Chapter 49: Two in One

Lin Lan only brought about a dozen mass-produced warships from the Iron Blood Fortress, mainly destroyers and light cruisers. 

While they were no match for Iron Blood ship girls, they would likely pose a challenge for the newly emerged ship girls in Orlan.

After all, using low-level ship girls with basic equipment to tackle endgame content wasn't a challenge; it was suicidal.

Although Lin Lan understood this logic, he still decided to use these ships sparingly. The reason was simple: they consumed too much fuel.

Mass-produced warships used more oil than ship girls of the same class. 

With such high fuel consumption and lower combat effectiveness compared to ship girls, Lin Lan could even replace their reconnaissance function with Zeppelins and Weser's aircraft.

For him, these mass-produced warships were mostly for show, aside from transportation.

They were truly like tasteless food—unappealing, but a waste to discard.

After Ägir stored the mass-produced destroyer back into her rigging storage, Lin Lan led the group into the guest room of the transport ship. 

Ulrich, Deutschland, and the other accompanying ship girls had already returned, and they all turned their attention to him.

Lin Lan casually waved his hand, showing a victorious smile.

As he unfastened the Iron Cross clasp on his cloak, Z46 and Z23, the two little girls, immediately stepped forward to take the cloak from him.

Lin Lan was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at the serious white-haired girl Z46 and the cute teacher Nimi as they carefully folded the black cloak.

He had planned to put the cloak away himself, but this level of care felt like they were spoiling him too much.

However, the other Iron Blood ship girls seemed to find this completely normal, as if it was just an ordinary occurrence.

"Did Ägir fire her cannon just now? How did the discussions with those people on the ship go?"

Ulrich walked up to him, and since she was slightly shorter than him, she looked up slightly, gazing into his eyes as she asked.

Before Lin Lan could respond, Ägir, with a cheerful smile, quickly answered, 

"It was so much fun! Ulrich, you wouldn't believe how amusing it was to see those people on the ship trembling in fear."

The Iron Blood Princess, Deutschland, who had been curious about whether Lin Lan had worn her mask, immediately perked up at Ägir's words.

She quickly moved closer, tugging on Lin Lan's hand with a mischievous grin and asked, 

"Servant, how was it? Didn't my mask do a great job of conveying Iron Blood's supreme will and striking fear into those lowly creatures?"

"Uh..."

Lin Lan thought to himself that the mask was indeed effective, but it probably had room for improvement compared to Ägir's dragon rigging.

However, just as he was about to speak the truth, he remembered that Deutschland had just bitten his hand earlier. 

If he spoke honestly now, there might be another bite mark on his hand.

So, he decided to bend the truth a little and said to the petite battleship, who was shaking his arm expectantly, 

"It worked great. I think they'll probably avoid anything with the Iron Cross symbol from now on."

In a way, that was the truth.

Hearing Lin Lan's response, Deutschland's smile grew even brighter.

Seeing Deutschland, who was beaming with energy, so happy, Lin Lan lifted his hand and gently patted her little head, which was as cute as a baby shark.

This time, he successfully gave her a head pat without getting bitten.

While patting Deutschland's head, Lin Lan turned to Ulrich and answered her question, "Our discussion went smoothly. Everything is under control."

Upon hearing this, Ulrich nodded slightly. She then turned to Zeppelin, who was resting by the window with her eyes closed, and said, "You can recall your bomber crews now."

"???"

Lin Lan looked outside at the black-red aircraft carrier rigging dragon that had suddenly appeared on the sea, his face full of confusion.

So, if he had said the discussion didn't go well, Ulrich would have blown up those four cargo ships?

Seeing Lin Lan's shocked expression, Ulrich's previously indifferent face softened into a reassuring smile. Her amber eyes met Lin Lan's with a gentle tone.

"Commander, don't worry. It's just a precaution. The lives and deaths of these people have always been in your hands."

What a meticulous mind Ulrich has.

As Lin Lan watched the slender woman with short black hair gracefully return to the sofa, he suddenly felt incredibly grateful that this was his wife, whom he had nurtured and guided from start to graduation.

No one would likely want to face an opponent like Ulrich.

He followed Ulrich's gaze and suddenly noticed a stranger sitting on the sofa—a stern-looking ship girl, smiling warmly at him.

The young girl wore a deep black ironclad uniform that accentuated her perfect figure. 

Her right eye was covered by a red rose ornament, leaving only her crimson left eye visible. 

With her silver hair flowing freely, she elegantly reclined sideways on the sofa with her long legs close together.

At first glance, Lin Lan couldn't help but think of a character from an anime he had once watched—a vampire lady with both a seductive and arrogant aura.

"Dear human, come sit beside me. Let me take good care of you."

Seeing Lin Lan's gaze fixed on her, the silver-haired, red-eyed girl let out a melodious laugh that could make any man's bones feel weak and gently waved at him.

Upon hearing the term "human dear," Lin Lan immediately recognized who this ironclad ship girl was.

She was Emden, but not the white-clad Emden with blue eyes and a white rose eye accessory from earlier.

The ironclad light cruiser Emden was actually a combination of two ships. 

The pure and charming Emden with blue eyes, often seen in white clothing, was the first Emden cruiser from history. 

Launched in 1908, she operated in East Asian waters, capturing numerous merchant ships and warships, and was renowned as a fierce adversary. 

Her elegant hull and impressive record, combined with her knightly spirit during battles, earned her respect from both enemies and allies, earning her the nickname "Eastern Swan."

After her sinking, the ironclad named a new light cruiser launched in 1916 after her. This third ship of the Königsberg class is the black-clad, red-eyed Emden, who now sat before Lin Lan.

Upon joining the High Seas Fleet, she fought valiantly on the front lines. 

However, after the defeat of the ironclads, she became a prisoner of war, along with other High Seas Fleet members, held in Scapa Flow. 

As the flagship of the High Seas Fleet, she was aware of the impending dark future and, to avoid the dishonor of ironclad glory by the enemy, she issued an order for the fleet's self-destruction to preserve its honor. 

This event became known as the famous "Eleventh Hour Incident."

When turned into a ship girl by the mental cube, the two Emden entities became one body with two souls, embodying the Emden cruiser. 

The charming and pure Eastern Swan, and the proud and unyielding High Seas Fleet flagship, joined Lin Lan's port area.

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