71: Chapter 71 Lighthouse

After taking a tour with Fujian, the Industrial Zone and the docks were both astonishing.

Although they hadn't successfully found the true leader of "Horizons Edge" that day, everyone had gained enough information.

Over the past month, thanks to the Dolphin messenger's constant travels, Li Ming had also figured out many technical details visible on the Federation's surface.

For example, magic metal smelting.

When Li Ming heard that their method of turning iron ore into iron was "using magic to separately precipitate useless impurities and desired impurities from the ore"—a method full of Greenskin-like "I fink" power—he felt as if his cerebral cortex was being gently smoothed out.

Then he looked at his own Molecular Assembler.

Well, theirs was still too normal; at least logically it could be called "technology with characteristics developed in conjunction with the local environment," while his was pure, beyond-generational sci-fi.

So, after discussing it with Fujian, it was decided that except for the core area of the Molecular Assembler, the assembly and other production processes could be visited.

Verres gave this a very high positive evaluation; after all, judging by the assembly status at the shipyard, Horizons Edge's industrial capacity had undergone at least two years of development.

However, the base as a whole had not existed for two years, so their industrial expansion capability must exceed her own understanding, yet theoretically, it should be extremely limited.

The island itself was the greatest constraint on development.

But even so, Fujian's intent to cooperate remained very strong.

Her authority seemed unimaginably vast; she might be this leader's...

She remembered the ring on Fujian's middle finger; could she be this leader's fiancée?

But this leader had never been present; although understandable, there was no doubt that some of her questions could only be answered after meeting him.

Finn had been constantly requesting to meet that "Commander Lin," while the Ship Girls' attitudes here were somewhat ambiguous, which in itself spoke volumes.

Their Commander must be the same person; without a doubt, a vanguard fleet Commander wouldn't require such behavior from them.

Moreover, as the leader of a maritime power with a very limited number of humans, yet the fleet's flagship and the Ship Girls' flagships were all here...

Then what about you, Mr. "Lin Yuming"?

Fujian provided them with peripheral accommodations and did not restrict their movements, including providing contact methods via internal landline telephones.

Although the meals here were excellent and the living environment and electronic entertainment were well-provided, Verres's mind was not on those things.

She planned to go out and take a look.

On the shore far from the mainland, there was no atmospheric or marine pollution; the seawater was blue, the setting sun dyed the sky red, and a flock of seabirds was flying in the sky.

Two battlecruisers lay quietly at the pier. That "Admiral-class" ship was docked next to the lighthouse like a sleeping giant.

The lighthouse had already turned on its light, and before long, the streetlights were also lit.

"Tonight should be good weather for stargazing," Verres thought.

Setting out with the evening breeze, she left the built-up area and came to a beach that hadn't been developed much yet.

She saw a small pile of sand that had been heaped up, and... a short section of a trench?

It felt somewhat out of place; she walked over and jumped into the trench. It was quite well-dug, better than those dug by some armies, just too short.

She climbed out and looked around; the lighthouse was not far away, and the outer harbor required walking a bit further ahead.

Taking off her white lab coat, she revealed a neat white women's blouse and a short skirt underneath her outer garment.

Her high-heeled leather boots were somewhat inconvenient on the beach, so she took them off; through her socks, the sensation of the sand suddenly felt unfamiliar.

How long had it been since she had walked on a beach like this?

A long time; it seemed she hadn't since she left the front-line Knight Order (Grand Fleet) organization to work at the General Bureau.

Oh, is there a stone path on the beach?

Someone was quite thoughtful.

Walking along the stone path toward the lighthouse, the lighthouse also looked as if it had never weathered any storms.

After a short walk, she arrived at the concrete ground near the lighthouse. The sun had sunk a bit further, but the light seemed even brighter.

The orange light of the sunset shone on her face; she looked at her feet.

Her socks were covered in sand; she decided not to put her shoes back on, as that would be uncomfortable.

She simply continued walking forward barefoot; if she could go up the lighthouse, perhaps she could see the full view of this place clearly.

The massive battlecruiser blocked the sunset's rays; from this perspective, the battlecruiser with hull number 1001 was beautiful, like a work of art.

Looking closely, her gaze traveled from the bow all the way to the stern.

Only then did she see that behind the lighthouse, which had been obscured from her view by the battlecruiser's massive hull, two figures—one tall and one short—were standing there.

The setting sun shone on their shadows, stretching them very, very long.

She walked over quietly; the taller boy was sitting on the breakwater facing sideways to her, looking as if he were... simply dazing out. The metal corners of his glasses reflected a bit of light into her eyes, making it hard for her to see his face clearly.

The smaller girl's tail flicked, then she turned her head to glance at her before returning to her original posture, continuing to stand beside the boy, though she kept watching her out of the corner of her eye.

A Chizuru? Or just something similar?

Verres didn't know, but she stepped forward anyway.

Sitting down beside Li Ming, she realized he was absent-minded, lost in thought.

"Hello?" she spoke tentatively.

"Hmm?"

Only then did Li Ming realize a girl had suddenly appeared beside him; he was wearing headphones and playing music, noticing nothing, including A6, who was originally following Z23 when she left.

He looked to both sides, then fished out his phone to turn off the music. "Hello."

He naturally knew she was a member of the Ship Girl delegation, and even knew her name and what she did. Fujian had naturally briefed him after their conversation.

Then he pulled A6 over, had her sit down with them, and rubbed her head.

Because someone else was there, A6 just silently held her hairclip and said nothing.

Verres quietly watched the interaction between the two, feeling somewhat emotional.

He's even younger than I imagined.

She had naturally seen the reconstructed portraits, but Li Ming was still unexpectedly young. Olena remembered clearly; he was indeed a young fellow.

"Um... can we talk?" Verres asked. "There are some questions I hope you can answer."

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