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

Kaliyong was too embarrassed to say that she had searched for everyone she could find and finally managed to gather seven votes. There was no hope of advancing, but at least she wouldn't end up like Taiho, who had only one vote and looked terrible.

Yingtian took the voting list from Zhenhai. It was basically as expected. Some people might be able to find ways to form cliques, but those with real strength, such as Frederick the Great, Enterprise, Hood, Duke of York, Amagi, Akagi, Richelieu, and others, still stood out and were far ahead. However, Yingtian couldn't quite understand some of the people on the list.

"Yukikaze and Santiago got so many votes, did they also rig the votes?"

“They probably didn’t rig the votes,” Shangri-La explained to Tian. “Because they are both lucky ships, somehow a saying has spread: ‘Vote for Yukikaze, and you’ll have nothing to worry about; vote for Yagou, and you’ll be the best at hiding.’ So a lot of people voted for them.”

Ying Tian was speechless: "Not believing in his own strength, he actually relies on metaphysics..."

“After all, many people signed up just to make up the numbers,” Zhenhai said. “Moreover, with two more mascots, there are two fewer competitors, which many people are happy about.”

Ying Tian carefully examined the voting results and roughly determined the rankings, which included representatives from all factions. He then said, "Let's announce the results accordingly. The top forty will advance to the next round."

The Prince of Wales asked, "Shouldn't we eliminate Yukikaze and the others?"

"No need. It's fair, just, and transparent. Since this is the result, there's no need to interfere."

The results of the first round of voting were announced in the group chat, and basically some people were happy while others were sad.

"After all those little tricks, apart from one or two unexpected choices, the rest were pretty much as expected."

"Damn it, I've already pledged allegiance to you, and you're not pledging allegiance to me?"

"There are only five votes in total. I have to vote for Nagato, Mikasa, Amagi, Akagi, Kaga... I didn't even vote for myself. Anyway, it doesn't make any difference. Neither of us advanced."

"Looking at it this way, it seems that everyone who is recognized is quite capable."

Of all the factions, the Royal Family is undoubtedly the biggest winner. Excluding some mascots, six members—Hood, the Duke of York, Radiant, Howe, Warspite, and Vanguard—were selected, making them the biggest winners.

"I didn't expect to advance. Actually, I was mentally prepared even if I was eliminated." Hao, the younger sister of the King George V-class battleship, is an elegant and innocent young lady of the knight class. She said this modestly, but the smile on her face revealed her excitement.

Guanghui said, "Because goodwill will always be met with goodwill, and you often help others, so people recognize your character and ability."

“Well, knights shouldn’t seek rewards, but they’re always happier when they get recognition.” Howe couldn’t help but laugh happily, then he saw Hood deep in thought. “Hood, what’s wrong? You got so many votes, why do you seem unhappy?”

"Yeah, it's nothing, I'm quite happy."

Hu De forced a smile, but inwardly he was screaming, "Is it really that simple? Just based on the voting rankings, without any selection whatsoever? So all my thinking was just wishful thinking?"

The Duke of York chuckled and said, "Hood is so resourceful, I am completely outmatched."

Hood didn't speak. Hood wanted to die. How embarrassing.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: What Good Intentions Were There?

"It wasn't that complicated to begin with, why did you all think it was so complicated?"

Of the ship girls in the villa, only Enterprise, Essex, Akagi, Kaga, and Richelieu advanced to the next round. Even Yorktown, Shangri-La, Louis IX, and Ryuhou were eliminated in the first round, showing that the competition was still very fierce.

Neither of the Shoukaku sisters signed up. At this moment, Zuikaku was talking with great interest about everyone's reactions inside the naval base. She was now in a god-like position, and she had a unique perspective on the situation.

Longfeng also spoke frankly, saying that many people believe that this time the commander's vote was not just a vote, but also a test of everyone's character, vision, and magnanimity. Those who only voted for their own faction's ship girls were petty, those who voted for unpopular candidates besides themselves were scheming, and those who voted for a variety of ship girls lacked vision... In short, the commander had put a lot of thought into it.

Ying Tian could only sigh and laugh at this.

However, upon reflection, Ying Tian understood. This was simply a difference in perspectives. Just like when students were choosing a class monitor, it was often not the student who thought had the best grades. After all, in the teacher's eyes, the class monitor only needed to be easy to get things done and obedient, and their grades didn't need to be particularly outstanding.

The garrison is full of talented people, and the port area is operating in an orderly manner. It's like a great empire with famous talents such as Zhuge Liang, Di Renjie, and Zhang Juzheng. The people below find it really difficult to decide who should be the prime minister, but the emperor will just think that everyone is so capable, so it doesn't matter who is in charge, as long as they are loyal enough. There is no need to worry about being sidelined.

"But to be honest, this vote that the Commander organized is like a mirror reflecting true nature." Zuikaku held up her phone, looking at the voting results leaked by the mole in the port's large group chat. "Littorio is so confident all the time, claiming that she's the only one in the port besides the Commander, yet she got fewer votes than Veneto. Tirpitz is always quiet, seems aloof and rarely smiles, yet she got as many votes as Frederick the Great. And Nagato... well, Nagato didn't advance. She won't say anything on the surface, but she's definitely sulking behind the scenes..."

"Commander, aren't you going to offer some words of comfort to those who were eliminated?"

“If I were to offer special comfort, it would only make things worse and hurt their pride.” Ying Tian pulled Da Feng off him again and said, “I believe that everyone who has signed up for the selection has a strong heart. The greatest comfort at this moment is fairness and impartiality.”

"Commander!" Taihou cupped her face, imagining that Yingtian's words to everyone else were meant for her alone.

“That’s right.” Long Feng stood behind Ying Tian’s sofa, her posture as upright as Joan of Arc’s. She said, “Not advancing means there is still room for improvement. We need to further refine ourselves. If we can’t even recognize this, then we’ll be letting down the Commander’s efforts.”

Shangri-La sat at the dining table and said, "I didn't have high expectations, but I'm still a little disappointed to see that not many people voted for me."

Louis IX said expressionlessly, "There's nothing to be disappointed about. Other people's opinions are sometimes unimportant. At most, it just means that they don't think I'm suitable to be their secretary ship."

Joan of Arc glanced at her dear friend, Louis IX. Louis IX, who usually wore only a single-color undergarment even in his dormitory, had been unusually changing clothes every day for the past few days. Today, a V-neck plaid shirt accentuated his voluptuous figure, which rivaled anyone's, and beneath his super-short blue denim shorts were long, straight, bare legs. What did she mean by "not suitable in other people's eyes"? If that were truly the case, why did he even apply for the secretary ship selection in the first place? Louis IX, Louis IX, should I tell you about the Commander bullying Shinano? Even here, there are many competitors. If you don't come out honest, you won't make any progress with the Commander until we get back.

Ying Tian agreed with Louis IX's words: "That's right, Louis IX is right. The secretary ship is just an administrative vessel. Compared with combat or escort duties, there is no question of which is more noble."

Yingtian then spoke in the secretary ship selection group: "Congratulations to those who have advanced. Your advancement is what everyone expected. It can be said that any one of you has the undeniable ability of a secretary ship. Those who have been eliminated, please do not be discouraged. The fact that you were able to sign up already puts you in the top 1/5 of the naval base. You are braver and more confident than the vast majority of people. The secretary ship is just a slightly more prominent administrative position. It is completely incomparable to the contributions that everyone has made to the naval base through hard work."

Omaha: "Commander, you're so good at talking, I'm almost starting to believe you."

California: "The key is that even when I do launch attacks, it seems like I haven't done it that many times..."

Yukikaze: "You guys still need to work harder. You're still far behind Lord Yukikaze."

Kumano: "I'm not convinced! I'm going to report this! Someone's colluding behind the scenes!"

Kumano: "Some people are selling tickets privately; something's fishy!"

Kumano: "Commander, you must carry out this order."

Suzuya: "It's okay, it's okay, my sister is sleepwalking. Everyone, please continue your discussion."

Kumano never spoke again, and to this day no one knows what her next words were.

Ying Tian: "I know there are some minor tricks involved, but they're harmless. As long as it's not excessive, I acknowledge that it's part of one's ability. Of course, if it goes too far, that's another story."

Ying Tian: "Alright then, those who didn't advance, please leave the group."

Tallinn: "To kill someone, you must first destroy their spirit?"

Tallinn: "Fine, I'll resign voluntarily. Commander, remember, I'll be back for the next term of the secretary ship."

Omaha: "I'm outta here. Go Baltimore, go Essex, and go corporate veterans too."

Alfredo: "I'm a journalist, could I stay and report on this?"

Alfredo: "I understand, I'll back now. Good luck, Veneto!"

Veneto: "Rest assured, I will let everyone know the glory of Sardinia."

After some time, Ying Tian ruthlessly forced the ship girls who hadn't left the group to leave. He had originally wanted to make it more formal, and even draw on the experience of some e-sports events to create a winners' bracket and losers' bracket, but he changed his mind now and there was no need to drag this out for too long.

Ying Tian: "The next round will be the final election, and the time is set for 2:30 pm."

Ying Tian: "The rules are very simple. I will reveal the topic in the group. All participants have one and a half hours to write an essay of at least 1,200 words. Note that I will only look at the electronic version. Send it directly to my chat account. If you exceed the time limit or do not meet the word count, you will be disqualified. It's a very simple rule. I think everyone will have no problem with it?"

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea, Each Displaying Their Unique Abilities

Yukikaze: "Huh? But Yukikaze-sama doesn't have a computer, so how come you're typing so much on your phone?"

Santiago: "It's okay. As long as you can hand in the paper, you've succeeded. Anyone who can't hand it in is an idiot."

Mikasa: "Typing again? I think Commander, you're just making things difficult for Mikasa."

Jean Bart: "Hmph, what a show of mystery. Is the commander pleased to see us competing like this?"

Richelieu: "Jean Barth, don't try to provoke the commander by reminding him not to reveal the question. He's definitely already prepared."

Richelieu nearly crumpled the Bible in her other hand when she saw the message in the group. "Jean Barth, what are you doing? You don't hate the Commander, and you even like him, so why do you have to make such a statement? What's the point of this other than provoking the Commander's dislike?"

“Commander, Jean Bart didn’t actually mean that on the surface. She might be a little disappointed that the Massachusetts team she voted for didn’t advance.”

Ying Tian didn't seem to care much and casually said, "It's okay. It's normal to have opinions. It would be scary if there were no dissenting voices. But she didn't say what her opinion was."

As she spoke, Ying Tian sent a message in the group: "I'm not too proud. Seeing everyone so eager to be the secretary ship, I feel a lot of pressure. If you have any opinions, please feel free to raise them. If they are reasonable, I can still change the rules."

Jean Bart: "No objection, anyway, you're the one who appoints the secretary ship."

Ying Tian shrugged, somewhat speechless. If you have an opinion, you have an opinion; if you don't, you don't. He was starting to think of Richelieu as someone who felt helpless about her sister.

Richelieu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Ying Tian didn't seem to care much about Jean Bart's words, but she immediately realized that if he didn't take this kind of opposition seriously, wouldn't it mean that the commander didn't value Jean Bart at all?

Richelieu was caught in a dilemma, and as the older sister, she was truly worried sick.

Or perhaps it's just that we're worrying unnecessarily?

Zhenhai and Xianghe carried peeled apples into the living room together. Although she hadn't signed up, she had been watching the whole thing closely. Zhenhai asked, "It doesn't start until the afternoon, Commander, aren't you afraid someone will guess the questions and prepare in advance?"

"I'm not afraid." Ying Tian thought to himself that he hadn't even figured out what the question was yet, so who was this amazing person who could travel through time and predict the question?

"If someone can predict the exam questions correctly, that's a skill in itself. They're like a mind reader. If someone like that isn't the secretary, then who is?"

Akagi remembered Yingtian's words. If she could guess the answer correctly at this moment, wouldn't that be the perfect proof of her love for the commander? But where should she begin?

Kaga had already gone upstairs; she needed to borrow a computer because typing on a phone was really inconvenient.

"To be honest, I'm okay at writing battle reports, but essay questions are really not my forte." Enterprise is obsessed with winning battles, so she doesn't care much about this kind of thing. She'd rather sit in the living room and spend more time with the commander. Anyway, there's nothing to prepare for, and she doesn't even know what kind of books to read in this situation.

Eagle, who had been observing the whole thing, asked, "Commander, could you reveal what kind of discourse it is? Combat? History? Administration?"

Ying Tian asked warily, "Why are you asking this? You haven't registered."

"Just curious."

"Give up. I won't reveal a single word. You'll find out this afternoon."

"Cut~"

Flying Eagle didn't expect to get any information out of him. She secretly sent a message to someone on the chat tool: "The commander is tight-lipped. I can't get any inside information out of him."

On the other end of the private chat was a cat-eared loli at the naval base. Akashi pursed her lips, wondering if she should release some information that was neither true nor false, or simply find someone to provide paid exam-taking services.

However, after thinking about it, Akashi gave up. Things are different now. Those who are just pretending to be competent have basically been eliminated. What's left are the real big shots. Offending these big shots is no longer about whether you can make money, but whether you'll be hung up by a street lamp.

Making money never stops as long as you live, but the prerequisite is that you're alive. Akashi understands this distinction.

Many of the Sakura Empire's ship girls gathered in the dormitory's tea room, brainstorming and chattering away.

"I don't think it will be a history question, since it's an open-book exam and it's hard to control whether or not someone helped look up the questions."

"Could it be a civil service exam or an essay question? Something like logical reasoning, graphic reasoning, a bunch of pictures, and then what's the next picture?"

"It's okay, there are so many of us. We can get together and come up with ideas. There's strength in numbers."

Mikasa sighed, "Forget it. All of you are giving me a headache right now. If this continues until then, I don't think I'll be able to finish typing all this."

Shen Tong said, "Actually, I can help you type. You say, and I write. That shouldn't be considered cheating."

Mikasa's eyes widened, her face showing some excitement, but in the end she shook her head and said, "Forget it, this is cheating. Since it's a secretarial job, typing might be part of the test. I'd rather be eliminated than take shortcuts. That's the Meiji spirit!"

"Cool!" Suruga led the applause.

“Even stubborn old men have their own stubbornness, that’s admirable,” Kii said with appreciation.

King Kong said to Tiancheng, who remained silent, "Tiancheng, aren't you going to say something?"

“No need,” Tiancheng shook his head and said, “I’ve said everything I needed to say, this one sentence is enough.”

Amagi's words have already been sent to Akagi and Kaga: "Don't worry too much, just write whatever you think, what's natural is best."

Gently gathering the long sleeves of her kimono, Amagi felt that she had grasped the key point.

The ship girls of the White Eagle were also brainstorming, but their discussion took a turn for the worse.

"What if the question is about the color of the underwear you're wearing today? Should you answer?"

"Answer it with a black one."

"How could that be? Senior executives in the industry would never wear such daring underwear."

Bremerton said casually, "I didn't say anything about the company. I'm wearing black today."

Baltimore glanced silently at her younger sister. For the Eagle Union ship girls who pursued freedom, things outside of combat were too difficult for them, and it seemed a bit difficult for herself as well.

The ship girls in Ironblood have a different style.

A crowd gathered around Strasser as she took a picture of a note on a tablet, and soon the slightly messy text automatically generated a document.

"With an accuracy rate of over 98%, only a few modifications and corrections are needed."

Strasser then held up another camera and said, "This looks like a Leica camera, and it is a Leica camera, but it can also be used as a translator. After connecting to the internet, it can automatically search for answers to questions. See here? After filling it with purified water, it can also be used as a humidifier. Higher humidity helps people think more calmly."

Prince Heinrich and the others looked at her with the eyes of someone worshipping a great leader. Magdeburg wanted to reach out and touch her, but Bismarck beat him to it: "Well done. With these, we Ironbloods will be even more powerful."

What does it mean for technology to change lives?

Germany's cutting-edge technology is number one in the world!

Chapter Sixty: Making the Port Area Great Again

Yingtian did not want to make the selection of the secretary ship a fierce competition, so there was actually no direct confrontation in the two rounds of selection, which disappointed many ship girls who wanted to watch the excitement.

In their anticipation, these prominent figures from the naval base would engage in a brilliant intellectual exchange, perhaps even a physical one—aren't they always so friendly during human council elections? And then there would be their respective speeches and supporters, all aimed at making the port area great again!

It's a pity that none of these happened. Otherwise, the leaders of the major forces in the port area would have personally engaged in fierce battles, such as the Akagi vs. Enterprise battle, the fateful confrontation between Hood and Bismarck, which side is Jutland? Which side is the Coral Sea? And who fired the catapult? These would have been topics of conversation in the naval base for many years. What a shame.

The intense preparations continued until 2:30 p.m. Ying Tian promptly announced the topic of the essay in the group chat. It was a very ordinary and even somewhat broad topic: "Please discuss the organizational form of the naval base and the methods you believe are good for managing the naval base. The essay should be no less than 1,200 words and should be kept within 2,000 words if possible."