"Hey, Akashi, is this utility pole really reliable? Can it really connect to the Orlan network?"
Three days had passed since Lin Lan's meeting with Jian Qian'ou.
During these three days, Lin Lan had not left the port area.
He was either in his office experimenting with various elemental skills and drawing spell sigils or researching efficient ways to deal with Battleaxe Military Industries.
After all, since Jian Qian'ou had already hinted that Battleaxe Military Industries was up to something in Dongyun City, he naturally had to prepare in advance and completely eradicate their forces there.
Of course, he also didn't miss out on riding the ship-mounted motorcycle with U-101, racing across the sea.
The thrill of speeding across the waves with the little Iron Blood little girl was an unforgettable experience.
During this time, his late-night in-depth discussions with his hardworking secretary ship continued steadily.
Since he had the capability and all the shipgirls had already made their vows with him, he naturally welcomed them all.
Whether it was Deutschland, who started off aggressive but ended up weakly clinging to him, or the familiar sisters Prinz Eugen and Blücher, all of them found great joy in their deep discussions with him.
Aside from that, the new offshore fortress near the port was also taking shape with the help of Muscle Manjuu.
Additionally, the fortress was now covered by Iron Blood's Mirror Sea, making it impossible for outsiders to notice its construction.
At this moment, around 9 a.m., Lin Lan was dragging his secretary ship for the day, Lützow, to the plaza within the port, watching as Akashi directed a few safety-helmet-wearing Manjuus in setting up a signal tower.
However, even though the tower was already in place, Lin Lan's phone still had no signal, making him doubt Akashi's technical skills.
"Commander, don't worry, nya! The port will definitely have internet today, I promise!"
Having her abilities questioned, the little scheming cat's ears twitched as she pondered why the signal wasn't working.
Meanwhile, Lützow, after nearly an hour of waiting, was already lying on a bench nearby, hugging a shark pillow and dozing off in the warm sunlight.
Bored out of his mind, Lin Lan had already wandered around the small plaza.
He had no idea who had set them up, but there were several drying racks at the plaza's edge, filled with blankets and Iron Blood shipgirls' clothes that hasn't dried yet.
Near the cafeteria, a variety of dry food ingredients were spread out on carpets—clearly placed there by Roon.
"This port area really feels quite cozy," Lin Lan mused as he circled back to Akashi's side, sitting down next to the still-sleeping Lützow.
The late autumn sun was warm on his skin, and as he listened to the soft snores of the gray-haired girl beside him, a drowsy feeling washed over him.
There's an old saying in the East: "Autumn fatigue." Lin Lan felt like the sunlight was baking him into a sleepy state.
But besides autumn fatigue, there's also spring drowsiness, summer lethargy, and winter hibernation—humans really are lazy creatures all year round.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and take a nap, he suddenly noticed something unusual—a particular Manjuu cautiously poking its head out from a nearby shrub.
Recognizing it immediately, Lin Lan realized it was the Manjuu that lived on his room's balcony, noticeably larger than the others.
"Well, if that isn't a pillow showing up just when I need a nap. Come here, let me hold you for a bit."
Eyeing Lützow's plush pillow with envy, he waved at the Manjuu.
Though reluctant to leave the bushes, the round, chubby Manjuu had no choice but to hop into Lin Lan's arms.
Seating it on his lap, Lin Lan buried his face in its fluffy, light-yellow feathers.
Good, no strange smells. Just as expected from a normal Blue Star creature and the game's mascot.
Akashi, who was still fussing over the signal pole, noticed the Manjuu in Lin Lan's arms but only glanced at it a few times before returning to her work.
And so, wrapped in the warmth of the sun and cuddling the fluffy Manjuu, Lin Lan dozed off for another hour.
"Yaaawn~ Commander~ is it not done yet?"
He was woken up by Lützow's lazy yawn.
Groggily opening his eyes, Lin Lan saw that Akashi was still discussing blueprints with the Manjuus.
Lützow had already sat up, giving him a pouty, reproachful look, seemingly annoyed about how much time was being wasted here.
"Akashi, if you keep stalling, the fleet training and Siren clean-up crews will be back soon for lunch. Everyone's waiting for the network to work so they can watch TV."
Lin Lan looked up at the sun, which was now nearly at its peak, and urged Akashi to hurry.
"It shouldn't be, nya! The signal lines and power should be sufficient. What's going on, nya…"
Akashi was visibly puzzled, her face full of doubt.
"If it's not working, just forget it. Once the fortress is finished, I'll have Tian'ou Group's professionals install the signal towers."
Lin Lan set down the now toasty-warm Manjuu from his lap, straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes, and prepared to stand up.
But just as Akashi was about to give up in frustration, the Manjuu Lin Lan had placed on the ground suddenly began to glow with an intense white light.
"What's happening?"
Startled awake, Lin Lan jumped up from his seat, pulling Lützow back several steps.
"Nya? This is…?"
Akashi's eyes widened in shock as she watched the Manjuu enveloped in white light, as if witnessing something unbelievable.
The dazzling glow lasted for several seconds, and when it faded, what appeared before Lin Lan left him utterly dumbfounded.
Standing in place of the previously oversized Manjuu was a petite girl dressed in a pure white short dress and over-the-knee boots, wearing white wristguards—
A dazed, white-haired little girl?!
The tiny girl sat on the ground in a duck-like posture, her ahoge gently swaying. Behind her, a long white tail stretched out, its tip connected to a mechanical plug crackling with electricity.
"Bu… Buli?"
Rubbing his eyes in disbelief, Lin Lan stared at the girl in shock.
The white-haired little girl first looked around in confusion before her face lit up with joy upon spotting Lin Lan. She instantly leaped up and threw herself into his arms.
"Buli!!! Buli-chan finally changed back! Commander! Ehehe~!"
As the tiny little girl clung to him, rubbing against him excitedly, Lin Lan was completely stunned.
T-this… this isn't right?!
Wasn't there a Manjuu here just now? How did it suddenly turn into one of the many mass-produced Bulis from the port?!
In the game, when shipgirls reach a certain level and need to break through their star ranking for more power, they require breakthrough materials.
Besides using duplicate shipgirls, another option was using the same rarity Buli as a breakthrough material.
That's right, there were three types of Bulis, known as the legendary Buli sisters.
For Elite (SR) shipgirls and below, the required breakthrough material was the white-haired General-Purpose Buli.
But Lin Lan had never imagined—
Bulis were actually evolved Manjuus?!
(Bulins)
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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