Elder brother's garrison

Page 1361

However, this cannot be blamed on Yubari. After all, Yubari has not returned to the naval base for many years. Although she knows about the Empire and Rome and knows that the Empire is a planned ship, she does not know about the relationship between the Empire and Rome. She does not know how much the Empire is slacking off, nor does she know how hard Rome is working. Perhaps in Yubari's understanding, it is not surprising that the Empire has entered a state of preparation for renovation, and Rome's situation is not so heartbreaking.

"Yes, Lexington and I came over as soon as we received your message." Xiaobai nodded, her gaze lingering on the Empire's ship rigging for a moment before she asked Yubari, "How is the Empire doing right now?"

"Hmm... very stable." Yubari stroked her chin and nodded slightly. "The Empire's ship equipment has completely entered the pre-modification stage, and it seems to have been in this stage for quite some time, so the condition is particularly stable. There is almost no need for preparation work, and we can directly start the ship equipment modification task."

"Huh? We've been in this state for a long time already?"

“Yeah… based on my experience… it’ll take at least a week to two weeks.” Yubari muttered, rubbing her palm against the Empire’s ship hull, then tapping it with her fingers before looking up at the Empire and asking, “Empire, have you been experiencing any strange sensations lately?”

"?" The Empire tilted its head.

"It's that feeling... Waaah... I'm going to split open! That's what I feel like." Yubari gestured to the Empire, rubbing a Rasengan on his chest.

"..." Empire silently watched Yubari's actions, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes. She nodded slightly, placing her two palms on her two full breasts, kneading them with a little force, her ten fingers leaving several full indentations between the two fruits on her chest. "Yes... it feels a little swollen inside."

"How long has this been going on?" Yubari asked.

“It’s been several days,” the Empire replied.

"...Since this feeling has been going on for several days, why don't you tell Veneto and Roma about it?" Yubari asked curiously.

Empire opened her mouth, about to say that she had already told Rome, but Rome immediately cut her off, saying that the news might anger the big sister, so she didn't continue to inform Veneto.

However, after opening his mouth, the empire paused slightly, closed his mouth, and shook his head.

“…I forgot,” the Empire said.

"Forgetting is one thing... but this is a major life event for a ship girl... how could you just forget it like that..." Yubari gave a wry smile, patting Empire's shoulder with a rather sentimental expression, "If we hadn't suddenly decided to check your ship equipment just now, who knows how long it would have been before you entered the pre-modification phase..."

"..." The empire fell silent.

"But... Empire, how exactly did you enter the preparatory modification state?" Xiaobai asked Empire curiously. "Um... Empire, have you been secretly conducting any special training or anything like that?"

"I can answer that question for you, Admiral." Before Empire could speak, Yubari said to Shiro, "I've checked Empire's ship equipment. Although Empire's ship equipment is maxed out, both its aura and its appearance are much worse than Rome's ship equipment. It seems that it hasn't undergone any proper special training at all."

"..." Xiaobai scratched his cheek, looking puzzled. "So, in the Empire, you usually just stay by Veneto and Rome's side, alternating between reading and sleeping like before?"

"Ah."

"Empire, you really are a genius..." Xiaobai smiled wryly, completely convinced.

"Little White, shall we arrange the Empire's refit now?" Lexington asked Little White, pulling out a pen and paper from her ship's rigging.

"Yes, definitely!" Xiaobai hurriedly took the pen and paper handed to him by Liexing Dunqun Liaoyi 203 (2) Lingqi. "The modification of the ship girls is a big deal... We need to contact the ship equipment research center in Kyoto as soon as possible and reserve a spot for the Empire..."

The modification of ship girls usually takes a lot of time. Even without considering the travel time, it is common to take ten days or half a month.

"Ahem, ahem!" Just as Xiaobai was about to fill out the application form for the ship girl modification on the spot, Yubari, who was standing next to the Empire, coughed lightly twice. She attracted the attention of Xiaobai and Lexington. Then she straightened her chest and patted her chest lightly. "Admiral, I think the Empire's modification doesn't need to be so complicated."

In front of everyone, Yubari opened her ship equipment space, took out a white lab coat, shook it with a flourish, and then stylishly draped it over her shoulders.

Donning a white robe.

"Hmm... I feel more at ease wearing this." Yubari picked up the fabric of the white lab coat, sniffed it, then grinned at Shiro, confidently putting her hands on her hips. "Admiral, I'm a PhD from the Ship Equipment Research Center, a super-experienced researcher with hundreds of ship girl modifications under my supervision! With me here, we can help the Empire with modifications right here in the naval base!"

Chapter 1759 The Empire's Request

As Yubari spoke to Shiro, she slapped her ample breasts loudly.

"Huh? Yubari, can you do it?" Shiro looked at Yubari in surprise.

"Of course!" Seeing Shiro's surprised expression, Yubari thought Shiro was doubting her abilities, so she puffed out her cheeks. "Admiral...you're not doubting my skills, are you?"

"Uh, no, no..." Xiaobai quickly waved his hand, smiled apologetically, and then explained, "I know your position at the Ship Equipment Research Center, Yubari... I trust you a lot. But... our naval base doesn't have the equipment from the Ship Equipment Research Center, nor do we have anyone to assist you... Are these really alright?"

"Don't worry about that. We have plenty of unused workshops in our naval base, right? The tools needed for ship girl equipment modification aren't particularly complicated. I can use the equipment there." Yubari gave Shiro a thumbs up. "As for assistants, it's just a matter of having a few less people to wipe my sweat and serve me tea and water. It won't affect the quality of the modification! Although the manpower issue might slightly delay the modification process, it will definitely take less time than you, Admiral, having to book a spot at the Ship Equipment Research Center and then send the Empire there and bring it back! Admiral, please rest assured that you can entrust the Empire to me... no, I mean, please be sure to entrust the Empire's modification task to me! I will definitely deliver a result that will satisfy you, Admiral!"

As Yubari spoke, his eyes gleamed, his face filled with interest and an eager anticipation.

Not only is the Empire a rare planned ship girl among ship girls, but it is also a magical existence that can enter the pre-modification state simply by sleeping and reading. Such a ship girl's modification opportunity is truly rare, so Yubari will definitely try to get it if she can.

"Ah... I see..." Seeing Yubari's excited expression, Xiaobai understood Yubari's idea a little better. She scratched her head and nodded. After thinking for a while, she also felt that Yubari's ability was indeed reliable. So she turned to the Empire for its opinion, "Then Empire, do you agree to Yubari's proposal?"

Xiaobai thinks... Retrofitting is a once-in-a-lifetime event for a ship girl. Although Yubari's technology is indeed very reliable, it's still a bit too casual to let her be in charge of a ship girl's retrofitting plan in the naval base's factory workshop. Perhaps the Empire would find it hard to accept that her once-in-a-lifetime retrofitting opportunity is being wasted so casually in their own factory.

Since it is an imperial reform, the empire itself certainly has the right to speak.

If the Empire feels it's acceptable, Xiaobai will naturally entrust the Empire's modification matters to Yubari. However, if the Empire feels that this is not formal enough and lacks the sense of ceremony for modification, then Xiaobai says she will still respect the Empire's idea and go to the ship equipment research center in Kyoto to schedule a formal modification opportunity for the Empire.

Xiao Bai thinks there's a pretty good chance the Empire will disagree.

"..." Under everyone's gaze, Empire listened to the conversation between Shiro and Yubari, silently watching Shiro who was looking at her with questioning eyes. Then her gaze drifted slightly to Rome in the distance. After watching her expressionlessly for a while, Empire finally opened her lips slightly. She did not answer Shiro's question, but asked Shiro, "...If you agree, can you stay in the naval base for remodeling?"

"Huh? Uh...yes." Xiaobai didn't quite understand what the Empire meant by asking that question, but she nodded naturally.

"Yes, I agree." The Empire nodded readily.

"Yahoo!!" Yubari excitedly raised her hands, beaming as she approached Teikoku, grabbing her hands and shaking them vigorously. "Thank you for trusting me, Teikoku! Although I had some personal reasons for this suggestion, please rest assured, I will treat your modification plan with ten times... no, a hundred times more seriousness than before! I will definitely not let you down! Ah... then wait a moment, Teikoku, I'll go back to my dorm to get some draft paper!"

After saying that, Yubari tossed a "See you later, Admiral" to Shiro and then sprinted off towards the ship girl dormitory, single-handedly creating a thick cloud of smoke before disappearing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

"Yubari has lived alone outside for so long, yet her temper is still like a child's, so easy to understand." Lexington smiled as she looked in the direction where Yubari disappeared, cupping her cheeks as she smiled at Shiro.

"Ha...ha...yeah..." Xiaobai scratched his cheek and nodded, "Um...it should be fine, right?"

“No problem. Yubari is the only person who would lie about academic matters. Since she said she would take responsibility for helping the Empire reform, she will definitely do her best to do it well.” Lexington said with a smile. “At least in this sense, you can rest assured, Xiaobai.”

"That's great..." Xiaobai patted her chest.

Xiao Bai was about to say a few words of congratulations to the Empire, but when Xiao Bai turned to look at the Empire, he found that the Empire had already put away its ship equipment and was walking quietly towards Rome, which was lying on the beach in the distance.

From the very beginning, the Empire had been looking towards Rome, intentionally or unintentionally. Previously, she was being examined by Yubari and couldn't move freely. Now that Yubari had returned to her dormitory to retrieve equipment, the first thing the Empire wanted to do upon regaining her freedom was to head towards her sister Rome.

Just then, Xiaobai also wanted to comfort Rome, so he and Lexington went up together.

Rome lay flat on the beach, the damp sand covering its face. A strong sense of frustration and defeat lingered on Rome's back like black tentacles, radiating a powerful presence.

The Empire walked up to Rome. She didn't speak, but silently squatted down on the ground, hugged her legs, and quietly looked at the back of Rome's head.

Seeing that the Empire remained silent, Xiaobai exchanged a glance with Lexington, then moved closer to Rome and whispered her name to him.

"Rome……"

Rome did not respond or make a move.

It seems she was greatly affected... In the past, whenever she heard Xiaobai calling her, no matter what state she was in, Rome would immediately jump up and wave vigorously at Xiaobai.

"Rome? I am the admiral..." Xiaobai glanced at the Empire, which was squatting silently to the side, and then gently called out to Rome, "I have come to see you."

"..."

"Rome...can you hear me?"

"..."

"Luo..."

"Waaaaah..." When Little White called out for the fourth time, Rome, who was lying on the beach, finally responded. A series of dry whimpers came from under the sand, "Admiral... I've let you down, waaaaah..."

The whimpering sound wasn't a sob, but it carried a strong sense of frustration, like a dejected elementary school student clutching a failing test paper.

Upon hearing the voice from Rome, Xiaobai felt a slight sense of relief at first, but then became somewhat worried again.

Xiaobai felt relieved immediately because she could tell that Rome wasn't as desperate as she had imagined. Rome's current mood was less about hopeless despair and self-abandonment, and more about a sense of helplessness and frustration.

After all, Xiaobai was genuinely worried that Rome would be crushed by the Empire and never recover.

Well... in a sense, it truly lives up to its name as Rome.

A woman with a spirit as strong as steel.

Even when she's feeling down, she's still so optimistic.

She accomplished something that other ship girls couldn't do with ease.

After feeling relieved, Xiaobai became worried again for a rather simple reason—even if Rome's current state wasn't as bad as he had imagined, it wouldn't be easy to restore Rome's spirits with just a few words.

"Um... Roma." Xiaobai called out to Roma in the gentlest tone possible, "Um... actually, you didn't let me down at all. You worked so hard and were so persistent. All the ship girls in the naval base take you as a role model. I've always been proud of you."

"...But...but I haven't entered the modification state yet..."

Rome's shoulders twitched, and soon a stammering voice came from the beach.

Perhaps due to the sand, the sound from Rome had a slight echo, giving it a natural sense of grievance.

"You need luck to get into the retrofit state... Although Rome, you were a little unlucky, I believe you're just a tiny bit away from entering the retrofit state!" Xiaobai clenched her fist and said earnestly to the back of Rome's head, "I've always believed that Rome, you're one of the best ship girls!"

"...Really?"

"Yeah! Really!"

"Then... Admiral, when do you think I can be remodeled..."

"Almost...almost there..."

"The precise time..."

"Uh... this..." Xiaobai was stumped by Roma's question. She looked awkwardly at the back of Roma's head, stammering and unable to give an accurate time, "But... maybe tomorrow? Or maybe the day after tomorrow..."

I really can't give you the exact time.

This question about Rome is clearly bullying!

"..." Rome's newly high spirits quickly plummeted again, and it seemed to have a strong tendency to continue to withdraw into himself.

"Ah, no, Rome, I mean..." Xiaobai quickly spoke to Rome, trying to explain.

However, just when Xiaobai was feeling helpless, the Empire, which had been silent until the beginning, suddenly spoke up.

"Sister Rome".

"..."

The empire's voice was never loud, and it was spoken very softly, but as soon as it entered Rome's ears, it caused Rome's breath to pause slightly and freeze in place.

"Sister Rome has always worked very hard." Empire looked at the back of Rome's head quietly for a while, then continued to speak to Rome with a blank expression, "Sister Rome can persevere in doing a lot of difficult training, no matter how hard or tiring it is. Although she always says that she can't persevere, she has never given up even once when she is actually on the field."

"..." Rome remained silent.

"I've been watching all along."

"..." Rome remained silent.

“Every movement, every shelling, every time I was blasted onto the water by Sister Veneto, and then got back up with the quick-repair device on my head.”

"..."

“I have nothing else to do. Every day, besides sleeping and reading, I just sit here and watch you and Veneto’s special training all day long. I don’t get tired of it. I like it this way. Maybe it’s because I can keep watching you, Rome, that I can get into the transformation state.”

"..."

"I'll be disappointed if I don't see Sister Rome training anymore." Empire extended his hand to Rome and said expressionlessly, "...I like Sister Rome."

"..."

"Also... I've gotten used to seeing you, Sister Rome, every day. I'd be a little scared to go for the transformation alone."

As the empire finished speaking, it reached out its hand and made a grasping motion in the air, then bowed its head slightly.

"..."

"...Sister Rome, will you stay with me?"

"..."

After finishing speaking, the Empire looked at Rome on the ground with pure eyes, maintaining the gesture of reaching out its paw, like a kitten offering its paw to its owner.

Chapter 1760 Rome's Future is Promising

The empire finished speaking calmly.

After finishing her speech, the Empire maintained a calm and composed expression, just as her words to Rome were not some inspirational quote revealing her innermost thoughts, but merely ordinary everyday conversation, which did not stir any emotion within her.

The empire remained unmoved.

However, Xiaobai, who was watching from the side, looked quite surprised.

Xiao Bai was impressed.

Xiaobai previously thought that the Empire was the kind of cold, aloof, and clueless ship girl... but only now has Xiaobai realized that the Empire's thoughts are actually so delicate...

Although the Empire's rhetoric was simple, it was genuine and persuasive, appealing to both reason and emotion. Not only did it effortlessly defuse the awkward situation of Rome being the only one not yet in the preparation phase for transformation, but it also subtly highlighted Rome's hard work and noble character by explaining how the Empire had obtained its opportunity. Finally, by expressing her fear of undergoing transformation alone and requesting Rome to be her personal family member, the Empire conveyed that even though it had secured the opportunity before Rome, Rome remained the most important sister in the Empire's heart. The Empire was still the younger sister who relied on Rome, unable to do anything without her; their sisterly bond was deep and irreplaceable.

The lines the Empire just said were practically textbook-perfect strategy dialogue!

As if confirming Xiaobai's thoughts, at this moment, Roma, who was lying motionless on the beach, twitched his head slightly, and some of the sand beneath him was pushed aside.

"...Really?" A complex voice came from beneath the sand.