I, Azure Commander!

Therefore, except for very rare cases, basically no director of a maritime bureau would casually recommend a commander to the Naval Academy.

"That's easy. You can just go to Barbarossa with the letter of recommendation after school starts. However, the Naval Academy doesn't start until September, so there's still more than a month left. Don't waste this time. If you take on commissions, you can probably do eight or nine of them, and you can make a lot of money."

"Well, let me think about it..."

To be honest, Lin Xiao didn't really want to take his own ship girl to do the commission.

If it were before and he was short of money, he might have reconsidered it, but now that he has Sheffield, even though he is a gigolo, at least he doesn't have to worry about his livelihood in the short term and he has enough money.

It is not impossible to do the commission under such circumstances, but it is not necessary. The main reason is that Lin Xiao is still thinking about the many ship girls in his own port area who are still nowhere to be found, so he still wants to try to find them.

Elizabeth knew that her hometown was in Area E, but Area E was too far away from Area C. In addition, the Sirens blocked the sea area, and there were many dangerous sea areas along the way. She could only go around from inland. It would probably take nearly a month just to get there, not to mention that Area E was so large. He didn't know which city Elizabeth and the others were in. Not only would it be difficult to find them, but it would also delay their schooling, so he could only put it on hold for the time being.

It would be nice if there were some clues about other people... Unfortunately, Xiao Tiancheng didn't seem to know where Akagi and the others went, or what they were doing.

Oh, it's difficult...

Although there are many ship girls in their port area, as many as three or four hundred, but three or four hundred ship girls, if placed in the entire world, inevitably seems like a lot of gold in the sea. What's more, the ship girls choose different lifestyles, and many of them have integrated into human society like Sheffield. If there is no clue and they search around like a headless fly, more than a month may not be enough to search a small city, and there may even be a mistake like "passing by".

If only this world had a communication network as developed as in the previous life, then even if areas were blocked, if information was released within one area, there would at least be a chance to find more clues about one's own ship girls.

Unfortunately, perhaps because of the information blockade, the communication network in this world has hardly developed. However, the entertainment industry, especially the game, movie and animation industries centered around the theme of KanColle, has developed very well.

"By the way, is there any place where there are a lot of KanColles?"

Lin Xiao seemed to suddenly think of something and asked Du Ming beside him.

Look, here it comes... As expected, the European Emperor is a creature whose mind is full of nothing but salvaging the boat.

Du Ming didn't seem surprised. He just said earnestly, "Brother, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but salvaging a ship is a matter of fate and luck. People can't always have good luck. Maybe you have salvaged two ship girls at once, so you think salvaging a ship is a simple matter. I have to correct this concept... Of course, the most important thing is to consider your health."

His eyes were red. "Mr. Lu Xun said that the life span of European sturgeons is very short."

"..."

Lin Xiao did not dwell on the fact that there was also a Lu Xun in this world and that everyone was persecuting Lu Xun. He just said vaguely, "Well, I know. I just want to see the world. Like you said before, it's good to make more friends."

Du Ming's eyes widened, he recalled the occasion when he said this, and looked at Sheffield next to Lin Xiao.

Did I ask you to make friends this way?

Today you are a friend, tomorrow you will be my KanColle, and the day after tomorrow will I give you a ring and call you my wife?

Damn you, European Emperor!

Although he was complaining in his heart, Du Ming still answered Lin Xiao's question. Well... speaking of places with a high concentration of ship girls, there is actually nothing special about them. Most port cities have some ship girls. If you really want to say, the places with the most ship girls are the Maritime Administration and the front line.

"What kind of answer is that?"

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes without hesitation. The frontline was too far and too dangerous, so he definitely couldn't go there. As for the Maritime Administration, Lin Xiao imagined it for a moment...

"Hello, Commander, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to salvage the boat."

Lin Xiao estimated that if he answered like that, he would most likely be kicked out.

The Maritime Administration has come to salvage the boat. Why don't you go to the Military Police to salvage the boat?

No, no, this approach will definitely not work.

"But, other than that, there is really no specific place where the ship girls are particularly concentrated..."

Du Ming spread his hands helplessly. If there really was such a place, most of the people there would probably not be ship girls, but commanders.

"However, although there is no particular place where there are many ship girls..."

But then, he seemed to have thought of something, and said in a daze: "But if you really want to salvage the ship, oh no, if you want to make friends with the ship girls, there is actually a good place to go."

"Oh? Please elaborate."

Lin Xiao was skeptical. After all, his real purpose was not to salvage the ship, but to find his own ship girl. There was a big gap between the two.

"You think it's summer now, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"This season is the time when the summer festival is held in the neighboring J District. Many cities there will hold large-scale festivals in the near future. I heard that many shipgirls from the Sakura Empire like to visit the festivals, so every year at the festival in J District, there are actually many shipgirls and commanders mixed in. In addition, the atmosphere of the festival is also suitable, so every year there will be a few lucky people who get a ship at the festival. I think you can also go and try, of course, don't have too high expectations."

When Du Ming finished speaking, there was a hint of regret on his face. It seemed that he had been there more than once or twice, but each time ended in failure. Eventually he lost the desire and simply stopped going, so he hadn't thought about it before.

"sounds good......"

After listening to Du Ming's description, Lin Xiao's eyes lit up. So, this festival is indeed worth going to. At least the probability of him running into his own ship girl is higher than wandering around, right?

Moreover, even if you are really unlucky and don't meet your own ship girl, it would be nice to just think of it as taking Xiao Tiancheng and Sheffield out for some fun.

Lin Xiao glanced at Xiao Tiancheng who was silent at the side. Although he didn't say anything, the little guy's eyes lit up when he heard about the festival and he was obviously looking forward to it.

After all, Amagi-chan is also a ship girl of the Sakura Empire, and she's still a child. Children are naturally the ones who look forward to the festival the most.

"You really want to go... It's not impossible, but don't be too disappointed if you can't find a boat. By the way, if you want to go, there are a few things you need to pay attention to."

Du Ming recalled the few precautions that he had memorized at the time. "First, the Ship Girls from other forces may not be the only ones who go to the festival. Second, the Ship Girls will hide their identities at the festival and play as ordinary people - although the Ship Girls from the Sakura Empire can't hide their identities at all. In this way, the way to distinguish the Ship Girls other than the Sakura Empire is to judge by their appearance and temperament."

Lin Xiao nodded. Indeed, the appearance of the ship girls is generally outstanding, and their temperament is also extraordinary. They are very easy to recognize in the crowd.

"But... there may be beautiful human girls at the festival whose looks and temperament are no less than those of the ship girls. You must pay attention to this. In the past, a guy made a big mistake by mistaking a beautiful human girl for a ship girl. As a result, he flirted with the girl and made her blush. After he found out, it was too late to regret. He had to bite the bullet and date her. When he got home, he was inevitably complained by the ship girls."

"Of course, if you want to solve your life's major issues at the same time, it's not impossible to flirt with a beautiful girl from Sakura..."

"The last point is that many commanders will bring their own shipgirls to the festival. Before you salvage the ship, you must remember to confirm whether the other party already has a commander, otherwise it will be very embarrassing. Okay, that's all I have to say. If you really want to go, it happens to be in the J District capital. The annual largest summer festival will start in about a week. J District is relatively close, so you can just make it in time if you go now."

"Okay, thank you."

Lin Xiao wrote these down one by one, then smiled and patted Du Ming on the shoulder, "If I find a ship girl later, I'll treat you to a meal when I have the chance."

"Again......"

Du Ming couldn't help but look at Sheffield again. Thinking of his own painful experience of being caught off guard and having his face exposed to the sun, he felt terrible.

"Go get your boat, you damned European emperor!"

He cursed with a smile and punched Lin Xiao's shoulder. Then they smiled at each other. Sometimes, friendship between men is just that simple.

Volume 2: Festival Journey

Chapter 1: Commission to Area J

"Then we'll see each other again someday."

At the port, Du Ming, who was rushing to take on the next commission, waved to everyone, then turned around with his own ship girl to look for the commissioned passenger ship.

After Lin Xiao and Fang Kang had a brief chat, they went their separate ways. Fang Kang planned to take San Juan home and learn more knowledge to prepare for the start of school. Lin Xiao had already made up his mind to go to District J to participate in the festival there.

However, although Area J is relatively close to Area C, it is still a cross-regional journey after all. Lin Xiao paid special attention to the route to Area J. Even if it takes a little more time and takes the safest detour, he will still pass through the sea area with a danger level of four. If he does not take a detour, he will pass through the sea area with a danger level of six, which is really hard to feel at ease.

Although Xiaotiancheng and Sheffield both said that the level 6 sea was just a drizzle and could be crushed through, Lin Xiao calculated the time and found that he could still make it in time. There was no need to take risks for just one or two days, so he finally decided to take the safest route.

The route was determined, but there was no ship yet. I ran around the port for a long time and finally went to the reception desk to ask Miss Leander for help. Only then did I find a cargo ship heading to Area J tomorrow.

"The captain of this cargo ship has been coming to me every day these days to ask if there are any shipgirls who can take the commission. However, the Siren ships in the Level 4 Sea Area have basically reached Level 30 or 40. Shuibo Port is just a relatively remote port. There are not so many powerful shipgirls and commanders here. According to the information of free shipgirls currently registered by the Maritime Administration, it is really difficult to be competent for this commission. Commander Lin Xiao, if you want to go to Area J, you can actually take this commission directly. In this way, you don’t have to pay for the journey and you can also make some money. What do you think?"

"That sounds good..."

Lin Xiao nodded, but was a little hesitant. After all, if they accepted the commission, it would mean that they would be responsible for the safety of the cargo ship. Xiao Tiancheng and Sheffield would patrol the waters near the cargo ship every day. If they found a Siren ship, they would need to clear it out, which was somewhat troublesome. Moreover, with Sheffield's family background, it seemed that he didn't have to care about the ship ticket and the commission money.

He glanced at Sheffield who was silent and Xiao Tiancheng who was concentrating on eating snacks. According to his original thoughts and style, he should discuss with his own ship girls and seek their opinions at this time. However, at this moment, he did not do so.

Being indecisive is not what a good commander should do. It is not impossible to seek the girls' opinions, but when it comes to some port area planning, including commissioned exercises, he as a commander must first have his own ideas.

Otherwise, he's not a commander, but just a mascot who lives off his fellow man.

Moreover, it’s not like Xiao Tiancheng and Sheffield didn’t hear Liander’s suggestion, but they tacitly said nothing. The meaning was actually very clear - you, the commander, make the decision on what to do.

Lin Xiao thought about it carefully. Anyway, they were all on board. Even if they didn't accept the commission, if something really happened to the cargo ship and they encountered a Siren ship, they would still have to deal with it. They couldn't just watch the Siren sink the cargo ship.

Besides, what if the captain sees that no one accepts the commission and dares not go and cancels the trip?

He didn't want to go to another port and transfer to another ship, which would be a waste of time.

"Well then, Xiao Tiancheng and Xie Fei, I'll trouble you."

So, Lin Xiao nodded, took the commission from Lian De, and accepted the commission.

Xiao Tiancheng nodded, half opening her mouth, looking somewhat confused. It was still difficult for Sheffield to discern her psychological fluctuations from her expression, but Lin Xiao could still clearly feel that she seemed to be dazed for a moment.

After leaving the reception desk, Xiao Tiancheng nodded his lips, raised his head and said: "My lord, you don't seem to be as majestic as before..."

"Eh? Really?"

The little guy's words made Lin Xiao feel a little at a loss. What was wrong? Was there something he didn't do well enough?

"indeed so."

Sheffield behind him also echoed, "In the past, when the master arranged commissions, he never said anything like 'please'. Whoever he called would be the one to do it. He never listened to everyone's opinions. He didn't even let go of the first-level ship girls who had just joined the port. It's better to say... It seems that he particularly likes to let those newly born ship girls who don't know anything follow the predecessors in the port to run commissions, grow quickly, and don't give them equipment..."

"Uh-huh!"

Xiao Tiancheng nodded repeatedly. It was the same when she was first created. However, probably because the master liked her more, her situation was a little better. She first lived in a dormitory in the port area with several seniors for a while. The seniors taught her a lot of things and improved her training level before she started to run commissions.

They were even assigned to the secretarial team during that period. After completing the commission, they were responsible for handling matters in the port area. The master always liked to poke at them while they were working.

When Lin Xiao heard this, he broke out in a cold sweat. Where did this dictator come from?

However, when I think about it carefully, it seems that I was really so despicable when I was playing games before. Some ship girls ran commissions until they reached level 100, but I didn't even change their equipment. I just threw them into the warehouse and ignored them. Looking back now, I felt that I was really despicable to a certain extent.

Fortunately, she is a ship girl with a simple mind and absolute loyalty. Otherwise, she would have risen up in rebellion, overthrown the landlord, arrested him and sent him to the gallows.

"Ahaha, really? Was I that tough before? I don't really remember."

Sheffield looked at him seriously and said, "Please don't misunderstand. Although we said that, it was the master's vigorous and decisive actions during that period that created such a strong and prosperous port area and Sheffield's current situation. All along, everyone in the port area has always admired and respected the master."

Now that the owner has disappeared once and lost some of his past memories, he seems to have changed a lot. He is no longer as decisive and majestic as before, planning everything like the patriarch of the port area. But the current owner is more real, more gentle, and cares more about their feelings than before.

To be honest, as a ship girl, she may respect her original master more, but as a maid, as Sheffield, she likes her current master more. Well, she likes her very much...

Chapter 2: The Captain's Concerns

Although the cargo ship will not depart until tomorrow, it will set sail on time tomorrow morning, so Lin Xiao simply took the power of attorney and took his own ship girl to the port to find the captain.

It's just right that I can check in directly on the cargo ship tonight, so I don't have to look for a place to stay tonight.

Soon, Lin Xiao followed the cook's instructions and found the captain of the cargo ship.

"Commander, do you want to accept my commission?"

When the captain of the ship saw the letter of authorization presented by Lin Xiao, he was overjoyed at first, then he glanced at the two ship girls beside Lin Xiao, and frowned slightly.

Unlike passenger ships, cargo ships often have to pass through some dangerous waters when transporting goods at sea. Although this is why they can make a lot of money, it also undoubtedly means that they need to take great risks.

If you are unlucky and encounter a large number of Siren ships, and the ship girls responsible for escort are not strong enough, the cargo ship will be sunk and the loss of cargo will be a huge loss, not to mention that there is a high possibility of being buried in the sea. It is a job that requires you to risk your head to make money.

It is for this reason that, although the remuneration for cargo ship commissions is often much higher than that for passenger ships, ship captains never dare to save money in this regard. They even have to hire a few more ship girls just in case. It is better to earn less than to lose their lives.

The commander in front of him was only accompanied by two ship girls, most of whom were new recruits who had just graduated from the Naval Academy. In addition, his two ship girls looked small, so they were probably just two small ships... This time they were going to pass through a level 4 danger area, could they do it?

For safety reasons, the captain had to put a big question mark in his mind. This matter must not be taken lightly.

"Don't worry, it's very stable."

Lin Xiao naturally understood the other party's distrust of him, and immediately took out the letter of authorization, "This was given to me by Miss Leander at the port reception desk. Even if you don't believe me, you should at least believe Miss Leander, right?"

"Oh well."

When Miss Leander was mentioned, the captain's expression relaxed a little. They, the ship operators, had troubled her a lot in the past and they trusted Leander quite a bit. All the commissions they had given her to help with settlement were relatively safe. Perhaps the young man in front of them had a higher level of experience as a ship girl?

"Well, do I need to hire some more ship girls?" However, having said that, he was still a little worried. This business trip was a bit risky for him. The festival in Area J would require a lot of things. If it succeeded, he could make a lot of money, and then the expense of hiring ship girls would not be so painful.

"That's up to you."

Lin Xiao spread his hands. He was actually happy that the captain of the ship would hire a few ship girls. In this way, they could arrange shifts and the time their own ship girls needed to patrol would be reduced a lot.

"Okay, I understand the situation. The three of you please check in on the ship tonight. Don't worry, I have already prepared rooms for the commander and the ship girl in advance. Everything is packed, you can just bring your things and check in."

After saying this, the captain waved his hand and went about his own business, perhaps planning to hire a few more ship girls to insure the trip.

Those were not Lin Xiao's business. He took his ship girl onto the cargo ship and settled down. Then he planned to have a meal at a nearby restaurant. The reward for this commission was not small, more than 100,000 Donghuang coins, which was enough for him to eat better. He could also buy a lot of snacks to prevent himself from going hungry in Xiaotian City at night.

They did not go to the previous commercial street. Since they had plenty of time, they just walked a little further away and took a walk. Although Sheffield had been in this city for more than two years, he hardly went out and did not know what delicious food there was. They just wandered around casually, and if they saw something they wanted to eat, they would go straight into the store.

Gradually moving away from the port and arriving in the small town, the combination of commander and ship girl is still somewhat rare.

Because of Xiao Tiancheng, everyone can tell at a glance that they are the commander and the ship girl, so passers-by often cast their eyes on the three of them intentionally or unintentionally, which makes Lin Xiao somewhat uncomfortable. However, Xiao Tiancheng and Sheffield seemed to have long been accustomed to such situations and were not affected at all. They just concentrated on looking at the roadside stalls.

As they were walking, they saw a takoyaki shop. Xiao Tiancheng stopped, tugged at Lin Xiao's clothes, pointed at the shop and said, "Master, Master, Tiancheng wants to eat that."

"Okay, buy it!"