Elder brother's garrison

Xiao Bai nodded thoughtfully.

Ella looked at Xiaobai and nodded, and couldn't help but hug Xiaobai's arm.

Human adaptability is terrifying. After several days of preparation on the train, Xiaobai was no longer so bothered by the constant rumbling sound from the other side of the wall.

The three of them turned into the corner.

Inside the corner was a road extending inwards. At the end of the road was a high wall in the same style as the gate of the chapter city in the chapter sea area. The gate was closed tightly, and a large fortress resembling the Admiral's Guild stood beside the gate. Many admirals stood scattered at both ends of the road.

Xiaobai glanced around the corner and noticed that the ship girls in black robes had disappeared; they seemed to have gone into hiding.

"Xiaobai, what's going on over there?"

"Ah, the walls are quite pretty." Xiaobai smiled at Ella.

"Xiaobai, you like this style?" Ella looked at the mottled marks on the wall that showed the passage of time and muttered to herself in surprise.

As they were talking, just as Xiaobai, Aila, Missouri, and the other two approached the gate, an admiral who had been squatting on the ground smoking saw Xiaobai. He quickly threw his cigarette butt to the ground, stomped it out, dusted himself off, gave a refreshing smile, and walked towards Xiaobai.

"The three young ladies—"

The male admiral walked straight toward Xiaobai, who was clearly the center of attention. He opened his mouth and raised his hand, as if to strike up a conversation.

Before Xiaobai and the others could react, a dark shadow flew down from the fortress behind him and kicked the male admiral in the back with a whooshing sound.

"Heavens! Punish!"

Before the admiral could even say a word to Xiaobai about the second round, he was kicked away by the shadowy figure behind him.

A clear and loud female voice rang out. Xiao Bai saw the admiral who had tried to flirt with her earlier tumble several times in mid-air before crashing into the wall on the other side and falling to the ground unconscious.

Then, a light thud sounded in front of Xiaobai.

Xiao Bai turned her gaze back to what was in front of her in surprise.

A spirited and beautiful waitress stood up from the ground, dusted off her hands, and looked towards Xiaobai.

"Are you alright? Did he do anything to you? Don't look over there, it'll get dirty in your eyes. Remember to wash your eyes later," the waitress said to Xiaobai and the other two.

"Uh...excuse me, was it...no, him..." Xiaobai stammered, pointing to the wall and then looking at the waitress in front of him.

"He wasn't an invited admiral, but we couldn't do anything about him squatting at the door. He just saw you coming and only wanted to buy the invitations you had. If you didn't sell them, he would keep bothering you. I took action to avoid that." The waitress said to Xiaobai, then held out her hand.

Xiao Bai stared blankly at the waitress's hand, then subconsciously reached out and shook her hand.

"...What are you doing? I didn't want to shake hands." The waitress looked helplessly at Xiaobai's expression as he tried to shake hands. "Give me the invitation."

"Uh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Xiao Bai quickly withdrew his hand, took out his invitation, and handed it to the waitress in front of him.

The waitress glanced at Ella.

Ella, beaming, handed over her invitation.

The waitress took the invitation with one hand, put it away without even flipping through it, and then turned and walked towards the fortress: "Follow me."

The waitress led Little White, Ella, and Missouri into the fortress.

As soon as Xiaobai entered the fortress, he felt that most of the rumbling sound on the sea was blocked out.

Xiao Bai felt a sense of relief immediately in his ears.

"I'm in charge of checking this entrance. Anyone who doesn't meet the requirements can't come in." After entering the fortress, the waitress turned around with her hands on her hips to look at Xiaobai and the others, then pointed to the counter behind her and said, "Anyway, go over there to register, and other staff will tell you what to do next."

"...Oh, thank you." Xiaobai thanked the waitress.

"Okay, go in." The waitress smiled gently at Xiaobai's respectful manner and nodded slightly.

Xiao Bai and his two companions then bid farewell to the waiter and walked into the fortress.

"...As expected of government officials, even the waiters have such an air of authority." After the waiters disappeared from Xiaobai and the others' sight, Ella smiled and said to Xiaobai, "Xiaobai, did you see that? That lady even dared to hit the admiral! How amazing!"

"Hmm..." Xiaobai smiled awkwardly, "Perhaps his identity is unusual..."

—You've bribed all the staff on the railway line; your family must have quite the influence.

“Perhaps they received some orders. Look, since we were able to come in directly, those admirals standing by the roadside outside must all be here hoping to buy invitations,” Xiaobai said to Ella.

"Coming to a banquet without an invitation is shameless."

"...After all, judging from the way that lady acted just now, it seemed like she only cared about the invitation and not the person...And this time it's a rare ship girl...There should be a lot of people who want ship girls." Xiaobai said.

"So, Little White, are you?" Ella asked Little White with a smile. "I can help you with everything I can!"

"...It depends on Missouri's decision," Xiaobai said to Ella, somewhat embarrassed. "Besides, even if I wanted to salvage the ship, it might not follow me."

"..." Ella covered her mouth and looked at Xiaobai and Missouri next to him, her eyes filled with surprise and admiration.

"Ella? What's wrong?"

"...Xiaobai, you've only been married to Missouri for a short time...how come you've become henpecked so quickly..."

"..." What expression should Xiaobai make at this moment?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Xiao Bai and his two companions gradually approached the counter and then disappeared from the waitress's sight.

The waitress crossed her arms, smiled, and looked in that direction without saying a word.

At this moment, an admiral holding an invitation walked with a stern face to the gate and then into the house with his ship girls.

"Go outside and queue up."

The waitress frowned and looked at the admiral.

"Huh? I didn't think they were in line either?" The admiral looked at the waitress with a bewildered expression.

"They are different."

"Hey, I was just a few days ago when I made it to Chapter 7, can you guys give me some face? I came all this way to get ships, it's a bit embarrassing to be queuing here. If you want special treatment, at least give me a chair, okay..." The admiral spread his hands, looking like he was trying to reason with someone.

"..." The waitress looked at the admiral, seemingly considering whether to punch him, but after careful consideration, seeing that the admiral's attitude was acceptable, she sighed, "The one standing on the steps behind you."

"Huh?" The male admiral turned around and looked at the admiral the waitress was pointing to.

"He's the thirteenth ranked admiral in the world. The one squatting next to him is the sixteenth, and the three hairy guys playing cards next door have a governor behind them. And then there are those over there, and those over there, they're all in the seventh chapter..." The waitress kept talking, gesturing with her hands outstretched.

The admiral's expression slowly turned from white to pale as the waitress's voice rang out.

"...That group of people combined could have taken over the entire seventh chapter, yet they still obediently lined up outside." After the waitress finished speaking, she lowered her hand and looked at the admiral in front of her.

The admiral's expression was already quite awkward.

"As for the two who just went in, one of them is a little princess that anyone outside would fawn over, and the other, all those people outside combined wouldn't be a match for her."

"..."

"so."

"I'll give you a chair right now."

"You dare to sit here?"

Chapter 935 Flowers in a Greenhouse

Following the direction pointed out by the waitress, Xiaobai and his two companions walked a short distance into the fortress and arrived at the counter.

Behind the counter, several staff members were sitting at their respective desks, constantly processing the information on their assigned screens. The clatter of keyboards filled the air, and they looked very busy.

Upon seeing Xiaobai and the others approach, a staff member stood up from his seat with a stack of documents and greeted the three of them.

After confirming Xiaobai and Ella's identities, the staff handed them two keys with name tags attached.

"These are your room keys. Please walk forward and turn left at the intersection; you will see your room." The staff member bowed to Xiaobai and Ella and said.

Xiao Bai held the key in his hand and glanced at the nameplate on his key.

Xiaobai's keychain has the number one, while Ella's keychain has the number two.

"Ella, didn't you arrive a long time ago?" Xiaobai asked curiously.

"Yes, it's way too early."

"..."

Ella is amazing in every sense of the word.

"Excuse me, where do ship girls live?"

After giving up struggling, Xiaobai asked the staff.

"The guest's room has enough space to accommodate you and your ship girl companions to live normally. If you are not comfortable after checking in and need to add a room, please inform us as soon as possible and we will prepare a new room rate for your ship girl."

Xiao Bai glanced at Missouri.

Missouri's expression was radiant.

"Oh, then no need, thank you," Xiaobai said to the waiter.

The service here is completely different from that at the main entrance.

When Xiaobai saw the female attendant at the door, he thought that because of the special status of this place, even the fortress's attendants were fierce individuals who dared to punch and kick the admiral and ship girls. It wasn't until he reached the counter and met the normal staff that Xiaobai realized that the female attendant at the door was really just an accident.

"The meeting between Wisconsin and our guests will take place a week from now, as stated in the invitation. We will host a banquet at a hotel in the city center and will notify you then. During this week, we will cover all your expenses in the city. As for the battles on the border, please don't worry and enjoy your vacation," the staff member said to Xiaobai and Ella.

"Isn't Wisconsin going to step in now?" Ella asked curiously.

"I'm very sorry, but she would prefer to have a formal meeting with all of you at the banquet a week from now," the staff member apologized.

"There might be fighting in Wisconsin right now," Xiaobai said to Ella, pointing towards the sea.

Ella nodded to indicate that she understood.

After asking some more questions about the invitation, Xiaobai said goodbye to the staff and headed deeper into the fortress.

This massive fortress, similar to the Admiral's Guild, seemed to have excellent soundproofing. After Xiaobai turned a corner and walked a short distance down a corridor that resembled hotel rooms, the cannon fire outside the fortress completely disappeared.

At the end of the corridor was a window, its four sides sealed off so that no outside sounds could get in. On the other side of the glass was the entrance to the fortress, where several admirals whom Xiaobai had just met were squatting on the steps not far away, engrossed in playing cards.

Xiao Bai shifted his gaze away from the admirals and noticed a thick, large tree planted directly in his direction.

A ship girl dressed in a black robe leaned against a tree trunk, occasionally peeking out from behind the tree to secretly observe this side.

—That's really dedicated.

Xiao Bai sighed in this way.

Ella took the key card, opened her room number two, and ran into the room with a joyful shout of liberation.

Xiaobai opened his door and went inside with Missouri.

As the staff said, the room was very spacious, with a large TV embedded in the wall, and the bathtub was finally in a separate room. A large double bed was placed in the room, and the surrounding rose-colored carpet and gold-red wallpaper decorated the whole room with the feel of a five-star hotel.

This was Xiaobai's first time staying in such a luxurious room. She walked to the bedside with some interest and found a book on the bedside table.

Xiao Bai picked up the book, and just as he saw the words "Forty-Eight Techniques" after the title, Missouri, who was quick-witted and agile, snatched the book from his hand.

"Hey? Missouri, what's wrong?"

“Admiral, you’re not old enough to read this… and it’s not for you.” Missouri covered the book’s cover and said to Xiaobai with a mysterious smile.

"What kind of book is this?"

"Books that will corrupt children."

"..." Xiaobai was stunned for a moment, and only understood a beat later under Missouri's smile. She lowered her head, her face turning red instantly. "Then, then put it away quickly..."

"The normal life the staff just talked about is indeed full of meaning," Missouri said with a smile, then put the book in her hand into her backpack.

Watching Missouri put the book in her backpack, as if she were sealing it away, Xiaobai, who was looking at Missouri's back, suddenly felt a little dizzy.

A slow, pulling sensation, like sinking into a swamp, appeared in Xiaobai's mind.

Does the will of the deep sea want to see itself?

Xiao Bai shook his head first, then seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly jerked his head off.

"No, no, this won't do! I absolutely won't let you see it!" Xiaobai shook her head rapidly, muttering to herself.

As soon as he finished speaking, the pulling sensation in Xiaobai's mental world disappeared.

Then, Xiaobai felt as if the entrance to the spiritual world had been abruptly shut by the sulking will of the deep sea.

"..." Xiaobai touched her belly, her expression complicated.

"Admiral?" Missouri turned his head. "Did you just say something?"

"...I didn't say anything." Xiaobai smiled shyly at Missouri.