Since meta-ized shipgirls do not have mass-produced warships, Lin Lan could only be carried in a princess carry by his Helena Mama as they made their way toward Dongyun City.
The degree of meta corruption in Fragmented Sky had already been effectively controlled through the miraculous methods of Helena META and was stored within her rigging's space.
At this moment, Helena META's face was filled with boundless affection as she smiled, looking at the familiar face in her embrace—the face that had haunted her thoughts.
"Commander, just how did you disappear before? Back then, Helena and I used the SG radar to conduct a thorough search of the entire port area, but we couldn't find a single trace of you."
Lin Lan had expected that his Helena Mama would definitely press him for answers.
Just as he was about to use his usual tricks to brush it off, Helena META smiled lightly and cut him off before he could even begin.
"Don't treat me like a child and try to deceive me, Commander. No matter how absurd the truth may sound, I will accept it."
"What I want to hear is the truth."
"Uh…"
Lin Lan swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Helena META was not only a powerful meta shipgirl, but unlike the gentle and introverted Helena of the White Eagle, she possessed an intense sense of possessiveness toward the Commander.
After all, Helena Mama didn't like her little one lying to her.
"Well… this is a long, long story."
Lin Lan smiled helplessly and began recounting how he mysteriously traveled from Blue Star to this world.
He held nothing back—except for the fact that the shipgirls were merely game data in his original world.
He told her about his past life on Blue Star and everything he had done after arriving here.
"In the end, as you know, Agir and Prinz Eugen were transported away, leaving just me and that mechanical shipgirl created by the Sirens using an Origin Cube in the Mirror Sea."
"She was the one who sent me out… and that's when I met you."
As Lin Lan finished his story, he noticed that the orange sun in the distance had already half-sunken below the ocean's surface.
Above them, Iron Blood carrier-based aircraft had spotted them and were now circling overhead.
"I see… No wonder I always felt a certain sense of distance from you before, Commander. It turns out you weren't originally from our world at all."
Helena META had remained silent throughout Lin Lan's explanation, simply listening attentively as the sea breeze tousled her hair.
It was only at the end that she finally spoke in a gentle tone.
"Commander, you truly have gone through an incredibly long and arduous journey."
As her cool hand gently stroked his head, Lin Lan felt an indescribable relief—finally, he had someone to confide in about the secrets he had been holding in his heart.
"But Commander, you don't need to hide these things from us. No matter how absurd your story may sound, we will always believe you and stand by your side."
Seeing through the fact that Lin Lan had been withholding the truth from the Iron Blood shipgirls, Helena META gently admonished him.
As Lin Lan's face was pressed gently against Helena Mama's ample chest, he realized just how much effort she had put into guiding him.
Indeed, he should be more honest with the girls. He didn't have to shoulder everything alone.
Silently resolving to explain everything to the Iron Blood shipgirls once he returned to the port, Lin Lan suddenly recalled that he had yet to ask how Helena META had appeared just in time to rescue him.
If it were just a coincidence, it would be far too unlikely.
"I'll remember what you just said. But Helena, how did you happen to be here at the perfect moment? Where did you and the other META shipgirls go after leaving the port?"
Hearing Lin Lan's question, Helena META's smile gradually faded, and she answered with a slightly grave tone.
"I left the port with Memphis META and Arizona META to search for you. At first, everything went smoothly."
"But later, we fell into a trap set by the Arbitration Mechanism. Four arbiters, each commanding Executor fleets, launched a simultaneous attack."
"Under their combined assault, we were defeated and expelled from this world."
"After being sent to that other world, we also encountered other META comrades who had ended up in different places."
Lin Lan could hardly believe his ears as he listened to Helena META recount her experience.
"The Arbitration Mechanism? They actually schemed against you and banished you to another world?!"
If even Helena META, along with two other META shipgirls, had been bested by the Arbitration Mechanism, then the rest of the META shipgirls had likely faced an even grimmer fate.
Those damn arbiters dared to target his wives while he was away?!
"Don't worry, we were doing fine in that world—there was no danger. And we've been working on finding a way back here."
Noticing Lin Lan's rising anger, Helena Mama once again smiled gently and continued.
"The singularities we attempted to open were all destroyed by the Arbitration Mechanism, but through a contingency I had left within the Sirens, I managed to return to this world."
"However, if I stay in one place for too long, the arbiters will eventually track me down by following the crystalline particles of META energy."
"So, Commander, once I get you safely to shore, we will have to say goodbye for now."
Hearing that Helena META would be leaving again so soon, Lin Lan stared at her blue-haired face in shock, wanting to stop her.
"That won't do! If you stay with us, our combined strength will be much greater. Bismarck, Friedrich der Große, and the others from Iron Blood will be arriving soon to join us—"
"It's not enough, Commander. Iron Blood alone is far from enough to take on the entire Arbitration Mechanism."
Helena META gently shook her head and smiled at Lin Lan's anxious expression.
"Once you've gathered allies from the other factions and successfully reunited with the other META shipgirls, the Arbitration Mechanism will no longer be a threat to us."
"Until then, I'll use the beacons I previously set up to open singularities and divert most of the arbiters' attention."
"And if I run into trouble, I'll come find you right away. You won't turn me away, will you?"
Seeing that Helena META had already made up her mind, Lin Lan could only look at the blue-haired, crimson-eyed girl holding him with a pained expression and sigh deeply.
He knew that the shipgirls around him right now were still far too few compared to back at the port.
He was well aware of the terrifying strength of the Arbitration Mechanism—they were the elite combatants of the Sirens.
In the game, every time the Operation Siren content refreshed monthly, he had to rally the main fleet from every faction in the port, equip them with specialized gear, and conduct full-scale raids just to take down a single arbiter.
And that was just one arbiter.
During the Great World storyline, he had seen members of the Arbitration Mechanism coordinate their attacks.
The combination of their special abilities made them exponentially more troublesome to deal with.
"I will reunite with the other factions as soon as possible and bring them back to the port."
Lin Lan spoke to Helena META with firm resolve.
He was already making plans to accelerate his resource-gathering efforts.
Once Iron Blood had fully relocated to the new port, he would have to move quickly to establish contact with the White Eagle faction in the Eastern Continent.
After all, when it came to fighting the Arbitration Mechanism, White Eagle contributed a significant portion of his key fleet members.
Whether it was "Black Dragon" New Jersey or the reborn Yorktown with her Mk.II rigging, they were both invaluable assets against the arbiters.
Not to mention White Eagle's numerous carrier shipgirls, who were an indispensable part of his port's strength.
As he was planning for the future, Helena META, still holding him, had already arrived at the docks of Dongyun City.
There, beyond the dock's outer waters, illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun, a massive black-and-red mass-production fleet bearing the Iron Blood banner awaited his return.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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