Crossing the azure as a black dragon

It's rare to find a long-term tool like this, so Akashi felt he should give Black Dragon a little something to taste first.

"Okay, see you next time."

Black Flying Dragon responded and left the armory.

"Akashi isn't as heartless as I thought."

Black Dragon, walking down the street, took out a communicator. This device had two buttons on the right side: one for making a call and the other for turning it on.

Black Dragon pressed the button labeled "Power On," and in the next instant, the communicator, which was only slightly larger than a matchbox, expanded in all directions, quickly transforming into an ordinary smartphone.

Does the walkie-talkie form factor have any special significance?

Hei Feilong looked at the smartphone in his hand, not quite understanding the mentality of these people who were engaged in research and development.

This phone doesn't have any special features; the only difference is that it can make calls and access the internet without a SIM card.

After fiddling with it for a while, Hei Feilong put his phone in his pocket and prepared to go to the gym for a workout.

Chapter Sixteen: Stealing a Half-Day of Leisure

There were very few people at the gym in the morning. Hei Feilong went to the previous spot and practiced for a while, but did not encounter anyone who wanted to spar with her.

"I really do need to practice more to improve my skills."

After practicing his sword swings, Black Dragon sat down on a long bench to rest.

Last time she had a little trouble handling the practice knife here, but today she felt much more comfortable and no longer felt embarrassed about not daring to draw her knife when sparring with others.

It's a pity that Kaohsiung and the others aren't here; Black Flying Dragon feels a bit disappointed.

After resting for a while, Black Dragon left the gym and headed towards the port area's entrance/exit.

This patrol mission with the Prince of Wales didn't come with a large bounty, but they discovered a Sirens teleportation point and received an extra reward. The Prince of Wales said the reward would be credited directly to her card after the mission was completed, so she planned to go out and buy some more things.

"I'll buy a set of kitchen utensils. I'm pretty free when I'm not on missions, and I have a refrigerator at home, so it's nice to cook for myself."

As he walked, Black Flying Dragon pondered what to buy.

"La la la~ Come and catch me~"

Soon, Black Dragon arrived at the port school. It seemed that classes had just ended, and there were quite a few destroyers darting around nearby, having a good time.

Most of the ship girls in this port area came from other places, and many of them were sent here as soon as they were built. They don't have much of an impression of their original port. They grew up here and have no direct hatred for the Sirens. They are ship girls who belong to this port.

Seeing these carefree little guys, Black Dragon's mood improved considerably.

After showing his credentials, Black Dragon left the port area and came to the main street.

"After buying kitchenware, how about buying a tree... or maybe a beanbag to hang in the house?"

　Black Flying Dragon walked across the zebra crossing to the other side of the street, his eyes darting between the various shops.

At this time, most people have gone to work, leaving only some vendors and a few passersby, so Black Flying Dragon can relax a little more.

Being noticed doesn't feel good at all, at least that's how Black Dragon felt.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have any pretty saplings that are also easy to grow?"

After walking for a while, Black Flying Dragon arrived in front of a shop and went inside.

This shop occupies a fairly large area. The front is a storefront with an office, and the back is a large courtyard with many small trees.

"Beautiful and easy-to-care-for saplings?"

A man in his twenties was sitting inside playing on his phone. When Hei Feilong came in, he immediately stood up and, after responding, quietly sized up Hei Feilong.

"Yes, for decorating the small courtyard."

Black Dragon didn't care.

"If I remember correctly, you're a ship girl from the Sakura Empire, right? I have an October Sakura here, what do you think?"

The store manager didn't think for long before giving a recommendation.

"Oh? Do you have the actual product?"

Black Flying Dragon imagined the scene of cherry blossoms fluttering in the anime he watched before his transmigration, and suddenly became interested.

"Of course, this way please."

Seeing that there was a chance, the shopkeeper quickly waved and led the black dragon toward the tree garden.

After passing through many trees, the two arrived at three trees, each about the thickness of an arm, with branches spreading in all directions and blooming with many white and pink flowers.

Is this it?

Black Flying Dragon looked them over. The three cherry blossom trees were generally brownish-gray and had quite a few branches and leaves, but the flowers were too small and didn't look very appealing.

"This is it. After multiple varietal improvements, the flowering characteristics of this October cherry blossom have been completely defined. This size will produce small flowers in autumn, but will bloom in large swathes of cherry blossoms around December, with the peak bloom lasting for a month. After that, small flowers will bloom again after the end of spring, and large flowers will bloom in mid-summer."

The store manager gave a long explanation.

"That sounds good, so what do I need to do?"

Black Flying Dragon didn't really know anything about cherry blossom trees, but after hearing the introduction that this kind of cherry blossom could bloom in all four seasons, he was already inclined to buy it.

"Watering and pest control are all that's needed."

The store manager very considerately pointed out the key points.

"That's good, how much is one?"

Black Dragon nodded.

"This variety is quite rare here, and the price is 150 yuan per tree."

"That's what the store manager said."

"It's quite cheap. I'll buy two then. Can you help me tidy them up while I go buy some things?"

Black Flying Dragon thought the price wasn't too expensive, so he bought two and placed one on each side of the yard; they wouldn't look lonely that way.

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

The shop manager rubbed his hands together, led Black Flying Dragon to pay the bill, and saw him out of the shop.

"The bounty for the Siren teleportation point is only five thousand coins. It seems that operating a port is not easy."

When she checked out, Hei Feilong looked at her balance. After buying the tree, she had more than 5,200 yuan left, enough for her to splurge for a while.

After making a small remark, Black Dragon went to the mall where he had shopped with Helena before and bought a set of kitchenware, including pots, pans, and bowls—basic tools that came with the port area house.

After that, I bought about ten more books of various types so I could read them when I had nothing to do at home.

Finally, I bought a few hats so that I could cover my ears when I go out and no one would recognize me as a Sakura Empire ship girl.

……

The trip out of the port took more than two hours, and I didn't get home until almost 1 a.m.

"All done tidying up, let's start planting trees!"

After spending some time arranging the things he bought, Black Flying Dragon took the small shovel given to him by the store and started digging in the yard. After working back and forth for more than half an hour, he arranged the two white October cherry trees on the left and right sides of the yard.

"It's a pity the yard is a bit small, otherwise we could dig a pond in the middle to raise a fish."

Looking at the no longer monotonous courtyard, Black Flying Dragon felt a pang of regret, but was actually quite satisfied.

It was still early, so after cleaning itself, the black dragon left its home and headed towards the sea.

She planned to catch a few fish and crabs to use in the cooking pot.

"There are so many people today."

As Black Flying Dragon walked to the dock, he brushed past more than a dozen ship girls. On the distant sea, there were still many ship girls rushing back, some of whom were injured.

"Last night, the port issued an emergency strike mission, apparently due to the discovery of a large-scale Sirens."

Edinburgh, who happened to be passing by, overheard Black Dragon's words and helped explain.

"I see, thank you."

Black Flying Dragon blinked. So she was the culprit.

"How have you been feeling in the port area these past few days? Should we change your overnight stay status to a permanent residence?"

When Edinburgh encountered the black dragon, he wasn't in a hurry to get to work; instead, he spoke to the black dragon in a low voice.

"This port area is great, I'm just about to..."

"Let's change it to a long-term residence permit."

Black Dragon picked up the conversation, saying that she came here to find Edinburgh to change her status.

Crabs were just a side dish.

"Hmm? Then I'll help you change it now."

Upon hearing this, Edinburgh found a place to squat down, opened the roster he was holding, and changed the Black Dragon's residence status.

"...No need to rush, I'm not going to run away."

The black dragon was astonished by Edinburgh's efficiency.

“That won’t do. The smallest faction in our port is Sakura Empire. If we don’t leave more people here, people outside will start to suspect that we are treating Sakura Empire differently.”

Edinburgh immediately shook her head.

"The Sakura Empire has the fewest people?"

Black Flying Dragon raised an eyebrow. She had only been here for less than half a month, yet she had already gotten to know almost ten members of the Sakura Empire.

"Yes, most of the Sakura Empire ship girls who come here only stay for a few days and then leave, never to return. Wasn't that what you were planning at the beginning?"

Edinburgh didn't hide anything; she stood up, flipped through the roster, and then handed it to Black Dragon.

"..."

Black Flying Dragon's gaze swept over the registration list. More than fifty Sakura Ships were registered on both sides, of which more than forty were listed as temporary residents.

"A few days before I came here, did people from Kaohsiung and Toriumi register? What is their current status?"