At 2 AM in the dead of night, Lin Lan finally saw the port area of his home county, Lihu.
Along the way, through his discussions with Bismarck, Lin Lan learned that the Navy Department of the Orlan Continent had so far maintained a friendly stance toward the Iron Blood faction.
He recalled how, when he had previously encountered Tirpitz and August, they had been able to call in a naval rescue team with ease.
This alone was enough to prove that the Western Continent's Navy Department had a great deal of trust in Iron Blood.
However, trust was one thing—Iron Blood had saved the Navy Department's main forces, which was why they were willing to place their faith in them.
But if it came to something as significant as completely destroying Battleaxe Industries, the Navy Department might not necessarily agree.
In response to Lin Lan's concerns, Bismarck made him a very tempting proposal:
He should meet with the top brass of the Western Continent's Navy Department personally—under the official title of the Iron Blood faction's leader, the Führer.
After thinking it over for a moment, Lin Lan found this suggestion highly feasible.
Both Bismarck and Friedrich der Große had contacts within the Orlan Continent's Navy Department.
Lin Lan commanded a formidable Iron Blood fleet, and it wasn't as if he intended to wipe out the entire Orlan Union.
Additionally, the Tianou Group had already submitted to him, while Battleaxe Industries had a poor relationship with the Navy Department.
If he were to handle negotiations himself, success would be practically guaranteed.
After all, without Battleaxe Industries stirring up trouble and with the Tianou Group under his control, there would be no internal turmoil.
If the Navy Department was open to cooperation, the Western Continent could develop in a stable direction in the future.
Conveniently, the Navy Department was set to hold its annual evaluation at the end of the year.
That would be the perfect opportunity for Lin Lan to visit the Navy Department's base fortress and engage in some "friendly" discussions with their leadership.
Seeing the Iron Blood mass-produced fleet orderly making way for the shipgirls to return to port, Lin Lan put those thoughts aside for now.
This was something that required meticulous planning, but at the moment, escorting Bismarck back to port was more urgent.
The battles and experiences in the Mirror Sea had left Lin Lan somewhat fatigued, even with the power of a Hero bolstering him.
Most Heroes in other worlds would start by grinding experience on small monsters like slimes and goblins, gradually finding companions and leveling up.
Meanwhile, he had jumped straight to fighting high-tier Sirens, more powerful than demon lords, and battling Natlan Extremists who could shatter space with their bare hands.
If not for his secondary role as the port's Commander—granting him the ability to exploit the Wisdom Cube system—and the protection of his powerful and beautiful shipgirls,
He might not be in the category of a Japanese RPG protagonist, but rather in the realm of Souls-like games.
As the other Iron Blood shipgirls disembarked, Lin Lan and Bismarck's command ship docked safely.
"Ahh, finally home~"
Lin Lan, walking down from the command ship alongside Bismarck, who was holding the Iron Blood flag, lazily stretched as he stepped onto the port's pier.
Feeling the satisfying stretch of his body and looking at the familiar nighttime port, he couldn't help but feel as though it had been ages since he was last here.
Even though he had only been away for a day, it felt more like a month.
Thinking back to his confrontation with the Natlan Extremist in the Mirror Sea, Lin Lan decided that starting tomorrow, he would need to train more with the Iron Blood shipgirls to improve his combat experience.
To prevent congestion at the docks, most of the Iron Blood shipgirls had already taken their belongings back to their dorms in the port, keeping everything well-organized.
Aside from the Manjus and Muscle Cats unloading cargo, only Ulrich, Tirpitz, and Graf Zeppelin remained waiting at the dock.
"Commander, Lady Bismarck."
Ulrich stepped forward with a smile to greet them as they disembarked.
"I've already arranged accommodations for our companions from the fortress. Brynhildr and the others should arrive in about an hour."
Hearing Ulrich's report, Lin Lan realized he hadn't seen Brynhildr or the Scharnhorst sisters earlier.
According to their battle plan, they had gone upstream on the river in Huaiwu City to prevent reinforcements from Battleaxe Industries, so it was understandable that they would return later.
"Good work, Ulrich."
It was Bismarck who spoke, praising Ulrich's attentiveness before turning her gaze to Lin Lan.
"Commander, you should return to the port with Graf Zeppelin, Ulrich, and my sister to get some rest."
Lin Lan was briefly stunned and looked at the Iron Blood flagship in surprise.
"You stole my line. You should go back and rest first—I'll wait for them here. Did you already forget what I told you on the ship?"
"Commander, we're shipgirls. You can't compare yourself to us."
"First of all, let me correct that—I have the power of a Hero now, so I'm far stronger than an ordinary person."
"Second, what does being a shipgirl have to do with it? With my current stamina, I can definitely outlast you."
Hearing Lin Lan's last sentence, Bismarck, Ulrich, and Graf Zeppelin all suddenly blushed, as if recalling something.
Bismarck had already been informed by Ulrich, so she understood what Lin Lan was implying.
As for Ulrich and Graf Zeppelin, they had firsthand experience of the Commander's boundless stamina.
Only Tirpitz, unaware of the truth, tried to persuade Lin Lan out of concern:
"Commander, you're already speaking nonsense. You should come back with us to rest—my sister is just looking out for you."
But the moment she finished speaking, she noticed that her sister, the Commander, and even Ulrich and Graf Zeppelin were all staring at her in surprise.
"Uh… Did I say something wrong?"
Holding the Iron Blood flag, Tirpitz blinked blankly, sensing that her words had somehow made the atmosphere feel oddly awkward.
"N-No, no, Tirpitz, you're absolutely right… cough cough."
Lin Lan, seeing Tirpitz's adorably clueless expression, almost burst out laughing. But feeling Bismarck's glare on him, he quickly held back with a forced cough.
Poor Queen of the North—no one had informed her of his recent achievements.
It seemed he would have to personally show Tirpitz what a healthy body and boundless stamina really meant.
"If both the Commander and Lady Bismarck wish to wait for Brynhildr and the others to return, then why don't we all stay here?"
"That way, we'll have someone to chat with and won't get bored."
With her arms crossed, Graf Zeppelin calmly suggested.
"I think that's a good idea. Commander, Lady Bismarck, we'll be heading back first, then."
Ulrich glanced at Graf Zeppelin in mild surprise before seemingly realizing something and nodding in agreement.
Seeing that the usually serious and reliable Ulrich and Graf Zeppelin were unconcerned about the Commander's well-being, the oblivious Tirpitz tried to protest:
"But that won't do. The Commander's health is more important—"
However, before she could finish, she found both Ulrich and Graf Zeppelin each taking hold of one of her hands and pulling her toward the port.
"Tirpitz, listen—there's no need to worry about the Commander."
"Ah, so no one told you, huh? Poor Queen of the North…"
After exchanging a brief nod with a smirking Lin Lan and a helpless Bismarck, Ulrich and Graf Zeppelin started filling Tirpitz in on the Commander's recent "physical developments."
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