I really don't have money for the ship girls.

"Ha, you think I'd want to see him? He was just a scoundrel before, and now he's even worse—a complete stranger. Some people can't bring themselves to do it, but I don't care about all that nonsense. If he's a decent person, I'll just beat him up a few times. If he's really a scoundrel, I'll beat him until he's smoking. He harassed us a few times before, and I'll beat him up a few times, until he's dead!"

The blonde woman with twin ponytails stood with her hands on her hips, a disdainful expression on her face. She was the lead ship of the Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the Admiral Hipper, and was eloquently demonstrating her determination to her younger sister. However, when she saw her sister, Princess Eugen, gently twirling her long silver hair, a playful smile on her charming and pretty face, Hipper, who was often teased by her sister, lost her composure.

What's with that look you're giving me? Don't you believe me?

“I believe you, of course I believe you.” Prince Eugen crossed one arm over his chest and gently stroked his smooth chin with the other, chuckling as he said, “But I seem to remember that you, Hipper, were never harassed by the Commander.”

"I……"

Hipper was speechless for a moment, though she still stubbornly raised her head, not letting her emerald eyes see the magnificent peaks on Prince Eugen's chest. In this port area, she could feel the blows all the time.

Don't look down, or your bra will fall off; don't cry, or the big-breasted girls will laugh.

No, no, I don't care at all!

Hipper mentally hypnotized himself again, intending to refute his sister's position once more, but at this moment a slender blonde woman walked out of the research building, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

Vanguard cleared his throat and said to everyone, "Everyone, cheer up! The Prince of Wales has successfully entered the Commander's world, so there's no need to worry."

"How is it? How is it?"

"Can you provide an update?"

"Who cares about Wales? It's said that even sirens might come from the future. There's no reason why our ship girls would get hurt if they traveled through time. I want to know how the commander is doing. Did he get a good kick to the butt from the Prince of Wales' high heels?"

"And then you, Barr, will be the hero who saves the damsel in distress, right?"

"Me? Hmph, I'll just kick the other side of his ass."

As people inquired, others acted. A small figure stealthily weaved through the crowd. But the vanguard of the Royal Knights was no mere figurehead; he swiftly caught the large mackerel trying to slip away unnoticed. The adorable little girl struggled, crying out repeatedly:

"Sister Vanguard, let me in! Didn't we already succeed?"

"No, you can't go in yet."

Qianwei hugged the big blue mackerel's belly, holding her small body still, and said to the small submarine and everyone in front of the research building, "There are still some finishing touches to be done. Once they are completed, the details will be compiled and sent to the port area work group. Everyone, please don't worry."

They could only remain calm, since rushing wouldn't help. Even so, the vast majority of ship girls still gathered outside the research building, waiting for their sisters inside to come out, so they could get firsthand information.

There is no distinction between high and low status within the naval base. However, some ship girls are good at fighting, while others are good at management. Influenced by history, the ship girls always hold some famous "seniors" and "older sisters" in high esteem, which gradually formed the management team of the naval base, namely the so-called heads of the eight major families.

Meanwhile, in the basement of the research building, the port's chief scientist—Iron-Blooded Aircraft Carrier Peter Strasser—was checking the monitors and said, "There's no way to track the Prince of Wales' current situation. We can only roughly determine it through the signals from her Mind Cube. Her coordinates are now basically aligned with the Commander's, so she should have achieved her initial goal."

"That's good." The gentle woman with long silver hair was Radiance. She gently touched her chest with one hand and said in a daze, "I still can't believe that the Commander was actually commanding us in another world. I can still clearly remember the warmth of the Commander's palm. Was it just my imagination?"

"Who knows?" Soviet Rossiya crossed her arms. She was a materialist warrior, even though the existence of ship girls was, to some extent, anything but materialistic.

"Perhaps the commander is responsible for something like a spacetime observer, just like the appearance of our ship girls and the Sirens. There are still many things we don't understand. After all, no matter what happened in the past, how could the commander who leads us be an ordinary... Achoo—"

With her slightly wavy blonde hair tied in front of her chest, Hu De was expressing her thoughts when suddenly her nose tingled, and she quickly covered her pink mouth with her slender hand, hiding her sneeze in her palm.

The quick-witted Hood was a little puzzled as to why she suddenly sneezed.

There was no wind in the basement, and ship girls don't usually get sick, so there's only one explanation: someone is talking about them, and it's definitely not good news. They're probably saying something like "old auntie" again.

Hude's beautiful, lake-blue eyes darted around. Enterprise stood with arms crossed, expressionless. Yixian stood behind Strasser, watching the monitor with concern, unsure if she understood it. Richelieu had already closed his Bible, his pink lips still parting as he murmured, presumably reciting a prayer. Bismarck…

No need to think about it, it must have been Bismarck who did it, that wretched Persian cat!

Facing Hood's displeased gaze, Bismarck, with her radiant blonde hair, didn't seem to care much. But she had endured far more profound gazes than this. In fact, the upright Bismarck was feeling a little lost. Like many of her ship girl sisters, she didn't know how to treat the commander who was both close and suddenly felt somewhat unfamiliar.

While comparing the information on the screen, Strasser said, "We can't find out what's going on in the other world yet. We can only get a glimpse from the data we collected when the two worlds were connected. At least for now, I haven't detected any signs of the Mind Cube or the Sirens, so it should be a world without ship girls. The other physical constants are basically the same as our world. If our ship girls were there, they might exhibit more characteristics of ordinary women. Of course, we'll have to wait for the Prince of Wales to return to find out the specifics."

"Characteristics of an ordinary woman?" Hood asked, somewhat puzzled, as he came to his senses.

Strasser explained, "In order to adapt to the rules of that world, the power will be weakened to a certain extent, and the three meals, excretion, internal circulation, etc. will be closer to those of an ordinary woman. It may not be like now where it is okay to go without food for several days."

So, does that mean pregnancy is possible?

"Yes, pregnancy can also..."

Strasse paused, her pupils dilating involuntarily, and the scene suddenly fell silent, with only the heavy breathing of some of the ship girls audible.

Akagi, who had just asked that question, smiled—a sly, fox-like smile.

Chapter Six: The Tumultuous Scene at the Naval Base (Part Two)

With brown fox ears and nine fluffy fox tails, Amagi, dressed in a purplish-red kimono, has a completely different temperament from her sister Akagi.

Her long, slender, white fingers were painted with vermilion nail polish, and her narrow, fox-like eyes were slightly narrowed. She exuded a fiery passion and intensity; she was Akagi, the Sakura Empire's first carrier battle group's aircraft carrier, Akagi. Historically, she was originally the second ship of the Amagi-class battlecruiser, but was converted into an aircraft carrier due to the Washington Naval Treaty. Therefore, she was, of course, Amagi's younger sister.

Akagi, who had been standing gracefully like a rare orchid in a secluded valley, spoke up after noticing everyone's gaze: "Akagi means that if pregnancy is possible in that world, it means that we will have menstrual cycles like ordinary women. This will greatly limit our combat power. This is a situation we have never experienced before, and we need to consider this in advance no matter what measures we take later."

“Sister Tiancheng is right, that’s exactly what I meant.”

Akagi narrowed her red eyes. She never bothered to hide her emotions, but she still had to listen to Amagi-nee's words.

Apart from Strasser, Yubari, and other technical personnel, everyone present was a true shrewd individual. Amagi and Akagi had both said so, and the true meaning was best left unsaid; there was no need to reveal it.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to discuss these things now.” Belfast, dressed in a black and white maid outfit, placed her hands on her skirt, her fair face bearing a faint smile, as composed and unyielding as ever. “Whether we’re preparing for battle or management of the Commander’s world, there’s no point in making these hypothetical speculations until Wales brings back the specific details.”

Glorious agreed, "That's right."

“Indeed.” Bismarck was sparing with his words.

Belfast is merely a light cruiser, and even now she's not among the top-tier light cruisers in terms of combat strength. Her maid outfit makes her appear very humble, but she actually enjoys considerable respect and prestige within the naval base. As the head maid, she serves the commander while also being helpful, making her a perfectly elegant and charming head maid.

Of course, not everyone completely agrees.

“If, I mean if,” Marco Polo had brazenly slipped in, not having been at the naval base for long and lacking the prestige of the Sardinian flagship Veneto, but her forthright personality had earned her good relationships. She spoke sincerely, “That world is fine, but if the Commander is unruly or incompetent… of course, the Commander will still be needed as a temporal coordinate. But could we unite to help the Commander make the truly correct decision?”

Zhenhai stroked his smooth chin and chuckled rudely, "You want to rule from behind the curtain?"

“It’s the Senate, the Roman Senate,” Marco Polo emphasized.

"Even in Rome, you are not eligible to be the Elector of Sardinia."

Veneto, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up: "The Holy Roman Empire is not Rome, and the Holy Roman Empire is not Rome."

Most people expressed their opinions with silence. Seeing that the topic was gradually going off track, the Enterprise shook its head and said, "Alright, Belfast is right. There is no point in discussing these things now. What we can do now is fight and collect more Siren remains as materials for future time travel. We can talk about other things when the Prince of Wales returns."

Richelieu agreed, "That's settled then. The sisters outside are probably getting impatient waiting for news."

"I'll organize the information and send it to the naval base's main group chat."

"Thank you for your hard work, Glorious."

"Bismarck, aren't you leaving?"

"Well, I'll discuss it with Strasser again. I still want to understand as much as possible."

Marco Polo watched the ship girls gradually disperse in the research lab, twirling her long blue hair with her fingers. She wasn't just all ambition; she understood from the fact that no one had responded to her earlier that most of her sisters still had expectations of the commander. Without that sense of unity, the naval base would become a disorganized mess.

Therefore, it may not be realistic to have a commander who is completely independent; influencing the commander as soon as possible is a better option.

Glorious quickly summarized the current situation into a clear written statement and posted it in the large chat group where everyone in the naval base was present. As for the many questions asked by the sisters in the group, she answered them if she could, although she couldn't answer most of them. They involved parallel worlds and quantum mechanics, things that even research ship girls don't understand, so how could she possibly answer them?

Of course, in addition to the large groups, there are countless small groups in the naval base's chat tool. Compared to the large groups, which have both administrators and children, the small groups are much freer, and people can speak however they want, making them much more lively.

Raising a commander is less efficient than raising a dog.

Chapaev: "Can someone explain this to me? How did the commander command us from another world? I can clearly remember the commander's voice and smile, it can't be fake, right?"

Magdeburg: "I don't understand."

San Francisco: "@Magnetoburg, how come you don't understand? Don't you often say things like this?"

Magdeburg: "I was watching anime, which doesn't require logic. Anyway, when in doubt, I use quantum mechanics. If it doesn't explain time travel, or if my imagination isn't big enough, I'll just use parallel universes. How was I supposed to know I'd encounter that?"

Mercury Memorial: "I understand."

Magdeburg: "You think you know everything?"

Mercury Memorial: "I really understand."

Agano: "@MercuryMemorial, say it! Say it now!"

Mercury Memorial: "I don't know much about the others, but at least I know one thing: if I want to see the Commander now, I have to go to that world."

Ashigara: "Tch, isn't that the same as now? Anyway, I've been abandoned by the Commander, so what difference does it make whether I see him or not?"

Mercury Memorial: "I feel there is still a difference. I kind of want to see the Commander. Don't tell me you don't want to."

Ashigara: "Whether I want to or not is irrelevant. Even if the Prince of Wales goes there, we don't know what will happen. Even if others want to go next, it won't be our turn for now."

Perseus: "Correct, direct, and fair."

The truth was harsh, and there was a moment of silence in the group before someone broke the awkward silence.

Kumano: "That makes sense. If the Commander specifically asked me to come and serve him in bed, even the head of one of the eight great families wouldn't be able to refuse, since it's the Commander's order."

Chapaev: "That makes sense."

Nelson: "What's the logic behind that?"

Nelson: "Everyone, don't forget our group name. Raising a commander is not as good as raising a dog. Anyone who violates this principle will be expelled from the group by the group owner!"

Magdeburg: "The group leader is awesome!"

Agano: "Support the group admin!"

Perseus: "+1".

Chapaev: "I wish the commander could really become my dog."

Mercury Memorial: "..."

Nelson: "That's a good idea too. Anyway, the commander is a dog, no, even worse than a dog, humph!"

Besides the various discussions in the group, there was also an undercurrent of unrest at the naval base.

Beneath the torii gate of the Sakura Empire dormitory, Amagi's long, beautiful legs, clad in wooden clogs beneath her kimono, clattered on the cobblestones. Turning her delicate face to her younger sister beside her, she said, "Akagi, what you said just now was a bit too hasty. We don't yet know the Prince of Wales' situation over there, and more importantly, we don't know the Commander's situation and attitude. This will only make everyone wary, making it difficult to take advantage of the chaos."

"No need."

"what?"

“No need.” Akagi’s red lips curled into a smile, her crimson eyes seeming to burn with flames. “It doesn’t matter what the Commander’s attitude is, it doesn’t matter who he is, what matters is that when we get to that world, the Commander can be with me. No one can easily disturb us, no one can separate us. This must be fate’s arrangement, hehe, hehehehehehe…”

Amagi pursed her lips, looking at her sister and sighing softly. She knew how intense Akagi's feelings for the Commander were, and she knew that Akagi might do something irrational for the Commander.

On one side is her beloved younger sister, and on the other side are the commander and everyone in the naval base. Amagi understands that only he can help Akagi maintain the balance between them.

Ironblood's dormitory is right next to Sakura Empire's, and it is one of the dormitory buildings that were later expanded by the naval base.

"Little rabbit, white and white, with two ears..."

A plump woman in a black military uniform walked down the corridor of the Ironblood dormitory, humming a tune. She was voluptuous, with pretty short pink hair and long, fair legs. She had a smile on her lips and looked very kind and approachable.

The Ironblood heavy cruiser Ron was also waiting for news in front of the research building, but after a period of inexplicable frustration, she decided to vent in the kitchen. Now, the clean-shaven rabbit, bled and shaved, was in the basket she was carrying. Yes, the rabbit was so cute, so tonight we'd have roasted rabbit, with lots of cumin and chili.

"Ron."

A call stopped Ron in her tracks. She looked at Frederick the Great, who had called her, with some confusion, and asked, "Frederick, is there something you need?"

Frederick the Great, who had just emerged from the research building, leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed, a gentle smile playing on his usually cold but handsome face: "Ron, would you like to see the Commander?"

Ron paused, tilting his head slightly, a hint of confusion on his pale face: "You mean go to another world? Even if I wanted to go, that world would need combat personnel, and they wouldn't agree to let me go, would they?"

“That’s not a problem, I’ll figure something out.” Frederick the Great looked at Ron with kind eyes and said, “The key question is, do you want to go?”

"think."

Almost without a doubt, Ron immediately gave an affirmative answer. His dark brown eyes seemed to sparkle, and a faint blush appeared on his flawless, fair face. The gentle and approachable Ron just moments before suddenly revealed a completely different temperament.

"Okay, I'll figure something out. I probably won't be able to get a spot in the next round of Commander Worlds. It'll probably be the round after that."

"It's great to have the chance. By the way, Frederick, would you like some roasted rabbit?"

"Roasted rabbit?"

"Yes, I really wanted to eat it at first, but now I don't really want to anymore. Do you want some?"

“Then I’ll try your cooking, Ron.”

The two walked side by side down the iron-blooded corridor, looking like sisters, both equally slender and beautiful.

Similar scenes occurred in many other parts of the naval base. The discovery of the commander's whereabouts reunited the naval base, which was almost falling apart. Everyone was generally working together towards a common goal, but some petty thoughts were inevitable.

Chapter Seven: Everyone Has an Advantage

Achoo—achoo—achoo—

The April breeze in Binjiang City already carried a hint of heat. After sneezing a few times, Ying Tian rubbed his nose. He was certain that he hadn't caught a cold, so there was only one explanation—someone was talking about him. It was probably Fu Ya and her group of fans cursing him.

After communicating with the Prince of Wales about the methods and details of creating public opinion and making a phone call to confirm that everything was correct, Ying Tian read a book in the fast food restaurant for a while, and then said goodbye to her and left around five o'clock.

When Yingtian was working part-time at the supermarket, he observed that every day at five o'clock, the supermarket's general manager would patrol the entrance and exit and check if there were any letters in the president's mailbox.