Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

"Hey, avant-garde, if a vixen crosses the line, you know what will happen."

"I'm so proud... mmm!"

Sirius, well, this guy got kicked aside.

"No, it's just a dinner party. It's not like I'm not coming back. Making it sound like a life-or-death situation is a bit creepy," Jing Su joked, trembling as she faced the CEO's gaze.

"So, Commander, you absolutely have to come back~ Tonight, it's my turn no matter what!" Warspite muttered to herself, not letting Jing Su hear her. She had already decided that when Jing Su came back, unless he was drunk, no, even if Jing Su was completely drunk, she would still make him a mess tonight.

To reach the cargo ship where the banquet was to be held, one first had to take a speedboat from the royal side, then transfer to a Vichy ship at the designated location, and then sail all the way to the cargo ship.

It's not that the Vichy Church doesn't have its own cruise ships. Although ship girls generally don't use cruise ships when they go on expeditions, considering that they might be spending time at sea with Jing Su later, each faction prepares a large cruise ship.

However, the Vichy Church was only supporting the summer offensive and taking the opportunity to launch an expedition. They didn't expect to encounter Jing Su during this mission, so they didn't bring out their own faction's large cruise ships.

When the ship girls go on expeditions, the client is obligated to provide accommodation. Of course, the ship girls usually choose to live on their own small yacht. Even if accommodation is provided, they are still more comfortable using things from their own faction and don't need disgusting things like cameras.

After sailing for about half an hour, Jing Su spotted the Vichy fleet's ships. Serving as temporary lodgings during their expedition, the yacht wasn't large, about twenty meters long and five meters wide, with a height of three meters above the waterline. It had three decks in total: the captain's cabin on the top floor, the accommodation area in the middle, and the shipyard on the ground floor.

The ship has three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room, but the bathrooms are shared. Although it can't compare to the Royal Caribbean cruise ship that Jing Su is currently on, it's quite luxurious for an expedition.

The yachts that Warspite usually uses when she goes on missions are similar to this one. For example, when Warspite took drugs and messed things up, the boat she used was similar to the one we see now.

"Hey, Commander, you're so slow! I've been waiting for you for ages! Keeping a lady waiting is a serious crime!"

As soon as they got close, a vibrant voice came from Vichy's ship.

Looking up towards the source of the sound, they saw a red-eyed girl with wine-red hair and long, curly ahoge standing on the deck, waving at them.

"Is it...Vokland?" Jing Su suddenly exclaimed after squinting and examining it carefully for a while.

"Whoosh, yes, Commander." Upon hearing Jing Su's voice, the girl's face lit up with obvious excitement. She flipped off the deck, spread her arms, bent her knees slightly, and landed steadily in front of Jing Su. The girl excitedly shouted to Jing Su, "Vaukerland-class destroyer—Vaukerland, making a dazzling appearance!"

'Oh no, I'm doomed! I got too cocky. I really wanted to give a super cool self-introduction, but my ship's history... ahh, I don't think I have anything to say. Hmm, does escorting Algeria and Dunkirk count as a combat achievement...? Damn it, whatever.'

"Ahem, anyway, I am Vauquelan of the Vichy Church, and I will definitely become a very powerful ship in the future!"

Walkland crossed his arms, held his head high, and said proudly.

"..." Jing Su was stunned by Vauquelan's actions. This girl, is she really that fierce?

"Hey, Commander, don't make that face. I'm really good, you know, ~probably~" Vockland became more and more uncertain as he spoke, his head drooping slightly. After all, glory is something that sounds good, but in the end, it still needs to be based on war achievements. Unfortunately, Vockland has never had a chance to appear, whether in history or in this world.

Historically, it's been said that the entire French faction was in tears. And in the port area, hey, destroyers are so overpowered! Everyone says battleships are overpowered, but in Vauquelin's opinion, destroyers have been overpowered since the port area was established. They're overpowered now, and you can't even get a chance to participate without some special ability. They won't even let you clean up the battlefield.

Even if Vichy Church and Free Iris are combined, they are not particularly strong factions in the port area, and they do not have any sentimental value, so it is difficult for them to get a chance to appear. However, Vauquelan is relatively lucky. He joined the port area not too late, just when Jing Su was most wholeheartedly managing the port area.

Therefore, even without any backing from either strength or sentiment, Vauquelan still managed to get a lot of sorties and had her training level raised to a very high level by Jing Su. She was one of the few Vichy ship girls in the Vichy Church who had broken the level 100 mark before Jing Su disappeared.

"Ahem, thank you for waiting so long." Seeing the energetic girl, Walklan, Jing Su was in a good mood. Although Walklan always gave him a silly feeling, being with a girl like that would be very enjoyable, wouldn't it?

"Hmph, if apologies were enough, what would be the point of having a military police force? Commander, you have to take action to get someone's forgiveness~" Walkland's eyes lit up when he heard Jing Su's words.

"Oh, then, our lovely Miss Vauquelan, what should I do to gain your forgiveness?" Jing Su followed Vauquelan's words and realized that this girl was indeed a bit silly, but really cute.

"Commander, come on, shall I punish you? No, reward you? That doesn't seem right either, cough cough. Anyway, Commander, pat my head and I'll forgive you... Hehehe, don't look shy~ I don't care, why do you?"

'Case solved. This girl is indeed a bit silly, not only silly, but also incredibly fierce.'

"Alright, Vauquelan, don't tease the Commander." Just as Jing Su didn't know how to answer, a gentle voice rang out; it was Fu Xi.

"I wasn't teasing you." Hearing that Foch had arrived, Vauquelan muttered, but still ran behind Foch, or rather, went back to the ship.

"Commander, I'm sorry you had to see this." After Vockland left, Foch said to Jing Su.

"It's alright, it's alright. Walkerland's personality is actually quite endearing," Jing Su reassured her.

"Hehe, that child will be very happy to hear you say such a thing about her, Commander." Fuxi replied with a smile, seeing that Jing Su didn't seem to mind.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but anyway, shouldn't we be setting off?" Just as Fuxi was about to say something else, Qianwei ran out and shouted.

After seeing Vichy's ship, she secretly hid behind the door and watched the scene. When Vauquelan appeared, Qianwei was unmoved. She was just a little girl and didn't care. But when Fuxi appeared, Qianwei knew that if she didn't take action, Jing Su might be taken to the other ship.

The two factions, all grouped together, have few threatening ship girls, mostly concentrated in the Vichy Church. This is mainly due to the doctrines of the two factions. After seeing their doctrines, Vanguard said that it's their own fault for not posing a threat. According to their daily schedule, there isn't much time to develop feelings for Jing Su, and it's severely restricted. Evenings are precious time, and which ship girl in the port isn't eyeing them covetously? As a result, the two factions normally only have relatively more time at night. Under these circumstances, even if Jing Su wanted to develop feelings for the ship girls of the two factions, she would have to consider whether they would be available.

Qianwei knew that Jingsu was someone who valued the feelings of the ship girls very much. Whether before or after her disappearance, Qianwei could feel Jingsu's subconscious protection of them. Jingsu would never do anything that would make the ship girls resentful. Although Jingsu always said that she had no memory of spending time with them, she could always subconsciously protect the feelings of the ship girls. Perhaps this was what it meant to value them so much that it was etched into her soul.

The two factions are indeed a rather awkward existence in the port. The one called Free Iris is the most devout. Richelieu, the leader of Iris, is often criticized by her sister Jean Bart. They are about to engage the enemy on the battlefield, but they are still praying. I have never seen such an irresponsible leader.

The Vichys, who called themselves the Papacy, didn't take God seriously at all. On the surface, they still seemed to believe in God, but when it came to their own interests, they would simply throw the so-called God aside. Jean Bart, in particular, although she was Richelieu's sister, always scoffed at the so-called gods and thought that prayer was meaningless. Even when Jing Su disappeared, the Vanguard never saw her pray even once.

As mentioned earlier, due to their religious beliefs, the ship girls of the Free Iris are not very threatening in terms of time. The greater threats are basically within the Vichy Church. After all, the people of the Vichy Church believe in God, but that is just a facade. Their prayers are just for show. Among the many threatening ship girls, Foch ranks quite high.

Before setting off, Warspite specifically instructed Vanguard to keep a close eye on Fuxi. This girl was cunning and particularly adept at using her older sister-like care to seduce the commander. Just now, she had gotten Jing Su to agree to attend the banquet without her noticing. If she were to spend some time alone with Jing Su, he might just run away with her. This was absolutely not allowed.

Upon hearing the possibility that Jing Su might have been abducted, Vanguard immediately became extremely alert. During this voyage, he had managed to find all the other ship girls, but he hadn't made any progress with them. The day before yesterday, he was so busy fighting that he turned around and tried to pull the Commander away to develop a relationship with his close comrade Warspite. When they met again, he learned that Jing Su had disappeared again. He finally found her, only to have her snatched away by Plymouth.

Well, Plymouth's condition certainly required the commander to personally comfort her, but what happened next? The swimsuit offensive that I had painstakingly prepared failed before it even began. I was just too thin-skinned.

Then came the encounter with the Vichy Church. Upon learning that he was to attend a banquet, Qianwei initially didn't think anything was amiss, but later, after being reminded by Yanxi, he exclaimed, "My Queen, is Fuxi's progress this fast? How long has it been since they reunited? At most half an hour? And she's already been snatched away by Jing Su?"

Fortunately, it was just a dinner party, so Vanguard had another task tonight: to keep an eye on Jing Su. Well, mainly to keep an eye on Jing Su. This was also why Warspite insisted on leaving Plymouth, Perseus, and Sirius behind before setting off, to prevent infighting within their own camp.

In other words, this can be considered a tacit approval from the war-weary. Those who pose a threat from within have already been stopped by the war-weary, but whether or not Jing Su can be persuaded to join the ship depends on the avant-garde's luck. Having figured this out, the avant-garde felt somewhat pressured.

Originally, the Oath Ring was supposed to be his advantage, but both the Fearless and Sirius today are reminding the Vanguard that at this point, whether or not he has the Oath Ring is not the most important thing. Someone has already taken that step, in other words, anyone can go straight to base.

For the Vanguard, losing in the competition within the Royal camp means losing to one of their own. But if Jing Su were snatched away by other camps, especially by the Vichy Church, it would be an utter disgrace.

"Hehe, isn't the Commander coming to our ship? I have so much to say to the Commander." Sensing the Vanguard's hostility, Fuxi gave a crooked smile, meant for the Vanguard to see. He was really angry. What kind of expression is that, looking at me like that?

However, Qianwei wisely refrained from speaking about this matter. Although she and Yanzhan flirted with Jingsu whenever they had the chance on the ship, it was because this was an internal setting where everyone was on the same side and could relax with each other. Jingsu also approved of it, so there was no problem.

But things are different now. There are ship girls from other factions here, so we have to handle things officially. After all, Jing Su has always been the glue that holds the port together. Although everyone belongs to the same port, there are often conflicts between them. After Jing Su disappeared, the port was effectively divided. Even if Jing Su returns now, he can end this state of division in an instant with just one word. But he hasn't said anything yet.

Many ship girls don't want the 'split' to end so quickly. After all, if they really merge, it will be too troublesome to find Jing Su to stick with, and the competitive pressure will increase sharply.

Therefore, when other factions are involved, business must be handled officially. And once business is handled officially, Jing Su's identity must be considered. What is Jing Su? The commander of the port, the absolute ruler of the port. All ship girls are Jing Su's subordinates, and only then are they his wife and lover. No matter what the situation, this identity will not change.

Therefore, Qianwei can no longer make decisions for Jingsu, even though she knows that Jingsu won't say anything if she does it, but this is a matter of principle.

"Fok-hee, please lead the way. But I won't go aboard your ship yet. Judging from Vauquelan's appearance just now, she probably isn't dressed up yet. I'll leave it for now and save it for later. That way, I'll feel genuinely happy when I see you all dressed up."

"Hehe, Commander, please rest assured, I will definitely not let you down." Fuxi glanced at the vanguard, then jumped back onto his ship with a powerful leap.

Chapter 183 Is that all?

The cargo ship's captain was a robust middle-aged man with graying temples, but he was in good spirits.

"Haha, I presume you are Marshal Jing? I've been wanting to meet you for a long time. Seeing is believing, you truly are a young talent." The captain extended his hand to Jing Su, revealing a hearty smile.

Jing Su also extended her hand and asked, "Who are you?"

"Oh, haha, look at my brain." The captain slapped his forehead and shouted, "My name is Chen Baxian, and I am the captain of the Ping An cargo ship."

"What's your relationship with Chen Batian?" Jing Su felt the name was somewhat familiar, and after thinking carefully, she asked.

"My second brother." Chen Baxian made no attempt to hide his identity and directly revealed his identity.

"If the outside world knew that the dignified head of the Chen family was actually going on an expedition on a cargo ship, it would probably cause controversy," Jing Su said jokingly, withdrawing her hand.

In the vast Maritime Bureau, not many people actually know of his identity. Among those who know his identity, even fewer can talk to him without batting an eye. Even disregarding the powerful ship girls in the port area, the title of marshal alone is enough to scare many people.

Jing Su's title of marshal is not the same as the marshal in the game. The position in the game is just an honorary title. If he hadn't been short of gold, Jing Su wouldn't have bothered to play the role, let alone get promoted. Especially in the game, reaching the position of marshal is extremely difficult. It's not enough to rely on strength alone; you also need a bit of luck.

However, just like in the game, Jing Su's title of marshal is a nominal one, just like how ancient emperors honored a high-ranking minister as Grand Tutor. It's just an honor. The real Grand Marshal of the Maritime Bureau has always been Chairman Chen Batian. This is the real reason why he can hold this position and give Jing Su resources whenever he wants.

To be honest, when Jing Su learned that he had such a high position, he was both amused and exasperated. It seemed like they were trying to curry favor with him, but if you really looked into it, it was actually the Maritime Safety Administration doing something sabotage behind the scenes to annoy the port area.

Because the position of marshal is too high, it is usually a nominal position. Apart from the founders or those who have served as marshals, the marshals of the Maritime Bureau were either posthumously awarded or given a nominal position, and were treated as living ancestors.

The Maritime Bureau naturally treated the ship girls like royalty, but Jing Su couldn't help but feel that the Maritime Bureau was subtly implying that they had already sent them. However, Jing Su could understand the Maritime Bureau's mentality, since only if he, the commander, was really gone would they have the opportunity to stay by the ship girls' side.

"A mere empty title is not worth mentioning. Besides, my second brother has done a good job. Whether I am here or not makes no difference to the Chen family." Chen Baxian explained, "By the way, what are we still doing standing here? It's windy on the deck. Marshal Jing, please come in quickly. If you get sick from the wind, it would be my fault."

"Alright." He then went into the cabin.

From the outside, the ship does indeed look like a large cargo ship, with its decks packed full of containers. But once you step inside, it feels like a completely different world. The interior is decorated very luxuriously, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a cruise ship.

"Is this place really this luxurious?" Jing Su asked curiously, looking at the magnificent room.

"Haha, Marshal Jing, this is actually a resting place prepared for your ship girls. For our Valkyries, it is natural to decorate it more luxuriously. It's just a pity that these rooms will not be used much."

“We’re not your Valkyries. We only listen to the Commander. If anyone’s Valkyrie, it’s the one from Dawn Harbor.” Before Jing Su could say anything, Javelin shouted.

"Yes, yes, Miss Javelin is right. I misspoke, Valkyrie of Dawn Harbor." Chen Baxian quickly corrected himself upon hearing Javelin's words.

However, Jing Suneng could clearly sense that Chen Baxian's aura had changed significantly after he finished speaking.

After boarding the ship, Fuxi and Vauquelan were temporarily separated from Jing Su. They hadn't changed their clothes for the night yet; they had previously appeared in front of Jing Su wearing their original in-game outfits.

This kind of clothing is definitely not suitable for wearing to a banquet, especially for Fuxi. Her original skin's outfit is a mix of innocence and allure. It seems like she's not showing anything, with only her face, hands, and thighs exposed, but it still manages to make people feel hot and restless.

In short, Walkland and Foch returned to their yacht to change clothes. Walkland loudly proclaimed that she had a big show tonight and told Jing Su to look forward to it. Foch pushed Walkland, who wanted to say something more, into the cabin, but her words also implied that Jing Su should look forward to it.

So Jing Su doesn't have any Vichy Church ship girls with her right now, and for this newly arrived cargo ship, she can only follow Captain Chen Baxian.

However, while they followed, Javelin and Vanguard were always with them. After Jing Su's disappearance the night before last, the Royal Navy ship girls dared not let Jing Su out of their sight for even a moment. Even if they had to separate, they had to ensure that at least one ship girl was within their sight, or rather, within their operational range that they could reach in a second.

After boarding the ship, Qianwei put away his previous carefree and frivolous behavior and transformed into a glorious knight, following Jing Su with a serious expression and a spirited demeanor.

Her aura is truly that of a powerful and invincible Valkyrie, the kind that makes people want to bow down and worship her.

Jing Su glanced at Qian Wei and received a playful response from him. She felt relieved. Well, it's still the same silly Qian Wei I know. I can only say that he is indeed Qian Wei. He can combine the two completely opposite characteristics of dignity and sillyness so perfectly.

It has to be said that the passageway of this cargo ship is quite long. After walking for a long time, we still hadn't reached our destination. However, as we walked, Jing Su realized something was wrong and spoke up in advance: "Captain Chen, this is not the way to the banquet hall, is it?"

"Ahem, well, the banquet is at eight o'clock, and it won't have started yet when we get there, so there's no rush," Chen Baxian laughed and explained.

However, upon hearing his words, Qianwei's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he began to slowly mobilize the power within his body. His vigilance increased significantly, and even his javelin began to change, silently increasing its speed and moving between Jing Su and Chen Baxian.

"Marshal Jing, please rest here for a moment. Um, Xiao Chen, hurry up and make some tea. That pot in my drawer has no sense of propriety at all." Led by Chen Baxian, Jing Su and the others arrived at a room. Compared to the luxurious room they had just been in, this room was rather simple. The entire room contained only a leather sofa, a tea table, and a desk and filing cabinet in the corner.

"Captain Chen, our time is precious, so let's skip the beating around the bush. I don't like this tedious formality. Let's get straight to the point. What brings you here?" As soon as he sat down, before tea or anything else was served, Jing Su asked directly.

This sudden banquet and the way they led us around—judging from Chen Baxian's expression just now, he seemed to want to say something to Jing Su several times, but he kept quiet in the end. Clearly, he needed something from Jing Su.

After arriving at the Royal Navy's base and experiencing all the unpleasant things that happened, Jing Su really had no interest in the intricacies of the Maritime Bureau. Wouldn't it be better to spend that time with her own ship girls? With the current number of ship girls in the port, it would take two years to rotate them every day, so there was no time to worry about anything else.

"Open and honest." Hearing Jing Su's words, Chen Baxian felt somewhat embarrassed and could only bite the bullet to answer. In fact, he had been trying very hard to restrain his past habits when he spoke. Although Chen Baxian said he didn't care, he had been the head of the Chen family for so long, and the habits of a superior had long been formed. It was really not easy to change them in a short time, especially when facing Jing Su. Just by looking at his appearance, Jing Su was really the same age as his son, definitely a junior.

In terms of both status and strength, Jing Su is far superior to the Chen family. In recent years, the Chen family has only gradually risen to prominence after Chen Batian became a councilor. Ten years ago, they were just an unknown small family in the capital.

But since Jing Su has already said that, it doesn't seem appropriate to stop now.

"It's like this, Marshal Jing, I do have a request." After a moment of silence, Chen Baxian finally spoke, "It's just that my good-for-nothing son just graduated from university this year. He's always causing trouble at home, so I was thinking of sending him to the front lines to get some experience. But the front lines—oh, I absolutely don't mean to discredit Marshal Jing's achievements with the port's ship girls—are, after all, battlefields, and there are some risks. Marshal Jing, I implore you, could you please take care of my son?"

"Of course, do as you please. If he does something wrong, punish him however you like, whatever you want—solitary confinement, demotion, anything is fine. But if a real crisis arises, ask Marshal Jing for help." After saying this, Chen Baxian closed his eyes and bowed deeply to Jing Su.

This explanation left Jing Su completely bewildered. He had initially thought that Chen Baxian wanted something else, such as having his son work under him. He had even prepared his refusal. But now it seemed that it was simply an old father asking him to protect his son.

If that's the case, agreeing to it wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, the Maritime Bureau is on the front line, and their work is mainly cleaning up the battlefield and assisting with logistical tasks such as scientific research. The probability of encountering danger is low. Moreover, even if they are cleaning up the battlefield, the port will send a few ship girls to patrol nearby. If something happens, they can go to the rescue immediately.

Since the White Eagle camp took over frontline affairs, apart from a few times when the Maritime Bureau made its own mistakes, there have been basically no major casualties. As a result, many second-generation elites regard the frontline as a good place to make military achievements. For example, those second-generation elites who had previously disgusted Jing Su served as transport captains on the frontline for a period of time.

"If that's all, then there's no problem. If something really happens, I'll have the military police search and rescue them immediately." After thinking for a moment, Jing Su agreed. It was a favor to do, but he was also very curious. With the White Eagle camp keeping watch on the front lines, unless the Maritime Bureau messed things up, it would be difficult to cause any real danger.

'Just a patrol team?' Hearing Jing Su's answer, Chen Baxian was somewhat disappointed. In fact, he had hoped to hear that Jing Su had sent her ship girls to search for them. In fact, he had initially wanted his son to work under Jing Su, but after seeing how the ship girls treated Jing Su, he decisively changed his request.

Chen Baxian felt that if he really did that, his son would be in real danger. Even if he wasn't killed by the Sirens, he might be killed by the ship girls.

He was puzzled. The intelligence clearly stated that Jing Su had been missing for three years. After such a long time, why were the ship girls still so attached to him? Based on his life experience, even if a couple had been separated for a few months, let alone three years, they would still feel somewhat estranged when they met again. It would be considered a sign of deep affection if they didn't become enemies.

This is also what surprises the world about Hong Kong. The entire Hong Kong region is divided, and the various factions are bound to fight when they meet. How come they are all so united on the matter of finding Jing Su? Anyway, Chen Baxian said he didn't understand Hong Kong's logic at all.

"I thank Marshal Jing in advance." Chen Baxian bowed to Jing Su again.

Buzz~ Buzz!

Jing Su vaguely heard something vibrating, but before she could check what it was, she heard Chen Baxian say something.

"Ahem, it's almost time, Marshal Jing. Do you think we should set off for the venue?"

"Didn't they say it wouldn't start until eight o'clock?" Jing Su glanced at the time; it was only around seven ten.

"Ahem, Marshal Jing, you are undoubtedly the star of the banquet. Everyone is eager to catch a glimpse of your majesty, so please grant them their small wish." At this moment, Chen Baxian changed his previous delaying tactics and adopted a different approach.

"In that case, let's go. There's nothing to do here anyway." Jing Su nodded, stood up, and gestured for Chen Baxian to lead the way.

'So, I suppose we've fulfilled Fuxi's request.'

As he left the room, Chen Baxian thought to himself.

Yes, long before the Vichy ship girls set off, Chen Baxian was summoned by Fuxi and told their request in private: during the banquet, he was responsible for delaying enough time for the Vichy ship girls to change their clothes. If he didn't delay enough time, he would be in big trouble.

"Seriously, you guys are chasing after your husbands, while you're tormenting this old man like me. What's the meaning of this? My poor batch of goods~" Chen Baxian was speechless.