It's time to give out the rings, Admiral!

The admiral first gave Iowa a ring, then Claxton a ring, and even gave rings to the two submarine sisters, Big Bluefin and Archerfish, but he didn't give any to himself. Even Little Fie, whom the admiral called "Little Wife," disappeared without a trace.

Until that day, the admiral suddenly disappeared from everyone's sight, and she realized that the admiral, who had promised to give her and Xiaofei a ring, had stood her up!

Her original expectations were dashed, and her small wish was completely destroyed by the news of the admiral's disappearance. She almost fainted from the shock. After waking up, she embarked on a journey to find the admiral with Mubi and Counterattack Sister.

She vowed that once she found the admiral, she would confront him about why he had left in such a hurry without giving her the ring. If he didn't give her a good explanation, or hold her up like a parasol for a year and lift her skirt for a year, she would never forgive him!

However, by now, she had come to understand to some extent that there was a reason why she had lost back then. The admiral was a complete idiot who didn't understand human nature at all. Unless she slapped her ever-swaying red heart in his face, he wouldn't understand everyone's feelings for him.

If I had been just a little bit more proactive back then, instead of pretending not to care about him because of shyness, if I had been able to say to him with the same ease and sincerity as I am now, "Admiral, I like you, I love you, and I won't play anything else but you," perhaps I would already have obtained that diamond ring that belonged to me, the one that had caused me so much heartache and longing for so long.

Of course, all of that is in the past and cannot be changed, but at least this time, the Admiral is back... If the Admiral can really come back to my side, I will never make the same mistake again! I swear on my lifelong happiness!

Volume 1, Chapter 391: The Family

"Wait... Sister Wubi, look, look over there! Isn't that our port area? Why are there so many workers in our port area?"

Holding Firefly's hand, with her mouth still agape and before she could finish speaking, Pavler suddenly pointed hastily at his own port area, where the docks were already visible in the distance, while holding up his parasol.

Wubi's arm was firmly gripped by the firefly. He seemed to subconsciously tighten his grip after hearing Baffler's voice. Finding that his persuasion was of no use, Wubi had no choice but to look at the many workers who could still be seen working on the dock in the distance.

The blinding sunlight reflected off the sea, making people dizzy. However, her attention was clearly drawn to Bavler's scream, and she didn't have time to care about that. Like Counterattack beside her, she looked at her own port, which had been severely damaged a month ago but was now being repaired and taking on a new shape. A hint of surprise suddenly appeared on her perfect and delicate face.

I still remember very clearly when I returned to the port last time. Everything in the port was still in the state of damage after the admiral went missing. But now the restoration work has already begun. What does this mean?

Their own port had remained unrepaired from the time it was attacked a year ago until a month ago. The reason for this was not because their own port lacked the funds to repair the damage caused by the deep-sea attack, but simply because there was no need to leave the damage standing. In everyone's opinion, it was better to focus all their energy on finding the missing admiral than to waste energy on facilities that would be useless even if repaired while the admiral was missing.

This decision was made personally by Sister Lexington, and everyone at the naval base has been doing so for over a year. After all, even if the naval base is as prosperous and beautiful as it used to be, what use is it without the Admiral, who is the most important person to everyone and absolutely indispensable?

However, the port area has suddenly started renovations, and with the ship girl's eyesight, she can still vaguely see that the dormitory building not far away is also undergoing expansion. What does this mean?

Everything seemed to be heading in one direction. Wubi turned her head and glanced at the person beside her who was also looking at her with the same knowing gaze. She saw the same confusion and disbelief in the other person's pupils. Wubi suddenly covered her mouth and held her breath.

More than a year is a long time. More than a year is enough to change too many things, and enough to wear down a ship girl's lifelong strength and courage.

After countless disappointments and the relentless blows of hope, Wubi was utterly exhausted and no longer had the courage to believe in her small hopes and speculations. Although the conclusion was unfolding as she had always hoped and prayed, looking at the short distance of less than a kilometer ahead, Wubi suddenly felt as if she had lost the courage to take the first step.

She worried that her expectations were nothing more than a fantasy in a desperate situation, and that her hopes would vanish like water drawn from a bamboo basket in the face of cruel reality. But what she was most worried about was that if she really held onto hope, and reality dealt her a heavy blow, could she, who was already on the verge of her limit, really withstand such a blow and continue to lead everyone on this journey that she didn't know how it would end or when it would ever end?

Wubi's eyes were a little red, just like the one who had first discovered this and retaliated. She held her breath, enduring her heart pounding like a drum. But, like a moth drawn to a ray of light in the dark, even though she knew she couldn't believe it, Wubi couldn't help but hope.

The increased blood flow made Wubi's face flush slightly. She turned her face away, trying her best not to let her sisters see her expression, which seemed to indicate that she was desperately enduring some great pain. But even though she tried her best not to reveal anything was wrong, fearing that her sisters would fall into the same situation as her, where they had hoped only to be disappointed, her tension and unease still traveled through her trembling fingers to Firefly's palm.

"Sister Wubi, what's wrong? Your fingers are trembling so badly. Are you tired?"

Not understanding why her two older sisters had suddenly stopped talking, Firefly looked up at Wubi beside her with her left hand, which was still wearing a dazzling diamond ring on its ring finger.

However, because Wubi had turned her head away, she couldn't see her expression. But before the girl's little head could understand what had happened, Baffler, who had just spoken to Wubi, suddenly threw down her parasol, put on her brown boots, and ran straight towards the naval base.

"Admiral!!"

A shout filled with emotion came from ahead. Firefly's eyes widened, and she silently looked up at Wubi beside her again. She saw Wubi, who was enduring something, smiling bitterly at her face, touching her hair, and then saying to the others who were still standing there, "Let's go take a look too."

Although they didn't know exactly what had happened, Firefly, who understood something, followed Wuji, Counterattack, and Exeter towards the port area. Sirius and Dido, who were still clueless, also jogged along with them.

Sunlight shone on the girls who were running desperately. They crossed the bridge connecting the naval academy and their own port area. On the outskirts of the port area, they saw many construction workers who had just finished get off work and were about to have lunch. They rushed into their own port area, which was still empty and spacious, but the atmosphere had been quietly changed.

Pavler stood in front of Wubi, stopping with Wubi and Counterattack in the square outside the dormitory building. They looked at Sister Yixian, who was sitting in the center of the square peeling walnuts with Miss Chongqing, and on the other side, a beautiful woman with long silver hair dressed in a gorgeous maid outfit. Seeing that they seemed to have noticed their arrival, Sister Yixian stood up, smiled, and waved in their direction. Her eyes were already red to the core, and Wubi felt something slide down her face...

Volume 1, Chapter 392: It's Great

In that brief moment, just looking at the figure smiling and waving at me from not far away, it was as if something had finally collapsed, the dam in my heart that could not bear the weight had finally broken, and I could only feel something flowing from the corner of my eye, and my vision instantly became blurred.

It was as if everything around her had ceased to exist. The sound of the crashing waves, the roar of construction machinery on the dock not far away, and even the soft, suppressed sobs of herself and her sisters beside her could no longer reach Wubi's ears. With her eyes blurry and her brows trembling from the outpouring of emotions, Wubi couldn't help but return a beautiful and serene smile to Sister Yixian.

"Admiral! Waaah...Admiral!!"

Time seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye, yet it also seemed to have passed for a long time. After running desperately from the Naval Academy to the port, even throwing away his parasol and losing weight in one of his boots, Pavler, having understood everything, wiped his face and the tears that kept falling from his chin to his collar as he ran towards the dormitory building where the admiral lived.

The girl's voice sounded shrill, yet it also revealed a hint of relief. Hearing the girl's excited voice, she was both in tears and at peace, because she knew she no longer needed to worry about her sister Pavler's condition.

She squeezed Firefly's trembling hand, but unlike Baffler, she didn't rush to the admiral's quarters with everyone. Instead, she led Firefly, Counterattack, Exeter, and the two Dido sisters toward the place where Sister Yixian and Miss Chongqing were peeling walnuts. Soon, Sister Yixian's gentle and tranquil voice reached her ears, which were aching in her throat.

"Welcome home, my dear."

"Sister Yixian..." Wubi felt her voice was a little hoarse, perhaps because her throat was still a bit sore from choking up earlier. Facing Yixian's gentle smile, she asked her the question she most wanted answered: "Admiral... has he returned yet?..."

Sitting with Chongqing, preparing ingredients for the walnut cake they would make that evening, Yixian simply smiled gently. It was as if she saw herself in Wubi again, having cried her eyes out several days ago when she suddenly saw the person she had been longing for in the admiral's office. Yixian nodded slightly.

"Yes, the admiral is back. We found him just a few days ago."

"Then...where is the admiral? Where is he now?"

She covered her mouth tightly. Even though she could already guess the answer, when the answer she most wanted to hear came out of Sister Yixian's mouth, she still felt that her heart, which was beating so hard, almost couldn't take it.

"Sigh... If only you could have come back a day earlier. I'm sorry, little sister, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you again. The admiral went to Tianshui yesterday with his favorite wedding ship to pick up little sister Xiaorou. If you want to see him, it will be at least a month later."

Yi Xian sighed. She hadn't expected her sisters to return so coincidentally. The Admiral had just left the port with Lexington and Glorious, and less than 24 hours later, Wubi returned with Firefly and the others. If they had telegraphed their return a day earlier, perhaps the Admiral would have stayed a day or two longer, and maybe even given them a big surprise.

"Ugh?"

Wubi was clearly a little confused as well. Of course, she knew who the wedding ship that Sister Yixian was talking about was. She wasn't surprised that Sister Lexington had brought the admiral back to the naval base. After all, in the port area, Sister Lexington was the sister who knew the admiral best.

But she desperately resisted the urge to see the Admiral immediately, like Pavler's sister, and then rush into his arms and cry her heart out. All she wanted was to finish talking to Sister Yixian so she could go find her. But what did Sister Yixian tell her? The Admiral wasn't in the port? The Admiral she couldn't see for at least another month?

The initial excitement and exhilaration were quickly dispelled by the news, but she wasn't too disappointed. After all, as long as the admiral could return to the port and she knew he was safe, she could endure not seeing him for another six months. However, there was one thing: when she thought about how she hesitated on the train back to Tsugawa yesterday about whether to send a telegram to Sister Yixian to tell her that she was going back to the port, she couldn't help but blame herself for giving up on that idea.

"Sister Yixian, the Admiral... has the Admiral really returned? He's not lying to me, is he?"

Firefly tightened her grip on Wubi's hand, finally understanding why Bavler had run so desperately and why Wubi had remained silent, suppressing her red eyes and pouting her sore nose. The girl managed to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes, and in the end, she didn't let them fall.

The admiral said that Firefly is a brave and strong child, so Firefly must not cry and must not disappoint the admiral! When she sees the admiral again, she can let him pat her head like before, and let her sit on his lap to listen to his stories. Then she can hug his waist and tell him how much she misses him and how much she wants to see him.

"Yes, of course I'm not lying to you, Firefly Sister."

The girl bit her lip and looked up at Yi Xian's gentle face. Only when Yi Xian lowered her head and smiled softly at her did a slight smile appear on the girl's droopy face.

Yi Xian then looked at Counterattack and Exeter behind Wubi. Seeing them both exhausted, wiping away tears with expressions of relief as if their nightmare had finally ended, she pursed her lips empathetically and smiled. She stood up and greeted them, "Miss Counterattack and Exeter, you've worked hard too. It's good that you're back. The Admiral is back, so you don't need to worry anymore."

"Yes, thank you, Sister Yixian."

"Waaah... We're alright, Sister Yixian. As long as the Admiral comes back, that's all that matters."

"Hehe, cry it out. You won't feel so bad after you've cried. Wubi, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Perfect timing, Ninghai and the others are almost done making lunch. There's still a lot of ingredients left from the hot pot that Sister Yixian made yesterday. After lunch, take a good rest. You must all be exhausted after searching for so long..."

Listening to Chongqing's words, Yixian smiled and nodded. Everyone had gathered again at the naval base where the admiral was present, and they had returned to their home once more. It was such a nice scene... Yes, it was so nice.

Volume 1, Chapter 393: The Maid Corps

The girls nodded, wiping away their tears. Who could have imagined that the decision to return to the naval base for supplies, which was initially met with disapproval, would ultimately become the end of this nightmare?

Breathing in the air of the garrison, which once again smelled of home, the dazzling sunlight shone on their smiling faces. After more than a year, expressions of peace and relaxation finally returned to their faces.

Baffler returned, or rather, returned disappointed because he couldn't find the admiral in his room. However, although disappointed, he was not dejected.

After all, compared to continuing to search for the Admiral in a state of confusion and fear, and sometimes even scaring themselves by worrying that they would never see him again, searching the world for the Admiral who was nowhere to be found, not seeing him for more than a month felt like a year's worth of prayers finally being answered by heaven, making them ecstatic.

The restaurant in Chongqing told Ning Hai and Ping Hai to arrange lunch for them. Then, Atlanta, Juno, and Changchun arrived from the training ground after hearing the news.

"Firefly, where did you and Sister Wubi go looking for the Admiral before? Sister Washington has sent out many telegrams to tell everyone that the Admiral is back since he came back, but not a single one has responded."

"Hmm... that's probably because it's too far away. Neither Sister Wubi nor I received a telegram. We were in Yanxia before, and only recently did we get to the vicinity of Nanyan. It took us two days and two nights just to get there by train."

"Oh! That's really far! Little Juno, me, and Sister Lexington went there before to look for the Admiral! I heard there are lots of delicious snacks there, but I was so focused on finding the Admiral that I didn't get to try any. If I have the chance to go again, I definitely have to try them!"

The pain of losing the admiral had finally faded, and the girls had just sat together when they began to chat excitedly. Atlanta pulled Firefly to sit on the edge of the garden and started talking, while Changchun held Zhaohe's hand and listened to them talk while observing the two silver-haired girls behind Sister Wubi whom she had never seen before.

Pavler went back to retrieve the parasol she had just dropped in her excitement. With just her fingers, she gently crushed the walnut shell, which would normally require tools or even a nutcracker to crack open. Listening to the little ones chattering noisily in her ears, Yixian smiled, touched her cheek, and then smiled at Wubi, who still seemed to be unable to recover from her joy.

"Wu Bi, who are these two younger sisters? Are they also new arrivals? Shouldn't you introduce them?"

When Yi Xian's gentle voice reached her ears, her eyes, like the girls beside her, were still red-rimmed. She suddenly covered her slightly open mouth in surprise. Yes, she had been so overjoyed to learn that the Admiral had returned that she had forgotten about the two new girls who had just arrived behind her. If Yi Xian hadn't reminded her in time, she probably would have forgotten about their existence!

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sister Yixian! These two are Miss Dido and Miss Sirius. They are the little sisters we just rescued a few days ago when we were fighting in the waters north of Yanxia! They are both five-star light cruisers, and like Repulse, they are maids."

With a smile on her face, Yi Xian raised her eyebrows imperceptibly. Although she had expected it, the sudden appearance of two five-star legendary ship girls still surprised her. It seemed like the five-star legendary ship girls in her port had become like cabbages, appearing in huge clumps all at once.

As for the arrival of two more ship girls with the same name, having already seen precedents like Illustrious, Unicorn, and even Belfast, Yi Xian was no longer surprised. However, before everyone returned, she prayed that there wouldn't be a second Yi Xian, or at least not until she received her own ring from the admiral. Her clear orange-red eyes swept over certain parts of Dido and Sirius, and she couldn't help but furrow her brows deeply.

What's going on with our port lately? In the past, even including the newly formed sisters, everyone in the port was fairly evenly matched. Even the larger ones were just the ones including Lexington. But what's going on now? Let's not even talk about Illustrious and Belfast. Unicorn and Marani are not to be underestimated. And now there are two newcomers who are just as good as Lexington. Can't the average ship girls have a break from this world?

Besides, isn't having silver-haired maid attributes a bit like cheating?

"Welcome, Miss Sirius and Miss Dido. I apologize for not greeting our new sisters right away. My name is Yixian, and I am a C-class ship girl. Since the admiral is not here, I will be handling some matters in the naval base on his behalf. If you encounter any problems living in the port, please feel free to ask me for help. Don't be shy."

"Yes, hello, Ms. Yixian, thank you very much."

"Hmm, Miss Yixian... Ugh... Master isn't in the port area again. Did Dido's timing is really bad."

Sirius, dressed in a maid outfit, and Dido bowed to Yixian together. Before coming to the port, Wubi had given them a brief introduction to their own port. They knew that Lexington was the most valued and beloved secretary ship and marriage ship of their master, and they also knew that their master had many other marriage ships besides Lexington, including Firefly, who was with them.

Knowing that the classically beautiful woman in front of them, dressed in a cheongsam and with such long and beautiful legs, was also very much loved by their yet-to-be-married master, it did not hinder their respect for their senior. Moreover, since she was a very important person to their master, she was someone who deserved their respect.

Yi Xian nodded gently, a breeze ruffling her soft temples. In the midday sun, her gentle and reserved demeanor drew sidelong glances from Sirius and Dido.

She pursed her rosy lips, trying to distract herself from the enviable... cough... of the new maids, and looked at Belfast, who was also smiling beside her. She had intended to properly introduce her new head maid to Incomparable and Sirius, but...

"Belfast, so you've already arrived. I'm sorry Sirius is late."

"Good day, Belfast sister, Dido is here to report for duty."

"Hehe, welcome Sirius and Dido. Although we arrived a few days earlier than you, it's only a few days earlier."

Oh, so you two know each other? Well, that makes sense, since you're both E-class ships and both maids, it would be strange if you didn't know each other.

Yi Xian smiled gently.

Volume 1, Chapter 394: Horrible

Looking at the three stunningly beautiful maids with gorgeous silver hair in front of her, Yi Xian nodded, her pretty face without a single flaw, and blinked her gentle eyes that held a captivating charm.

Through the gaps between buildings, the sea breeze wafted through the lush banyan trees in the roadside flowerbeds, carrying a refreshing floral fragrance. The little girls nearby continued their chattering, seemingly talking about something unintelligible.

Yi Xian brushed her soft hair back and said to Belfast, who had finished shelling walnuts and was packing up, "Since you know each other, that's convenient. I was thinking of going to the trouble of showing Miss Sirius and Miss Dido around the naval base before lunch to familiarize them with the place, but since you know them, Belfast, I'll leave it to you."

Yi Xian curled her lips into a smile. She glanced at Atlanta, who was holding Firefly's hand and talking excitedly. For some reason, she suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.

Yes, the naval base is back on track, and everyone can get together happily again, sitting together calmly and chatting about the admiral, even though he is still not in the port. Everyone's face is full of smiles, without a trace of the previous unease and confusion. How long has it been since such a scene happened?

I don't know, but it's been at least since the admiral went missing until now. But it doesn't matter. The most important thing is that the admiral has returned to the port. In time, when everyone who is still out there returns to the port, this huge port will surely become as prosperous and desirable as it used to be.

"Firefly, let me tell you, when we found the admiral, he had amnesia and didn't remember us at all!"

"Huh?! The Admiral has amnesia? What...what happened? Atlanta, please explain! Is the Admiral alright?"

"Atlanta, don't scare Firefly. Firefly, don't listen to Atlanta's nonsense, the admiral is perfectly fine."

"No, I'm not making this up, Juno! The Admiral really didn't recognize us before! Hehe, don't worry too much, Firefly. Sister Lexington took the Admiral to see a doctor, and the doctor said that the Admiral's amnesia might be caused by external stimulation or injury."

"However, the admiral doesn't have a single external injury on his body, so he must have lost his memory for some other reason. The doctor also said that as long as the admiral rests well and doesn't suffer any more shocks, he will still have a chance to recover his memory!"

"And, putting all that aside, Firefly, you don't know, the Admiral has changed a lot since he came back this time. Well, how should I put it, the Admiral is better than before, and cares about everyone more. Before, the Admiral would only think of us light cruisers and destroyers who weren't capital ships when he had something to do. Now, when he's not busy, he comes to our dorm to chat and have a heart-to-heart talk with us. He even gave Little Juno and me a gift before, a necklace, you know, it's so beautiful!"

"Huh?...Huh?!"

"Let me tell you a secret, Firefly! The day before yesterday, Lexington and Saratoga finally made it to base! The Admiral finally acted like a man! Oh, and yesterday, and yesterday too! The Admiral actually slept in Fei's dorm last night, and when he woke up this morning, he even took the Oath Ring from Lexington and gave it to Fei. It seems even Fei made it to base!"

"What are you feeding the fireflies, Atlanta? If the admiral finds out when he gets back, he'll definitely give you a piece of his mind."

"Wait, Atlanta, what happened to Xiaofei? Tell me in detail."

"Oh, it's alright, Juno. Everyone at the naval base already knows. Hehe, does Baffler want to know too? No problem, Fei was asking the other night..."