I really don't have money for the ship girls.

"Yes, Commander, I love you, I love you deeply." Ron rubbed against Ying Tian's body, the soft and elastic touch and the touching confession enough to make any man lose his mind.

But Yingtian held on with great difficulty.

"When I sent the message, I didn't know if you received it, but I wasn't nervous at all when facing the knife. I just knew that you would definitely understand what I meant and that you would definitely come over. It was a strange trust."

Ying Tian looked into Ron's eyes and said, "I like you too, but for now, this liking is only because I'm familiar with you and appreciate your beauty. I don't know if this can be called love. Is that okay?"

Ron immediately smiled, his emotions calming down: "It's alright, I'll heal the Commander's heart and turn liking into love."

Ying Tian continued, "I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but I also like someone else at the same time. Can this feeling really relieve your stress?"

Ron's eyes widened, her pink lips parted slightly: "Commander, do you want to fill the void in my heart not with the pleasure of killing or the sweetness of love, but with the resentment of jealousy? To make my jealousy of others as great as my love for you?"

"Hate me if you want, I never thought I would turn out like this."

Ying Tian felt not only Ron's love, but also a strange pressure and motivation. He struggled for a moment, then took the initiative and pinned Ron down. Ron's slender yet voluptuous body was full of softness and plumpness.

"Commander, what do you want to do?"

I want to kiss you.

Ying Tian brushed a strand of hair from Ron's forehead, revealing smooth skin as silky as silk, and pink lips that shimmered alluringly under the streetlights.

He lowered his head and kissed her for the first time.

Ron opened his eyes wide, clenched his fists, then opened them and grabbed Ying Tian’s head tightly, ruffling his short hair.

Gentle, yet unrestrained.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Something Big Is About to Happen

In just a few months, Ying Tian went from a staunchly single man to a scumbag who can now say "I like several people at the same time." He roughly understands why he turned out this way.

In the process of getting along with others, as long as one is not blind, some things can be clearly felt—such as love.

If it's just friendship, like with Senior Sister Rui Die, Ying Tian's interactions with her are characterized by politeness and restraint.

In a purely platonic friendship, women would never be as uninhibited as St. Louis and Ron, readily showing off their curves and engaging in intimate contact with men. They always dressed conservatively when they went out. Women dress to please men; unless there were feelings beyond friendship, they would never be so open with each other.

You gave me a peach, I returned a precious jade. It wasn't just a repayment, but a token of our lasting friendship.

So what if he's a scumbag? I'll repay anyone who treats me well, no matter how small the kindness. That's Yingtian's life motto.

Ron and Ying Tian kissed for a long time. If a dog hadn't run up and barked at them, it might have lasted even longer. Ron, who had already softened into a pool of spring water, suddenly turned murderous. With just one look, he scared the teddy bear so much that it peed and defecated, dragging its owner away.

Ron reverted to her usual gentle and sweet self, cleaning the leaves and debris stuck to Ying Tian's back, including his messy short hair. Then she stood on tiptoe to kiss Ying Tian's lips, leaning against him like a little bird seeking shelter.

Ying Tian also brushed the leaf debris off her hair. To be honest, she didn't know if Ron's stress had been relieved, but she felt even more anxious.

Back home, after explaining the incident to everyone, Xianghe couldn't help but feel a wave of fear. He pulled Yingtian close, looking him over carefully, worried that the commander might have been injured somewhere.

Afterwards, there were meetings and communications with the naval base. They almost sent someone to guard Yingtian at all times, but Yingtian firmly refused. He went to great lengths to convince the ship girls that the social order here was quite good and that what happened earlier was just a rare exception.

Of course, Ying Tian also told St. Louis about the necklace.

"The commander really knows how to be generous with other people's money."

"No way, you were the one who sold it to her, how could I be being generous with someone else's money?"

"Whatever, the Commander didn't tell me anyway." St. Louis smiled charmingly, gently tossing her hair to reveal her fair, smooth arm. "My necklace is very expensive. I could have gotten it back, but not now. How is the Commander going to compensate me?"

Ying Tian knew that St. Louis was joking, so he jokingly replied in return, "You said it yourself, everything you have is mine, so why should I compensate you?"

"Then I also need to make compensation."

St. Louis supported Ying Tian's shoulders, gently kissed his lips, then pulled away, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and said, "Ron's scent."

Ying Tian was shocked, looking like a young wife caught in the act of adultery. Then he saw St. Louis's smiling eyes and realized he had been tricked. He was indeed a bit naive.

“Ron’s reaction was predictable,” St. Louis said, his watery purple eyes gleaming with a strange, captivating light. “Let’s kiss again. I want to cover up Ron’s scent and leave only my own.”

Then, the two kissed again, this time Ying Tian took the initiative.

Ying Tian felt his neck being tightly wrapped by the mature woman's hands, making it hard for him to breathe. If his kiss with Ron was a passionate demand, then his kiss with St. Louis was a sticky tenderness. Her lips were exceptionally soft, and every lingering kiss was an exchange of love.

After unconsciously comparing himself to others, Ying Tian felt even more guilty, so he became even more engrossed in the task.

The next day, Rui Die took Ying Tian to the notary office to complete the transfer procedures. When Ying Tian saw his name on the property certificate, he felt like he was in a different world. He never thought that an orphan like him could afford a house. Sure enough, everything was different.

With six people living in four rooms, the living space suddenly becomes much more spacious.

St. Louis finally completed his operation, multiplying Ying Tian's tuition fees several dozen times. That evening, Ying Tian took the six of them out for a big meal, since there might not be another opportunity for everyone to be together like this in the future.

Because Ron, Mercury Memorial, and Ayanami officially started working in three shifts, fighting in the game day and night, and then every two days Ron would compile a training report for Yingtian to see.

"It turns out that without considering skills, everyone's base stats aren't that different."

"The White Ship is quite powerful once it reaches the maximum level."

"Skill is just as important as equipment."

In Ying Tian's mind, the images of these ship girls gradually overlapped with the figures in the chat group. He didn't know if his impressions would make everyone stronger, but their images were becoming more and more vivid in his mind.

Of course, the main reason for this was the chat group. Ying Tian wrote a reply to Da Feng and Akagi, but later found that this behavior was not very wise. In fact, a lot of people messaged him privately every day, and he simply did not have the time or the ability to reply to each one. This made Ying Tian develop the habit of posting on his Moments. You can figure it out yourselves, I will not reply to each one.

Time passed little by little, and Ying Tianzhen was fired by the milk tea shop owner for poor business. Fortunately, he no longer needed to support a large family, so he could use the exam month to study hard and strive for high grades and scholarships.

You can also ask St. Louis to help tutor you in English, Reno is also quite good at physics, and Mercury Memorial may not seem very reliable, but he is very good at Marxist philosophy.

Moreover, you can ask questions in the chat group. Iris's Kasumi has considerable mathematical expertise, Royal's Hood is proficient in classical literature, and Sakura Empire's Mikasa is well-versed in modern history. However, relatively speaking, Northern Alliance's Aurora is more objective...

With so many professionals serving him, how could his GPA be low?

After some twists and turns, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly and normally. Ying Tianzhen felt that his so-called commander position was too easy, and the price he paid seemed to be too little compared to the rewards he received.

In Ying Tian's view, the biggest price was a pang of conscience—he not only enjoyed Shoukaku's gentle care and maintained a close relationship with St. Louis and Roon, but also often had long chats with the Prince of Wales on chat software all night long. Not to mention the passionate and moving confessions from ship girls like Taihou, as well as the gentle and quiet greetings from Yixian and Akagi (Akagi's mastermind), and countless words of complaint or peace.

Even if you want to be like a central air conditioner, you need to have the power to handle it.

However, things soon came up that Yingtian needed to do.

And it's a big deal—he might have to go to England.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Peaceful Farming or a Long-Distance Raid?

Among the ship girls who came, each one had their own mission. Shoukaku was responsible for taking care of everyone's daily life, St. Louis was responsible for laying the economic foundation for the Second Naval Base, Roon, Mercury Memorial, and Ayanami were responsible for playing the game in three shifts, and Roon also had to write training reports to submit to Yingtian, and vent her inner pressure.

Similarly, Reno certainly didn't come for nothing.

She worked with the research team at the naval base to debug and stabilize communication between the two worlds. As things stand, if it weren't for the limitations of the brick-like phone she brought, the bandwidth quality would be sufficient for Yingtian to conduct outdoor live broadcasts. In the future, connecting this world to the naval base's command system intranet wouldn't be a big problem either.

In addition, significant progress has been made in the teleportation of the fixed gate between the two worlds. In the experiment, the naval base successfully teleported the golden toilet seat of the inner quarters to Yingtian, which left him speechless. Gold is a good thing, but this shape is not easy to sell. Only someone who has drunk Ganges water would have this kind of aesthetic sense.

This also raises a question—

"Through numerous experiments, Peter and Akashi from the Port Area Research Team and I discovered that an alloy made of several special metals can store complex spatial coordinates of photon states. This is the cornerstone of a two-way teleportation portal between the two worlds. The problem is that to achieve two-way teleportation, both teleportation portals must be made of metals from their respective worlds. Obtaining these metals is not a problem in the Naval Base world, but obtaining them in this world is not so easy."

In the living room of the off-campus room, apart from Mercury Memorial who was on duty, six people, including Ying Tian, ​​gathered together for a meeting. Next to them was a brick-sized mobile phone set to meeting mode. On the other side of the phone were the port district leadership ship girls gathered in the meeting room.

Listening to Reno's report, Ying Tian asked, "It's not radioactive metal, is it? This kind of thing is controlled everywhere, but it's really hard to get."

"It is not a radioactive metal."

"Then there shouldn't be a big problem. Our country is vast and rich in resources. Although the reserves of various minerals may be a little small, the variety is not lacking. As long as it's not a controlled product, there shouldn't be any issues."

“But that’s the problem,” St. Louis explained. “Reno and I checked online, and some metals can be bought through normal channels, but there’s one metal that’s only produced by an island nation in the Pacific.”

"Do you cherish it that much?"

After St. Louis and Reno explained, Ying Tian understood the situation. This metal wasn't actually that rare; deposits were found in many places, including within China. However, its industrial applications were currently very limited, and it rarely occurred as a by-product. Therefore, the shallow deposit in the Pacific island nation was sufficient to meet the world's needs. If other countries wanted to develop deeper deposits and compete for it, their extraction costs would be less than the cost of simply buying it, hence the current situation.

The Prince of Wales' voice came through the phone: "A special countermeasures team has been set up in the port area to deal with this matter. We have compiled three countermeasures and would like to ask the Commander for a decision."

Ying Tian said, "Yes, you all speak."

The Prince of Wales said, “The first strategy is to acquire it through purely commercial means. We understand that this Pacific island nation was formerly a British colony and is now a member of the Commonwealth. Its mineral resources are controlled by a British mining company headquartered in Plymouth. Commander, you need to find a domestic import/export agent as an intermediary. More importantly, you may need to travel to Britain in person to facilitate this deal, because we need at least three months' worth of the mine's output, and there will be a continuous need afterward. We must urge them to expand production.”

Ying Tian thought to himself, "Isn't this making things difficult for me? How can a poor student like me find an import and export agency, let alone go to the UK for business negotiations?"

However, Ying Tian did not show it, but instead asked, "What about the other two countermeasures?"

In the conference room of the naval base, Ying Tian's voice came from the speakers. Glory took a sip of red tea, somewhat disappointed that the commander had not made an immediate decision. In contrast, Akagi raised an eyebrow and took the microphone from the Prince of Wales.

"The second point I will explain to the commander is to adopt a tough approach."

Akagi's mature yet gentle voice came through the phone: "Mineral deposits like these are delivered quarterly, or even every six months to a year, and are stored in local warehouses before being transported. Commander, all you and your sisters over there need to do is find out the delivery time. After that, I will lead a group of Sakura Empire warriors on a long-distance raid to seize the mineral deposits. That island was once one of the ancient battlefields of World War II, so we are very familiar with it and it won't be difficult. Moreover, we ship girls are beings that cannot be understood by another world, so Commander doesn't need to worry about being exposed."

Ying Tian was starting to lose his composure. Although this method was much simpler, it was completely contrary to the principles of a harmonious society. However, it was the Anssa people who were being harmed, so it didn't seem to matter much. The Japanese navy's surprise attack on the Commonwealth and the great battle against the Japanese fleet was actually quite exciting to think about.

"What about the last option?"

"The last method is slower to take effect, but it is also more reliable." A calm and gentle voice came from the phone. Ying Tian was a little unfamiliar with it, but after a quick assessment, he realized that it seemed to be Zhenhai of Donghuang, which was historically a seaplane carrier of China. This made Ying Tian feel very familiar with it.

“Register or acquire a company with mining qualifications in China, and then find a way to cooperate with the local government that owns mineral deposits to carry out mineral mining. In this way, we can obtain the metals we need in a continuous manner without taking too much risk.”

Upon hearing this, Ying Tian couldn't help but say, "It's a safe approach, but this method might be more difficult than the previous two combined."

“That’s right.” It was Akagi’s voice. “Other methods are too slow and have too many uncertainties, which may greatly slow down the progress of the Second Naval Base Project. Commander, please believe me. We Sakura Empire warriors are very familiar with that island. Shoukaku can testify to that.”

Although she didn't get along well with Akagi, Shoukaku was clear on matters of principle. She said to the heavens, "Indeed, I compared the map with the scene in my memory, and they are almost identical."

Ayanami also said, "In battle, we, the Sakura Empire, will not lose to anyone."

"But why fight?" Zhenhai's voice rang out. "Besides, this is practically a one-off deal. Even if we succeed, are we going to have to rob again when we need it?"

"It's not impossible to rob it again."

A somewhat unfamiliar voice came from the phone.

Many people in the conference room also looked at the person who spoke, because the one expressing support was not a Sakura Empire ship girl, but Iron Blood's Bismarck.

Chapter Sixty: Alliances and Strategies Ultimately Rely on the Rule of Law

Hood gave the Prince of Wales a wink, but the latter kept his eyes down, only lightly rubbing his right hand on the conference table, his slender white fingers pointing in a direction where Richelieu, surrounded by Louis IX, was seated, along with the speakers.

That represents the commander.

Hu De immediately understood. Each of the three plans had its own advantages and disadvantages, and none of them were absolutely without problems. However, these three plans were not only the result of everyone's discussion, but also represented the different interests between the Royal Navy, Sakura Empire, and Eastern Empire. After all, this meant that they could legitimately go to the Commander World.

The Royal Navy's plan utilizes existing mineral resources and regulations, making it highly feasible. The Sakura Empire's plan is the fastest to take effect. While the Eastern Empire's plan is sound, the world where the commander resides lacks the influence of the Naval Base, making its practical implementation in a public ownership country quite difficult. However, this isn't really a drawback, as establishing a two-way portal is not something that can be done overnight. Moreover, the Naval Base's strength is steadily increasing, the problem of resource shortages is being resolved little by little, and the Sirens haven't launched any particularly terrifying offensives, so there's not much of a rush.

Of course, the merits and demerits of the plan are one aspect. In the past, the naval base's decision was made by a vote of the decision-making level. Now, it can contact the commander, so naturally, it will follow the commander's lead.

Bismarck's support for the Sakura Empire's plan was actually an attempt to convince the Commander that she and Akagi must have reached some kind of exchange of interests.

Looking at Bismarck's serious and stern face, Hood said, "Bismarck, you haven't forgotten the three things the Commander agreed to with us before, have you? To use gentle methods and respect the rules of that world."

"Of course I remember, but the law of the jungle is also part of the rules. Otherwise, why would this mine be in the hands of a British company instead of the locals?"

Bismarck placed his hands on the table and said, word by word, "I said it's not impossible to rob again, or of course we can choose not to. But I think this operation would not only allow us to obtain the metal we need, but also test our fighting strength in another world. It's true that peace is paramount, but there's an old saying in the East: 'One may possess a sharp blade, but one should not show it to others.' Peace is never lasting. Only by understanding ourselves can we better prepare."

“That makes sense.” The white-haired, red-eyed woman crossed her arms; she was from Soviet Russia. “It’s never a bad thing to plan ahead; it’s too late if you wait until it’s too late.”

Hu De frowned slightly. Could it be that besides the Axis alliance, there was also the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact?

However, Hood did not refute it. It was Richelieu who spoke up: "That makes sense, but these are two separate things and there is no need to confuse them. Even if we want to test combat effectiveness, we don't necessarily need to do it this way."

If Sakura Empire can unite with Ironblood, Royal Navy will naturally seek allies as well.

“That’s right.” The company said, resting its chin on its hands. “War is not the final outcome, but merely a means to an end.”

As she spoke, noticing everyone looking at her, she said, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

“No, that’s quite right,” Essex said, shaking her head. “I just didn’t expect you to say something like that, senior.”

"Then what should I say?"

Essex thought for a moment and said, "For example, if war is necessary, then war should be waged, and we, the White Eagles, should launch a long-range surprise attack, or something like that?"

The company representative said somewhat speechlessly, "Even I occasionally think about what will happen after the war."

"Yes, as expected of a senior figure in the company, with great foresight."

"..."

The Prince of Wales cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, have we all gone off-topic?"

"Neither plundering nor buying is a long-term solution," Yi Xian said gently but firmly. "Having a thousand or ten thousand things is not as good as having them yourself. We must keep the mineral resources in our own hands."

“Of course, we can do it simultaneously,” Akagi said casually. “But solving the immediate problem is the most important thing. What we hold in our hands is what we truly own.”

The debate suddenly reached a stalemate.

Yi Xian asked, "Commander, what do you think?"

Ying Tian listened to the debate coming from the phone and could only say that everyone's points were valid. This highlighted the difficulty of being a decision-maker, as making a decision is itself a responsibility.