Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

However, Donghuang and Beilian are definitely exceptions. Beilian is very well hidden and doesn't have much contact with the outside world, so other factions don't know what Beilian ship girls are doing. At most, they can only guess that it might be related to things like mechanical intelligence.

If the Northern Alliance is mysterious because its location is unknown, then the Eastern Empire is truly mysterious. The Eastern Empire doesn't hide its location much either; in fact, during holidays, Yi Xian invites many ship girls from other factions to celebrate at its base.

Many ship girls also obtained a lot of beautiful clothes from Donghuang that could attract Jing Su.

However, under these circumstances, the ship girls only realize after leaving the Eastern Empire's base that they have no idea what the Eastern Empire's camp is doing, what it is researching, or what its plans are.

That's why the other factions were so surprised when Yixian reported her battle results. After all, in their impression, Donghuang didn't seem to have many ship girls with high combat power, so how could her battle results be so outstanding?

"Haha, very good, very good, Yixian, Binjiang, you guys really worked hard, I'm very pleased~" Jing Su didn't notice the subtle change in the atmosphere. He only felt a sense of emotion towards Donghuang. He didn't know about the other factions, but as the commander, how could he not know what was going on? Yixian had never thought of hiding anything from him. The girls of Donghuang had really put in a lot of effort to get to where they were today.

"Sardine, expand outward by three nautical miles, and consolidate by one nautical mile." Next to speak was Veneto from the Sardinian camp. It was clear that she was very reluctant to get up, but there was no way around it; it was her turn, and she had to stand up and speak.

To be honest, she really didn't want to report this result; it was too embarrassing. Although Jing Su hadn't issued any orders to expand outwards yesterday, all factions had simultaneously begun to clear out the Sirens' warships.

Everyone can see that the sooner the Sirens are dealt with, the longer they can keep up with Jing Su, and the more opportunities they will have.

The ship girls summoned Jing Su to the front lines, but not actually to let him command the battle; their real intentions were elsewhere.

However, the combat strength of different factions varies; some are strong, some are weak, which inevitably leads to different outcomes in battle. Although Veneto knows that Jing Su won't say anything about the battle results, Jing Su's silence doesn't mean she's indifferent. Expanding the territory by just one nautical mile—this result is truly shameful!

"Damn it, if I find out who ambushed Marco Polo yesterday, I'll have to duel her!" Veneto thought viciously.

Yes, Sardinia's main warship and flagship, Marco Polo, was attacked yesterday afternoon while preparing to launch an attack. It was severely damaged and fell into a coma. It is currently still lying in bed and cannot get up.

It was precisely because Marco Polo was in a coma that Veneto was responsible for reporting; otherwise, Veneto would never have come to do something so shameful.

Judging from the methods used, Veneto could guess that it was a ship girl from the port who did this, but it was unclear which faction it belonged to. It was clear that the other party was really angry, and the attack was exceptionally severe.

However, while they went all out, they also held back. After all, judging from the results, the other party simply wanted to put Marco Polo to sleep for a while. For the ship girl, as long as the Mind Cube and ship equipment were not attacked, nothing else mattered.

Veneto said Marco Polo was badly injured not only because Marco Polo had been unconscious, but more so because Marco Polo's head had been swollen like a pig's—literally.

There's no way she can show her face in public like this.

Although Marco Polo's actions in a moment of impulse were indeed excessive, even if the other camps did not intervene, Veneto himself would find time to punish Marco Polo, otherwise he would not be able to quell the public's anger.

Leaving aside what happened later, just the fact that Jing Su was tied up made Veneto want to crack open Marco Polo's head to see if a screw was turned in the wrong place.

In the port area, on the front lines, where all the main ship girls of all factions are gathered, tie up the commander!

Especially given that Jing Su has a history of disappearances.

Putting aside the other factions, Veneto herself was terrified when she heard the news of Jing Su's disappearance. She thought Jing Su was going to leave them again. It is said that many ship girls directly showed signs of meta-ification. You can imagine how big a mess Marco Polo has made.

They only beat me up so badly that I'm still asleep now; that's already giving them a lot of face.

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright, you've all done a great job. You don't have many ship girls on the front lines to begin with, so it's already very good that you've been able to expand outwards. You've worked hard." Seeing Veneto's depressed expression, Jing Su thought she was upset about her poor performance, so she quickly comforted her.

"Sakura Empire, expand outwards by forty nautical miles, and consolidate within eighteen nautical miles~" Next to stand up and speak was Akagi. As she stood up, she first looked around, then straightened her chest, raised her head, and said proudly.

Although they don't have the most consolidated territory, Akagi is confident that Sakura Empire is definitely the faction with the widest expansion range. Sakura Empire is inherently good at killing, and their mainstream ideology is to fight to the death. This time, there are also several colorful front-line units vying for power.

With that madman Ron gone, no faction can really compete with the Sakura Empire in terms of offense and defense.

In some situations, Sakura Empire is even arguably the strongest faction under Eagle Union.

It's important to know that for this quarterly offensive, the Sakura Empire has brought almost all of its main forces to the front lines. Currently, there are only three Radiant Ships on the front lines, and the remaining top-tier ships and legendary ships are still on their way to provide support.

This time, Nagato's plan is to impress Jing Su with his outstanding military achievements, get him to the Sakura Empire's base, and then, well, since he's already here, he might as well not leave.

When it comes to taking care of people, royal maids are unparalleled, but our Sakura Empire Shrine Maidens are not to be outdone!

Chapter 289 Swimming and Crisis

After the ship girls finished reporting the battle situation, the next thing to do was to arrange the war objectives for the day. Yesterday, because it was the first day of the battle and they encountered a new Siren host, they needed to test the enemy's strength, so the objectives were not clear.

Now that we have gathered enough intelligence, we can proceed with the next strategic step.

However, Jing Su doesn't need to get involved in this matter. The general process is for the ship girls to discuss and come up with a result, then have Jing Su confirm it, and finally distribute it so that the ship girls of each faction can carry out the plan accordingly.

The ship girl group sent Jing Su to the front lines not so that he could command the battle.

To be precise, what Jing Su is doing now is completely contrary to the original intentions of the ship girls.

According to the plan, today's main task is to consolidate the front line. Yesterday, we could only say that we captured the position and built some simple defensive fortifications. Overall, it was not particularly stable, and the defensive fortifications need further repair. We should take advantage of the fact that some sea areas that we captured but did not hold should be occupied as soon as possible before the Sirens finish filling the area.

For the factions that performed relatively poorly yesterday, the other factions spared some manpower to help them. Different factions are stationed on different defensive lines, and if they don't keep up with the expansion, the areas that lag behind will become weak points.

As for the first and second teams that had previously conducted the initial tests, they are taking a break today. After all, they are the main battleships. They played a crucial role in the smooth battles between the various factions yesterday. Without them collecting the distribution map of the Sirens, it would be hard to say how well the ship girls fared.

Of course, the most crucial reason for adopting the shift system is that it allows me to get closer to Jing Su.

"Are you sure you don't need me to stay at the command post?" Jing Su was still a little worried as he looked at Saratoga, who was trying so hard to push him out.

"Oh, Commander, what are you saying? Are you worried about us or what? I'm here. Even if the sky falls, I can hold it up. Don't worry, it'll be fine, Commander. You've been busy all day yesterday, so get some rest today~"

Yesterday was tough, but today shouldn't be too bad. We've tested the Sirens' strength, and it's not much different from before, so it's fine~

"Yes, Commander, you should go and get some rest. Sara and I are enough here. If anything happens, we'll call you." Lexington chimed in. "Besides, Commander, the first and second squads fought for so long yesterday. They are the ones who really need rest. They are the main force of each faction."

Commander, go and comfort them~

"Alright then." Lexington said this, and Jing Su had no choice but to agree. Before leaving, she emphasized again and again, "If anything happens, be sure to tell me, and I'll come right away!"

"Yes, of course, Commander, go and get some rest!" Saratoga said, slamming the conference room door shut.

Looking at the tightly closed door, Jing Su felt somewhat helpless, but then she thought that she was just a human signing machine in the command room, so it didn't really make much difference whether she was there or not.

Today's mission doesn't require the ship girls to fight much, and there shouldn't be any major problems.

'Should I comfort the first and second squadrons? But how should I do that? I can't just comfort them like a leader comforts a subordinate; my relationship with the ship girls has nothing to do with that... Oh well, I'll just have to see how it goes.'

Thinking of this, Jing Su murmured.

After saying that, Jing Su left the conference room.

Just as Jing Su left the conference room, a glint of light flashed out of his sight—the lens of a miniature camera.

...

"Heave-ho, heave-ho... Teacher...? Anchorage, am I doing it right?"

"Okay, that's it. Relax, straighten your legs, don't be so tense. Okay, that's it. Good, swing your legs!"

Okay, Anchorage, very helpful, excellent, just like that.

"Hehehe...that's good...yay!"

"Plop~"

Water splashes.

"Waaah... Teacher... Anchorage... Oh, it seems like we've fallen again."

'It's not just a feeling, you really did fall...' That's what she thought, but Jing Su didn't say anything. Instead, she silently pulled Anchorage up.

"Hurry up!"

"Shark, it's so slippery... Anchorage, try not to fall!" Anchorage, having climbed back onto the toy swimming board, clung tightly to its neck and murmured.

'Um, if I'm not mistaken, it should be an orca...'

"Alright, take a short rest, Anchorage, you've done great."

"Um..."

In the swimming pool, a girl with a great figure and a young man were playing in the water. To be precise, one was learning to swim and the other was teaching, although the one teaching had only recently learned to swim himself.

The girl is Anchorage, a heavy cruiser of the White Eagles, while the young man is Jing Su.

After leaving the command room, Jing Su wandered around. Most of the ship girls had already launched their attacks, leaving him with nothing to do. Lexington asked him to comfort the first and second squadrons. It wasn't until he got to the street that Jing Su belatedly realized, where were the ship girls from the first and second squadrons?

Upon asking, I learned that since it was a temporary team, they went straight to the defense line after returning. In other words, the ship girls who put in a lot of effort yesterday are not at the base at all.

'Lexington sent me to find the first and second squadrons of ship girls, but they're not nearby. So, does that mean I got a day off?!'

That makes no sense... what a load of rubbish.

Since the ship girls from the first and second squadrons weren't there, Jing Su planned to return to the command room to see if there was anything else she could help with. However, as she walked, Jing Su realized with dismay that she seemed to be lost...

'These girls, why did they make the camp so big? Where is this place...?'

Looking at the familiar sign he had seen three times before, Jing Su was speechless. Just as Jing Su was considering whether to call Lexington to have someone come and pick him up, he saw Anchorage holding an orca swimming board and wearing a super short bikini swimsuit.

The scene left Jing Su completely dumbfounded. It wasn't just that Anchorage's swimsuit was practically nonexistent, consisting of just two strips of cloth tied together. Jing Su had asked Akashi about this swimsuit a few days ago when she hosted a swimsuit party. Even among ship girls, there weren't many who would accept wearing it in public, or rather, they wouldn't be comfortable wearing it in front of so many people. However, when she was alone with Jing Su, it didn't matter what she wore.

According to Akashi, she did sell a set, but Jing Su didn't see anyone wearing it while she was in line. Unexpectedly, Anchorage bought it.

"Baltimore, you're such a good swimmer...! Anchorage, want to be a good swimmer too? Hehehe, if my teacher taught me, I definitely would..."

When asked what he wanted to do, Anchorage waved an orca plushie, closed his eyes, and swayed his body as he spoke.

'Oh, no wonder I didn't see him at the swimsuit party, turns out Anchorage can't swim~'

Wait a minute, ship girl, can't swim?

Jing Su, who had been looking completely at ease, suddenly widened her eyes. Are there ship girls who can't swim? You're ships, for crying out loud. Ships can't... well, there's no rule that says ships have to know how to swim.

A boat is just something that can float on water. Floating is a world of difference from being able to swim. If a real boat has an accident, it will sink.

From this perspective, boats don't necessarily swim.

Jing Su happened to be free of other things at the moment. After realizing she was lost, she had been hesitant about whether to make a call, worried that she might disturb Lexington and the others. Now, she had just found a job.

So, led by Anchorage, Jing Su walked to an outdoor swimming pool. The pool was very large; Jing Su estimated it to be about the size of a basketball court.

According to Anchorage, this was her secret base. She was excited when she heard that Jing Su was going to hold a swimsuit party, so she bought a swimsuit and planned to learn to swim. However, she didn't tell anyone. She wanted to give Jing Su a surprise. As a result, she floated on the shark for a whole day.

In the end, after Jing Su went missing, many aircraft carrier ship girls launched planes to search for her. They unexpectedly found Anchorage shivering on a swimming ring and rescued her.

When asked why she didn't deploy her ship equipment and walk directly ashore, Anchorage's answer left all the ship girls feeling helpless, yet they also said that this answer was very much in line with Anchorage.

"Forget, ship equipment... Anchorage, forget you're a ship girl and can deploy your ship equipment." Anchorage said in a serious tone.

So, Anchorage, who had exhausted himself despite doing nothing, did not appear on the attack roster the next day.

Today, after a good rest, Anchorage decided to work hard, put on his swimsuit again, and went to learn to swim. As he walked, he saw Jing Su spinning around.

"Uh, Anchorage, I didn't know you'd gone through so many hardships..." Hearing Anchorage recount his tragic experiences, Jing Su was momentarily speechless.

"A surprise... Anchorage wants to give everyone... a surprise." Anchorage's momentum was slightly weak, because she was quite frustrated about swimming.

"Haha, Anchorage, you've already given me a surprise~" Jing Su smiled and stroked Anchorage's hair. The latter showed an expression of enjoyment, closing his eyes to cooperate with Jing Su's stroking.

"Swimming...I want to learn...I want to be like Baltimore, able to swim...a teacher...will teach me~"

"Who can handle this?!" Hearing Anchorage's hesitant voice, Jing Su was as if she had been electrocuted. She immediately agreed: She would teach him, she had to teach him. Even if she had to drink several bowls of water today, she would teach him!

As it turns out, Anchorage behaved like a child in many ways.

Even just looking at her figure, Jing Su wanted to shout: 'This guy is eight years old?!'

But in terms of mental maturity, Anchorage is still a child.

In the port area, the mental maturity of ship girls does not necessarily correspond to their physical size. This theory is often used to describe destroyers. Small bodies with big minds are common among destroyers, but rare among large ships.

Queen Elizabeth sometimes acts like a child, but considering her physique, it's somewhat understandable.

Anchorage, however, is a bit extreme. She has an absolutely super-sized figure, comparable to many mainstays in the back row as a heavy cruiser, but her mental level is not very high, more like a child than many destroyers.

To some extent, this is also a shortcoming of research ships.

However, during his time with Anchorage, Jing Su still sensed the innocence in Anchorage. This natural quality was something Jing Su hadn't felt in a long time; it was something that could only be truly felt in a young child.

Therefore, although Jing Su was always surprised by Anchorage's unexpected and serious remarks, she still got along very well with him.

"Shark, slippery... Anchorage, try not to fall! Mm!"

Although Jing Su said she needed to rest, Anchorage only rested for a short while before climbing onto the orca swimming board by herself and starting to practice.

"Be careful, don't fall!" Jing Su shouted when he saw the situation, but he quickly regretted shouting it.

In the process of educating children, there is actually a very strange phenomenon: the more you tell a child not to do something, the more likely they are to do it.

For example, if you tell a child not to climb a tree and to be careful not to fall, the child is likely to fall down while still in the tree. If you tell a child running on the road to watch their step and not to fall, the child is likely to fall flat on the ground.

This is because children's minds are not mature. To be precise, children at this stage are in a single-threaded state and cannot multitask. When a child is running, he is focused and will not fall. But if you remind him to watch his feet, he will be distracted and start looking at his feet. Then he loses focus, becomes unsteady, and falls.

Anchorage is in the same boat now. Jing Su told her to be careful, and she suddenly started to sway.

"Wow, teacher!"

"Plop~"

With a splash, Anchorage successfully slid down, but unfortunately, she was resting in the deep water. In her haste, Anchorage forgot that she was a ship girl and could deploy her ship equipment.