As an Eastern civil engineer who had received higher education on Blue Star, Lin Lan only half-believed the historical records found in the Red Maple Naval Academy.
When two nations go to war, the propaganda from both sides will inevitably portray themselves as the just party.
If he were to blindly trust Orlan's one-sided historical records, he would be nothing but a fool.
Whether from the perspective of greedy merchants and conglomerates or from that of the Orlan president, who sought to expand territory to secure more votes—
He simply couldn't believe that Orlan had only been building factories and conducting legitimate trade within the lands of the Natlan Empire.
Merchants and business conglomerates sought to flood the Natlan Empire with cheap industrial goods in exchange for vast quantities of luxury items and specialty resources of high research value.
Meanwhile, the Orlan government and its president wanted to send spies to gather intelligence on the Natlan Empire's military strength and classified information, preparing for a future war.
The interactions between nations could never be as black and white as a child's storybook—only the naive would believe such a thing.
Even so, Lin Lan still thought that the new emperor of the Natlan Empire had been excessively cruel and bloodthirsty in his treatment of the Orlan people.
Even if he had refused to declare war outright, at the very least, those Orlan citizens who had simply come to work or immigrate did not deserve to die.
According to Orlan's records, by the time Orlan's military set foot on Natlan soil, the number of Orlan citizens who had perished in the Natlan Empire had already reached a staggering several hundred thousand.
These were living, breathing people—not mere livestock.
And throughout the century-long war between the two nations, the casualties suffered by Orlan alone were counted in the millions.
Lin Lan was certain that if he had been born and raised as an Orlan citizen, even knowing all that Orlan had done before the war, he would still harbor an undying hatred for the Natlan Empire.
Shaking his head, Lin Lan cast aside thoughts of the two nations' entanglements.
He was merely a traveler from Blue Star, here to reunite with his beloved ones scattered across various lands and return to the harbor.
His only true enemy was the Sirens. He had no interest in the political struggles between nations.
Follow me and prosper, oppose me and perish.
That was all he needed to remember.
The Ironblood fleet gradually approached the ancient Natlan city known as Huaiwu.
The wooden ship fleets surrounding the city had finally noticed them and began turning their main cannons toward the shipgirls, preparing to attack.
However, these cumbersome vessels, inferior even to mass-produced Siren ships, were no match for the Ironblood shipgirls.
"Boom!" "Boom!!"
Agir was the first to open fire, and the rest of the shipgirls quickly followed suit, unloading a barrage of shells upon the Natlan fleet.
Under the leadership of Z1, the four Z-class destroyers continuously fired while launching torpedoes, waves of explosives tearing through the slow-moving wooden ships.
Observing the battlefield from the command ship, Lin Lan noticed that despite their wooden appearance, the deep brown Natlan warships possessed steel-like durability and were highly resistant to fire.
It seemed that the Natlan Empire had access to a unique type of dark brown timber that the Orlan Federation did not.
Before long, the wooden warships surrounding Huaiwu City were utterly annihilated under the relentless assault of the Ironblood fleet, reduced to wreckage drifting on the sea.
As Lin Lan and his team sailed through the debris, he noticed that despite the vast amount of wreckage, there were no real Natlan sailors among them.
"So these ships were all mere pawns created by the Sirens in this Mirror Sea, imitating the Natlan Empire's fleet. This place is still just an illusion."
After passing through the wreckage, Lin Lan and his group finally set foot on the docks of Huaiwu City.
Calling it a dock was generous—it had already been devastated by the fires of war.
The wooden buildings along the dockside were engulfed in flames, while the armored corpses of fallen warriors lay scattered across the harbor.
"Commander! Stay close to me, I'll protect you!"
As soon as they stepped onto land, Blücher rushed up and clung tightly to Lin Lan's arm.
"Heh, if Zeppelin were here, she'd be thrilled beyond belief."
Agir glanced around the soon-to-be-destroyed city and smirked at the pink-haired heavy cruiser beside her.
"Of course, someone else here is probably just as excited."
At Agir's words, Lin Lan turned his gaze toward Roon.
The usually gentle and composed pink-haired elder sister had fully entered her battle mode.
Her lips had curled into a crazed grin, her crimson eyes glowed with bloodlust, and her entire body trembled as if thrilled by the battlefield before her.
"Sigh, Roon's split personality really is something else..."
Shaking his head, Lin Lan reminded himself to keep a closer eye on her.
Just as the group had all stepped onto the docks, a sudden explosion and a series of gunshots echoed from the burning city.
To reach the source of the commotion, however, they would have to navigate through the densely packed buildings already consumed by flames.
"Leave the fire to me. Just use your ship rigs to block anything falling from above."
Crossing through the fire was no issue for Lin Lan—he had his own method.
Reaching into his waist pouch, he pulled out a black jade stone and, with the shipgirls' protection, stepped to the edge of the inferno.
"Disperse."
Raising the black jade in his hand, Lin Lan uttered the word softly.
The raging flames, which had seemed impossible to extinguish, suddenly moved as if alive, retreating to either side and opening a clear path forward.
At the same time, the scorching heat that had been radiating from the blaze instantly turned into a refreshing coolness.
This was an ancient artifact crafted by heroes of the Liao Continent—the Fire-Repelling Jade Orb.
Activating it greatly increased the user's fire resistance while also dispersing nearby flames within a radius of ten meters.
The miraculous sight left the shipgirls around Lin Lan in shock—they had never known their commander possessed such abilities.
"Commander, can you make more of those jade stones for meow?"
Akashi, the little merchant, had stars in her eyes as she sidled up to Lin Lan, staring eagerly at the Fire-Repelling Jade Orb.
"No problem. I'll make a few extra and let you sell them as store treasures. But time is short—we need to move."
Since the jade orbs were relatively easy to craft, Lin Lan agreed offhandedly, then led the group forward into the city.
Hearing Lin Lan's promise, Akashi beamed with joy and followed closely alongside the Ironblood girls as they advanced toward the heart of Huaiwu City.
"Creak!"
At the very front, Agir commanded her dragon-like ship rig to clear away the debris that had collapsed onto the path, blocking their way.
Though the flames had been pushed back, the smoke and charred stench of burnt wood still lingered in the air.
As they moved through the streets of Huaiwu City, Lin Lan carefully examined the scorched remains of buildings.
Everything about this city reminded him of ancient China.
And considering that the Natlan Empire was known for its martial prowess, for a fleeting moment, Lin Lan felt as if he had traveled back in time to Blue Star.
"This place really does resemble China..."
Hearing Blücher's remark, Lin Lan wasn't surprised.
After all, in his former harbor, there had been Chinese-style buildings.
The Dragon Empery fleet always hosted Lunar New Year banquets, fireworks festivals, and other celebrations, inviting all factions in the harbor to join.
So when Blücher made her comment, the other Ironblood shipgirls also nodded in understanding.
No wonder everything felt so familiar.
"Commander, if I remember correctly, you're from China, right? Seeing this city in ruins... does it make you feel—"
Prinz Eugen, walking ahead of Lin Lan, suddenly turned back to look at him with concern.
The other shipgirls also watched him with worried expressions.
After all, their commander was now walking through a city that resembled his homeland—reduced to nothing but rubble and ashes.
They feared that the sight of this war-torn ancient city might bring him sorrow.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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