Elder brother's garrison

The ship girls, led by the tall one, sat on benches, looking awkwardly at the small table in front of them.

The ship girls of large ships are mostly tall and mature women. Although there are many ship girls in Nia's naval base, the majority of them are medium-sized ships. Therefore, the tables and chairs used on a daily basis are not very large. At this time, it feels a bit like adults playing with children's toys when these things are used by the tall ship girls and their companions.

"Pickled mustard greens." Missouri walked up to the tall ship girl, carrying a bunch of pickled mustard greens that cost one dollar a bag. "Senior, please pick whatever you like."

The tall ship girl was intimidated by Missouri's respectful expression. She closed her eyes, grabbed a packet of pickled vegetables, and never dared to look at Missouri's face again.

Missouri was naturally concerned about why the other side was so afraid of her. She continued walking around in front of the group of ship girls, carrying the pickled vegetables, until the bag of pickled vegetables in her arms was almost half empty before returning to the kitchen.

"Let's talk while we eat," Nia said to the tall ship girls.

Looking at the group of ship girls who were acting so awkwardly, Nia somehow sensed a subtle unease. This feeling immediately lessened the tension she had felt earlier.

The tall ship girl timidly raised her head and looked at Xiaobai and Nia.

Nia and Xiaobai each carried a bowl of white porridge and walked to the opposite side of him, finding a stool and a chair to sit down.

Then came the sound of people sitting down. Following Xiaobai and Nia's actions, the other ship girls in the courtyard also found tables and chairs and sat down, each holding a bowl of porridge. The sound of slurping porridge could be heard everywhere. Then, as a few carefree ship girls started chatting about everyday things, the whole courtyard gradually became lively.

The tall ship girl relaxed as she watched the courtyard gradually become lively.

Xiaobai sat in front of the tall ship girl, picked up the porridge and took a small sip.

"Little White, it's very hot," Nia said from the side.

"Hmm." Xiaobai smiled at Nia with her mouth full of porridge, then indicated that she was fine. She picked up a piece of green pickled mustard green from the open bag of pickled mustard greens with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, crunching away.

Nia and Xiaobai seemed to completely ignore the tall ship girl's thoughts while eating.

The tall ship girl watched Nia and Xiaobai chatting and couldn't help but feel a little envious. She lowered her head, pondered for a while, and then picked up the bowl and took a small sip.

After a mouthful of hot porridge, the tall ship girl felt her body warm up quickly.

—Is this how all the ship girls in this courtyard live?

The tall ship girl looked around in confusion.

Nia's ship girls sat around small tables, holding bowls and chatting while sipping white porridge. Although their presence made them unable to completely relax and they would still glance in her direction intentionally or unintentionally, they were generally quite relaxed and happy.

"Didn't you like the breakfast?" Xiaobai asked, somewhat puzzled, after seeing the tall ship girl take a sip of porridge and look to the side.

"Huh? No, no." The tall ship girl quickly shook her head. "It's delicious."

"That's reassuring. By the way, what do you usually eat for breakfast, sister?"

“…Takeout.” The tall ship girl smiled bitterly.

"Takeout is great! I feel like the food on takeout orders tastes much better," Xiaobai said.

"That's because they put too much MSG in it, and it's high in oil and salt. Eating too much of that is bad for your health." Luo Lian sat on the other side and said to Xiao Bai in a serious tone, "You should eat less of that."

"Oh." Xiaobai nodded.

Chapter 714: What were the methods for demonstrating sincerity again?

The tall ship girl felt complicated looking at Xiaobai, who didn't treat her like an enemy at all.

She lowered her head, looked at the bowl of plain porridge on the table that had only been touched once, and sighed helplessly.

—The taste of this plain congee is actually quite ordinary. After all, it's congee. No matter how well it's cooked, it's just watery soup with no flavor impact. It's just about the steaming hot taste of freshly cooked congee.

However, it really does taste quite good.

The tall ship girl looked at the bowl of porridge and the pickled vegetables next to it that had been opened but not yet touched, and couldn't help but think this.

Do the ship girls in this yard eat food made by the admiral every day?

The tall ship girl looked at the bowl of porridge, thinking and thinking, and the more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. She felt like crying, but she also felt like she had lost if she cried.

“…I’m sorry.” The tall ship girl looked up and said to the little white Nia who was chatting with Luo Lian.

"Huh?" Nia, who was discussing the health issues of takeout food with Luo Lian, was a little caught off guard when the tall ship girl suddenly got straight to the point. She exclaimed softly, but quickly composed herself. After coughing lightly twice, she sat up straight and looked at the tall ship girl.

Dinner had already started, and the ship girls were all sitting around eating. Their voices weren't loud, but they weren't quiet either. The stiffness and uncomfortably quiet atmosphere from before had faded considerably, making it a suitable occasion for conversation.

"Ahem..." Nia coughed lightly. "Um, you mentioned apologizing earlier... Could you confirm if an apology is...?"

The tall ship girl quickly stood up from her seat and bowed deeply to Nia again: "I apologize for interfering with Admiral Nia and your ship girl's expedition a few days ago."

"Oh, so that's what it is." Nia nodded and extended her hand to the tall ship girl. "Um, would you mind sitting down first?"

"...Has Admiral Nia forgiven me?" The tall ship girl looked up at Nia with a hopeful expression.

Nia touched her face with some difficulty, looking at the tall ship girl's serious face, and became worried.

—If we're really talking about being angry, it's impossible for Nia not to be angry about being sidelined for so long and not being able to participate in the third and fourth nodes normally.

However, Nia wasn't as angry as most people would imagine.

In the eyes of others, Nia being forced to the first chapter meant she lost the chance to enjoy the high rewards of the fourth node's expeditions, which was quite painful for an admiral still in the development stage. It almost completely stifled Nia's development, causing her potential to vanish over time.

However, for Nia, the situation was not as hopeless as it seemed. Although she had indeed lost the opportunity to go on the expedition at the fourth node, Nia herself had a rare period of peace and quiet to go to the first node to salvage the supply ship.

The appearance of this peculiar type of ship, the deep-sea supply ship, does not follow the theory that there will be more in high-altitude areas. In fact, the number of deep-sea supply ships that appear in the first node of the entire second chapter is actually the largest.

With the thought that although going to war was hopeless, getting some panties would still bring her some joy, Nia didn't feel much psychological pressure during this period. She was certainly angry, but because of the panties incident, Nia wasn't so angry as to want to become mortal enemies with those people.

As she pondered this, Nia glanced at the tall ship girl who was bowing to her.

"Let's put the matter of forgiveness aside for now, how about you sit down first?" Nia said to the tall ship girl.

This statement can be considered, to some extent, a rejection of the other party's offer of an apology.

Upon hearing Nia's words, the tall ship girl's face instantly stiffened. She quickly raised her head: "I'm sorry! I was too presumptuous, but my companions and I really..."

Before the tall ship girl could finish speaking, a hand reached out from behind her, covered her head, and pressed her back into her seat.

The tall ship girl turned around and saw Bismarck, wearing an apron, carrying a bamboo basket of eggs in one hand and pressing her head with the other, looking down at her: "Eat properly."

Bismarck's eyes were bloodshot, and coupled with her perpetually expressionless face, she looked fierce at you the moment you glanced at her. The tall ship girl trembled instantly and couldn't say a word.

The tall ship girl shrank back into her seat, looking down at the porridge in front of her.

"Bismarck, you're back?" Little White greeted Bismarck.

"Hmm." Bismarck withdrew her hand from the tall ship girl's head, searched through the bamboo basket for a while, and took out a brown egg, placing it in front of the tall ship girl.

"Tea eggs," Bismarck said to the tall ship girl, then carried the bamboo basket into the kitchen.

The tall ship girl looked at the tea egg that Bismarck had placed in front of her, and her eyes welled up with tears. She raised her head and looked at Nia: "Is there really... no room for negotiation?"

Nia gave a wry smile.

This is a bit difficult for Nia. In fact, if it were just Nia alone, and the opposing ship girl came to apologize to her, she wouldn't suffer any major losses. Considering that the opposing ship girl is not easy to mess with, Nia might soften her heart and agree.

However, the current situation is not something Nia can control alone. The fact that the other party has come to apologize is not something Nia did on her own, but with Xiaobai's help. In other words, she only relied on Xiaobai's help this time. Xiaobai has been giving her a voice only because she is the person involved, and Xiaobai has no desire to take the lead.

As someone who works as a "leg hair" (a term used to describe someone who is overly concerned with their image or role), I should have some self-awareness. How can I just forgive someone who helped me get this situation?

Nia looked at the tall ship girl's tearful expression and, unusually, did not offer to comfort her.

—And the main characters haven't arrived yet.

"How are your admirals doing now?" Luo Lian suddenly asked at this moment.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Luo Lian deliberately emphasized the word "men" when she spoke.

The tall ship girl shrugged, glanced at Luo Lian, her expression ashamed and quite subtle.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it." Luo Lian pouted when she saw that the tall ship girl was silent.

"...They...they don't know we're here." The tall ship girl quickly said to Nia after hearing Luo Lian's somewhat unfriendly words.

"You don't know?" Nia was taken aback.

The tall ship girl nodded, glanced at her companions for a moment, and then swallowed hard: "The sea breeze was too chilly last night, and the aura of deep-sea resentment was also strong. I guess it made them sick. I'm taking the day off today."

“…Oh.” Nia nodded. “So you came without informing your admiral?”

"Yes," the tall ship girl said.

Nia looked at the tall ship girl with some confusion.

Logically speaking, the ship girls' actions on their own do not represent the admiral's actions. Since they were not ordered by the admirals to apologize, the apology is meaningless. Moreover, their behavior will put them in a position where they are disliked by both sides.

"Why are you doing this?" Nia was genuinely curious this time.

The tall ship girl looked at Nia, finding it difficult to speak.

“What other reason could there be?” Luo Lian spoke again, looking at Xiao Bai and staring at him for a moment.

Xiao Bai and Luo Lian looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly realized. She clapped her hands and pointed behind her, "Is it for that?"

Luo Lian looked in the direction Xiao Bai pointed and saw a large amount of purple equipment piled up like trash in a corner of the courtyard.

Nia then realized that this group of people had come to ask for equipment.

The crackling sound rang out again, and the tall ship girl who had been sitting obediently in place stood up once more. She looked at Xiaobai and Nia, took several steps back, and then knelt down on the ground, banging her head heavily against the ground.

“I know we’re shameless and despicable… We did those things to Admiral Nia before, and now we’re shamelessly coming here…” The tall ship girl remained prone on the ground. “But… that equipment is really important to us… Please, even if it’s only half… can you give us back all that equipment… You can hit me, scold me, do whatever you want with me, but at the very least, please give back my sisters’ equipment, okay?”

The tall ship girl pleaded earnestly.

As the tall ship girl knelt down, her companions also stood up. All the ship girls wearing cloaks stood still, looking around at the kneeling tall ship girl with some confusion.

The tall ship girl closed her eyes tightly, trembling as she waited for Xiaobai's reply.

She wasn't stupid; in yesterday's battle, she had fully realized the gap in combat strength between the two sides.

Bismarck is too strong, so strong that she despairs. A ship girl with this level of combat power must have an admiral who is no ordinary person.

The fact that they dare to attack you, rob you of your spoils, steal everything from you, and even take your panties means that they have the background and power to bear such a price.

Their equipment is indeed very important. As large, high-consumption ship girls, without suitable equipment, their effectiveness is even less than that of some destroyers and light cruisers. The purple-quality equipment they wear is something that even a second-chairman admiral cannot value.

The loss of their equipment was undoubtedly a fatal blow to them.

That's why the tall ship girl completely abandoned her sense of shame, risking being scolded, beaten, or even insulted, or being subjected to things even worse than having her panties taken away, just like yesterday. She made all the necessary mental preparations before coming to beg for Nia's forgiveness.

Even if they only manage to retrieve one main gun, it would be a significant loss mitigation for them.

The tall ship girl trembled and lay prostrate on the ground, waiting for Nia's reply like a mortal awaiting judgment.

She had already decided that if Nia refused her, she would completely abandon her dignity and continue to beg in the most servile way.

Even just one... even just one main gun, or one aircraft...

The tall ship girl closed her eyes, trembling as she awaited a reply.

Time passed second by second, and the tall ship girl's heart pounded fiercely.

Finally, Nia and Little White spoke at the same time.

"Oh, okay, take it back."

"So it really won't work..." The tall ship girl raised her head with tears in her eyes, "Miss Nia, if you can just give me back one of your main guns, then I'll be... eh?"

The tall ship girl stopped mid-sentence, stunned. She blinked, looking at Xiaobai and Nia with a bewildered expression.

Xiaobai and Nia were holding bowls full of white porridge, staring at them strangely.

"Have you agreed?" the tall ship girl asked.

"Well, the equipment is all piled up over there, let's take it all back," Xiaobai said casually to the tall ship girl, pointing to the equipment in the corner of the yard.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! And remember, don't get too carried away with the lucky draw!

Chapter 715 Luo Lian said

Xiaobai's easygoing manner truly shocked the tall ship girl. She remained kneeling on the ground, pondering Xiaobai's words.

—Huh? They just returned it right away? Didn't I need to do anything?

"What's wrong?" Xiaobai looked at the tall ship girl staring blankly at her without doing anything and couldn't help but wonder. "The equipment is just over there in the yard, take it if you want."

"Ah..." The tall ship girl was startled, then looked at Xiaobai somewhat timidly, "Really... really can I take it?"

"Of course."

"Don't I have to be stripped naked again, have all sorts of photos taken of me, be beaten until I can't stand up, and finally kneel in front of you and say sorry a hundred times..." The tall ship girl looked at Xiaobai cautiously and asked in a low voice.

This answer, which showed an extreme degree of paranoia, made Xiaobai feel embarrassed. She turned her head to look at Missouri, who was looking at her with a harmless smile. The ship girls next to her, such as Saratoga, Warspite, and Cleveland, shrugged, looking as if they had been caught doing something wrong.

Xiaobai had instructed Bismarck not to harm the ship girls, and Bismarck had agreed. However, judging from this development, it seems that what happened on the sea yesterday was even more exciting than she had imagined.

"Hmm, no need to do it." Xiaobai looked at the tall ship girl kneeling on the ground and said to her, "After all, I'm not some kind of demon."

The tall ship girl looked at Xiaobai and, after hearing her words and confirming that Xiaobai and the others were not being sarcastic and were genuinely going to return the equipment, she gradually became moved.