101: Chapter 101 Ceremony

For a normal school, a few hundred freshmen might be considered few, but for the Maritime Academy, a few hundred freshmen was not at all surprising.

The Maritime Academy was not a casual place, not to mention that it wasn't the only academy of its kind.

Inside the academy auditorium, Li Ming and Kano had finished processing their IDs and documents and arrived early.

Kano still had matters to attend to at the local Ship Girl Bureau; after all, it was a bit troublesome to handle a sudden transfer from the General Bureau.

Li Ming found a seat by the window and started scrolling through his phone.

Before long, Z23 also arrived and sat down beside him.

"What are you doing, Commander?"

"Scrolling through my phone." Li Ming waved his phone. "Zheng-chan adapted our electronic systems to the local ones, so I can download local software. I'm currently studying this world's network environment."

The translation being: he hadn't scrolled through a phone in a long time and was regaining the feeling.

After browsing for a while, Li Ming put his phone away.

After all, now was not the time to be on a phone, and...

Li Ming looked toward the very front of the auditorium. The setup had long been completed, and the dignified lady on the stage had been staring at him.

It was quite uncomfortable.

Was she the Dean or perhaps the Principal?

She couldn't be the School Committee Secretary; that wasn't a title that should appear in the Federation (laughs).

He squinted to get a general look at her appearance. Oh, blonde wavy hair? A fairly common hair color.

Her figure was also quite good, perfectly highlighted by her formal dress.

Alright, that was enough; he needed to be polite.

He lowered his head to speak softly with Z23, no longer observing the woman.

It was one thing for him to know big shots, but it was a big deal when big shots knew him.

...Though he seemed to know even bigger ones? But that didn't matter; after all, the King of Hell is easy to deal with, but the little devils are hard to handle.

Well, she wasn't exactly a little devil...

The woman withdrew her gaze and focused her attention on her speech manuscript.

After another while, other students and some new Ship Girls entered the auditorium one after another. The scene became more lively, and Li Ming was certain that the Dean would definitely no longer notice him.

He raised his head, intending to look around at who else was there, but as soon as he did, he saw that lady had appeared before him like a ghost.

"Student, um... could I please ask you and your Ship Girl to sit in the front?" Her icy purple eyes held a hint of a smile, and the sense of warmth on her exquisite face was impeccable. "Your aura is somewhat special. We'll be recording in a moment, and I think it would be very good to have you in the front."

"Uh, sure?" Li Ming stood up. "But are you sure? I am xia people."

"When have the Academy and Ship Girls ever cared about race?" Her voice was pleasant, but her words carried an unquestionable firmness.

"...Alright then. Z23?"

Z23 had already stood up, waiting for his instructions.

The two followed the lady forward. Li Ming weighed the pros and cons before finally asking, "Are you the Dean?"

"Yes, that's right." She didn't look back. "Your Dean, battleship Axiom."

See, as expected.

Sitting in the first row, Li Ming already saw the cameras. Looking left and right, the people in the first row seemed to be either former military or possessed a certain aura.

Ship Girls needed this...

Oh right, recruitment also needed some optics...

People arrived one after another until everyone was present, and an unknown Ship Girl began operating the video camera.

Lady Axiom stood before the microphone and coughed twice, and the auditorium quickly fell silent.

The Escort Ship Girls on both sides stood perfectly straight, in sharp contrast to the "ragtag bunch" below.

The military personnel in the first row were relatively serious, but to their right, Li Ming was simply sitting perfectly upright; as for whether he was actually listening, only heaven knows.

"New students, I am your Dean and your Chief Academic Officer for the next three years, Axiom." She began her speech, then paused for three seconds.

Li Ming caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and noticed she had stiffened up for a moment.

Did she forget her lines?

After a quick thought, Li Ming took the initiative to start clapping.

Subsequently, thunderous applause filled the hall.

Axiom snapped back to reality and pressed her hands down to signal everyone to be quiet.

A few students in the front row quietly stole a glance at Li Ming.

"I'll just say a few words," she continued. "By entering this academy, you are already a member of the armed forces guarding the ocean. Other military academies might talk about sacrifice and devotion, but I have only one requirement:"

She held up a single finger. "Try your best to come back alive with your Ship Girl."

"And the new students of the Apprentice Knights Order, the same applies to you."

"That is all. Next, all students will find their classes based on their information. The class teachers will then lead everyone to the classrooms for the next step."

Axiom took a step back and turned to walk backstage.

Applause rang out from below once more, but this time Li Ming only looked around and clapped twice silently. Then, like many others, he stood up and led Z23 toward the exit to find his class.

Walking backstage, Axiom watched the young people through the window.

"Lauren, did you see that xia people youth in the first row?"

Lauren, who was managing the backstage, turned her head. "What about him? He looks pretty decent."

"He was personally sent here by Verres of the General Bureau."

"Huh?"

Lauren adjusted her glasses. "What exactly is this guy's background?"

"She didn't say; she just told us to treat him as a normal student."

Lauren shook her head. "Then only heaven knows. The mind of a ruler is hard to fathom."

"Who is your ruler?" Axiom asked with a smile.

"You, it's you, alright?" Lauren surrendered. "So I'll just keep an eye on him normally, right?"

"That will do... but the way he carried himself today looked like he's had specialized training..." Axiom toyed with her hair. "Keep an eye on him in Physical Education Class. I feel he might be even stronger than those slick veterans."

"I understand."

On the other side, Li Ming finally managed to find his teacher with Z23.

Uh... this is the teacher?

Li Ming looked down and did a quick comparison; this kid seemed to be even shorter than A6?

"Get back in line!" A red-eyed loli with white short hair wearing a women's suit pulled out her notebook and smacked it onto Li Ming's head.

"Ow! ... Sorry, Teacher!"

Li Ming quickly backed up two steps, apologizing repeatedly.

"Sigh... it's fine, it's fine. Also, new Ship Girls go over there to report."

"Uh... she's not new." Li Ming rubbed his nose.

"Huh?" The teacher looked Z23 up and down. An average person might not see it, but between Ship Girls, one can indeed detect clues upon careful observation. "Fine, then let her follow along, but some of the general courses also require Ship Girls to complete them in sync."

"Okay, Teacher! Thank you, Teacher!"

Pulling a somewhat helpless Z23, Li Ming retreated at light speed to the back of the line.

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