Azur Lane Under the Stars

Page 459

"Pfft... Sorry, I couldn't help it, it's a boot..."

…………

Ren Shuo spent the morning fishing, chatting with two commanders who lived not far from his port. He had a small harvest, but the biggest harvest was the two fish in his bucket.

William caught three fish; he's supposedly a seasoned angler. But George's luck was a bit off; he caught all sorts of strange things besides fish.

Boots, clothes, even a crab caught...

Back inside the small building, they found Dido making pastries. Although she couldn't cook, her pastries were quite good.

Dido originally wanted to go with Ren Shuo, but neither of the two commanders brought any ship girls, so he simply decided not to bring them either. Instead, he had Dido stay at home to do housework and prepare some snacks.

I originally intended to let Dido rest, but considering Dido's personality, I decided against it, otherwise she would become depressed again.

"Daido, where's Hu Teng?" Ren Shuo put the fish into the tub in the bathroom, added water, and then asked.

“Miss Hutten won’t be back for lunch; she has appointments with Miss Seidlitz and Miss Emden,” Dido explained.

Upon seeing Ren Shuo return, she immediately put down what she was doing, took out a towel at a suitable temperature, and handed it to Ren Shuo.

Ren Shuo wiped his face haphazardly and then said, "So it's just the two of us for lunch... Okay, let's go out to eat then."

…………

"Was this shop recommended by Miss Noshiro?" Dido sat in front of Ren Shuo, feeling somewhat uneasy.

In her opinion, how could she sit at the same table as her master?

However, Ren Shuo made her sit down, saying that she was dressed casually and not a maid, but just one of his ship girls.

"The environment is indeed nice, but I wonder how the food is." Ren Shuo looked around.

"Hello, gentlemen. Here is the menu. You can call us to order once you've decided." A girl with gray eyes and short gray hair handed two menus to the two guests.

"I want this one, this one... Dido, what about you?"

Upon hearing the name "Daido," the waiter who took the order was somewhat surprised, but quickly calmed down.

Dido thought for a moment, "It'll be the same as my master's..."

"Two set meals and drinks, please wait a moment!" The short-haired girl quickly noted down their order and ran to the kitchen.

After delivering the order to the kitchen, she washed the cups at the counter, glancing at Ren Shuo and Dai Duo's seats from time to time, muttering to herself:

"Diddo...?"

"Goddess of War! What are you daydreaming about? We're already overwhelmed!"

Another beautiful girl wearing a Katyusha hat and a maid outfit was carrying a tray with empty cups and plates on it, looking very busy. She saw the short-haired girl slowly washing the cups and suddenly called out.

"What's the rush? I'm just washing the cups, we're almost out of cups..."

"Hurry up, the food's almost ready... Seriously, why do I have class this afternoon? Ugh."

…………

Mealtime always passes quickly and is very enjoyable. After Ren Shuo and Dido left, they strolled along the pier to digest their meal.

"The taste is really good, the proprietress's recommendation is spot on," Ren Shuo said.

“After all, Miss Noshiro has been working at this academy for quite some time and is very familiar with the surrounding area,” Dido said.

"Hmm, have you noticed that the girl who takes our order keeps glancing at you?" Ren Shuo asked.

"Yes, maybe it's out of curiosity. That girl is also a ship girl." Dido didn't care about anything other than her master and her sisters.

"Maybe... I'm going to the venue tonight. They say there's a surprise, but when I asked Queen Elizabeth, she wouldn't say what it is... Oh right, since I'm going tonight anyway, I saw a bar there last night. I'll go there this afternoon to kill some time," Ren Shuo said.

"Yes, Master."

Chapter 513 Building Welfare

Although it was afternoon, the bar area completely blocked out the sunlight from outside and was lit with a slightly intoxicating light, creating a very pleasant atmosphere.

At the bar and some booths, some ship girls and commanders were drinking and chatting in small groups, but they were all very quiet and did not disturb others.

"It feels a bit different from the pubs in the port area." Ren Shuo couldn't help but lower his voice.

Dido smiled and said, "Strictly speaking, the one in the port area is the one that should be called a tavern, while this place should be called a quiet bar?"

Ren Shuo pulled Dido down to sit down: "But I quite like it... There's a party tonight, so let's not drink alcohol, let's have something else."

I picked up the serving board stuck inside the vertical sign and started looking at it casually.

"They sell lemon Yakult here? I'll take this one. Dido, what do you want?" Ren Shuo asked.

Dido looked at it and said, "I'll just have a glass of milk."

They called over a waiter, ordered, and then sat quietly outside the bar, casually looking around the bar.

"Hello, excuse me, what's your order?"

A voice, which sounded polite but gave off a listless feeling, rang out, followed by the order placed in front of Ren Shuo and Dai Duo.

"Oh, thank you." Ren Shuo glanced at it casually, then looked away.

She wore a very ordinary maid outfit, but she was no ordinary person.

The first impression it gives is that it's huge, unexpectedly huge, the kind of huge that rivals the Brilliant and Awesome Port in its own area.

Then there's her long, flowing black hair that almost reaches the ground, and her smooth white over-the-knee stockings that fit snugly against her thighs, highlighting not only her slender legs but also giving her a fuller appearance.

Are all the waiters here this good?

However, to avoid being impolite, Ren Shuo only glanced at it before looking away.

"Master, that just now looked like a ship girl..." Dido seemed to sense Ren Shuo's thoughts and said softly.

Ren Shuo nodded: "It seems so, but I don't know if they are students or teachers here."

"Is Master interested? Then, Dido will try her best to get Master's contact information back." Dido seemed to be encouraging herself, and then she thought of getting up to find the waiter from before.

"Hey, hey, stop, stop! I didn't mean to ask for their contact information... I was just a little curious, it's unnecessary." Ren Shuo stopped Dido.

Dido then sat down again. Having not worn a maid's outfit all day, but instead serving as her master's companion, she seemed to be gradually getting used to the role, and her interactions with Ren Shuo became more relaxed.

"Hmm, it tastes alright..." Ren Shuo took a sip of his drink and commented, "But it doesn't taste as good as the one made in Dunkirk."

“After all, Miss Dunkirk specializes in desserts, and drinks are her forte too.” Dido sipped her milk slowly, like a well-behaved kitten.

"How's your milk?" Ren Shuo asked.

Dido paused, then handed over the half-finished milk she was drinking: "Would you like to try some, Master?"

"No, I'm just curious..." Ren Shuo said.

Dido took another small sip, then frowned and commented, "Hmm, it's just ordinary fresh milk, the taste after heating it up, nothing special."

Then he glanced at the menu again and muttered under his breath, "A cup of milk like this costs over twenty supplies, what a rip-off..."

Ren Shuo chuckled upon hearing this, pinched Dai Duo's puffed-up cheeks, and said, "What's wrong? Feeling sorry for my little housekeeper?"

Dido's pretty face flushed red, and she said somewhat flusteredly, "No! No!"

"Well, this is already considered fair. In some places, the milk isn't even fresh milk. They just serve you ordinary pure milk or even milk powder, and it's still this price."

Milk is so expensive not because the cost of milk is high, but because the things sold in these places are all about the atmosphere and service fees.

Look, the environment here is very nice and comfortable.

Dido looked at Ren Shuo with admiration, as if she had discovered a new world: "Master, you know so much!"

Ren Shuo said seriously, "Hmm, I know a little bit..."

Actually, St. Louis told me all this. He doesn't like going to these quiet bars unless he's in St. Louis and he'll go there sometimes to do business.

The two of them drank and chatted there, ordering some snacks along the way, and the afternoon passed by in a flash.

…………

That evening, Ren Shuo and Dai Duo went to the next venue to meet with Hu Teng.

Hu Teng had changed his clothes; he wasn't wearing the same black outfit he had when he left home that morning.

"What? Did you get too carried away playing? And then your clothes got dirty?" Ren Shuo glanced at Hu Teng, seemingly understanding everything.

Hu Teng nodded: "Yes, I accidentally got paint on my clothes during the performance, so I went back and changed my clothes."

"How could they possibly run into you?" Ren Shuo asked curiously. These ship girls weren't very skilled. If Hu Teng had been even slightly more serious, there was no way a single shell could have hit him.

"Um, I got carried away, I took on all three of them by myself." Hu Teng turned his head away somewhat embarrassedly.

No wonder, Ren Shuo suddenly realized. One-on-one is like that, but one-on-many, regardless of how much damage it will cause, at least it can hit.

"Let's go inside, no need to say anything more."

Upon entering the venue, there weren't many people. He saw the two guys he had gone fishing with that morning, one of whom, a commander named William, made Ren Shuo want to laugh.

Ren Shuo leaned closer and teased, "What's going on? Why is it smoking on its own?"

For some reason, smoke started rising from behind William.

Ren Shuo walked up behind him and saw that he was holding an incense burner with his hands behind his back, and the smoke was coming out of the burner. The smell was quite nice.

"What's wrong with him?" Ren Shuo was stunned.

George laughed: "He got some inside information from somewhere, saying that tonight's surprise is that the maritime bureaus of both Ironblood Royal and the Imperial Army are funding two construction opportunities for each of the participating commanders... for free. So this afternoon he went to take a bath, or as you Eastern Huang would say... a bath, a change of clothes, and a prayer?"

“You don’t understand, sincerity brings results, that’s called metaphysics!” William said with a serious expression.

"Putting aside whether the information is accurate or not, that's not what you meant. Burning incense and praying doesn't mean you have to carry an incense burner around. It means you have to light some incense in one place, sit quietly, and then complete the serious and tedious work with a calm mind," Ren Shuo said.

“Really? Whatever, this is my metaphysics,” William said.

“Perfect timing… Alice, don’t go. Is it reliable to build it tonight?” Ren Shuo stopped Alice, who was passing by, and asked.

"That's right, this is indeed the surprise for tonight." Alice nodded. "You guys have fun, I need to go wash my face."

"Look how calm the little princess is, and look at yourself!" George mocked William.

“So, I will ship the goods, but she won’t.” William said with utmost seriousness.

George scoffed: "Come on, your port doesn't have as many ship girls as other ports."

William's lips twitched, and he almost lost his composure.

"Hmm, should I go wash my face too..." Ren Shuo hesitated.

"Boss, you're joking... Please give us a way out." The two brothers said in unison.

Ren Shuo thought about it and decided to let it go. Anyway, it was free. If it sold well, everyone would be happy; if not, it wouldn't matter. He could just treat it as a pastime.

Germany and Queen Elizabeth arrived late, followed by maids carrying two large shipping containers. When they entered, they discovered that the gate was not big enough and the containers could not be brought in.

So they simply removed the main gate, expanded the area on the spot, and then they were able to move in.

"It really is a construction project." Ren Shuo and George exchanged a glance, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

"Ahem... Judging from everyone's 'I knew it' expressions, you must have figured it out. The gift we prepared for you all... That's right, it's two free construction sessions for everyone! Aren't you surprised? Aren't you happy?" Queen Elizabeth crossed her arms. "Quickly say thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Many of the commanders below showed great respect and shouted.

"Hmph, enough talk, let's draw lots to decide the order. One container contains supplies, the other contains construction machinery... live construction broadcast." Deutsche grabbed the microphone, looking quite pleased.

She loved watching these commanders build their ships, their confidence and arrogance before delivery, and then their regret afterward... This was the epitome of life.

The draw ended quickly.

"What's your number?" George moved closer to Ren Shuo.

“24…not bad, how about you?” Ren Shuo asked.

"Me? I'm in front of you, 20."

Ren Shuo glanced at William, who was shrouded in smoke: "Why don't you go ask him?"

George said seriously, "That guy was surrounded by so much smoke, it was so choking. By the way, why do you Eastern Huang people like this kind of smoky stuff?"

Ren Shuo hesitated for a moment, then decisively chose Donghuang over the face of his newly acquainted friend.

"I need to clarify this. The smoke from Donghuang incense, or rather, the smoke from the incense burner, is barely visible a few centimeters away from the burner, and even if you get close enough to smell it, the aroma isn't that strong, so..."

"so?"