vncnus Chapter 37 A Question! Are you my master?
Chapter 37 A Question! Are you my master?
Central London, UK.
Following the portal opened by the Minotaur Mage, Hanlu easily arrived on the other side of the ocean.
The city before me was dilapidated and desolate, with hordes of zombies emerging from the ruins every now and then. Their disgusting appearance also revealed a desolation unique to the apocalypse.
But none of that matters.
What truly caught Hanlu's attention was the massive light cruiser not far away, measuring 186 meters in length and displacing 11000 tons. It was equipped with armor capable of withstanding 203mm naval guns, and its hull was also fitted with 12 152mm cannons. Even though it was covered in dust and rust, its former grandeur was still evident.
The cold dew gently caressed the rusty hull. After all, five years had passed, and without maintenance, steel would inevitably bear the marks of time.
An elderly man stood beside him, gazing nostalgically at the ship that had once fought alongside him.
For the navy, every warship that has served is a treasure that needs to be carefully protected. They can come up with hundreds of words to describe the magnificence and splendor of these steel battle lines.
Hanlu turned around and looked at the retired navy man named Paul.
He didn't know how the other person had survived the apocalypse, but when the old man raised his wrinkled hands and said he wanted to join the war, Hanlu was indeed moved by his courage.
However, the focus right now is on the other party's experience of "serving in the Royal Navy"—which immediately reminded him of a certain four-character game that focuses on anthropomorphizing ships.
Well, given that he doesn't have many special creations at hand and can't conjure everything he needs out of thin air, he has to rely on real-world mediums, such as the warship in front of him.
First, let's return to the same question!
His ability is not created out of thin air, but requires a medium as an important support. Moreover, the larger the proportion of this medium, the easier it is to convert.
Just like this stone, the cold dew can turn it into a round shape, a square shape, or even make it bigger. And if you want to turn it from a stone into glass, that's not impossible either, it just takes a little effort. But if you want to directly turn this stone into a divine stone that can give birth to Sun Wukong, that's complete nonsense!
With the existing system of 12 talismans and cosmic energy, he doesn't actually have many helpers to choose from.
Moreover, theoretically speaking, creating such a "ship girl" does not require too many conditions. All you need is a matching warship and enough of your own impression of it.
So he came, for the maid who had almost become a "regular in doujinshi".
Hanlu wasn't exactly a stranger to her; at least he could describe her appearance. But as for the inner "core"... he hadn't played the game's deeper content.
Just kidding, he's been a captain, a pioneer, and even a traveler for a while, but he only played the "commander" role for a short time before quitting.
So it's no wonder he only had a superficial understanding of the details.
After a moment of reflection, Hanlu placed her hand on the massive warship.
In an instant, a soft white light spread from his palm, quickly transforming into a huge white sphere that completely engulfed the entire steel warship, forming an oval-shaped sphere that looked like a dream in the dilapidated port.
Like the moment a butterfly emerges from its cocoon, the white light gradually contracts and converges, eventually condensing into a human-shaped outline in the face of the cold dew.
When the woman with waist-length white hair, dressed in a maid's outfit, appeared before her, Hanlu knew that everything had succeeded.
Feeling the last bit of modifying power remaining in his body, he took a deep breath and looked at the "perfect creation" he had made.
Paul, standing to the side, was utterly dumbfounded; no amount of words could describe the wonder of what he was witnessing.
This was once a warship that stood shoulder to shoulder with me, and now it has been transformed into such a magnificent form.
Hanlu gently patted the old man's shoulder, then looked at the maid in front of her, who had her small hands, clasped in white silk gloves, folded in front of her and had a gentle expression.
"Wake up, Belfast."
The woman slowly opened her bright purple eyes, her expression a mixture of bewilderment and confusion, as if she were just waking from a dream.
Her first words completely baffled Hanlu.
"Excuse me, are you my master?"
Speechless during the Cold Dew season.
Wait a minute, even though this is Great Britain, it shouldn't be like this...
His speechless appearance amused the woman in front of him.
She raised her small hand and gently covered her mouth and nose, her laughter as clear and melodious as silver bells.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Creator."
She explained with a laugh, "When you created me, I seem to have inadvertently absorbed some of your knowledge—especially the games you played. I guess you might prefer the title 'Captain'?"
Well, okay, all I can say is that Hanlu's "standard understanding" of maids comes entirely from the games she's played, and since the main focus is still on miHoYo, her biggest impression comes from a certain "sexy" Herrscher.
Therefore, it seems reasonable for Belfast to act a little bolder at this moment.
After all, he has never played Azur Lane, let alone drawn this character. His impression of her comes from some videos, okay?
However… Hanlu was still taken aback when she heard how the other person addressed her.
Although the other side is a ship girl, and I have played games related to "captains", I am not the "commander" of this ship after all.
Never mind, that's good enough.
"Belfast, do...do you remember me?"
Paul spoke tremulously, his voice filled with excitement.
He witnessed the "miracle" firsthand, watching the warships he had fought alongside transform into what lay before him. His heart was filled with mixed emotions, and a strange, inexplicable feeling of unease.
Especially when she saw the other person smiling at Hanlu, she felt a vague sense of being "caught in the crossfire".
Belfast gave him a gentle smile: "Don't worry, Paul. I remember you, I remember how you wiped my cannon barrel back then."
But those decades of naval service feel more like an ancient memory to me.
I'm sorry, I can't give you much of a response, because from this moment on, I belong only to the captain.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's already very good." Paul quickly waved his hand, his eyes showing disappointment but more relief.
Hanlu gently patted Paul on the shoulder and sent the old man back to the Raft Prison through the portal.
"Let's go." He turned to Belfast. "Since you still retain the memories of those years, you should understand your current situation."
I hope your cannons can once again roar for humanity and for justice.
Hanlu extended her palm to her.
Belfast naturally didn't refuse and gently placed her little hand into his palm.
The moment the two clasped hands, as if by telepathy, they stepped together into the next portal and arrived at a port in the Pacific Ocean.
In the harbor, a massive aircraft carrier, over 300 meters long and weighing more than 10 tons, lies half-submerged in the water, its hull bearing the marks of time and war.
Belfast followed Hanlu, gently stroking the ship's hull beneath her feet, and asked softly, "While I do have many connections to it, I wonder, can they truly be considered 'the same'?"
Hanlu looked at the towering island superstructure in front of her, a troubled expression on her face.
He knew even less about this legendary warship.
In this day and age, it is not easy to find a warship that is similar to it—the Belfast was able to succeed partly because of the overlap between the place name and the ship name.
But the ship in front of us was dismantled before the end of World War II; what we have now is just a replica that has inherited the name.
"Never mind, it's all the same." Hanlu took a deep breath, her eyes hardening again. "Let's give it a try."
He placed his hand on the hull of the aircraft carrier again, and the cosmic energy within his body began to surge.
This time, the white light spread more slowly. After all, the 10-ton size far exceeded that of the previous light cruiser, and the energy required for conversion also increased exponentially!
Belfast stood aside, watching quietly as the white light gradually enveloped the massive ship, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
Time passed slowly, and the oval-shaped sphere of light gradually took shape on the sea surface. It was several times larger than it had been in the port of London, and its light was even more dazzling, making the surrounding seawater shimmer with white light.
The process of the light sphere shrinking was exceptionally long, as if it were meticulously sculpting every detail.
When the light finally faded, a woman in a dark blue naval uniform appeared before the two of them—her long silver-gray hair was neatly tied back, her eyes under the brim of her hat were as sharp as an eagle's, and the officer's epaulets on her shoulders gleamed in the sunlight. She exuded the unique composure and domineering aura of the "Grey Ghost".
She opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Hanlu and Belfast before finally settling on Hanlu. She raised her hand in a crisp military salute, her voice clear and strong: "Captain, Enterprise reporting for duty!"
Hanlu looked at the Enterprise in front of her, then at Belfast smiling beside her, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Whether it's the "original" or not, at least they have one more partner to fight alongside.