"I have no objections, as long as we can get married." Azuma hugged Illustrious's arm tightly and said happily.
"Even if you want to get married, do you have the money to hold a wedding?" Intrepid asked.
"This..." Azuma was a bit troubled. Holding a wedding required a lot of money. Given the current financial resources of the Naval Base, it would take at least ten months to save up enough.
"What? Our Naval Base doesn't even have the money to hold a wedding?" Illustrious frowned and asked.
"The Ship Girls in our Naval Base eat quite a lot, so of the resources and supplies issued by the Governor-General's Mansion every month, after a month of usage, we can only save about 10% for free use." Azuma continued, "Just now, the Admiral took that 10% for this month to build Ship Girls, so this month, apart from living expenses, we have no money left to save."
"Then what about the resources and supplies we get from fighting the Abyssals around the Naval Base?" Illustrious asked.
"Our Naval Base is in the middle of nowhere; calling it a godforsaken place wouldn't be an exaggeration. The number of Abyssals that appear in a week is at most two or three. The resources and supplies obtained from defeating them aren't even enough for one Destroyer to use for three days," Azuma explained.
"Can't we go to other places to hunt Abyssals?" Illustrious thought of another way to make money.
Azuma swallowed, moistening her throat, and said, "Other sea areas do not belong to us. Trespassing into the sea areas of other Naval Bases to hunt Abyssals will result in being attacked."
"Oh my! This won't work, that won't work. If I were a Free Ship Girl, that would be great. I could go to the Ship Girl Association to take on missions and make money." Illustrious scratched her head. Although becoming an Admiral meant receiving resources and supplies every month, it also meant she couldn't take on missions from the Ship Girl Association.
"Admiral! If we hold a simple wedding, it could be held in just two months," Azuma suggested.
"No! How can our wedding be simple? If we are going to have a wedding, it must be a luxurious one." Illustrious shook her head and refused.
"Then there's no choice. We'll have to wait ten months for the wedding," Azuma sighed.
"I'm sorry, Azuma! It's all my fault for not having money that the wedding is postponed," Illustrious said apologetically.
"It's alright! As long as you don't change your mind, Admiral, I'm willing to wait even ten years," Azuma shook her head.
"Azuma! You're truly too gentle and considerate. To be able to build you, I must have saved the galaxy in my past life!" Illustrious hugged Azuma tightly.
"Admiral! That's too exaggerated. I'm just an ordinary Ship Girl," Azuma smiled.
"No! You're not ordinary at all, truly! You have to believe me. Not only are you beautiful, but you're also very capable, the kind of Ship Girl who is hard to find, good in the kitchen and presentable in the hall," Illustrious praised.
Seeing that Illustrious and Azuma had postponed their wedding, Intrepid couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Ahem! Excuse me for interrupting your affection, but can you take me to the dorm, Sister? I still don't know where I'm staying!"
"Ah! Uh! Mm! Alright! I'll take you. Azuma, I'll leave the documents on the table to you." How could Illustrious miss such a good opportunity to slack off?
"Hey! Admiral, there are so many documents, do you want to work me to death? Remember to come back immediately after you take them to the dorms," Azuma called out to Illustrious's retreating back.
"Got it, I'll be right back." As if! I won't be back so soon until you've finished all the documents. As if fleeing for her life, Illustrious pulled Belfast and Intrepid out of the Admiral's office.
After a while, Illustrious brought Belfast and Intrepid to the Royal Navy dorms. Upon seeing the exterior of the Royal Navy dorms, both Belfast and Intrepid were shocked.
The reason for their shock was that the Royal Navy dorms could no longer be called dorms; they should be called a castle.
This Royal Navy dorm was extremely luxurious, built entirely in a Western style, inside and out, filled with all sorts of Western furniture and appliances.
"Wow! So amazing! Sister, tell me honestly, how much did you embezzle while being an Admiral?" Intrepid asked enviously. It seemed being an Admiral had a lot of prospects! If only she could be an Admiral too.
Illustrious's face immediately darkened. "Don't slander my innocence for no reason. I didn't embezzle anything!"
"Who would believe that? If you didn't embezzle, where did you get so much money to build a castle dorm?" Intrepid looked unconvinced.
"Do you think I'm a civil official collecting taxes? I'm an Admiral; my income comes from the Pacific Governor-General's Mansion," Illustrious explained.
"That's true, but where did you get so much money to build a castle dorm then?" Intrepid asked, puzzled.
"That was when I was a Legendary Ship Girl. I earned it by taking tasks from the Ship Girl Association as a Free Ship Girl," Illustrious replied.
Belfast asked, confused, "But I only feel the aura of a Gold-Plated Ship Girl from you, not the vast and boundless aura of a Legendary Ship Girl."
"That's because Sister has hidden her strength. If she unleashed her aura, she would definitely be a Legendary Ship Girl," Intrepid looked up to Illustrious. Illustrious was not only a Ship Girl but also a legendary Legendary Ship Girl. With such a sister, she could run rampant and do as she pleased in the sea.
"Oh, I'm sorry, five years ago I was affected by the Governor of the North Atlantic's core sealing device. My core is now sealed, and I'm no longer a Legendary Ship Girl," Illustrious confessed. "Now I'm just a Gold-Plated Ship Girl."
"Ah! How could this be? I thought I could drag a Legendary Ship Girl around and show off!" Intrepid said, a little disappointed.
"Drag around! Are you treating me like a dog?" Illustrious said, annoyed.
"Admiral! Why did the Governor of the North Atlantic seal you?" Belfast asked.
"Yeah, yeah! You didn't, like, sleep with someone else's Ship Girl, did you? Is that why you got sealed?" Intrepid joked.
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Do I look like the kind of person who would sleep with someone else's wife?" Illustrious said angrily.
"You kinda do," Intrepid and Belfast said in unison.
Illustrious put her hands on her hips. "Hey! That's too much. I'm still your Admiral, after all. Can't you trust me a little?"
"But you're completely untrustworthy! Just now, I just brushed against you with my chest, and you immediately agreed to let me be the second in command of the Naval Base," Intrepid said calmly.
"In the end, you still didn't become the second in command, did you?" Illustrious said seriously.
"Hmph! If Azuma hadn't interfered, I would have been the second in command long ago. Eh! Never mind that. In short, you're just a scoundrel who easily falls for honey traps, you can't deny that, right?" Intrepid concluded.
"Let's just say that. But what did you do to get sealed?" Intrepid pressed.
"This... well, it's a bit embarrassing to talk about. Anyway, I just got sealed, so don't ask anymore." Illustrious's old face flushed. She didn't want people to know she was sealed for stealing a treasure from a Naval Base.
"This... well, it's a bit embarrassing to talk about. Anyway, I just got sealed, so don't ask anymore." Illustrious's old face flushed. She didn't want people to know she was sealed for stealing a treasure from a Naval Base.
Taking Belfast's hand, Illustrious led her into the Royal Navy dorms. Seeing Illustrious tell half the story and then stop, leaving them in suspense, made Intrepid gnash her teeth in anger.
"Wait for me, don't leave me behind! I have a tendency to get lost, what will I do if I get lost?" Intrepid saw Illustrious and Belfast's backs about to disappear and quickly chased after them.
After assigning a room to Intrepid and Belfast, Illustrious walked out of the Royal Navy dorms.
Arriving at the western cliff of the Naval Base, Illustrious saw a cherry blossom tree, which she had planted with Azuma.
Watching the cherry blossom tree grow vigorously, Illustrious squatted down and smiled, "Hello, Little Sakura! Grow up quickly! I'm still waiting to watch the moon with Azuma under the cherry tree at night!"
"Admiral! Why are you talking to a tree?"
"Whoa!" Illustrious was startled and turned to see who it was. "It's Ayanami! Don't appear silently behind me, you'll scare me to death."
"Admiral, what are you doing?" Ayanami asked curiously.
"Nothing much! Just taking a walk. What are you doing? Why did you come to the cliff?" Illustrious asked.
"Want to know? Come with me and you'll find out." Ayanami said mysteriously and walked towards the edge of the cliff.
"So mysterious! Never mind, I'm bored anyway. I want to see what kind of fun you can give me." Illustrious stepped forward and followed.
At the edge of the cliff, Ayanami immediately sat down and began meditating with her eyes open.
"Ayanami, don't tell me you came all the way here just to meditate!" Illustrious asked.
Ayanami opened her eyes and said, "Admiral! To be precise, I am absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth."
"What?! What did you say?! Say it again." Illustrious thought she misheard. This was the Ship Girl world; what was this 'absorbing spiritual energy of heaven and earth' nonsense?
"Admiral! Have you ever read a novel called 'A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality'?" Ayanami continued.
Not just read, that novel was one she had copied from her previous life. When Illustrious first came to this world, she had planned to write novels she had read in her previous life using her memories.
But after writing for three months, she only made ten thousand yuan. The salary was too low. When she worked as a Free Ship Girl and took a task from the Ship Girl Association, she could earn at least ten million yuan a month. Compared to that, Illustrious immediately abandoned her readers and became a Free Ship Girl.
"I have, what about it?" Illustrious asked, puzzled.
"A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality' is a novel written by someone with the pen name Shen Hui. Although only 300,000 words were written before the author became a dead pigeon, it is undoubtedly a masterpiece!" Ayanami got angry thinking of that dead pigeon. Just when the story was getting good, the author became a dead pigeon.
"Although it's a masterpiece, the content is too wild and imaginative, so readers didn't buy it. At that time, the best it ranked on the Ship Girl Novel Network leaderboard was only 98th," Illustrious shook her head.
"It's a bit of a shame. I think that novel has a lot of potential. If the author finished it, it would definitely break into the top ten of the Ship Girl Novel Network leaderboard!" Ayanami said seriously.
"Maybe!" But Illustrious wasn't optimistic. People in this world didn't understand anything about cultivation; it would be strange if it became popular.
The Ship Girl Novel Network was now flooded with science fiction novels. A cultivation novel running in there was just asking for death.
Ayanami said coldly, "If I ever meet the author, I will definitely break her legs and lock her in a small dark room, making her write day and night. If she doesn't write over 5 million words to finish 'A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality,' I won't let her out!"
Terrifying! Illustrious couldn't help but wipe away cold sweat, vowing internally that she must never let Ayanami know that she was the author. After all, she didn't want to become a soulless Writing Machine!
After hearing what Ayanami said, Illustrious understood. "You watched that cultivation novel, so you're hot-blooded and want to cultivate, right?"
"Exactly! I'm now absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen myself," Ayanami nodded and said nothing else.
Illustrious earnestly retorted, "Ayanami! I'm telling you, there's no spiritual energy in this world. If there were, this world would be full of people flying around on flying swords long ago."
"Admiral, you don't believe me! Alright, then you watch here for a bit, and soon you'll see Aura surrounding me," Ayanami said, her expression unruffled.
"Fine! I'd like to see how you absorb Aura," Illustrious said, sitting on the grass and staring intently at Ayanami.
After a while, Illustrious was surprised. She saw a blue gas indeed swirling around Ayanami.
What was going on? Could there really be spiritual energy in this world? Illustrious used her mental power to probe the blue gas.
After probing, Illustrious came to a conclusion: the blue gas around Ayanami was not spiritual energy. However, even though it wasn't spiritual energy, it surprised Illustrious even more, because this blue gas was Aura, which only Ship Girls of Epic Ship Girl rank or higher possessed.
Aura could only be generated from the core in the consciousness world by Ship Girls of Epic Ship Girl rank or higher. This meant there was no Aura in the world itself. So the question arose: why did Ayanami, a mere Gold-Plated Ship Girl, have Aura around her?
"Ayanami! Is this world's spiritual energy something you actively absorb, or passively absorb?"
"My personal cultivation isn't up to par yet, so I can only passively absorb it through my body. But I believe it won't be long before I can absorb it with my own consciousness."
Passive absorption. Illustrious had some understanding of Ayanami's situation. She continued to ask, "Ayanami! When did you start being able to absorb this world's spiritual energy?"
"About ten days ago! As soon as I relax, those blue gases automatically enter my body." Ayanami recalled, "At first, I was afraid those gases were poison, but after they entered my body, I found my strength was constantly increasing. Although not by much, it was definitely increasing."
"Regarding these gases that can enhance my strength, based on the knowledge I gained from reading that cultivation novel, I believe these are the legendary spiritual energies of heaven and earth."
Observing that this Aura was being absorbed by Ayanami from the outside in, Illustrious, with her extensive knowledge and having lived in this world for so long, finally understood why Ayanami could absorb Aura from the world after careful analysis. "Ayanami! From my understanding, this'spiritual energy of heaven and earth' you speak of is not the spiritual energy from that cultivation novel."
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