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

Putting aside the actual conditions on the ship, just looking at the ship's defenseless deck makes one worry, especially now that the admiral has finally been found. Even with Sister Lexington and the others escorting them, what if something happens again and the admiral goes missing again?

"How about we wait for Enterprise and the others to bring the Admiral back before we go to Tianshui to pick up Little Rou? I feel so worried about going on a ship like this."

"Yes, yes, Admiral! Our naval base's Admiral was converted from a former battleship. In terms of defense, it's much stronger than this little wrecked ship!"

"Yes, Admiral. Before Juno came, she wanted me to ask you if you could wait a little longer. See how much she cares about you. The Admiral is so big. If you go on board, everyone can accompany you to Tianshui to pick up Little Rou."

"I! I didn't say that! I just, I just..."

"Hehe, little Juno is getting shy again!"

"I didn't!"

Before the boy could even offer some words of comfort to the somewhat worried Changchun, he heard Pinghai and Atlanta chime in with their agreement.

Everyone knows that with Sister Lexington, Sister Gaja, and Sister Glorious escorting them, the possibility of encountering unexpected situations is extremely small. Even if they encounter submarines that the sisters are not good at dealing with, there is the experienced Phelps and the sister Marani who has been at sea many times for training. However, as the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy. The thought of the admiral disappearing again makes them feel that they can't be too careful.

"There's no need to worry so much. This ship's route is in the near sea, almost skimming the coastline. Not only are Lexington and the others escorting us, but there are also so many naval bases along the way that can help us at any time, so nothing will happen. Don't worry. Anyway, is there anything you want as a gift? I'll bring you some when I return from Tianshui with Xiaorou, how about that?"

The boy stroked Xue'er's snow-white fur in Changchun's arms, and looking at the girls beside him who were genuinely worried about him, he thought for a moment and then comforted them in this way. He squeezed Fei'er's soft fingers in his hand and gave them a reassuring smile.

"Hmm... It's all Enterprise's fault for taking the Admiral away... Admiral, I'd like you to bring me a panda plushie."

"Is it just a panda plushie? Nothing else? Just tell me what you want, and the Admiral will definitely bring it back for you."

"Hmm! Just a doll is enough! But it's a promise, the Admiral must come back, and he must personally deliver the gift to Changchun intact."

"...Changchun...Yes, it's a promise. I will definitely give you the gift intact, not a single hair will be missing!"

"I want one too, Admiral! I want the Admiral to personally hand me the gift! I want... I want... I want a local cookbook from Tianshui! I've heard that the pastries from Tianshui are very unique, and I want to learn how to make them!"

"I want one too! I want one too! Admiral..."

Surrounded by his group of little girls, the boy smiled as he wrote down the gifts they wanted him to bring back for them, carefully noting them down in a notebook he took out of his suitcase. From the direction of the passenger ship bound for Tianshui City not far away, the captain, whom he had met a few times before, walked towards the boy with several sailors.

Volume 1, Chapter 344: Rules of Ship Girl Communication

"Good afternoon, Mr. Su."

From a distance, the middle-aged captain waved to the boy surrounded by girls. He was wearing a crisp captain's uniform and had a face full of enthusiasm. He and several sailors who were surprised by the number of beautiful women around the boy came to a spot not far in front of him.

"Welcome aboard my Anyang passenger ship. On behalf of all the staff on board, I extend my heartfelt welcome to you."

The salty sea breeze made the boy holding the notebook unconsciously squint. He watched as the middle-aged captain, who had taken off his captain's uniform and looked unremarkable in a crowd, extended his hand to him. The boy blinked and then shook hands with him.

"Thank you, Captain, but I'm just an ordinary passenger now, you didn't need to come out to greet me like this."

"Haha, how can that be! My ship has been sitting at the Tsugawa for a month without a chance to set sail. This journey was made possible entirely by you and your ship girls. We are all very grateful to you! Moreover, you promised to waive the escort fee for us. Otherwise, even if I sold my ship and used all my savings, I probably wouldn't be able to afford to hire two meritorious aircraft carrier ship girls to escort me."

From the moment he stepped off the ship and walked toward the boy, the captain of the passenger ship had been scrutinizing him. Although he had seen the boy a few days earlier when the boy and Miss Saratoga came to discuss the voyage with him, seeing him again now was still quite shocking.

For the sake of safety during their work, those in this line of work often deal with all sorts of admirals. It's not that they haven't seen young admirals before; on the contrary, they've seen quite a few over the years. But this is the first time they've seen such a young, regular admiral, not to mention that he has so many ship girls under his command, including meritorious ship girls like Lexington and Saratoga, who are known even to those outside the admiral circle.

He took a closer look at the boy's face and realized that he might be even younger than he had imagined, perhaps not even an adult yet. He laughed and patted the boy's shoulder hard.

"By the way, Admiral Su, are you planning to go to Tianshui this time? Now that we've already done this once, how about we sign an agreement? For example, you can provide us with free escort, and we can give you free rides every time?"

"..."

The boy stared in shock at the captain who had suddenly made such a remark, his mouth agape in disbelief. Was getting a free escort not enough? Did he want to latch onto him too? Did he think he didn't know how much it cost to hire an aircraft carrier girl? Offering free escort right off the bat—that was shameless! He'd thought the captain was a rather honest man when they talked before!

"I'm afraid that won't work. I probably won't go to Tsugawa much in the future, so this agreement of yours is of no benefit to me at all, Captain! Besides, look, there are so many of us, and my family's affairs can't be decided by me alone."

The boy sighed. "Face, face," he thought. "It seems my skin isn't thick enough. When I can reach the level of this captain or Yuan Ye, who dares to talk about their fantasies in public, I probably won't have felt so much pressure when I gave Fei'er the ring this morning."

"Haha, I was just kidding, you didn't take it seriously, did you! Admiral Su, please don't call me Captain anymore. You seem quite friendly. You used to live in Tianshui, right? Just call me Uncle Captain or Uncle, like everyone else. Come, let me introduce you. This is our first mate. If anything happens on the ship and I'm not here, just look for him!"

The middle-aged captain scratched his head, smiled heartily at the boy, took off his hat to reveal his receding hairline, and pointed to a middle-aged man who had been silently observing the boy from behind him. Seeing the boy looking at him, the middle-aged man straightened his tie and shook hands with the boy in return.

"Hello, Mr. Su, I am the first mate of the An Yang. As the captain said, please feel free to come to me if you need anything during the voyage."

Thank you, I will.

The middle-aged man was very respectful; after all, he was an admiral with so many ship girls. Although he might not be very old, his position in the navy was certainly not low. Seeing the young man politely nod to his first mate, the captain rubbed his hands excitedly, then looked at the women who had gathered around the young man.

Seeing so many ship girls for the first time, the captain was immediately amazed and shocked by their beauty. After a moment of stunned silence, he quickly turned his head away from his wife and Phil, who were already holding their husbands' hands on either side, and Saratoga, who was clinging to her brother-in-law's waist.

As a captain of a passenger ship who frequently interacts with admirals and their ship girls, he is well-versed in the skills of communicating with these beautiful spirits who never leave their homes yet inspire endless imagination.

Although most ship girls seem gentle and kind, and easy to talk to, in reality, apart from being exceptionally lenient and tolerant towards their own admirals, they are probably not as wonderful as most ordinary people who have never met ship girls imagine when they treat outsiders.

Ship girls are beautiful, far surpassing the beauty of ordinary human women. In fact, a single glance can effortlessly steal the heart of an average man. However, remember, unlike humans, when facing ship girls who already have a port, giving them a smitten or even lecherous look, especially in front of their admiral, is considered extremely impolite. They won't see your admiring gaze as an acknowledgment of their beauty; instead, they'll perceive it as a provocation!

Don't believe those books or rumors that say ship girls are so generous or gentle. Those are all lies! Because their gentleness and trust were completely and utterly given to their admirals when they joined the port. What you usually see are just petty, hen-like chicks protecting their admirals like they're protecting their chicks.

They are petty and sensitive. Any slight movement that is detrimental to their admiral could provoke their dislike or even malice. For example, if I had glanced at that gentle woman with flowing flaxen hair for just a few more seconds, she probably would have frowned at me before long.

Conversely, if you want to gain their approval, you should be as attentive to their admiral as possible. Communicating with them and being overly attentive won't make them appreciate your kindness; they might even feel you're neglecting their admiral and dislike you. However, if you only talk to their admiral and don't even look at them, they won't feel neglected; in fact, they might even think more highly of you.

The middle-aged man shrugged, no longer paying attention to the young man's wife and the group of ship girls beside him. He gestured to the young man and then asked, "How many people are going with Admiral Su this time? I'll have someone arrange rooms for you later..."

Volume 1, Chapter 345: People can do it, at least try!

"How many people are going with you this time, Admiral Su? I'll have someone arrange rooms for you later..."

The captain clicked his tongue in amazement. The world of admirals and ship girls was indeed a deep and complex place. A slight misstep could leave you in the memory of those seemingly helpless ship girls in the port, who could easily crack open a bottle cap but could actually rip you out of the water with ease. They might not show it out of consideration for the admiral's feelings or to avoid putting him in a difficult position, but once they had the chance, they would definitely give you a thorough dressing down.

Mr. Su had been planning to discuss the accommodations on board with the captain, but after hearing what the captain said, he turned his face away and secretly grinned.

There are seven of us in total, including myself. Does that mean we need to ask the captain for seven rooms? Hmm, no, no, that's too wasteful, too capitalist! In my opinion, we don't need too many, just two rooms will suffice! One room for the two little sisters, Unicorn and Marani, and the other room with the super big bed for myself and my married ships!

A mysterious smile played on the corners of his lips. The young man glanced at his wife and Jiajia beside him, as well as Guanghui and Fei'er on the other side, their gentle and beautiful smiles. Involuntarily, an image of his four wives, young and old, dressed in pure and beautiful wedding gowns, lying side by side on a huge bed, looking at him with shy charm, appeared in his mind.

He briefly imagined the beautiful scene that made him feel almost ecstatic, but then he touched his aching back, which had been aching since morning. After a moment's thought, he decided he wasn't stubborn enough to go that far, and sighed with regret.

As previously agreed, there were seven people going together, including himself. However, after hearing Changchun and Ninghai's concerns about him, he suddenly had the idea of ​​bringing everyone along. Of course, he knew this was impossible; the naval base was still under construction, how could it be left unattended? So he clicked his tongue in regret.

"There are only seven of us, including me. What's wrong, Captain?"

"Haha, no, no. I was just worried that Admiral Su might be planning to bring all your ship girls with you. Even if you include economy class, there probably wouldn't be enough rooms left. Seven people is fine. There are four first-class cabins on the ship, all double rooms for two people. You can divide them up as you like."

After taking the key from the first mate beside him, the captain laughed and shrugged, then handed all four keys to the boy. Seeing the boy glance at the keys, seemingly thinking about how to allocate the rooms, he began to describe the environment of the first-class cabin.

"The key to Admiral Su is for one of the four first-class cabins on the ship. The cabin is on the left-hand side of the first deck. You can see the ship's restaurant and shops as soon as you come out. The room has two beds, a bathroom, a large bathtub, a study, and a separate dining room. The decoration is in the style of a high-end hotel in the city, so I guarantee that you and your girls will have a very comfortable stay."

"Let me see, brother-in-law!"

Jiajia playfully snatched the key from the boy's hand. The boy nodded to the captain. Since each room was a double room, he, the only grown man, would have one room, while his wife and Guanghui would each have one room.

"Thank you, Captain."

The young man thanked the uncle. Putting everything else aside, he was satisfied that his girls had been able to travel comfortably, unlike when he had stayed in the cramped economy class cabin. He turned to the side to discuss with his wife and Lasty how to allocate the rooms for the night, but then he saw his wife suddenly and gently take his hand.

"Captain, I wonder if there is a kitchen in our cabin? If so, I would like to prepare my own food and eat with the Admiral."

A gentle, watery voice rang out. Lexington blinked her beautiful, sea-blue eyes at Su Yuchen as she spoke. Faced with the sudden question from the woman with flaxen hair beside the boy, who was so beautiful it was almost blinding, the captain looked awkwardly at Lexington, who was holding the boy's arm, and then at the boy's face.

Perhaps sensing the captain's confusion, he smiled and grasped his wife's soft, smooth fingers, then introduced her to the captain: "This is Lexington, my wife."

"Hello, Miss Lexington. There is no kitchen in first class, but if you would like to cook your own meals, you can use the kitchen in our restaurant. I will speak with the restaurant manager and ask them to reserve a kitchen for you."

"Thank you very much, Captain."

The captain sighed softly. He hadn't expected that the beautiful woman next to Su Xiaoge was actually the legendary aircraft carrier Lexington. He had heard long ago that as a legendary aircraft carrier girl, she could defeat an entire deep-sea fleet by herself. He was glad that he hadn't done anything to offend them.

But... I really envy those who are admirals. They have so many beautiful ship girls by their side, and they are so gentle and understanding. Compared to my own wife, sigh... I won't say anymore. If you don't have the luck to enjoy it, don't think about it. People should be content.

"These can't be stored in the cold storage; freezing them will ruin their texture..."

Beside the boy, Yixian and Haiqi handed over the various ingredients they had prepared, along with local specialties they wanted to take back, to a sailor on the ship. They were also carefully instructing him on what could be stored in a cold storage and what must be refrigerated, which frightened the sailor so much that he nodded repeatedly while clutching the heavy bag and sweating profusely.

According to past practice, before escorting merchant ships or ferries, the person in charge of the hiring party and the admiral providing the escort service would sign an agreement to prevent one party from refusing to acknowledge the agreement after the service ended. However, since this escort was free, this process could be omitted. After discussing it with the boy, the captain waved his hand, and the sailors who came down with him diligently carried a large batch of local specialties and ingredients into the cabin.

The fair-skinned and beautiful Wisconsin and Missouri stood by and watched all this. As ship girls with beloved admirals, they would never do anything that would offend their admirals when they were out and about. When their admirals were around, they would completely entrust all decision-making power to them. Even if their admiral was a newbie and made a biased decision, they would not point it out on the spot, but would try their best to make amends afterward and strive to secure the greatest benefit for their admirals without hurting their admirals' feelings.

While their admiral was talking to the bald captain, they had something to say, but they waited until the admiral and captain finished speaking before silently taking a step forward to the boy's side. Wisconsin then crossed her arms and asked the middle-aged captain what she wanted to know.

"This trip will last about half a month. I wonder if you have a detailed itinerary and route map, Captain? Now that our admiral has boarded your ship, for the admiral's safety, we hope you can provide us with this detailed information before departure."

"Also, Captain, as we agreed at the naval base, we hope you can send us a telegram at least twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, informing us of the ship's location and situation. This will make it easier for us to go to the rescue as soon as possible if something happens."

Wisconsin had barely finished speaking when, before the captain could react, Missouri and Washington, who were standing beside her, also took a step forward.

Volume 1, Chapter 346: Changchun's Feelings

"Although our admiral has agreed to waive the escort fee for you, Captain, you will have to reimburse the fuel and ammunition used during the journey. Is that alright? If there is any damage in battle, the cost of using quick repair tools will also be charged to you."

Don't underestimate the protective instincts of any port ship girl towards her admiral. Standing under the bright sun, listening to Washington, Missouri, and Wisconsin list more than a dozen demands in just a few minutes, the captain finally deeply understood this.

Wiping the sweat from his face—whether from the heat or the overwhelming presence of the three tall, beautiful ship girls—the captain thought for a moment and then could only nod helplessly at them.

He understood that, aside from the previous requirements for ensuring safety, he should cover all other expenses himself since he wasn't charging for escort services. Therefore, their demands weren't so unacceptable.

"Sure, I'll reimburse your travel expenses. I'll have someone bring you the flight route map and itinerary later. As for the telegrams, how about sending them twice a day, at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM?"

Holding the boy's hand, Lexington paused slightly. She glanced at Washington, who was standing to the side with his arms crossed. Washington also looked at Lexington with a seemingly indifferent expression. Before she could give the boy a bright smile, she turned back to the captain, who was smiling wryly, with a serious expression.

"Then there won't be any problem. However, before we set off, we need to make it clear to you, Captain. Since the Admiral has offered to escort you for free, we won't object. But if anything happens on the way, we will only rescue our Admiral as soon as possible."

"Alright, that's your right, and I have no right to interfere. There's still half an hour before departure, Admiral Su, so I'll go back to the ship to prepare for departure and won't disturb you any longer."

The captain gave an awkward laugh. That's how it is when the admiral is on board. Although they will do everything they can to prevent the ship from being damaged, if something really happens, they can only save ordinary people if they can ensure the safety of their own admiral.

Books and rumors often portray ship girls as flawless, beautiful, and kind elves. However, in reality, they are not as perfect as people imagine. They also have their own feelings, people or things they value, as well as their own shortcomings and things they are not good at, especially when their own admiral is by their side.

After greeting the somewhat embarrassed young man, the captain of the passenger ship returned to his own ship with his first mate. Looking at the distant, churning sea from the ship's railing, his first mate coughed and asked, "Captain, was that woman really the legendary aircraft carrier USS Lexington? The ship girl that all the admirals want?"

The first mate looked very sincere and curious, and sighed at him. The captain slowly nodded in acknowledgment. According to what he had learned from the admirals who often dealt with him, the woman with long flaxen hair who looked like a goddess was indeed very similar to their description of Lexington. Moreover, the beautiful girl with bright golden hair who called herself Saratoga was exactly the same as the rumored description of Saratoga.

"I'm pretty sure it's true. With two legendary five-star meritorious ship girls like these, and still so young, I've never heard of Tsugawa having such an admiral before. Besides Lexington and Saratoga, there are probably more than twenty ship girls who came with him."

"Perhaps he is the admiral of that legendary naval base? The one located on the island next to the Naval Academy. I heard an admiral who traveled by ship mention it before."

"Maybe so. With so many ship girls by his side, Admiral Su is really lucky. What's more, he also has a famous ship girl named Lexington who is known as a 'wife-type' ship girl in the admiral circle. I heard that such 'wife-type' ship girls are top-notch 'useless people' machines... Sigh, if I had been more ambitious when I was young, maybe I could have become an admiral and been accompanied by two fair-skinned and beautiful ship girl ladies wherever I went."

"Captain, don't even think about it. If your wife finds out, you won't be able to get into bed when you get home tonight!"

"Go away! Don't you dare fantasize about it! I don't believe you wouldn't want such a gentle and virtuous ship girl to take care of you for the rest of your life!"

"Of course I want to too, but she's a legendary ship girl, there's only one of her in the world. Captain, didn't you say that we should just fantasize about her occasionally and not show it? We can't envy Admiral Su's good fortune!"

"That's right. Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's quickly check the condition of the boat. We should be setting off in less than half an hour."

………………

Perhaps because the admiral had been missing for more than a year, even though the admiral was going to Tianshui with Sister Lexington this time, and the time was only a little over a month, even though she had personally promised her that she would return to them in good health, looking at the admiral on the other side who was talking with the captain of the passenger ship, Changchun's delicate and lovely face could not help but show a little reluctance.

A little over a month—not a long time, but not short either. Every time she thought about the Admiral leaving for far, far away Tianshui, especially now that departure was imminent, she couldn't help but feel a little resentful towards Enterprise and South Dakota, whose whereabouts were currently unknown, for taking the Admiral's ship away. Moreover, for some reason, she had a premonition that the Admiral's journey to Tianshui wouldn't be as smooth as she had imagined. While it wasn't exactly a bad premonition, it certainly made her uneasy.

Peaceful Sea Sister and Ning Sea Sister stood together. The somewhat melancholy-faced girl gently kneaded the necklace the admiral had given her at noon on her chest. Looking at the admiral who was talking to Lexington Sister, she whispered, almost to herself, towards the direction of the boy, "No matter what, you have to go back to the naval base! It's a promise, pinky swear, no backing out!"

"Hmm? Is Xiao Changchun worried about the Admiral?"

The girl spoke softly, unsure if her words reached the heart of the person she was worried about. She didn't know if the admiral could hear her. Atlanta, standing beside her, seemed to see the deep conflict in the girl's expression. She took the girl's hand, her cute cat tail swaying back and forth, and playfully grabbed the girl's soft, fragrant shoulder.

"Hehe, no need to worry so much! Didn't the Admiral promise us? Nothing will happen! My radar has already sensed it. The Admiral's trip this time will definitely go very smoothly, so don't worry, Xiao Changchun!"

Volume 1, Chapter 347: The Admiral Did Not Die from a Missile

The admiral is like a symbol of the entire port area, the most important spiritual pillar in the port area. Therefore, even though it was only a little over a month, everyone was not in a good mood when they learned that the admiral was going to leave.

The ship girls' selfless and devoted feelings are like a fine wine, becoming richer and more fragrant with time. Even though she is intelligent and clever, and can already sense the feelings growing in her heart like a towering tree, Changchun is still just a little girl. Although she knows that showing a sad expression at this time will only make the admiral sad as well, she just can't control her disobedient expression.

"Atlanta, aren't your cat ears radar, or tarot cards that can predict the future? How come you can hear even this?"

Changchun pouted, watching Zhao He holding Ying Rui's hand and shaking it, seemingly talking about something. The girl listlessly turned to Atlanta, who still had a smile on her face. She envied Atlanta's ever-optimistic attitude, while she herself, upon hearing yesterday that the Admiral was leaving for Tianshui today, had been so worried that she tossed and turned in bed until late at night. And this morning, she heard from Yixian that Fei'er had actually…

"Ugh……"

The girl lowered her head and sighed softly. Her slender fingertips unconsciously touched her smooth ring finger. She quickly glanced at the Admiral, who was surrounded by Sister Lexington, Sister Jiajia, and Little Fei. She raised her head to face Atlanta and said to her, "Of course I'm not worried about anything happening to the Admiral, it's just... I have a strange feeling, like, um... I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's just very strange."