My daily life in various anime crossovers can't possibly be this sci-fi.

"Excuse me, could you tell me the location of the SCP Foundation's station in this area?" Jiang Jinghua asked a young girl walking by the roadside.

Although most people in the city were dressed like citizens of early World War II Europe, the girl in front of him, with her long, light blue hair tinged with green, was dressed like a 21st-century high school girl. Her pristine white short-sleeved sailor uniform fit her slender figure perfectly, radiating a vibrant and energetic spirit.

Although she was very beautiful, Jiang Jinghua had seen at least dozens of beautiful girls since coming to this world, so he didn't have any special feelings about her.

"Huh? A foundation? Fubuki doesn't know what a foundation is!" the girl who called herself "Fubuki" replied.

"Oh, I see." Jiang Jinghua nodded. "But Fubuki... you're a ship-mounted walker, right?"

Whether in her past life or the present, Jiang Jinghua knew that "Fubuki" was the name of a Japanese destroyer from World War II. Since she would refer to herself by the name of a ship, she must be a ship-equipped walker.

"Ship-mounted Walker? Fubuki rarely hears such a formal title these days." Fubuki giggled. "Generally, everyone calls us ship girls... Ah! Right! Fubuki remembers! The Foundation! So, big brother, you're a traveler from another dimension, right? No wonder you use..."

“Yes.” Jiang Jinghua nodded. “However, if you didn’t know…”

"It's alright if Fubuki doesn't know, the Admiral will definitely find out!" Fubuki pulled Jiang Jinghua along, "Let's go find the Admiral!"

At this moment, the "admiral" that Fubuki referred to was standing in front of a dessert shop, surrounded by several other ship girls.

"Hey! I want an ice pop! An ice pop!" The short-haired girl in sportswear pointed excitedly at the freezer in front of her. "I want a plain ice pop!"

"Alright, alright, I'll buy you popsicles." The admiral smiled helplessly. "You'll get one each of the First Snow, Deep Snow, White Snow, and Fubuki, which has been missing since earlier."

"Eh? I don't need it." Beside the admiral, a girl with long, snow-white hair shook her head. "Since Hatsuyuki loves popsicles so much, I'll give mine to her."

"Hey! Look!" Miyuki pointed across the street, "Fubuki is back with a strange boy!"

The admiral turned to look at Jiang Jinghua. Jiang Jinghua was then able to see his face clearly: judging from his racial features, he should be a Western European. It was unclear why all the ship girls under his command were Japanese.

"Hello." Jiang Jinghua nodded slightly. "I am a traveler from another dimension, currently searching for traces of the Foundation's site within the city."

“Oh! Traveler!” The admiral smiled broadly. “A rare guest indeed. I’m about to take the little ones back to the Ship Armament Training Center, and the Foundation’s station is right next door. If you don’t mind, I can take you there. Oh, by the way, my name is Otto, Otto Brest.”

“Yes, Mr. Otto, thank you for your help.” Jiang Jinghua nodded.

So, Jiang Jinghua and Admiral Otto, who was with four ship girls, set off for the training center.

"I don't know who you are, traveler... By the way, may I know your name?"

"Of course. My name is Jiang Jinghua."

“…Hmm.” Otto looked thoughtful. “This name sounds like it belongs to an Easterner.”

“In a sense, I am indeed an Easterner.” Jiang Jinghua nodded.

It is said that all the discovered alternate dimension “Eastern” civilizations are based on ancient Han culture, and now it seems that this may indeed be the case.

"Speaking of which, I have quite a few questions I'd like to ask you about your affairs," Jiang Jinghua said. "First of all, what exactly is the relationship between the admiral and the ship's equipment crew?"

“I’m happy to answer that question. In short, it’s a very pure comradeship relationship.” Otto nodded. “Admirals are generally male and therefore cannot directly operate ship equipment. However, those qualified to receive training to become admirals all possess extraordinary intellect and can use the ability of ‘signal connection’ to communicate directly with their subordinate ship equipment crew members through their minds. Therefore, admirals are generally considered to be the commanders of ship equipment crew squads…”

So-called telepathic communication, no matter how you look at it, should be a variation of illusion, Jiang Jinghua thought.

"By the way, what about this so-called 'signal connection'..."

“It’s a talent.” Otto showed obvious pride. “Although it requires training to master, whether or not one can use this ability ultimately depends on talent.”

“Hmm, speaking of this…” Bai Xue, who had been walking quietly to the side, suddenly interjected, “The admiral’s abilities are not limited to ‘communication.’ Excellent admirals also have the ability to use ‘spiritual fields’ to enhance the ship equipment output of their subordinate ship crews…”

"So, it's a special kind of magic that can promote the flow of magical energy?" Jiang Jinghua asked.

"...What is that?" Bai Xue tilted her head, looking adorably bewildered.

“Ah, that’s a term used by travelers.” Otto turned to explain to Shirayuki, “The ‘source energy’ that drives the ship’s equipment is called ‘magic’ by travelers. As for the admirals’ ‘spiritual field’, it seems to be considered a kind of ‘magic’ as well.”

From Otto's words, it can be inferred that although ship equipment is widely used as the most important weapon system in this plane, the "magic" that the inhabitants of this plane rely on for the operation of ship equipment is still in a rather primitive stage.

According to Jiang Jinghua's understanding, this plane doesn't have anything like "magic." In other words, for ordinary people who aren't naval soldiers, releasing magical power in the form of a "mental field" is the only usable spell.

However, why are they able to create such complex magic-powered individual armored devices without even developing basic Evocation spells?

what

Chapter 52: Getting to Know Ship Girls from Scratch (Part 2)

“The so-called ‘spiritual field’…” Otto explained to Jiang Jinghua, “is actually a kind of… um…”

Otto spent a considerable amount of time and effort to roughly explain "ship equipment," "spiritual field," "source energy," and other such miscellaneous concepts using the concept of an alternate dimension.

The core material for manufacturing ship equipment is a special mineral called "Source Iron." This mineral is not actually iron, but rather a collective term for many kinds of silvery-gray minerals. The fuel used to power the ship equipment is a magical, orange-yellow liquid called "Source Matter," which resembles petroleum in appearance.

The combustion of source matter generates source matter energy, which is magic power. The flow of magic power within the source iron drives the operation of the mechanical structures made of source iron, allowing the ship equipment to function normally.

As for the "spiritual field," its function is roughly equivalent to the lowest-level spell "magic projection," which enhances the output of the ship's equipment by directly inputting magic into it.

Individual armored vehicles powered by magic, such as powered armor, were only successfully prototyped in the 1990s, even on Earth. Even today, only a very few major powers, such as the US, China, and Russia, are capable of mass-producing them. Meanwhile, in the 1990s, humanity's mastery of mysticism and magic had reached a terrifying level, and modern magic, "describing through a scientifically theoretical system," had essentially taken shape.

The admirals from the other dimension possess immense magical power, yet they cannot even unleash the simplest evocation spell, "Flame Tongue," and can only provide support to their ship infantry using the most rudimentary technique of "magic projection." This indicates that the beings from the other dimension are essentially ignorant of magic. Under these circumstances, how exactly did these extradimensional humans manage to create such surreal equipment as "ship rigs"?

Jiang Jinghua decided to change the subject slightly, leaving these questions in mind for the time being: "Let's leave the topic of ship equipment and ship equipment crews here for now. What I want to ask now is about your eternal enemy, the 'Deep Sea Amphibious Ship'."

In anime and games, the Abyssal Fleet has always been portrayed as evil creatures that invade without any reason (although in some versions it's more like the ship girls invade without any reason). Obviously, this is impossible in reality, as no rational being would do something that is completely thankless and exhausting.

“Speaking of deep-sea amphibious ships, Fubuki is quite the expert!” Before Otto could speak, Fubuki eagerly raised her hand. “Those metal monsters, most of which don’t even look human, survive by digesting source iron and source matter! So, in order to eat more, they’ve been harassing the industrial areas that store source iron and source matter!”

"Huh?" Jiang Jinghua was quite surprised. "A species that relies on consuming inorganic matter to sustain life?"

“Yes,” Otto said. “The deep-sea amphibious ships have a very special body structure: their digestive system can break down source iron and source matter, and obtain energy from such chemical reactions. Originally, they relied on mineral veins and oil fields on the shallow seabed to sustain life, but at some point, as humans began to use these resources more and more extensively…”

"Wait a minute, besides manufacturing ship equipment, are these resources used for other purposes?" Jiang Jinghua asked.

“That’s right, the entire modern human industrial system is built on the foundation of source matter and source iron!” Otto looked at Jiang Jinghua with the same eyes he would use to look at a country bumpkin. “Don’t you think it’s the same in your alternate dimension?”

“Our industry in this other dimension mainly relies on a fuel called ‘oil,’ which has absolutely no magical properties,” Jiang Jinghua shrugged. “However, it’s called the lifeblood of our industry.”

“…That’s really strange.” Otto shook his head.

I think it's you guys who are strange: your entire industrial system is built on the foundation of magic, yet you have absolutely no understanding of magic.

However, the question of the reason for the deep-sea amphibious ships' invasion has now been resolved: the deep-sea amphibious ships were competing with humans for food.

Humans need source iron and source matter to sustain their industrial systems, while deep-sea amphibious ships need these things to fill their stomachs, making war between the two sides inevitable.

"...Hey! We're here! We're here!" Chuxue excitedly pointed to the tall building that had appeared before them, "This is the training center!"

"Well then, farewell for now, Mr. Jiang." Otto said goodbye to Jiang Jinghua with a smile.

"Thank you very much for such a detailed explanation." Jiang Jinghua nodded.

“It’s alright.” Otto laughed heartily. “We’ve always been friendly to people from other dimensions.”

Hmm...maybe it's like how Chinese people in the last century placed extreme importance on foreign guests...

After saying goodbye to Otto and the others, Jiang Jinghua looked at the white building opposite the training center. That small, rectangular building, which embodied a modernist minimalist style from top to bottom, was one of the Foundation's stations in the alternate dimension.

If you need to rent teaching aids, this should be the place...

There weren't many people in this small office-like building, since this dimension wasn't considered a very popular one among all the ship girl-related dimensions.

"Hello, I am a student from SCIC on a field trip. I would like to inquire about renting teaching equipment..."

"In testing..." A large screen at the front desk displayed many jumping blue dots. "Confirmed. Jiang Jinghua, in accordance with your assignment requirements, you have now been granted access to the ship equipment numbered 002."

Hmm, this thing is actually an artificial intelligence that can recognize natural language.

"According to your assignment schedule, please be sure to complete and upload the first assignment within 48 hours..."

This damn artificial intelligence... it's really annoying...

Jiang Jinghua didn't ask the AI ​​at the front desk for any credentials, but instead walked directly to the ship's equipment storage area as it indicated. The biometric identification mechanism in the storage area easily recognized Jiang Jinghua and unlocked the security lock.

When Jiang Jinghua saw the Foundation's standard ship equipment for the first time in the storage area, he was completely shocked.

Since the profession of ship rigger is mostly held by women, most of the ship rigs are actually just some combat parts and simple load-bearing frames added to ordinary women's clothing, which does not seem to affect the overall beauty of women... Of course, Jiang Jinghua still doesn't understand the significance of this in the real world.

However, to be honest, the ship equipment produced by the Foundation and the ship equipment of the alien natives are completely different things!

what

Chapter 53, Section 53: The title was swallowed by Honoka.

The steel monster that appeared before Jiang Jinghua at that moment, nearly two meters tall, completely defied any stereotype that humans might have about the species "ship girl." It looked like an army polar combat uniform, completely covering every part of the wearer's... or rather, the "pilot's" body. Moreover, this combat uniform was welded with a large number of steel plates: all of them were special armor plates made of alloys and composite materials.

This suit of armor boasts an extremely rugged design, with every detail revealing the pragmatism and violent aesthetics of the industrial age. The near-iron gray color scheme further evokes a strong sense of menace. A terrifying twin-mounted main gun is mounted on the right arm, while the left arm houses a set of ship-grade torpedo tubes. The structure on its back, protected by layers of armor, is the "Sea Cruiser Drive," a magical device used to propel the ship's balance and levitation on the sea surface. At the very center of the chest area, the Foundation's shield-shaped emblem is painted in white.

This thing... is more accurately described as being pulled out of a certain post-apocalyptic RPG game that was transferred from Black Isle Studios to Bethesda, rather than being a product of the Kantai Collection universe!

But honestly... this is exactly what you should wear when you go to the battlefield!

Jiang Jinghua, his heart pounding with excitement, circled around to the back of the armor and, mimicking a move from a certain game, activated the entire suit of armor.

As he placed himself inside the control area of ​​the armor and turned it off with voice control, his vision went dark for a brief moment. But then, the HUD and the head monitor lights up again, brightening his world once more.

"Self-check complete, operating mechanism retraction begins..."

"Operating system complete..."

"Synchronization rate test complete, the obtained value is normal."

What's this "synchronization rate" nonsense? Can it start going berserk if it exceeds 200%?

"...All subsystems are activated, and the drive unit is ready to operate."

"New driver detected, initiating standard guidance procedures..."

Hundreds of words of prompts flashed on the screen, along with guidance information in the form of various icons and even 3D models.

"So, as shown in the diagram, first lift your leg..."

"Dangdang!"

……

A few minutes later.

"Attention! Unidentified target! Cease hostilities immediately!"

Armed with concussion grenade launchers and clad in riot gear, the port patrol soldiers had completely surrounded the area near the ship's naval training center.

"Attention, unidentified target! Cease hostilities immediately!" the patrol commander shouted through the megaphone. "Otherwise, we will take necessary measures to cripple your operations!"