While Lin Lan was lost in thought, they arrived outside the door of a meeting room.
South Dakota and Intrepid reluctantly let go of Lin Lan. Before leaving, South Dakota said:
"Intrepid and I were still searching for you at the time, so we didn't participate in the operation against the Goilia Consortium's artificial island.
You can ask Saratoga about the details later, Commander."
The tan-skinned shipgirl, standing protectively like a bodyguard, finished speaking.
Intrepid then pulled a key from her pocket and opened the metal door to the meeting room, leading Lin Lan inside.
On the wooden conference table in the spacious room sat a metal device, similar in style to the holographic communication terminal Lin Lan had seen in the Ironblood Fortress.
However, this one was clearly much smaller than the one used at the Ironblood Fortress, and of course, its communication range couldn't compare to that of devices used for inter-faction contact.
Lin Lan couldn't help but recall that cross-faction communication required the assistance of Command Cats, but clearly, internal communication within a faction didn't need them.
"Commander, please wait a moment while I connect the call."
As Intrepid stepped up to the device and began adjusting it, Lin Lan sat down beside her.
Under South Dakota's unwavering gaze, Lin Lan considered how he should greet Saratoga.
Hmm... definitely can't call her "Sara" or "Sara-tan" right off the bat—he had a sneaking suspicion she'd slap a title ban on him on the spot.
That nickname originated from how Saratoga was the face of the game's menu, and everyone knew what happened to people who mocked the mascot character.
So probably best to go with "Little Saratoga" or "Saratoga-chan." He remembered that Saratoga always liked it when the Commander addressed her like that.
At that moment, Lin Lan suddenly remembered something. As everyone knew, unlike other factions, the Eagle Union didn't have a true flagship.
Although Saratoga often attended inter-faction meetings as the representative of the Eagle Union—
Not to mention the in-game plot—like that meeting at the Ironblood Fortress, which Saratoga also attended—
Still, whether it was the war goddess Enterprise, the cutting-edge battleship New Jersey, or the reborn Yorktown with her Mk II rigging—
Each of them, in terms of power or seniority, stood on par with Saratoga within the Eagle Union.
But as he thought about this, Lin Lan suddenly chuckled.
If you really had to name a flagship for the Eagle Union... he remembered that back in his early days playing the game, the main flagship he used in his Eagle Union fleet wasn't even an Eagle Union shipgirl.
It was actually the Royal Navy's Prince of Wales, the big sis battleship with the infamous nickname.
As a Royal Navy shipgirl, Prince of Wales had a skill called [Royal Alliance] that specifically buffed Eagle Union teammates, earning her the spot as the de facto first Eagle Union flagship in the hearts of many players.
That title only passed on when New Jersey debuted—finally returning the Eagle Union flagship title to one of their own.
"Ah la~ Is that Intrepid? You're contacting your adorable Saratoga-chan on such short notice—what's the occasion?
Ugh... Saratoga-chan's not feeling too great today, you know~"
As Lin Lan rested his chin in his hand, reminiscing about all these Eagle Union memories from the game, a high-pitched, childish chibi voice suddenly rang out in the room—undeniably familiar.
The voice gave Lin Lan an instant wave of nostalgia. Back then, he used to assign Saratoga as his secretary ship all the time—for the express purpose of teasing her.
After all, most aircraft carrier shipgirls in the game had... very prominent assets. Yet little Saratoga, despite being a full-fledged carrier, was totally flat.
That made her, like Bismarck's rigging dragon or Zuihou's, one of the game's long-standing targets of player harassment and memes.
But hearing her weak and lifeless tone now, Lin Lan quickly realized that Saratoga must still be very worried about his safety, hence her downcast mood.
"Saratoga-senpai, we have a surprise for you. Please turn on the holographic projection,"
The bluish-gray-haired aircraft carrier from the Dumpling-class said, then turned to smile at Lin Lan and stood up to give him her seat.
"Unless the surprise is the Commander coming back, I really can't think of anything else that'd impress me... I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, Intrepid..."
As Lin Lan took the seat Intrepid had just vacated, the device in front of him began to flicker with blue light, gradually forming the image of a pink-haired little girl rocking on a chair in front of her desk, frowning.
That oversized white naval coat, the black ribbon with butterfly bow, the long ahoge sticking up from her head, and her body smaller than a destroyer's—
It was none other than the most adorable idol magical girl of the Eagle Union port—Saratoga.
"Yo, Little Saratoga. Good afternoon."
Seeing his long-lost "Sara-tan" appear before him, Lin Lan couldn't help but smile and wave at the holographic image of Saratoga.
"???"
The next moment, the grumpy, slouching Saratoga suddenly froze upon hearing his voice, her pink eyes going wide, as if the game had crashed.
She stayed in that pose, staring blankly at Lin Lan, mouth open but unable to utter a single word.
After two or three seconds of stunned silence, she suddenly snapped out of it, letting out a startled shriek:
"UWAAAH! C-c-c-c-Commander?!"
THUMP!
Before she could finish, Saratoga's projection fell backward and vanished from view, followed by a dull thud.
Her image disappeared, but the audio kept playing.
Chaotic noises and her pained "auuh" cries could still be heard from her side.
Lin Lan was startled by her reaction, but quickly figured out what must have happened.
She'd been leaning back in her chair during the call.
Then the moment she saw him, poor Little Saratoga was so overwhelmed by shock and joy that she lost control and tipped straight back...
Thus, tragedy struck.
Off to the side, Intrepid—clearly expecting this—covered her mouth and let out a stifled laugh.
Even South Dakota's usually stern face softened into a faint smile.
After all, a fall like that wouldn't actually hurt a shipgirl—just sting a little.
To see the ever-prank-loving idol Saratoga act this out of character? A rare and precious sight.
Soon, Saratoga's flustered, teary face reappeared before Lin Lan.
This time, her eyes glistened with tears, her voice trembling:
"Commander, is that really you? This isn't a hallucination, is it? Or... is this some prank by you, Intrepid?"
Hearing that she still couldn't quite believe it, Lin Lan thought of the best way to prove it was really him. He chuckled and said:
"If you're thinking that... then the nickname 'Sara-tan'—there's only one person who'd dare call you that, right?"
"You jerk, Commander... Do you know how worried we've all been about you? Uuu... uuuuuu..."
Hearing the long-lost nickname from the Commander's projection, Saratoga's nose scrunched up, and fat tears began rolling uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Because in this whole world, only the man in front of her would dare call her that.
From the early days when she'd get mad and pout, to after their oath, when she gradually got used to his random nicknaming habits—
It had been so long since she'd heard him say it again.
Looking at that oh-so-familiar face, etched into her very soul, knowing her Commander had truly returned safe and sound, Saratoga couldn't hold it in anymore.
She didn't care that Intrepid and South Dakota were present—she buried her face in her hands and sobbed like a child.
Seeing her cry so pitifully, Lin Lan was stunned.
He was about to comfort her when something nearly forgotten suddenly came back to him.
This Little Saratoga, along with the two port bosses Akashi and Shiranui, his starter ship Z23, and the spooky NEET girl from the login bonus—
They had all been with him since Day One of his time in the port.
Even though he had to spend one yuan on his first recharge to recruit Saratoga, one thing was certain:
Before he had assembled his noob-era power trio of Hood, Illustrious, and Enterprise—
It was Little Saratoga who had quietly supported him, helping him get the port's operations on track.
In fact, if it hadn't been for her vibrant lines and irresistibly cute design, he might not have poured so much time and effort into the port back then.
This mischievous, innocent, slightly devious, and incredibly lovable Saratoga-chan—
From the very first day he became Commander, she had always been there by his side, using her pranks and cheer to win his heart.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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