They didn't have to wait long—after about ten minutes, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door.
"The Commander is waiting in the parlor. Please, come in."
Sun Xiaozhu's voice rang out from outside. August quickly stood up and moved to stand beside Tirpitz behind Lin Lan.
As the door to the parlor opened, Lin Lan stood up and looked over.
A man in his early thirties, wearing a white naval uniform, walked in first. There was no need to guess—this was Feng Tao, the port district commander of Lanshi City.
But whether it was an illusion or not, Lin Lan couldn't help but feel that Feng Tao's mental state seemed off—his face was extremely pale.
Three light cruiser Pawn shipgirls followed behind Feng Tao, each carrying various gifts and curiously glancing at Lin Lan and the others.
"Brother Lin! Finally, I get to see you in person!"
As soon as he saw Lin Lan, Feng Tao's pale face lit up with a smile. He strode forward and tightly grasped both of Lin Lan's hands.
Now seeing him up close, Lin Lan noticed that Feng Tao's eyes were bloodshot, veiled in a faint red hue.
"I really, really can't thank you and the two commanders from Yalang City enough for the rescue. Damn it, I never expected you all to encounter a Leviathan attack.
I'll remember this kindness for the rest of my life."
After speaking, Feng Tao turned to the shipgirls behind him and said,
"Put all the special products of Lanshi City we brought for Brother Lin inside. He's a benefactor—not just to me, but to all your comrades."
Feeling the strength in Feng Tao's grip, Lin Lan merely responded with a faint smile:
"It was just my duty. The Leviathan was an unexpected situation. Besides, Brother Feng, you traveled all this way—there's no need to be so formal. Please, have a seat."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Lan invited Feng Tao to sit.
As soon as he sat down on the sofa, Feng Tao let out a deep sigh, looked at Lin Lan, and slowly began to speak with regret in his tone:
"Brother Lin, I've already learned about the tough situation you're facing here. Honestly, I originally wanted to bring you some practical equipment and supplies."
"But as you already know, this time… six of my shipgirls were lost. The punishment from above will be severe. I'll likely be summoned to the central military tribunal soon, so… sigh."
Lin Lan looked calmly at the man in front of him.
He naturally understood that Feng Tao's career as a commander was probably coming to an end.
Previously, even when the escort mission he had taken involved only two severely injured destroyer-class Pawn shipgirls, the commander was already detained and publicly criticized across the entire navy.
Accepting commissions from the corporate consortium was fine—so long as nothing happened.
But if even a single shipgirl suffered, the Navy's top brass would show no mercy.
"Brother Feng, how should I put this… everyone knows the Navy is stingy with funding. Trying to secure some development funds for your own port district is an open secret."
"You deploying six light cruiser shipgirls at once was already far more cautious than most commanders would be… This really wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself too much."
Hearing Lin Lan's words of comfort, Feng Tao remained silent for a moment.
He picked up the teacup from the table beside the sofa, ignoring the steam still rising from it, and downed it in one gulp.
"No, it was my fault."
Feng Tao's voice grew low and hoarse, filled with overwhelming sorrow and pain:
"You know, Brother Lin, I used to be a county port district commander just like you."
"At the time, I only had one initial shipgirl. With her help, I gradually cleared the Sirens from the surrounding waters and expanded the port district."
"Years passed, and eventually I was promoted by the Navy to become the city port district commander of Lanshi."
"But I never forgot the girls who were by my side during the hardest times…"
"I don't know how others see shipgirls, but to me—they are my comrades, my family… my everything…"
As he spoke, Feng Tao, seated on the sofa, bent forward and covered his face with both hands, his body trembling.
Lin Lan didn't speak. He simply watched the man sitting across from him and knew clearly that what Feng Tao needed most now was someone to listen.
"You know, Brother Lin, I still remember how excited I was when she first spoke to me of her own accord."
"I couldn't believe it. A shipgirl initiating a conversation, talking about things completely unrelated to work…"
"From that moment on, I made a decision—a decision no one in Orlan had ever dared to make."
"I… was going to marry her. Yes, not do that sort of thing in secret, but openly and proudly marry her."
Lin Lan, of course, knew who the "she" Feng Tao was talking about referred to.
Pawn shipgirls gradually develop minds over time with their commander's companionship.
The "she" Feng Tao mentioned was undoubtedly his initial shipgirl.
In the United Federation of Orlan, there had never been a publicly acknowledged marriage between a human and a shipgirl.
This was a stark difference from Lin Lan's game world.
In Orlan, most port district commanders treated shipgirls as weapons. If there was a deeper bond, it was as comrades-in-arms.
Even if some commanders truly loved their shipgirls, they would never dare to speak openly of vows.
"I'd already prepared everything for my family. I even sent out wedding invitations to many relatives and friends. I even submitted a formal request to the Navy."
"Our wedding… was supposed to be today… Ha. Today… hahaha…"
Though he was laughing, all Lin Lan could hear from Feng Tao's mouth was overwhelming grief—the kind that comes from utter hopelessness.
This man in his thirties had buried his face in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
The three light cruiser Pawn shipgirls behind Feng Tao stepped forward at the right time and gently patted his back in comfort.
And Lin Lan finally understood why Feng Tao's face had been so pale, why his eyes were so bloodshot.
"Sorry, Brother Lin… for making a fool of myself in front of you. I've kept these things buried for too long—I just couldn't hold it in…"
After a long while, Feng Tao managed to compose himself, wiped away his tears with his sleeve, and looked at Lin Lan with an apologetic expression.
"Not at all. I completely understand your grief. My shipgirls are just as important and irreplaceable to me."
There wasn't a shred of falsehood in Lin Lan's words—only pure sincerity.
After speaking, he took a small wooden box from his pocket—the same one he had placed there that morning—stood up, and handed it to the bewildered Feng Tao.
"What's this?"
Feng Tao, his eyes still red, took the wooden box and stood up, looking at Lin Lan in confusion.
"After the sea routes reopened, I made another trip to that sea area. I recovered this from the seabed using a rented emergency submersible. Please… accept my condolences."
His words made Feng Tao's eyes widen in disbelief.
Even opening the simple wooden box took him two or three failed attempts before he managed.
When he finally saw the silver ring lying quietly inside, Feng Tao could no longer hold back.
He dropped to his knees, clutched the ring tightly to his chest, and let out a heart-wrenching wail.
"..."
Lin Lan looked solemnly at the man kneeling before him, sobbing uncontrollably.
He knew—his mission was complete.
He had to admit, Feng Tao's initial shipgirl was far, far more fortunate than most Pawn shipgirls.
Unfortunately, the Leviathan's appearance ultimately kept them from being together… and from creating what could have been the first human-shipgirl vow in this other world.
As Lin Lan was overtaken by Feng Tao's sorrow, a heavy ache swelling in his chest, he suddenly felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.
He turned his head—Tirpitz was looking at him with worried eyes, while August stood beside her, a soft smile on her face.
Lin Lan understood what this meant.
The two of them were telling him: Don't worry—we won't leave you like that.
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Man that's sad…
It also reminds me that some ppl said unlike AL, Kancolle used this system.
What? Your shipgirl died in sortie? Say goodbye then, she won't be in your dock anymore.
Yes you lose the shipgirl who died in sortie in Kancolle.
Thank god AL doesn't do that.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!