Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

"Hard to say. Do you remember the man who accompanied Changchun ashore?"

"Nonsense, everyone in the underworld is investigating him like crazy these days."

"Do you think it's possible that he's the person the ship girls have been searching for all these years?"

"Huh? What does that mean? The ship girls are looking for someone?"

"That's true. You didn't experience that era, and the relevant information was blocked by the Maritime Safety Administration, so it's normal that you don't know."

"Hurry up, I hate people who only say half of what they mean."

"Actually, the various factions were once under the jurisdiction of the same port, but they split up later because of one incident."

"So, the split is related to finding someone?"

"Yes, according to the earliest news, the split of the port was because there was something very important to the port that disappeared. You didn't see the frenzy of the ship girls at that time. There is also a theory that the subsequent split of the port was due to the inability to reach an agreement on how to find this person."

"You mean, the man who accompanied Changchun might be the one the ship girls have been searching for?"

"That's possible, otherwise there's no way to explain the changes the ship girls have undergone recently."

"But the ship girls' behavior during this period has been no different from usual. If it really is the person the ship girls are looking for, shouldn't the front line already be in chaos?"

"Perhaps. I hope I'm wrong. If it really is him, then we're in trouble."

. . . . . .

"Commander, Commander, that child has wings!"

"Commander, Commander, that plant, it's been trimmed into... oh, I know, it's a chessboard. Commander, are we on the same chessboard?"

As soon as he entered the castle, Changchun put down his snacks and started shouting excitedly.

Compared to the gardens of Donghuang, the royal decoration style is more realistic. Although it incorporates some religious elements, it is very grand overall.

"Who takes care of these plants?" Looking at the endless road, Jing Su exclaimed, 'Wow, my daughter is so rich!'

Yi Xian was a patriarch who had experienced hardship, and frugality was a traditional virtue of Donghuang. As a result, the Donghuang residence was generally reserved and introverted, while the royal family was the other extreme.

As a base, this castle is far smaller than the Eastern Empire's residence, after all, one is a manor and the other is an island. However, the royal architectural style, as revealed from the outside, is already extremely luxurious. In the distance, a spire can be vaguely seen, which, if nothing unexpected happens, is the destination of this trip.

“Such a large estate must be very difficult to manage. Without a vehicle, it would take a long time just to get out of the castle. Fortunately, we have the little yellow chickens to help us. They are very capable little helpers.” Upon entering the estate, Glorious fell silent, and Vanguard took over the conversation.

The little yellow chicks are intelligent robots, products of the amazing Rubik's Cube technology. They can help manage the manor, do housework, and even participate in battles. According to Yixian, these round little guys are quite adept at flying reconnaissance aircraft.

The little yellow chicks are highly intelligent, so much so that they can even marry each other and bicker. There's a film in the port area that won a photography competition featuring two little yellow chicks arguing.

According to the photographer, "I just thought it was funny, so I took the picture. I never expected it to go viral!"

Because the photographer refused to reveal which pair of arguing chicks they were, some contestants questioned the authenticity of the photo, believing it to be staged.

"It's a pity that it's already this late. The welcoming ceremony that the sisters prepared for you, Commander, will be wasted. It's too late, and we should start preparing dinner soon."

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright. The thought is what counts. Making it too elaborate would seem too formal. We've been walking for so long and we are indeed a bit hungry. We're really looking forward to the delicious food later."

"Hey, wait a minute, is it time to eat? Royal?!" Changchun shouted sharply!

Chapter 56 Commander, Promise Me

"Commander, Commander, shall we go to a restaurant?" In a flash, Changchun appeared in front of Jing Su, looking at Jing Su with teary eyes.

Just as Jing Su was wondering how Chang Chun had managed to teleport from the passenger seat to in front of her, her words left Jing Su even more bewildered. They were almost at the restaurant, and the other party had even said they were going to start preparing dinner. Were they being so disrespectful?

"Wait a minute, something's not right. Something's nine-tenths wrong. Changchun may be mischievous, but he's still sensible. He wouldn't say something so rude unless he really couldn't take it anymore."

"Ahem, Changchun sister, don't worry. This time, it's the little yellow chickens who are cooking. We'll just help out at most and won't participate in the actual cooking process. Besides, we also think that dish called 'Stargazing' doesn't taste good. It's just something that's been circulating online. It's a stereotype to insist on calling it a specialty dish!"

Also, actually, our royal camp does have some good food. How should I put it, snacks... oh, these aren't really suitable for dinner, cough... at least our French fries are delicious."

Before Jing Su could say anything, Guang Rong quickly tried to smooth things over.

This piqued Jing Su's interest; she knew there was some juicy gossip to hear.

A few simple questions led to the case being solved.

It turns out to be quite simple. Since the different factions have different locations and don't want outsiders to know about them, they encounter a lot of trouble when contacting the Maritime Bureau. Therefore, each faction needs a good intermediary to contact the Maritime Bureau and exchange resources and intelligence.

This intermediary is the Royal Faction, so every now and then, people from other factions would bring their people to visit the Royal Faction.

On the Eastern side, due to a genuine lack of suitable ship girls for overseas deployment, each time they go on a visit, either Binjiang goes out or Yixian goes out to attack, and when Yixian goes out to attack, Changchun is always taken along.

During one of his visits, Changchun wandered into the kitchen and, feeling hungry, asked to try the Royal Camp's specialty dishes. However, for some reason, the cook ended up serving Changchun a dish called "Looking Up at the Stars."

Good heavens, Changchun, a mighty missile destroyer, a super ship girl who is unstoppable on the battlefield, was actually so frightened by a piece of food that she almost deployed her ship equipment and launched missiles to purify her soul.

After this incident, Changchun didn't dare to eat fish for three whole months, saying that he felt nauseous just looking at fish, especially long and thin ones with poorly made eyes.

In the end, it was Yixian who personally prepared a whole fish feast for Changchun and starved him for a whole day before he recovered.

"Commander, let's go out to eat. I'm scared, boohoo~" Nestled in Jing Su's arms, Chang Chun's voice was unusually timid, sending shivers down one's spine.

The fact that the fearless Changchun was so frightened made Jing Su somewhat curious about the royal family's culinary skills.

The real-life counterpart of the royal family has indeed been criticized by many, who say it's a culinary desert, with cookbooks that are the thinnest in the world, and so on.

But no matter how outrageous it may seem, it is still a civilization that has existed for a considerable period of time. It is impossible that they have absolutely nothing to offer. At most, they can only say that they do not like to eat it or that it does not suit their taste.

"Changchun, no matter how much you dislike it, it's impolite to say it in front of others. We're all part of the port area, family. Mutual understanding is what we should do." Wiping away Changchun's tears, Jing Su gently comforted her.

"Oh~" Changchun poked her head out and said to Qianwei, "Sister Qianwei, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Hehe, it's alright, Commander. Last time, the little yellow chicken that cooked did misunderstand Changchun's intentions. It only focused on the special features and didn't consider whether it was safe to eat, which scared Changchun. It was indeed our fault. Tonight, I can assure you with my heart that there will be absolutely no problem."

Upon hearing this, Jing Su subconsciously glanced at Qian Wei's chest and then at the rearview mirror inside the car, from which she could see the driver's seat.

"Hiss, Commander, with me here, how dare you compare me to others? I...I...I'll poke your eyes!" Vanguard said angrily, his face flushed and his hands on his chest.

"Damn it, you bastard, you worthless thing! What is this? Isn't it cute when it's small? This size is just right for me, and it's very comfortable to hold. That kind of thing is too big. What's so good about it? It's heavy and hurts my shoulders. I don't care!"

Waaah, damn it, damn it, damn it! Why? We're all battleships, why are you so big? I'm not having it! Does becoming an aircraft carrier make you bigger? I'm going to find Miss Illustrious right now to learn how to fly planes.

"Uh, that's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean? You dare say this isn't meaningful? I, I, I'll bite you!"

"Haha, Qianwei, you're so cute." Seeing Qianwei's eyes redden with anger, Jing Su burst into laughter. This is what getting along is all about.

Glory sat in the driver's seat, listening to the commotion behind him. He wisely kept quiet, but subconsciously puffed out his chest even more.

'Regardless, I've won this round!'

Realizing it was almost lunchtime, Guangrong floored the accelerator, increased the car's speed, and hurried towards the garage.

After driving for about ten minutes, we finally saw the entrance.

In front of the magnificently decorated gate, two rows of royal maids dressed in maid outfits and with serious expressions stood on both sides of the road.

As the car slowly pulled over to the side of the road and came to a stop, Jing Su had just stepped one foot out of the car.

"Master, welcome back~"

The clear, melodious voices of the royal maids rang out in unison, startling Jing Su.

"Bang~"

Before Jing Su could say anything, a figure suddenly rushed towards her. Jing Su felt herself being tightly embraced, a gentle touch on her chest, and a faint fragrance that entered her mind through her nostrils.

"Commander, I missed you so much! You're finally back, that's wonderful! I missed you so much, I thought about you every day and night~ Commander, promise Plymouth, you won't abandon me again. I'll do anything, okay?"

Plymouth's voice grew softer and softer, until it even choked up a little.

“Plymouth, you, well, never mind, this time, whatever you want.” Avant-garde, who had just gotten off the car, saw Plymouth hugging Jing Su tightly. He was about to say something, but before he could speak, he swallowed his words.

As for who in the entire Royal Navy cares about Jing Su, it's hard to say. Everyone cares about Jing Su. After the commander went missing, the entire port was plunged into great panic. No one was much better off than anyone else. But if we were to say who was in the most pain and panic, Plymouth, even if not number one, would be very high on the list.

Plymouth considers the commander her everything, a person whose emotions are swayed by Jing Su.

When Jing Su's message arrived, if it weren't for Jing Su's timely instruction to 'continue living at the original pace,' Plymouth would have already left the royal residence and gone to the vast ocean to find Jing Su.

"I'm back. I won't leave again. Thank you for all these years."

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Let's Have a Dinner

Warm moments are always fleeting. Jing Su didn't enjoy them for long before she was called away by an urgent communication. It seemed the situation was quite urgent, and several ship girls, including Vanguard, were also called away.

Jing Su had initially asked what was so urgent, since it was almost lunchtime and there wasn't even time for a meal. However, she was told that it was some trivial but necessary matters, and that Jing Su should go to the castle to rest first.

As it turns out, the Royal faction is indeed not good at this kind of thing.

Upon entering the castle, the initial plan was to lead Jing Su directly to the restaurant to wait for her meal, but unfortunately, Sirius was the one who led the way.

As everyone knows, Sirius is a bit of a scatterbrain. Under Sirius's guidance, Jing Su wandered around and somehow ended up in the kitchen.

"Are you sure you're cooking?"

Looking at the billowing black smoke rising from the kitchen, Jing Su fell into deep thought.

"Fire! Someone come quick to put out the fire!" Changchun shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Ahem, it's nothing serious, just a fire in the oil on the stove. It'll be fixed soon. Oh, Commander, what brings you here? Please wait a moment, dinner will be ready soon. Um, it might take a little while, there was a small mishap."

At Changchun's shouts, a dusty-looking girl rushed out of the kitchen, coughing and yelling.

Her petite figure, with long gray-green hair, now completely black, but it's not hard to tell that she was originally wearing a red and white striped skirt and black stockings, was indeed a firefly.

"What's the situation inside?" Compared to Sirius, who was still confused about the situation, Jing Su was much calmer and asked.

"The stove caught fire for some reason, so I came out to find a bucket to put it out." The firefly circled its head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"The oil pan caught fire? How long has it been going on? How serious is it?" Upon hearing Firefly's description, Jing Su's expression changed, and she quickly rushed to the door to look inside.

Inside, several small yellow chickens were seen frantically carrying things out, while thick smoke billowed from the exhaust fan.

"About ten minutes," the firefly quickly replied.

"Ten minutes..." Jing Su's head was spinning. She looked around the room, quickly located what she was looking for, rushed into the kitchen as fast as she could, first pulled the switch to cut off the power in the room, then ran to the stove, turned off the gas, and then grabbed the pot lid and slammed it over the smoking oil pan.

The entire process took no more than thirty seconds.

"Cough cough, cough cough~"

Jing Su had no idea what the fireflies were doing, but she belatedly smelled the odor and almost collapsed on the spot.

"Commander, are you alright?" Firefly, belatedly realizing that Jing Su had solved the stove fire problem in a flash, ran over and asked worriedly.

"Phew, I'm fine. Changchun, you can recall your ship equipment now. Firing a shot here will definitely solve the fire problem, but it will most likely kill me as well."

Jing Su comforted her.

In the emergency, Firefly didn't sense anything was wrong, but Changchun noticed the danger, deployed her ship equipment, and prepared to rush into the kitchen to pull Jing Su to safety. Meanwhile, Sirius was wondering why this place was the kitchen.

"So, can you tell me why it caught fire?" Jing Su asked, brushing the soot off her clothes.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a fire, but rather thick black smoke billowing from the iron pot. However, Jing Su found it even more frightening than a fire. If Jing Su wasn't mistaken, this smoky thing was probably his dinner.

"I don't know." Firefly shook her head like a rattle drum. "I followed the recipe exactly, but when I was adding the ingredients, it suddenly started smoking."

Firefly described the scene with great enthusiasm, though her words were a bit incoherent, Jing Su could still understand the general gist of it.

After finding out which dish she made, Jing Su checked the recipe and sighed, "My silly girl, the dish you made is on page seven, and the recipe book is already over twenty pages long. It's not the same dish at all."

And judging from your description, Firefly, you're cooking at least three different dishes in one go.

"Wow, what kind of recipe is this? Who gave it to you? Several of the ingredients for these dishes can't be combined."

After quickly glancing through the so-called recipes from the fireflies, Jing Su became increasingly alarmed, especially after seeing the recipe for Boletus edulis soup, and almost threw it away.

"Hmm, I don't know. I found it in the kitchen. I asked Sister Curacao, and she said there were a lot of Donghuang dishes on it. Sister Curacao had made it a few times according to the recipe before, and it tasted pretty good, so I prepared dinner accordingly." Firefly tried to recall for a while and gave Jing Su an answer that left her speechless.

“Donghuang cuisine…” Jing Su frowned, as if she had thought of something, and hurriedly asked, “When you encounter words like ‘a spoonful’ or ‘a small amount,’ how do you measure them?”

"Hey, Commander, you don't know either? I was about to ask you. Curaçao said we should just do what's written on it. If it's a spoonful, what's the amount in that soup spoon? As for a small amount, a suitable amount, etc., ugh, I don't understand at all. I just put it in as a spoonful."

Following the firefly's finger, Jing Su saw a soup spoon bigger than her own palm and fell into deep thought.

"This fire is a good one!"

Jing Su finally understood why Changchun had let out a sharp bang after hearing that dinner would be royal cuisine. If it were her, she would have gone crazy too.

Even with just a few words, Jing Su could already sense the terror lurking within dinner.

"Isn't there a little yellow chick? On the way here, I heard Qianwei say that all your food was prepared by the little yellow chick, so why are you the only one in the kitchen now?"

"Oh, I can explain that." Sirius finally snapped out of his daze and, to Changchun's astonishment, ran over, grabbed Jing Su's hand, and shoved it into his 'bridge,' rubbing it back and forth.