My ship girl setup is off...

Page 12

"How about this, Commander Zhengri? I think you know that after your commander training here, you'll be heading to the port. How about that? It won't interfere with your time with your ship girls. How about we spend an extra two hours this afternoon doing exercises with them?"

"Your pay is a bit lower than mine, and you're definitely short on Rubik's Cubes compared to me. You can exchange them for an equal amount." Luo Ya understood these principles. If you fight for humanity against the Sirens, you should get corresponding compensation. If you don't want to feed the horse but expect it to run, who will work for you? Anyone can shout slogans, but they can't fill your stomach.

"I can discuss this with the Vanguard." To be honest, Zheng Ri was somewhat tempted. He was practically penniless right now, with no other sources of supplies besides his initial commander's salary. Besides going to the port to take up his post, you could never have too many Rubik's Cubes...

The main reason is that Luo Ya gave us a special offer. We only need to work for two hours a day to earn extra resources. Where else can we get such a good deal? Maybe no one else can.

Seeing Zheng Ri's somewhat tempted expression, Luo Ya guessed it was a done deal, and her smile gradually brightened.

"Alright, your problem right now is that you don't have enough experience. The biggest problem is that your movements are too big, making it easy for people to see what you're trying to do. Okay." Compared to Zheng Ri, who was watching from the side, Qianwei was trying his best to teach the ship girl in front of him. Actually, there wasn't such a big problem. To put it bluntly, she just hadn't been on a real battlefield.

When you've experienced an overwhelming barrage of bullets, that's when you learn the fastest, and at the same time, you can grasp the true meaning of life.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Vanguard," the ship girl being guided opposite Vanguard bowed to him. When she was completely convinced of his superiority, she couldn't even utter the riddle that had just come out of her mouth.

"Okay, that's settled then," Vanguard nodded, thinking it was almost time to pick up the Commander, so he wouldn't delay any longer. But then he turned around and saw a familiar figure...

"broken!"

...

"I'm sorry, Commander, I was supposed to pick you up..."

"It's nothing. By the way, Qianwei, I wanted to discuss something with you."

Upon seeing Zheng Ri, Qianwei rushed over to apologize, but Zheng Ri didn't seem to care. Instead, she and Qianwei headed to the training ground for the front-line ship girls to find Plymouth, and at the same time, they brought up what Roya had mentioned.

"I don't know what you think of avant-garde styles? But I won't force you. If you don't want to, that's fine too; you can just refuse."

"So, Commander, you want the Rubik's Cube?" Vanguard could tell that his commander was after the Rubik's Cube, the kind that was supposed to be a "brainless" Rubik's Cube.

“No, the main thing is that I’m afraid of something unexpected. Although our port area is very strong and might be able to compete with the Maritime Bureau, our port area hasn’t arrived yet. I only have you and Plymouth by my side. Although you are very strong, well…” Zheng Ri didn’t finish his sentence because he was afraid of hurting people’s feelings.

"..." The vanguard didn't speak. Although he was very happy that his commander put him and Plymouth first, he couldn't help but laugh. The commander underestimated his strength.

"It's necessary to let the commander understand what ship girls are all about," Vanguard thought to himself.

Later, Zheng Ri and Qian Wei didn't find Plymouth on the training ground, but instead found him in the canteen.

"I apologize, Commander, because of Plymouth, you've wasted quite a bit of your time."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I was just wondering why you didn't come to find me. By the way, do you have classes this afternoon?" Facing the apologetic Plymouth students, Zheng Ri said indifferently.

However, I was thinking about getting a phone for my ship girls, otherwise, in such a big place, where would I go to find them?

The last person and two ships ordered different dishes and ate in a less crowded part of the canteen. However, the two ship girls next to Zheng Ri still attracted a lot of attention. Well, look at the eyes of the European fans.

"Commander, how did your studies go this morning? If there's anything you don't understand, Plymouth is happy to help."

"Commander, me too."

"It's alright. I can only say that there's a lot to learn as a commander. It's like going back to my school days, looking down at the blackboard, taking notes, and then looking up again to find all the notes erased." Zheng Ri put the last spoonful of rice into his mouth, chewed and swallowed, and then expressed his thoughts. It's a pity that the blackboard was later replaced by a projector, which is a good thing.

"Does the Commander miss the old days?" Vanguard and Plymouth exchanged a glance, hoping to protect the Commander if possible.

"No, but the standard for the end of an era begins when it is romanticized," Zheng Ri said, wiping his mouth with a tissue.

Chapter 29 Money Power

"Commander, where are we going next?"

"I'll take you shopping."

Since there were no classes in the afternoon, Zheng Ri decided to take Qianwei and Plymouth to buy cell phones, otherwise they wouldn't know where to look for their ship girls later. So he planned to take them to the shopping street and quickly found a cell phone store.

"Commander, are you going to buy us cell phones?" Vanguard looked at the shop in front of him that used a picture of a Manju holding a cell phone as its signboard and suddenly couldn't speak. Then he looked at the Commander with a strange look.

"...Ah, I don't understand why there's a yellow chicken hanging here either, but this is indeed a mobile phone store." Zheng Ri scratched his head awkwardly. There was nothing he could do. The Maritime Bureau wasn't very big, but it included a commercial street, and the commercial street was huge. You could see individual ship girls and some commanders on the street.

I followed the navigation, and it was the closest one, so I really don't understand why there's a yellow chicken icon on it. But that's not the point, is it?

“Commander, we’re not blaming you, but we want to know why you need to buy us cell phones,” Plymouth asked, holding Masaharu’s hand. Plymouth didn’t recall any of her ship girls giving the commander the impression that they were particularly fond of material things.

“Plymouth, you’re holding my hand, don’t you know what I’m thinking?” Zheng Ri moved his arm, which was surrounded by a pair of soft hands. “You’re leaning on me, and you’re still telling me this?”

“Commander, Plymouth doesn’t actually have to use this ability. If we keep using it, it’s not a good thing for you.” That’s true. After all, no one likes to read other people’s minds when they have nothing better to do. Of course, there will always be a few exceptions.

"Goodness, it's an active skill... Alright, I'll buy you guys a cell phone so it's easier to stay in touch. Like today, it's hard to find each other if something happens, since we'll always have to be apart eventually." Masaichi unconsciously made a sarcastic remark before revealing his thoughts, which only earned him a sigh of relief from the two ship girls.

"Actually, Commander, we do have cell phones, but we can't connect to the server here because the network signals are different. We'll be fine once Akashi comes over and sets up the port's network server." Vanguard took out a black cube, which unlocked with a touch. The screen lock featured Vanguard's own photo, but the signal icon in the information bar was crossed out.

"Do we still need to buy them?" Since both of his ship girls said the same thing, Masahi felt like he had come for nothing.

"Yes!" Vanguard and Plymouth exchanged a glance. They were joking; they had to accept the first gift from the commander.

The three of them then went inside and bought two cars. The avant-garde one was platinum, and the Plymouth one was pink. Looking at the pink Plymouth, Zheng Ri immediately thought of the saying that the pinker the avatar, the more vicious the beating. Now Plymouth fits the bill perfectly.

After buying the phone, they didn't have anything else they wanted to buy, so they started wandering around and chatting.

"By the way, what would you like to eat? I'll buy some for you." Zheng Ri glanced at Plymouth, who was holding his arm, and Qianwei, who seemed to be lost in thought, and offered his suggestion. Since they were already out, how could they not buy something to eat?

"Thank you, Commander, but Plymouth doesn't really have anything to enjoy," Plymouth replied with a smile, shaking her head as she fiddled with her pink phone. Right now, her happiest moment was shopping with the Commander, who had even given her a gift—though it wasn't particularly sentimental, it was still the first gift he'd ever given her.

The thought of Plymouth evokes thoughts of the future; the real intention is not what it seems.

"No need, Commander. Just tell us what you want," Vanguard refused, even taking the initiative. He didn't show any reaction on the surface, but he was thinking that he would definitely take a picture to show off to his sisters when he got back.

Sisters, this is absolutely amazing! The Commander gave me a super cool phone, it's so awesome! He really cares about me.

"Ask you? Do you have money?" Zheng Ri suddenly chuckled. Yesterday, when he went out for takoyaki with Qianwei, he paid for everything himself, having already factored in the cost of the ship girls, so naturally he hadn't considered their expenses.

The idea of ​​having money isn't really a bad thing, but when he thinks about how his daily expenses in the port area will be astronomical, Masaharu can't smile anymore.

I'm afraid that the first thing they do every day when they open their eyes is start calculating money.

“Commander...actually, we are quite wealthy.” Vanguard paused slightly, wondering whether he should tell Zheng Ri a cruel truth.

"?" A look of intelligent confusion appeared on Zheng Ri's face.

"Does the commander know St. Louis?"

"I know, Aunt Saint." Zheng Ri remembered that he bought Aunt Saint a McLaren L2D rich woman skin, which confirmed her position as the richest woman in the port area. But even though he said that, he didn't know how much it cost. He hadn't looked into it. That car was probably worth several million. Of course, the most important thing was the skin color. That was what he was after.

The vanguard glanced at Zheng Ri, and from the "it's alright, I'm still alive" expression on his face, he could tell that his commander probably hadn't seen much money and had mostly lived on the edge of subsistence. He felt a pang of heartache, but at the same time, an idea came to mind.

"St. Louis bought some stocks and bonds on White Eagle, and later, due to luck, they appreciated and doubled in value, making him a lot of money. Then, with the interest compounding, he went into the real estate industry, specifically choosing places with few people."

"Later, with the recapture of some sea areas, the inland areas began to develop their economies in the reclaimed locations, and then..." The vanguard trailed off, but St. Louis must have made a fortune. Her income alone was enough to cover all the expenses in the port area; one can only imagine how rich she was.

“Lord Vanguard is right, Commander. Miss St. Louis is very wealthy. Even Her Majesty the Queen is envious.” Plymouth put away his phone and betrayed Elizabeth without hesitation. After all, these things were worthless in front of the Commander.

"Well, that's what they say, but our royal family did buy from Miss St. Louis several times. I have to say, St. Louis's ability to make money is really strong." Faced with Plymouth's decisive sale of Queen Elizabeth, the avant-garde didn't know what to say, but he did get a share of the profits.

All I can say is that making money isn't shameful.

What Qianwei didn't tell Zhengri was that basically every ship girl in the port area has at least one apartment, with the lowest being a million. And for those who play games, like Long Island and Lingbo, they've already spent 648 million. Money isn't a problem in the port area.

The fear now is that the commander will not be able to withstand the shock and will faint on the spot.

"I see..." Zheng Ri was a little speechless, feeling a bit of mixed emotions. He was shocked, yet it all seemed so natural. Seeing Zheng Ri's sudden daze, Qian Wei smiled.

"By the way, Commander, if you're short on money, I have a good suggestion."

Chapter 30 Since there's no way to resist, then enjoy it.

"So, your suggestion is to drag me into the women's restroom?" Zheng Ri looked at Qianwei and Plymouth, who were each pinning him against the wall. If it were just Qianwei, it would be fine, but Plymouth, why are you doing this too?

"Of course not, Commander, didn't you want money?"

"Of course I like it, who doesn't like money?" Zheng Ri said matter-of-factly, as if he wasn't the kind of person who didn't like money or wasn't interested in it.

"Hey, this is a 100,000 resource currency card." The avant-garde, now dressed in a maid outfit, pulled out a gleaming gold card from somewhere and waved it in front of Zheng Ri, causing Zheng Ri to gasp in shock.

"Where did you get this? Speak! Confess now!" This 100,000 isn't ordinary currency. 1,500 can be exchanged for one construction, and an extra 500 can be exchanged for a Rubik's Cube. So...

“Commander, as I just told you, St. Louis was involved in the stock market back then, and our Royal Family had a stake in it, so…” Vanguard fiddled with the gold card in his hand, “It can only be said that the first to get rich led the way, and the later ones got rich.”

"Wait a minute, are you sure this currency is usable?" Zheng Ri looked at the string of letters and numbers on the card in front of him. Although he didn't quite understand it, could money from a card from a different world be used? There were a lot of things involved here.

“Of course you can, otherwise your dinner last night and breakfast today wouldn’t have come out of thin air, Commander. You can ask Plymouth about that.” Vanguard looked at Plymouth, who was already lying on Zheng Ri, and felt that she was becoming a little lewd.

“Commander, Lord Vanguard is right. The money we brought to the port can be used here, so please don’t worry.” Plymouth had already rubbed against Masahiro’s side. Because of the doujinshi plots she had seen in the maid group before, the connection with the present made Plymouth blush.

"So, Commander, if you agree to play a little game with me, these 100,000 supply cards are yours." Vanguard thought about the many doujinshi plots he had read in his mind where the commanders were used as wives by ship girls, and patted Zheng Ri's face with the gold card. A blush was gradually appearing on his face.

"Are you sure this is really a mini-game?" Zheng Ri felt like he had seen this plot somewhere before. He couldn't understand it, but it was very familiar. However, his intuition told him that this was not a good thing.

"It's just that this adds a little fun, Commander," the vanguard said, moving closer to Zheng Ri, then wrapping his left arm around his waist, his right hand holding a gold card, gently pressing his chest against Zheng Ri's chest.

The slight movement made the meaning clear, and there was no longer any attempt to hide it. It was just him, the commander, and Plymouth, who were together. They were going to speak frankly and openly.

The high-speed rotation of the CPU made Qianwei blush and feel hot.

"You're not even trying to hide it anymore, are you? I understand what you mean, but I refuse." Zheng Ri already knew what this was all about. It was a doujinshi plot, wasn't it? What a joke, the Commander only sells his art, not his body.

And then there's Akashi; she definitely played a part in stirring things up behind the scenes. She must be severely punished. Look what she's turned her knight into! Can she still be called a knight?

"Commander, are you really refusing? No one but you can do something so comfortable and profitable." Vanguard secretly slipped the gold card into Zheng Ri's pocket. He was definitely going to pay; he could help the Commander apply glue and drill wells to extract water, so he probably didn't care about this. He just wanted to try it out.

As for the final step, there's nothing to discuss except giving the Oath Ring.

"I feel like my knight has lost her knightly faith and has done this to me," Zheng Ri muttered to herself. "How did my ship girl become like this? Where is my vanguard?"

“Commander, you are the one I am loyal to. I will defend everything you do to the outside world. As for the inside world, I still hope you can grant me a small request.” The vanguard’s face turned serious at the mention of this. No one can doubt my loyalty, even if the method is a little wrong, it is still loyalty!

“...Fine, I’ll grant your wish. Go ahead and say it.” Zheng Ri had stopped resisting. Looking at the vanguard and Plymouth on either side, he knew that their decision was definitely not impromptu; it was a long-planned scheme.

"Commander, the game is simple. As long as I help you clean the drain and the stern every day, this 100,000 gold card is yours. Of course, relaxing your chest is also acceptable." Vanguard took out another card with his right hand and patted the commander's face. He was no longer a knight at all. He had become a rich maid bullying a poor master. Damn capitalism.

"No, no, that's not right, I can't take it." Zheng Ri immediately refused again. This wasn't about money anymore, it was about taking her life. And it was every day? Are you sure that "every time" really only means once? With the stamina of a ship girl, it would be one time from afternoon until tomorrow morning if it wasn't over yet.

"Commander, are you really going to refuse? Look, he's already up, anyway..." Vanguard weighed Zheng Ri's fate, and wanted to say that this was how things would be in the future anyway, either he would be a wife to anyone, or a pregnant woman to be bullied, and it was impossible for him to marry a human woman, but after thinking about it, he realized that he couldn't say that, so he immediately shut his mouth.

Some things are better left unsaid.

"Qianwei, don't do this, I don't have much stock left." Zheng Ri immediately stopped Qianwei's reckless right hand. Didn't we come here to buy a phone? How did things turn out like this? And if he agreed, he would only think about lewd things all day.

"Not too many is just right, otherwise Commander, you could keep them as seed. Besides, Commander, your belly is getting a bit big, you need to exercise. Let me help you." Without saying a word, Vanguard squatted down and started eating the buffet herself. Hesitation would lead to defeat, and she didn't want to become a textbook example of a loser ship girl like Hipper.

"Damn it! Plymouth, save me!!" Trying to outmuscle a ship girl is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; Masahi couldn't fight back and could only ask Plymouth for help. However, looking at the silent Plymouth, Masahi felt something was wrong.

"I'm sorry, Commander, please forgive Plymouth for what she did." Under Zheng Ri's horrified gaze, Plymouth raised her head, blushing, then took out two gold cards and stuffed them directly into the Commander's pocket. Afterward, she locked the Commander's head in her hands and kissed him.

Zheng Ri was already speechless; since he couldn't resist, he could only obediently accept it.

Chapter 31 is squeezed dry in every sense of the word.

"Commander, are you alright?"

"Do you think I have or not?" Zheng Ri looked at Plymouth, who was patting his back, and Qian Wei, who was dressed in formal attire, with a hint of annoyance. However, Qian Wei was a little hesitant to make eye contact with Zheng Ri.

The two ship girls, one person and two ships, were in a nearly empty milk tea shop. It used to be occupied, but when Zheng Ri was helped over by Vanguard and Plymouth, they scared away a pair of ship girls who were drinking milk tea nearby, while simultaneously attracting the attention of the ship girl proprietress. Now that they were in the kitchen, Plymouth finally spoke.

"Sorry, Commander, I just thought there weren't many female commanders, so I thought I'd pull you into the women's restroom. I really didn't expect anyone to come in. Next time, I'll definitely find a secluded spot," Vanguard said thoughtfully. The main issue was that female commanders made up a very small percentage; they were mostly male. As a result...

"There will be a next time?" Zheng Ri suddenly felt a little scared. He remembered how, when he was being verbally abused in the bathroom, Qian Wei tensed up as soon as someone walked in, his mouth movements became faster and more forceful, eventually becoming so loud that he scared the person away and even bumped into the door. Then, Qian Wei's excessive tension caused him to...

They were sucked up to heaven in every sense of the word, but at the same time, they were drained dry. They went from being full to being shriveled. The metaphor may not be quite right, but it's close enough.

If they keep doing this, they'll probably all lose their lives. Why are they still coming?

"The main problem is that someone hasn't..."

"I'm willing to swear an oath with you, but I can only taste it before the wedding ship arrives." The vanguard touched his right ring finger while his eyes darted back and forth.

"How could that be? You are my ship girls. I love you so much, how could I not give you oath rings?" Zheng Ri made Plymouth stop patting her back, then patted her head, getting her compliance.

"Thank you for patting my head, Commander," Plymouth said, lowering her head slightly to allow the Commander to touch her more easily.

"do you like it?"

"Yes, Commander. Please continue if you wish."

Seeing Zheng Ri suddenly pat Plymouth on the head, Vanguard felt that his commander was gradually becoming more relaxed, which was a good thing. After all, if the commander continued like this, it would be difficult to communicate. However, the commander said this.

"Commander, are you... going to make a vow with us?" Vanguard's face was beaming with joy. What ship girl wouldn't like a vow from the commander, unless it was a forced marriage because the affection wasn't high enough?

"No matter what, you are the first ship girls I built here, so you can be considered my initial ships. I even gave Laffey a ring, so how could I not give you one?" Zheng Ri stopped patting his head and took a sip of the milk tea he had just ordered.

If it's not cold, I'm afraid my body won't be able to handle it.

"Yeah, Commander, when you built me, I thought you were a lolicon when I found out Laffey was the first ship you married." Vanguard was speechless when Laffey was mentioned. If it weren't for the port's strength, the Commander would probably have been arrested and interrogated. And it wasn't just Laffey, Shimakaze and the others were too. Fortunately, destroyers were only a minority, and most of them were mature ship girls.

"Nonsense! Laffey was my first ship, so what's wrong with giving my first ring to Laffey? She's been with me since the beginning, and besides, I was planning to marry you guys anyway, it's just too fast now." At this point, Zheng Ri retorted, "What's wrong with destroyers? Did destroyers eat your rice? I can only say destroyers are awesome."

Her soft body and sweet voice made her look like she wanted a hug from the commander. Hehehe, Laffey, my Laffey is drooling!

"When does Commander plan to swear an oath with us?" Plymouth came to Zheng Ri's right, put her arm around his arm, and then held a milk tea straw to his lips, speaking expectantly. Oaths are a major event in a ship girl's life, and no ship girl would be uninterested; it would be a lie to say she wasn't interested.