smile.

"Huh?" Nia exclaimed in surprise, "Wow...that's amazing!"

"It's nothing special. I got this position from Xiaobai anyway." Luo Lian shook her head.

"It was given to you by Xiaobai?!" Nia looked at Xiaobai with even greater surprise.

"Well... it's a long story." Xiaobai scratched his head and smiled at Nia. "Simply put, I've already bought the second chapter. They're currently short of a guild leader, so Lianlian is helping me manage the second chapter there."

"But the chairman of the second chapter is the world's second-highest admiral..." Nia asked, "Little White, how did you convince her to sell the second chapter to you..."

"The world's second-highest admiral is my sister-in-law."

"There's... there's such a thing?!" Nia exclaimed in surprise.

Nia knows Chairman Er Gou.

After all, back in the second chapter, President Er Gou had taken advantage of his position to harass Nia quite a bit.

As for the fact that President Er Gou is the world's second-highest admiral, Nia learned this after she advanced to Chapter Seven and unlocked access to many documents.

Even with unlocked access to a lot of information, Nia was still completely unaware of many secrets within the admiral community. For instance, much information about the top ten admirals was continuously blocked by the admiral headquarters. Access to the information of the top nine admirals was only available to those in the top ten, while access to information about the world's number one admiral was restricted to Xiaobai himself and a few high-ranking members of the admiral headquarters. So, if Xiaobai hadn't revealed it himself, Nia probably would never have known about the special relationship between Xiaobai and President Ergou.

So the world's number one admiral and the world's number two admiral have such a relationship?

"That's a long story," Xiaobai smiled sheepishly. "I'll tell you about it another time. Anyway, Nia, there's something else I need to tell you."

"Hmm? What's up?"

I went to your cellar this afternoon.

"The cellar...? Do you mean the food cellar near the cafeteria?"

"Yes."

“Little White, just tell my ship girls what you want to eat, and they’ll get it for you,” Nia said worriedly. “It’s very cold down there. What if you catch a cold when you go down?”

"That's not what I meant. What I meant was that I did some minor modifications to your cellar while you were away," Xiaobai said, holding Nia's hand.

"Huh? Remodeling the cellar?"

"Yes." Xiaobai nodded, then said somewhat apologetically, "Um, the modification was rather sudden, and I wasn't able to ask for your opinion beforehand, I'm a little sorry..."

"Ah, I don't care, I'm fine!" Nia quickly shook her head, but still said to Xiaobai with concern, "But... I'm just a lessee of this property. The owner is the Admiral's Guild. Only they have the right to renovate this property. Even if I want to plant some flowers and plants in the yard, I have to write an application letter to get their permission. I'm afraid they won't approve of something like modifying the cellar... And they also send people to inspect the damage to the houses regularly. If they find that the cellar has been modified without permission during their next inspection, they might hold them accountable..."

"Oh, don't worry about that." As if she had been waiting for Nia to say this, Xiaobai smiled and said to Nia, "Before renovating the cellar, I went to the Admiral's Guild and bought your house and yard, Nia."

"what?"

After thinking it over and over, Nia couldn't find any flaws.

Nia could only bow her head slightly to Luo Lian and Xiao Bai.

"Well... in that case, let's do as Luo Lian says... Thank you, Xiao Bai, thank you, Luo Lian..."

"That's great, Nia." Upon hearing this, Xiaobai quickly took Nia's hand and smiled at her. "After the rent is halved, you won't have to go on expeditions every day and exhaust yourself!"

“…Yes…” Nia pursed her lips and gave Xiaobai a wry smile, “Thank you so much…”

Nia paused for a moment after saying this, then smiled at Xiaobai.

"Um, Xiaobai, speaking of which, I still have to bring this good news to the ship girls. I'll go back and tell them now."

"Okay, sure!" Little White nodded. "Remember to finish quickly and then come back."

Nia pursed her lips at Xiaobai, bowed slightly, and then quickly left.

Nia disappeared from Xiaobai and Luolian's sight.

"Sigh..." Luo Lian withdrew her gaze from Nia and let out a long sigh.

"Lianlian, why did you stop me just now?" Xiaobai looked at Luo Lian curiously.

"If it were you, Xiaobai, I guess you'd waive all of Nia's rent no matter what you said, right?" Luo Lian looked at Xiaobai.

"Yes."

"Xiao Bai, that won't work." Luo Lian shook her head.

"Why? Isn't Nia my friend?"

“Friends are friends, but they’re not the same.” Luo Lian said to Xiao Bai, then patted her shoulder. “If you reduce the rent for the tenants to zero, or reduce it to a negligible amount, it might be a very happy thing for people who have nothing to do with you, or even feel like a windfall. But it’s different for Nia.”

"...Nia will be different...?"

“She’s not an ordinary person. She just wants to stand by your side and has worked hard for this goal for a whole year. She’s a girl who has suffered so much.” Luo Lian patted Xiao Bai’s shoulder. “She rented this house so that she could live with you. If you, Xiao Bai, can just waive her rent with a casual remark, then her year of hard work, her dignity, and her life’s goal will all be destroyed with just one sentence from you.”

"Is it really that exaggerated??" Xiaobai exclaimed in surprise.

“Look at how she looked just now. Even though you only reduced her rent by half, she still looked dejected and sullen.” Luo Lian pointed in the direction Nia had just left. “But it’s okay, it was only half. Given your relationship with her, she’ll probably only be in a bad mood for a short while. She’ll get over it soon and be fine.”

"Uh..." Upon hearing this, Xiaobai rubbed his hands together nervously.

Luo Lian smiled silently as she watched Xiao Bai deep in thought.

No matter what, Nia is just a grassroots admiral who once received a favor from Xiaobai. Even if she is now an excellent girl, she is still just an ordinary person.

However, Xiaobai's status is vastly different from hers.

Xiaobai is the second admiral of the rookie naval base. She is currently the world's number one, the most powerful and noble person in the admiral circle, and also the one with the strongest influence and the most powerful backing. A single word from her can change the fate of an innocent admiral, and all the top ten admirals bow down to her. She can turn good into bad and bad into good. In a sense, if Xiaobai's simple mind were to turn even slightly evil... even just a little, the resulting turmoil in the world would be unimaginable to ordinary people.

Calling a deer a horse is nothing more than this.

Xiaobai is far from realizing the terrifying nature of her identity, and she hasn't yet learned how to humble herself and interact with ordinary admirals...

Thinking of this, Luo Lian couldn't help but raise her hand to pat Xiao Bai's head and smile at her.

"It's alright, you can learn about social etiquette and such gradually in the future," Luo Lian said with a smile to Xiao Bai.

"Hmm..." Xiaobai felt Luo Lian's caress, raised her head, pouted and looked at Luo Lian, "But, even though Lianlian lives here, I haven't charged you rent..."

“Then I’m definitely different from Nia.”

"What's the difference?"

"I have no shame, and I have no dignity," Luo Lian replied frankly.

Chapter 2602 Luo Lian's Fantasy

Luo Lian's words were astonishing, silencing everyone present.

"Lianlian, you..."

"Huh? What's wrong with Xiaobai?"

"No, it's okay..."

Seeing Luo Lian's completely unashamed attitude towards her shamelessness, and even a strange sense of pride, Xiao Bai was at a loss for words.

"Oh right, Lianlian, this is the reporting form that the Admiral's Guild gave me." Xiaobai had no choice but to skip this awkward topic. She took out the registration form that Luo Yingying had given her earlier from her clothes and handed it to Luo Lian. "Lianlian, because I need to use your identity to do things in Chapter 8, this reporting form can only be filled with your information."

"Give me five minutes." Luo Lian took the registration form from Xiao Bai with one hand, took out a pen from her pocket, and quickly filled in the form.

Luo Lian wrote furiously.

Five minutes had just passed when Luo Lian finished writing the last word.

"That should be fine." Luo Lian checked the registration form, nodded, and asked Xiao Bai, "Do I need to go to the guild myself to submit it for you?"

“No need for that. Someone from the Admiral’s Guild will deliver the property certificate in a couple of days. Just ask them to take the registration form back with them.” Xiaobai smiled as she took back the registration form, carefully folded it, and put it back into her clothes. “If I hand the registration form back now, I won’t be able to explain your existence to the Admiral’s Guild.”

“That makes sense.” Luo Lian nodded. “After all, I was in the second chapter just ten minutes ago. It’s not easy to explain something like teleportation to people.”

"Just wait two or three days before submitting it. We should be able to use some excuse like 'express delivery' to get by."

"Indeed."

Luo Lian and Xiao Bai reached an agreement in just a few words, and the two smiled at each other.

“…” Nia’s Veneto stared speechlessly at Xiaobai and Luo Lian, his forehead covered in sweat.

Ever since Nia left in a dejected manner, Veneto had seen Xiaobai and Luo Lian constantly discussing their commander. This topic made Veneto, as Nia's ship girl, feel extremely awkward, but due to her sense of duty to protect those around her, she couldn't quietly leave. She could only watch helplessly as these two admirals dissected their commander's girlish heart without regard for others...

What should we do?

How embarrassing.

Fortunately, Veneto's embarrassment didn't last long. After only half an hour, as the sun set, it was time for Nia's family to have dinner.

Dinner was served in the cafeteria. When Xiaobai and the ship girls entered the cafeteria, the various self-service windows were filled with delicious dishes and plates for people to take at will.

"Ah, Xiaobai, you're here!" Nia, who was guarding the cafeteria entrance, saw Xiaobai and Luo Lian and waved to Xiaobai. Then, with a shy smile, she ran up to them. "I've been waiting for you for so long!"

Nia's expression had returned to cheerful.

As Luo Lian said, fortunately, she controlled the amount of rent reduction and gave Nia a fair reason that Nia couldn't refuse, which prevented Nia's confidence from being too damaged. Since the damage wasn't significant, half an hour was enough for an optimistic and hardworking girl like Nia to adjust her mindset and regroup.

Seeing Nia return to her carefree self, Xiaobai felt somewhat relieved.

"Nia, do you have noodles?"

"Yes, yes, our naval base makes a pot of spaghetti in the canteen every day!"

"Oh, that's great!"

Nia, holding Xiaobai and Luolian's hands, walked back and forth in front of the cafeteria's buffet window.

"After dinner, I'll arrange accommodations for Admiral Luo Lian as well," Nia said to Xiao Bai and Luo Lian behind her as they walked. "What kind of room would Admiral Luo Lian like? Does he have any requirements regarding the location or the furnishings?"

"I don't have high requirements for my accommodation. I just need a ceiling to keep out the wind and rain," Luo Lian said, holding a plate in one hand and tongs in the other, looking at the stir-fried chicken in front of her.

"That's too low a requirement..." Xiao Bai couldn't help but smile bitterly as he listened to Luo Lian's words.

“Hmm…” Luo Lian gently squeezed the tongs in her hand. She raised her eyebrows and thought for a moment before turning to Nia and saying, “Then give me a room that’s closer to Xiaobai.”