Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

Several booming sounds and several cannon shots rang out.

A dazzling display of fireworks illuminated the entire sea.

A sudden gust of wind swept in, a gust of wind that had been stirred up after the bombing ended. Even from a great distance, it still overturned tents and blew away machinery.

Just as the staff were filled with fear, a barrier appeared in front of them.

"Business, you're confused."

A stunningly beautiful older woman with a collar around her neck, wearing a blue and white dress, black high heels, and white stockings walked up to another older woman with white hair and said softly.

"Whoo~"

The girl, referred to as "Enterprise," took a deep breath, her sharp aura slowly dissipating, and said, "I'm sorry, Belfast, I was indeed in a hurry."

"It's alright, I understand." The girl called Belfast nodded, smiling, and reassured her, "After all, my heartless master, my unscrupulous commander, is almost here." The girl called Belfast responded with a smile.

"Heh, it's rare to hear you say that, Belfast. You seem genuinely happy~" Enterprise composed herself slightly, waved her white-gloved hand, and a roar came from the sky.

It turned out that more than a dozen planes were flying towards the two women.

Its speed surpassed that of a gale, like lightning, appearing in everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

But don't worry, because after circling in the sky a few times, those planes slowly shrank to the size of children's toys, then fell into the company's hands, turned into a beam of light, and entered the company's body.

"Go back, he'll be back soon. If the master sees you like this, he'll scold me." Belfast flew over to Enterprise's side and said softly when she saw that she was still in a daze.

"Hmm." The company nodded, then blushed slightly and muttered, "Belfa, tell me, how long has it been?"

"Three years, six months, twenty-four days, and two hours." Belfast naturally knew what the company was talking about and answered without much thought.

This is the time Belfast's most valued person has been missing!

Belfast is the head of the royal maid corps. Serving that man is her belief and her pride. Every morning, she is the one who wakes her beloved. Over the years, no one has been able to take this position away from her. However, on that day, Belfast walked out of the room in a daze.

Soon, she went crazy, searching everywhere—in the garden, in the castle, on the balcony, everywhere she could think of. She even abandoned her usual cleaning routine, just searching. When others asked her what had happened, Belfast wouldn't say, she just kept searching with tears in her eyes.

Later, the ship girls learned that the entity that could maintain the entire port area had disappeared.

"So, it's been this long already?" The company's expression turned sad again, so pitiful that anyone who saw it would feel sorry for them.

“But he’s coming back, he’ll be here soon. Enterprise, let’s go back quickly. I’ve already arranged for the Maritime Safety Administration to handle things at the front. We still have a lot of things to prepare. Do you really want to go see your master like this?”

"Heh, how could that be? I was just reflecting. After fighting on the front lines for so long, I've been numbing myself through battle. All along, I've been running away, afraid to face it. Now that the commander is back, I don't even know how to see him."

What if he's upset with me for not visiting him for so long? What if I'm so nervous when we meet that I can't even speak?

In short, Belfast, I have very mixed feelings right now.

"So, take this time, Enterprise, to rest and recuperate. Your master must miss you very much."

"Okay." Enterprise nodded, then turned around, preparing to follow Belfast back to the front-line base.

Today is her last strike before the summer offensive; after that, all the fighting will be irrelevant to her.

Or rather, according to the procedures, the company could have always taken a break, but it just never did.

Just as she herself said, she had been numbing herself through fighting. Only in the midst of endless battles could she briefly forget the person she longed for and not be so sad.

But now, I don't need to anymore; I no longer need to numb myself.

The company knows that it has been in a very bad state for the past three years, not in terms of combat effectiveness. In fact, the company has experienced situations that were a hundred times worse than it is now, both in the past and now, but it has always managed to get through them.

The problem with Enterprise these days is actually psychological. If you were to ask which ship girl in the port is in the worst condition, Enterprise would definitely be in the top three. So much so that the other secretaries in the port held a meeting and decided to send one of the ship girls to the front lines, where she wouldn't have to worry about anything else and would take care of Enterprise the whole time.

Otherwise, the Hong Kong district is genuinely worried. What if the company becomes meta-ized? With her combat power, once it becomes meta-ized, the whole world will probably suffer.

"Miss Enterprise, Miss Belfast!"

Just as the company and Belfast were preparing to return, a speedboat sped toward them, and a young man in a navy uniform was standing on the deck, waving at them.

"Hmm." Belfast nodded to the man, indicating that she understood, and then took the company's hand, preparing to leave immediately.

The company generally does not receive visitors. Apart from fighting, she hardly performed any of the tasks that a secretary ship needs to do on the front lines, leaving everything to Belfast.

Even in meetings, she rarely speaks, which is related to her personality, and others also know the situation of the company.

In fact, since Jing Su disappeared, there are quite a few ship girls like Enterprise who have fallen into a state of self-isolation, but not many of them have a status as high as Enterprise.

"Miss Enterprise, are you going back?" The young man wasn't annoyed by Belfast and Enterprise's actions, as he was used to it, but he still asked as usual.

"Yes, we're going back. We won't be fighting until the summer offensive. We've been fighting for so long, it's time for a rest."

To the young man's surprise, the company actually replied this time, and not only that, but they even showed a happy and expectant expression on their faces.

The woman's white hair, pulled back behind her ear, fluttered in the sea breeze. As the sun set and reflected on the sea, the two stunning beauties on the shimmering water created a breathtaking scene, captivating the man who gazed upon them.

"Uh, cough cough." The speedboat suddenly rocked, bringing the young man back to reality. "Of course, of course, Miss Corporate certainly deserves a rest. Well then, after I've finished with these matters here, I wonder if I might have the pleasure of..."

"No need, just mind your own business." Belfast interrupted the young man before he could finish speaking.

The tone wasn't exactly polite, or rather, the ship girls of the Royal Navy are never very polite to outsiders, even though Belfast is the leader of the Royal Maid Corps and takes taking care of people very seriously.

It could even be said that Belfast gave the vast majority of her respect to the person she deeply loved.

Belfast could guess what the young man in front of her wanted to say without even thinking. Or rather, it was obvious what a so-called second-generation rich kid, who originally had a bright future and unlimited glory, was thinking, having given up his promising career to spend his days on the front lines amidst gunfire.

Since Jing Su's disappearance, the company has become withdrawn. Even when Belfast talks to her, she is often ignored. Therefore, Belfast is basically in charge of all interactions with other people.

Just like before, the company took the initiative to speak, which is the first time in three years. It's clear that the company is in a very good mood. This is excellent news; the company has finally emerged from the gloom.

Given this, how can Belfast allow others to disturb the business?

Or rather, she herself felt annoyed by this young man, who was like a fly, buzzing around about his identity whenever he had the chance.

Belfast's good upbringing meant that although she disliked the people at the Maritime Bureau, she hadn't said anything harsh. She might have, but this young man was in the wrong.

In short, this young man is absolutely unique in that he can make someone hate him so much.

“Uh…” Upon hearing Belfast’s words, the young man was stunned. Although he had always been rejected when he tried to approach her before, this was the first time he had been so bluntly denied like this.

"If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving now." Without waiting for the young man to say more, Belfast led the company away from the scene.

"..."

"Damn it!" After the company and Belfast left, the young man suddenly slammed his fist on the railing and cursed angrily.

"Young master, please calm down!" A servant nearby saw this and quickly came over to appease him.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and clean up the battlefield. I don't care what methods you use, but you must clean up the scene by eight o'clock tonight. I'm going back to the logistics department tonight."

“But…” Upon hearing the young man’s order, the attendant was dumbfounded. He knew that Enterprise had wiped out all the Sirens within a radius of thirty nautical miles in one fell swoop. Such a large area would take him several hours just to sail there. Even if he had ten eight-hour periods, he still wouldn’t be able to finish before eight o’clock!

"But what? If you can do it, do it; if you can't, get out!" the young man cursed, turning and going onto the deck.

'You failed in your pursuit of a woman, what's the meaning of taking your anger out on us?' The servant wailed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do but comply.

In the past, the commotion caused by companies was much greater than it is today. A mere thirty nautical miles is just normal for them. On a few occasions, I don't know what was wrong with the company, but they seemed to be in a bad mood and suddenly went all out and wiped out the sirens within fifty nautical miles.

Similarly, in the past, his young master would never have urged him like this. You know, cleaning up the battlefield is a highly sought-after job on the front lines, something that would be fought for with benefits.

Firstly, the front line is quite safe, as the sirens have basically been wiped out by the ship girls. Cleaning up the battlefield only requires paying attention to mines and such, and there is basically no danger. It's a military achievement that can be gained for free. Secondly, of course, this is a great opportunity to show off in front of the ship girls.

Especially when cleaning up Enterprise's battlefield, Enterprise is definitely the best and most difficult ship girl to get along with on the front line. She is easy to get along with because Enterprise almost never directly shows her disgust. She is difficult to get along with because Belfast is always by Enterprise's side, making it difficult to get close to her. Moreover, even if you find an opportunity to get close, it is difficult to talk to Enterprise.

'The Melancholy Valkyrie'

This is the company's title on the front lines.

Then, wherever the company's battlefield was, she would stand guard at the supply point for the cleaning staff until the battlefield was completely cleaned up before leaving.

It's not that other ship girls don't stand guard after battle, but rather that they don't stay on-site like Enterprise does. Most other ship girls leave the scene after battle and go to nearby resource supply points. They leave some mass-produced ships on-site so that if something happens, they can hold out until someone arrives.

Actually, given the ship girls' detection capabilities on the front lines, if the Sirens were to make a comeback, they would have already detected them before they even entered the battle zone and would have rushed to the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the companies would take off from the command center every day to patrol with their aircraft. At this time, Belfast would prepare items such as food and changes of clothes for the companies in other places.

Therefore, cleaning up a company's battlefield is the best opportunity to get up close and personal with the company.

This is why the YMCA was so angry. They finally managed to snag the battlefield cleanup mission from the company, but the company didn't play by the rules and actually went back.

'No, the company has never shown that kind of expression before. A smiling company, a company that isn't sad, it's so beautiful~' The young man, back in his room, felt something was off and started to analyze it, but as he thought about it, he fell into a state of infatuation.

That's the allure of a business.

Not to mention Belfast, whose charm is in no way inferior, is standing beside her.

"Young Master, what's going on?" The staff who had been whispering were startled when they saw the young man enter the room. According to usual practice, shouldn't their young master be trying to find topics to chat with Enterprise and Belfast on the battlefield at this time? Why was he sent back so quickly?

This is a record-breaking feat! In the past, I could last for more than ten minutes, but now, can I even last three minutes?

"You, prepare the boat. We'll return in half an hour," the young man said, ignoring the surprised expressions on the staff members' faces.

“But, young master, this doesn’t follow the procedure,” one of the staff members said after a moment’s hesitation.

"Didn't you hear my order? I said, prepare the boat!" The young man, who was already furious, finally found someone to vent his anger on and gave the other person a good scolding.

"Yes, yes, I'll prepare the boat right away, I'll change the coordinates right away." The staff member, who had been scolded mercilessly, had no choice but to accept it. Fine, you're the boss, whatever you say goes. I've given you all the reminders I should. If anything goes wrong, it's none of my business.

'No, something's not right. Given the company's character, they would never just leave like this. Something serious must have happened. But judging from the company's expression, it doesn't seem like anything bad.'

What exactly is going on in Chenxi Port District?

No, I need to check this out.

Chapter 200 Belfast's Headache

A gentle sea breeze blows, and the waves crash against the shore.

A luxurious cruise ship, and a handsome young man.

The boy stood on the deck, facing the sea breeze, gazing into the distance.

"My proud master, are you enjoying the scenery here?" A short while later, a white-haired girl dressed as a maid walked up to the boy and wanted to hug him directly, but seemed to have some concerns and ultimately asked simply.

"I guess so." The boy nodded, but the expression on his face clearly didn't answer the question.

The boy was Jing Su, and the girl in the maid outfit was Sirius.

Jingsu has been on the sea route for almost ten days now.

Based on past experience, it usually takes about a week to travel from the royal residence to the front lines by cruise ship. However, this time the voyage involved discovering a resource island, encountering the Vichy Church, and of course, the ulterior motives of war-weary individuals.

In short, due to various reasons, it was delayed.

Of course, this time only refers to the cost of taking a cruise ship. If the Royal Navy ship girls want to quickly support the front line, there are many ways. If they want to be comfortable, they can take a speedboat. With full power, they can get there in a day, but that would be too bumpy. In case of an emergency, the ship girls will more often choose to unfold their ship equipment and walk directly from the sea to the front line.

As they drew closer to the front lines, Jing Su's thoughts began to waver.

He originally thought that he would be very excited and happy when he got to the front line, and he would be looking forward to it.

But as the time drew near, Jing Su found herself at a loss for how to face the ship girls on the front lines.

Jing Su had once felt this way when he went to the Eastern Huang camp's base. At that time, he called it "the feeling of being close to home but feeling apprehensive."

Now, it's not just a matter of feeling apprehensive about returning home.

Rather, Jing Su genuinely didn't know how to face the ship girls on the front lines.

After this period of time, in the Eastern Empire camp, in the Royal Navy camp, and even on the Vichy Church's ships, Jing Su realized that the ship girls were all good girls who loved her deeply and were flawless in every way.

Therefore, Jing Su really didn't know how to face them. Although she had no related memories, to the ship girls, she had truly been missing for three years.

Over the past three years, the ship girls have either gone mad or used battle to numb themselves, but none of them have stopped searching for themselves.

Jing Su still remembers the first time she saw a ship girl; it was on her own port.

The port area is located on an island, lush and green with beautiful scenery, roads, streetlights, and winding mountain roads that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see.

Along the way, it's easy to see that the port area is well-maintained. Even though they are no longer here, and even though the port area has effectively fallen apart, the port area, which carries the memories of the ship girls and themselves, is still the most important place in the hearts of the ship girls.

If you look at the map, you'll notice that all factions subconsciously surround the port area when choosing their bases. If something happens to the port area, all bases can guarantee that they can provide support to the port area within a day. In fact, the port area is regularly garrisoned.

In this situation, his first reunion with the ship girl felt extremely awkward and hurtful.

At that time, Jing Su thought she had accidentally wandered onto a film set and that other people were making a movie, and she said some hurtful things.

Although Jing Su didn't have any memory of the ship girls at that time, seeing their faces and not even recognizing them, her words were somewhat hurtful.

After all, she acted like she didn't know him at all. To be honest, after spending this time together, Jing Su felt that it was already a good thing that Hu Teng hadn't kicked her directly.

'However, to be fair, Hu Teng does have a very good personality; he's cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he's very caring.'

Recalling her first encounter with the ship girl, Jing Su showed a helpless expression.

Because she didn't know how to face the ship girls, Jing Su was truly at a loss at this moment.