"It's true. I plan to make my oath with her in Yunhai City. There's a church there built before the founding of the Holy Teaching Nation. I've already inquired about it."
Lin Lan knew that, thanks to the minor stalkers among the Wolfpack, this matter had already become an open secret among the iron-blooded shipgirls.
So he admitted it to Graf Spee without hesitation—there was nothing to hide.
"I hope that my sister Deutschland and I can be present at the oath ceremony between you and Sui Qiong, to give you our blessings."
As she spoke, Graf Spee placed her teacup on the table in front of Lin Lan.
"That's no problem. Come to think of it, back when I made oaths with you all, weren't there a lot of people present at the ceremonies?"
Lin Lan picked up his teacup, gently blowing on the steam, and looked curiously at the cute girl in front of him.
After all, the oaths he had made with all the shipgirls before were conducted inside the game.
A real oath ceremony obviously couldn't be as simple as dragging a ring animation on the screen.
"Yes. At oath ceremonies, it's customary for companions from the same faction to attend, and sometimes close friends from other factions are invited too."
Graf Spee was a shy girl by nature, but she'd changed a lot from the withdrawn person she used to be.
She patiently explained to Lin Lan, then sat back down on the sofa beside the tea table.
Lin Lan nodded after listening, took a light sip of the hot tea, and opened the drawer of his desk.
Inside was a black, exquisitely crafted gift box—the oath ring he had purchased from Akashi.
At that moment, Sui Qiong appeared at the door, curiously peeking her small head inside the office.
"Sui Qiong, you're back. Come in, it's warm inside."
Seeing the white-haired girl in a blue coat, Lin Lan smiled, pushed the drawer shut, and waved to her.
"Mhm."
Sui Qiong obediently walked in and sat beside Graf Spee.
The two cute white-haired girls sat side by side, looking at Lin Lan at the same time, making him swallow a mouthful of saliva involuntarily.
Everyone knows that otakus from Blue Star are weak to white-haired girls—having two at once was almost too much for him.
Seeing Lin Lan staring at them blankly, both white-haired girls looked at him in confusion.
So, Lin Lan made a decision befitting a proper commander.
"Forget it, no reading tonight. Come on, let's go to bed."
And thus, another night of fierce battle began.
Surrounded by the warm, soft bodies of the two girls, Lin Lan lay in bed exhausted yet deeply content, drifting into a peaceful sleep.
…
"Hero... oh hero..."
"The ancient seal has crumbled. The Demon King is about to return to the human world and bring disaster..."
In his haze, a hoarse, elderly voice echoed in Lin Lan's ears.
He looked around in confusion, but saw nothing but darkness.
"Where... am I?"
He struggled to move but found that his body felt paralyzed, as if under sleep paralysis, unable to budge.
"The Demon King's army... the four great generals are searching for her... no matter what... defeat the Demon King's army... slay the Demon King..."
"Go to... Xueying Island... there you will find people who can aid you..."
"Use your strength... to save the countless lives of Liao Continent..."
The aged voice continued its monologue, leaving Lin Lan completely bewildered.
The four great generals of the Demon King's army?
That Bolt he encountered in Lihu County must have been one of them.
That terrifying eyeball monster with its bizarre powers left a deep impression on him. If not for Akashi and her talisman arriving in time, he likely would have been killed.
Now Lin Lan had a rough idea of the strength of a Demon King general—surely a formidable foe.
If a general was that strong, then the Demon King himself must be unimaginably powerful—who knows how hard he would be to deal with.
But... What did this have to do with him?
Even Akashi, a mere repair ship, had a talisman capable of purifying Bolt on the spot.
Not to mention the other shipgirls of the Sakura Empire.
He wasn't just a hero—he was also a commander.
Still, the fact that the Demon King and his army were about to reappear in the world was something Lin Lan thought he should report to the Sakura Empire, just so they could be prepared.
After all, it was his lack of intel last time that led to him falling for Bolt's trap.
As for Xueying Island—that name sounded familiar to Lin Lan.
Then it struck him—he remembered exactly where it was.
Back when he was still at the Ironblood Fortress and having holographic communication with the other factions, Nagato had told him that Xueying Island was where the Sakura Empire was stationed.
In recent days, by reading the old maps of Liao Continent's Nine Islands drawn by the former Orlan Union, he had figured out the island's location.
But what surprised Lin Lan was the old voice claiming there would be someone on Xueying Island who could help him.
Could that voice have foreseen that the Sakura shipgirls would be stationed there?
Truly worthy of an ancient Liao Continent figure who could create a hero's skill bar—they possessed terrifying powers of foresight.
As Lin Lan kept thinking, his consciousness gradually faded, and he slipped back into a deep, normal sleep.
…
Liao Continent Border, Xueying Island
Liao Continent was an ancient civilization composed of nine main islands and numerous smaller ones scattered across the surrounding seas.
The people of Liao Continent closely resembled the Orlanians in appearance, though different tribes bore features resembling animal traits or keratinized body parts.
This was precisely why the Sakura Empire's shipgirls, occupying Xueying Island, had not drawn much attention from Liao Continent's major powers.
From appearance alone, they were almost indistinguishable from the locals.
Xueying Island was not large—it wasn't a main island, but part of an archipelago under one of the main islands' jurisdiction.
Due to Siren invasions damaging maritime transport, Liao Continent had largely abandoned efforts to restore shipping routes to these outer islands.
At the break of dawn, the dense forest halfway up the mountain on Xueying Island was already alive with the melodious calls of birds.
Unlike the Orlan Union, which was already approaching winter, everything here was unchanged—lush green leaves still covered the trees.
It was clear the island enjoyed a spring-like climate year-round.
A massive waterfall gushed from the towering mountain above.
Droplets crashed from great heights onto protruding rocks below, generating a booming roar and forming a wide river that flowed to the ocean.
In the forest by this river, under the waterfall, a large area of trees had been cleared to make way for a pier and a cluster of traditional-style Japanese buildings.
Between the buildings were many sakura trees, their pink and white blossoms blooming beautifully in the ever-spring season.
Looking closely, one could see that the curtains, roll-up blinds, and fluttering flags on the buildings bore the Sakura Empire insignia—five-petal blossoms, unfurling scrolls, and the three-comma crest.
Sakura Empire.
This architectural cluster nestled in the forest was the stronghold built by Lin Lan's Sakura shipgirls.
At this early morning hour, most of the Sakura shipgirls were still asleep, and the base was calm and peaceful.
But in the central white tower of the base, inside a sealed room, a tense interrogation was taking place.
There were two interrogators, one of whom had a particularly distinguished identity.
Sitting on a chair, clad in a majestic red-and-white kimono that brushed the floor, was a petite, long-haired black-haired girl with golden eyes and fox ears.
She was the Miko of the Sakura Empire, the second flagship of the Sakura Combined Fleet—the battleship Nagato.
Nagato's face was serious as she gazed at the captured intruder before her.
Behind her stood a cold-faced, silver-gray-haired girl with blue eyes, her expression unfriendly.
She had a pair of upright black-and-white animal ears adorned with feathers, and she wore a black-and-white long-sleeved kimono, with a long black katana at her waist.
Clearly, she was a swordswoman.
She was Nagato's personal bodyguard—the Shiratsuyu-class destroyer, Kawakaze.
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