Shipgirls and Salted Fish Commander, Port Survival Guide

As he pondered, Jing Su's voice rang out. Looking up, Guanghui saw Jing Su standing in the sunlight, his figure imposing, waving his hands, his eyes brimming with a relaxed and joyful light.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Oh, Commander, please reserve that bread and black tea for me.

Also, I want to feed them too!

I want you, Commander, to feed me by hand!

Hehe~"

Chapter 141 Selection

After lunch, it was soon time for afternoon tea.

Jing Su originally wanted to participate, but Guang Hui found an excuse to send him away, saying that there was something to discuss internally, and it was not appropriate for a grown man like Jing Su to be there, since it involved girls.

Jing Su thought it made sense, so she left the room. It had been quite a while since she arrived at the royal residence, and she hadn't really explored it much yet.

After Jing Su left the room, the atmosphere immediately became heavy. Queen Elizabeth closed her eyes and kept drinking from her teacup, regardless of whether there was any black tea in it.

War-weariness manifests as an awkward expression, looking left and right, and restlessness.

Guanghui, on the other hand, looked indifferent, propping his chin up and staring at the doorway, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hey, I think we should check the list of people going to the front lines to provide support."

In the end, it was the conflicted war-weary woman who broke the silence first and revealed the reason for her unease.

"It's better to let the highly respected Lord Glorious handle this kind of thing. Warspite, just ask Glorious. You don't need to ask me."

Queen Elizabeth opened her eyes abruptly, put down her teacup, and spoke in a voice devoid of emotion.

"No, no, no, this is a very important matter. As a subject, how can I presume to take over? It should be handled by His Majesty according to custom."

Brilliance met it head-on.

Just kidding, who would dare take this job?

Arranging personnel to go to the front lines for support was, in the past, a very easy but troublesome task. After all, even if the White Eagle had consolidated the front lines, much of the infrastructure in the safe zone was not much different from that in the rear.

But that's the front line after all. Going to provide support will inevitably involve some fighting. Aside from combat fanatics, who would want to run around if they could just lie down?

Fighting the Sirens is no easy task; if you're careless, you can easily get beaten up by them.

Therefore, when it comes to seasonal support, the principle is that everyone should sign up voluntarily. However, by the deadline, very few people are willing to go to the front line. In most cases, it is just a lottery, and whoever is drawn goes to the front line.

But things are different now. As soon as the order to support the summer offensive was issued, Queen Elizabeth's system backend was filled with densely packed application forms.

How full?

Because Queen Elizabeth knew this was a very boring task, and that not many people would normally sign up, her system had a limit on the number of applications.

The moment the registration channel opened, the registration limit was reached in just a few seconds.

But that wasn't all. After discovering that they couldn't submit their electronic forms, the ship girls simply wrote out an application by hand, bypassed all the procedures, and threw it directly onto her office desk.

According to the original procedure, the paper application forms were to be put into the suggestion box first, and then someone would collect the documents at a fixed time every week for the first round of screening, filtering out those suggestions that were obviously unreliable, and then handing the rest over to Queen Elizabeth.

But these guys, in order to ensure their applications could be submitted, actually went straight to her office and threw their applications on her desk.

When Queen Elizabeth came to work today, she was so angry when she saw the mountain of application forms on her desk that she almost overturned the desk!

When we need help, they all pretend to be invisible. We call and urge them three or four times, but no one pays any attention. Now, they're rushing to submit their applications. They're afraid one application isn't enough, so they have to apply three or four times, right?

Queen Elizabeth lost her temper completely after seeing a guy who annoyed her so much writing nearly twenty application forms. She threw the table downstairs.

Of course, at other times, the ship girls can apply if they want. Anyway, according to her habit, she just draws them directly from top to bottom according to the order of the application form. Once she draws enough, that's it. There's no way she'll do the screening. That's too much trouble. Anyway, the front line is so stable, it doesn't matter who goes, so why waste energy thinking about the lineup?

Wouldn't it be better to use that time to drink another cup of black tea and sleep in a little longer?

But things are different now. Everyone applies, and it's the same whether no one applies or not. There are almost two application forms as tall as her in the office. People will know when they see them. Basically, everyone who can apply has applied.

This means that if we can't come up with a reasonable explanation and select a suitable lineup, others will be dissatisfied.

After all, the reason everyone is so enthusiastic this time is because Jing Su is also going to the front line. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a relationship with Jing Su.

This is precisely the key reason why Queen Elizabeth was furious when she saw the application form. It's not a contrast between a subject who doesn't work on a regular basis but gets carried away whenever he has a chance to get close to Jing Su. If it were her, she would also do her best to develop their relationship if given the opportunity.

Queen Elizabeth's predicament lies in the fact that, as the undisputed leader of the royal faction, she simply cannot leave during this crucial period of resource transfer.

In other words, from the very beginning, Queen Elizabeth was not among those selected to go to the front lines to provide support.

Therefore, each of these application forms was like a sharp knife, cutting into Queen Elizabeth's heart.

It hurts, it hurts too much!

That's why, when urged to submit the list, Queen Elizabeth gave up. She didn't care who it was; she couldn't go anyway, so let whoever wanted to be on the list be on it. Once it was ready, she'd just sign it without even glancing at it.

Of course, Queen Elizabeth's apparent inaction stemmed not only from her inability to attend, but also largely from the fact that it was indeed a very difficult task to handle.

Because the White Eagle faction managed the front lines so well, they alone were able to keep the Sirens out of the defensive line, making it not much difference whether other factions went or not.

The reason for the seasonal aid is twofold. First, it's for shift changes. Even if the White Eagle Alliance can hold off the Sirens, they can't keep working indefinitely; they need to rest. Second, it's also for finding secret bases.

After the Sirens invaded, several islands would appear at sea every now and then. Some of these islands were resource-rich and were excellent for use as secret bases.

To get these islands, you have to fight on the front lines. It's a tacit rule in the port area that whoever takes them down gets them.

The explanation given to the Maritime Safety Administration was to gain military merit in exchange for resources, but of course, this reason is no longer valid.

Because of the existence of the White Eagle, anyone can go to the front line to provide support without considering the lineup. However, the list of those who can go to the front line is limited. In any case, they are going to the front line to provide support. If everyone goes to the front line, it's like going on vacation. If other factions see this, they will be furious.

In other words, it's difficult to come up with a list that satisfies everyone.

"Hehe, I don't care. I'm in a bad mood right now. You guys handle this. Just get the list ready and have me sign it. Whatever the lineup, I'll agree to it."

If all else fails, how about you, Warspite, take over?

Unfazed by the ball being pushed towards her by Radiance, Queen Elizabeth simply kicked it away again.

“Miss Glorious, look.” Upon hearing Queen Elizabeth’s words, Warspite’s expression changed instantly, and he looked at Glorious with pleading eyes.

To ensure fairness, the person who compiles the list cannot include themselves on it. In other words, if Warspite were to take on this task, she would be unable to go to the front lines.

The reason Warspite brought up this topic specifically was that he wanted to use his position as Queen Elizabeth's secretary to get himself on the list. How come now, in the process of making arrangements, he can't go?

"Hehe, Your Majesty, it's best not to trouble Miss Warspite with such matters. I think it's better to let the Commander decide for himself who goes to the front lines with him, since his opinion is the most important."

Upon receiving the pleading look from War-weary, Glorious chuckled and offered his opinion.

For Glorious, she was one of the few ship girls who did not submit an application. After all, given her status and seniority, if she appeared on the accompanying list, even if she did nothing, it would be an invisible pressure on the other ship girls.

Moreover, I've already received enough in the past few days. If I ask for more, others will be dissatisfied. This time, I'm going to the front line, and the front line isn't just the Royal Family faction. Basically, every faction that can come will have members on the front line.

Ship girls from your own faction might care about your feelings, but if ship girls from other factions don't fight you after you've risen to a higher position, that's already considered good.

If Illustrious remembers correctly, the two Ironblood ship girls, Roon and Eugen, have been on the front lines. Sakura Empire has just decided to participate in the support. It's hard to say whether Akagi is on the front lines. There's been news about Richelieu of Iris Liberty and Clermont of Vichy Church recently. I wonder what they're planning.

Binjiang of Donghuang appeared at the front line almost the moment Jing Su arrived in Haibin City. Accompanying him were Anshan, Fushun, Taiyuan, and Changchun, who came with Jing Su from the royal residence. However, there has been no news of them in the past few days. Obviously, Donghuang is also brewing something.

Marco Polo of the Sardinian Empire openly made a statement, calling out to Jing Su, asking him to come directly to their base. However, he withdrew the statement shortly after it was made, and Guanghui did not tell Jing Su about it.

As always, there's been no news from the Northern Alliance, but this faction loves to launch a sudden and ruthless attack. The less news they have, the more it indicates they have a plan.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the port area is currently rife with undercurrents. Upon learning that Jing Su was going to the front lines, every faction was gearing up for a major operation.

Therefore, it is indeed not suitable for Glorious to go to the front line now. She is a secretary ship, a marriage ship, and a successful leader. If she goes to the front line, she will be a sitting duck. She is in the open while the other factions are in the dark. It will be inconvenient for her to do anything. It is better to observe from a distance and see what the other factions are going to do.

"Yes, yes, that's right. It's definitely more reasonable to let the commander handle these kinds of things. In the past, every time we went on an attack, the commander was in charge of team composition. The commander's talent in team composition is always amazing."

Upon hearing Glorious's words, War-weary was overjoyed and quickly agreed.

"Hehe, since it's what Lord Guanghui said, then so be it~" She glanced at Guanghui sideways, who responded with a calm smile. The tacit understanding they had developed over the years allowed her to quickly understand Guanghui's general idea.

'Is Lord Glorious not going to the front lines either? Heh, a strategic retreat, quite a clever tactic. Well, it's fine; let others go to the front lines to sound out the situation. The port is certainly bustling these days.'

"Okay, I'll go inform the commander." With that, Warspite ran out the door to find Jing Su.

War-weary didn't think too much about it. Since Jing Su was the one who decided the final list, he, as the first person to know the inside information, should hurry up and go to Jing Su to finalize his own list before others knew.

As for the others, War-weary didn't think that much about it, or rather, being so naive, she simply couldn't imagine all the complexities involved. She was a warrior, a knight of honor, who believed in fair and square battles and naturally disliked intrigue.

It's not that Warspite isn't smart; she just didn't think that way. Warspite, who is often called an old woman, is indeed a bit slow to react to certain things and isn't good at these roundabout ways.

However, War-weary stated that in one aspect, he was absolutely daring and aggressive—chasing Jing Su!

Perhaps I'm slow to react to many things, or perhaps my figure isn't as good as many small boats, but so what? At least I've taken that step, and I've already won a lot!

. . . . . .

"Although I always knew the manor was big, this is too big! I'm wandering around and I've actually gotten lost."

Walking in the woods, Jing Su looked at the familiar Jing Su in front of her and fell into deep thought.

After leaving the office, Jing Su thought that she hadn't really explored the royal residences much yet, and decided to take this opportunity to explore them thoroughly.

Since it's an exploration, you have to discover things for yourself to experience that delightful surprise. So, Jing Su declined Curaçao's request to accompany her and decided to go by herself, wandering around wherever she pleased, taking photos of things she liked, and just moving on if she didn't.

Whether it's the watch on his wrist or the phone in his pocket, they can locate him. Even if he gets lost, they can contact the ship girls to find him. Anyway, he's in the Royal Navy's territory, so there's no need to worry about his safety.

Surely nothing bad could happen inside the camp. In Jing Su's memory, the Royal Army shouldn't have anyone like Binjiang who could just find an opportunity to drag him into a room.

Those who seem to have this intention are all on the front lines, so Jing Su judges that this place is safe.

So he got lost.

"No way, what kind person would build a maze on their own estate!"

Seeing the mark she had left behind again, Jing Su finally couldn't hold back anymore, covering her face speechlessly.

He initially thought the place, which resembled a gate, was some kind of garden. Since he couldn't find any signs nearby, he went straight in. However, he was surprised to find that it was actually a maze.

By the time they realized it, they were already lost.

This indirectly reflects how vast the royal residence truly is; this maze could take ages to see the end!

"Eh, is this the Commander?"

Chapter 142 What is this thing?

Turning around, one could see a woman dressed in a black and white dress, with a slender waist, gray hair reaching the ground, and a black and white ribbon tied around her neck. A white ribbon was deeply buried in her full breasts, revealing most of her snow-white ship girl breasts, which shimmered in the sunlight.

"Is it... fearsome?" Facing the sun, it was a bit dazzling, and it was hard to see clearly for a moment, but judging from her attire and her ethereal voice, Jing Su asked uncertainly.

"Yes, the third ship of the Illustrious-class, Formidable, um, hull number -67, Commander, it's been a long time."

Kewei, wearing black high heels, supported herself on her right foot, lifted her skirt with her hand, spun around in place, and then bowed.

Her slender, long legs, encased in white stockings, evoked endless fantasies; her exquisite face was unforgettable; her snow-white skin and long arms hidden in black sleeves transformed her into a serpent from Eden, tempting one to sin, making it impossible to look away.

"commander?"

Seemingly oblivious to why Jing Su's eyes were wide, Ke Wei bent over, the snow-white bridge deforming under the force of gravity, adding to its allure. Ke Wei smiled and said.

"Cough cough, Ke, Kewei, what are you doing here?"

Startled by that murmured voice, Jing Su felt a jolt of electricity run through her body. She forcibly turned her head away, took a deep breath, and gritted her teeth.

"Why are you here?" Seeing Jing Su turn her head away, Ke Wei straightened up again and said with a smile, "This is my secret base. Actually, I should be asking, Commander, why are you here?"

"Can't I be here?" After repeating "form is emptiness, emptiness is form" to herself several times, Jing Su calmed herself down and her mind cleared up again.

"Hmm." Formidable tilted his head. "It's not that it's impossible, but this place is a maze. Wouldn't it be strange for a normal person to appear in a maze? Besides, I remember there was a sign at the entrance that said 'Work Area, Unauthorized Entry'. Didn't the Commander see it?"

"So, you don't welcome me here?" Jing Su understood. She finally knew why there was no one here. Normally, places like mazes and castles, which have a mysterious aura, are naturally places where small boats gather for adventures. In other words, it's rare to not encounter anyone here. But knowing this, Jing Su decided to tease her, looking at Ke Wei's adorable expression.

"If you're not welcome, then I'll leave?"

After saying that, Jing Su turned around and made a gesture as if to leave.

"Eh, no, I didn't say that! Wait, Commander, don't go! Ah!!"

Upon seeing that Jing Su was really about to leave, Ke Wei panicked and, disregarding all sense of propriety, rushed forward. However, in his haste to start the car, he stepped on his own hair.

It must be admitted that the ship girls' hair is incredibly good, but when you step on their tiny heels, it's like stepping on lubricant, causing them to lurch straight forward.

"Bang~"

"Huh? Is this ground so soft?"

Instead of the expected impact with the ground, Wei found himself being gently embraced by something. When he looked up, he saw Jing Su's helpless smile.

"Why are you so careless?"