149: Chapter 149 Authorization

Edenia.

A city bathed in light.

"I'm back again."

Looking at the busy docks, the domes of the cathedrals and palaces, and the artificial waterways stretching in all directions.

It was still the same as ever.

"What a nauseating place..."

Kano's face twisted for a moment before returning to normal.

The Minister was still waiting for her.

She quickly crossed the waterways and arrived at the main entrance of the Ship Girl General Bureau.

Greeting everyone with a smile, she then stepped into the elevator.

"Minister—I'm back!"

"Kano!!!"

Coffee was spilled all over the documents.

Kano developed a bump on her head and crouched down, holding her head in defense.

Verres tidied the documents helplessly. "How old are you now? Can you stop being so boisterous?"

"Hehe..."

"I've heard about what happened. How have these past few days been? Commander Li Ming didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"

"No," Kano rubbed her head, "Commander Li Ming is actually a pretty good person."

"A good person?" Verres looked up. "That's rare. I haven't heard you use that phrase in a long time."

"Eh? Is that so?"

"Didn't you used to complain every day that the people I sent you to deal with were all a massive pain in the neck?"

"Was... was I?" Kano broke into a cold sweat.

"Alright, why the sudden tension?" Verres finished tidying up and finally stood up. "This past week or so without work must have been very comfortable, right?"

"Uh, it was..." Kano felt a bit guilty. Although she was technically caught in the middle, Li Ming hadn't made things hard for her at all. He would notify her directly if there were any issues, saving her a lot of trouble...

But while our dear Minister was working diligently, she had just been lounging around in Li Ming's dormitory.

"Alright, I didn't call you back to make you work overtime," Verres said with a chuckle. "The reason I called you back this time is to transfer your file to the Oronia Branch."

"Eh?" Kano was stunned. Did the Minister not want her anymore?

"After all, keeping an eye on him is a long-term mission, and..."

And Verres remembered exactly how much Kano had contributed over these ten years.

Verres was the top diplomat of the Ship Girl Bureau. Whether it was communicating with the Imperial Ship Girl Bureau or the nobles and archdukes of various domestic states, she was required to participate—after all, theoretically, the leaders of each state were of equal rank, and those nobles or big bosses held the reins of their local regions. If they weren't kept happy, much of the work would be difficult to carry out.

So, while she was away, who handled the Bureau's internal affairs for her?

Kano.

Initially, she thought it was a good thing; every time Kano returned from an assignment, she seemed more mature and experienced, but...

Verres remembered that when she first met her, she thought she was taking a troublemaker into her team, only to find a little girl crying in a corner after being scolded by the logistics manager at the time.

Who would have thought she would turn out like this?

"Besides, it wouldn't be right to never give you a vacation, would it?" Verres smiled gently. "You've been soaked in this place for nearly ten years. I don't believe for a second that you don't want to leave."

"Ahaha, is that so?" Kano laughed dryly and scratched the back of her head. "Minister... can you finish everything yourself?"

"Don't worry, go in peace."

"Oh, oh..." Kano gave a silly grin. "Then I'll be going?"

"Before you go, how about helping me finish today's work? Consider it compensation for spilling my coffee?" Verres's smile gradually turned mischievous.

"Eh?!"

*Knock, knock, knock.*

"Come in!" Verres instantly straightened her expression as she watched the door open.

It was a young Ship Girl from the Logistics Department. "Minister Verres, there's a package for you?"

"A package?" Verres was surprised; she hadn't bought anything or received any prior notice of a delivery. "Give it to me, thank you."

Watching the young Ship Girl leave, Verres glanced at the information on the package.

Federal Ship Girl Bureau, Horizons Edge Plata Port Office.

Plata Port?

That shouldn't be right. Isn't the routine information exchange scheduled for October? So what is this?

She quickly opened the package and found a locked box inside.

She tilted her head.

Oh, a file folder fell out from underneath, with 'To Ms. Verres' written on it.

The sender was Fujian, but the prefix read 'Head of Combat Command and Foreign Affairs, Horizons Edge.'

Setting the somewhat heavy box aside, Verres opened the file folder; there were only a few thin pages inside.

Puzzled, Verres began to examine the contents of the documents.

"type 1000 freighter... a shipwreck?" Verres looked at the photos. They were clearly undersea images that had been enhanced through technical means; a shipwreck she was very familiar with appeared in the attached photos.

This document was a detailed inspection report, hmm...

Scuttled by opening the sea valves? No remains of any crew members found?

Within the Horizons Edge region? The timing was before the establishment of the Horizons Edge outpost?

More than ten similar ships were discovered successively within the Horizons Edge jurisdiction, and the estimated sinking times were quite linear?

"Kano, put the documents you have aside for a moment." Verres stood up again. "Go to the Logistics Department and ask how the items from Plata Port were delivered. At the same time, inquire about the logistics movements of all personnel-carrying type 1000 freighters... then meet me directly at the Director's office."

The type 1000 freighter was a cheap but quite poorly designed model; however, because of its low price and ease of production, it was still used in large quantities.

The personnel-carrying variant was a less common model, primarily used for troop transport in the early days and later sold to various states due to aging. Since they had registration numbers, the Ship Girl Bureau could generally find the ships' locations if they really looked.

"Oh, okay!"

Kano immediately got up to get to work.

Verres took the documents and followed behind her. Waiting for another elevator, she went to the top floor and arrived at the Director's office.

"Good morning~ what brings you to see me so early?" Aussie was still slumped in her chair, feeling drowsy, and asked in a soft, muddled voice as she saw her enter.

"See for yourself. This was just sent from Plata Port." Verres placed the documents and pictures on her desk.

"What's wrong..."

Aussie picked up the documents, struggling to sit up. "It's just a shipwreck... where did you say this came from?"

"Horizons Edge."

Aussie perked up, read through it carefully, and then fell into deep thought.

After a long while, she finally asked, "Have you checked the information yet?"

"I sent Kano to check; she'll be here to report soon."

"Very well. You want me to give you combat authorization?"

"Exactly."

"Fine." Aussie narrowed her eyes. "I authorize you to form an Intervention Squad. Find out exactly what they are up to."

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