Watching the three figures disappear into the night as they headed toward the port district, Lin Lan finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Commander, you can joke about me, but you can't make fun of my sister. She really was worried about you."
Bismarck sighed and rubbed her temples helplessly. She hadn't expected that her sister was still unaware of everything that had happened to the Commander.
"I need to make sure Tirpitz communicates more with others in the future. I can't believe no one mentioned to her that I gained the power of a Hero. That was completely unexpected."
Lin Lan understood that Tirpitz was only looking out for him, but the stunned expression on the usually icy beauty's face was just too amusing.
"Compared to before, she's already improved a lot. She was probably caught up in other conversations along the way. After all, this kind of thing is just too..."
Bismarck trailed off mid-sentence, stealing a glance at the Commander. She chose not to finish her thought.
After all, if it hadn't been for Ulrich's unwavering report assuring her that everything was true, she wouldn't have believed that the Commander had actually obtained supernatural Heroic power.
Well, now it was just her and the Commander here, and that wasn't bad at all.
She observed the surrounding area where cargo was being loaded onto mass-produced warships.
Then, noticing a peculiar creature—one with a cute cat's head but a muscular, well-built white body—she asked curiously,
"So, this is the result of Deutschland and Akashi's research using this nation's mecha technology? I believe it's called... Muscle Manjuu?"
The dock's surface was kept pristine by the diligent Manjuus that cleaned it daily.
Additionally, shipgirls spent most of their time on the sea or on mass-produced warships, which meant their shoes rarely got dirty.
Taking advantage of the clean surroundings, Lin Lan casually sat down at the edge of the dock, gazing at the sea illuminated by the starlit sky.
Hearing Bismarck's question, he chuckled and replied,
"Yes, despite their biological appearance, these Muscle Manjuus are actually robots powered by Wisdom Cube energy."
"And let me tell you, these things are seriously strong. Even when I was drugged, I couldn't fight them off."
"Hm... Hmm? Drugged? Commander, who drugged you?"
Bismarck's tone suddenly became sharp and serious. Lin Lan immediately realized he had let something slip.
"Ahaha, it's nothing, really. Just a small matter. No need to worry about it."
As he awkwardly laughed, trying to brush it off, Bismarck had already moved beside him and sat down at the edge of the dock, just like him.
"I get the feeling you're hiding a lot from me, Commander."
"But it doesn't matter. I, Friedrich, and all of Ironblood will stake our lives to protect you."
Feeling the soft weight resting gently against his shoulder, Lin Lan suddenly recalled what Helena META had told him at dusk.
"Bismarck."
"What is it, Commander?"
"Would you like to hear a story? Though it might be a long one, a bit exaggerated, maybe even boring."
"As long as it's from you, I'll listen carefully."
Taking a deep breath of the cool, slightly chilly autumn sea breeze, Lin Lan slowly began recounting his past on Blue Star.
…
Orlan United Nation, Eastern Continent – Orlan Capital, Huanyang City
This prosperous coastal metropolis, surrounded by towering skyscrapers, served as the capital of the Orlan United Nation.
It was located at the confluence of three major rivers, which merged before flowing into the sea.
Hundreds of years ago, these three rivers had separate estuaries.
Every rainy season, their surging waters would overflow, causing devastating floods that plagued the surrounding settlements.
Eventually, the villages near these rivers united, and through generations of effort, they dug an enormous canal to redirect the three rivers into a single channel.
This monumental achievement finally put an end to centuries of flooding.
With the canal complete, these villages established the first city at the rivers' convergence. From there, they expanded, waging wars to conquer the entire Eastern Continent.
And they succeeded. Every village on the Eastern Continent was ultimately brought under their rule.
That very first city later became Huanyang City, and the villages that dug the canal laid the foundation for what would become the Orlan United Nation.
After unifying the continent, they quickly established contact with the neighboring landmass.
Eventually, the two continents formed the first iteration of the Orlan United Nation.
At the mouth of the Orlan Grand Canal, by the sea, stood an opulent skyscraper of unparalleled luxury.
Even in the dead of night, the commercial streets and shops surrounding this towering structure remained vibrant and bustling.
On the ocean-facing side of the skyscraper, bright neon lights adorned the glass facade, illuminating the night.
The neon decorations depicted two emblems—one large and one small.
The larger emblem featured a silver torch and a silver cargo ship sailing across the vast ocean.
In modern Orlan, this symbol was universally recognized.
It represented the ruling power of Orlan—the Zhu Hai Trade Association.
Beneath this emblem was another insignia, consisting of two crossed blades and three five-pointed stars.
Had Lin Lan been present to see it, he would have immediately clenched his teeth in fury.
For this was the emblem of the Tianxing Consortium—the very force responsible for his grueling year of survival at the Naval Academy.
This towering skyscraper that pierced the clouds was none other than the Tianxing Consortium's headquarters.
It was also the meeting place of the Zhu Hai Trade Association—the Zhu Hai Tower.
At this late hour, most employees had long since finished work—either indulging in nightlife or soundly asleep at home.
Apart from those working overtime, only a select few remained in the upper levels, where a video conference had just concluded.
The meeting had focused on how the Eastern Continent's three major financial conglomerates could pressure and suppress the Navy Department's future plans.
As the conference room lights dimmed, a tall, impeccably dressed middle-aged man in a finely tailored black suit emerged expressionlessly.
Despite his age and the length of the meeting, there was not a trace of fatigue on his face.
On the contrary, his clean-shaven, handsome features exuded a sense of world-weary wisdom—one that seemed to see through everything.
"Good work, Chairman Zhao."
As he stepped out, the beautiful young female employees lining both sides of the corridor bowed respectfully in unison.
Within the Tianxing Consortium, there was only one board member with the surname Zhao.
And in fact, the Tianxing Consortium had only one board member in total.
That was the man who, through ruthless strategies, had seized absolute power within the consortium and spearheaded the formation of the Zhu Hai Trade Association, leading the charge to overthrow Orlan's official government.
Zhao Tianyi.
And he was none other than Lin Lan's nemesis—the father of Zhao Hesheng, the young master of the Tianxing Consortium.
As Zhao Tianyi walked down the corridor, heading toward the elevator, a young woman's voice called out from behind him.
"Father, you finally finished your meeting."
Zhao Tianyi slowly turned to see a young lady standing in the hallway.
She wore glasses, a long white dress, and had long black hair cascading down her back.
A trace of displeasure crossed his face.
"He Yan, it's already this late. Why aren't you at home sleeping? What are you doing here?"
Zhao Heyan, the bespectacled young woman, seemed slightly intimidated by her father's tone, instinctively taking half a step back.
Then, she took a deep breath, gathering her courage, and asked,
"Father, my brother went to Maple Leaf Naval Academy again today. Did you send him... to do something bad?"
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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