"Bismarck?! What are you doing here? I thought you'd be waiting for us at the port!"
Carried by Helena META as they drew closer to the Iron Blood mass-produced fleet, Lin Lan quickly spotted the Iron Blood shipgirls standing on the sea ahead of the fleet.
And standing at the very front was none other than the Iron Blood's flagship, Bismarck, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Commander, I'm glad you're safe. Were you trying to scare us all to death?"
Seeing Lin Lan waving at her while still being held by Helena META, Bismarck—who had rushed here all the way from the Iron Blood stronghold—finally showed a relieved smile.
Originally, the fleet she led was supposed to head straight for the new port.
But as they passed near Huaiwu City, Akashi suddenly dropped out of the void, appearing right in front of their fleet—all alone.
From Akashi's words, Bismarck immediately deduced that the Commander might need help, so she changed course and surrounded Huaiwu City at once.
The large number of mass-produced Iron Blood warships were not deployed just to create an intimidating presence.
They were loaded with a vast amount of supplies and various materials transported from the Iron Blood stronghold.
After all, if everything were stored in the shipgirls' riggings, unloading them upon arrival would be far too troublesome.
It was much more convenient to load everything onto ships and let the Manjuu take care of unloading once they reached the port.
After greeting Bismarck, Lin Lan turned his gaze to the other Iron Blood shipgirls standing beside her.
Aside from those who had arrived before him—such as Prinz Eugen and Ägir, who were overjoyed to see him safe—there were also members of the second fleet, originally designated as the main attack force for Huaiwu City.
Among the large welcoming group, many were Iron Blood shipgirls who had traveled with Bismarck from the stronghold—ones Lin Lan was very familiar with.
Bismarck's sister, the Northern Queen Tirpitz, the ever-smiling witch August, a group of excited U-boats and Z-class destroyer little girls, as well as key light cruisers like Köln and Leipzig.
All these shipgirls stood in formation behind Bismarck, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they looked at him.
Faced with so many eager gazes, Lin Lan didn't even know who to greet first.
As for why he could recognize Bismarck among so many shipgirls in full rigging…
Well, if you know, you know.
After Helena META brought Lin Lan before the Iron Blood shipgirls, Ägir quickly released the white yacht from her rigging space.
Leaping from Helena Mama's arms onto the yacht, Lin Lan was finally able to escape the public humiliation of being princess-carried and plant his feet firmly on the deck.
"Long time no see, Lady Bismarck. I've rescued the Commander and returned him to you completely unharmed~"
Helena META smiled as she watched Lin Lan settle onto the yacht, then turned to greet the Iron Blood leader with a grin.
"Guten Tag, Lady Helena META. I sincerely appreciate—"
"Oh, come on, it was nothing. Don't be so formal. We're all comrades from the same port, you don't have to be so polite!"
Before Bismarck could launch into a lengthy speech, Helena META immediately cut her off.
She really admired these Iron Blood shipgirls, who were always so rigid and meticulous about everything.
Bismarck, however, simply shook her head with a smile, unfazed by the interruption.
Seeing this exchange from the yacht, Lin Lan let out a sigh of relief.
He had been a bit worried that the Iron Blood shipgirls and Helena META might start fighting on the spot.
After all, for powerful META shipgirls like Helena Mama to join the port, they had to engage in combat to generate enough META synchronization value.
And when these META shipgirls acted as bosses, they had certainly put the port's regular shipgirls through plenty of suffering.
As Helena META continued discussing important matters regarding the Arbiter's Forces with Bismarck, Lin Lan glanced at the Iron Blood shipgirls surrounding his yacht, all clad in their riggings and focused on him.
The sight of their sinister black-and-red dragon-like rigging, fused with biotechnology and Siren mechanical technology, along with the ferocious, sharp-toothed shark-like designs, made the Iron Blood shipgirls appear overwhelmingly imposing when lined up together.
Noticing Lin Lan's gaze, U-37, U-81, and U-96—the main members of the Wolfpack—held hands with the white-haired, onion-headed little girl U-110 and playfully stuck out their tongues at him.
Compared to the incomplete Wolfpack lineup, the Z-class destroyer little girls had a clear numerical advantage.
Led by the silver-haired flagship Z1 and Z23 "Nimi," the Z-class little girls had gathered with those accompanying Bismarck, bringing their total to eleven!
So many Iron Blood destroyer little girls.
Since Bismarck, as the flagship, was still engaged in conversation with Helena META, the Iron Blood shipgirls merely smiled at Lin Lan without rushing up to him.
Lin Lan was more than happy to enjoy this brief moment of peace. The Iron Blood faction's discipline was on full display, preventing him from being completely overwhelmed all at once.
As he gazed at the sun gradually sinking below the horizon, its colors dimming over the sea, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
If an Arbiter from the Arbiter's Forces were to attack now, with the Iron Blood's main force right by his side, plus Helena META, could they win?
Lin Lan thought about it seriously and concluded that if it were just one Arbiter, they could definitely take it down.
With so many Iron Blood shipgirls decked out in their best gear, even sheer numbers alone could overwhelm an Arbiter.
Not to mention, the port's strongest submarine Wolfpack was also present.
Fighting a single Arbiter would be completely feasible.
But if two Arbiters showed up, then things would get tricky.
After all, the combined strength of two Arbiters wasn't just a simple addition—it was an exponential increase.
Even if they could win, there would undoubtedly be casualties, and that was something Lin Lan could never accept.
As he pondered the hypothetical battle, like a forum war analysis expert running combat simulations in his mind, Bismarck and Helena Mama's conversation was finally reaching its conclusion.
"I see. Then I won't hold you back any longer. Iron Blood will always stand with you."
With Bismarck's solemn promise to Helena META, their discussion came to an end.
"Well then, I'll be off for now. Commander, we will definitely meet again in the near future. I hope by then, you'll be a little more honest with yourself~"
Helena META smiled playfully as she bid farewell to Bismarck, then turned to the yacht and waved at Lin Lan, reluctant to part.
Now that the time for farewell had arrived, Lin Lan felt a deep bitterness in his heart.
He was extremely uneasy about letting Helena META leave alone, but he knew very well that with the current strength of the port factions around him, they truly could not withstand a full-scale assault from the Arbiter's Forces.
"Why are you making that face again, Commander? Just follow your usual rhythm and reunite with the others—you don't have to push yourself too hard. I'm not as fragile as you think, you know."
Even as she was about to leave, the blue-haired girl gave Lin Lan a gentle smile.
"Oh, right, Commander. Your new and old… companion—I should return her to you."
After speaking, Helena META snapped her fingers.
A crack appeared in the space beside Lin Lan, and from it, Rhyzome—encased in deep-blue crystalline formations—fell onto the yacht.
With the arrival of Sui Qiong, many Iron Blood shipgirls had subtle changes in their expressions.
"She may be a machine girl created from an Origin Cube, but as long as she uses META crystals daily, her META rate can be reduced."
"No matter the faction, there's definitely no shortage of META crystals."
Hearing Helena META's continued instructions, Lin Lan's reluctance to part grew even stronger.
Mama Helena… you're truly incredible!
Even at a time like this, you still remember to send me a wife.
With a light chuckle, Helena META finished speaking, then waved farewell to Lin Lan and the Iron Blood shipgirls with deep reluctance before setting off into the darkening sea.
"I will bring back all the other factions as soon as possible and reunite them together. When that time comes, we'll defeat the Arbiter's Forces and go home together!"
Watching Helena META's departing figure, Lin Lan clenched his teeth and swore loudly.
After all, only when all factions were together in his port could they leave the Sirens with no way to deal with them.
As Commander, he had to bring the factions back together—only then could he truly protect each and every one of his shipgirls!
Hearing the solemn declaration behind her, Helena META simply smiled without replying.
Because she knew—her Commander would never let her down.
He was, after all, everyone's Commander.
"Alright, Commander, I know you're reluctant to see Helena META go, but there are quite a few things you need to explain right now."
After watching Helena META disappear into the darkening sea, Bismarck turned her gaze toward Lin Lan on the yacht.
"Huh? Explain what?"
Hearing Bismarck's serious tone, Lin Lan couldn't help but freeze.
Why did it feel like Bismarck was about to settle accounts with him?
Even the surrounding Iron Blood shipgirls remained silent, casting an eerie hush over the entire fleet.
This made Lin Lan's scalp tingle with anxiety.
Thinking about all the things he had done in the port, a cold sweat formed on his back.
Bismarck wasn't planning to act like a military police officer and put him on trial for the… impart sessions he had with the Iron Blood shipgirls in the new port, was she?
"Hmm… There's quite a lot to go over. For example, where exactly did you learn to use the title 'Führer'?"
Seeing Bismarck's serious expression, Lin Lan's heart skipped a beat.
Just as he was about to explain that it was nothing more than a bout of chūnibyō delusion, Bismarck's previously stern face suddenly flushed red.
Then, the mighty flagship of Iron Blood gave a shy smile.
"Pfft… Sorry, sorry, Commander, I'm still not very good at telling jokes."
???
Before Lin Lan could react, Bismarck shifted to a completely different tone from when she spoke to Helena META.
With a gentle gaze, she looked at Lin Lan seriously and said:
"Commander, I'm truly glad that you're safe."
As Bismarck's words fell, the Iron Blood shipgirls finally broke their silence, bursting into joyful cheers.
"Woohoo! Commander! We missed you so much!"
The four little submarine little girls of the Wolfpack had taken advantage of Bismarck's speech to sneak closer to the yacht.
Now, piloting their shark-like riggings, they seized the opportunity and pounced.
Still processing everything, Lin Lan had no time to dodge before he was tackled onto the deck, where the four submarine little girls clung to him, nuzzling and rubbing against him affectionately.
"I'm done for… I might really get torn apart tonight…"
Glancing sideways at the yacht, now surrounded by towering mechanical dragons and countless rigged-up sharks, this was the only thought that crossed Lin Lan's mind.
…
"So, why didn't you tell your Commander and Bismarck that we're not actually enemies?"
Sailing alone across the dark sea, Helena META heard the cold voice of The Compiler ring in her ears.
"Yeah, yeah! Isn't he your Commander? Why didn't you tell him about me and The Compiler?"
The lively voice of The Purifier chimed in beside the blue-haired girl.
"Because it's not time for an all-out war with the Arbiter's Forces yet. And besides, there are many things the Commander will come to understand on his own in the future. I… believe in him."
With that, the blue-haired META girl with crimson eyes curled her lips into an utterly confident smile.
And with that, both The Purifier and The Compiler fell silent.
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!