Daily life with the ship girl

He laughed at himself and looked away from the window, feeling a little bored. There were no mobile phones in this world, and it seemed there were no computers either. He felt so bored.

He adjusted the pillows behind him to make himself more comfortable and put the cup back on the bedside table. Then he saw a book on the bedside table.

Li Ran was a little curious, and then he picked up the book, which was titled "On Shipping Routes and Foreign Trade". It was the first time he opened a book from this world.

He looked at the publisher of the book, and found out it was the Tactical Publishing Bureau of KanColle Academy. The name was quite fresh, and he flipped through it with great interest.

When he opened the book, he saw that it was full of annotations in French. He was stunned. This book should be the one Richelieu was reading.

Li Ran flipped through the pages and found that this 300-plus-page book of dry, pure tactical theory was filled with French annotations. He had never learned French and could not understand what it meant. However, the language in this world was clearly Chinese characters, and Richelieu could actually understand it. He complained:

"Sure enough, this world is unscientific."

However, although Li Ran could not understand the French annotations, he could understand the underlined parts. These should be the things that Richelieu thought were very important. He calmed down and continued reading.

He found this book, which talked about, as the title suggested, the multi-faceted impact of deep-sea threats on trade routes and the relationship between trade routes and foreign trade. He read it for about ten minutes and heard the sound of the door being pushed open.

Li Ran raised his head from the book, and then looked at Richelieu who came in with a plate of food. He smiled and said:

"Thanks a lot."

Richelieu looked at Li Ran holding the book with a surprised look on her face. She put the plate on the bedside table, then picked up the bowl and wanted to feed him.

Li Ran was flattered. He waved his hands quickly:

"No, I'll do it myself."

Li Ran put the book next to his pillow and started eating.

However, Li Ran had a poor appetite because his sense of taste was not very good after catching a cold. But seeing the expression on Richelieu's face that said "must finish it all", he sighed and ate up the millet porridge and some appetizers.

Richelieu watched Li Ran finish his meal, and then she breathed a sigh of relief, started to clean up the dishes, and then asked:

"Admiral, were you able to read that book?"

"Well, I couldn't get into it at first, but the underlined part was really classic, so I read it. Um, I read your book without your permission, it seems..."

"Everything in Richelieu belongs to the Admiral. Besides, this book was borrowed from the Admiral's office, so the Admiral doesn't need to ask for my permission. Well, I'll take the plate down first. It's time to take the medicine later."

Li Ran was just daydreaming about the first half of Richelieu's words, but when he heard the second half, which said he had to take medicine, his face fell and he said pitifully:

"Can you not take medicine?"

"No," Richelieu said firmly, then he closed the door and went downstairs.

Li Ran stared at the door that Richelieu closed, lost in thought. A trace of confusion and relief flashed through his mind. The confusion was that he seemed to have not helped the girls on the ship at all from beginning to end, but instead had to worry about them after they went out to attack and returned to the port. The relief was that he finally found a sense of belonging in this world.

He shook his head, sighed and said:

"What am I lamenting about? This kind of life doesn't seem so bad."

Li Ran laughed at himself, but then cheered up. He opened "On Shipping Routes and Foreign Trade" and began to read.

But after watching it for a while, he felt a severe headache, so he put it down, rubbed his temples, and said self-deprecatingly:

"Does this count as showing off?"

However, just as he finished his sigh, he heard the conversation between Richelieu and Lexington outside. He frowned and watched the door being pushed open.

Li Ran saw a familiar person and said in surprise:

"How did you come?"

The visitor was wearing a short-sleeved white shirt and a red miniskirt. It was Bai Nuoyan who had visited more than half a month ago. She looked at Li Ran and teased:

"It's only been over half a month since we last met, how come you are like this, Admiral Li."

Li Ran smiled bitterly, but he knew that no one would come to see him for no reason, so he got straight to the point:

"Don't laugh at me, but what are you doing here? You can see that I'm not in a good position right now. If you have anything to say, just talk to Lexington."

"I do have a cooperation that I want to discuss with you. Since you mentioned that, well, I will discuss it with Lexington. I won't disturb your rest. I didn't know you were sick, so I didn't prepare any gifts. Please don't be offended."

"You're welcome, but do all Xia people speak like this?"

"No, I'm a businessman. No, I'm also an admiral now. I still need to enlighten Shelexington. Okay, I won't disturb your rest. Look at the looks of your ship girls. I feel embarrassed to stay any longer."

Having said that, Bai Nuoyan turned around, waved her hand, and went out with Lexington.

When Lexington was about to leave, Li Ran said:

"Lexington, if it's not too urgent, you can make your own decision as the secretary ship. You don't have to keep asking for my opinion."

Lexington paused, looked back and smiled, and said gently:

"Understood, Commander. Please have a good rest."

After that, the door was closed. Richelieu was a little surprised. She said to Li Ran:

"Admiral, who is this Miss Bai?"

"Well, her name is Bai Nuoyan, and she is the vice president of the Sihai Chamber of Commerce. Half a month ago, one of her merchant ships had equipment problems and stayed in the port for a few days. By the way, our port's first foreign cooperation was also with this chamber of commerce, and the first escort commission we accepted was to escort the merchant ship of this chamber of commerce to the Nile Port in New England. Speaking of which, I have never asked Bismarck about the experience of the escort commission. I am really derelict in my duty."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Richelieu thought for a moment, but then she remembered the important matter. She poured out the antipyretic medicine, handed it to Li Ran and said:

"Alright, Admiral, it's time to take your medicine. It's not good for an admiral to be sick. The port area is very busy right now. You should get better soon and stop worrying everyone."

"I know, I know."

Chapter 61: She and Her Story [10th update, please subscribe~! ]

Although Li Ran had a high fever, his physical condition was not too bad and he was almost recovered after three days.

At this time, he had just finished lunch and was resting in the living room on the first floor. Pinghai was making tea, and Bai Nuoyan was sitting opposite Li Ran.

"I say, you are just like the ancient feudal landlords now." Bai Nuoyan picked up the teacup and teased Li Ran.

Li Ran took a deep breath and stretched himself. He had been closely watched by Richelieu these past few days and could only recuperate in his room. Now he was finally able to move freely. He breathed a sigh of relief and then thought of the business. He sat up straight and said:

"Nonsense. By the way, Lexington told me about the project you wanted to cooperate on. I'm very interested. But to be honest, my port has just experienced a war, and the resource reserves are insufficient. There are also three deep-sea islands nearby, and the safety of the waterway is difficult to guarantee. So regarding the escort commission for the Death Channel, I'm afraid I can't do anything for the time being."

Bai Nuoyan put down the teacup, then gently gathered the long hair beside her ears. She frowned and said:

"I see. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about today. Now, I've waited so long for you to recover, so I'll give you this latest sea chart."

Bai Nuoyan said as she threw a brand new sea chart at Li Ran.

Li Ran was somewhat surprised. He subconsciously took it and unfolded it. He found that some unknown sea areas on the old sea chart had become known, and his own Xiguang Garrison was also listed. He frowned:

"This sea chart?"

Bai Nuoyansi sorted out his thoughts for a while, then said:

"This is the latest result of a cooperation plan reached between the seven highest governors of the seven war zones and the Ship Girls Headquarters. I just got it from my father. Thanks to you, I became an admiral and the situation of the Chamber of Commerce has improved. So this latest nautical chart is a thank you gift."

Li Ran waved his hand. He didn't believe that Bai Nuoyan would give him such a thing for no reason. He closed the sea chart, slowly picked up the teacup, and said with a smile:

"This gift is too valuable. I cannot accept it. It was Lexington who helped you last time, and the relationship between us is only that of employer and mercenary. Now that the escort commission has ended, I am afraid that your Chamber of Commerce and I do not have a very deep relationship."

"What a smart man, don't you want to owe me a favor?" Bai Nuoyan waved her hand, but she changed the subject and said seriously:

"Indeed, this sea chart is very valuable, but I think you also know what it means that so many unknown sea areas have suddenly been discovered."

"Sorry, I don't know what this means." Li Ran is not that stupid. He just looked at the nautical chart. Except for his Xiguang Island, which is located in the Pacific theater, the other newly appeared sea areas are on the edge of the other six theaters. No matter how you look at it, they have nothing to do with him.

He didn't know what news Bai Nuoyan had received, but it was obvious that this young lady from a merchant family must be very shrewd. Her visit to him was definitely not just to express her gratitude, she must have her own considerations.

Li Ran figured out that there was something fishy going on. As a time traveler who had experienced the baptism of information explosion, he would not foolishly take this bait that he didn't know whether it was a sugar-coated bullet or poison. He just spread his hands and said:

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just starting to build my port, and my own port is in a mess because of the deep sea. I really don't have the energy to help you."

Bai Nuoyan sighed, she knew that Li Ran had discovered her little plan, but she had no choice, the thing she got from her father was too tempting. She had just become admiral and needed a brand new island as the base of the garrison, and new islands appeared one after another. As a Xia citizen, it was natural for her to aim at the edge of the Far East war zone with more potential.

Bai Nuoyan remembered some information she had received from her own ship Admiral Hipper. She went back and combined it with the new nautical chart to figure out some things, that is, the great naval expedition plan might have been restarted. This time, the governors of the seven major war zones, except the governor of the Pacific theater, have each sent a joint fleet to explore the edge of the war zone.

The place where Bai Nuoyan wanted to set up the garrison was actually one of the islands on the edge of the Far East war zone closest to Li Ran.

There is a new route from Xiguang Island where Li Ran is located, which is as dangerous as the Death Channel. From the new route, you can reach the neighboring country of Brumea, which is separated from Xia Kingdom by the huge Broken Blade Mountains. It is a country rich in spices and aluminum.

However, over the past half century, due to the frequent deep-sea attacks on passing ships in the waters near the Brumea Empire, the country has become a very isolated place and maritime trade has almost stagnated.

Because the Governor of the Far East Theater suddenly dispatched a joint fleet, a large area was explored in the waters near the Brumea Empire, which is on the northern edge of the Far East Theater, and several new islands were discovered.

At the same time, an excellent new route was discovered that could transfer from Suchun Port, the northernmost ice-free port of Xia Country, to Brummia. The key to the successful opening of this new route lies in whether those new islands can find suitable admirals to build garrisons. As long as the garrisons are rooted there, the deep sea creatures entrenched in the Brummia waters can be driven out step by step.

This time, the Brumian Empire returned to the world's attention. Since these new islands were close to this aluminum-rich country, they suddenly became the areas that many new admirals in the Far East theater wanted to settle in.

Bai Nuoyan keenly sensed the huge business opportunities. She immediately realized that the new islands along this new route would become key nodes for maritime supply to the Brumya Empire in the future.

This meant a huge business opportunity, and as an excellent businessman, Bai Nuoyan really didn't want to miss it. However, she had just become the new admiral, and for the time being she only had one heavy cruiser girl, Hipper. She really couldn't put together a six-person fleet to participate in the competition for the garrison quota for the new island, so she thought of borrowing troops from Li Ran.

Bai Nuoyan sighed, knowing that Li Ran was too shrewd and might be difficult to fool, so she simply briefly talked about her plans, as well as some ideas about the new waterway, the new garrison, and future cooperation with Xiguang Island.

Li Ran listened to Bai Nuoyan finally confessing some things, although he knew that she was still hiding something, but...

After listening to Bai Nuoyan, Li Ran did not speak for a while. He reopened the sea chart and looked at the distance between his island and the new islands on the edge of the Far East War Zone that Bai Nuoyan mentioned. The nearest of these islands was about 2200 nautical miles east of Xiguang Island. He frowned:

"Is the Brumia Empire you mentioned really rich in aluminum?"

"Well, how about this? Let me consider it. As long as you help me successfully obtain a spot to build a garrison on one of the islands, I will give you 1,000 units of each of the four resources I brought this time as the initial payment for this cooperation."

"Miss Bai is really generous. However, you said yourself that you only have one ship girl. I'm afraid you are not even qualified to participate in this competition?"

"That's right, but the rules state that as long as a new admiral who has not chosen a garrison can gather a full fleet of six people, it will be fine. The rules do not say that the ship girls in the fleet must be the admiral's ship girls."

"A loophole in the rules?" Li Ran couldn't help but admire Bai Nuoyan, but he aspired to be a bad admiral who could seek the greatest benefits for his port. He didn't need to be great, but he must have sufficient resources and funds. So he thought about it. If Bai Nuoyan could take over an island, the destination of aluminum for future expeditions would be temporarily settled. After all, the daily output of Xiguang Island alone was not enough to meet the aluminum consumption rate of the port's aircraft carriers.

He sighed and rubbed his brows:

"Your cooperation is not impossible. Can I ask about the time it takes to compete for these places?"

"Of course, the new admiral's garrison exercise codenamed 'Far Eastern Dawn' will be held in a month."

"A month later, let me think about it. I'll have a meeting tonight before I can give you an answer."

"No problem. I understand."

"Okay, I'll give you an answer tomorrow at the latest to avoid wasting your time." Li Ran nodded. He was still a little envious of the new nautical chart.

Bai Nuoyan got Li Ran's definite answer, and since they had reached a cooperation intention on the Death Channel in the future, she smiled and said:

"Actually, although this nautical chart is precious, it will be distributed to all admirals in the next few days. It's just not as detailed as this one. If you like it, I'll give it to you. Anyway, I've made a backup in advance."

"Thank you very much." Li Ran was not polite. He rolled up the sea chart and said to Pinghai, which had been as quiet as a virgin:

"Pinghai, help me hang this chart in the admiral's office."

Pinghai had become much calmer after the battle a few days ago and an experimental transformation. She nodded, picked up the nautical chart and went upstairs.

Li Ran watched Ping Hai go up to the second floor. He said a little embarrassedly:

"Well, Miss Bai, you said you have resources on board your ship, can you..."

"Why, do you want to promise to help me now?"

"Well, actually it's about the Death Route. There are three deep-sea islands near my port that have been threatening the western foreign shipping routes. If I don't take down the three islands soon, I'm afraid my Xiguang Island's foreign trade will come to a standstill. Then there's no need to consider cooperation on the Death Route at all."

"That's true, but my cooperation with you is inclined to be long-term, and I don't get any substantial benefits. This will make me lose a lot."

"This, that..." Li Ran was choked. Indeed, why should they help you? There is no cooperation at all, so how can they ask for a deposit first? He smiled bitterly:

"That's true. I was rash."

Bai Nuoyan pondered for a while. In the past three days, she had indeed witnessed the current situation of Li Ran's port area, which was indeed not too optimistic. Even though she had helped Li Ran with publicity before, there were very few merchant ships coming to Xiguang Island to import timber.

She knew that the foreign trade of Li Ran Port was indeed seriously affected by the deep sea, and knew that Bai Nuoyan, who was well aware that timely assistance was better than icing on the cake, changed the subject, drank the slightly cold tea, and then said:

"However, it's okay to give you these resources first. After all, I've said that I can become an admiral thanks to your ship girl Lexington. This is my thank you gift and a deposit for cooperation. By the way, in fact, each of the four resources is 1500 units, and they can all be delivered to you first."

"Aren't you afraid that I will break my promise?"

"Afraid." Bai Nuoyan nodded, then she smiled:

"But what I'm more afraid of is that both of my collaborations will go down the drain. I've put in so much effort, I don't want to return empty-handed. Besides, you're different from those old admirals. You're cheaper to hire."

Li Ran twitched his lips, his face looked a little helpless, and he was speechless, but he still thanked him:

"Then I would like to thank you on behalf of everyone in the port area."

The two talked for a while, and then Li Ran invited Bai Nuoyan to go for a stroll in the lake on the island. When he took Pinghai out, he saw the owner of the ship-cutting sword that Bai Nuoyan had mentioned - the heavy cruiser girl Hipper.

Chapter 62: Touched

Li Ran looked at the girl with green hair wearing a ship-cutting sword. The most eye-catching thing was her red eyes, which made her look very heroic.