Elder brother's garrison

"Oh...that makes sense." Xiaobai listened to Nia's words in a daze and nodded subconsciously.

Xiao Bai was really curious to know what the small stone he got after unlocking the first research lock was.

The Admiral's Guild is right in front of us, so we might as well go in and ask.

After a brief discussion with Nia, Xiaobai entered the Admiral's Guild.

The ship girls in the Admiral's Guild had known Xiaobai since yesterday. As soon as they saw Xiaobai leading Nia in, they immediately dropped their haughty airs and stepped forward to bow respectfully to Xiaobai.

"Your Excellency, what are your orders?"

"Um, could you help me contact Miss Yingying? I have something I'd like to ask her for a favor," Xiaobai asked the attendant ship girl with a smile.

"Understood, please follow me." The attendant ship girl straightened up and respectfully led Xiaobai towards the Admiral's Guild hall.

Following behind Xiaobai, Nia's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Xiaobai, you're amazing! These ship girl sisters usually ignore everyone, but they show you exceptional respect!" Nia quickly walked over to Xiaobai and whispered in admiration.

"After all, I and Admiral Haoding were the ones who pioneered Chapter 8 together," Xiaobai said with a smile to Nia. "You get this much treatment, don't you?"

"Wow, that's amazing! Ah, speaking of which, was clearing out this area in Chapter Eight very difficult?"

"Well... how should I put it? Most of the time I felt okay... but in the end I did encounter a very difficult opponent." Xiaobai sighed as he recalled his battle with Frederick the Great, which lasted for hundreds of rounds. "That was truly the most powerful and unreasonable Dean of the Deep Sea I have ever met in my life."

"Even you, Xiaobai, said he's difficult to deal with, so he really is..."

"In any case, the land reclamation was successfully completed in the end."

"Congratulations!" Nia exclaimed, clapping her hands in celebration.

Chatting and laughing all the way, the attendant ship girl led Xiaobai and Nia through the Admiral's Guild Hall and into a spacious, empty conference room.

Xiaobai, Nia, and the ship girls waited in the room for a while. Soon, they heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Boom!

Footsteps approached rapidly, and then the door was pushed open by a slender, fair hand. Luo Yingying, panting heavily, ran into the conference room in a somewhat disheveled state.

"Admiral Lu Lin, I heard you wanted to see me?" Luo Yingying's face was flushed from running so fast. She closed the door behind her, panting, and explained to Xiaobai, "No, I'm sorry... I was just in the office compiling this month's financial reports, so I couldn't get here right away..."

Luo Yingying looked anxious and fearful, as if she was afraid of neglecting Xiaobai and making her angry.

"It's alright, Miss Yingying, you were already very quick." Xiaobai smiled apologetically at Luo Yingying, "I'm sorry for bothering you during work hours, Miss Yingying, I hope you don't mind."

"No, no, that's not true..." Luo Ying breathed a sigh of relief, quickly smiled at Xiaobai, and then slowly stepped forward, cautiously glancing at Nia beside Xiaobai.

“Nia…” Luo murmured.

“Miss Yingying, you remember me?” Nia pointed to herself, slightly surprised.

"Huh? Ah... no, it's not..." Luo Yingying was stunned. She was startled and quickly waved her hand.

Luo Yingying does know Nia, but Nia knows Luo Yin, not Luo Yingying.

broken!

My disguise is about to be exposed!

Luo Yingying was so shocked that she broke out in a cold sweat.

"When we first arrived at Chapter 8, didn't we meet in the Admiral's Guild Hall?" Xiaobai interjected with a smile.

“Oh, right…” Nia smiled knowingly after hearing Xiaobai’s explanation, scratching her head sheepishly. “I had completely forgotten about this… Hehe, to be honest, I’ve always had a feeling of familiarity when I see Miss Yingying, as if I’ve known her for a very long time.”

"...Me too..."

Luo Yingying pursed her lips and gave Nia an awkward smile.

Luo Yingying desperately wants to escape.

Chapter 2613 Ship Girl Metal

More than a year has passed since we last met, and Nia is no longer the Cinderella she was in the first chapter.

Compared to her past self, who was full of confusion and lacked confidence, and even dared not look people in the eye when speaking to them, Nia now has goals, achievements, and confidence. She has also grown into a more refined and beautiful woman, and has learned to smile at people like Xiaobai. She has become an outstanding girl who can make many male admirals yearn for her.

However, at this moment, being alone in a room with Nia and Xiaobai, Luo Yingying not only did not feel any enjoyment, but even felt a kind of tormented feeling of sitting on pins and needles.

Nia knows me, after all...

If she discovers something and exposes his identity, who knows if Admiral Lu Lin will be furious that he's been deceived for so long...

Now, Admiral Lu Lin is calling me "Miss Yingying" so kindly, but who knows how ruthless she might be once she recognizes my true identity...

At this moment, Luo Yingying suddenly felt a dilemma, as if she were caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Let's skip this topic for now..." Luo Yingying forced a smile and said to Xiaobai and Nia in front of her, "Speaking of which, Admiral Lu Lin, what brings you here?"

"Oh, right, let's get down to business first." Xiaobai nodded quickly, then took out a small pink stone from her pocket and handed it to Luo Yingying. "Miss Yingying, this is what we came for."

"This...?" Luo Yingying looked at the pink stone in Xiaobai's palm with a puzzled expression. "What is this?"

"This is the reward I received after unlocking the first scientific research barrier."

"Oh...so it's unlocking the research...hmm?" Luo Yingying nodded subconsciously, but quickly realized something was wrong. She looked up at Xiaobai in confusion, "Huh? Admiral Lu Lin, what did you say? You unlocked the first research lock?"

“Yes.” Xiaobai nodded.

"Uh... this, this is solved?" Luo Yingying's eyes widened. Luo Yingying knew very well that Xiaobai had only arrived at Chapter 8 yesterday afternoon, and she simply didn't have time to solve the puzzle.

"Yes."

"You... what method did you use..."

"It's a secret."

"...I'm sorry for the offense." Luo Yingying quickly stopped talking, lowered her head, and was drenched in sweat.

I admit I was just being nosy this time...

Heaven knows what chilling methods this world's top admiral used in private to obtain the answers to the research questions...

Don't ask, don't ask...

Luo Yingying quickly calmed down from her shock, then looked at the pink stone in Xiaobai's palm and asked her, "So... Admiral Lu Lin, did you come to me this time to find out what the specific use of this little pink stone is?"

“Yes, the Admiral’s Guild must have quite a few talented people, right? It would be great if we could let them see them.” Xiaobai nodded.

"I see." Luo Yingying carefully reached out and, trying not to touch Xiaobai's skin, picked up the small stone from Xiaobai's palm.

Luo Yingying picked up the small stone, examined it against the light, then placed it in her palm and walked to the empty seat, placing the pink stone on the table.

"Miss Yingying? Aren't you going to call someone?" Xiaobai asked from the side.

“Oh…about this.” Luo Yingying said, while reaching into her clothes and pulling out a magnifying glass. “Actually, I am also a deep-sea metal appraiser of this Admiral’s Guild.”

"Huh? So awesome!"

"I'd say it's a hobby... kind of hobby." Luo Yingying gave a wry smile. "My mentor said that it's very important for us clerical workers to cultivate some hobbies."

"I see."

"But Admiral Lu Lin, you can rest assured. Although being a deep-sea metal appraiser is just a hobby of mine, I am probably the person with the highest appraisal skills in this Admiral's Guild." Luo Yingying pulled out a chair and sat down, speaking earnestly.

Luo Yingying took out many small clips, awls, and various other small props from her clothes. She lined them up and placed them on a handkerchief.

Then Luo Yingying took out a pair of white gloves and a particularly bright desk lamp.

"...Where did Miss Yingying get these things from?" Nia asked curiously from the side.

“…This is my hobby.” Luo Yingying paused, gave a brief explanation, and then continued with her actions.

Under the blazing white light, Luo Yingying used tongs to pick up the pink stone and examine it carefully.

“It weighs 80 percent less than the average weight of the deep-sea metal produced in Chapter 8,” Luo Yingying said. “But its color is an extremely rare pink, and its shape is smooth and round.”

Luo Yingying picked up a knife and scraped it on the pink stone.

"It has a hard texture, and even diamonds can hardly leave a scratch on it. Moreover, the patterns on the whole piece are correct and neat, approaching perfection," Luo Yingying said.

"Do deep-sea metals have patterns?" Xiaobai asked curiously.

“Yes, all deep-sea metals have patterns.” Luo Ying nodded, picking up a magnifying glass and pointing it at the pink stone. “The pattern on this deep-sea metal is very unique; it’s a variety I’ve never seen before. Hmm… could it be…”

At this point, Luo Yingying paused, seemingly lost in thought.

After thinking for a while, Luo Yingying bent down and took out another instrument from under her body, placing it on the table.

"Huh? What's this?"

"It is an instrument for detecting deep-sea fluctuations, and it is generally used to determine the purity of deep-sea metals."

"No, I mean, where did you get such a big one from..."

“…Love, hobbies are like this…” Luo Ying replied awkwardly, then placed the pink stone on top. “The instrument for detecting deep-sea fluctuations is the best way to determine the quality of deep-sea metals. Based on the grade of deep-sea fluctuations, we generally divide deep-sea metals into seven qualities, namely Chapter One to Chapter Seven… Currently, the quality of Chapter Eight deep-sea metals produced is higher than that of Chapter Seven, so our Admiral Guild is discussing the threshold for Chapter Eight quality. Logically speaking, the deep-sea fluctuations of this stone should not be weaker than the average value of Chapter Eight… Huh?”

Luo Yingying stopped mid-sentence.

"What's wrong?" Xiaobai asked. "The deep-sea fluctuations of this stone are strange?"

"……Yes."

"Is it very high?"

"No...it's very low."

"Very low?" Xiaobai was stunned. "Then how low is it?"

“…Zero.” Luo Yingying turned around with difficulty, giving Xiaobai an awkward look. “The instruments show that there are no deep-sea fluctuations in this rock.”

"...Does the absence of deep-sea fluctuations mean...this isn't deep-sea metal, but just an ordinary gemstone?"

"Large, probably."

"But I can sense an energy fluctuation inside this stone, something that ordinary gemstones shouldn't have," Xiaobai said, puzzled.

“I felt it too!” Nia nodded quickly. “As long as we activate the Admiral Network to sense it, we can feel a similar sensation to that of the ship girls within this rock!”

"...Admiral Network, Ship Girls?" Luo Yingying listened to Nia's words, stunned for a long time, then stared at the stone in her hand for a while, and suddenly her eyes widened, "...Could it be...Ah! I know!"

"what happened?"

"This isn't deep-sea metal!" Luo Yingying stood up excitedly and handed the pink stone to Xiaobai. "Admiral Lu Lin, this is ship girl metal!"

"Ship girls...metal?" Upon hearing this, Xiaobai and Nia tilted their heads. "Can ship girls produce metal in their bodies?"

"No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that it's a special metal with extremely pure energy, completely free of deep-sea fluctuations!" Luo Yingying said to Xiaobai. "Simply put, it's as clean as the energy inside a ship girl! So it's ship girl metal!"

"So what's the use of this?"

"If I'm not mistaken, this can be used for construction."

"Huh? Building?"

“Yes, ordinary deep-sea metals cannot improve the success rate of construction because the energy in deep-sea metals is mixed and chaotic, filled with deep-sea fluctuations.” Luo Yingying nodded seriously. “But this metal is different. The energy inside is extremely pure and follows a cycle specific to each ship girl. Rather than calling it a special deep-sea metal, it’s more accurate to say that it’s a ship girl shaped like a stone!”

"A ship girl shaped like a stone..." Xiaobai looked down at the pink stone in her hand.

"As long as we put this stone into the construction machine, we should be able to release the energy inside and construct a unique ship girl." Luo Yingying said to Xiaobai, "No wonder it's the reward for the first lock of scientific research! Admiral Lu Lin, this should be a piece of metal for targeted ship girl construction!"

"Wow!" Nia, who was standing nearby, exclaimed excitedly, "So this is what a research ship girl is like?"

"Ah... I don't know then. I personally think it's unlikely, but in any case, since it's the reward for the first technology lock, this ship girl who was specially built must be no ordinary existence." Luo Yingying explained, "Hmm... based on my understanding, it will probably become the opportunity to unlock the next two locks, or it may be a special ship girl closely related to this research ship girl."

"..." Little White held the pink stone in her palm, staring blankly at it.

"Xiaobai, what's wrong?" Nia asked curiously when she saw that Xiaobai was not showing any emotion.

"Ah... um... no, it's nothing..." Xiaobai quickly smiled, then swallowed and looked awkwardly at the directional construction metal in his palm.

A ship girl in stone form... huh.

If Nia hadn't stopped her, she would have almost eaten the metal.

The thought that he had almost eaten a ship girl alive, even one in stone form, filled Xiaobai with lingering fear.

That's...that's great.

Luckily, I didn't bite it...

Xiaobai gripped the ship girl metal tightly, pressed it against her chest, and let out a long sigh.

"Admiral Lu Lin, the second floor of our Admiral's Guild is the construction building. Would you like to go there and try to start construction?" Luo Yingying asked Xiaobai.

Chapter 2614 The Day of Great Construction

"Building a house..." Little White muttered to himself, looking down at the pink stone in his hand.