Elder brother's garrison

Page 2374

After all, putting aside the fact that a so-called minor official could be so old and still be able to stroll around in Chapter 8 at this time, even just by looking at his demeanor, Xiaobai could clearly sense that the old man in front of him was definitely not ordinary.

People who hold high positions for many years do indeed possess a certain peculiar quality, something Xiaobai is acutely aware of.

This old man looks like he's at least a department head.

Xiao Bai shifted her position slightly in the chair and spoke to the old man.

"Grandpa, about Admiral Haoding... well... I'm really sorry. Because I took it upon myself to treat him, Admiral Haoding still has a lot of deep-sea energy accumulating in his body. His skin used to be quite fair and tender, but now he looks like a hard-boiled egg, and all his hair has fallen out..." Xiaobai said with regret.

The old man listened to Xiaobai's words with a smile, and then smiled gently.

"Admiral Lu Lin, why apologize for such a trivial matter?" the old man laughed. "If it weren't for your intervention, that brat would have lost his life. Now, all he's suffered is a few hairs and a bit of tanning. Such a small price to pay, yet he still earns the title of one of the pioneering heroes. He should be grateful."

"Grandpa, you're quite Zen-like..."

"Haha, my requirements for the young are very simple: just don't lose an arm or a leg." The old man said with a smile, then nodded slightly. "Alright, let's not talk about that brat anymore."

"Oh..." Xiaobai nodded, "Okay then, what should we talk about next?"

"Let's talk about serious matters."

"Business?"

“That’s right.” The old man nodded slightly, giving Xiaobai a deep look. “I know I’m not popular with young people, so it’s already quite an honor for Admiral Lu Lin to lower herself and chat with me for a bit… Does Admiral Lu Lin still remember that I came here to express my gratitude?”

"I think I did mention it." Xiaobai nodded.

"Yes." The old man smiled. "As the saying goes, when you come to express your gratitude, you can't come empty-handed."

"A gift?" Little White had a sudden inspiration and asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, the old man laughed heartily and turned his head to look at the blonde ship girl beside him.

"Admiral Lu Lin, although I'm not in the admiral circle, I've heard some things about you." The old man said with a smile, "Admiral Lu Lin... I heard that you seem to really like ship girls? And you seem to have a particular fondness for other people's ship girls."

"Ah..." Upon hearing this, Xiaobai subconsciously exchanged a glance with Missouri beside her.

Missouri smiled slightly at Little White.

Xiao Bai scratched his cheek and looked at the old man.

"Grandpa, there's actually a misunderstanding about this..."

"Haha, misunderstandings don't matter, the main thing is whether Admiral Lu Lin likes it or not." The old man said with a smile, and gently called to the blonde ship girl beside him, "Take it out."

"As ordered."

The blonde ship girl named Emden bowed slightly to the old man, and then, in front of Xiaobai and the others, she opened her ship equipment space and took out a document.

Emden, holding the documents in both hands, walked up to Missouri, bowed slightly, and presented the documents.

Missouri took the document with a smile, glanced at it in her hand, and then placed it flat on the table in front of Xiaobai without changing her expression.

"Hmm? This is..." Xiaobai looked down at the document, then paused slightly.

At the very top of the document, a large "Kantai Collection Girl Recruitment Application Form" was prominently displayed.

The job application form had only one neatly handwritten "Emden" in the applicant's section; otherwise, the entire form was blank.

“Miss Emden, what is this you gave me…” Xiaobai looked at Emden with some curiosity.

“Admiral Lu Lin, if you don’t mind, I’d like to call you Admiral,” Emden said softly to Xiaobai.

"...?"

Xiao Bai cast a surprised look at the old man.

The old man looked at Little White with a smile.

"Grandpa, what do you mean by this?"

"Admiral Lu Lin, Emden is a light cruiser. Although her firepower is not as strong as that of battleships and aircraft carriers due to her ship type, the advantages of light cruisers allow her to perform many unique tasks," the old man said gently. "Moreover, it's worth mentioning that she is a rare top-tier ship girl. There aren't many ship girls in the light cruiser category who can reach the top level. If a new naval base can get her, her overall strength will probably improve."

Xiaobai stared blankly at the old man's words, and opened her mouth.

"Ah...so...so you mean, Emden is your thank-you gift for coming?"

"Haha, that's not a nice way to put it." The old man shook his head with a laugh, but then nodded slightly. "But it's true, Admiral Lu Lin, is that to your liking?"

"..." Xiaobai remained silent.

Xiao Bai stared at Emden, who had walked up to her, her gaze sliding up and down her body.

Emden's attire resembled that of an office lady; she was poised and proper, with a single blonde ponytail neatly tied behind her head. Her fair face was framed by slightly old-fashioned brown-rimmed glasses, but behind the clear lenses, her eyes shone brightly, like stars.

It's a face that even brown-rimmed glasses can't hide in the slightest of its good looks.

And most importantly... she's a rare, top-tier ship girl.

This is no young calf.

This is a veteran of the battlefield.

Top-tier ship girls!

Regardless of the ship type, it would be a pillar of strength in any high-level naval base.

Behind every top-tier ship girl lies a mountain of resources and endless battles; they are the priceless treasures of every naval base.

Seemingly sensing Xiaobai's gaze, Emden bowed slightly to Xiaobai.

Xiao Bai withdrew his gaze and looked at the old man again.

"Admiral Lu Lin, how about it? As long as you fill out that application form, this rare top-tier ship girl can join your naval base," the old man said with a smile.

"Grandpa, this thank-you gift is a bit too much," Xiaobai said.

"Haha, if Admiral Lu Lin likes it, then no gift is too big." The old man continued to laugh.

"……All right."

Xiao Bai reached out, gently picked up the job application form on the table, and looked at it for a while.

Emden reached to his chest, took a pen from it, removed the cap, and handed it to Xiaobai with both hands.

Xiaobai looked down at the pen Emden handed her, her gaze lingering on Emden's slender fingertips for a moment before gently placing her hand on Emden's palm and pushing her hand away slightly.

"Admiral Lu Lin?" Emden asked, somewhat surprised.

“Miss Emden, I am honored that you are willing to join our naval base.” Xiaobai carefully folded the job application form and placed it back in Emden’s other hand. Then he smiled at her and said, “If you don’t mind, our naval base will always be open to you. As a guest of the naval base, you can come and visit anytime.”

"..." Emden.

"Admiral Lu Lin, what's the reason for this?" The old man asked curiously as he saw Xiao Bai hand back the job application form. "Don't you like this thank-you gift?"

"No, Miss Emden is a very good ship girl." Xiaobai said to the old man with a smile, "But the principle of our naval base is that the contract between the ship girl and the admiral should emphasize the emotional connection, mutual consent, and going with the flow. We never force anyone else's relationship."

"Oh? You mean, Emden doesn't want to?" The old man seemed very interested and asked Little White.

“She’s a top-tier ship girl now. The person in charge of training Miss Emden must have spent a long time with her,” Xiaobai said with a smile. “How long have I known Miss Emden? Less than a few minutes. Even love at first sight wouldn’t last this long. Miss Emden won’t be willing to leave with me.”

“Admiral Lu Lin, this is the world’s number one naval base. I believe there is no brighter place in the world than here.”

"Grandpa, there aren't such obvious interests in the world of ship girls," Xiaobai said with a smile to the old man. "What ship girls care about is feelings."

"..."

The old man didn't continue speaking; he simply looked at Emden.

Emden, holding her job application form, was somewhat at a loss after hearing what Xiaobai had just said.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Missouri bent down with a smile and poured a cup of hot tea for Xiaobai's teacup.

Steam rises from the tea.

"Admiral Lu Lin," the old man began, "from what you're saying... you seem to know a lot about ship girls?"

"I understand perfectly," Xiaobai nodded with a smile.

"..." The old man nodded slightly. He leaned back in his chair and looked at Emden with gentle eyes. "Emden, since Admiral Lu Lin has said so, you should come back."

"……Yes."

Emden looked at Little White with a complicated expression. She bowed to Little White and then returned to the old man's side.

Chapter 3323 A Terrifying Relationship

Xiao Bai's words just now can be considered a rejection of the old man's "kindness".

Xiao Bai was somewhat worried that the kind-looking old man would be angry because of his "lack of appreciation," but to Xiao Bai's surprise, after Emden returned to his side, the old man not only did not show any embarrassment or anger, but even smiled at him with considerable satisfaction and nodded.

"Admiral Lu Lin, how old are you?"

"Hey?"

"How old are you this year?" the old man explained.

"Ah...I...I'm only eighteen..." Xiaobai responded softly.

"Hahaha! Good, good." The old man nodded with a smile, his face full of praise. "Young lady, you've taught me a lesson."

"No, no, that's not true..." Xiaobai quickly said.

"Everyone outside says that the world's number one admiral is eccentric, domineering, and has a penchant for other people's ship girls, always resorting to force and robbery," the old man said with a smile. "Now it seems that it's mostly just hearsay. Little girl, you're a good person."

"Uh..." Xiaobai laughed awkwardly.

What's going on...?

How did I end up getting a "good guy" card from the old man...?

"Alright, as for the gift of thanks, let this old man think about it some more when I get back." The old man stood up and said to Xiaobai with a smile, "Admiral Lu Lin, I will remember your teachings today. If you don't mind, we'll meet again someday."

"Huh? You're leaving already?" Xiaobai quickly stood up. "Would you like to stay for a meal?"

"Haha, please spare my old face." The old man shook his head with a smile and said to Xiaobai, "After being lectured by Admiral Lu Lin, the fact that I could leave without covering my face already shows how thick-skinned I am."

"Um... well, shall I see you off?"

Xiao Bai spoke up.

After Xiaobai said that, the reception room was quiet for a while.

Missouri, standing to the side, gave a helpless smile.

Emden's gaze as he looked at Little White flickered, as if he were looking at a clam.

This time, however, the old man did not refuse. He smiled and nodded, accepting Xiaobai's suggestion.

Little White and Missouri led the old man and Emden out of the drawing room.

Outside the reception room, four Fubuki-class destroyers huddled in a corner. As soon as they saw Shiro come out, they immediately wanted to rush over, but when they saw the old man and Emden, the group of destroyers quickly shrank back, looking like hamsters.

Xiao Bai chatted and joked with the destroyers for a few moments, patted each of them on the head, and only then did they disperse, feeling reassured.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, let's go," Xiaobai said to the old man.

The group left the reception room and went to the square.

In the square, as soon as the Nia family's ship girls saw the old man and Emden, they immediately began to line up in an organized and disciplined manner and started singing songs full of positive energy.

"Our ship girls are protecting our homeland!"

"Defeat that deep sea in the ocean!"

"..."

As Xiaobai and her three companions passed by the plaza, they saw a group of ship girls with righteous expressions and Xiaobai couldn't help but smile.

"Admiral Lu Lin, your ship girls are dressed quite warmly." The old man looked around and said to Xiaobai, "Wearing padded jackets and trousers in this heat?"

"Um...they're ship girls from Nia's family..." Xiaobai gave a wry smile and explained, "It's a personal preference, a personal preference...anyway, ship girls are always warm in winter and cool in summer."

"Hahaha." The old man chuckled.

Xiao Bai led the old man away from the square and headed towards the temporary garrison.

"Admiral Lu Lin, this residence must have cost a lot of money," the old man asked as they walked.

"It didn't cost any money; it was a gift from the Admiral's Guild."

"Oh? Is that so?" The old man looked at Xiaobai.

"Yeah... they said it was a reward for clearing the land or something." Xiaobai nodded.

"The rewards from the Admiral's Guild are getting better every year."