Shinano did not feel sad about failing to claim ownership of Inferno Hellfire, because she herself was the strongest Legendary Ship Girl. Having Inferno Hellfire recognize her as master would be like adding wings to a tiger if it succeeded, and if it failed, it was just a slight regret.
Hearing that Shinano had given up, Inferno Hellfire breathed a sigh of relief. If Shinano had forcibly claimed ownership, she could only have expressed her will through death.
Throwing Inferno Hellfire into her own rigging space, Shinano smiled and said, "The mission is complete. It's time to leave here and find that apprentice of mine."
From the message sent by Lexington, the Secretary Ship of the Pacific Governor-General's Mansion, Shinano learned that a King's Reaction of the Silver King had appeared in the East Pacific. The Governor's side believed that the Silver King might be Illustrious, so she was asked to go and verify whether Illustrious was the Silver King after completing her mission.
Walking out of the secret chamber and arriving on the beach, Shinano said softly, "I originally thought the mission could be completed in a month, but I didn't expect it to take a year to investigate and recover Inferno Hellfire. Fortunately, the Governor didn't rush me, otherwise, I'm afraid I'd be as tired as a dog!"
Stepping onto the void, after flying to an altitude of one thousand meters, Shinano stopped in mid-air.
"My lovely Illustrious! Having not seen Master for so long, you must really miss me! Don't worry! Master is coming to find you now." Shinano's surging Aura erupted, and then her figure turned into a stream of light, flying rapidly toward the direction of the Illustrious Naval Base... Illustrious, who was walking on the beach, suddenly discovered a golden stream of light flying toward her.
"Bang!"
Before she had time to see what the golden stream of light was, Illustrious was knocked to the ground by it. Only when she opened her eyes in a bit of pain and found that the golden stream of light was her master did Illustrious say happily, "Master, it's you! Long time no see!"
"Disciple, did you miss Master?" Shinano said, patting Illustrious's head.
"Yes! I think about you every day and night." Illustrious said joyfully.
"That's more like it. I thought you would forget your teacher now that you are an Admiral with many Ship Girls!" Shinano said, pretending to be sad.
"How could I! As the saying goes, a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. Master, you taught and cared for me just like my mother, how could I ever forget you?"
"Mother? Am I that old?" Shinano's expression turned gloomy.
Seeing Shinano was unhappy, Illustrious immediately explained: "Master isn't old. Your whole body radiates a youthful and energetic aura. Just one look at you makes my heart skip a beat."
"That's more like it. Speaking of which, how much longer are you going to keep your hands there? If you don't take them away soon, I'll cut them off," Shinano said with a smile.
Illustrious was so scared he immediately removed his hands from Shinano's chest. "Ahahaha! Master, it's been a long time. I was just checking your physical development. I definitely wasn't up to anything bad, so please don't be angry!"
"Hehehe! Who would believe you! You're just a wicked old man." Shinano stood up from Illustrious, her face full of distrust.
"Ying ying ying! Master! You actually don't believe your disciple's words. You've hurt my fragile heart." Illustrious began to cry.
"Alright, stop it. You're crying without a single tear; it looks very fake." Shinano's face turned serious as she said, "Illustrious, let me ask you, did you contact the eisnor great diamond and successfully awaken as the Silver King?"
"Yeah! I did indeed become the Silver King, but how did you know that news?" Illustrious, who had stopped his fake crying, slowly stood up and said calmly.
"The Pacific Governors Mansion told me. They believe you might have become the Silver King."
"Tell me the truth, you actually became the Silver King four years ago, didn't you!"
"You guessed right. I already established contact and became the Silver King the first time I touched the eisnor great diamond," Illustrious said, his voice as calm as a deep well.
Shinano flashed behind Illustrious and then locked his neck with her arm. "You rascal, Illustrious! Why didn't you tell your master sooner about such a major event as becoming the Silver King!"
"I wanted to tell you! But the fact that I became the Silver King must be kept absolutely secret. If the Governor of the North Atlantic, the South Ocean Governor, or the Atlantic Governor found out, they would definitely send people to kill me."
"They wouldn't dare! If they really dared, I would flatten their Governor-Generals Mansions."
"Don't! Master, you've already done so much for me. I can't let you tire yourself out for my sake anymore," Illustrious immediately dissuaded her.
Five years ago, when the Atlantic Governor, the South Ocean Governor, and the Governor of the North Atlantic learned that Illustrious was at the Pacific Governors Mansion, they issued a notice to the Pacific Governor-General to hand over Illustrious, or else they would join forces to launch a war against the Pacific Governors Mansion.
To protect Illustrious at that time, Shinano was willing to give up her status as a Free Ship Girl and become a Ship Girl of the Pacific Governors Mansion.
With Shinano joining the Pacific Governors Mansion, Lilith declared that if anyone dared to touch a hair on Illustrious's head, she would fight them to the death. Because they didn't want to offend the strongest Pacific Governors Mansion too much, the three great ocean governors finally let Illustrious go for the time being.
"Sigh! I'm so touched that you're thinking of your master like this, but you're being too polite. I am your master! Isn't it only natural for me to work hard for you?" Shinano said angrily.
"It's so uncomfortable! Master, let go of me quickly," Illustrious said in pain.
Shinano loosened her grip on Illustrious slightly and continued, "Sorry, I forgot you're not a Five-Star Legendary Ship Girl."
"Don't forget! I'm very weak right now and can't take your roughhousing!" Illustrious complained.
"Alright! I'll let you off this time." Shinano released Illustrious and then smiled faintly. "Show me your power as the Silver King. I want to see your silver sword."
"I can't use it! Due to some accidents, I temporarily can't use the power of the Silver King. I need to wait another six months before I can use it normally," Illustrious said, spreading his hands helplessly.
"Is that so? That's a pity then!" Shinano said with a bit of disappointment.
"Sorry to disappoint you."
"It's okay! It's not like you did it on purpose. Well, now that it's confirmed you've become the Silver King, it's time for me to return to the Governor-Generals Mansion."
"Master! Since you're already here, stay at my place for a few days before leaving!" Illustrious hugged Shinano's arm and acted like a spoiled child.
"Fine! I'll stay for a few days." Seeing Illustrious's spoiled and cute behavior, Shinano could only agree.
The two walked toward the Admirals Villa. Along the way, Shinano remarked, "The buildings and scenery of your Naval Base are quite nice! It looks like you must have spent a lot of money!"
"More than just nice, it's incredibly good. You should know that I spent all the money I've earned over the past ten years to build this Naval Base," Illustrious said with a bit of heartache.
"It's worth the price. Living in such a luxurious Naval Base, your Ship Girls must be very happy, so don't fret over that little bit of money," Shinano said with a smile.
"True! Money is meant to be spent once it's earned," Illustrious comforted himself.
Entering the Admirals Villa and going up to the living room on the second floor, Shinano sat on a comfortable sofa.
"What would you like to drink? Red tea, coffee, or whiskey?" Illustrious asked.
"Then give me a cup of coffee! Remember to add..."
"Add sugar, right? After all this time, you still like your coffee with sugar!"
"Of course! Plain coffee is too bitter. I can't drink it without some sugar," Shinano smiled.
Illustrious nodded and said, "Alright, alright, alright. You watch some TV here, and I'll bring it to you shortly."
While preparing the coffee, Illustrious sent a notification through the soul network for his Ship Girls to gather at the Admirals Villa.
Upon receiving the notification and learning that Illustrious's master had arrived, the Ship Girls immediately set off and rushed toward Illustrious's location.
Illustrious placed the tray on the table, then picked up the cup of coffee from the tray and handed it to Shinano. "Sorry to keep you waiting, here is the coffee you wanted!"
"Thank you!" Shinano took it and took a sip, then remarked, "Mmm! It's delicious! It seems your snack cooking skills are getting better and better."
"I'm glad you like it." Illustrious became happy. Although he might have some issues with cooking meals, he was very outstanding at making snacks.
"Big Sister! I'm back." Seeing Shinano in the living room, Unicorn immediately greeted her, "Hello! Are you Big Sister's master?"
Seeing the cute Unicorn, Shinano's heart was immediately conquered by Unicorn's soft and cute appearance. She grabbed Unicorn, pulled her into her arms, and rubbed her face against Unicorn's in an affectionate manner. "Kawaii! Illustrious! Who is this child? What is she to you?"
"Her? She's a Ship Girl I built, her name is Unicorn!" Illustrious smiled and said, "Unicorn! She's my master, her name is Shinano. You must be polite to her and not be rude."
"She's so cute, I can't help but want to hold her in my arms and rub my face against hers," Shinano said excitedly.
"No! I think you're not just 'wanting' to, you've already done it," Illustrious retorted solemnly.
"How nice, how nice! Having such a cute and soft Ship Girl makes me want to be an Admiral too," Shinano said enviously.
"No! You can't be an Admiral because you don't have a soul network," Illustrious said, hitting the nail on the head.
"Illustrious! You're such a straight man. You won't be popular with girls like this."
"You don't need to worry about that, because I feel like I'm a fire in the night, and the girls around me are like moths flying toward me."
"So narcissistic!" Shinano continued to hold Unicorn and rub her face, pretending to be sad. "Unicorn! My young heart has been wounded, you must comfort me well."
"Uwah! Please, please don't do this, it's very troubling." Unicorn couldn't quite handle Shinano's passion and began to struggle violently.
However, how could a mere Purple-rated Ship Girl like Unicorn struggle out of the clutches of the strongest Legendary Ship Girl, Shinano?
Having no choice, Unicorn could only call for help from Illustrious. "Big Sister! Come save me!"
To Unicorn's plea for help, Illustrious said with a smile, "Unicorn, bear with it, it'll be over soon."
Seeing Illustrious refusing to help, Unicorn felt like dying. "Iya! Sister Shinano, please be gentle."
"I can't take it, Illustrious, she's really so cute, I can't help but want to use all sorts of ways to play with her." Shinano was full of interest.
"Master! Our Pacific Naval Base has a complete Ship Girl Penal Code. If you really dare to do it, you'll end up meeting Ark Royal in prison," Illustrious advised.
"Tch! Don't compare me to that pervert, I'm not like her." Shinano seriously said to Illustrious, "But Unicorn is really too cute, can you give her to me?"
"What, this person wants Unicorn? No, Unicorn's body and mind belong to Sister, there's no room for a second person now." "Waaah! Sister! Please don't give me away! I'll be good from now on, I definitely won't do anything to trouble Sister. Wuwuwu..."
Fearing that Illustrious would give her away, Unicorn started crying. Her appearance made it seem as if Illustrious had done something outrageous.
Seeing Unicorn looking like a discarded puppy, Illustrious comforted her, "Don't worry, Unicorn, you're my cutest little sister, how could I ever give you away to someone else!"
Shinano also chimed in, "Don't cry, little cutie, I was just joking, don't take it to heart!"
"Wuwuwu... Really? Sister really won't give me away?" Unicorn stopped crying and then asked cautiously.
"Really, really! If I'm lying, my Master is a puppy." Illustrious nodded.
"Right, right, right! If I'm lying, I'm a puppy. Wait, no! Why should I be the puppy? You should be the one saying you'll be a puppy!" Shinano instantly felt something was off.
"Who told you to make Unicorn cry? Look how scared you made her." Illustrious said displeased.
Sitting on the sofa, Illustrious snatched Unicorn back and buried her in her chest, comforting her, "Unicorn! Be good! Don't cry, if you cry anymore, you'll become a big calico cat, and that won't be pretty!"
"Sister, will you always be with me?" Unicorn asked softly.
"Isn't that natural? You're my Ship Girl and my little sister, of course I'll always be with you!" Illustrious said, stroking Unicorn's head.
"That's so nice! I also want a cute little sister." Shinano said enviously.
"The Lucky Yukikaze-sama has arrived, Admiral! Where's your Master?" Yukikaze was the second to arrive in the living room, she said with great energy.
"Yukikaze! You're here. This is my Master, her name is Shinano! Be careful! She's a pervert! She loves cute lolis the most." Illustrious introduced.
Shinano frowned. "Hey! How can you say that? I just like small, adorable, cute things, and lolis happen to fit the description, that's why I like lolis the most."
"So you really are a pervert? Pervert! I warn you, don't try to abduct Yukikaze-sama, I'm very clever and smart, you can't abduct me." Yukikaze put her hands on her hips and tilted her head slightly upwards.
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