After reluctantly letting go of each other, Lin Lan noticed that his body was now infused with Bismarck's fragrance.
Since it would take several more hours to reach the port area from Dongyun City, Lin Lan and Bismarck sat together on the sofa, discussing the events of the day regarding Dongyun City.
It was only then that Lin Lan realized Bismarck had already learned everything about his recent experiences through reports from Ulrich and the others.
This included being ambushed by the Demon King's army in Lihu County, eliminating the Battleaxe Arms Corporation's general agent in Yalang City, repelling the Tester, and becoming a Hero capable of using various talismans and elemental powers.
Of course, Ulrich had also informed Bismarck about the fact that Ironblood had made the Tianou Group its vassal.
"Führer... If you really like that title so much, Commander, I'll have all members of the Ironblood faction address you that way. Pfft... Sorry."
When the topic of Lin Lan having the Tianou Group call him "Führer" came up, even Bismarck, who was always meticulous about her work, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Lin Lan had to admit—Bismarck had hit him right where it hurt.
This matter was already embarrassing enough, but seeing even the normally serious Bismarck laughing like this made Lin Lan so flustered that he buried his face in his hands, twisting in discomfort.
Hearing that Bismarck intended to have all Ironblood shipgirls call him "Führer" in the future, Lin Lan nearly got goosebumps all over his back.
"Please, no! That was just because Deutschland gave me that chuunibyou mask, and it messed with my head! If you all start calling me 'Führer,' I swear I'll lose my mind one day!"
"Alright, Commander. If you ever want to change how you're addressed within Ironblood, just let me know."
"Yeah, thanks a lot for that."
After moving past the topic of titles, Bismarck continued speaking, and Lin Lan soon learned that she had met with the Tianou Group's Seer, Jian Qian'ou, in Dongyun City.
He wasn't surprised—after all, that guy wasn't human but a spiritual entity.
In the Orlan Federation, there were likely very few means capable of directly harming that old bastard, which allowed him to roam freely, going wherever he pleased.
To deal with spiritual entities, one would need either the talismans and elemental attacks of Liao Continent or the magic of the Holy Teachings Nation.
Unfortunately for Jian Qian'ou, both of these rare methods in the Orlan Federation happened to be in Lin Lan's possession.
Not only was he a Hero, capable of using various elemental attacks and creating talismans, but among the goods Ming Shijin had acquired from the Holy Teachings Nation, there were also a few scrolls inscribed with offensive magic spells.
Even though those spell scrolls were supposedly low-tier, only containing first-rank magic, they were still better than nothing.
What reassured Lin Lan the most, however, was discovering that he could use Wisdom Cubes in place of magic crystals to power magical weapons.
If Jian Qian'ou ever dared to stir up trouble at his port, he would be walking into a death trap.
Besides, that guy was a shrewd businessman. Lin Lan was confident that Jian Qian'ou wouldn't make such a foolish move.
Sure enough, Bismarck confirmed that Jian Qian'ou was indeed as cunning as expected.
"So, you're saying that when Battleaxe Arms was thrown into the Sirens' Mirror Sea, he took the opportunity to seize control of Dongyun City and even took over its signal tower?"
"And he actually thought that micro-layered compound shrouding the city was our doing?"
Lin Lan's eyes widened in astonishment at Bismarck's words.
To be fair, the fact that Jian Qian'ou immediately had the Tianou Group take over the city upon noticing the anomaly—securing the only means of communication with the outside world—proved that he was both capable and bold.
However, he was a little too smart for his own good, which led him to mistakenly believe that Lin Lan and his allies were behind the strange changes in Dongyun City.
The thought amused Lin Lan somewhat.
"It's fine, Commander. He doesn't know that it was actually the Sirens' doing—he still thinks it was our attack method."
"Besides, he's managed the city's affairs quite well. There were no civilian casualties, and he's even tried to erase any traces of our presence in Dongyun City."
After finishing her explanation, Bismarck seemed to recall something from the past, her tone dropping slightly.
"Having only cunning without strength... He will never truly stand with dignity at the negotiation table."
Noticing the somber expression on Bismarck's face, Lin Lan immediately understood why.
In the game's storyline, the Ironblood faction had once been at odds with the immensely powerful Royal Navy.
Facing an overwhelmingly strong adversary, Bismarck had been forced to cooperate with the Sirens to gain the power needed to change Ironblood's fate.
This was how Ironblood had obtained the Sirens' technology, granting them the strength to fight the Royal Navy.
Later, after sinking Hood, Bismarck had been relentlessly hunted down by the Royal Navy, forced into a desperate situation.
Before she was sunk, the Tester had attempted to tempt her into undergoing META transformation to turn the tide.
Yet, despite the Sirens' temptation, Bismarck, with her iron will, resisted the allure of power.
In the end, she fought until her last shell was fired, sinking under the Royal Navy's barrage with deep regrets for her comrades.
However, just as she was on the brink of death beneath the waves, she was rescued by U-556, the submarine knight who had sworn to always protect her.
Although these were merely events from an in-game event storyline and technically unrelated to the shipgirls who had joined his port, Lin Lan had still taken the time to learn about them—because they were, after all, his wives' stories.
"Bismarck, look out the window. The mighty Ironblood fleet of today can now sail freely across the oceans, isn't that so?"
Seeing Bismarck's melancholic expression, Lin Lan smiled and gestured toward the window.
Outside, a vast, seemingly endless Ironblood fleet was advancing.
Beyond the mass-produced warships, the Z-class destroyer girls and light cruisers like Köln were swiftly patrolling the sea, their riggings resembling sharks cutting through the waves.
Above them, the sky thundered with the roar of reconnaissance planes launched by aircraft carriers like Graf Zeppelin and August von Parseval, announcing Ironblood's dominion over the heavens as well.
Ironblood was no longer a weak faction forced to endure humiliation without a voice at the table.
"You're right, Commander. Thanks to you, Ironblood now stands above all, free to roam the seas as we please."
Following Lin Lan's gaze, Bismarck's previous melancholy vanished, replaced by a faint yet satisfied smile.
Seeing her mood improve, Lin Lan sighed in relief.
However, just as he let his guard down, Bismarck's next words nearly made him jump out of his seat.
"So, is that why you've been having our brave Ironblood warriors take turns warming your bed every night and hosting multiple impart sessions?"
"Uh, wait, Bismarck, let me explain! That wasn't—"
Lin Lan never imagined that Ulrich would even report something like that to Bismarck.
He immediately tried to explain himself.
But before he could get another word out, Bismarck had already risen from the sofa, stepping toward him.
Before he could even react, she bent down, placing her hands gently on both sides of his face.
And then, his lips were sealed, preventing any further protest.
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