Chapter 88: The Plan to Make Money

After a while, Mainz finally took a deep breath, as if she had resolved a long-standing mental knot.

"I understand now, Commander. Thank you… for saying so much to me. No one has ever talked to me about this before."

A hint of happiness appeared on the face of the usually cold and severe silver-haired light cruiser.

The contrast between Mainz's usual icy demeanor and the smile now on her face was striking.

Lin Lan couldn't help but be stunned.

"Indeed, it seems these things need to be addressed by the most trusted commander."

Magdeburg, sitting casually on Lin Lan's desk, swinging her long black legs in sporty attire, looked at Lin Lan with a grin.

Upon hearing her words, Lin Lan did not refute but fell into deep thought.

Even Mainz, whom he considered very reliable, had such mental flaws.

Could other research ships also have similar issues?

Or, have those research ships that seem very reliable truly overcome their mental flaws?

Lin Lan decided that he needed to have a serious talk with his research ships to ensure these issues could be genuinely addressed with his help.

Coincidentally, there was one such research ship in his current port area.

The fifth phase of research, the battle cruiser Prinz Rupprecht.

Thinking about this pink-haired evil dragon battlecruiser who would turn him into her personal possession at the slightest provocation, Lin Lan felt that this task might be quite challenging.

But as the saying goes, "The first step is always the hardest." After careful consideration, he decided it was worth a try.

He spent over an hour in the office with the weakened Mainz and the ever-complaining and joking Magdeburg.

Finally, Mainz regained her strength.

"Commander, I know what I should do in the future. Thank you for talking to me today…"

Seeing Mainz's slightly flushed face, Lin Lan chuckled.

"There's nothing to be thankful for. It was my responsibility not to take better care of you before. If you have any more confusion in the future, you can always come to me."

Before Lin Lan could finish speaking, the silver-haired girl quickly stood on tiptoe and leaned close to his face.

In the next moment, Lin Lan felt the soft touch of her lips on his face.

"Mainz, you…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Mainz, with a smile on her lips, gracefully left the office.

"Ah haha, Commander, it seems you were teased."

Magdeburg, who had witnessed the whole thing, laughed heartily at Lin Lan.

"Oh? You dare to speak like that? You're quite brave, huh?"

Lin Lan, facing away from Magdeburg, spoke with a hint of menace in his tone.

"Just kidding, I'm super brave… Wait, Commander, what do you want to do?"

Magdeburg, who instinctively responded halfway, suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Super brave, with a good figure, quite sturdy too."

Lin Lan turned around, walked up to the black-haired, red-eyed light cruiser, and, with a sly smile, said:

"Since you avoided Mainz, you ended up getting caught red-handed. If I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't remember this lesson."

Magdeburg, feeling guilty, tried to say something but realized…

"C-Commander, let's talk this out, don't…"

Gulp!

Well, as a secretary ship, some punishments are inevitable.

…

In the afternoon, other visitors finally arrived at Lin Lan's office.

"Commander meow, have you missed Akashi meow?"

A green-haired, cat-eared loli in a white and red Iron Blood uniform with a neat skirt pushed open the door and walked in.

"Wow, where did you get this outfit? When did you join Iron Blood?"

Lin Lan, who had just finished tidying up the office, looked at the store owner's seasoned Iron Blood ship girl persona in surprise.

Magdeburg, meanwhile, was lying on the sofa with a flushed face, as if she had just undergone some intense exercise.

Akashi glanced at Magdeburg before turning her sly smile toward Lin Lan:

"Hehe, this is an outfit I've had prepared for a long time, meow. I have outfits from other factions too, meow."

Well, who knows how many outfits this little schemer had hoarded privately.

Lin Lan was too lazy to delve into that topic further.

"Commander meow, have you seen the resource report I prepared for you today, meow?"

Hearing Akashi's words, Lin Lan replied with confusion:

"I've seen it, of course. I know the oil is a bit low. I'll find a way to get more."

"No, no, no, Commander meow."

Akashi raised her index finger and waved it cutely in front of Lin Lan's eyes.

"What I mean is, Commander needs to find a way to make money, meow."

???

Lin Lan never expected Akashi would tell him to… make money.

"Make money? You mean earning money for the United States of Orlan, right?"

Lin Lan asked uncertainly, receiving a confirming nod from Akashi.

"That's right, meow. When the Commander earns enough money, Akashi can use it to improve the quality of life for everyone, meow."

Upon hearing this, Lin Lan immediately understood Akashi's intention.

Many luxury items, complex living supplies, and food still depend on the country's large-scale production lines.

Akashi could use the money Lin Lan earned to buy items that couldn't be made or produced in the port area of the United States of Orlan.

However, thinking about making money still worried Lin Lan.

He had already seen how miserly the naval department could be.

Waiting for a raise or a generous bonus from the naval department might as well mean waiting until the Year of the Monkey.

Although the income of port area commanders was among the highest levels for ordinary people in the United States of Orlan, it wasn't just for one person; an entire port area's girls were depending on him for support.

Moreover, Lin Lan had recently discovered the secret to quick wealth through the Tian'ou's oil storage in Lihu County.

After much consideration, Lin Lan finally showed a relieved smile.

He took out his phone, lightly swiped across it, found a phone number, wrote it down on a piece of paper, and handed it to Akashi.

"Meow? What's this, Commander?"

Akashi, her cat ears twitching, took the piece of paper from Lin Lan's hand, not understanding his intention.

"Go to the inner district of the county town, find a public telephone booth, dial this number, and any request you make will be fulfilled unconditionally and at no cost, in the name of the Tian'ou."

Lin Lan added after a moment of thought:

"If he has any dissatisfaction, just tell him that the Iron Cross fleet still remembers you."

"I understand, meow. Akashi will make good use of this business opportunity, don't worry, Commander, meow."

True to her nature as a schemer, Akashi immediately grasped the commercial value of the phone number, her face displaying a characteristic sly grin.

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