Elder brother's garrison

"For the naval base, the ship girls within are all like a close-knit family, so frequent personnel changes and job transfers can be quite casual. After all, there aren't many barriers between family members," said Shenying. "But the Admiral's Guild is different. The ship girl employees in the Admiral's Guild don't have the same close relationship as the ship girls in the naval base, so their interactions require more consideration of interpersonal relationships."

“Oh…” Little White nodded subconsciously in agreement as she listened to Divine Eagle’s words. “So you think that transferring Ticonderoga back to the First Patrol Squad is not in accordance with human relationships?”

“From a capability standpoint, Ticonderoga is fully capable of fulfilling the duties of the First Patrol Squad. However, the Eighth Chapter Admiral's Guild has been operating stably for over six months, and the ship girls in each patrol squad have completed numerous missions and developed excellent teamwork,” Shenying said to Xiaobai. “Within the Admiral's Guild, the emotional bonds between patrol squads are primarily based on camaraderie, and the relationships between members within a patrol squad, forged through daily interaction, are as close as sisters. Therefore, we generally don't arbitrarily change the members of patrol squads. If we were to transfer Ticonderoga from the Seventh Patrol Squad to replace the First Patrol Squad…” As the squad leader, I think it's difficult to avoid some negative feedback among the ship girls—for example, the original captain of the first patrol squad actually performed her patrol duties very well during this period, occasionally achieving merits but without making any mistakes. Since she had no faults, it wouldn't be fair for us to abruptly replace her. Furthermore, with Ticonderoga joining the first patrol squad, one ship girl will inevitably leave, and whoever it is, the other five ship girls may experience negative emotions. Considering the seventh patrol squad, Ticonderoga herself may not want to be separated from her comrades, and her teammates will likely be reluctant to part with her.

The Divine Eagle spoke at length with great seriousness, leaving Little White stunned on the spot.

Little White touched its ears, blinked, and pondered the divine eagle's words.

"I see, so this is what Miss Divine Eagle was thinking?"

"This is merely my personal opinion." Shenying bowed slightly to Xiaobai. "Please forgive my abruptness, Admiral Lu Lin."

"..." Xiaobai lowered her hand and smiled at the Divine Eagle, "There's nothing abrupt about it. I think your idea is very good."

Seeing that Xiaobai had calmly accepted the Divine Eagle's suggestion, Luo Yingying breathed a slight sigh of relief, and the paleness on her face eased a little.

Little White smiled at the Divine Eagle.

“Miss Yingying, the original captain of the first patrol team... shouldn’t have anything to do with Ticonderoga being targeted, right?” Xiaobai said, turning to Luo Yingying and asking.

"President, regarding this matter... I'm still not entirely sure, and it may require further investigation," Luo Yingying said immediately. "I will inform you as soon as there are any results."

“That will be troublesome.” Xiaobai nodded with a smile, then said to Shenying, “Let’s leave the first patrol squad as is for now. As for Ticonderoga’s future assignments… She has suffered such injustice, and I still want to clear her name, so she can’t stay in the seventh patrol squad forever. However, it would definitely not be appropriate to just put her into the first patrol squad… Hmm… By the way, I have a temporary idea.”

As Xiaobai finished speaking, he held up one finger, as if he had come up with a good idea.

"Admiral Lu Lin, please speak." Shen Ying immediately bowed his head.

“It’s like this…” Xiaobai beckoned to the Divine Eagle with her finger, then stepped forward.

After thinking for a while, the divine eagle tentatively bent down and put its ear close to Little White's ear.

Little White whispered a few words in the Divine Eagle's ear.

The eagle listened attentively.

Xiao Bai quickly finished explaining his thoughts.

After listening, Shenying looked a little stunned. Then she straightened up and looked at Xiaobai with a slightly strange expression.

"What do you think of this idea?" Xiaobai smiled. "It won't put Ticonderoga in a difficult position, it won't separate her from her sisters, it won't harm the other patrol squads, and it can also vindicate Ticonderoga. You can give me your opinion and see if there are any other aspects of this idea that might make the ship girls feel uncomfortable."

“…I think…” the Divine Eagle began, then nodded slightly halfway through his sentence, “…very good.”

Chapter 3946 I agree! I agree!!!

Xiao Bai lingered in Luo Yingying's office for a while.

After discussing the next arrangements for Ticonderoga with the two people in the office, the matter had a result that satisfied Xiaobai, Shenying, and Luo Yingying.

Everything has settled down.

Before leaving, Xiaobai made a point of expressing his gratitude to the Divine Eagle.

After praising her, "As a ship girl, Miss Shenying is able to think more deeply from the perspective of ship girls, making up for the shortcomings that I had not noticed," Xiaobai said goodbye to the two of them with satisfaction, and then turned and left Luo Yingying's office.

Da da da……

The crisp sound of footsteps faded into the distance.

This time, Xiaobai finally managed to leave Luo Yingying's office without being called back.

After Xiaobai left, Shenying followed her to the office door. She leaned half her body out of the door and watched Xiaobai leave.

Outside the office, Xiaobai walked side by side with Chaoda, who was already waiting outside, heading towards the exit outside the lobby.

Along the way, Shiro kept talking to Yamato with a big smile, seemingly sharing the series of events that had just happened. Yamato, on the other hand, remained as calm as ever, silently following beside Shiro, neither speaking nor showing much emotion, like a quiet block of ice.

In Shenying's last glimpse, Xiaobai pulled out her phone and quickly dialed a number. Then, while talking to Chaoda beside her, she gently placed the earphones on her ears.

The two eventually disappeared into the sea of ​​people among the admirals.

After his eyes could no longer find the two figures, Shenying stood in front of the office door, lost in thought for a while.

—The phone number that President Lu Lin dialed should be Governor Ringo's private phone number.

—As she just said, she would call Governor Ringo.

—Admiral Lu Lin has always been a man of his word.

Shenying interrupted her thoughts, took one last glance at the bustling crowd in the center of the hall, and then turned back into her office.

When Shenying returned, she saw Luo Yingying sitting on a chair, covered in sweat. Her face was ashen, as if she had survived some life-or-death ordeal, and she was trembling as she held a thermos and kept sipping hot water.

"Admiral? What is this...?"

“Divine Eagle…” Before Divine Eagle could ask, Luo Yingying raised her eyes, shaking her head as she spoke to her with emotion, “We were so close… so close to being finished, you know…”

"Us?" The Divine Eagle tilted its head.

"You...you...how dare you! I've emphasized this so many times before: we shouldn't have any doubts about Admiral Lu Lin's proposals, we should just follow them!" Luo Ying was extremely anxious when she saw Shen Ying's bewildered look. Holding her thermos, she said, "President Lu Lin has her own deep considerations for doing things! You just dared to question Admiral Lu Lin's decision in front of her. If Admiral Lu Lin is even slightly dissatisfied, I won't say anything more, but do you know how badly you'll end up?!"

"..." Shenying carefully observed his admiral's expression, his helplessness evident. "Admiral, I don't think President Lu Lin is that kind of person... Besides, President Lu Lin just agreed with my thoughts, and she even seriously discussed Ticonderoga's future plans with us, didn't she?"

“One thing at a time, Shenying, you’re still too young. You don’t understand. What I mean is, what if nothing happens this time, but Admiral Lu Lin gets angry next time…” Luo Yingying slumped into her chair, clutching her thermos, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed. “Oh dear… you don’t understand how terrifying President Lu Lin is… Her wrath is something people like us can’t handle. For those of us without the protagonist’s halo, serving her is like walking on thin ice… We don’t have a chance to make mistakes. If we offend Admiral Lu Lin even once, it’s all over…”

"..."

Shenying silently looked at Luo Yingying, who had a mournful expression on her face, and for a moment she didn't know how to explain.

From his own admiral's words... Admiral Lu Lin seemed like a monstrous flood, a ruthless tyrant.

The eagle looked up and glanced at the clock in the office.

President Lu Lin had only been in the office for about ten minutes, but her admiral was as weak as if he had been skinned alive during those ten minutes.

—Even though President Lu Lin clearly did nothing.

—This admiral of mine, his preconceived bad impression of President Lu Lin is as stubborn as ever…

—Admiral Lu Lin is clearly a very good person. At least in Shenying's observation, she is a responsible, gentle, kind, and reassuring admiral.

Shenying silently tidied up the documents on Luo Yingying's desk.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door, and a dark figure appeared outside.

"Report, Ticonderoga, captain of the seventh patrol squad."

Hearing the sound outside the door, Luo Yingying, who was slumped in the chair with all her might, immediately forced herself to sit up. Shen Ying also stacked the tidied documents on the corner of the table, and the two looked towards the door.

Ticonderoga stood gracefully outside the door, her posture upright, wearing a tight-fitting trench coat that perfectly accentuated her youthful curves. A striking red embellishment on the front of the coat stood out vividly against the black background, complementing her long, golden hair tied in a high ponytail and enhancing her dashing appearance.

"Please come in."

Luo Yingying spoke weakly.

After receiving the instructions, Ticonderoga cautiously entered the office. She approached Luo Yingying and Shenying, her gaze lingering on them for a moment, seemingly scrutinizing them carefully.

Ticonderoga had been taking care of her newly awakened teammates in the repair pool until just now. She had only come to Luo Yingying's office to report because she had suddenly received a dispatch order from the Admiral's Guild.

However, when she arrived at the office, she felt that the atmosphere was somewhat strange...

Manager Luo... has he been skinned alive?

Ticonderoga was somewhat puzzled.

"Ticonderoga".

"To!"

"You came right after receiving the summons, without any delay, right?" Luo Yingying asked.

“…Yes.” Ticonderoga looked at Luo Yingying, somewhat confused. “So, Manager Luo, why did you call me here…”

“It’s like this, our guild leader asked me to thoroughly investigate your background…” Luo Yingying began, flipping through the documents on the table and placing them in front of her as she spoke to Ticonderoga. “We won’t go into too much detail about what happened after that, but in short, we now know your situation and what kind of grievances you suffered before.”

“Ah.” Ticonderoga was taken aback.

"In short, according to the instructions just given by our guild leader, our Admiral Guild will give you fairer treatment," Luo Yingying said. "With the abilities you have demonstrated, you are more than qualified to be the captain of the first patrol squad."

"Is this... the president's intention?"

"Yes."

"..." Ticonderoga's expression became very complicated for a moment.

The most obvious emotion in her eyes was being flattered, but along with that, there was also a touch of emotion, joy, and a hint of worry and regret.

Ticonderoga is someone who doesn't hide his emotions.

—After all, if she really knew how to hide it, she wouldn't have been targeted and made things difficult for herself.

After seeing Ticonderoga's expression, Luo Yingying exchanged a glance with the Divine Eagle beside her, and then a look of understanding flashed in her eyes.

Sure enough.

Luo Yingying then spoke to Ticonderoga.

"Ticonderoga, you...don't want to be the captain of the first patrol?"

“…Yes.” Ticonderoga snapped out of her daze. She was a little conflicted, but still firm and very apologetic as she bowed to Luo Yingying. “Thank you, Chairman, thank you, Manager Luo, for the opportunity. But…I think my current position is pretty good. I’m already very satisfied.”

"Just as I thought," Luo Ying sighed softly.

"Huh? What?" Ticonderoga was not expected by Luo Yingying's reaction, and she looked up in confusion.

“The president had long anticipated that you wouldn’t take over as the captain of the first patrol squad,” Luo Yingying explained. “She knew you couldn’t bear to part with your current teammates, and she didn’t want the captain of the first patrol squad, who had worked so diligently for so long, to be replaced because of you.”

"The president even thought of this..." Ticonderoga was somewhat surprised.

“The president has always been like this; she cares deeply for the ship girls under her command,” Luo Yingying said without any emotional fluctuation. “She respects your wishes very much, and if you want to stay in your current team, she won’t force you to leave. However… even so, the president has made up her mind to clear your name regarding what you’ve been through.”

"So what does the chairman mean..." Ticonderoga was immediately moved.

"Well, at first we considered promoting all the ship girls in the 7th Patrol Squad directly to the 1st Patrol Squad without avoiding personnel changes," Luo Yingying said, shaking her head with some regret. "However, after careful consideration, this proposal was rejected. After all, although you, Ticonderoga, have the qualities of the 1st Patrol Squad, your five teammates do not meet the requirements of the 1st Patrol Squad."

“Uh…” Ticonderoga chuckled silently.

"So the guild leader has a new suggestion," Luo Yingying said. "It just so happens that the guild leader recently felt that she lacked a ship girl team that could be conveniently and directly commanded by her at any time. We also had the idea of ​​forming a personal guard for the guild leader. Ticonderoga, what do you think about you being the captain of this personal guard?"

"Huh? The Royal Guard?" Ticonderoga was dumbfounded.

"Yes."

"Then...the remaining five members of the royal guard..."

"For the guards, basic coordination is still necessary, so the selection will naturally be the remaining five members of the seventh patrol squad."

"Um... then what are the duties of the Royal Guard?"

"I don't have any specific duties. I just need to wait for the chairman's orders and do my best to protect the chairman's safety."

"So that means... we can stay by the president's side indefinitely?"

"You disagree?" Luo Yingying asked back.

"No no no no..." Ticonderoga didn't know why, but suddenly his forehead felt hot, and he felt all the blood rushing to his head.

Without even thinking, she nodded quickly.

"I agree!! I agree!!!"

Chapter 3947 Going Home to See My Wife

There is still no clear answer regarding the reasons for the emergence of the Black Tower, its significance, purpose, or even the principles of its internal operation.

This building is a strange entity that is difficult to explain using current human technology.

Its appearance, its existence, and its significance are like a vast ocean shrouded in endless fog, leaving people completely baffled.

However, Xiaobai is too lazy to think about these things for the time being.

Because newbies are always very knowledgeable.

Faced with a problem that seemed like an absolute global challenge at first glance, Xiaobai decided to save his brain cells and avoid wasting his time.

As for these mysteries...

This world is full of countless unsolved mysteries, and there have been more than a few strange events happening around Xiaobai. If Xiaobai had to spend her energy and time to study and explore every single one of these events, her life would be too nerve-wracking. So even if there is another mysterious black tower among these supernatural events, it is just another burden for Xiaobai. She is not afraid at all.

Anyway, Xiaobai has tried his best.

After all, she had personally gone to the Black Tower and brought out firsthand information about the Black Tower's interior for the Admirals' Guilds in Chapter 8.

Xiaobai has successfully fulfilled his duties as the guild leader.

I wouldn't dare say I'm the most dedicated, but I think my level of effort is at least much more reliable than that of a former guild leader in a certain chapter who is also a young woman.