Elder brother's garrison

"Wisconsin had already undergone a quantitative test with the help of the Fishermen's Association president back in her hometown when she stepped out of the construction device. As for Missouri, actually, when we sent someone to contact your naval base to conduct data testing on your Missouri, you happened to be flirting with girls in the first chapter."

"Huh?? Is that so???" Xiaobai's eyes widened as she turned to look at Missouri.

"Since it was just a group of technicians who came to test the basic performance of Missouri's ship equipment, it wasn't a big deal, so Missouri didn't mention it to you, Admiral."

Missouri pursed her lips at Little White.

"...Wow." Xiaobai turned her head and shifted her gaze back to Mu Yu. "Then, what do we do now?"

"What else can we do? After all, I'm not in the department that does the quantitative registration of ship girls. Little White, you should contact the technical staff at the Admiral's Headquarters and have them do ship equipment identification and performance testing for your Iowa before you can register it smoothly. But I'm guessing it will probably be at least half a month before they finish registering your Iowa." Mu Yu was clearly having a headache. "...Speaking of which...this is Iowa...Little White, what kind of monster ship have you gotten your hands on this time...the last time the Missouri ship alarmed the higher-ups and they even brought in people from the TV station. Little White, this time you're probably going to be...sigh...most likely to become famous again."

"..." Xiaobai looked at Iohua with an embarrassed expression.

Iowa seemed to have somewhat anticipated Mu Yu's helplessness. Although she looked somewhat disappointed, she was not too dejected. She just smiled helplessly at Xiaobai.

Looking at Iowa's helpless expression, Xiaobai pondered for a long time before finally stamping her foot lightly and looking at Muyu.

“...Um, Mu Yu.”

"Little Bai, let me tell you upfront, I really can't help you with this..."

"No, no." Xiaobai shook her head. "Muyu, to put it simply, you can't pay Iowa's salary, right?"

"To be precise, it's not just salary, but all benefits."

"Well, then not paying her is fine too. I'll contact them about the quantitative testing and such. But, Mu Yu, could you please get Iowa's ship girl ID card first...?"

"...A ship girl ID card?" Mu Yu asked, puzzled. "Uh...that's a bit difficult. Even if we get it for Iowa now, it won't allow her to enjoy the benefits of being a ship girl..."

"Is simply proving identity enough?"

"Hmm... as long as it's within this city, it should be fine."

"Ah! That's great, that's great!" Xiaobai beamed and stood on tiptoe. "Then can you make me an ID card with Iowa's name?"

“That’s possible.” Mu Yu looked at Xiao Bai’s happy expression and couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He looked at Io Hua standing next to Xiao Bai and sighed. “But let me repeat myself... even if I were to get a ship girl ID card for your Io Hua now, for your sake, Xiao Bai, the effect of the ID card would be very limited.”

"Hmm, the phosphorus is abandoned, it's five-foot silk, it's pulled!"

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.

Several hours passed.

As the sun sank slowly into the sea and the coastline was bathed in the golden-red glow of the sunset, Xiaobai and his companions finally emerged from the overcrowded Admiral's Guild.

Iahua followed behind Xiaobai, head down, hand raised, a thin ID card fluttering between her slender fingers like a butterfly.

"Thank you, Admiral." Iowa fiddled with the ID card in her hand while giving Xiaobai a faint smile. "I will cherish this."

"You're welcome." Xiao Bai, who was walking in front, turned around and smiled at Io Hua.

"...But Admiral, just like I told you while we were waiting—actually, since I'm living in the Admiral's naval base anyway, it doesn't matter if my ID card arrives a little late." Iowa murmured softly, looking at her own photo on the ID card as she picked it up.

“It’s related, very related.” Xiaobai stopped and said to Iohua.

"Hmm? What's their relationship?"

Xiaobai didn't say anything, but walked to Iowa's side, took Iowa's arm with one hand, and held Missouri's hand with the other, leading the two of them as they ran down the street.

Xiaobai's steps are very small. Even if Xiaobai runs without using her ship equipment, Iowa and Missouri, the two tall and long-legged mature women, can easily keep up with her speed if they just quicken their pace a little.

"Admiral, Admiral—slow down."

With Xiaobai pulling his arm, Iowa was unable to straighten up completely, and his gaze was forced to the ground. Iowa couldn't help but call out Xiaobai's name helplessly.

"It'll be soon, it'll be soon," came a reply from Xiaobai's side.

“...The admiral is really...still a child…” Iowa’s lips curled up helplessly. She had just sighed a few times when she suddenly felt Xiaobai’s hand holding her arm loosen.

"Huh? Admiral? Why aren't you running..."

Iowa stopped on the road and looked up at Xiaobai.

Just looked up.

I saw the scene before me.

Iowa was taken aback.

Because in front of Iowa was a very trendy fashion store.

Xiao Bai excitedly pushed Io Hua's lower back, opened the door of the clothing store, and squeezed into the store with Io Hua.

"Welcome the light..."

"Hello!" As soon as they entered, Xiaobai grabbed Iohua's arm and led her to the checkout counter. She looked at the bewildered staff member standing behind the counter and said, "Hello, um, we were here yesterday. Do you remember us? We're back!"

"Uh...uh..." The clothing store staff stared blankly at Xiaobai and Yi Ahua beside him, their faces full of surprise. "Uh, customer, may I ask...who...who are you...?"

"Snapped!"

Before the staff member could finish speaking...

Xiao Bai excitedly took the ID card from Io Hua's hand and placed it on the counter.

On the counter, Iowa's ID card gleamed in front of the staff.

"all in all!"

"I brought my ship girl to get the VIP cards I didn't finish getting yesterday!"

Chapter 1220 My aesthetic sense is superior to yours.

In the afternoon, the atmosphere inside the street-side fashion store near the Admiral's Guild was incredibly lively, fueled by the soft footsteps of the sales staff.

"Miss Iowa, these are the styles you selected. Would you like to try them on?"

"Miss Iowa, this is the fashion section..."

"Miss Iowa, these are the high heels you specifically requested..."

"Miss Iowa..."

Inside the fashion store, a dozen or so female sales assistants, carrying and hugging all sorts of trendy clothes, followed Io Hua's figure with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. The clothes they carried were as high as small hills, and they followed closely behind Io Hua's steps, their little mouths chattering like little sparrows begging for food.

Surrounded by a dozen shop assistants, Ea-Hua, with her arms behind her back, flitted around like a butterfly, selecting clothes from the shop assistants' selections. Each assistant, while showering her with compliments, arranged the clothes in front of the mirror one by one.

"Wow, Miss Iowa, this outfit suits you perfectly! You look especially beautiful in it! And it just so happens that our store has this month's..."

"Miss Iowa, would you like to try on these shoes? They go very well with that outfit..."

"Miss Iowa, we also have our latest styles from this month—"

The shop assistants stood on tiptoe, carrying bags of clothes, and greeted Iowa with the brightest and friendliest smiles.

Iowa maintained a serene and comfortable smile. Even surrounded by the chattering shop assistants, Iowa showed no sign of impatience. Instead, she changed into different pieces of clothing and attached them to her chest while gazing at herself in the mirror.

Whenever she tries on clothes that suit her taste, Io Hua's delicate eyebrows always lift slightly, then she turns around gently and opens her mouth charmingly towards the crowd outside.

"Admiral—" Iowa held up the clothes in her hand, spun around on the spot, and gave Little White sitting in the distance a happy smile, "Do I look good in this?"

"It looks great! It looks great!" Xiao Bai, sitting in the rest area not far away, nodded with a smile, then turned to the staff member standing next to her and raised her hand, "Then I'll trouble you with this one!"

The staff member quickly bowed and bent over to Xiaobai, then returned to the counter with the newly issued membership card in his hands.

“Admiral, you’re really generous.” Missouri, sitting next to Xiaobai, looked at Xiaobai and couldn’t help but cover her mouth with a smile. “We’ve only known each other for a day, and you’ve already dragged Sister Iohua to such an expensive place… This is going to cost quite a bit.”

"Um..." Xiaobai withdrew her outstretched hand, scratching her cheek sheepishly. "After all, we came here last night, and it seems that Yi Ahua couldn't get a membership card because she didn't have an ID card, so I was thinking of getting one for her today..."

"And then buy some clothes for Sister Iowa?"

"Ahem... well... she just came out of the construction device, so she doesn't have any furniture or clothes. Since we're in the city of Chapter Six right now, let's take her for a stroll..." Xiaobai replied.

"Oh—" Missouri nodded slightly upon hearing this. She swayed for a moment, quietly looked up at the decorations on the ceiling, then leaned back, crossed her legs, and hummed softly for a while, "—Even Missouri has never gone out to buy clothes with the Admiral—"

Missouri's voice didn't carry much emotion.

The voice was calm and even.

It's as if I'm just stating a fairly objective fact.

But for some reason, Xiaobai had an inexplicable sense of unease, as if a sharp edge was looming behind him.

"Uh...no, it's okay!" Xiaobai quickly waved her hand, then clenched her fist at Missouri. "Money is no problem, Missouri. Pick any clothes you like here!"

"Pfft." Missouri couldn't maintain her composure and burst out laughing when she heard Xiaobai's nervous words, which seemed to be afraid that she was angry. "Admiral, you didn't think Missouri was angry just now, did you?"

"Uh..." Xiaobai's forehead was sweating.

—Let's be reasonable.

—Isn't that so?

“Missouri isn’t such a jealous woman. She’s easily satisfied.” Missouri reached out and took Xiaobai’s hand. “—As for buying clothes… today is Iowa’s special day. Missouri won’t make a fool of herself by competing with Iowa on such a memorable day.”

"Ah... I see..."

"However, Admiral, you just mentioned buying clothes for Missouri..."

"I'm serious, I'm serious!"

"How about we go on a date next time when I'm buying clothes for Missouri?" Missouri smiled happily at Xiaobai.

"Yes, either way is fine," Xiaobai nodded.

"Admiral, do I look good in this?"

In the distance, Iohua, surrounded by admirers, happily held up a new garment, calling out to Xiaobai across mountains and rivers.

"Buy it!" Xiaobai gave a thumbs-up to Iahua, who was thousands of miles away.

“The price tag on that dress that Sister Iowa is holding isn’t low,” Missouri said.

"Huh? Missouri, you can see the tags on your clothes from this far away?"

“No, that’s not it.” Missouri turned to Xiaobai and smiled. “Before meeting the Admiral, Missouri worked as a print model for a while to make a living. Thanks to that, I’m somewhat familiar with some clothing brands.”

"...I've never even heard of many of those clothing brands before..." Xiaobai said, embarrassed.

"In a sense, it's a relatively niche fashion category compared to the rest of human society." Missouri put down her crossed legs, opened her palms, and showed them to Xiaobai. "A large part of the value of these clothes lies in the creativity and aesthetic vision of the designers and distributors who created them. Therefore, the price is often higher than that of ordinary clothing. In fact, a considerable number of people cannot accept these invisible and intangible hidden values."

"Oh... I see."

"On the contrary, Missouri is surprised that you, Admiral, are actually on our side," Missouri said to Xiaobai, patting his chest.

"After all, Missouri, you look especially good in those expensive clothes..."

"Is this the admiral praising Missouri?"

"Ok!"

“Missouri will remember this,” Missouri said with a smile.

Of course, when it comes to fashion sense, although Xiaobai isn't someone like Missouri who's always on the cutting edge of fashion, the reason she accepts such expensive clothes is partly because she saw Missouri make expensive clothes look like they were on the runway.

But the main reason is actually because Xiaobai has money.

After all, since he started eating metal from the dean and one bite could buy a department store, Xiaobai's view of money has gradually started to develop in a direction that he never expected before.

The elders are right.

Money is indeed not everything.

But if you have money, life is really comfortable.

At this moment, Xiaobai deeply understood this point.

"Oh, right, Missouri, since you're so good at clothes, you could give Iowa some advice!" With a sudden inspiration, Xiaobai asked Missouri, "Look how long Iowa spent picking out clothes over there. Compared to a complete novice like me, Missouri, you'd definitely be able to give her some very constructive suggestions, right?"

“As for this matter, Missouri has actually thought about it himself, but…” Missouri pondered for a moment, then shook his head, “Admiral, Missouri can’t really help you with this.”

"Huh? Why?"

“Although Missouri and Iowa are indeed battleship ship girls of the same class, if the admiral asked Missouri to accompany Iowa to choose clothes and give some suggestions, Missouri would indeed have no reason to refuse—but it still won’t work.” Missouri rubbed her forehead with a helpless expression and smiled at Xiaobai. “Those few clothes that Iowa asked you about earlier—actually, Missouri doesn’t like any of them.”

"Huh??? Me, is my taste really that bad???!"

“No.” Missouri shook her head. “Admiral, don’t worry, it’s just a matter of different preferences.”

"Different...what does that mean?"

"Simply put, the type of clothes that Sister Iowa likes is different from the type that Missouri likes." Missouri smiled at Xiaobai. "After all, Missouri is not a professional fashion designer and cannot objectively evaluate all clothes. When choosing clothes, she will naturally have her own subjective preferences."

"Uh... to put it simply, you and Iowa like different kinds of clothes?"

"Is such that."

"Uh... but, aren't you sisters?"