"Well then, seniors, please take care of me from now on."
Inside the grand office, Kurumi bowed slightly to Mio, Richelieu, Taihou, Yat Sen, and the other shipgirls.
"From now on, this humble concubine will be by my dear husband's side."
Theoretically, everyone was treated equally, but some things still had to follow the principle of "first come, first served."
Kurumi, despite her mischievous tendencies, was oddly polite about certain things.
She knew full well that she could never monopolize Setsuna; they were all companions, and she would have to get along with them.
"Ho~?"
Taihou, holding little Taihou-chan, dragged out her syllables as she scrutinized the Spirit.
She seemed… softer now.
Kurumi was always the picture of a refined young lady, but now that she referred to herself as "this humble concubine," her demeanor had become even more delicate. The way she gazed at Setsuna was filled with such tenderness that even Taihou found it cloying.
God knows what the Commander did in one night to tame the so-called "Worst Spirit."
"Being called 'senior' feels a bit strange…"
Yat Sen chuckled but didn't refute it. Based on the timeline, the shipgirls and Mio were indeed Kurumi's seniors.
Belfast remained unfazed, already calculating how to adjust meal portions and prepare another set of personal belongings in Setsuna's room.
—Since different people were sleeping there each night, as the head maid, Belfast had to care for not just the Commander but also those around him.
Fortunately, she was an oath-bound shipgirl—already ahead in the race.
"Commander, y-you must not be biased!"
"Even if… even if I'm the smallest, I am still your oath-bound ship!"
Nagato squeezed into Setsuna's embrace, rubbing against his clothes as she pouted.
"You are all my wings."
Setsuna rubbed her fox ears, making the shrine maiden hum in satisfaction, her tail wagging as she nestled her face into his chest.
"Little Kurumi!"
Mio looked ecstatic as she rushed forward to hug Kurumi, ruffling her hair.
"I thought you were going to hold a grudge against Setsuna, but seeing you two getting along so well really puts me at ease…"
"From now on, make sure to listen to Setsuna, alright?"
"…"
Kurumi realized she had no idea how to deal with the Spirit of Origin.
Her feelings toward Mio were complicated.
The memories of being deceived by the original Mio still lingered in her mind.
Yet, this version of Mio was as pure as a blank slate—willing to give everything to help girls achieve their dreams and utterly devoted to Setsuna.
And she kept insisting that Kurumi call her "Mom."
"But you are my daughter, Setsuna is my husband, and he is also your husband, which means…"
Mio suddenly arrived at a mind-blowing realization.
"What exactly should you call him?"
"During the day, 'husband.' At night, 'daddy.' I like set meals."
Setsuna answered without hesitation, pulling Mio into his arms and enjoying the softness once more.
"…"
"Dear husband, didn't I already call you that yesterday?"
Kurumi, looking exhausted, settled onto Setsuna's lap, visibly drained.
"You have to say it every day."
Setsuna patted Kurumi's head.
As expected, no matter how arrogant or wild a girl was, once tamed, they would become soft.
Taihou had been like this. So was Kurumi.
Both had initially carried a hint of yandere tendencies, but now only the "dere" remained.
"Ohhh?!"
"You guys play that hard?!"
Hearing Kurumi's bold words, the surrounding Heroic Spirits and Spirits couldn't help but look on in awe.
"Wow, that's seriously next level—"
"Pervert! Not only are you stringing along multiple women, but you're also a pervert!"
A white-haired, blue-eyed little girl spoke matter-of-factly as she brewed tea.
"Origami, put down whatever you're holding first before making accusations. And for the last time, that kind of drug doesn't work on the Commander."
Richelieu sighed, rubbing her temples as she glanced at Tobiichi Origami.
The girl was discreetly pouring some suspicious white powder into a teacup.
"I know."
Origami, unfazed, poured herself a cup and gulped it down in one go.
"But if I were poisoned with the 'if I don't ○○, I'll die' type of toxin, the Commander would definitely save me, wouldn't he?"
"???"
Kotori, Mukuro, Natsumi, and the others stared at her in disbelief.
"Are you seriously that desperate?! And where the hell did you even get that shady drug?! It sounds super sketchy!"
"Have you been reading too many imported cultivation novels?!"
"Observer gave it to me."
Origami nonchalantly pointed at the white-haired, golden-eyed little girl watching the chaos unfold nearby.
Suddenly, Origami shivered as a strange heat surged through her body. She instinctively shrugged off her outer coat and stumbled toward Setsuna, her eyes hazy.
"Setsuna… I…"
"???"
"What the hell did you give her?!"
Setsuna and Tohru grabbed Observer by the collar.
"MILK POWDER! I swear on my life, I only gave her milk powder!!!"
"Origami, stop overacting!"
The small girl frantically defended herself as she saw Setsuna and the shipgirls getting ready to rough her up.
"Do I look like someone who sells dangerous substances to young girls?!"
"You kind of do."
Setsuna pinched Observer's cheek, making her wince in pain.
"…"
"I see."
Origami smacked her lips, indeed tasting milk.
Instantly, she lost all interest.
"I'll go ask Nia for advice next time. She's always in the library—she must know a lot."
"?"
Everyone shuddered at the thought.
Origami teaming up with Nia—an absolute degenerate of a Spirit?
This could only end badly.
...
Once Akashi and Bulins had fully understood the Fleet of Fog technology, the base began systematically upgrading all shipgirls in batches.
Outskirts of Constantinople, Aerospace Satellite City.
More than thirty starships lined the docking area. The largest among them, the Eternal Snowfall, had already grown to nearly ten kilometers in framework alone.
Even the other shipgirls' vessels had noticeably expanded. The smallest destroyers, after modifications, were now close to one kilometer in length—more than twice the size of ocean-going battleships.
In space warfare, bigger was better, and more was justice.
As long as the technology allowed, stronger armor, tougher shields, and more weapons were always the ideal.
Tens of thousands of specialized Bulins wielding Meow Meow Hammers tirelessly worked across the aerospace city.
With both Fleet of Fog and Azur Lane shipgirls undergoing large-scale modifications for hundreds of starships at once, the amount of resources required was unimaginable.
Fortunately, multiple worlds were now supplying the necessary materials.
Every day, Bulin fleets could be seen traveling between dimensions, returning to port fully loaded with minerals and alloys.
Thousands upon thousands of tiny yellow chicks scurried back and forth between the docks and industrial districts, transporting supplies.
To the rest of the base, their ever-growing numbers were a mystery.
It seemed that as the shipgirl population increased, the number of little yellow chicks had mysteriously multiplied as well.
At this rate, it really was starting to look like a large-scale poultry farm.
The Manjuus carried shipping containers weighing hundreds or even thousands of tons, chirping in unison as they transported various raw materials to the smelting plants.
There, they worked alongside Purple Bulins to refine the materials into alloys or nanomaterials, which were then sent to the aerospace city.
At that point, Colorful Bulins would use their seemingly technological—yet undeniably magical—methods to forge them into parts of the starships.
—Setsuna had long since given up on questioning how the Colorful Bulins could hammer Super-Graviton Cannons and Corrosive Warhead Torpedos into existence. He simply chalked it up to the chaotic might of the magical Azur Lane.
As long as Bulins told him they needed resources, he would allocate them or arrange for their production.
The finer technical details were left to Akashi, Observer, and the ever-reliable Purifier.
During the modification period, shipgirls frequently visited to check on their new ship bodies and listen to the mechanics explain what new weapons had been installed.
Meanwhile, Seitenshi and Miori Shiba often brought groups of young girls to tour the aerospace city.
While they initially had no understanding of physics, engineering, or Bulins' magical construction techniques, the dolphin factor enhancements had sharpened their intellects.
Even if they couldn't grasp the arcane aspects of the magical Azur Lane, they could fully comprehend the technological aspects of starship construction.
"These are our space warships, representing the pinnacle of our base's scientific research and manufacturing capabilities."
"Our starships primarily use Wisdom Cubes as their energy source, with reactors providing auxiliary power. Their weapon systems are continuously upgraded based on the technologies we acquire."
Hai Tien and Chen Hai explained the technical details to the young girls.
Each of them had an IQ exceeding 220—super-geniuses in their own right.
Even at their young age, understanding these concepts was not difficult. It was simply laying the groundwork for future scientific endeavors.
"The first-generation hulls belonged to the original Azur Lane shipgirls and were only capable of naval warfare. Their combat effectiveness… roughly equated to a single unit being able to annihilate an entire pre-space-age carrier battle group."
"The second-generation hulls were developed using technology derived from the Gundam series, featuring anti-gravity systems, aerospace propulsion units, positron city-busting cannons, and other advanced equipment, making them capable of interplanetary combat."
Holding a stack of documents, Hai Tien guided the young girls through the starship docks while continuing her explanation.
"Now, what we are currently modifying are the third-generation hulls."
"These are refitted using Fleet of Fog technology and equipped with Super-Graviton Cannons, Klein Fields, Corrosive Warhead Torpedos and Missiles, nanomaterial armor, and more. Heavy cruiser-class and above will also feature the Fleet of Fog's flagship system—the Mirror-Ring System."
In addition to the verbal explanations, she distributed detailed technical documents to the young girls.
These documents contained blueprints, parameters, and specifications for various weapon systems.
"Wow—"
The young girls nodded in amazement, their eyes gleaming with admiration and longing as they gazed at the starships.
"Hai Tien-sensei, what do you think the fourth and fifth-generation hulls will be like in the future?"
A young girl with short, light-golden hair, Chiju Natsuse, raised her hand to ask.
"Hmm…"
Hai Tien pondered for a moment.
Recalling the star charts Setsuna had shown them and the neighboring worlds, she smiled knowingly:
"Maybe they'll be warships powered by the Allspark? Or perhaps magi-tech starships infused with magical energy? Who can say…"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven