Daily life with the ship girl

Li Ran felt a little embarrassed. After all, his garrison didn't even have a chair, so he could only use some wooden boxes as a makeshift. He said apologetically:

"Please don't mind if I don't take good care of you."

"No, but the decoration style of your house is first-class. I wonder which master did it." Bai Nuoyan praised. Although she didn't understand why Li Ran couldn't afford furniture even though the garrison looked so new, she thought Li Ran had some unspeakable secrets, so she smiled.

"If you don't mind, our Chamber of Commerce just happened to have a batch of mahogany furniture that just came from France. I can give you a 30% discount on the price."

Li Ran spread his hands:

"Then I'm afraid I can only thank you for your kindness. To be honest, I don't have a penny in my pocket."

Bai Nuoyan was stunned for a moment, she asked:

"That shouldn't be the case. If you accept an escort commission, with your strength as a ship girl, you should be able to earn..."

Li Ran's face turned cold, and he said in a light tone:

"My shipgirls are not tools. I won't force them to do thankless tasks."

Bai Nuoyan knew that she had said something wrong, so she quickly apologized and said:

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that since you are now an admiral, accepting some escort commissions can not only alleviate your current predicament, but also provide your shipgirls with opportunities to gain experience. After all, you can't live without the daily necessities of life, right?"

Li Ran knew that he overreacted. It was not his fault. After all, as a time traveler, these ship girls were more like the only solace he had when he came to this world, and also the way for him to integrate into this world. He knew that he had spoken a little harshly, so he softened his tone and said:

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you finish. That was so rude."

"No." Bai Nuoyan shook her head and said:

"You did the right thing. Although I didn't pass the admiral exam, I still understand the first rule of the admiral code."

"What?" Li Ran felt totally confused. He was an outsider, an admiral who came in halfway, and he didn't understand the admiral's rules at all.

"The first rule of the first admiral is that the admiral's significance to the ship girl is to protect her from the slander of secular opinions and prevent her mind from being bewitched by the secular world."

Li Ran's mouth twitched. What a naive rule. Who wrote this rule? Can they please speak human language?

"To put it simply, the admiral's duty is to handle some trivial matters, such as communicating with the outside world, accepting some escort commissions, and ensuring that the ship girls can fight without distractions. This is the admiral's responsibility."

Li Ran listened to Bai Nuoyan's words, and he didn't quite understand, but he smiled bitterly:

"Even if I want to take on some commissions, I'm unfamiliar with the place and don't have any social circles. Even if I go to their door, they may not be interested in me, right?"

"I just happen to have an escort commission here, I wonder if you are interested."

"you?"

"Well, our ship's compass and wind vane are broken, and the delivery deadline may be delayed. The original plan was to use a safe channel. Although this would take some time, it would be safer. However, due to this accident, we have strayed far away. If we still deliver the goods according to the original route, we will definitely be late. So I was thinking about whether we could take the risk of using some more dangerous channels to save time. However, since I haven't found a tutelary fort that accepts the commission, I am worried about this matter."

"Wait, you mean, you want to take a shortcut, and there are deep sea creatures along the shortcut, so you want to find a ship girl to escort you?"

"Yes, look, this is a sea map. We were originally going to pass through the Golden Channel, which is these islands, because there are ship girls from the garrison patrolling around these islands. However, due to an accident, our current location is probably here. By the way, I have always had a question. This location on the map was originally in the sea area. Did you discover this island newly?"

Li Ran looked at Bai Nuoyan, who was in shock. He was just looking at the exquisite sea chart. When he heard her question, he raised his head:

"Yes, it was just discovered a few days ago, so I became the admiral. Also, the Kanmusu Academy Headquarters Investigation Team and the Admiral Academy Headquarters delegation have also been here. It seems that a batch of supplies will be delivered in a few days, so I may not be able to accept your commission."

"Can you tell me how many days it will take for the supplies to arrive?" Bai Nuoyan felt helpless, but she didn't want to give up. After all, if she could get Li Ran to agree to this commission and establish a good relationship with him, the Chamber of Commerce would be able to open up more shipping routes and increase her business volume, which would help the Chamber of Commerce in its increasingly difficult predicament. She said:

"I don't mean anything else. I was thinking that if you still have a few days of supplies left, you can take over the escort mission first. I can wait for a few days."

"Probably in five days. By the way, I haven't asked you what goods you want to deliver?" Li Ran was a little curious. The other party's merchant ship looked like a large passenger ship of tens of thousands of tons, and the cargo capacity should be very large. But as the saying goes, there is no gain without pain. If this batch of goods was really precious, the other party should not have not even issued an escort commission. He was a little suspicious. Could it be smuggling?

Bai Nuoyan sighed. She could see that Li Ran had a strange expression on his face. He might have thought she was a profiteer or smuggler. She said:

"The Sihai Chamber of Commerce is a serious merchant and will not engage in smuggling. To be honest, this batch of ours is blue and white porcelain imported from Xia Country, as well as some tea and silk. Due to the frequent operations in the deep sea recently, business is not doing well."

"Then where is your destination? The Kingdom of Lancaster?" Li Ran nodded. That's true. The deep sea blocking maritime transportation is indeed a big problem for these sea merchants. He pointed to the Kingdom of Lancaster in the Atlantic war zone closest to Xia Country on the map.

"No, it's New England, a large colony of the English Empire. There is now an aristocracy there. Xia's porcelain, tea and silk can be sold at a good price. After all, the price of gold there is low, so the price difference is very substantial."

Li Ran nodded. Although the land area on this nautical chart has indeed been reduced a lot, there are still many similar places on the entire nautical chart and on the earth, such as the approximate locations of these countries.

New England is the equivalent of the United States.

However, the biggest difference from the Earth is that the middle part of the nautical chart is densely marked with various archipelagos, and the country that Bai Nuoyan mentioned is only as big as one or two provinces of Li Ran's motherland when he was alive. Moreover, many areas on the nautical chart are azure blue waters, and are specially marked as unknown and dangerous. He estimated that the area of ​​the unknown area is at least nearly seven-tenths of the entire nautical chart. Human beings live in these three-tenths of the known area. He felt a little shocked. The plight of human survival in this world is more difficult than he imagined. He said to Bai Nuoyan with understanding:

"How long does it take to get from here to New England?"

Bai Nuoyan hesitated for a moment, thought about it, and said:

"This is the largest Nile port in the north of New England. If your destination is here, it's at least 1200 nautical miles from your island, and it will take about a week."

"How many days are left before your delivery date?"

Bai Nuoyan thought for a moment and said:

"There's still about half a month left, but a week is only ideal because this is the closest shipping route, but there are the fewest ships. Do you know why?"

Li Ran thought about it for a while. Indeed, there are only a few islands and reefs on this route. There are no large islands, and no garrisons. There should be a lot of deep sea. He said:

"Because of the Deep Sea Fleet?"

"Yes, this route is indeed the shortest route from Xia Country to New England, but because there are no supply points along the way, this means that taking this route will have higher logistical costs. What's more fatal is that there are no garrisons along this route. Although there are many islands and reefs, they are all very desolate. If you encounter the deep sea, there is nowhere to escape to."

Li Ran nodded, but then he thought that this route was not the direction of the ABC islands. As long as he could explore the truth of this route, it might become an opportunity for the prosperity of his port area in the future. He thought about it, but he had to be cautious about escort commissions, and this route was indeed too empty. He said to Bai Nuoyan:

"I can't give you a definite answer for now. Wait until Lexington and Bismarck come back and I'll ask for their opinions. By the way, if you don't mind, you can stay on the island tonight. It's getting late."

Bai Nuoyan also knew Li Ran's concerns. After all, this route seemed to have been explored. However, after so many years of doing business, she had heard many rumors about that route. Some said it was the route of death, and some said it was the route of greed. In short, the danger of this route was recognized by all sea merchants. After all, if there was no garrison nearby, the route would be a dead end as long as it encountered the deep sea.

Li Ran and Bai Nuoyan talked about some customs of Xia Country. As a Xia person, Bai Nuoyan felt very close to Li Ran, who had the same skin color and ethnicity as her. She was happy to tell him about some of the situations.

……

Seeing her admiral talking and laughing with a strange woman, Pinghai was furious, and Firefly was also a little unhappy. She said to Quincy:

“Sister Quincy, that woman doesn’t look like a good person.”

Quincy didn't realize anything. Was she a fool? She just made an OvO expression and Firefly shook Juno's hand:

"Sister Juno, don't you think so?"

"Well, but it seems that your admiral is even less of a good guy." Juno complained.

Pinghai was annoyed by Juno's words. She smiled and patted her head:

"Nonsense."

Juno stuck out her tongue. She didn't want to make her friend Ping Hai angry, so she whispered:

"Are you jealous?"

"No." Pinghai's face flushed, and she and Juno started arguing.

Li Ran was somewhat embarrassed by Ping Hai Junuo's noise, and said to Bai Nuoyan:

"I'm sorry, they're just like little kids."

"Hmph, I'm not a child." Ping Hai puffed out his chest with full energy and gave Bai Nuoyan angrily.

Bai Nuoyan was a little confused. She looked at the little girl in the red cheongsam and then at Li Ran's reaction. She glanced at Ping Hai with a half-smile and teased Li Ran:

"It seems that your ship girl likes you very much."

Pinghai's face turned red instantly, and she covered her face. Oh no, the admiral would definitely scold her now.

Unexpectedly, Li Ran did not deny it. He stood up, walked to Ping Hai and touched her long gray hair. His face was full of doting. He said to Bai Nuoyan:

"I like them, too. To me, they are like family members."

Bai Nuoyan smiled and said:

"Family? You are really different from the admirals I have met. You are really an outlier."

Li Ran shrugged and said nothing.

"Maybe."

Chapter 32: Strange Words

Bai Nuoyan looked at Li Ran and remembered something. She asked:

"By the way, I didn't see anyone else along the way. Where is the repairman you mentioned?"

"Repairman?" Li Ran smiled, ruffled Pinghai's hair, and said:

"My garrison only has me and the shipgirl. Ordinary people don't have it, but don't worry, since I promised to help you repair the ship, I have my own way."

Bai Nuoyan looked a little suspicious. She thought for a moment:

"What method? Apart from the boatman, can you hire the goblins now?"

Li Ran was stunned for a moment and said:

"You also know about magical fairies. Yes, my tutelary fort has a complete tribe of fairies. Bismarck should have cleared them out by now. Calculating the time, the fairies should be working already."

Bai Nuoyan opened her mouth, feeling a little unbelievable. She couldn't understand Li Ran any more. Fairies were very rare. Many garrisons only had a small number of fairies. She was a little skeptical:

"You said there was an entire tribe of goblins? Don't lie to me."

Li Ran touched his nose and said:

"No need to lie to you."

As soon as Li Ran finished speaking, Bai Nuoyan saw his butler Li Sanyan running over in a hurry. Under the leadership of Bismarck, he came to the outside of the garrison and said to Bai Nuoyan excitedly:

"Miss, the compass and wind vane have been repaired, and many hidden dangers of our ship have been eliminated. Even the sonar that has been damaged for a long time has resumed operation. It is really surprising that there are goblins in Admiral Li's port area."

Bai Nuoyan stood up immediately. She looked at Li Ran in shock, and found that he looked indifferent. She quickly stood up, walked to Li Sanyan, and asked:

"Are you telling the truth?"

Li Sanyan looked at his young lady with a look of shock on his face. He took a breath and said:

"It's true, miss. Everyone is waiting for you to come over."

Bai Nuoyan took a deep breath and said to Li Ran:

"Li Ran, can I go back and check on the boat now?"

Li Ran nodded:

"Of course, let's go together, Bismarck. The goblins didn't say anything, did they?"

Bismarck's expression was still grim, but after hearing Li Ran's words, his expression softened a little and he nodded:

"Chief Ruo Duoruo said that if there is anything in the future, we can call them directly. They are very grateful to the admiral for taking them in. By the way, the fairies said that this fleet has some raw materials for repair barrels, and they should be able to prepare a small barrel of quick-acting repair fluid. The details will have to wait for the admiral's decision."

"Okay, Miss Bai, let's go." Li Ran thought about it and felt that calling Ruoyan was a bit too intimate. He didn't want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings, so he decided to be polite. It would be best if they could just be acquaintances who nodded to each other by chance.

Bai Nuoyan knew that Li Ran's title was intended to keep a distance from her. Although she was a little disappointed, as a businessman, she was able to reach a preliminary cooperation with an admiral, so she would be able to slowly seize this opportunity in the future. Moreover, the location of Li Ran's garrison was too special. It was a garrison with a pivotal position in the triangular sea area of ​​Xia Country, New England, and Xingtu Islands.

She thought about it. If the escort commission could be fulfilled, as long as she could safely reach the Port of Nile from the Death Route, her Chamber of Commerce would be equivalent to seizing a delivery channel that was no less than the International Golden Route. The amount of money that could be saved would be considerable, which would greatly alleviate the crisis of her Chamber of Commerce. Thinking of this, she said:

"Of course, please, Admiral Li."

Li Ran took Pinghai and Firefly's hands and walked beside Bai Nuoyan. Bismarck was behind Li Ran, Li Sanyan was behind Bai Nuoyan, Juno and Quincy were a little curious, so they also followed behind. No one spoke much along the way.

Li Ran didn't want to talk because he was worried about the construction of the port area. Given his current situation, he didn't know when the port area would be built. He thought helplessly:

Maybe I should agree to accept this escort commission.

When they arrived at the deepwater harbor, Li Ran saw the goblins coming down from Bai Nuoyan's fleet one after another. Although these goblins were only the size of a thumb, none of the people from Sihai Trading Company dared to act presumptuous.

After all, they were businessmen and had heard more or less about the relationship between the ship girls and the fairies. To offend these little things would be equivalent to making things difficult for some of the ship girls to a certain extent. What's more, the carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier ship Lexington were hovering over their heads, and they were not sure that they could survive under the unscientific firepower of the ship girl.

Seeing their eldest daughter coming, the sailors of Sihai Trading Company immediately stood up to greet her. Li Ran let go of Pinghai and Firefly's hands and walked to Lexington. He saw the head of the Ruoduoruo clan sitting on his wife's shoulders and greeting him:

"Hello, Admiral. Thank you for providing the fairies with a valuable opportunity to practice."

Li Ran looked at Ruo Duoruo and scratched his head:

"I want to thank you, but I don't know if the repair process will be too complicated."

"Don't worry, Admiral. There is nothing in this world that my fairy clan cannot repair." Ruo Duoruo said with pride.

Li Ran nodded, and then she saw Lexington seemed to be hesitant to speak, he was a little surprised:

"What's wrong? Are you too tired?"

Lexington opened his mouth, but was too embarrassed to say anything. However, Ruo Duoruo understood the thoughts of this aircraft carrier girl, so he said:

"Admiral, your shipgirl actually wants us to prepare a quick-acting repair fluid, but she is too embarrassed to say it. However, I hope you won't blame her. After all, the repair fluid is a life-saving remedy for the shipgirls, and their needs are understandable."

Li Ran looked somewhat stunned. He said to Lexington helplessly: