My ship girl setup is off...

Page 118

“Darling, we’re not old-fashioned. As a ship, we must embrace new technological advancements; they’re what make us better. As for classic musicals, while they might be a bit nostalgic, we can’t be conservative. So, this is the best approach.”

"Ah, I've said too much, sorry, darling. I won't say anything more now, just watch. By the way, actually, Littorio has a bit of a fondness for the classical style."

Realizing she had said too much and disturbed his viewing experience, Veneto waved her hand to apologize. Then, as if remembering something, she quietly revealed some of her sister Littorio's preferences to him, but Littorio overheard her.

“Veneto, it’s not good to reveal personal information, especially mine. But... I’m still looking forward to what gift my darling will prepare for me when she brings me back.”

Littorio raised an eyebrow slightly, speaking with a hint of unease but not of being bothered, and then turned to wink at Jung-il, giving him a suggestive look.

"...good"

Zheng Ri nodded and then watched Garibaldi's performance. However, Garibaldi's solo dance had already ended, and Leonardo da Vinci's Little Swan was about to begin.

Compared to Garibaldi's solo dance in the night sky, Leonardo da Vinci's appearance is more like a beautiful scene from Alice's Wonderland, with lush green lakeside trees growing and beautiful roses twining around them, plus the scene of two deer drinking water in the shallow lake.

Bathed in the warm, orange-green light coming from behind, and dressed in a...

Da Vinci, dressed in a red dress, is more like a spirit of nature than a swan, evoking feelings of beauty, warmth, and wonder.

"Master, is this kind of musical so captivating that you can watch it with your eyes glued to it?"

Marco Polo was curious as he kept staring at the performance on stage. At the same time, Marco Polo brought him some black tea. He was a little concerned about Marco Polo's unwavering gaze, since Garibaldi and Leonardo da Vinci were singing in Sardinian.

"Actually... I don't understand it, but even though I was told to watch it, I didn't see anything. But that doesn't stop me from appreciating it, you understand?"

With an awkward yet polite smile on her face, she accepted the black tea Marco Polo offered, took a slow sip, and uttered a leisurely remark that made Marco Polo chuckle.

"So you don't understand, Master. Well, that makes sense; pretending to understand when you don't is a skill in itself..."

"But shouldn't you look at me more than the musical, Master?"

After laughing for a while, Marco Polo took his hand and said something alluring, which made Zheng Ri turn his head to look at Marco Polo. Under the stage lights, Marco Polo's exquisite and charming beauty made Zheng Ri somewhat infatuated. If you looked more closely, you could see a blush on her alluring face.

"But I remember you were quite fond of things like power, weren't you?"

Zheng Ri naturally understood Marco Polo's direct implication, but her impression of him seemed more of a desire for and ambition for power.

As for her maid outfit, I bought it mainly because it looked nice.

Marco Polo gave a slight "yee" at Zheng Ri's words, then a slightly helpless expression appeared on his face before he explained properly:

Is it possible, I mean, is it possible, that my desire for power is no less than my love for you? My love for you and my desire to spread the glory of Sardinia are not contradictory?

Then Marco Polo leaned close to his ear and tempted him to say:

"Furthermore, haven't you ever thought about spreading your will? For example, taking over Sakura Empire, North Korea, and South Korea, and building the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?"

"...I had thought about it before, but not anymore. I just want to start the event. Besides, many of my current marriage ships are from Sakura Empire, so I can't bring myself to do something like that."

"And you're tempting me, aren't you?"

Admittedly, when Marco Polo said these words to him, Zheng Ri was somewhat moved, but that feeling quickly vanished, and nothing more.

It's only because life was too sweet before that people think that way. Now that everyone is living a petit-bourgeois life, who would think so much?

Furthermore, they couldn't possibly build a marriage ship to marry the Sakura Empire's ship and then bomb the place they once lived on. At least, Japan couldn't do that.

"Hmm? You guessed it. That's what I was thinking too, but since you've already said so..."

Seeing that Zheng Ri had turned to look at him, Marco Polo sincerely expressed his thoughts, but Zheng Ri would not let go of this alluring maid so easily.

So Zhengri reached into her southern hemisphere and gave it a squeeze.

"ah?!"

Chapter 320 The Dance Drama Ends

"You! What are you doing? Let go!"

Marco Polo, who had never seen his right hand act so boldly before, showed a look of panic and embarrassment. He grabbed the man's hand with both of his to pull his claws away from his chest, while pleading with him to stop.

However, judging from the strength with which Marco Polo gripped his hand, he had no intention of breaking free.

"Isn't that punishment for the maid who seduced me? Who gave you the right to say those things to me?"

Seeing Marco Polo's anxiety, Zheng Ri wore a mischievous smile and continued his actions, which made Marco Polo's face turn even redder. Even in the dim light, the blush on her charming face could be seen.

"I...I'm not a professional maid! I'm going to get angry if you keep doing this!...Please, at least not here..."

After struggling for a while, Marco Polo gave up resisting. His wine-red eyes were already misty, and his gaze towards him was watery. In the end, he could only tell him not to stay there...

"Just a lesson learned. Alright, time for the opera. They've changed performers again so quickly? This time it's... Rome?"

After retracting his misbehaving left hand, Zheng Ri looked back at the stage, only to find that the person on stage had changed. Da Vinci had moved backstage, and the ship girl dancing and singing now was Rome.

As if a special effect were changing, a blue-white swan emerged from a magic mirror covered in lace. Under the light of the crescent moon, it gradually transformed into a Roman swan with a skirt, then quickly stood up and spun around, making her luxurious and beautiful dress flutter.

Stretching out her long legs adorned with gold back rings, she slowly lowered her body, then let out a beautiful voice from her throat, swaying her limbs and hair, dancing her unique dance and beauty on a broken stage that resembled a prison.

Like a white swan that can only transform into a human at midnight, blooming for a fleeting moment.

After turning his gaze to the stage, Marco Polo, who had stopped actively being harassed, felt a bit conflicted. To be honest, he had just arrived...

Although I was somewhat reluctant to resist, I was generally willing to do so.

But now he has stopped again, feeling as if he has lost something that could have filled him up, and inevitably feels a sense of emptiness.

I'm afraid he won't come, but I'm also afraid he'll cause trouble.

Of course, compared to Marco Polo, whose feelings were somewhat complicated, Rome, who was dancing and singing on the stage, had a slight smile of satisfaction on her beautiful face.

After all, preparing a musical for someone you like is a time-consuming and laborious thing. What's more, he was flirting with Marco Polo dressed as a maid next to him before even watching the performance. It would be a lie to say that Rome wasn't angry. Anyone would find it hard to accept.

Now that his gaze is seriously fixed on him, Roma naturally smiles and puts on an even more energetic performance.

Soon, Rome finished performing her Midnight Swan Opera, which was unique to her. Just as Zheng Ri was about to clap his hands, Veneto, who had noticed this scene, stopped him.

"Honey, don't worry, there's more to come."

"There's more? Didn't you already finish dancing?"

"No, there's still the final musical number. Don't rush, keep watching."

Seeing the bewilderment on his face, Veneto gave a mysterious smile, put a finger to his lips, and told him to wait patiently and watch.

Seeing this, Zheng Ri also lowered his hand that was about to clap and watched the performance seriously. Just as Veneto had said, after Rome finished dancing and singing, the special effects lights on the stage gradually disappeared, and then a spotlight appeared, covering the entire Rome.

Rome stood waiting, and in less than ten seconds, Garibaldi and Leonardo da Vinci came out in dance steps, one on the left and one on the right, to Rome's side. Then the special effects lights came on again, this time for a joint performance by the three of them.

The collaboration between Garibaldi and Leonardo da Vinci complemented the performance in Rome, drawing all eyes to her. At that moment, she was like a radiant and noble swan, stretching her fair neck, her beautiful voice flowing from her throat, one note after another, leading to the climax.

However, the final musical number was short, lasting less than two minutes before it ended. Rome, holding hands with Garibaldi and Leonardo da Vinci, bowed to the audience as a performer, thanking his companions and loved ones for their support.

Naturally, Veneto and others did not hesitate to applaud and give them the applause they deserved.

"Commander! Don't you think the musical I prepared for you is great? Let me tell you, I wrote all the special effects and lighting design! It took me a lot of time; I can draw at least a dozen related design sketches!"

After the applause ended, Leonardo da Vinci jumped off the stage and rushed to Zheng Ri's side. He lay on top of him, pointing with his fingers and telling him how much effort he had put in.

They're really just here to claim credit and rewards.

"Great! Very good! Excellent! Your dance was beautiful, and your singing was wonderful. The only downside is that I can't understand it. That's all."

As he stroked Leonardo da Vinci's golden hair, thinking that this golden retriever wasn't arrogant at all, he bluntly expressed his thoughts.

It has no flaws. The only downside is that I didn't understand it, so it was a waste of time listening to it, but the singing is really beautiful.

You can hear the emotions in their voice.

"Wait! Wait a minute! Honey, are you saying you don't understand? Then what you just said..."

Zheng Ri's words made Veneto frown, his face showing a wise doubt and a seemingly foolish expression. He had just seen his lover looking so intently and thought he understood, but it turned out he didn't.

"Actually, even though I don't understand it, I can still appreciate it. For example..."

As he spoke, Zheng Ri looked down at Da Vinci's exposed lower abdomen and inner breasts, which had a healthy and alluring color, and couldn't help but nod. Da Vinci's face turned slightly red, and he didn't know whether he should cover his chest or not. In the end, he chose not to cover it.

Anyway, we'll have to be honest with each other at the bathhouse eventually, it'll be the same sooner or later.

"Don't you understand? Veneto?"

Rome, who was approaching leisurely, heard what he said and then turned his attention to Veneto, who was the chief planner of this musical. Veneto gave an awkward but polite smile.

"Actually... even if you don't understand... the Commander can still... appreciate it, right?"

Chapter 321 The Hermit Who Adds Money

"Sorry, Rome, I forgot the commander doesn't understand..."

"To be precise, the person you need to apologize to isn't me, but him."

Afterwards, Veneto, who had ignored the fact that Zheng Ri couldn't understand the questions, apologized to Rome. He hadn't expected that after thinking so much, he would forget such an important thing.

However, Roma, who was sitting on Zheng Ri, did not accept her apology. Instead, he made her apologize to the commander, who, in principle, was the only victim.

"It's okay, Rome, VV. Even though I couldn't understand it, I still thought it was great. At least your dance was beautiful, your singing was lovely, and the special effects were amazing."

Holding Roma's delicate body in his arms, he looked at her with an apologetic expression.

VV, who was in the mood, defended her, saying it didn't matter if she didn't understand, as long as it sounded nice.

It's the same with listening to Japanese songs; you can't understand most of them, but you still love listening to them.

"Honey, I'm glad you don't mind."

Feeling the disapproving gazes from Rome, Veneto didn't know what to say. In general, it was his own oversight. When the commander was present, he always spoke the language he understood, but when the commander wasn't around, he often spoke his own language. As a result, he forgot about this when making arrangements.

Fortunately, he didn't mind.

"I don't mind, okay, let's not talk about that. More than that, I'd like to know how long you've been rehearsing?"

Leaving that topic aside, Zheng Ri looked at Roma in his arms. She was still wearing her performance costume, and after singing and dancing on stage, her fair and pink skin was covered with a light sheen of sweat. A gentle sniff revealed the fragrance emanating from her body.

Of course, there's also the northern hemisphere of her chest. If I were alone with her right now, I would definitely help her relax and relieve her shoulders from all that fatigue.

"Rehearsal time? It's just during my free time, but the way you look at me... could it be that you've already succumbed to the allure of Rome?"

Roma turned her head, a smile curving her beautiful lips, her beautiful heterochromatic eyes slightly narrowed, feeling a unique satisfaction at his rather impolite gaze.

If, as a dancer, his straightforward, praising gaze could be interpreted as encouragement from the audience, then it wasn't. He saw a different kind of desire in the eyes directed at him—possessiveness, liking, complex and ever-changing, yet all of which brought him immense joy.

"To be precise, I'm attracted to each and every one of you, including you, Rome."

Rome's words naturally attracted the attention of the other ship girls. Under their meaningful gazes, Masahi chose to follow his heart and bluntly told her that he liked all mature women equally.

Those who favored the young were to be exiled to Shale.

"While it's certainly good to act in one's own best interest, kind words bring even more joy."

Rome heard his heartfelt words and felt no dissatisfaction. Everyone wants to hear nice things, and ship girls are no exception, so she let him say as much as he could.

"Next time for sure. So, are you going to take a bath in Rome for the rest of the time?"

"Of course, the best way to relieve fatigue after dancing is to take a bath, Littorio."

Zheng Ri's words earned Roma's approval, and they got on the right track. Then, Roma turned their attention to Littorio, since she was in charge of this task.

"Of course, no problem. With me, Littorio, here, everything will be fine. But Rome, do you want to be with your sweetheart?"

"Besides, this isn't a good time for a bath."

Littorio looked at the rising sun behind Rome, then back at her. If he could, what Littorio wanted to do now was to pull his beloved into the room, let her look at his collection, and then take a nap.

However, it seems there might be some difficulties at the moment?

"It's alright, consider it a small compensation for someone?"

Rome, of course, wouldn't let the day slip away so easily. They needed to prepare in advance to find a legitimate reason this time. So who knows when the next legitimate opportunity will come?

"Well, it seems there's no escaping it then. What a shame, darling, you missed the wonderful time of taking a nap with Littorio. But you did get to bathe with everyone."

"I must say, you've been blessed by a lucky woman, my dear."

Littorio spoke with feigned regret, but then his regret reversed, making Zheng Ri laugh. As long as he didn't lose out, that was fine.

"Taking a bath? I just took one this morning, will it be okay to take another one now...?"

Veneto frowned slightly as she spoke, then looked at Masaharu. It was fine for the ship girls to take a bath, but not for her beloved. Taking too much of a bath might cause some minor damage to his body.

"It's okay, my physical condition is actually much better now, and I didn't soak for very long this morning, did I?"

Under Veneto's worried gaze, Zheng Ri gently patted himself to indicate that he was in perfect condition. Just kidding, did you call that taking a bath in the morning? He was exercising in the water until he fainted, but his body still held up perfectly.

What Zheng Ri said turned the worry on Veneto's face into astonishment. He then nodded with a slight blush, after all, he and Littorio had both collapsed, but he was still normal.

"It seems that my dear is all set. So, what about the rest of you?"

"Wait, I mean, let him be with me, Leonardo da Vinci, and Garibaldi first."