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

"How could that be? I'm not a lolicon! I just see Fei'er as a little sister, just like Xiao Rou! I absolutely have no ulterior motives! Please don't misunderstand, Madam!"

"Darling, look at the wedding rings on Claxton's and Snow White's hands before you come back and say that to me." Looking at her husband's righteous and stern expression, Lexington frowned slightly, a mixture of affection and helplessness in her gentle brow. Hearing that much clearer soft sound and slightly hurried footsteps coming from outside the living room door, she was certain she hadn't misheard. She lowered her head and gave a soft, bitter smile where her husband couldn't see her.

It seems I really did do something wrong with good intentions this time...

Volume 1, Chapter 279: Low-pitched

Although the young man, who used to sleep until late morning and wait for his wives to wake him, had gotten up early enough today, after breakfast and a chat with Lexington, who seemed to have something on her mind, the remaining time was still a bit tight when the young man was all ready to go to the academy for a lecture.

Accompanied by the quirky Jiajia, he patted her soft and bouncy little bottom, making his sister-in-law, who was sitting on his lap watching TV with a reluctant expression and was clamoring to go to the lecture with him but had been lectured by his wife, get off his lap. The boy walked out of the living room under Lexington's gentle, sea-like gaze and his reminder to be careful.

The morning was somewhat overcast, with a light breeze blowing. Su Yuchen gently adjusted the tie his wife had tied for him before he left, and walked quietly down the flower-scented corridor. He paused briefly in front of his other wife's door. He glanced at his watch, confirming that he wouldn't be late if they only exchanged a few words, smiled slightly, and slowly walked forward, pushing open the door to Guanghui's dormitory.

The air in the living room still carried the familiar fragrance, mixed with the delicate scent of lilies. As soon as the boy stepped into the entryway, he saw Unicorn Sister sitting on the living room sofa, reading a book on aviation warfare.

"Brother? Good morning, brother!"

Unicorn, wearing the pure white gauze dress that came with her ship's equipment, heard the sound of the boy closing the door. The cute little girl immediately looked in the direction of the boy with her beautiful light purple eyes. When she found that it was her dear brother, she immediately put down the notes that her sister, Illustrious, had made, and then walked happily to the boy's side in her slippers.

"Good morning, Unicorn. Have you had breakfast yet?"

Watching the petite unicorn carry Yu-chan from the shoe rack to get the cotton slippers that Glorious had prepared for him, and change into the comfortable slippers, the boy reached out and stroked the unicorn's light purple hair.

"Mmm! We've finished eating. Guanghui made a lot of delicious food! When she was making breakfast, Guanghui was wondering if you would come and eat with us, but when she went to your bedroom to look for you, you were still fast asleep."

"Sorry, sorry, I accidentally slept in so late. It seems I must be the last person to get up in the naval base every day. Oh right, where is your Radiant sister?"

The boy scratched his head a little embarrassedly. Every time something like this happened, he felt like an unforgivable scumbag, especially when it came from the mouth of the cute unicorn sister.

But there's nothing I can do about it. Both Lexington and Glorious always let me sleep, whether it's in the dorms at the academy or now in the naval base. Besides, Lexington prepares breakfast for me, and Glorious prepares breakfast for me too. I can't possibly grow another stomach to hold the breakfasts prepared by my two wives, can I?

"Sister Guanghui is washing up in the washroom, but is Brother alright? Aren't the lectures at the academy about to start?"

"Ah, don't worry, I just have a few words I want to say to Radiant. Well then, Unicorn, I'll go find Radiant first, and I'll play with you again after my lecture, okay? I have to go to the Governor's Mansion this afternoon, Unicorn, do you want to come with me?"

"Huh? Is that alright? Brother must have something to do at the Governor's Mansion... The unicorn doesn't understand anything and can't help brother at all..."

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm just going to the Governor's Mansion for a look. It's nothing important. Besides, I heard there's an exchange meeting at the Governor's Mansion this afternoon. It'll be quite lively. Unicorn, don't you want to go and see it?"

"Yes! I want to go!"

"Then it's settled! Let's go play together this afternoon!"

"Really? Thank you, brother! ...Hehe...It's so itchy, brother..."

The boy smiled and gently rubbed the girl's smooth and lovely forehead, causing the little girl to blush and reveal a sweet and charming smile. He quietly walked into the room and then tiptoed towards the gentle and beautiful silver figure in the washroom.

Her gorgeous silver hair cascaded freely down her soft back, and she wore only a white slip dress. Gentle and elegant, Radiant Glow was washing her face in front of the bright mirror in the bathroom when she heard a familiar footstep. She immediately looked at the Admiral who had suddenly appeared in front of her with a surprised expression. A happy smile slowly spread across Radiant Glow's gentle and radiant face.

"Admiral! What brings you here so late? Aren't you supposed to be attending a lecture at the academy?"

That gentle smile always touched the boy's heart perfectly. Listening to her voice, which was filled with surprise and affection, the boy slowly walked forward and wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. Then, just like before, he buried his face in the same soft, fragrant, but slightly larger, towering snow-capped peaks that were just as large as Mrs. Lek's.

"Admiral?! What's wrong? Why are you suddenly acting so coquettish? Has something bothered you?"

Glorious gently cradled her head, stroking the back of her scalp in a comforting manner. But seeing Glorious's surprised reaction, somewhat similar to Lexington's, the boy felt even more acutely aware of his previous slowness and foolishness. Between the soft, sacred peaks of Mount Meru, he looked up and smiled, then, seeing Glorious's worried face, he gently shook his head.

"It's nothing, Lasty. I just wanted to hug you, so I naturally did."

Since he has always longed for the gentleness and care of the wives, and the gentle radiance and the wives are very willing to take care of him in this way, why should he deliberately suppress his thoughts for the sake of the so-called image of an admiral?

"Sir Admiral..."

Glorious was somewhat surprised. She clearly hadn't expected that the usually taciturn and shy Admiral would say such a thing. She gently stroked the boy's head with her fingertips, letting her beloved Admiral fully feel her softness. Suddenly, she felt her left hand being taken by the person in front of her.

A faint mark was on his soft, slender ring finger—the trace of the ring he had given to Radiance. Looking at the Oath Ring, still sparkling in its exquisite jewelry box on the washstand beside him, engraved with Radiance's name, the boy pursed his lips and then suddenly turned his gaze seriously to Radiance in front of him.

"Lastie, you don't need to put the ring away anymore when you go out, just wear it like this."

"Hmm? But...but, Sister Lexington and Admiral, didn't you say that this would affect the other sisters..."

"It's alright." The young man interrupted Guanghui's slightly surprised words with a light laugh. Since he had already decided to be a good husband before becoming an excellent admiral, he should be mentally prepared to take on the corresponding responsibilities.

"So what if they saw it? I've done everything I should and shouldn't have. Lasty, you're my wife now, so why hide it? It's not like it's anything shameful. I was even thinking of having a wedding for you two after things settled down, otherwise, if I just took you both like this, I probably wouldn't be able to forgive myself..."

"Haha, sorry, Lasty, you must be surprised that I suddenly told you all this, right? I just suddenly had some thoughts. I not only want to be a good admiral, but also a good husband, hmm."

Her fair fingertips trembled slightly as she looked blankly at the Admiral in front of her, who had long occupied the softest part of her heart.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't surprised and happy. No one doesn't hope that their loved one values ​​them, and no one doesn't yearn for a wedding that represents happiness and fulfillment with their loved one, especially someone like her who especially longs to wear a pure and beautiful wedding dress and walk down the aisle with the Admiral.

However, she was somewhat curious as to why her simple-minded husband and the admiral would suddenly have such thoughts and realizations.

Of course, curiosity aside, as a wife with a beloved husband, feeling an overwhelming sense of sweetness and happiness, she gently tiptoed and slowly kissed her husband's lips.

"Yes, I understand, Admiral..."

………………

Having said what he wanted to say, the young man left the glorious dormitory with a sense of satisfaction. He hurried towards the academy, where he might be late. However, at the exit of the naval base, he suddenly saw Phelps, who seemed to be in a somewhat depressed mood, standing quietly by the bridge.

Volume 1, Chapter 280: The Governor's Office

The Governor's Office is located about 20 kilometers south of Tsugawa City. As it is currently the highest authority of the Naval Federation, the Governor's Office covers an unusually large area, including a huge port and various supporting facilities. Starting from the Naval Academy, by car driven by Wisconsin, it took more than 30 minutes just to drive from the outer perimeter cordon to the main gate where regular troops were checking people.

After the morning lecture, he had lunch with the ship girls in the restaurant, then went back to his dormitory for a nap. The boy then took the unicorn sister, with whom he had promised to go out, and drove the Wisconsin to the command "headquarters" of countless naval bases.

Wisconsin doesn't have a driver's license, but as a mature battleship girl, she already knew the basic skill of driving from the very beginning of her construction. The boy also had a lot of confidence in her driving skills. Besides, in this era where only the wealthy and powerful could afford to drive cars, even if they encountered traffic police on the road, how many of them would actually stop them for questioning?

Along the coastal highway to the Governor's Palace, the boy was stopped at several checkpoints and outposts, but he was allowed to pass smoothly after showing his admiral's credentials.

The boy presented his identity certificate as a trainee admiral, although Lexington had already given him his old documents. Instinctively, before he could become a mature admiral, he did not want to get involved in things that might be a bit distant for him at the moment.

The black sedan followed several military transport trucks into the heavily guarded governor's mansion. It parked in the huge parking lot to the left of the main gate. In the distance, the towering airport tower could be seen behind the wall. Wisconsin got out of the car. He had specially changed into a beautiful black turtleneck dress for today's trip and was carrying a handbag. He didn't look like he was there to buy supplies. Instead, he looked like he was there to meet someone. The young man, who was visiting the governor's mansion for the first time, was shocked by the scene in front of him.

Apart from the anti-aircraft guns and coastal defense guns that could only be seen on screen in the past, countless warships of all sizes were moored in the port, which was the core facility of the Governor's Mansion, not far away. These included torpedo boats and destroyers, cruisers and supply ships, and even aircraft carriers that were the main force of the fleet and the hegemon of the sea in the past, as well as battleships equipped with giant cannons.

They rested quietly on their respective docks, their majestic cannons pointing straight and uniformly to the sky—although their era had passed after the birth of the deep sea and ship girls, the sight of these steel behemoths, as war machines, appearing one after another still brought a breathtaking sense of wonder and beauty.

"There are still so many warships here."

The boy was quite surprised as he held the unicorn's hand. Before arriving at the Governor's Mansion, he had wondered what it would be like. He thought it would be either an enlarged version of his own naval base or as solemn and serious as the Naval Academy. But from the outside, he never expected that it was built entirely as a top-class military port.

"Yes, all the warships that were not sunk in the conflicts of the old generation are now moored at the Naval Headquarters in Tsugawa. However, these old guys are no longer of any use and are just taking up space here, so the Governor's Office has been trying to figure out how to get rid of them."

"When you weren't here, Admiral, our naval base was also approached by salespeople who said we could buy a warship for transportation... Admiral, you seem to really enjoy making ship models? If you're interested, you could buy one and maybe even talk to them about not having to dismantle the weapons. What do you think? Interested?"

"Huh? They're selling warships directly? No way, those things must be really expensive, and even if I bought them, they wouldn't be of much use..."

"That's true. It's not very useful in normal times, and it can't be used for deep-sea operations. It takes up space in the port. At most, it can be used as a large yacht. Besides, we already have one in the port area, so there's no point in buying another one."

Wisconsin nodded, and although she answered her admiral's question carefully, anyone with eyes could see the slight displeasure and anxiety in the beautiful ship girl's brows.

Wearing sparkly open-toed high-heeled sandals that revealed her round and fair toes, Wisconsin glanced at the boy who was staring blankly at the distant fleet of warships, then at her unicorn sister who was holding his hand beside her. The slight displeasure and anxiety seemed to become more obvious.

Yes, who would have expected that their foolish admiral would bring a little third wheel along?

She had thought that she would be the only one accompanying the admiral this time, so she specially changed into this expensive dress and made a reservation at a famous French restaurant in Tsugawa City, so that she could enjoy a romantic candlelight dinner with the admiral under the guise of dinner after work.

As a result, the plan fell through because she saw the little bundle of joy next to the admiral when she came to pick him up at noon. Can you imagine how upset she was? Although they could still go to restaurants, have you ever seen a couple going out for a candlelight dinner with such a cute little sister?

Wisconsin sighed. She could certainly afford the price of dinner, but what was heartbreaking was that she had wasted this precious opportunity to have a date alone with the admiral. Although she felt extremely helpless, what was painful was that she couldn't vent her frustration at all.

The foolish admiral couldn't and wouldn't say it, and the unicorn sister didn't mean to ruin her plans, so she could only sigh sullenly and had no choice but to abandon her original plan.

Disappointed, she touched her chin and handed the boy, who had come to his senses, a card that looked like a bank card. Then she spoke to him.

"Here you go, Admiral. This is your merit card. All transactions within the Governor's Mansion are settled using merit points. If you walk further in from here, you'll reach the Governor's Mansion's residential area. The trading area is right next to the residential area; I reckon quite a few admirals are already gathered there."

"Oh, right, Akashi's shop is there too. If there's anything you want, Admiral, feel free to take a look. But don't be fooled by that Akashi girl; she's a notorious shrew in the Governor's mansion. Hmm... Well then, I'll head to the Armaments Department now. Admiral, you and Unicorn Sister can go shopping for a bit. Come back to the parking lot when you're done, and I'll be waiting for you here."

"Huh? Don't you need me to come with you, Wisconsin?"

“I’d like to, but no need. Haggling with those money-grubbing guys in the Armaments Department is so boring. Instructor Ella and the Governor aren’t at the Governor’s Mansion either, so it wouldn’t be interesting even if they came with me. Ah… I almost forgot, Lexington just said that he absolutely shouldn’t let the Admiral hang out with Instructor Ella anymore… Anyway, you go and have some fun with Unicorn Girl first, don’t worry about me.”

Volume 1, Chapter 281: The Market

Walking a few minutes into the parking lot from the main entrance, you reach the residential area of ​​the Governor's Mansion, which Wisconsin had told him about. He had assumed it would feel like a military base in the outer districts, but upon entering this place, which, while not quite as grand as his own garrison, was still quite impressive, the young man knew he had been wrong once again when he saw the rows of beautiful and upscale apartment buildings.

The spacious plaza resembled an upscale residential area, complete with greenery, parks, various shops, and recreational facilities for the shipgirl girls to play and relax. Watching several shipgirl ladies chatting and laughing as they walked arm-in-arm with shopping baskets into a brand-new supermarket, holding Unicorn's hand, the boy smiled.

The Governor's Mansion's living quarters were built for ship girls who do not yet have an admiral or who once had one but lost it due to various factors and settled here. All their expenses are paid by the Governor's Mansion, and their only request is that the Governor's Mansion lend a helping hand in case of any emergency or difficult situation.

The ship girls are kind and willing to repay kindness. Although the purpose of this place was originally to provide a long-term residence for these ship girls who had no admiral to rely on, and to prevent them from being deceived by some people with ulterior motives, they have unknowingly become the biggest support for the Governor's Mansion by helping it resolve crises countless times.

However, none of this is currently relevant to Su Yuchen. His purpose in coming today is neither to marvel at how luxurious the Governor's Mansion is, nor to think like other admirals wandering around the living area about how to strike up a conversation with a ship girl he likes. After briefly surveying the terrain with Unicorn on the outskirts, he followed the signs along the road and continued walking into the Governor's Mansion.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day, but also the most active time in the entire trading market. The boy had just arrived at the Governor's Mansion, this famous "trading fair," with his unicorn, when he was taken aback by the bustling scene of the huge crowd in front of him.

Everywhere you look, there are carpets, and admirals or vendors selling ship girl-related items are calling out their wares. Countless customers are shuttling between shops, haggling loudly with the stall owners. Interspersed among them are countless beautiful ship girl ladies.

"Don't miss out! My resources guarantee a successful shipment! All you friends who want to smuggle your goods into Europe, come and take a look!"

"Equipment for sale! Equipment for sale! Heirloom white gear, large quantity available urgently! Fair price! Honest and fair! All customers who need equipment, come and take a look!"

"Large quantities of destroyer combat manuals for sale! Personally written by the destroyer Ayanami from the neighboring Minato Naval Base! Also, one destroyer upgrade core for sale! Fair price, only the resources needed for ten large-scale construction projects!"

Listening to the countless shouts under the sun, still full of energy, the boy felt his head spin for a moment. The residential area next door was so leisurely and peaceful, but separated by only a few walls, this trading area was exactly like the vegetable markets he used to go to with his mother in his memory.

It's no wonder, after all, it's a trade fair organized by the Governor's Office, so it's not surprising that there are so many people. There are no restrictions at the trade fair. As long as you pay the management fee and garbage fee at the management office, and the things you sell do not violate the regulations or block the road, even if you are still a trainee admiral who has not yet obtained the official admiral qualification, you can find a place here to set up a stall and start doing business.

However, if you really want to compare it, the Governor's Mansion Trade Fair is more like the comic conventions that the boy used to occasionally visit in the past than a vegetable market. Vegetable markets are full of old men and women haggling over prices, while the Governor's Mansion Trade Fair is full of ship girl girls with long legs in black and white stockings, making it dazzling to look at.

The boy and the equally surprised and somewhat reserved unicorn slowly strolled through the crowd. After getting used to the atmosphere, it was actually quite interesting.

After looking around at various stalls selling resources or unused equipment, the boy also saw many stalls selling snacks or other merchandise related to ship girls. However, what surprised him the most was that he occasionally saw one or two stalls selling ship girl modification cores.

Modification cores are not like readily available resources and equipment. For admirals, they are extremely expensive and rare items. They not only provide ship girls with an opportunity to modify their ship equipment, but also greatly enhance their various abilities after modification, and even add some indescribable mystical effects.

There is no other way to obtain the modification core except by defeating a specific deep-sea fleet in a specific sea area. Their flagship's ship equipment will have a chance to carry this item, which can be processed into a modification core.

Remember the difficult version of the Battle of Cape Matapan that terrified many newbies? Just think about the carriers and battleships that were everywhere in that battle, and you'll understand why retrofit cores are so incredibly expensive.

After buying a sweet ice cream for his adorable unicorn sister, the boy walked a little further in and saw a large, beautifully decorated store with a sign that read "Akashi Convenience Store".

But what caught the boy's attention more than the rows of neatly arranged tactical manuals, quick repair tools, and quick construction equipment on the store shelves seen through the shop window was the sight of countless uniformed admirals gathered in the store window, seemingly scrambling to buy something.

"Boss lady! I'll give you five purple chests! Merit points will be awarded!"

"Me too! I want 20 blue boxes, ma'am!"

"These are all the merit points I've accumulated this year! Boss lady, give me a gold chest! I, Ren Fei, am going to open a gold equipment chest today to show these guys who mock me as a chieftain!"

"Alright, everyone, don't rush, don't fight over them. Everyone will get one, meow. Akashi has prepared a lot of tech boxes, and everyone will be able to buy them, meow."

Looking at the loli ship girl with light green long hair and cat ears in the crowd, whose sleeves were so long they covered her hands, and the countless admirals outside the shop carrying empty boxes or opening equipment that was much cheaper than the boxes, the boy seemed to understand something in an instant.

Volume 1, Chapter 282: Slipped Away

"Hooray! I got it! I got it! The tenth blue chest! I finally got a piece of equipment! Hahaha!"

"Oh no! I failed again! Königsberg is still waiting at home for me to buy her the quick repair kit, and I used all my merit points to buy tech kits! Ugh! I'm going to be kneeling on a washboard when I get back!"

"Hahaha! Don't stop me! I'm not crazy!! I want to go to the rooftop and get some fresh air!"

"You might not know what it means to get a blue item from just 5 blue chests. We usually only use two words to describe someone like this: 'Lucky Emperor'! You think you can beat me with 17 purple chests? You think you can send me to the rooftop?! If these 17 purple chests don't drop any purple items today, I'll eat them right here and now!"

Hearing the shouts of his admiral colleagues, who seemed to be gambling in a group not far away, the boy silently took a step back.

Why didn't I remember? Speaking of Akashi, speaking of shrewd businessmen, it must be Mingmiao! Since I can build ship girls like Illustrious and Unicorn Sister who belong to Azur Lane, then the appearance of the boss lady is only to be expected.

No wonder before coming here, both Mrs. Wisconsin and I kept reminding me not to be ripped off by that swindler Akashi. If it were Mingmiao, it would be easy to understand. Do you remember that gold chest that never yielded any gold equipment and all those dyed tech chests from back then?

That was already pretty good, at least in the game you could guarantee that each box would contain at least one piece of equipment. Looking at the countless colleagues in the distance who were holding empty boxes and crying, well, the boy with a stern face thought it best to leave before he was tricked into buying something he shouldn't have.

"Unicorn, let's go take a look over there."

"Yes, brother."