The lunch was set in the conference room on the first floor of Lin Lan's attic.
According to Brünnhilde, the public dining area was not yet completed.
At this time, the port area was mainly functional with the shipgirls' dormitories already in use.
It would likely take another week or two for all the port area's facilities to be fully completed.
The conference room on the first floor was spacious, easily accommodating dozens of people for a meeting.
Lin Lan glanced at the large round table and projector in the conference room and decided not to question where the furniture came from.
With Akashi managing these matters, he no longer had to worry about them—just hand over the money and be done with it.
While Lin Lan was contemplating how to operate the projector in the large conference room, the aroma of food wafted in from outside.
When he saw the chef carrying dishes into the conference room, he was once again stunned.
It was the Manjuus, once again, this time wearing chef hats.
These little yellow chicks were bringing steaming Iron Blood dishes to the table, leaving Lin Lan dumbfounded.
He was deeply impressed by these versatile little creatures.
No wonder in the previous player's port area, so many shipgirls' logistical tasks were handled without any trouble for the player.
Before long, other Iron Blood shipgirls arrived.
"Commander! I'm here!"
The energetic little U-boat girl U1206, with wine-red hair and black highlights, suddenly appeared at the courtyard entrance.
Upon seeing Lin Lan standing inside, she dashed towards him.
"Eh?!"
Just as she was about to leap into Lin Lan's arms, she tripped on the seemingly flat ground and lost her balance, falling toward the ground.
"Be careful!"
Fortunately, Lin Lan had anticipated this possibility as soon as he saw U1206.
He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the little girl's waist and lifting her high into the air.
"Isn't this Little U… U1206? Let me see if you've gained some weight recently."
Lin Lan held the little girl aloft.
The carbonated coffee he had tasted in the fortress was actually a product of this little girl's suggestion.
However, he had to suppress the nickname "Toilet" that he almost blurted out.
The reason for this little girl's historical sinking was quite amusing.
A submarine sinking due to a toilet system malfunction was not only unprecedented but likely unmatched in the future as well.
"Commander, don't think I didn't hear what you were about to say. But don't worry, I won't make such accidental mistakes again. You have to trust me!"
The little girl in the black bikini swimsuit, held aloft by Lin Lan, saw through his thoughts. Lin Lan smiled awkwardly and then gently brought the cute little girl into his embrace.
"Ehehe, the Commander is still so nice to me."
Held warmly in Lin Lan's embrace, U1206 made happy purring sounds.
"U1206! Don't hog the Commander's hug!"
Seeing this scene from the attic, U101 rushed out, followed by U556.
"That's right, don't hog the Commander!"
"I-I'm not!"
Watching the three little U-boats bicker, Lin Lan laughed and gathered all three of them into a hug.
Feeling the warm breaths of the three energetic little ones in his arms, Lin Lan couldn't help but feel that little girls are truly amazing.
Ah, once again, I must clarify that I am really not a lolicon.
After soothing the three adorable U-boats, Lin Lan stood up and was about to stretch when footsteps approached the door.
"Yawn~ Ah, it's the Commander!"
With a lazy young female voice, Lin Lan turned around and was immediately enveloped in a tight hug from a tall woman with gray curls.
The soft touch that greeted him left Lin Lan momentarily stunned. At this moment, a weak girl's voice also came from outside the door:
"Sister Lützow is unusually energetic today… C-Commander? It's been a long time, um…"
It turned out that the woman who had sneak-attacked him was none other than the flagship of the Iron Blood's famous first reconnaissance fleet, the battlecruiser Lützow.
No wonder the first sound he heard was a lazy yawn.
This girl usually appeared indifferent and relaxed about everything.
But ever since Lin Lan increased her affection to maximum and made a vow, Lützow had transformed into someone who only seemed motivated in his presence.
Finally managing to break free from the embrace, Lin Lan could clearly see the happy smile on Lützow's pretty face.
The graceful, gray-haired beauty was dressed in a white European-style off-shoulder long-sleeve top and a brown skirt.
Her long, alluring legs, clad in black over-the-knee boots, revealed a delicate and fair skin that added a touch of sensual beauty to her lazy demeanor.
"Commander, you naughty thing, leaving me alone and disappearing. I should have eloped with you when I was your secretary ship."
Lützow whispered in a reproachful tone into Lin Lan's ear.
Lin Lan then responded with an apologetic smile, hugging the soft, accusing battlecruiser girl.
"But it's okay, Commander. Lützow isn't holding a grudge. I'll make sure to find an opportunity to visit you in the next few days."
Oh?
Lin Lan was taken aback, and Lützow, with a mysterious smile, pulled away from his embrace.
Before he could ask more, he saw two graceful and beautiful young women standing outside the courtyard.
One was the pure Eastern swan, the Iron Blood light cruiser Emden, with silver hair and blue eyes.
At that moment, Emden was holding Lützow's black little shark pillow.
She had changed back into her white translucent tights and long gown, looking like an elegant fairy with a captivating smile.
The other, a beautiful girl with white long hair and red-blue heterochromatic eyes, held an umbrella and tightly clung to Emden's slender arm.
Her red-blue eyes revealed a desire to greet Lin Lan but were also troubled by her own shyness, her innocent face showing her inner struggle.
Seeing this adorable and self-conscious girl, Lin Lan chose not to dwell on Lützow's words and smiled at her:
"Elbing, why are you still like this? Didn't I tell you to be more confident?"
"Ugh, the Commander is still the best."
Encouraged by Lin Lan, Elbing seemed to gain a bit more confidence and no longer clung tightly to Emden.
Lin Lan observed the three members of the Iron Blood's Open Sea Fleet.
They moved with an air of noble elegance, like aristocratic young ladies.
Watching them enter the courtyard, Lin Lan recalled that the Iron Blood was once a powerful maritime nation during the era of the Open Sea Fleet.
And as members of the Iron Blood's strongest maritime era, Lützow and the others certainly possessed a different demeanor compared to the Iron Blood shipgirls reborn from the flames later on.
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