Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

Anger is understandable, and it is only natural to make further demands.

Therefore, in the second round of negotiations, Jing Su added other demands in addition to the initial request for compensation resources, and a tug-of-war ensued over these demands.

The second round of negotiations lasted the longest and involved the most unreasonable demands.

The dispute lasted for three days, during which both sides made concessions, but ultimately came to nothing.

There was a seven-day interval between the second and third rounds of negotiations.

During these seven days, the Hong Kong district did not just sit idly by and do nothing; instead, it launched a multi-pronged attack to search for evidence.

Initially, the investigation focused on finding evidence of the Ministry of Transport misappropriating port resources. However, as the investigation deepened, it was discovered that supplies from the military, medical, and even propaganda departments had been misappropriated.

As evidence was exposed one piece of evidence after another, the Ministry of Transport could no longer sit still and repeatedly conveyed its intention to negotiate to the port area.

Jing Su left the Ministry of Transport in the dark for seven days. During those seven days, searching for evidence was secondary; the main focus was on understanding the Maritime Safety Administration's bottom line.

As the situation escalated, it wasn't just the Ministry of Transportation that was getting restless.

As the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be bad. Through his spies, Jing Su discovered the Maritime Safety Administration's bottom line and used it to launch the third round of negotiations.

As Curaçao said during the negotiations, the third round of port area demands had made significant concessions compared to the second round of negotiations.

Therefore, even though the demands in the third round of negotiations were still excessive compared to the first round, the Ministry of Transport, which was pushed to the brink, and more precisely, the Maritime Safety Administration, had no confidence to refuse.

The saying "ask for an exorbitant price, then haggle on the spot" perfectly describes this situation.

"Commander, did you come up with this?" After listening to Jing Su's explanation, Yi Xian stood there dumbfounded.

"If you're talking about planning the whole negotiation process? That was indeed my design, but the actual implementation was done by the people on the royal side. They were excellent enough to turn my design into reality. If I had to name the heroes, the girls on the royal side are the unsung heroes. What credit do I have?" Jing Su laughed it off.

She stared wide-eyed at the person before her, carefully examining him. Yi Xian wanted to know.

Every day, Jing Su either hugs Chang Chun and talks to him in ways he can't understand, or he's dragged away by Bin Jiang at night. How did he manage to make these arrangements without him even noticing?

What Jing Su just said seems simple, but in reality, it requires a high level of control over the overall situation; going even slightly over the top will lead to failure.

Don't be fooled by how busy the Maritime Safety Administration is right now; it's just because the sudden changes have caught them completely off guard. The pressure from the ship girls, the public, and the military has made it impossible for the Maritime Safety Administration to see the whole picture.

Is there really no solution to this problem?

That's not it.

The transportation department's factories are working overtime to catch up on production. If they delay for a while, once production capacity increases, the gap at the port can be partially filled, and then the transportation department will have the confidence to negotiate with the port.

As for the pressure from the public and the military, it seems to be a huge force, but it is actually the simplest to deal with. At most, find a large enough force to take the blame and wipe it out with swift and decisive action.

Firstly, it can intimidate the military; secondly, it can use the most direct benefits to silence the military. If both influential figures are appeased, then the most unruly public will naturally be unable to cause trouble.

Therefore, Jing Su's timing was truly brilliant. A little earlier would have prevented maximizing profits, while a little later could have resulted in total loss.

At this moment, Yi Xian had a feeling of: 'Huh, why does my commander suddenly seem so unfamiliar?'

'No, that's just my own assumption.' Yi Xian had a sudden flash of inspiration.

'My commander is, after all, an exceptionally talented person.'

At this moment, Yi Xian recalled the past; the powerful port district it is today did not suddenly become powerful.

At the point where the port was divided, Yat-Sin led her sisters in running around, dealing with all sorts of things one after another, keeping her extremely busy.

He was leading a fully-developed faction, and the only thing he lacked was resources; his ship equipment and combat power were already guaranteed.

Back then, when the port had nothing, no high-end combat power, no powerful ship equipment, and didn't even know where to find the resources to launch an attack, what kind of situation did it face?

But the man before him, his own commander, had, under these circumstances, built the port into the most powerful force in the world, step by step, bit by bit.

How could I look down on him just because he lost his memories?

“Commander.” Just as Jing Su was reviewing the materials, Yi Xian suddenly spoke up.

"what's up?"

"I told you, you really are a very outstanding person."

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Key is Missing

"Quickly, quickly, check again! Check every nook and cranny carefully—table corners, under the bed, behind picture frames—make sure there's not a speck of dust inside!"

"Yes!"

"The kitchen, how's the situation in the kitchen right now?"

"Zizi~"

"Kitchen staff reporting: Everything is ready."

"Okay, it's 2 p.m. now, and afternoon tea time is just around the corner. From 2:30 to 6 p.m., we need to make sure there's plenty of snacks available."

"Yes, we'll change it every half hour to ensure we don't repeat the same thing!"

"No duplicates are allowed. If the commander likes something from before, we must be able to provide it at any time."

"Yes!"

. . .

"Sister Curaçao is really strict~" Javelin exclaimed as she watched Curaçao directing the setup from below the stage.

"After all, it's the Commander coming, so Sister Curaçao will definitely care a lot. She's a pillar of the Royal Maid Corps, you know~"

"Oh, it's Sister Little Swan! Have you finished what you were doing? I remember I had to clean up this huge room." Javelin recognized the visitor, dropped her broom, and ran over to talk.

"Actually, I'm not exactly done with my work." Little Swan is a rather introverted and adorable girl, and she always feels a little awkward when faced with the enthusiastic and lively javelin thrower.

"Huh, what do you mean by that?" Javelin asked, puzzled by Little Swan's words.

With Belfast absent, Curaçao is now in charge of the Royal Maids Corps, and she is the perfect choice in terms of both prestige and ability.

However, Curaçao is also very strict, especially regarding matters concerning commanders. Curaçao is someone who dares to argue with Queen Elizabeth.

Although Little Swan isn't a member of the maid troupe, she'll definitely get a scolding if Curaçao finds out she's slacking off.

“Well, how should I put it?” Little Swan organized her thoughts and said, “I mean, my mission is to clean the commander’s room. Javelin, you know, the commander’s room is huge. I can’t clean it all by myself.”

"Um, so what?"

"I couldn't handle it all by myself, but the task was urgent, so I had no choice but to ask my friends for help. And then..." Little Swan clutched her skirt, somewhat embarrassed to speak.

Seeing the little swan's hesitant expression, Javelin seemed to have guessed something.

"The key was stolen~ Waaah, we can't get into the commander's room~ The mission is ruined, and we're going to get yelled at!"

"As expected~" Javelin slapped her forehead, revealing an expression of "I knew it." In fact, she should have thought of it earlier. Currently, some of the Royal Navy's ship girls are fighting on the front lines, and the manpower in the rear is not very sufficient. For this reception, everyone is taking on multiple roles.

Besides supervising the little yellow chicks to clean, Javelin's task was also to prepare reports and record everyone's tasks. She had been wondering why she couldn't see the people who were related to the commander, but it turned out they were specially designated.

"Don't worry, don't worry, everything will be fine. Little Swan, you can rest assured. You've completed your task, and you did it very well. Just wander around like this now, and everyone will praise you for doing a good job~" Javelin waved her hand to reassure her.

"?"

Little Swan looked puzzled. She hadn't done any of her tasks, like tidying up the room. The only thing she did was take the key to the Commander's room from Warspite, and before she even got inside, the key was gone. Was that considered doing a good job? Something just didn't feel right.

"Of course, no problem, hehe, Sister Little Swan. If you're worried, you can come here with me to check on the little yellow chicks' cleaning. That way, you'll be doing something, and even Sister Curaçao won't criticize you."

Seeing the little swan's puzzled expression, Javelin didn't explain much. Sometimes it's better to keep the person in the dark about things. If things were really brought up and the little swan knew what she had missed, that would be truly distressing.

It's definitely not because I missed a great opportunity that I'm dissatisfied; I'm just feeling sorry for Sister Little Swan. Yes, that's it!

'Waaah, the key to the Commander's room! I missed it just like that. What a pity, so heartbreaking!'

"Javelin, are you alright? You don't seem to be feeling well. Do you want to go and rest? I'll take care of things here." Javelin looked distressed, which worried Little Swan.

"Cough cough, I'm fine." Seeing the little swan's worried look, Javelin felt a little embarrassed and quickly explained.

'Sigh, whatever. These things are obviously predetermined. How can I, with my small frame, compete with those older girls? It's awful! I'm not a child anymore, and I have a great figure.'

Thinking of this, Javelin glanced sideways at the little swan, then looked down at himself, as if struck by lightning.

'I lost, sob sob, I finally mustered up the courage, why? Everyone else was being driven away, but you made me lose so completely!'

"Javelin, are you really alright?" Little Swan was very worried as she watched Javelin change shape repeatedly in such a short time.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I was just thinking about some unhappy things." Javelin is naturally optimistic and cheerful. Since she couldn't have it in the first place, why dwell on it? She quickly emerged from the shadow of failure. Javelin thought, "Being a kid is great! Being a kid means there's room for growth. I'm a girl, but I'm also half a kid, which means I still have a chance. It's better than some pink-haired loli!"

Besides, under normal circumstances, my figure is quite good for my build!

"By the way, Sister Little Swan, who took the key?" Javelin, having successfully hypnotized herself, began asking for crucial information. If they were on good terms, she might be able to get a backup key.

"I don't know." The little swan tried to recall for a while, then shook her head.

"Huh!? I don't know? Why is that?" Javelin was puzzled. She knew that Senior Little Swan was a bit silly, but even if she was silly, she shouldn't be so silly as not knowing who took the key.

"I really don't know." Little Swan was a little embarrassed and explained, "I remember that after I got the key from Sister Warspite, I ran into Sister Perseus as soon as I went out. She asked me what my mission was, and I told her."

"So it was Perseus who took it?" Javelin was startled. Was Perseus, that sharp-tongued and arrogant woman, really that bold?

"I don't know." Little Swan shook her head. "Perseus didn't ask me about the key. She told me that the Commander's room is very big, and I would be too busy to clean it by myself. She said she would find me some helpers. I thought about it and felt that what Perseus said made sense."

The commander's room is really big. Even with Little Yellow Chicken's help, it wasn't easy to clean it all up. After all, I'm not very good at tidying up either. Actually, I'm quite curious why such an important mission was given to me.

"So it was someone Perseus sent who carried it?" Javelin pressed.

"I don't know~" the little swan shook her head again.

"N-no!?" Javelin choked, almost collapsing to the ground. "What happened next?"

Javelin cried out in her heart, "My dear sister, can you get to the point?"

"Perseus took me to the kitchen to find someone to help me. She said she would treat me to fish and chips. Perseus said that the room is big, and I need to eat well to have the energy to clean. I thought that made sense, so I agreed." The little swan's lips were glistening, and she showed a longing expression. "Fish and chips are so delicious."

"And then what?" Javelin asked, his voice devoid of emotion, indicating that he was already used to it.

"Perseus said the fish and chips were oily, and I might get the keys dirty if I carried them, so she told me to put them away first. I was wearing a dress today that didn't have pockets, so I put the keys on the table. After we finished eating the fish and chips, the keys were gone." Little Swan's voice became hurried, as if she had remembered what had happened, and she was very remorseful.

"Gone?"

"Ugh, it's gone! I can't find it anywhere, boohoo~"

"No rush, no rush, Sister Little Swan, think about it carefully again. Are you sure you put it on the kitchen table and then it disappeared?" Javelin was very quick-witted and immediately noticed something was wrong.

As mentioned earlier, she kept the task list, so she knew what most of the sisters were doing.

The commander is coming today, and it'll be afternoon tea time soon. The kitchen is probably preparing snacks right now.

Sister Curaçao specifically instructed that snacks must be available on demand, and each snack served must be different. If the commander eats something he likes, it can be repeated at any time.

In this situation, the kitchen would be under great pressure and would basically be operating at overcapacity. So how would the kitchen have the time and space to make fish and chips?

Their royal faction has its own pride, and the food and snacks they eat every day are fresh and never left overnight. In other words, the fish and chips that Little Swan Sister eats must be freshly made, or at the very least, made today.

Moreover, and most importantly, even if the kitchen really had the time, space, and manpower to make fish and chips right now, it's almost afternoon tea time, so how could something like fish and chips possibly be on the afternoon tea snack list!

Royal, noble and proud.

Therefore, there are quite strict rules about what can and can be found, and what is taboo.

It's safe to say that unless the commander specifically requests it, fish and chips would never appear on the afternoon tea menu.

"So, Perseus, you lied to us?" After hearing Javelin's explanation, Little Swan stood there dumbfounded, her face full of confusion and bewilderment.

"Not necessarily." This time it was Javelin's turn to shake its head.

"what!?"

“Little Swan, you just said that Perseus took you to the kitchen to eat fish and chips. We have something important to do today, so the kitchen will definitely be very busy. If Perseus takes you to an empty room, you will definitely find something is wrong.”

"In other words," the little swan said, bewildered, as if she had thought of something but couldn't believe it.

"In other words, there must be an accomplice. Perseus may not have taken the key, but she was definitely part of the plan."

"Ah, waah, but why, why is Perseus doing this? Wait, oh no, I lost the key to the Commander's room~ Waah~" Now, Little Swan finally realized what she had missed.

Little Swan is just a bit naive, but not really. She was just worried about not being able to finish her task and didn't think about it that way. Now that she has reviewed the whole incident from Javelin's perspective, she naturally realized that something was wrong.

"It's alright, it's alright. We can't compete with this kind of thing; it was destined to happen anyway." Seeing Little Swan's expression, Javelin knew she had finally come to her senses.

Actually, it makes sense when you think about it. This is the key to the commander's room. If word gets out, it will be fought over by all the big shots. Even if it gets out now, it's too late to change rooms.

One can foresee what kind of bloody storm will rage in the area in the days to come!

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