144: Chapter 144

It was the right decision to have Strasbourg change into a set of more ordinary clothes before heading out.

Li Ming felt a sense of relief in his heart, but after going deep into the bustling heart of the city, he could feel some gazes that seemed to be constantly watching him.

Although the casual home clothes she wore still made her look stunning, she looked a bit less like a Ship Girl.

It just so happened that he had also taken a set of student clothes from Z23 to change into before heading out with Strasbourg.

He touched his Horizontal Sword; Commanders from the Maritime Academy and the Ship Girl Bureau were legally allowed to carry weapons on the streets for self-defense. Usually, he would go out with a gun hidden, but this time he was carrying a blade openly.

"Um, Strasbourg..."

Well, there was no doubt that Dunkerque's family had their own car, which made the round trip much faster.

"What is it, Commander?" Strasbourg observed the Commander in the passenger seat out of the corner of her eye. "Why so formal all of a sudden? Didn't you use to call me Sister Strasbourg or—"

"So you knew all along..." Feeling her teasing gaze, Li Ming pulled back his neck.

The corners of her mouth curled up; in just a short time, she had already re-learned her Commander's behavioral patterns. This kind of change was quite interesting, wasn't it?

"So, what's the matter?"

"...Um, how much do you usually pay for a catty of flour?" Li Ming tilted his head and looked at the street.

In those dark corners of the street, Li Ming seemed to always be able to detect some silhouettes.

"Flour?" Strasbourg thought for a moment. Although she didn't manage the ledgers, she was somewhat aware. "About 15 federation yuan per catty."

"Fifteen yuan..." Li Ming narrowed his eyes. "What about meat, eggs, milk... and things like vegetables and rice?"

"I don't know much about those," Strasbourg thought for a moment. "But overall, the prices won't be too low."

Li Ming took a deep breath and pulled out his phone to check through Logic.

The final result was roughly...

The price of fish in the Oronia region was relatively low, at about 17 yuan per catty.

But besides that, the prices for meat, eggs, and milk were almost double those back home.

The flour price Strasbourg mentioned was likely for high-end flour used for making pastries, but even so, the price of ordinary flour was as high as about eight yuan.

According to Logic's calculations, the value of the federation yuan was basically equivalent to the RMB, which meant...

Li Ming took a deep breath. The Federation's logistics system was very complex; on average, every member state had its own system, and there was a tax checkpoint for every border crossed, which also indirectly increased prices.

"Do you know what I thought of when I heard those figures from you?"

"What was it?"

"A five-hundred-thousand-mark loaf of bread."

"Hmm..." Squeezing the steering wheel, Strasbourg narrowed her eyes and thought. "It really is quite similar."

Taking a deep breath, Li Ming watched as buildings passed behind him one after another, and then with a turn, they pulled into a parking lot.

"We're here, Commander."

Li Ming opened the door, jumped out of the car, and straightened his clothes.

With his dao at his waist, Li Ming turned back and saw Strasbourg, who had finished parking, walking up to him and reaching out her hand. "Commander, shall we go?"

After a moment's hesitation, Li Ming still took her hand and followed her toward the mall.

In the mall, those prying gazes seemed to vanish into thin air.

There were far fewer people compared to the large malls and commercial streets in his memory, but it was understandable; after all, Huaxia was a country with a massive population...

But this city was estimated to have over twenty million people, twice that of Hangzhou, equivalent to a Shanghai.

Bizarre. Not just this place, Strasbourg wasn't quite right either.

First, they bought the necessary ingredients and seasonings, as well as a whole set of gaming equipment for Vida.

Strasbourg put the purchased items into her rigging space, and then...

"Commander, could you accompany me for a bit more window shopping?"

"...With pleasure."

Li Ming might lack experience, but that didn't mean he was brainless.

This was the most prosperous mall in the vicinity; Strasbourg bringing him here was nine times out of ten because she wanted to hang out with him.

Strasbourg, like her older sister Dunkerque, was a perfect clothes horse.

"Tsk, Remnant..."

Although the clothing store proprietress looked at him with strange eyes, it was clear that Strasbourg's offensive was the most important thing right now.

"Commander? Are you still watching?"

"I am, I am..."

He didn't really have aesthetic fatigue, but the French girls certainly had many tricks up their sleeves.

JK uniforms, sailor suits, maid outfits, professional attire...

If this continued, they'd be heading into an adult store! Dame!

Fortunately, Strasbourg showed mercy. Seeing that Li Ming's thoughts had already strayed, she simply paid for all the clothes she had tried on, and even the proprietress's gaze toward Li Ming became a bit clearer.

"Is that a Ship Girl? So rich..."

The proprietress sighed as she looked at the back of the person who had just paid in full with a credit card.

Led out of the mall by Strasbourg, Li Ming avoided the questioning gazes of the mall guards and chose to keep up with Strasbourg's pace.

If nothing else happened, Li Ming estimated he would be following Strasbourg around trying to find some ambiguity until bedtime.

But unfortunately, Dunkerque was still waiting on the ship.

Strasbourg looked at Li Ming, who was slumped in the passenger seat; he was already prepared for motion sickness.

"Commander, shall we come again next time?"

"Next time... sure." Li Ming didn't choose to refuse. "By the way, what are your plans for later? Will you keep running the shop?"

"What does the Commander think?"

"I naturally don't want you guys to be outside all the time, but..."

His dormitory at the academy was only so big—five rooms and a living room plus a balcony, kitchen, and bathroom. Once there were too many people, they really wouldn't fit.

"Then let's keep the shop open for now," Strasbourg said, holding the steering wheel with one hand. "It won't be too late to close it once you graduate."

"That works too."

The car drove forward, passing over a railway bridge.

A train puffed black smoke as it passed overhead. Through the light, Li Ming could see some people sitting or lying under the bridge.

Back where he was from, people would rarely stay under bridge tunnels for long, let alone with quilts or sleeping bags as some of them seemed to have.

Withdrawing his gaze, Li Ming turned to look at Strasbourg's profile.

At least the Ship Girl Bureau had a safety net mechanism, so everyone shouldn't have too many problems. Moreover, their search efficiency for the main force should be much higher than his own.

After all, Logic was still limited by local equipment.

The road ahead is long and difficult...

By the way, I wonder how things are over at Plata Port? I hope Fujian has fully received the summary archives sent by Logic.

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