Shipgirls weren't some ascetic saints without desire. All living beings need something to live for—and for shipgirls, who exist based on obsession and bonds, this was even more true.
Yamato felt that if she kept eating much longer, Yat Sen's cooking might just replace "world peace" as her greatest purpose in life.
While her mind wasn't entirely overrun by fish sashimi yet, Yamato raised her guard. "What do you want?"
Her expression was wary, but her hands hadn't stopped moving, her cheeks stuffed full. The plate of sashimi was already nearly gone.
She looked both ridiculous and kind of adorable.
Hikaru didn't hide anything. He answered plainly, "Trade. I want to establish an economic and commercial partnership between my base and the Shipgirl Headquarters. Everything—from food, seasonings, and building materials to fuel, ammo, steel, aluminum, weapons, and even art pieces—should go on the trade list."
Yamato blinked. "What do you need art for?"
Naturally, to raise his base's ranking. Hikaru thought to himself, if he wanted to reach the level of a "Brilliant Radiant Naval Base," then hardware wasn't enough—he needed cultural and soft power too.
Art should at least boost the "culture and arts" score a little.
Of course, there was no way he'd say that out loud to Yamato, so he simply asked, "So, do you agree or not?"
Yamato slowed her eating and frowned. "We're not going to sell you strategic weapons like nuclear submarines or thermobaric bombs."
"Ah, I see." Hikaru pretended to look troubled. "Then I'd like to see more favorable terms in other areas."
Naturally, he was just putting on an act. What would he even do with a nuclear sub? Useless and a waste of space.
If he really wanted to boost combat strength, he'd be better off doing more missions and summoning a high-level shipgirl. One of them was worth more than a dozen nuclear subs.
A shipgirl could talk, laugh, and even hug. A cold, silent nuclear sub? No thanks.
But that's how negotiations worked—open big, settle lower. By letting Yamato be the one to suggest cutting the strategic items, he'd taken the initiative in other areas.
Seeing that Hikaru wasn't hung up on sensitive equipment, Yamato nodded. "Then in principle, this trade agreement can go through."
The two exchanged a glance and smiled.
Hikaru's smile was obvious. He couldn't possibly create a full-scale industrial and agricultural system on his own. Trade was necessary.
Yamato's smile came from the heart as well. One of her missions on this trip was to establish close ties with Hikaru's base—ideally, even absorb it entirely.
But she couldn't propose that directly. A bit of probing here and there would do. If she came out too bluntly, Hikaru might think Headquarters was trying to take over and start doubting the foundation of their cooperation.
Besides, direct annexation might not be as effective as tying him down through shared benefits.
Trade didn't mean much to Yamato herself. She squinted and said, "If we're doing commerce, the sea route from the Shipgirl Branch to your base is quite long. We'll need escorts for the trade goods. What about a defense partnership?"
This—was her real goal.
There was no closer connection than a military alliance, and defense cooperation was the first step.
Hikaru was a bit hesitant.
"In the early phase, the trade volume won't be large. One ship could probably carry it all. I could send one or two shipgirls to protect it—it should be enough for now. Let's talk defense cooperation later."
Yamato wanted to press the issue while the iron was hot. With the massive Abyssal force gathering in the north, she had a perfect angle.
"I'm proposing this as an official aid plan from Shipgirl Headquarters. You know how it is—new bases always face major battles early on. When I passed through the north, I saw no less than 300,000 Abyssal shipgirls gathering. That number is only going to grow. Your base alone won't survive that."
If Yamato were to describe the northern Abyssal force, she'd say the heavens were lending her a hand.
The scale of Hikaru's base-establishing battle was absurd—even Yamato was shocked. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd accidentally provoked some major Abyssal stronghold.
No matter how strong his shipgirls were, a handful couldn't possibly hold out against hundreds of thousands of Abyssals. A single mistake, and it'd all fall apart—who knew how many enemy flagships were among them?
That's why Yamato saw this as the perfect moment to extend a helping hand—offering charcoal in the snow, so to speak.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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