How do I start a romantic relationship with a ship girl?

Page 22

He wanted to figure out his place.

"Okay, master."

Belfast made a mental note of everything, and then said goodbye after finishing preparing breakfast.

Xu Huan had thought that with so many demands, the other party would probably have to prepare for quite some time. He was planning to exercise, then go out for a walk to clear his head, and also to see what the so-called royal camp was really like, to make up for the sights he missed last night because it was too late.

But Belfast was much more efficient than expected. Less than half an hour later, she came back with a cart full of books and documents.

Xu Huan had just finished a simple strength training session and was resting with his eyes closed, sensing his physical condition. He was surprised to see Belfast move so quickly.

"So efficient? You must be exhausted."

"In the royal family, the master's orders are always the highest priority."

Belfast shook her head, quickly and efficiently tidied up some desks in the room, and after neatly arranging the documents and files according to their categories, she turned around and made Xu Huan a cup of hot tea.

The whole set of movements was smooth and effortless. Xu Huan didn't even have to do anything. After simply changing into clean clothes in the shower, he could start his work immediately.

No wonder people like to have a secretary...it really saves them a lot of trouble.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'll answer them for you," Belfast said with a smile as she watched Xu Huan sit down and stand respectfully to his side.

"Trouble..."

Xu Huan nodded and began to examine the books and materials Belfast had prepared for him.

It must be said that the information provided by the other party was very detailed and perfectly met the requirement of being mainly for popular science purposes; there was basically nothing that was difficult to understand.

As time passed, Xu Huan gained a better understanding of the planet he was currently on.

only...

"SOL3?"

The more Xu Huan looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. Wasn't this the home planet of the United Nations on Earth?

No, strictly speaking, it is the mother planet of all mankind.

Both the Earth Alliance and the Human Alliance are composed of humans, but they have very different ideologies.

Unlike the Earth Alliance, which claims to pursue freedom and is overly concerned with the well-being of alien races, the Human Alliance, to which Xu Huan belongs, is a militaristic state with high nationalistic sentiments, but it does not engage in authoritarianism, keeps slaves, and is more indifferent to other races.

A kind of "just the right amount of indifference".

Xu Huan didn't bother to think too much about the merits of their respective ideologies, but it was true that he had no fondness for non-humanoid creatures.

However, I recently heard that something seems to have happened on the Earth Alliance side as well. Apparently, a planet was blown up by a starfish, and it seems their ideology is shifting towards militarism...

The People's Federation has taken the lead in this regard, and the existence of starfish cans is strong evidence of this.

Flipping through history books and looking at these familiar events, Xu Huan became even more certain that the planet he was currently on was Earth.

However, it is somewhat different from Earth.

At least in his memory, the Earth Alliance, though somewhat... well, it wasn't so bad that it couldn't even handle a Siren and had to retreat inland to survive.

Furthermore, there are subtle differences in the timelines of the major events in the two cases.

According to this book, is it most likely a parallel universe?

Xu Huan put down his book and picked up another book related to ship girls and sirens to look at.

"Hmm...it seems he's not as weak as I thought."

Humans on this planet also put up a fierce resistance when the Sirens first appeared, as no one wanted to give up their territory.

However, the Sirens seem to be endlessly regenerating, and no matter how hard they try, they cannot be completely eliminated. Wave after wave of regeneration exhausts humanity. In addition, the Sirens also possess many weapons related to mental energy. In order to ensure the continuation of the race, most of the remaining humans retreated directly into the interior.

Xu Huan was well aware of the terrifying suppressive power that races wielding psionic weapons would exert over people with the current level of technological development.

After flipping through the pages again and getting a general understanding of the Sirens, Xu Huan came to the page about the ship girls.

"Aside from ship equipment and mental energy, it can be almost assumed that there is no essential difference between ship girls and humans..." the young man read aloud from the data.

"Master, do you have any doubts about this statement?" Belfast, who had been standing by for a long time, immediately asked with concern upon hearing this.

"one question."

"Please tell me."

"Can this be interpreted as meaning that there is no reproductive isolation between us?"

Chapter Thirty-One: Iris

Reproductive isolation refers to the isolation mechanism that prevents closely related groups from mating under natural conditions due to various reasons, or even if they can mate, they cannot produce offspring or fertile offspring.

For eukaryotes, regardless of their morphological differences, reproductive isolation is likely the key to whether two populations can truly differentiate into different species.

In layman's terms, whether reproductive isolation exists is the key to determining whether ship girls and humans are the same species.

Xu Huan asked the question with a serious expression, but the content of his words was somewhat ambiguous.

Or rather, ambiguity and offense.

Belfast remained silent for a long while after hearing this. If Xu Huan hadn't looked so serious and had such clear eyes that it was impossible to tell he had any ulterior motives, her misunderstanding would have been even greater.

Only when a blush crept onto her pretty face did the ship girl answer, her gaze somewhat evasive, "Master, Belfast doesn't know the answer to this question either."

"However, the birth of ship girls is mainly provided by the Wisdom Cube, but the Wisdom Cube generally provides the mental energy and ship equipment within the body. As for the ship girl herself, there is nothing particularly special about her. If she didn't have the ship equipment and mental energy, then it would be fair to say that a ship girl is a very strong and powerful human being..."

"Simply put, it's like breaking down the word 'ship girl' into two parts: 'ship' and 'girl'?" After hearing Belfast's explanation, Xu Huan suddenly understood.

So, does that mean ship girls are also part of humanity?

What about the Sirens?

Xu Huan thought for a moment and then asked again, "So, do they reproduce with the Sirens—"

However, before Xu Huan could finish speaking, Belfast interrupted him forcefully, saying, "No, not with the Sirens. Master... even if it's just ship girls, as the commander, you cannot and should not have improper thoughts about the Sirens."

The Sirens' corrupt practices are like a raging flood, easily endangering the commander; she cannot let it go unchecked.

"...What improper idea? Belfast, I'm conducting scientific research, not planning to do anything strange."

We just taught them a lesson yesterday, how could we be thinking about them again today?

Xu Huan felt that he was a normal person and did not have any special fetishes.

The young man sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation, then picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

Hmm, the taste is good, the tea leaves and the technique are both excellent.

"Ahem, I'm sorry, Master. Belfast was overthinking it, and regarding this issue... Belfast isn't very clear on it."

The previous interruption was entirely the head maid's subconscious action. Now realizing that she seemed to have made a rather serious misunderstanding, Belfast coughed twice to cover up her embarrassment and steered the conversation back on track.

"However, it's best if you don't have too much contact with sirens, especially the advanced humanoid sirens, whose mental energy is quite extraordinary."

Xu Huan nodded in acknowledgment; he was aware of this.

The name Siren itself carries another layer of meaning, as it is a homophone of "西壬" (Xi Ren). Her other name is Acheroides, meaning "children of Acherois." She is a human-headed, bird-bodied monster from ancient Earth mythology, often lurking among sea rocks or ships, and is also known as a sea monster.

In mythology, she is depicted as a sea monster with a human face and a fish body, often flying above the sea, possessing a heavenly voice, and often using her songs to lure passing sailors, causing their ships to run aground and sink, making them her meal.

In conclusion, it is known that sirens possess some kind of power to bewitch people (at least in appearance), but since Xu Huan has not yet encountered any advanced humanoid sirens, the source and composition of their power are not entirely clear.

However, Xu Huan wasn't worried. Judging from the level of development and mastery of mental energy of the ship girls he had encountered so far, the Sirens, as his opponents, shouldn't have a huge advantage. Therefore, given his level of mastery of psionic mental energy, it was unlikely that he would be charmed and defect to the enemy.

Time always flies when you're focused on doing something.

The entire learning process lasted for a long time until the aroma of food began to linger around his nose, and the cravings in his stomach were suddenly awakened. Only then did Xu Huan belatedly pull his consciousness out of the sea of ​​books.

Outside the window, the sun had climbed to its zenith, and a slight heat permeated the port area, making the air feel somewhat distorted. However, the room where he was located remained cool.

Xu Huan looked up and found that the air conditioner in the room had been turned on at some point, and the temperature was now the most comfortable for the human body. Belfast had also pushed a food cart over without his knowledge.

"Seeing you so engrossed in your book, I didn't bother to remind you. However, the aroma of the food was more effective than I expected... Did I disturb you, Master?"

"No, the timing is perfect." Xu Huan stretched.

"sorry to bother you..."

This kind of life, where everything is done for you, is indeed quite convenient.

"It's my duty, Master. This was made by the best Manju chef in the port; he previously trained in the Vichy Iris port."

Belfast helped Xu Huan organize the books, and then brought out one large plate after another.

The aroma is enticing, the color is vibrant, and the presentation is exquisite.

However, there were only two small pieces.

When Xu Huan saw that there were only two pieces of beef in the very center of such a large plate, his mouth twitched involuntarily.

This dish looks delicious, but it's probably not even enough to fill a tooth gap.

Xu Huan looked at the other dish, the same size dish, with the same amount of food.

Appetizer + soup + main course + dessert – this is the typical format for most French meals.

It was very formal and exquisite, and the taste was also good, but Xu Huan himself felt a bit like a wild boar that couldn't eat fine chaff.

As a soldier, he preferred large, fragrant pieces of meat or rich desserts that brought him happiness, providing both energy and comfort.

In an emergency, compressed rations or an injection of nutritional supplements can be used.