Seeing that the little swindler still hadn't caught on to his thoughts, Lin Lan directly picked up the greatsword with one hand, grabbed a Wisdom Cube from the shelf with the other, and walked outside the shop.
Well, here he was, a Port Commander dressed in a white naval officer's uniform.
Yet, at this moment, he was holding a medieval-style greatsword in one hand and a fully activated, spinning wisdom cubes in the other.
Even he had to admit—this scene felt absurdly out of place.
Maybe he should also strap a few talismans to his waist, carry a handgun, and sling a magic staff across his back?
"I Reincarnated in Another World, Have a Port Full of Wives, and Now I Must Become the Ultimate Patchwork Fighter—Long Titles Attract More Readers! This Novel is a Hit!"
Setting aside his internal complaints, Lin Lan focused on the task at hand.
He stepped onto the broad lawn outside the shop, standing beneath the nearly noon-time sun.
Slowly, he brought the activated Wisdom Cube closer to the sword's hilt, which was engraved with magical runes.
As the two neared each other, his breathing grew heavier.
When they were less than ten centimeters apart, he suddenly felt the hilt of the greatsword tremble slightly in his right hand.
"Commander, I can give you this sword for free, but you have to pay for that wisdom cubes—meow?!"
Following Lin Lan out of the shop, the little swindler Akashi widened her eyes in shock at the sight before her.
The originally silver, broad double-edged greatsword in Lin Lan's hand had ignited with a scorching, searing heat wave that distorted the air around it.
Akashi rubbed her eyes. She had spent several days trying to figure out how to activate the magical runes on this first-tier magic weapon, but had never managed to succeed.
She had even attempted to use Wisdom Cubes as a substitute for a magic power source, but even when she placed a pile of them next to the sword, nothing happened.
Because of that, Akashi had never taken these so-called "magic weapons" seriously, treating them as nothing more than ordinary weapons with a gimmick.
But now, the question of how to activate the magical runes had been perfectly answered—by none other than her own Commander.
Her gaze shifted to Lin Lan's left hand, which held the now fully activated wisdom cubes.
The pale blue cube swirled with glowing orbs and particles, spinning wildly in his grip like a roaring engine.
"Magic weapons, huh… Interesting. Their elemental system is completely different from that of the Old Liao Continent, but wisdom cubes can still power them."
Holding the now-activated rune sword, Lin Lan had opened his Elemental Vision.
He observed the greatsword, which continuously emitted pure fire-element energy from its magic runes, and muttered to himself,
"But even if I know how to activate the runes, this doesn't help me much. I'm not about to go fight Sirens with this thing myself."
Raising his right hand, he flung the flame-engulfed greatsword skyward.
The burning mass of fire detached from the sword like a fireball, shooting straight into the sky.
BOOM!
As the fireball exploded at a certain height, a muffled shockwave echoed across the entire port.
The power of the explosion was undeniable.
"I won't be using this, but if I run into the Iris Orthodoxy girls, I can equip them with these Wisdom Cube-enhanced magic weapons."
Lin Lan pondered where these weapons could be put to use.
After all, in Orlan, it was nearly impossible for him to find a way to manufacture magic weapons.
Trying to learn a mysticism-based country's weapon-making techniques in a materialist country?
That would be a fool's errand.
So, he finally thought of his fleet's Iris Orthodoxy shipgirls, who were primarily knights and clergy.
If they weren't using their riggings, these wisdom cubes-enhanced magic weapons would be a perfect fit for them.
"Then again, they're smart enough that they've probably already figured this out on their own by now."
Lin Lan chuckled at himself, then carried the sword back to the shop entrance.
He noticed that Akashi was staring blankly at the sky, looking completely dumbfounded.
"Hey, stop zoning out. Call up Lützow, it's time for lunch."
Lin Lan's voice snapped Akashi back to reality.
"I miscalculated. I totally misjudged this, meow…"
The first thing Akashi did upon regaining focus was glare at the greatsword in Lin Lan's hand, muttering in frustration.
"You just said you were giving me that sword. I was thinking about putting it up as decoration in my office. You better not go back on your word."
Lin Lan immediately realized why Akashi was so upset. Smirking, he crouched down and stuffed the wisdom cubes into the little catgirl's arms, then ruffled her ears.
"Mnyaa…"
In the end, Akashi surrendered under Lin Lan's expert rua-mew technique.
At that moment, Lützow lazily walked out of the shop, tossing a bottle of black soda toward Lin Lan.
"Commander~ It's time to head back for lunch."
It was clear that this elegant yet laid-back battlecruiser girl was ready to return home.
"That's my stock, Lützow! You have to pay up, meow!"
Seeing the Ironblood girl casually handing out her shop's soda, Akashi immediately protested.
"Alright, alright, here you go."
Lützow reached into her pocket, pulled out a red ticket, and tossed it to Akashi.
Lin Lan chuckled, opened the soda, and took a gulp.
It had been a while since he last had cola, but… why did it taste way too sweet?
Half a bottle later, as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Wait, cola isn't supposed to taste like this… Lützow, what did you give me?"
But it was already too late—he had already downed most of it.
A sudden heat flared up in his face, not unlike the rush from eating something spicy, though without the burning sensation.
His breathing quickened, his body grew hot, and he instinctively dropped the half-empty bottle, gripping the sword's hilt to steady himself.
"Commander looks like… Meow! Lützow, you didn't mix that one bottle of limited-edition potion into his cola, did you?!"
As the shop owner, Akashi immediately recognized what was happening.
She turned in fury to the smugly smiling gray-haired girl beside her and started lightly punching Lützow's stomach with her tiny fists.
"That was supposed to be the grand finale at the next port auction, meow! You… you… you…!"
"Oh, relax~ I'll pay you back double the red tickets. Besides, it's a rare potion with no side effects—I couldn't let the other girls snatch it away first~"
"Double red tickets won't cut it, meow! That breaks all the rules!"
"Then what do you want? The Commander's already drunk it, and he's definitely feeling the effects now~"
Both girls turned to look at Lin Lan, whose face was flushed red, breathing heavily, and drenched in sweat.
Then they resumed their argument.
"…Fine. Triple the price, meow!"
"Deal. But in return, you have to bring lunch for me and the Commander today—I'm way too tired."
"Deal, meow!"
Hearing the two agree to their little trade with bright smiles, Lin Lan nearly blacked out.
He had just been drugged and sold like a commodity?!
Lützow! I never thought you, of all people, would pull something like this!
As he watched the gray-haired girl approach him with a warm smile, Lin Lan deeply regretted not asking Akashi for a ledger of these Church-made special goods.
He had no idea what the hell Lützow had fed him, but even his Hero skills couldn't dispel the desires now flooding his mind.
"Commander~ It's no use. That potion… was the most valuable item in this batch of goods~"
Lützow's eyes shimmered with excitement and anticipation as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Akashi… I swear I'm going to pet you bald…"
Feeling her warmth and scent so close, Lin Lan's urges surged uncontrollably.
He knew he wouldn't be able to escape Lützow's grasp.
…
The next morning.
As the sun peeked over the horizon, several Ironblood shipgirls stood fully geared at the newly constructed sortie dock.
"…He's ten minutes late. What the hell is that guy doing?"
Wearing a beige sweater and a red-and-black short skirt, the flat-chested, golden-haired heavy cruiser girl, Hipper, anxiously swung her long, black-stockinged legs while staring at her watch with dissatisfaction.
"Hmm hmm hmm, if you're so worried about him, then why didn't you go look for him with little Z23 and Roon just now?"
With her silver hair cascading down her back, Prinz Eugen, dressed in a black jacket and form-fitting jeans, smiled as she teasingly whispered into her tsundere sister's ear.
"Hah? Why would I go looking for that guy? I refuse to believe he'd dare stand us up. Just wait till he gets here—I'll make him regret it!"
"Yeah, yeah! We'll make him pay!"
Hipper boasted arrogantly, while the adorable Blücher also waved her tiny fists in agreement.
However, beside the three sisters, a certain cunning little merchant, Akashi, was trembling all over as she anxiously gazed toward the loft of Lin Lan's office.
The small merchant's cute cat ears quivered as she buried her head, guilt-ridden, and muttered under her breath:
"Myaah... I didn't think the effects of that medicine would be this strong, nya..."
Recalling the utterly exhausted, motionless gray-haired girl from last night, Akashi gulped nervously.
She had never expected the Commander to have such boundless energy.
And clearly, the medicine's effects hadn't fully worn off yet—she hadn't escaped unscathed either.
Though, to be fair, it had felt rather pleasant... Still, even shipgirls had their limits in this regard!
It wasn't until the second half of the night, when she was completely drained, that she finally came to her senses.
She called in the Manjuu stationed outside and had them summon Bulin's little sisters, along with three muscle cats, to forcefully subdue the Commander.
Then... they had locked him in his office loft's bedroom overnight.
…
"Akashi? What are you mumbling about over there? Medicine effects?"
"Nyaa?!"
A sharp, little girl-like voice suddenly rang out from behind, causing the already sleep-deprived Akashi to jump in fright, her fur standing on end.
The Z-class leader, short silver-haired Z1, was holding the hand of her ice-cold sister, Z2, and had somehow appeared right behind her.
"N-Nothing, nya! I was just thinking about the magic potions from the Teachland store, nya!"
Akashi, now under the scrutinizing gazes of the two Iron Blood destroyers, broke into a cold sweat and averted her eyes, not daring to meet Z1's gaze.
"Really? Then why do I feel like you smell like the Commander? Did he see you today?"
Z1 leaned in and sniffed her suspiciously before grabbing Akashi's sleeve, interrogating her.
"N-No, nya! P-Perhaps it's just the scent left from when the Commander came to my shop last night, nya!"
Akashi's stammering and shifty eyes only made the already serious-faced Z1 and cold-hearted Z2 even more certain—this little Sakura Empire cat was definitely involved in the Commander's tardiness.
"Something's off. Why haven't Z23 and Roon returned yet? They're not answering the communicator either. What the hell is going on with the Commander?"
As the flagship of the vanguard fleet sent to observe Dongyun City, Ägir had begun sensing that something was amiss.
"Z1, Z2, Z46, come with me. We're going to check on the Commander."
Lifting her silver hair, Ägir swept her golden eyes across the area before issuing the command.
"Hmph! You better not be up to anything sneaky. Don't think you can keep fooling me, the great Z1!"
Only after hearing Ägir's order did Z1 reluctantly release Akashi's sleeve. She then took her two sisters and followed Ägir away from the dock.
After all, once they got to the Commander's office, all mysteries would be solved—there was no need to interrogate Akashi any further.
"Guh, nya..."
Watching Ägir and the trio of Z-class destroyers leave, Akashi opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately swallowed her words, breaking into a cold sweat.
She could already tell—she and Lützow had probably made a huge mistake.
Just as Akashi was about to sneak back into her shop while no one was paying attention—
"You slippery little cat, what exactly do you know? Speak up, now!"
Hipper's cold voice rang from behind her, and the two other Iron Blood heavy cruisers blocked her escape routes.
"I-I really d-don't know, nya..."
Trembling, Akashi turned around to face Hipper's emerald-green gaze. There was no way she could admit it—so she could only play dumb with an awkward smile.
"Sis, maybe we should go look for the Commander too?"
The sweet-hearted Blücher looked at Hipper worriedly, starting to feel that something might have happened to Lin Lan.
"The Commander hasn't shown up, and we can't depart without him. We might as well go check it out."
Even Prinz Eugen, who usually carried a relaxed smile, gradually let her expression turn serious as she glanced at the office loft.
She knew the Commander well—he would never be late without a reason. Something had definitely happened.
"That idiot... just what the hell is he up to?"
Hipper gritted her teeth, then suddenly grabbed Akashi by the scruff of her neck, lifting the terrified little cat into her arms.
"Akashi! You're coming with us to find the Commander!"
"C-Can I say no, nya...?"
Hearing that she was being dragged to see the Commander, Akashi instantly recalled last night's exhaustion and pitifully looked at Hipper.
"Hah? Do you think you have a choice?"
At Hipper's icy response, Akashi's heart sank into despair as her body went limp, completely resigning herself to being carried off by the three Iron Blood sisters toward Lin Lan's office.
"It's over... It's all over, nya..."
…
By midday, inside the Commander's office meeting room, a full-blown interrogation was taking place.
"So, Akashi, oh Akashi, do you have any idea just how big of a crime you've committed?"
Supported by Emden and Magdeburg, both of whom were barely suppressing their laughter, Lin Lan—feeling utterly drained—gritted his teeth as he glared toward the center of the room.
Flanking a weak, slumped-over Akashi, Elbe and Weser firmly held onto her hands, pressing the little merchant in front of the Commander.
However, despite their best efforts to maintain serious expressions, their bodies occasionally trembled—as if barely holding back their laughter.
Gazing at the pitiful little green-haired, cat-eared little girl in front of him, Lin Lan felt a pang of sympathy at first.
But then he recalled the devastation he had witnessed upon regaining control of his body at noon—
An entire Iron Blood fleet... utterly annihilated, without a single survivor.
Lin Lan shook his head vigorously, trying to force himself to forget that tragic yet beautiful scene, but it was impossible.
The magical potion he drank merely amplified his desires and suppressed his rationality—it didn't drive him into complete madness or erase his memories.
From the moment Lützow took him to the Muscle Manjuu production workshop at noon yesterday, to his defeat in battle against three Muscle Manjuus at midnight, and being forcibly carried back to his dorm…
Then this morning, the Ironblood wives delivered themselves one after another like a chain reaction, walking right into the tiger's den…
He had experienced every moment of it—clear and vivid, without missing a single detail.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to find a brick and smash his own head in.
At this moment, Ulrich and Brünhilde had already arranged for people to transport the exhausted and utterly defeated Ägir and the others back to their dorms.
As soon as Akashi woke up, Lin Lan dragged her here for questioning.
This sly merchant had really gone too far!
"Meow… Commander, i-it was all Lützow's idea, meow! I'm a victim too, meow…"
Akashi's cat ears drooped as she weakly explained.
"I've already asked Ulrich to make sure Lützow reflects on her actions. Now, let's talk about you!"
Lin Lan gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Do you even realize that your potion single-handedly wiped out an entire Ironblood fleet? You cost me an entire day's worth of plans!"
His original departure schedule for today had to be delayed by a whole day because of the morning's battle and the fleet girls' afternoon recovery time.
Lin Lan's tone became harsher as he thought about it.
"Hmm~ 'wiped out' is a very vivid choice of words, human-san."
Supporting him at his side, White Rose Eyepiece Emden teased with a smile, making Lin Lan want to dig a hole and bury himself in it.
"You really let me down, Akashi. I trusted you, and not only did you not warn me, but you even sold me out…"
"Wuwuwu… meow… Commander, I was wrong, meow! I won't do it again, meow QAQ…"
The weak Akashi, restrained by Elbe and Weser, teared up and pitifully begged for mercy.
Lin Lan stared at the merchant, who now looked like a captured criminal, and remained silent for a long time.
"Sigh…"
After all, even Akashi herself hadn't escaped unscathed—she had gone through the ordeal twice.
Lin Lan ultimately let out a deep sigh and waved his hand.
Seeing this, Elbe and Weser finally couldn't hold back their laughter, releasing Akashi's arms and covering their mouths as they giggled.
They had known all along that the Commander wouldn't actually punish Akashi. He was just scaring the "profit-driven traitor."
After all, shipgirls' bodies recovered far faster than ordinary humans. A single night of rest was all they needed to be back to normal.
Even Lin Lan himself was well aware that Ägir and the others could have easily restrained him in the morning, yet none of them had done so.
Even the usually honest and reserved Teacher Nimi had taken advantage of the situation…
Lin Lan sighed helplessly once more and looked at the three girls before him.
"Send Akashi back to her shop, and make sure to bring her lunch too."
"Weser, also let Ägir and the others know that we'll gather and depart at the same time tomorrow morning."
After giving his instructions, Lin Lan, supported by Emden and Magdeburg, left the meeting room and headed back to his bedroom for some well-deserved rest.
Even with the strength of a hero, he had seriously overexerted himself this time.
His legs felt weak and powerless—completely drained.
That magical potion… Though it was indeed as Lützow had claimed—without any side effects—its potency was overwhelming, even for a body imbued with a hero's power.
Just what kind of potion was this?
Lin Lan suddenly recalled that when Akashi had woken up, she had given him a description of the potion.
He had stuffed it into his pocket earlier while scaring her and hadn't had time to look at it.
"Magdeburg, take the description from my pocket and read it out loud."
Lin Lan turned to the black-haired, red-eyed light cruiser girl supporting his arm, signaling her to retrieve and read the document.
"Let me see…"
Magdeburg had been watching everything unfold with an amused expression, but when Lin Lan called her name, she thought he was about to reprimand her.
Realizing it was just to read the description, she let out a sigh of relief, pulled the paper from Lin Lan's pocket, and began to read aloud.
"Item Name: Mating Potion."
"Origin: Alchemist Association of the Teaching Nation, personally crafted by a certified C-rank alchemist."
"Usage: Open the lid and drink."
"Effect: Significantly increases the user's desire for the opposite sex. Duration—until the user's body is completely drained."
"Expert Review from the Tianou Magic Tool Commerce Association of Yunhai City:
'Brother, if you're buying this thing, listen to my advice: the potion works exactly as advertised. But please, make sure your partner is as physically strong as you are and can withstand your 'onslaught.'"
"After all, I've heard that the Teaching Nation's Church originally developed this stuff for breeding dragons.'"
By the time she finished reading, Magdeburg was rolling on the floor laughing.
Even Emden, still supporting Lin Lan, couldn't help but chuckle.
Lin Lan's face turned pale.
"You're telling me… this thing was meant for dragons?!"
"Pfft—hahahahaha! Commander, good thing you were in the port."
"If you were outside, you would've ended up killing a bunch of ordinary people! Ahh, I can't—my stomach hurts from laughing, hahaha…"
Magdeburg was laughing so hard she could barely speak.
Watching her rolling on the floor, Lin Lan gritted his teeth and ordered,
"Enough laughing! Go tell Ulrich to multiply Lützow's punishment by ten—no, nine times!"
How could Lin Lan, of all people, deserve such a potent potion?!
Lützow, you really think too highly of me!
As Magdeburg ran off laughing, Lin Lan suddenly realized—he had forgotten to tell her not to spread this news.
But the sporty black-haired girl had already disappeared without a trace.
Sigh… There's no way to keep a lid on this. Might as well just accept it.
With Emden's support, Lin Lan finally returned to his bedroom.
Taking out his key, he unlocked the door and found that the Manjuus had already cleaned the place, restoring it to its usual neat state with no trace of the morning's chaos.
However, just as the white-haired light cruiser girl helped him onto the bed, Emden suddenly walked to the door and shut it.
"Now then, human-san~ Don't look at me with those adorable eyes~"
As White Dress Emden spoke, Red Rose Eyepiece Emden materialized in midair, smiling as she approached.
"Since it's our turn to be secretary ship today, and you didn't leave, we'll just have to continue today's 'work'~"
As the two beautiful white-haired girls moved closer, Lin Lan's face filled with terror. He backed away on the bed.
"I've got nothing left! Not a single drop! Spare me, Emden! Emden!!!"
…
Of course, Emden didn't actually do anything to him.
She merely lay beside him and gave him a soothing head massage.
With her gentle care, Lin Lan was finally able to get a peaceful sleep in the arms of the two girls.
After all, what ill intentions could shipgirls possibly have?
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