Revisit Azur Lane

Upon hearing this, Zhou He looked over there and became quite interested in the so-called fruit trees. This island was most likely created for him by the system. Something created by such a rigid system must have a complete ecological cycle inside, and all sorts of things might be related to him.

"climb mountains?"

Zuikaku, hands on hips, asked, "Need bodyguards?"

"Of course, you all have to come along."

Zhou He glanced at her, smiled, and turned to walk towards the command post: "However, you can choose whether to take the mountain road or the waterway."

Zuikaku and Hermione followed Zhou He, peeking out from his side: "As for me, I'm fine with either way. Commander, you seem to really want to build a ship. Is there no way you can use your privileges to build one?"

"I'd love to."

Zhou He shifted his attention to the system and looked at the remaining 22 Home Coins. Thinking that no new ships would be added today, he claimed the daily 6 Home Coins. A proper small speedboat costs 70 Home Coins, while an ordinary fishing boat would cost less. He could save up to buy one, but at this stage, he wasn't going to use the Home Coins to find himself a vehicle.

With a slight smirk, he closed the system interface and glanced at Zuikaku: "Instead of building a ship from scratch, I think it would be more convenient for you to tow a Siren destroyer back for me. I'll see if I can repair and modify it."

"Haha, Commander, you really can't forget about the Sirens' destroyers."

Zuikaku's eyes darted around for a moment, then he crossed his arms and laughed heartily, reassuring Zhou He, "Don't worry, next time a Siren invades our territory, we'll definitely tow a ship back for the Commander."

It was just a habitual remark from Ruihe, but Zhou He genuinely wanted to touch the Sirens' corpse to see what the reward would be. He thought it would be good to put some pressure on Ruihe, so he nodded earnestly: "Then I'll be waiting for Ruihe to fulfill his promise."

"Uh."

Ruihe was speechless for a moment. That's what she said, but she might not remember it when she was fighting. She tried to retract her promise several times, but Zhou He cleverly avoided her gaze, leaving Ruihe no chance to speak. She could only follow behind in a sullen voice. Hermione, who was next to her, couldn't help but squint and laugh. It was the first time she had ever seen Zhou He do something naughty.

"Ah! Commander, when are you going to call Shoukaku back? I can't remember all this nonsense."

After entering, Zuikaku couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed Zhou He's shoulder from behind and shook him—hermien was so startled that she rushed over to break up the fight. Zhou He was also caught off guard, but when he turned around and looked at the commotion Zuikaku, he couldn't help but laugh. After a while, he spread his hands and said, "I also wanted to call Shoukaku over, but right now I don't have the Wisdom Cube to build new members. I still have to rely on you guys to fight the Sirens. Maybe Shoukaku will hear your and my calls and she will appear next time you sink the Sirens."

"Really?"

Zuikaku stopped causing trouble and waited for Hermione to let go before coming to Zhou He's side: "So, Commander, you don't have any construction materials here. That explains why I haven't seen you recruiting new members."

"I will not choose to hide my strengths when I am clearly at a disadvantage."

Zhou He shrugged. Like most people in Donghuang, he had a fear of insufficient firepower. If he had a Mind Cube, he would definitely use it immediately. He desperately needed the addition of new ship girls, not only to deal with the Sirens, but also because the addition of new members would inject vitality into the port and make it more interesting.

He hoped his port would be a lively, fun, and joyful place, and that he would do his best to resolve any conflicts that arose.

This will be his goal for the rest of his life.

……

"Commander, Yuudachi and the others are back, and Hood is with them too."

Yuudachi and Tosa ran far away. Zuikaku took a bath and rested before they finally approached the island. Zuikaku, who was sunbathing outside, noticed the three returning. She peeked through the kitchen window and looked at Zhou He, who was sweating profusely from the fire while cooking, and gave him a reminder.

"Oh? Could you go pick them up for me?"

Zhou He was frantically tossing the wok to stir-fry the vegetables, trying to respond to Ruihe. But after he finished cooking and plating the vegetables, he realized that Ruihe was still leaning against the window and hadn't left. Thinking that she hadn't heard him, he could only wipe the sweat off his face with a towel, turn around and ask Hermione to prepare the ingredients for the next dish before hurrying out of the command post.

"What did the commander just say?"

Zuikaku circled around from the side and caught up with Zhou He. Her smiling face made her seem very cunning, which was completely out of character for her. As soon as Zhou He heard and saw her, he realized that she had deliberately made him come out on his own. He couldn't help but feel helpless: "I'm pretty busy over there too. Yuudachi and Tosa must be hungry. Why don't you pick them up for me?"

"Hmph, I think you have absolutely no idea, Commander."

Ruihe stood two meters away from Zhou He, reaching out to brush her long, flowing hair aside. If she didn't speak, she would truly be an exceptionally beautiful and quiet young woman.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Zuikaku pointed to herself and then to Yuudachi and the others in the distance: "We can eat later, but the reconnaissance report you get will be completely different depending on whether you greet them in person or not."

"what?"

Zhou He really didn't understand this time. Why would whether or not he went out to greet someone affect the investigation report?

His management is indeed very lax, but his ship girls are all of extremely high personal quality. They wouldn't act like a child, would they?

"What does it matter! It's just for a little while, it won't keep you from going back to cook!"

Seeing his adorable blank expression, Ruihe felt that he couldn't explain the reason on his own, so he simply gave up.

"Row."

Now that they were already out, Zhou He naturally wouldn't turn back immediately. Although it wasn't explained clearly, judging from Zuikaku's expression, it seemed that she hoped he could welcome each returning ship girl. Since it was a ship girl who suggested it, there must be a reason and effect, so he decided to remember it.

Once the dock is built, we'll set up a security office booth next to it. Whenever there's a ship girl sortie schedule, he can sit inside and rest while working.

During the brainstorming session, Zhou He also arrived at the beach and met up with the three who had come ashore. As always, Yuudachi had sharp ears and a keen nose, and she could smell the scent from afar. After coming ashore, she stepped into the sand and left footprints in the tide, ran to Zhou He, circled around him, and sniffed the scent. Then, she crossed her arms and pondered for a few seconds before suddenly opening her eyes: "There's meat for lunch today!"

"..."

Zhou He had been waiting for her to speak, and when she uttered the word "meat," he couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Xi Li's hair: "When do we eat without meat?"

"Hey hey hey."

Xi Li's little head swayed from side to side with Zhou He's hand, and her innocent smile made it impossible to feel any negative emotions.

Tosa, who was a step behind, also came over at this moment. She glanced at Yuudachi, who was acting cute, and said, "Commander, Yuudachi just ran out of the 90-nautical-mile zone. Did she achieve her reconnaissance objective?"

"We've arrived. Did you encounter any other problems along the way?"

Zhou He released Yuudachi, grunted, and asked Tosa, "I think Yuudachi sank a Siren submarine en route; was she alone?"

"Yes, Commander, you're amazing, you even noticed that."

Yuudachi raised his hand to answer, and even praised Zhou He. Tosa also nodded and said, "No Siren fleet approached after the submarine was sunk. I really don't understand the Sirens' patrol mechanism and intelligence transmission method."

"Don't get bogged down in details. We just need to ensure that we gain an intelligence advantage before each engagement with the Sirens. Using a fixed mindset to view the Sirens might actually put us at a disadvantage."

Zhou He briefly reassured Tosa, explaining that exploring the various patterns of mass-produced Sirens wasn't very cost-effective, because intelligent entities like the Observers would inevitably emerge and control the situation from behind the scenes. He suggested that they should rely on intelligence advantages to defeat the enemy now, and then rely on overwhelming firepower later.

"I see."

Tosa nodded in response, but his face remained expressionless, leaving Zhou He unsure whether his words had truly worked.

Compared to Zuikaku's discoveries in the west, the east side was relatively uneventful. After a brief exchange, the group began to head back. During this time, Zhou He wanted to ask Hu De about his discoveries near the island, but then discovered that Hu De had already left.

"Yes, you came back with Hood. Did she say anything?"

Zhou He felt that Hu De didn't seem to like being with them, but Hu De had kindly invited them to a tea party that morning. He had limited time to talk with Hu De, and just as he couldn't understand Tosa, he couldn't understand the glory of the royal family.

"Yes, they said they hope we can all attend the tea party."

Yuudachi, who was running and jumping happily beside him, turned around and walked backwards in front of him to answer.

"An event where people gather together to drink tea and eat snacks."

Tosa's voice was indifferent. She glanced at Yuudachi and said, "It's no different from any other day. What's the point of your existence?"

"Uh."

This question stumped Zhou He. He didn't really know the true meaning of the Royal Tea Party. Before he transmigrated, he had read many fan and official works where it was just about drinking tea and chatting, and he couldn't see anything special about it. After pondering for a long time, he finally came up with an explanation: "Perhaps, the traditional Royal Tea Party is just a means of social interaction, but our port doesn't need to have external social interactions, so it seems meaningless?"

"The commander is really thinking hard."

Seeing Zhou He's troubled frown, Zuikaku couldn't help but tease him. Tosa shook his head slightly but didn't say anything more. The port area doesn't have any foreign affairs now, but maybe it will in the future.

The group chatted intermittently as they returned to the command post. Zhou He glanced around and saw Hood coming out of the kitchen. He then remembered that he hadn't finished cooking yet. He greeted her and quickly went into the kitchen. Hermione had already started cooking. Despite wearing a maid outfit, Hermione's super strong control over her ship girl physique made her completely unaffected by her attire. Even flipping the wok was exceptionally elegant.

"At this level, you've already graduated."

Zhou He saw this clearly. He knew that his self-taught background was no match for Hermione, who had a formal culinary foundation. Although she didn't know anything about Eastern cuisine at first, Hermione had already surpassed him after a week of training.

I should be the one doing the work!

Zhou He silently went to chop the side dishes and ingredients.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Learning on the Spot

For lunch, Zhou He usually prepares rice and stir-fried dishes, soup, and some steamed seafood. The first two types of ingredients are produced by the system, so they provide more energy and won't make everyone feel like a glutton. The latter type is more suitable for people like Yuudachi who simply like to eat.

However, Hermione is in charge of cooking today, and there are also sandwiches, sausages, and fruit salad on the table, making the selection of dishes more diverse.

"Was it Hood who reminded me? Sigh~ That's good. We should have added more dishes from other factions. It was my oversight."

Because of the tea party, Zhou He didn't make any declarations after the meal and let everyone disperse. When he was helping Hermione clean up, he chatted with her for a bit and suddenly realized that he had touched on a blind spot in his thinking.

Ordinary ship girls have never tasted food themselves, so they don't have high requirements for taste. However, sometimes older ship girls like Hood (who have lived a long time) will want to eat the dishes of their own faction. Zhou He thinks this is a good thing. Each faction has its own characteristics. Having never been abroad before his transmigration, he can experience foreign customs through his own ship girls.

Well, it’s very profitable.

However, he was disappointed that the kitchen created by the system didn't have an automatic dishwasher. He had void energy, but this kind of convenient household machine was omitted. It was indeed an old-fashioned system. He wondered if it was sold in the home store.

Amidst laughter and conversation, the two cleaned up the tableware and the kitchen. After finishing, Zhou He took out the tools for making cakes and cookies from the cabinet and lined them up on the table in the middle of the kitchen.

"What specific times are the tea parties and afternoon tea sessions?"

Zhou He wasn't in a hurry to start cooking. He was good at cooking, but making snacks himself—to be honest, before he transmigrated, he had only seen people make snacks at home in anime. He did get to eat them after Hermione arrived, but that was a different matter from making them himself.

"Well, around four o'clock in the afternoon. It usually lasts 20 to 30 minutes. Commander, you don't need to worry too much. Ms. Hood probably won't consider this tea party a formal event, I guess."

Hermione wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and after answering Zhou He, she rummaged through the cabinets around her for a while and took out a set of exquisite tea set that had never been used before. The system had given her this kind of thing because the Eastern Empire also had the custom of drinking tea.

Hearing the first part, Zhou He breathed a sigh of relief, but the last "probably" made his eyelids twitch. He tapped his palm lightly on the table and said, "Hermione, you should rest for a while too. I'll go ask Hood about the specifics."

"Ok."

Hermione didn't resist, smiled and agreed before walking out of the kitchen. Zhou He was a step behind, and when he went out, he saw Hermione had gone upstairs. He turned around and glanced at the clock in the hall. It was already 2:30 in the afternoon. The tea party was at 4 o'clock. Considering the time for making desserts, it was quite tight.

"It should be alright."

Zhou He thought for a moment. Anyway, the ship girls wouldn't get fat no matter how much they ate. He could just have dinner a little later tonight. He looked around and walked to the gate. He went down the steps, squatted on the grass, and measured the height with his palm. The grass near the entrance had been trampled down, forming a small path.

What would it look like if a road were directly covered with cement?

Zhou He stood up and pondered. The height of the ground and the steps was about what he had expected. If the cement road cover was not adaptive but a fixed 20cm thick, then the second level of the entrance steps would be lower than the road surface, creating a drop. He would have to get some concrete to fill the drop, which would be quite troublesome without the material.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou He turned around and walked to a position about ten meters in front of the command post. He looked around and saw that this was the main road he had envisioned, which would become a crossroads in the future. He could use this place as a reference point for experiments. Moreover, the system had already leveled the surrounding area, so there should be no unevenness along the way.

After carefully considering his options, Zhou He squinted and purchased a cement road surface for 1 Homestead Coin (27 remaining) from the Homestead system. After entering the browsing interface, he used the holographic image to find the right angle (with auxiliary lines) and confirmed that it was parallel to the command post before confirming its use.

Blue light appeared out of thin air and covered the lawn. A few seconds later, it solidified into a concrete road that rose above the lawn. The cross-section was very flat, and the whole thing was embedded in the soil. Zhou He squatted down and dug out the edge of the grass with his hands and found that the foundation underneath was very deep, but the height above the soil surface was only about ten centimeters, which was different from what he had expected.

"We really have to see the actual product to be sure."

Zhou He reaffirmed the truth that practice reveals reality. He stepped onto the solid roadside, turned around, and bought another 1 Home Coin (26 remaining) of cement road to the entrance of his command post and placed it there.

The light reappeared and solidified, and the two road sections, one horizontal and one vertical, were completely connected, as if they had been watered together from the beginning. Zhou He circled around and examined them continuously, and only felt relieved after confirming that there were no flaws. However, he did not continue to piece them together.