Chapter 9: Floating Island Fortress

Thinking about meeting the stern Bismarck and the meticulous Frederick the Great, known as the Dark Madonna, Lin Lan felt a faint sense of pressure.

Outside the mass-produced transport ship, the sky had already fallen into deep night.

The azure stars flowed beautifully across the sky.

After about half an hour, under the starlight, Lin Lan saw some black metal structures appearing on the sea outside the ship.

These structures were arranged in a fixed pattern on the water, resembling defensive fortifications.

"This is Tirpitz. Requesting to return to the fortress. Please reply."

Tirpitz pulled out a device that looked like a phone and made the request.

"Fortress received. Opening the entrance. Welcome home, Lady Tirpitz."

Lin Lan smiled slightly. It was quite impressive, reflecting the Iron Blood's reputation for precision.

Huh? Wait a minute.

It seemed like he had just heard something important.

"F… fortress?"

August stood up and walked to the door of the transport ship's conference room, slowly opening it.

The cool night sea breeze blew into the room, making August's gray-purple hair flutter in the wind.

She smiled and said, "That's right, Commander. Keep your eyes wide open and see our Iron Blood fortress!"

Lin Lan looked outside, surprised. Originally, the sea under the night sky was suddenly illuminated by a mysterious dark red aurora.

The dark red screen seemed alive, wrapping around the mass-produced transport ship. Lin Lan noticed that the surrounding scenery also began to twist and change.

After a few breaths, the dark red screen gradually faded, revealing a massive, enormous black and red floating island fortress right before his eyes!

What kind of high-tech is this?

Lin Lan's eyes widened. No matter how he imagined it, he never expected the Iron Blood base to be so grand!

In the sky, unmanned aerial drones flew through the night, conducting patrols.

On the sea, there were sculptures depicting every Iron Blood ship girl in her battle gear.

Various mass-produced warships were docked at the fortress's port, with more transport ships arriving periodically to dock and unload.

On the black and red floating island fortress, a gigantic Iron Blood cross symbol was projected in 3D, creating an overwhelming sense of awe.

This scene looked like something from a sci-fi movie, making Lin Lan barely believe that this was created by his Iron Blood ship girls.

"Hey, hey, hey, the Commander is really stunned."

"Look, his eyes are all glazed over."

U81 and U37, seeing Lin Lan's stunned expression, teased him with smiles.

"The Commander is just momentarily caught off guard. He's seen even bigger fortresses before."

Tirpitz cleared her throat and said.

Lin Lan quickly understood what Tirpitz meant.

In the game, he had fought through various large-scale events, with structures from different factions and the Sirens even more extravagant than this.

Especially in one Iron Blood event, the Rainbow Tower of Midgard had interdimensional teleportation capabilities.

Iron Blood's advanced technology was the best in the world.

But… that was all in the game!

Turning 2D paper scenes into holographic 3D was a shock to anyone.

So, Lin Lan shook his head, straightened his back, and tried to appear calm as he said:

"My assessment is that it's not as impressive as the previous floating island fortress groups and the Midgard Tower."

His comment did indeed stun the Z-class and U-boat girls, but August merely smiled and watched Lin Lan without saying a word.

The expression of someone seeing this for the first time was not fooling the perceptive witch.

She didn't expose Lin Lan's pretense but instead smiled with an alluring curve, secretly planning something.

As the mass-produced transport ship approached the port edge under the night sea breeze, Lin Lan saw a figure waiting for their return in the dark sky.

The ship docked steadily at the shore, and Lin Lan finally saw the identity of the ship girl waiting for them.

With her golden shoulder-length hair and black Iron Blood military uniform, Bismarck exuded a strict military aura.

The leader of the Iron Blood, the battleship Bismarck.

(Bismarck)

Lin Lan remembered that Bismarck had this habit—no matter how busy she was, she would always make time to welcome back comrades who had completed their missions.

The fact that Bismarck hadn't yet heard about his arrival suggested that her habit hadn't changed.

"Sister, you're really here waiting for us to come home."

At Tirpitz's greeting, a smile appeared on Bismarck's stern face.

"Welcoming home the warriors from an expedition is the duty of a leader."

Then, Bismarck noticed Lin Lan standing beside her sister and the Z-class ships.

Due to the darkness, she didn't immediately recognize Lin Lan's identity, only showing a hint of confusion in her blue eyes.

Why would her sister bring an unfamiliar man to the Iron Blood fortress?

Even when signing contracts with human nations, she used a projector for the agreements.

Though the Iron Blood fortress was no longer the old port area, only one man should have been qualified to enter.

Thinking this, Bismarck chose not to confront her sister immediately. As a leader, she knew when it was time to have a good talk with her sister.

In the past, her relationship with Tirpitz wasn't good because neither of them could clearly express their feelings, keeping their true emotions hidden.

If not for the help of the Commander and other comrades, the two sisters might never have understood each other's struggles and feelings.

Now, although Bismarck didn't know what Tirpitz and August had heard about this man, this was the Iron Blood's mirror sea area.

The Iron Blood's secret fortress had countless secrets and technologies not available to the outside world.

Bismarck decided to kindly persuade this man to leave.

"Bismarck-sama!"

"Bismarck-sama is waiting for us again. She's so kind!"

The Z-class and U-boat girls happily ran off the ship and gathered around Bismarck.

Although Bismarck looked very serious, she was well-loved by the Iron Blood ship girls.

After joining the port area, Bismarck's personality had warmed up from its original coldness, gaining a more personable touch. 

The Iron Blood's little girls had long seen Bismarck as an idol, trusting her immensely.

"Little ones, you've worked hard. Go take a bath and rest. Prince Eugen and the others have prepared dinner in the mess hall."

Bismarck smiled as she comforted the little girls, but her eyes kept watching Lin Lan as he walked down from the ship.

Hmm? Why does this man look so familiar?

Bismarck was puzzled, and at that moment, the usually quiet Z46 tugged at her sleeve.

Bismarck crouched down and patted Z46's head. When Z46 tugged at her sleeve, it usually meant she had something important to report.

"Bismarck-sama, we found the Commander."

C… Commander?

Though Z46's voice was soft, it sounded like thunder to Bismarck.

"Yes, Bismarck-sama, we found the Commander!"

The U-boat girls were also very happy.

Bismarck stood up and looked at Lin Lan, who was approaching with her sister and August. Her expression grew serious.