Elder brother's garrison

After saying that, Fubuki didn't even give Shiro a chance to react before pulling Shiro into the yard.

In the courtyard exactly as Xiaobai remembered, a bright red bonfire was burning. The pursuer, holding an ear of corn in his hand, stood on the table next to the bonfire with a flushed face, singing a song with great embarrassment. His snow-white feet tapped rhythmically on the table in time with the music, which was quite a sight to behold.

Beside her, Tirpitz was yawning as she controlled the radio's battery, and wave after wave of music came out of the radio as she controlled it.

The ship girls surrounded the two of them, clapping and cheering like fans.

"Little White!" Saratoga, who was guarding the door, jumped out like a rabbit. She couldn't wait to hug Little White as if she hadn't seen him for hundreds of years, and kept rubbing against his chest: "You're back!"

"Gaga, didn't we agree that you'd wash the dishes tonight? Why are you here? Come here." Before Saratoga could hear Xiaobai's reply, Lexington, with her sleeves rolled up and revealing half of her chubby arms, came out from behind the kitchen, grabbed Saratoga's ear, and dragged her to the back of the kitchen.

"Little White!" Saratoga howled at the Weaver Girl, Little White, as if the Cowherd had been separated from his lover by the Queen Mother of the West.

"How's the night?" Bismarck watched as Little White and Missouri returned to the courtyard, then slowly walked over from her seat. She went to Missouri's side, looked at Little White's face, and then, feeling a little strange, reached out and touched Little White's face. "...You've become more beautiful?"

Little White's eyes shifted to Bismarck, and then with a "whoosh," it rushed into Bismarck's arms, reached out and lifted Bismarck's chest, and began to rub against her vigorously.

"I, I, I'm back!" Little White rubbed against him and whimpered as if he hadn't seen Bismarck for a hundred years.

—Hmm, perhaps it really has been hundreds of years since we last saw one.

Chapter 514 Fifty Years and Three Hundred Years

Bismarck was quite surprised by Little White's reaction.

Xiaobai has always been a rather quiet girl, and rarely takes the initiative to hug and cuddle with others. Moreover, Bismarck is more or less aware that she is not someone who seems easy to get along with or very gentle. Although Xiaobai's feelings for her are close, they are more like "respect," and she doesn't dare to be too presumptuous.

Unexpectedly, after going out for a walk, Xiaobai came back and immediately hugged me and rubbed against me like a koala.

—Anyway, Bismarck still felt pretty good.

"Hmm." Bismarck reached out and patted Little White's head, then looked at Missouri beside Little White with some confusion.

Missouri, standing to the side, was also smiling as she looked at Bismarck.

Bismarck instinctively felt that something might have happened between Missouri and Little White. However, it didn't seem to be anything bad, so Bismarck didn't pursue the matter.

Bismarck and Little White chatted for a few more minutes about nothing of substance, and then returned to the campfire.

With the departure of the "fierce" Bismarck, the other ship girls who wanted to talk to Shiro finally found their chance and quickly crowded around her one by one.

"Admiral, Admiral, look, this is a crowbar my sister bought for me, isn't it pretty?" Rodney asked Xiaobai happily, holding up a red crowbar with an innocent smile.

"A crowbar?"

"Yes, my sister said it can be used for self-defense."

"A crowbar for self-defense??"

"Just lift it up like that, then aim at the enemy's head and swing it like a whoosh!" Rodney said, smiling as he demonstrated a golf swing, then looked at Xiaobai with a "look at my standard" expression.

Whether it's up to standard or not, it's definitely quite scary.

If Rodney had swung that crowbar, the self-defense story might very well have been twisted into a murderous golf ball incident.

To this, Xiaobai could only chuckle softly and mutter to himself something like, "As expected, Rodney is Rodney."

"Oh, right, Rodney, have you seen North Carolina?" Little White looked at Rodney, her mind racing, and suddenly she remembered North Carolina. She quickly looked around.

“North Carolina? Is that the cute little girl?” Rodney thought for a moment before his eyes narrowed. “She’s always with Sister Washington?”

"Mm." Xiaobai nodded.

Rodney put down the crowbar, touched her lips with her finger, stood on tiptoe to look around the campfire, and finally let out a soft "Ah!" before waving her hands and calling out to a shadowy spot, "Sister Washington!"

“Here it is!” On the other side of the campfire, in the shadows, Washington, carrying a half-empty bottle of beer, stood up.

It seems Washington has been drinking quite a bit lately; a rosy blush has settled on her once dashing face, giving her an unexpected touch of femininity.

She slowly walked around the crowd and stood in front of Xiaobai: "What's wrong, Rodney? Did you look for me?"

"Hehe, the Admiral is looking for North Carolina, and I figured North Carolina must be with you, so I called you over~" Rodney looked at Washington and smiled mischievously.

"You should have said so earlier." Washington thought it was something serious. She reached behind her and pulled a small arm, drawing a little girl in front of her. It was North Carolina.

"Admiral, you're not allowed to bully children... Never mind, never mind." Washington shrugged, then moved closer to Rodney, hooked his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her back. "Rodney, where's your sister? Want to call her over to play cards?"

"Okay!"

Rodney, Washington, and a crowbar slowly disappeared into the distance.

Little White watched Rodney and Washington leave, then squeeze into the crowd, before finally turning his gaze to North Carolina in front of him.

“North Carolina.” Little White squatted down in front of North Carolina and then reached out his hand to her.

North Carolina walked up to Xiaobai and let Xiaobai take her hands.

"Long time no see, North Carolina," Little White said to North Carolina.

North Carolina squinted, tilted his head, and looked at Xiaobai with considerable confusion.

Compared to Missouri's clear reaction, North Carolina appears much blurrier.

“Admiral.” Missouri walked up to Xiaobai, squatted down, and looked at Xiaobai. “She probably doesn’t remember North Carolina.”

"Don't remember?" Xiaobai was taken aback.

“After that day, we didn’t follow you back here, Admiral.” Missouri gave a troubled smile. “We were separated.”

"Ah..." Xiaobai nodded, recalling the words she had spoken to the will of the deep sea in the spiritual world before she fainted.

“Of course, it’s not that we haven’t kept up with you, Admiral. We’ve just fallen a little behind.” Missouri paused here.

"What does 'falling down' mean?" Xiaobai asked.

“When I opened my eyes, I was indeed in the modern era,” Missouri said quietly, then smiled helplessly, “but it’s been a few years since then.”

Missouri's smile slowly faded, and she lowered her head, murmuring softly, "I've traveled back fifty years."

"Fifty years ago?!" Xiaobai exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, I searched for you, Admiral and North Carolina, for a very long time, all over the world. It wasn't until several years later, when I was passing through a city, that I saw the news about the expansion of the artificial island of Colorado Island. It was only then that I remembered what you told me, Admiral, and I finally realized that I must have come to an era before you were born."

“Put my business aside for now.” Missouri shook her head, then looked at North Carolina in front of her. She reached out and ruffled North Carolina’s hair. “When you brought her back to the naval base, I was actually quite shocked. I thought you had regained your memories of us. But later, when I was alone with North Carolina, I tested her many times, and I finally concluded that she hardly recognized me or you anymore.”

"Don't you recognize it?" Xiaobai murmured.

“She may have traveled to a hundred years ago, or two hundred years ago, or even three hundred years ago,” Missouri sighed. “To be honest, even for Missouri, after fifty years, the memories of your experiences with the Admiral have started to become a little blurry, especially in recent years. Almost every morning, I have to recall what I need to do in order to keep those memories from fading. If North Carolina really did travel to hundreds of years ago, she probably wouldn’t remember you at all.”

How long did Xiaobai spend with Missouri and North Carolina?

All in all, it's only about three months.

Although it may seem short, compared to the fifty years in Missouri or the two or three hundred years in North Carolina, this period, no matter how passionate, is merely a fleeting moment in life.

Missouri and North Carolina don't have Xiaobai's memory. They can't firmly remember those three months. Even if they don't want to forget, that memory will eventually fade and become blurry from some corner as time goes by, like being eaten away by worms, until it seems less important, and finally, it will be forgotten.

Hearing Missouri's words, Xiaobai was overwhelmed with an indescribable sense of self-reproach: "Missouri, I..."

“Admiral, don’t apologize. This is our choice.” Missouri shook his head and smiled at Xiaobai. “You see, even if North Carolina doesn’t remember you, Admiral, she still likes you very much, doesn’t she? Missouri is the same. Missouri will always be your knight, Admiral. That will never change.”

"..." Xiaobai had no choice but to take back the words on her lips. All her unspoken words turned into a slightly bitter smile, and then she gently hugged North Carolina in front of her.

“I’m back, North Carolina,” Little White whispered in North Carolina’s ear.

North Carolina squinted and instinctively reached out to hug Little White.

"Little White—" Just then, Saratoga, who had finally escaped Lexington's clutches, rushed out of the kitchen. Looking quite unhappy, she ran to Little White's side and hugged him from behind with a whimper, "I'm back!"

"Gaga, didn't I tell you to wash each plate three times? Why did you only wash it twice? Bacteria can easily grow at the beach. Come back with me and wash it properly!" However, the next second, before Saratoga could even rest, Lexington came out of the kitchen again, his brows furrowed, looking like he was scolding a disobedient child.

"Eek!" Saratoga shuddered and then snuggled closer to Little White.

"Lexington," Little White called out to Lexington.

"Hmm, oh, it's Xiaobai. What's up? Is there something you need?" Lexington withdrew her hand from Saratoga's ear and looked at Xiaobai curiously.

“…I love Lexington the most, Lexington is the best.” Little White smiled at Lexington.

“…Oh.” Lexington looked at Xiaobai’s smiling face in surprise, and a embarrassed expression appeared on her face as well. “You child…why did you suddenly say that…oh dear…cough cough, um, thank you Xiaobai, I like Xiaobai and Jiajia the most too.”

Lexington blushed slightly as she said this: "Jiajia, you stay and keep Xiaobai company. I'll go wash the dishes."

After saying that, Lexington covered her face and hurried back to the kitchen with small, quick steps, leaving a fragrant trail behind her.

Chapter 515 Luo Ritian, whom I haven't seen in a long time

Saratoga remarked that this was the first time she had ever seen her all-powerful, all-powerful, and behind-the-scenes tyrant sister be sent back to the kitchen and spared with just a few words from Xiaobai. She stared at Xiaobai with wide, round eyes, her gaze filled with gratitude and a rather peculiar emotion.

"What's wrong, Saratoga?" Little White asked Saratoga.

“Hmm, it’s nothing.” Saratoga shook his head, then squinted at Missouri, who was squatting beside him.

Missouri saw Saratoga and gave her a humble smile: "Senior Saratoga, is there something you need?"

"No." Saratoga thought for a moment, then shook her head, and then comfortably buried her head in Whitebeard's embrace, inhaling Whitebeard's scent to her heart's content.

Saratoga had noticed something odd about the atmosphere between Missouri and Little White earlier, and she really wanted to ask Missouri if she was cheating. But then she thought about it and realized that they had only been out for about ten minutes, so nothing could have happened.

—I was being too petty. That's not right. Bensara's wife, Toga, is incredibly generous and has many advantages. I can't show any pettiness in front of Xiaobai.

“Then Missouri will take his leave, Saratoga-senpai.” Missouri stood up from the ground and gently bid farewell to Little White and Saratoga. “Admiral, Saratoga-senpai, and North Carolina, see you tomorrow.”

"See you tomorrow." Little White waved to Missouri.

Missouri walked toward her room, stopping to chat with a few familiar ship girls along the way.

Next up is the long-awaited Saratoga time.

The bonfire party ended not long after. It seemed to have been just a joke from Tirpitz, perhaps she wanted to hear Sister Flower Q sing a song, and the ship girls temporarily set up a platform for the pursuer to showcase his talents. After a few songs, the pursuer, feeling utterly humiliated, wiped away his tears and returned to his room.

Ship girls are hedonistic creatures. After the fun bonfire party, the ship girls went home and slept soundly.

Xiao Bai was taken into the house by Hu De, who had been waiting for a long time. She was dressed in her pajamas and put on a soft, large bed.

"Huh? Xiaobai, you look so much prettier!" After changing Xiaobai's clothes, Hu De looked at Xiaobai's face with some curiosity and murmured to himself.

"Ah, is there any?"

"Hmm... I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just feels beautiful." Hu De thought for a while and figured it was probably because he was too excited about serving Xiao Bai today, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

Ms. Hu decided not to dwell on these trivial matters. After welcoming Xiaobai to bed, she hugged Xiaobai's waist with a smile and drifted off to sleep as if she were hugging a doll.

The next day, the ship girls of the newbie naval base finished their rest and stepped out of the courtyard one by one, heading towards the beach, the main battlefield of the autumn deep-sea event, full of energy.

The reputation of the newbie naval base has been thoroughly established in the battles of the past few days. Early in the morning, a large number of ship girls lined up in long queues on the streets, rushing towards the beach one after another. The admirals looked at these ship girls with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and hatred, their hearts breaking into pieces.

The ship girls arrived at the beach, and just like in the past few days, after setting up a parasol and chair for Shiro, they prepared for a while by the sea, waiting for the deep-sea ships to revive during the event period.

"Don't let your guard down... stay alert... hold on tight... remember..." Saratoga pulled Missouri aside, giving her a serious pep talk. For example, the admiral is the shared property of all the ship girls, and so is Shiro. Shiro is still young, innocent, beautiful, cute, and gentle. If she were to be lured away by some blind admiral (hinting at Ella), it would be a huge problem. So they must keep a close eye on her. Just because things were peaceful yesterday and the day before doesn't mean they'll be safe today. They must nip any danger (hinting at Ella) in the bud and keep any thieves (hinting at Ella again) five feet away from Shiro, and so on...

After saying all that, Saratoga, amidst Lexington's calls, left Missouri's side, glancing back every few steps, and then followed the ship girls onto the beach.

"Have a safe journey, Saratoga-senpai." Missouri gave Saratoga a reassuring smile before standing beside Little White and bidding Saratoga farewell.

Saratoga was relieved and left the beach with Lexington.

Then, just a few seconds after the ship girls leaving the beach gradually disappeared from Xiaobai's sight, a familiar voice that he hadn't heard in a long time rang out behind him.

"Hey~ Little White~!" Ella, who appeared out of nowhere, suddenly jumped out from behind Little White, quickly put her hands on Little White's shoulders, and greeted Little White with a happy mood.

"Good morning, Ella." Xiaobai turned around and greeted Ella.

"It's been a day, Xiaobai, how have you been?"

"..." Xiaobai's expression darkened.

"Huh?" Ella was taken aback. She had only asked casually, but she didn't expect Xiaobai to look so disappointed. She panicked a little and quickly waved her hand, trying to change the subject. "Ahhh, Xiaobai, listen to me, you know what? The beach on the flank was destroyed yesterday! It looked like it was ravaged by a tornado, a complete mess."

"Hmm." Xiaobai's expression darkened further.

The so-called destruction of the beach is obviously something the Deep Sea Will did when it was capturing Little White.

Ella was surprised that she hadn't even asked Xiaobai two or three questions before Xiaobai was being questioned like this. She panicked a little and her eyes scanned Xiaobai's feet before finally landing on the parasol next to him.

"Ah, ahhh, ah! Little White, your ship girl gave you a parasol?" Ella really didn't know what to say, so she quickly raised her finger and pointed to the parasol next to Little White.

"Yes, this one is from Veneto and Rome." Xiaobai nodded, the disappointment on his face finally easing a little.

Ella breathed a sigh of relief.

"Want to sit down together?" Xiaobai slowly realized that she shouldn't let her low mood affect others. She smiled at Ella, and instead of sitting in a chair, she sat on the beach.

"May I?" Ella asked, chuckling as she snuggled up to Little White and sat down next to it.

"Anyway, the parasol is quite big," Xiaobai replied.

"Ah... how about this?" Ella saw that Xiaobai didn't resist her reaction. She thought for a while, then swallowed hard and lay down on the beach with her legs wrapped around her, resting her head on Xiaobai's lap.