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

"That's good. I'll let you taste the most authentic Chinese cuisine."

Ying Tian clapped his hands as he spoke, and then, as if appearing out of thin air, two beautiful women dressed in traditional maid outfits suddenly appeared in the conference room carrying huge platters.

Robert couldn't help but rub his eyes. He felt there must be something wrong with his eyes; something so illogical had completely stunned him.

Ying Tian simply replied, "It's just a little Eastern trick; I'm sorry you had to laugh at me."

Is this an illusion? This is a miracle!

Robert didn't dare laugh at all. At that moment, he felt that compared to the mysterious East, his old-fashioned uncle was the real joke.

Chapter 83 Let's see if you'll accept my toast.

Thanks to advancements in teleportation technology, these delicious dishes, personally prepared by Yi Xian, remained in their most edible condition upon arrival at the conference room, even after traversing countless times of time and space.

In terms of combat, Yat-Sian is the youngest among light cruisers, but in terms of culinary skills, she is a goddess who surpasses everyone else.

After taking a bite, Robert, a young Englishman who had been through fish and chips and British Indian food, was treating every bite with almost a pious attitude; it was practically communion!

In fact, Ying Tian wasn't much better than him. Even though Yi Xian's dishes were so delicious, he had to act all leisurely and occasionally spout nonsensical riddles like "meat won't jump into the pot to be braised by itself" and "if you leave your chopsticks, the food will leave you." This seriously dampened his urge to eat with gusto, as if he wanted to get revenge.

If it weren't for the fact that every teleportation required consuming materials from the Sirens obtained by the ship girls during their expeditions, which had to be used wisely, Yi Xian wouldn't have a legitimate reason to come over yet. Otherwise, Ying Tian really wanted to be able to eat Yi Xian's meals every day.

Robert, having regained his senses a little, became even more aware of the significance of this meal. Such delicious food and such fresh ingredients, prepared so readily in a five-star hotel with its own rules, represented a formidable level of power.

Instead of rushing to Plymouth, Ying Tian took Robert on a tour of London, not only letting him see the capable and elegant British women around him, but also demonstrating his unfathomable economic power with every gesture.

Which horse do you think will win?

"Number three, please."

"Buy me number 53,000."

"?"

After several races, Ying Tian lost £300,000 at the racecourse, then laughed and sighed, "It seems Robert, your luck isn't so good."

Robert was dazzled by Ying Tian's ability to lose five years' worth of his salary in just half an hour. Especially with Ying Tian's nonchalant attitude, he had absolutely no doubt about Ying Tian's mystery and strength. He couldn't even imagine how bright his future would be if he could board such a giant ship.

Meanwhile, out of his sight, Ying Tian tightly embraced Guang Hui's voluptuous body. The curves of her figure beneath the silk gauze dress overflowed with amazing elasticity in the forceful embrace. He had already acknowledged that they were a married couple, and Ying Tian was in no mood to think about anything else. He just wanted to bury his face in Guang Hui's chest and enjoy her gentle comfort.

"It's alright, Commander. We were planning to spend the 300,000 pounds anyway, just to mark the completion of the timeline. Besides, it's not much money. I know you're worried about how hard St. Louis works to earn money, but don't underestimate us. This amount of money is very easy for St. Louis. Even if you're worried, you can go back and make it up to her."

Victory said from the side, "Sister, how can you hug your brother-in-law and still speak up for others like that?"

"I wonder who sneaked into the Commander's room last night, saying something about him having an affair behind his sister's back." Princess Eugen rested her chin on her hand, a charming yet mocking smile on her face.

However, Prinz Eugen's words might be useful to others. Victory, being a passionate and willful goddess, said matter-of-factly, "I like my brother-in-law, but we're not married, so of course I'm cheating on my sister."

"I also like the Commander, and I'm not a married ship, but I won't be having an affair right now."

Prince Eugen chuckled and walked directly behind Ying Tian, ​​embracing the Commander from behind in front of Guanghui: "You were so majestic last night, even Bismarck submitted to you, Commander. Just now, you were so charming. Why are you so timid now?"

Ying Tian didn't answer. He was truly heartbroken. So much money was gone in an instant, and he had to pretend he didn't care. It was like adding insult to injury. Three hundred thousand pounds, two million four hundred thousand yuan, was thrown into the water in half an hour. How many big pork knuckles could that have bought!

Of course, the heartache was only a temporary release, especially with the warm softness in front and the plump elasticity behind. The desire aroused by the physical contact quickly overwhelmed the feeling of heartache. Perhaps this was another way of comforting oneself.

“There’s nothing I can do. I was a bit narrow-minded before, and I haven’t fully adapted yet.” Ying Tian raised his head from Guanghui’s chest, signaling Prinz Eugen to let go of him, as she was choking him. “Besides, this guy is really unlucky. He’s guessed six times and hasn’t gotten it right once. I might as well try to guess myself.”

Prince Eugen chuckled and said, "Didn't you say that if you lost, it was yours, and if you won, it would be his? Anyway, it's destined to be spent."

"You can always back out later, the point is to do whatever you want."

Ying Tian straightened Guang Hui's clothes, which he had messed up, but his hand accidentally touched the firm, large, and soft breasts. Guang Hui's gentle smile remained unchanged, and Ying Tian felt more and more at ease with it.

Princess Eugen pursed her lips and crossed her arms. She wasn't sure if she had succeeded or failed. She should have succeeded a little, though. Even though it wasn't like Illustrious where the Commander took the initiative, the Commander didn't refuse her advances.

"What if we go through all this and still fail in the negotiations?"

"What can we do? We'll just have to make do," Ying Tian said. "Anyway, we're not putting on an act here to please others, but to make everyone happy. We've already talked things out last night, so there's no need to hide anything. You want me to become the commander completely, and I'm pretty much there now. That's enough. The rest is just an add-on."

Prinz Eugen waved her hand and said jokingly, "Commander, please speak more tactfully. Otherwise, it will make the Royal Navy ship girls seem scheming and treacherous."

Victory raised her pretty face and said sharply, "What do you mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything, you guys understand."

"don't know."

"Hmph, how stupid."

The two faced off again.

Guanghui asked with concern, "What if the cooperation really can't be reached?"

“Business is business. Since we’re running a company, we need to understand the exchange of interests. Otherwise, what’s the point of running a company?” Ying Tian paused for a moment and said, “We’ve shown our sincerity and even got the big shot involved. If this still doesn’t work, then we’re just being stubborn and will have to suffer the consequences. At worst, we’ll implement Plan Two and launch a surprise attack on the Commonwealth.”

Guanghui blinked, looking at the man's profile. His decisive demeanor made her unable to resist. The man she liked was indeed the most charming.

However, at least Robert didn't make Ying Tian decisive. His investment in Ying Tian had some effect. He was completely won over by Ying Tian's strength and charm, so he didn't take them to the company building, but went directly to the true core of Plymouth Mining Company—Maxwell Estate on the outskirts of the city.

Chapter 84 Remnants of Another World's History

The luxury car rented by Yingtian slowly drove into Maxwell Manor. This traditional English manor looked quite respectable from the outside, but as soon as the car entered, one could clearly feel a desolate atmosphere—the uneven lawn, the statues with peeling paint, the oddly trimmed green plants, and the absence of any staff other than the gatekeeper. Everything pointed to one thing: the manor owner may have tried his best to maintain appearances, but unfortunately, that was all he could do.

“The family crests match perfectly. It seems the Maxwell family in both worlds is the same.” The Prince of Wales said after observing for a while, as the car slowly followed Robert’s Mini in front. “In that case, at least we haven’t done anything in vain.”

"After all, the two worlds are so similar. The difference must be because of the Sirens. The appearance of the Sirens disrupted the historical process of the parallel worlds." Belfast was driving. The head maid was of course an expert driver, but like St. Louis, she didn't have a driver's license. It was hard to imagine how she managed to rent a car in a completely unfamiliar place. No matter what task she was given, the perfectly elegant head maid always had her own way of doing things.

"That should make it even simpler."

As Ying Tian spoke, a question suddenly occurred to him. According to the ship girls, the Sirens, who nearly destroyed human civilization, appeared suddenly in their world, and the reason for their appearance has not been figured out yet. The ship girls who fought against the Sirens were the same. Their relationship with the Sirens was like light and darkness, yin and yang, opposing yet unified. Now that there are ship girls in his own world, is it possible that the Sirens will appear?

Theoretically, ship girls can use materials from the siren to travel between dimensions, so the siren can too. However, fortunately, the siren does not have coordinates for this world. As long as the naval base does not fall, the siren will not receive guidance from its own dimensional beacon and will not be able to come to this world. In this light, it seems even more necessary to improve the strength of the naval base.

He is not only working for the future of the ship girls, but also building an invisible dimensional Great Wall for his own world!

Thinking of this, Ying Tian nodded involuntarily. Regardless of whether this idea was just wishful thinking, he suddenly felt even more motivated.

The car stopped at the entrance of the manor, and Robert looked into the rolled-down window and said to Ying Tian, ​​"Please wait here for a moment, Mr. Ying. I'll go inside and inform Lord Maxwell."

"I see."

After Robert finished speaking, he went inside with a rather old butler-like man. He was probably the only staff member in the entire estate, since labor costs in developed countries are ridiculously high, and they can only employ the elderly.

Ying Tian didn't stay in the car any longer. Instead, he got out and looked at the castle in front of him in the afternoon sun. He didn't know what style it was, but he could definitely feel a sense of history and culture beneath its desolate exterior.

“Although the castle is small, it blends Baroque, Padigno and Gothic architectural styles, and you can see that the builders put a lot of thought into it.” The Prince of Wales stood behind Ying Tian and said, “If I am not mistaken, this castle should have been built in the 18th century, before the Victorian era. The Maxwell family does have some heritage in it.”

The Prince of Wales spoke in English and made no attempt to conceal her voice; her tone was melodious and calm, carrying far through the empty manor.

“We originally wanted to build a castle inside the naval base as dormitories, but we didn’t plan it well at first, and there was no open space at all.” Victory’s voice was a little softer, she knew that what she was saying could not be heard by others, “The dormitory building where everyone is living now has no aesthetic appeal at all, it’s ugly.”

Princess Eugen stepped out of the car, stretched, and said, "How could we let you build a castle? It's fair that everyone lives in dormitories. If you royals can build castles, why can't we Ironbloods? The naval base only has so much open space now. We couldn't even find a place to build a bathhouse before, let alone a castle."

“That was before, when we argued for ages without getting anywhere.” Shengli walked up to Yingtian, put her arm around his arm, and leaned her pretty face forward. “Now, as long as my brother-in-law agrees, no one else will say a word against it.”

Ying Tian gently stroked his chin and said, "Then why should I agree?"

"Because of me." Victory snuggled up to Yingtian as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "This is a request from your sister-in-law, the most beautiful goddess of victory. Of course, brother-in-law has to agree."

Glorious said softly, "Victory, don't make things difficult for the commander. The commander has to consider the entire naval base."

"That's right, I won't show favoritism."

Ying Tian felt Shengli's slender and graceful body. Although this sister-in-law was a bit willful, he still liked this enthusiastic girl quite a bit. Perhaps, as she said, this was the privilege of beauty. With a beautiful appearance, as long as the personality wasn't too bad, it was really hard to dislike her.

"However, we can learn from this experience and make plans in advance when building the second naval base. We can prepare in advance what facilities we need and how they should be designed."

“Oh right, and there’s also the second naval base.” Victory suddenly became excited. “I must be the designer myself and design a magnificent castle.”

“There needs to be a large public bathhouse,” Prince Eugen said, winking at Ying Tian. “Of course, it should be a mixed-gender bathhouse.”

Ying Tian will not comment, because he is the only male in the garrison, and there is a conflict of interest, so I will remain anonymous.

"In that case, we definitely need to build an amusement park. There are many cute little children at the naval base."

"A big beach!"

"The naval base is probably stronger, the deep sea is much prettier than the near sea."

……

On the second floor of Maxwell Castle, Claude Pavel Maxwell, whom Robert referred to as Lord Maxwell, after hearing Robert's introduction, revealed a disdainful expression on his wrinkled but impeccably groomed face.

You stinking Easterner, have you come here to beg for food from our Ying?

"What do you mean, a young man who possesses both a mysterious, classical Eastern charm and a traditional British style? Robert, do you know what you're talking about? When our ancestors ventured eastward, they were still uncivilized monkeys. So you want me to meet a monkey?"

Robert stared at Claude's aged eyes and thought to himself, "What era are we living in? He's still so old-fashioned. He's a monkey, but you're not?"

He struggled against the deeply ingrained authority of his elders and said, "Please believe me, once you meet him, you will know how extraordinary Mr. Ying is."

"I won't waste my time..."

Claude was about to refuse outright when the Prince of Wales' voice came from outside the window. His accurate assessment struck a nerve with Claude's ancestral honor, and he muttered, "Looks like he came prepared. I might as well give him a try."

After saying that, the old lord walked down the stairs on his own, and Robert quickly followed.

Upon opening the castle gates, Claude saw Ying Tian and his entourage standing in front of the carriage. His first impression of this young man from the East was that he was casual, ordinary, and completely unremarkable. Then, his attention was completely drawn to the Prince of Wales.

Claude didn't know who had spoken just now, but he could tell it was her.

It wasn't her beauty, but her aura, that made Claude almost think he was seeing things.

His Highness Edward VIII?

Chapter 85 You still can't win this over?

Claude froze, his thoughts drifting back decades to when he was a student at Dartmouth Naval College, dreaming of sailing the seas like his family's ancestors during the Age of Exploration, forever etching the family crest under the gaze of God and the Queen, and restoring the glory of the Maxwell family—a duty he felt was his inescapable duty.

It was probably an autumn afternoon, somewhat like the weather at that time of year. A senior alumnus of the Royal Naval Academy came to visit. Claude still remembers the speech that senior gave to him and his classmates under the hibiscus tree in the academy, which inspired him to keep going.

That gentleman was His Highness Edward VIII, or more precisely, the Duke of Windsor, the former Prince of Wales.

Claude bit his tongue, thinking that he must be getting old and his eyesight was failing, or that dying people always subconsciously want to look back on the past. In front of him was clearly a blonde, red-eyed English woman, who had absolutely no relation to His Highness Edward VIII.

Ying Tian put his hands in his pockets and said in a calm tone, "Lord Maxwell? Hello."

Robert's heart clenched. Oh no. That tone, not even a gesture of extending a hand to shake hands. The last person to speak to an old man like that was chased out by Robert with his cane. Even if you have plenty of money, you should at least lower your stance a little.

"If you want to talk business, come inside, Robert, and invite them in."

Robert was astonished. Was this still the same old, rigid, and conservative man? He wasn't angry at all about the rude behavior, and even invited the man in.

Claude frowned as he looked at his dazed nephew and said, "Robert, what are you daydreaming about? Didn't you hear me?"

"Yes, as you wish, Mr. Ying, please come with me."

Robert was now completely convinced. This was a true big shot. He didn't need to use any tricks. Just by standing there quietly, his kingly aura was enough to make even the most stubborn old man lower his arrogant head.

However, things were not as simple as Robert imagined. Although stubborn, Claude's insight was far superior to that of his nephew. He could see that the women around Yingtian were not only stunningly beautiful, but every move and stance followed the most authentic British etiquette. Even one of the purple-haired girls was impeccable. Only women from truly noble families could possess such elegance. In this era, this could absolutely not be something that could be hired with money. So, what was the background of the Eastern youth surrounded by them? Claude couldn't think of it, nor dared to think of it.

Yingtian followed the uncle and nephew into the somewhat gloomy castle. Although it had undergone some modern renovations, it still appeared dark and secluded.

"This portrait..." Ying Tian strolled through the castle as if taking a leisurely walk. He had already mastered the skill and could chat and laugh with ship girls from another world who could move mountains and seas. What was there to be nervous about? He was just a stubborn old man on the verge of decay.

Robert quickly said, "The portraits displayed here are of the Maxwell family ancestors."

"What I mean is, this painting is by John Fenelli, and it's quite good," Ying Tian said casually, neither showing much respect nor belittling him, just making it sound so light and casual.

Old Claude paused for a moment: "You have a good eye."

"It's just that I've seen quite a lot of them."

A simple sentence stirred up waves in Claude's heart once again, because the vast majority of John Fenelli's works were collected in England, and countless nobles used to show off their status by owning one of his works. This was also one of the prides of the Maxwell family. The sentence "I have seen many things" revealed enough information to make Lord Maxwell uneasy. His so-called pride seemed to be worthless in front of this young man from the East.

Then Yingtian casually mentioned the replica of Henry Moore's sculpture in the room, the gilded Buddha statue from India, and the topaz from British Togo. He also had a question-and-answer session with the Prince of Wales, discussing the differences in poetic styles between Shelley and Samuel.

He acted as if he were the master of the castle, and everyone else was a guest.

Robert couldn't get a word in edgewise, and old Claude could only say a few words occasionally. Even though the person in front of him was just an Eastern youth with an accent, he felt the same respect and powerlessness he had when he was young, like when he saw those dazzling nobles.

In fact, Ying Tian is just a mouthpiece for Guang Hui now. He doesn't need to do this kind of unimportant work. The leader only needs to be a good leader.

In the living room, Ying Tian was invited to sit down, along with Guang Hui. Everyone else, except for those who remained in the car, stood around him.

Claude took out his gold-rimmed glasses from his pocket and put them on. He then said to Claude, who was standing to the side, "Go and ask Old John to come over and make a pot of tea for the guest."

"Ok."

"no need."

Ying Tian waved his hand, and Belfast, who was standing beside him, immediately understood. As if appearing out of thin air, she took out the tea set from her ship's equipment, along with hot water and tea leaves. Her elegance was so graceful that people almost forgot to be surprised.

“Apart from my head maid, I don’t like tea brewed by anyone else. You two might as well try Darjeeling tea with water from the second-best spring in the world. It has a unique flavor.”

Belfast handed the brewed tea to the uncle and nephew. Robert thanked them repeatedly, picked up the cup and took a sip. He had no appreciation for tea and kept saying how good it was even though he burned himself. Old Claude, on the other hand, only took a small sip and felt the wonderful taste and perfect temperature collide in his mouth. He couldn't even remember the last time he had tasted such authentic English black tea.