Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

They were sailing peacefully along the channel when the ship girls suddenly said they had to turn around and head in another direction. He had several urgent shipments on board, and being late would result in huge losses.

Although the ship girls said they could cover his losses, is that the kind of loss he cares about?

However, since he had finally managed to get the ship girls to ask him for help, Chen Baxian had to plan carefully. He himself was out of luck, but what about his son?

'Why is it so difficult to infiltrate this port area?'

Chapter 184 Love and Hate

"Hey, did you hear? The commander of Dawn Harbor seems to have re-emerged."

"Huh? When did Dawn Harbor get a Commander?"

"You didn't know? It caused quite a stir in Kyoto back then."

"At that time, I was still fighting the Sirens on the front lines. By the time I returned to Kyoto, Dawn Harbor had already split up."

"Oh, I see. Let me tell you about it. I heard it from my grandfather. Actually, there has always been a commander in Dawn Port. It is said that this commander was the absolute leader of Dawn Port. But later, for some reason, he disappeared."

"Missing?"

"Yes, she's gone missing. There are all sorts of rumors: assassination, kidnapping, etc. In short, she's disappeared. Do you remember when the ship girls caused a ruckus at the Maritime Bureau headquarters and launched a search campaign throughout the region? Back then, as long as you claimed to have relevant information, you could meet and talk with a ship girl. That was the easiest way to meet a ship girl so far."

However, it seems that very little of the information provided was useful. Later, some people said that the commander had died, or that there was no commander at all in Dawn Harbor, and that it was all just an act.

"Acting? What are the ship girls acting for?"

"Who knows? Anyway, as time went by, after searching for so long without finding any useful information, the major families and the Maritime Bureau concluded that Dawn Port was ownerless. Since it was ownerless, there was room for maneuver. Who knows why they're saying now that the commander of Dawn Port has returned."

"Hey, you mean the commander of Dawn Harbor, is he male or female? If it's a male, that would be so lucky."

"Who can disagree? So many beautiful female warriors, it's such a pity."

"What's the pity? No matter how strong Dawn Port is, it still split up, didn't it? If that commander really exists, he must have lost control of the port. Otherwise, why hasn't Dawn Port been unified yet? The current fragmented situation is proof of that."

"Yes, yes, Brother Xie is insightful. Ah, going to the front lines really makes a difference. It's like my brain has been opened. Unlike me, I just stay at home eating and waiting to die, and I don't know anything. I hope Brother Xie will take good care of me when I go to the front lines this time."

"Of course. Speaking of which, I heard that ship girls will be attending tonight's banquet? Is that true?"

"It's true, absolutely true. I personally asked my father, and it's confirmed that the Vichy Church's ship girls will be attending the banquet tonight. Brother Xie, do you have something in mind?"

"To say I have no thoughts would be a lie, but well, I'll just think about it."

"Hey, Brother Xie, what do you mean by this? If you have an idea, then give it a try. How will you know it won't work if you don't try?"

"Hehe, once you get to the front lines, you'll understand why I said that."

Suddenly, a third voice rang out.

"Ahem, I see you two are having a very pleasant conversation here. I wonder if I may join you for a chat?"

The two people who had been speaking earlier looked in the direction of the voice and saw a handsome young man with bright eyes and a tall, upright figure standing to the side, dressed in a clean white naval uniform.

"you are?"

"Hello, sir!"

One of the two looked at the newcomer with a puzzled expression and wary eyes, while the other, who was called Brother Xie, stood up straight and saluted him.

"No need to be so serious. It's just a private occasion. I saw you guys chatting so happily here, so I came over to check on you." Jing Su was a little helpless. She had clearly removed the shoulder insignia and chest badges that symbolized her identity. How did this guy know she was an officer? Was there something wrong with her naval uniform?

Yes, the person who joined at the last minute was Jing Su. Led by Chen Baxian, they arrived at the banquet hall ahead of time. However, it was not yet time, and there were not many people in the hall. Including the servants, there were only five or six people.

At this moment, Chen Baxian said that he had some things to take care of and left first. Jing Su and the others took advantage of the fact that the banquet had not yet started to wander around the neighborhood. Qianwei said that he was going to touch up his makeup, and Javelin plunged headfirst into the pile of desserts and did not come out. Jing Su found that she had suddenly become a person.

Oh, not strictly speaking, but Jing Su could clearly feel several gazes fixed on her. One of them was clearly Javelin. The girl was eating happily, but her attention was always on her, which could be considered as keeping an eye on her safety.

Since he had nothing better to do, Jing Su decided to wander around. According to Chen Baxian, this banquet was actually prepared by him for a group of second-generation rich kids on the ship.

Chen Baxian is the head of the Chen family and the elder brother of the current councilor of the Maritime Bureau. With such a status, how could he simply be a cargo ship captain? In fact, this cargo ship not only transported military supplies, but also carried a group of second-generation elites to the front line.

Given Chen Baxian's status, the second-generation rich kids who can board his ship are naturally of high status. Chen Baxian's idea of ​​having Jing Su move around is actually to give these second-generation rich kids an opportunity. The commander of the Dawn Port is right here. Whether they can seize this opportunity depends on their fate.

"Good morning, sir!" Seeing that Brother Xie beside him had adopted such a humble posture, the other person was struck dumb, but he reacted quickly and stood up as well, saluting Jing Su.

Jing Su nodded helplessly, which was her response to them. Then she said, "It's dinner time now, so there's no need to be so formal. Let's treat each other like ordinary people. It's not normal for you to be all alone."

"It's the officer!" Xie Ge shouted loudly, startling the people around him who curiously looked towards Jing Su.

Jing Su was helpless. He came here to ask about things at the front, since it was his first time going there and he knew nothing. Although Guanghui said that he didn't need to worry about anything after he went to the front, and that everything could be left to them, Jing Su felt that it was better to know some details to avoid any problems that would require the ship girls to handle.

If these two simpletons in front of me were to make a big fuss, and someone who knew my identity were to suddenly appear, then my intelligence gathering would be impossible to continue.

So Jing Su spoke up directly, "You two, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

Anyway, these two have already identified themselves as superiors, so why not take advantage of it? Hmm, it seems that in terms of status, I am indeed their superior, the Grand Admiral of the Navy, huh? Does the Maritime Safety Administration have ranks based on uniforms?

Jing Su briefly recalled her attire. It seemed that only her clothes revealed her status. However, on the way here, Jing Su had seen many people dressed like her. If the hierarchy was really divided like this, wouldn't there be too many officers on this ship?

"Yes, sir. My name is Xie Xuan. I am from the Xie family in the capital. I am in charge of a transport team on the front lines. I was on leave, but I responded to Councilor Chen's call to return to the front lines to report for duty."

"Chen, Chen Tai, the Chen family of Kyoto, responding to Councilor Chen's call, are going to the front lines to provide support." Chen Tai was clearly weaker than Xie Xuan. After discovering that Jing Su might be a super second-generation, his voice became much softer, and he stammered as he barely managed to finish his sentence.

"The Chen family of Kyoto?" Jing Su raised an eyebrow. Actually, he had no interest in or knowledge of these kinds of families from various places, but he did have some impression of the Chen family. "Who is Chen Batian to you?"

"Uncle, Second Uncle," Chen Tai said, his voice slightly embarrassed.

"Chen Baxian is your father?" Jing Su thought, what a coincidence! But thinking about it, it made sense. Didn't Chen Baxian just ask him to take care of his son? Then he hurriedly sent him to the venue. He probably received news that his son was there.

“Yes.” Mentioning his father, Chen Tai’s expression became even more tense. The case was solved. The young man in front of him was definitely a super second-generation rich kid. How could he address his father like that? Although his Chen family was unknown more than ten years ago, it had risen in recent years by getting closer to the Morning Dawn Port District. The fact that the other party could call his father by his name so naturally meant that he was probably a descendant of some hidden family.

"Don't be nervous. I overheard you discussing Dawn Harbor. Can you tell me your thoughts on it?"

"Huh?" Xie Xuan and Chen Tai were stunned.

"Don't let my appearance fool you, strictly speaking, this is my first time going to the front lines. Before, I've been, well, running around everywhere. This time, I'll inevitably be dealing with the ship girls, so I'll get to know you guys better."

"I see, I'll answer that then." Xie Xuan nodded, understanding dawning on him. He thought to himself, 'No wonder I haven't seen this guy on the front lines. Who is this amazing expert? My god, a marshal! When did the Maritime Safety Administration get a marshal?!'

To some extent, Jing Su didn't really understand the Maritime Safety Administration's uniforms and props. He assumed that all the members of the Maritime Safety Administration wore similar clothes. In fact, in terms of details, the uniforms of different ranks were not the same, and the differences were not only in the shoulder boards and medals.

Jing Su startled Xie Xuan, who thought he had stumbled upon a powerful figure traveling incognito.

"The frontline's attitude towards Dawn Port is probably a love-hate relationship," Xie Xuan said after organizing his thoughts.

In Xie Xuan's view, since the bigwig in front of him has been in charge of the work from the rear, the information he is concerned about is naturally the relationship between the front line and the Dawn Port area.

"Oh, why do you say that?" Jing Su chuckled upon hearing this reply. He agreed that others liked Dawn Harbor District. After all, under the leadership of the White Eagle faction, the Maritime Bureau's mortality rate was so low that it was almost unbelievable that they were fighting a war. In fact, in the past six months, the number of people who died in traffic accidents in Seaside City (the city where the Royal Residence is located) has exceeded the number of Maritime Bureau soldiers who died on the front lines.

"Hey, what else could it be? It's too comfortable." Before Xie Xuan could speak, Chen Tai showed a depressed expression.

"Isn't it better to be more relaxed? Fighting and killing, getting injured is a very painful thing." Jing Su understood. This guy felt that the ship girls stole their credit, but the problem was, if it weren't for the ship girls taking the lead, the Maritime Bureau would have wiped them out during the first wave of Sirens' invasion.

When the Sirens first appeared, humanity was still in the era of cannons and giant ships. Not to mention whether these warships could defeat the Sirens' warships, even if they could, the Sirens, who possessed several worlds as resource-producing areas, could be worn down by the Maritime Bureau.

The most outrageous battle recorded by the Maritime Bureau was fought after the arrival of the ship girls. The Maritime Bureau's satellites observed the entire process. It was truly a case of the number of ships exceeding the number of cannonballs on their warships. The entire ocean was densely packed with Siren warships.

According to the records from the port area, they were actually fighting Hermit (one of the monthly bosses of the Great World) at that time. Somehow, this guy came to this world. Although Jing Su had already disappeared at that time, it is not to say that Hermit could cause trouble. In fact, it can be said that because of this guy's appearance, the split of the port area was delayed to some extent.

When Jing Su was around, she could only organize four standard ship girl squads at most to subdue Hermite and her allies. Now that she's come on her own, why should we be polite to her? Each faction sent out its strongest forces, and the end result was that Hermite came with tens of thousands of warships, which were then torn apart by the angry ship girls.

Carrier bombardment, battleship shelling—the Sirens arrived too fast to be destroyed. Only at the very beginning, when they were gathering, did the ship girls deliberately let the Sirens come over so that they wouldn't run away in fear before they were all assembled.

The battle lasted for three days and three nights, and ended with Hermite being blasted back as soon as she showed her face.

Since this battle, the Sirens seem to have realized the strength of the ship girls. In short, there have been no more Sirens invading other than the Executors. They are just warships wandering around. Only during the seasonal offensives might Sirens of the Executor or higher models appear.

"Chang Guan, ignore this guy. It's his first time going to the front lines, he doesn't know anything. I've fought against the Sirens before, and honestly, that scene is something no normal person would want to experience a second time. It's terrifying. With ship girls on the front lines, it's actually quite reassuring." Xie Xuan saw through Jing Su's thoughts and quickly covered Chen Tai's mouth before he could finish speaking.

"If that's the case, then why the hatred? Where does the hatred come from?" Jing Su watched the two of them perform and was amused, but she didn't forget her original goal and tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"How should I put it? It's just that I always feel like I can't do anything on the front lines except transport supplies. This feeling of being able to rely solely on ship girls always makes me feel powerless. Moreover, ship girls are just too arrogant. Every year, many second-generation rich kids who consider themselves the chosen ones rush to the front lines one after another, just to capture ship girls. But so far, not one of them has succeeded. They have all returned empty-handed. However, after witnessing the heroic figures of ship girls, ordinary women are no longer worthy of their attention."

To some extent, the ship girls indirectly reduced the marriage rate of the second generation of descendants.

"Is that so?" Jing Su raised an eyebrow and chuckled. Just as he was about to say something more, a loud voice rang out.

"The banquet is about to begin!"

Chapter 185 The Ball

As Chen Baxian's powerful voice rang out, the banquet officially began.

At this moment, Jing Su suddenly noticed that there were many more young people in the venue, and a considerable number of them were wearing masks. Jing Su looked at Xie Xuan and Chen Tai with curiosity, and the two of them also took out a mask and put it on their faces.

"Why isn't the officer wearing a mask?" Chen Tai asked.

"Is there a rule that you have to wear a mask?" Jing Su asked rhetorically.

"Ahem, this is just a social gathering, a small event for the second generation to put on an act. If you don't like it, you don't have to wear it." Seeing Jing Su's puzzled expression, Xie Xuan awkwardly tugged at Chen Tai.

"I see." Jing Su nodded. He really didn't know about this beforehand. Or rather, since he came to this world, he had only attended two formal banquets, both hosted by his own daughter. Why would he need to wear a mask at a banquet inside the port area? One look at his figure and the other person could tell at a glance that a mere mask couldn't hide anything.

Well, after training in the Eastern Empire camp, Jing Su has developed a keen eye for detail. Just by looking at someone's physique, he can guess most of their information.

"Sir, do you not have a mask? Perfect, I have an extra one here, you can have it~" Just as Jing Su was thinking about what to do next, a gentle voice rang out. The three of them turned around and saw a woman wearing a mask with an arrogant figure standing next to them.

"Fu, cough cough, is that so? Thank you so much, you've been a great help." When Jing Su saw the other person's figure and hair color, she almost blurted out, "This figure, this temperament, who else could it be but Fu Xi?" However, even through the mask, Jing Su could still see the cunning in Fu Xi's eyes and knew that the other person did not want to reveal their identity so quickly, so she simply pretended to be meeting for the first time and accepted the mask that Fu Xi handed over.

The mask given by Bok-hee only covers the upper half of the face. It seems to have a mechanism inside, and it requires help to keep it stable when worn.

"Let me help you." Seeing Jing Su fiddling with the mask, Fu Xi quickly stepped forward and, without waiting for Jing Su's response, put it on for her. 'Hehe, I can't let you discover the little mechanism inside.'

"Uh, cough cough, alright, thanks for your hard work." As soon as they got close, the scent of jasmine wafted over Fu Xi, and Jing Su could even feel Fu Xi's burning body temperature, causing her to blush.

"Hehe, it's all set now. If you want to take it off, just press here. So, is there anything else I can help you with?" After finishing, Fuxi took a step back. Although she was wearing a mask, the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Well, that's all for now." Jing Su thought for a moment but didn't say anything. She was still thinking of talking to the two of them and asking about the situation at the front.

“In that case, I shall take my leave. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me for help; it is my duty.” With that, Fu Xi vanished from the three’s sight in a few flashes. Before they could even react, Fu Xi was gone.

"Wow, hey, Brother Xie, we actually have such a beautiful female housekeeper on our ship? I've never seen her before. Dad's not being fair, keeping such a good thing hidden away." Chen Tai, who had been looking like a lecherous man, came back to his senses, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and said to Xie Xuan in a low voice.

Judging from his demeanor, it seemed he was about to go find his father to ask about the situation as soon as the banquet ended.

"Hehe, I think it's better if you don't try anything with her." At this moment, Xie Xuan looked at Jing Su, his lips trembling slightly, and pressed Chen Tai down.

"Hey, no, Brother Xie, aren't you the one who usually takes me? You're always the most enthusiastic one, but now that we've finally met a hot one, why are you chickening out? Tsk~ I look down on you~"

Perhaps it was the start of the banquet, or perhaps Fu Xi's charm was too great, but in any case, Chen Tai changed his previous timid demeanor, put his hand on Xie Xuan's body, and put his arm around his shoulder. Jing Su stood silently to the side, just watching the two of them put on their show.

"Cough cough, what are you saying? How could an upright person like me do such a despicable thing? You're the one who's been blinded by greed. Don't drag me into this. If you keep doing this, I'll report you to your father. If he finds out how frivolous you are, he'll break your legs."

"Good brother, this is all I can do for you. If you're determined to die, there's nothing I can do to save you." Xie Xuan's heart trembled violently as he prayed incessantly and tried desperately to escape.

Jing Su didn't have much of an opinion on this, or rather, in Jing Su's view, it was perfectly normal for Chen Tai to react this way, after all, that was Fu Xi, Fu Xi in her butler's uniform.

This striking black and white tuxedo, with a white towel around her wrist and her hair neatly tied and hanging down her back, along with her alluring black stockings and perfectly placed black leather high heels, would leave anyone mesmerized.

With that aura, that figure, even with a mask on, and those jewel-like eyes that seem to gleam, it's a testament to their self-control that they didn't completely bewitch the two men.

Anyway, Jing Su was deeply shocked when she first saw Fu Xi's outfit change. Who says that less skin means less allure? Fu Xi and Qian Wei were dressed tonight in such a way that it was almost too revealing, but it didn't affect their charm at all. On the contrary, it highlighted their unparalleled temperament.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor for you to attend my dinner party. As you all know, I, Old Chen, don't have any rules. Just do whatever makes you happy."

Just as Jing Su was about to say something, Chen Baxian's voice rang out, attracting everyone's attention.

"Haha, Uncle Chen, what are you saying? It's an honor for us juniors to be able to attend Uncle Chen's banquet." As soon as Chen Baxian finished speaking, someone chimed in.

"That's right, that's right." A response came quickly.

"Hehe, I know you guys well enough. Alright, that's right, the information you investigated is true. Tonight, I'm honored to have invited several ship girls from Dawn Port as special guests for this banquet. Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome our Valkyrie!"

To some extent, Chen Baxian is indeed a decisive person who drops bombshells right from the start.

This time, as soon as he finished speaking, enthusiastic applause rang out in the hall. Judging from the sound, these second-generation elites were incredibly excited. Many of the young men clapped so hard that their hands turned red, and Jing Su was worried that they might have broken their hands.

"Ding dong ding dong~"

Pleasant music began to play; it turned out to be the symphony orchestra at the banquet hall starting to perform.

Some people were about to grumble, complaining, "Don't these bands have any sense? We're here to see the ship girls, what are they doing here?"

Then he got beaten up.

Soon, someone noticed something amiss.

"Look at the commander!"

All eyes turned to the band conductor, and in an instant, the entire venue was filled with gasps of shock, contributing to the global greenhouse effect.

Right now, in front of the band, a petite figure, holding a black baton, was intently conducting the performance.

The figure was dressed simply yet luxuriously, with an overall red and white color scheme. She wore a rose hair tie, and her smooth hair was red and white. She wore a white princess dress with bright red trim at the bottom edge, and you could vaguely see musical staves placed on the red. She wore pure white silk and small black leather shoes embroidered with roses, which gave people endless imagination.