Early the next morning, Lin Lan was awoken by his phone alarm.
While the other iron-blooded shipgirls were still washing up, he took Sui Qiong near the stairwell of that floor and used a meta crystal.
Even with the blessing of the Hero's power, Lin Lan still felt a bit tired after the wild night before.
After all, with someone as alluring as the witch Auguste around, he had nearly been drained dry.
Today, there was no snowfall in Lihu County, and even the clouds in the sky had thinned considerably.
The morning sun had just begun to rise on the horizon—it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.
After leaving the hotel and having breakfast with the others, Lin Lan picked a seat in the back once he got in the vehicle and hugged the little garlic-headed chibi U110 to catch up on some sleep.
By the time he woke up, they had already arrived at the dock. Lin Lan then had Sui Qiong park the bus near the pier.
Sun Dewang would come by later to retrieve the vehicle, so he didn't have to worry about that.
Just as he watched the shipgirls board the yacht one by one and was preparing to get on himself to return to the port, a shout suddenly came from beside the dock:
"Commander, sir! Commander, please wait, wait...!"
Standing at the edge of the yacht, facing the chilly river wind, Lin Lan turned in the direction of the voice with a confused expression.
A young man and woman—both wearing hats and holding bundled-up fishing nets and spearfishing guns—were running toward him.
Looking at their faces, Lin Lan felt they looked familiar, but he couldn't recall who they were for the moment.
As they ran up to him and took off their hats, revealing the cat ears on their heads, Lin Lan suddenly realized.
Weren't these the parents of the little girl from Liao Continent, Riko, whom he had saved before?
"Commander sir, are you heading back to the port now? We heard yesterday that a commander brought shipgirls to the dock, and we figured it must be you."
Riko's father was a sturdy man from Liao Continent. He set down his spearfishing gun and greeted Lin Lan with a beaming smile.
"Yes, I was in the county yesterday handling some matters. Things going alright for you lately? How's Riko?"
"Thanks to your protection, Commander, we're doing great now. We can fish again, and we even have extra fish to sell in the inner district. We sleep soundly at night too."
Riko's mother also spoke with a smile, unable to hide the gratitude on her face.
"Little Riko's already started school. The school in the outer district that was destroyed by the Sirens has been rebuilt. She's always talking about wanting to visit your port."
Lin Lan nodded slightly. He had seen the outer district of Lihu County himself just yesterday—everything truly looked brand new.
Not only had the collapsed building debris along the river been cleared, but many new houses had also been built. The whole place was thriving.
"Commander sir, we know your time is precious—wait just a moment. Dear, go grab a few fresh fish from the basket on our boat for the commander."
Riko's father noticed that the shipgirls on the yacht behind Lin Lan were already standing on deck watching them.
Realizing that Lin Lan was about to leave, he quickly spoke to his wife.
Riko's mother immediately dropped the net in her hand and hurried aboard a nearby fishing boat.
"Oh no, no, there's no need! What are you doing! It's already hard enough for you two to be out here fishing in this cold—keep the fish and sell them for some money!"
Lin Lan quickly protested, startled.
His port didn't lack food, especially with Akashi managing things and a steady supply of goods from the Tianou Group.
How could he, in good conscience, accept fish from a regular family?
But his words didn't stop Riko's mother, and her husband gripped Lin Lan's hand tightly, smiling as he said:
"Commander sir, you're our great benefactor. If you don't take this fish, little Riko will blame us when she gets back from school!"
After trying to refuse several times and still being met with insistence, Lin Lan could only sigh, smiling as he shook the man's calloused, work-worn hands firmly.
He knew that if he continued to refuse, it would be rude.
But before Riko's mother could return from the boat, more and more fishermen and workers began to gather from the residential buildings beside the dock.
"Old Li, just dropped the kid off at school? Who's that—hey! Isn't that the commander who saved us back then?"
"It really is! That's the commander, the guardian deity of our Lihu County!"
These fishermen and workers from the outer district were clearly well-acquainted with Riko's father.
As they greeted him, they all noticed Lin Lan.
And with their enthusiastic shouts, the whole dock suddenly burst into commotion.
Many fishermen rushed aboard their own boats, bringing out their best goods and surrounding Lin Lan on the pier.
"Commander sir, this is some smoked meat we made at home—you must take it!"
A middle-aged Liao Continent man with dog ears cheerfully handed over a bundle of meat wrapped in paper.
"This here's some top-shelf white liquor we dug up from the ruins a while back. We haven't even dared to open it ourselves. Commander sir, please accept it!"
"If it weren't for you driving off the Sirens, we'd still be living in tents!"
A burly Orlan worker wearing a safety helmet raised a long-necked bottle of liquor with a grin, his face full of joy.
Faced with such enthusiastic gifts from the outer district residents, Lin Lan found himself at a loss.
He wanted to refuse, but the sincerity of these people made it clear—if he didn't accept them, they'd be genuinely upset.
Fortunately, Tirpitz and Z16 came down from the yacht in time, helping Lin Lan carry the growing number of gifts back to the deck, sparing him from embarrassment.
As he looked at the cheerful outer district residents, Lin Lan realized that he recognized many of their faces.
The fishermen and Liao Continent folk went without saying.
Many of the strong, brawny workers were the same ones who had once followed Zhao Long and Zhao Hu—thugs in tank tops who had persecuted the Liao Continent people under the influence of rumors.
But now, it was clear that these people had made peace with the Liao Continent community.
Many of them were even putting their arms around each other's shoulders, chatting like old friends.
It showed that they weren't inherently bad—just misled by rumors. Now they have returned to their proper roles.
As Lin Lan stood among the joyful outer district residents receiving their gifts, momentarily speechless, a young Orlan fisherman approached, smiling with both hands holding a large softshell turtle that was flailing its limbs.
"I fished this big turtle out of the river a couple of days ago. Commander sir, you've got to take it and build up your strength—you've lost weight lately!"
But before he could finish, an old fisherman next to him smacked him on the back of the head and laughed loudly:
"Of all the things you could give, you bring a giant softshell turtle? What, you think the commander's a fool like you?"
"Hahahahaha!"
The entire dock burst into laughter, including Lin Lan. The young man scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.
"Well, everyone else was bringing fish, so I figured the commander might want to try something different."
Originally, Lin Lan thought he'd be done once he accepted these gifts—but unexpectedly, more and more people kept arriving after hearing the news.
It wasn't until more than half an hour later that the crowd stopped bringing gifts. By then, the dock was completely packed.
What Lin Lan didn't know was that at that moment, Sun Dewang had just arrived from the inner district with some men to retrieve the passenger bus.
From afar, he saw the entire scene unfold.
"So this... this is what the Führer truly had in mind..."
Gazing at Lin Lan standing on the pier, surrounded by grateful Orlan citizens of Lihu County's outer district—smiling and waving in return—Sun Dewang muttered to himself.
And in his heart, it was as if something had suddenly become clear.
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That young fisherman who gave a turtle has a sharp eye lmao
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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