"So, you've lost everything at Tian'ou, meow?"
"Well~ then you should do your best to serve us, meow. We promise we'll help you get back everything you've lost, meow~"
"Before you come to Lihu County, make sure to prepare everything I just mentioned, meow."
"Our commander is very much looking forward to meeting you, meow."
These were the final words the little girl on the phone conveyed to Sun Dewang before hanging up.
"Everything I've lost…"
Sun Dewang pondered as he drove out of the underground garage of Tian'ou Tower.
Looking at the bustling city and the Tian'ou Tower he had worked at for years, he had often imagined being the master of it all.
Now that he was out of the game and unwilling to live aimlessly, aligning with that mysterious and powerful Iron Cross Fleet commander seemed like a good option.
As a seasoned businessman, Sun Dewang instinctively felt that this powerful and mysterious force was a strong ally.
Anyway, he had already offended one of the old board members, so he might as well dive in and give it his all.
Perhaps, he could make a comeback?
"Destination set to Yunhai Commercial District, Jiaoduo National Street."
After activating the luxury car's autopilot, Sun Dewang took out his phone and dialed another number:
"Hello? Haven't you been eyeing this car for a long time? I'm selling it now, and I need the cash today, the sooner the better…"
…
"Akashi, have you been on the phone with that guy for so long?"
Lin Lan, dressed in a white shirt and jeans, was sitting on a bench outside a milk tea shop in the Lihu County business district.
He looked at the green-haired, cat-eared trickster bouncing back from the phone booth and asked with curiosity.
"Meow, Commander, I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first, meow?"
Akashi, dressed in her game outfit, a brown JK skirt with white stockings and small leather shoes, looked like a rich girl.
(Akashi's Event Skin)
She sat down at the table in front of Lin Lan, holding the half-finished milk tea in her arms.
Before Lin Lan could respond, the impatient pink-haired dragon girl opposite him huffed in dissatisfaction:
"I didn't expect you, Akashi, to be teasing the commander. Did you forget I'm here?"
The proud girl with pink hair, Rupprecht, had changed into the new clothes Lin Lan bought for her this morning.
The white, refreshing T-shirt with cute cartoon patterns, paired with denim shorts and canvas shoes, accentuated her long, fair legs enticingly.
Her small, delicate face was framed by sunglasses, making Rupprecht look like a youthful, fashionable girl.
If not for the intimidating black-red horns on her forehead, marking her as a ship girl, many people might have approached her for a chat.
It had been three days since Akashi had approached Lin Lan about making money.
During these three days, Lin Lan had been working with the secretary ships in the port area during the day to manage port affairs.
At night, the Iron Blood ship girls would visit his room each night, seemingly on a schedule.
First it was Magdeburg, then Emden, and on the third night, it was Deutschland.
In short, Lin Lan never had a night alone.
The most frustrating part was that on the third night, he could clearly feel that even U556 and Teacher Nimi were looking at him with different eyes.
Being stared at with longing by pure, cute little girls, even though Lin Lan wasn't a lolicon, he could feel his conscience being intensely questioned.
This morning, when he arrived at the office, he found that today's secretary was Rupprecht, whom he had planned to talk to seriously.
Rupprecht's request was that he accompany her for a day of shopping in Lihu County.
Lin Lan was slightly relieved. He had expected Rupprecht to make a more unreasonable demand, such as trying to coerce him into something.
If it was just shopping, it was manageable.
Coincidentally, he had also asked Akashi to help with contacting Sun Dewang.
On the way, Lin Lan secretly observed the pink-haired dragon girl clinging to his arm, trying to detect any significant psychological issues.
After a morning of shopping intimately like a couple, Lin Lan found that, besides being overly clingy and afraid of losing him, Rupprecht's behavior seemed normal.
He wasn't sure if it was due to spending too much time with Iron Blood ship girls recently, but he hadn't noticed any issues with Rupprecht.
How could this be explained?
Just as Lin Lan was pondering this and preparing to educate Rupprecht not to scare Akashi, Rupprecht took a sip from her milk tea cup.
He immediately noticed the glimmering vow ring on the fourth finger of the girl's right hand.
Lin Lan slapped his forehead. How could he forget this!
Prinz Rupprecht, when first built, had explicitly stated her intention to snatch his commander position!
Moreover, game dialogue revealed that Rupprecht had repeatedly shown disdain for Bismarck and Frederick the Great.
In fact, Rupprecht had even openly declared during joint missions that the commander belonged to her.
This clearly showed that Rupprecht's arrogance wasn't just directed at others but was universally applied.
This was a clear psychological issue.
What could make this arrogant dragon girl act like a possessive but more affectionate young girl towards him, despite claiming he was her property?
Undoubtedly, it was the maxed-out affection and this vow ring.
In the game, Rupprecht's dialogue before and after the vow was distinctly different.
Lin Lan had finally pinpointed the key to Rupprecht's psychological issues.
But he still needed to find a way to resolve it; identifying the problem without solving it was pointless.
"Akashi, you start with the bad news. Rupprecht, don't scare Akashi. She's not from the Iron Blood faction, and it's not easy for her to come all the way here alone."
Now that he understood the issue, he could plan long-term. Since Rupprecht had been here for so long, there was no rush.
Lin Lan decided to listen to Akashi first to find out what was going on with Sun Dewang.
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