"Can you see the pattern on my hand?"
Lin Lan was startled and looked at the little profiteer's face, which was full of concern.
Wasn't this something that no one else was supposed to see?
"Meow? Akashi had vaguely noticed it before, meow, but he wasn't sure, meow."
Seeing that the three Iron Blood shipgirls were still arguing about something and not paying attention, Akashi quickly stood on tiptoe and carefully whispered into his ear:
"Commander, we don't mind if you want to get a tattoo, but at least make it look cooler, meow. This pattern looks a bit too cheesy, meow."
"…"
Feeling the warm breath of Akashi near his ear, Lin Lan was completely speechless at the little profiteer's words.
It almost made it seem like he had deliberately drawn this silver pattern on his hand.
But then, he suddenly recalled—back in Lihu County, Akashi and the people from Liao Continent could see those possessed by Bolt, while the Oran people could not.
This pattern, symbolizing a hero, was an artifact from the ancient Liao Continent.
Lin Lan stroked his chin, quickly deducing the situation.
Perhaps only shipgirls of the Sakura Empire and people from Liao Continent could see the silver pattern on the back of his hand.
"This pattern is a special tattoo that only Sakura Empire shipgirls can see. Don't tell anyone else."
As soon as Lin Lan finished whispering to Akashi, he felt a sharp pat on his shoulder.
"What are you hesitating for, you lowly animal? What are you hiding about the Sakura Empire?"
A proud, haughty voice rang out behind him, nearly giving him a heart attack.
If he remembered correctly, there was a skill in the hero's ability column that used wind elements to detect people nearby.
He swore he would test it as soon as he returned to the office.
Because if these max-level shipgirls wanted to conceal their presence, he genuinely wouldn't be able to sense them.
Straightening his posture, Lin Lan turned around to face the three Iron Blood shipgirls who had approached him unnoticed. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and suspicion.
With a relaxed smile, he said, "Akashi mentioned developing a tattoo technique that only Sakura Empire shipgirls can see. She's trying to sell it to me."
"Nya? Commander…"
Akashi's cat ears twitched as her eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe the Commander had just used her as a scapegoat.
"Wow, you little profiteer, you claim to be Iron Blood, but your heart belongs to the Sakura Empire! How dare you sell something like that in our Iron Blood port area~"
Deutschland smirked as she looked at the pitiful little shopkeeper.
"That's right! If you want the Commander to get a tattoo, just do it properly! Why make it so that only you Sakura Empire shipgirls can see it?"
Magdeburg also frowned and glared at the poor little Akashi.
Seeing Akashi looking at her with an innocent yet aggrieved expression, Lin Lan chuckled.
"Don't bully Akashi. I was just messing with you."
Lin Lan stopped Deutschland and Magdeburg from ganging up on Akashi.
Peter already knew he had supernatural abilities, so there was no point in hiding it.
After all, these were his wives. Sooner or later, this would come to light—better to reveal it now, honestly.
"Let's eat first. Deutschland, notify all the Iron Blood shipgirls later. After lunch, meet me in the conference room on the first floor of my office. I have something important to announce."
Deutschland had initially wanted to question Lin Lan about teasing her, but when she saw his serious expression, she decided to hold her tongue.
"You've got some conscience, meow…"
Akashi muttered to himself with a look of grievance after Lin Lan stopped Deutschland and Magdeburg.
The port area cafeteria was lively at noon. As soon as Lin Lan entered, he was pulled into a tight embrace by the tall, one-eyed Scharnhorst and dragged to a seat at her table.
During lunch, Lin Lan and Deutschland also discussed the upcoming meeting with the Iron Blood shipgirls.
However, this did not change the fact that Lin Lan had to go through the usual routine—being fed lunch by a group of Iron Blood shipgirls.
Despite repeatedly insisting that he wasn't a child and could eat by himself, even the adorable Z23 looked at him with hopeful eyes, eager to serve him food.
"I think I should just have my secretary ship bring me meals next time. Who could possibly resist this…"
Lin Lan barely managed to escape the cafeteria after eating. On the way back to the office, he sighed and complained while looking at Deutschland, who had an amused expression.
"Heh, it's just us Iron Blood girls here, and you're already struggling? What happens if you run into the Sakura Empire or White Eagle shipgirls? Won't they squeeze you dry?"
Deutschland grinned, showing her sharp fangs, as she wiped away a stray grain of rice from the corner of her mouth.
Deutschland's words hit a sore spot.
While Iron Blood had more shipgirls than the Northern Alliance,Dragon Empery, Sardegna, and Iris camps, they still couldn't compare to the three major factions—White Eagle, Royal Navy, and Sakura Empire.
In the game, he couldn't interact with shipgirls physically. But now that they were real…
Considering his growing number of shipgirl wives, he really needed a strategy to handle them all.
Back in his office, Lin Lan briefly thought over how to explain the "hero" matter. Before long, the other Iron Blood shipgirls arrived at the first-floor conference room.
After about thirty minutes of organizing his thoughts, he headed downstairs with Deutschland, whose face reflected sheer boredom.
Even though he had held multiple meetings here, Lin Lan was still overwhelmed by the sight of so many beautiful and elegant Iron Blood shipgirls gathered in the room.
Ulrich, Zeppelin, Brunhilde, Peter, Eugen, Hipper, Z23, Z1, U-1206…
And at the farthest edge of the room—Akashi, the little profiteer, a "non-staff member" who had somehow slipped in.
Fortunately, all these shipgirls were familiar faces. In fact, he had shared deep and meaningful interactions with many of them.
"Good afternoon, Commander."
His initial ship, Teacher Nimi, stood up and approached him, guiding Lin Lan and Deutschland to the central podium.
Looking at the well-mannered and adorable Teacher Nimi, Lin Lan couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed in the way she looked at him lately.
Something akin to… desire?
Meanwhile, Deutschland, walking beside him, wore a smug expression as she basked in the attention of the gathered shipgirls.
Today, she was truly relishing her role as the secretary ship.
Although she had once called herself the "Iron Blooded Little Princess," she had later been renamed "Lützow" during the war with the Northern Alliance.
This was not the same Lützow that had sunk during the High Seas Fleet era, but rather the one that had been renamed from Deutschland.
After the war, she had been salvaged by the Northern Alliance and served in their fleet under the name Lützow for some time.
Because of this, Deutschland had always been deeply insecure about her past and had done her best to conceal it.
But in truth, everyone—including Lin Lan—already knew. They simply played along and pretended not to.
In the game, through a personal storyline with Deutschland, Lin Lan and the other Iron Blood shipgirls had eventually helped her overcome her inferiority complex.
Even now, though she remained haughty, Deutschland secretly enjoyed the attention she received.
Standing on the central podium, Lin Lan glanced at the shipgirls around him.
Even the usually nonchalant Eugen and the mischievous dragon girl Ruprecht sat upright, their expressions serious.
Not to mention the ever-stoic Zeppelin, group leader Mainz, and the quiet Z2 and Z46.
After all, they had been summoned here for something important, and they were taking it seriously.
Only Peter smiled—he already knew what Lin Lan was about to say.
After scanning the room, Lin Lan finally spoke with a smile:
"Don't worry, everyone. The reason I've called you here today is that I have something important to tell you…"
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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