"Based on my judgment, the flagship should be her!" Gu Han pointed forcefully at the position on the map marked with the two characters "Jingang."
"Why is it Jingang?" Nian Mingyue asked curiously.
"According to the historical records, the Jingang should have been a battleship belonging to the island nation of Fusang over a thousand years ago. She is also the only battleship among the six warships. Therefore, the probability of Jingang being the flagship exceeds 70%."
"Sour Popsicle, why is she more than 70% likely to be the flagship just because she is a battleship? Why is that?" Sour Popsicle was Gu Han's nickname, and the only person who would call him that was his best friend, Song Hamma.
Gu Han's eyebrows twitched: "Because battleships are the most powerful type of warship, so the flagship of a fleet is generally a battleship!"
"That's not right. I heard that destroyers are the most powerful, with torpedoes that can fire for tens of kilometers, wiping out a whole fleet of battleships. Battleships, after several volleys, can't even sink a single destroyer... So that era was called the Torpedo World or something." Song Hamma said confidently, though it was unclear where he had heard such unreliable information.
"Shut up, don't speak if you don't know anything!" Gu Han sarcastically retorted.
"Damn! Sour Popsicle, you actually dare to mock me! I'll tell you, if you don't give me a more reliable reason to prove that Jingang is the flagship, I'll post all your embarrassing stories from back then on the forum!" Hamma quickly retaliated.
"Cough, cough." Even someone as strong as Gu Han couldn't withstand the threat of his embarrassing stories being exposed. "Jingang is the leader of the Ship Girls' world, the Empress of the Sea King... Is this reason sufficient enough?"
"Polite and convincing!" Hamma had no way to refute this.
"Alright, everyone, get your preparations ready and release your Sword Girls." Gu Han quickly changed the subject and issued his first command.
"Which one? The most powerful Sword Girl?" Nian Mingyue countered. Although she had three Sword Girls, only one could join the battle at a time. In both the game and reality, each sword wielder could only command one Sword Girl to transform into her Sword Girl form for battle, while the others had to remain in their sheaths until the sword wielder decided to replace the current one.
Choosing which Sword Girl to release for battle was not a simple matter. It wasn't just about releasing the one with the highest stats. Depending on the Sword Girl's attributes, skills, and the opponent's characteristics, sometimes a Treasure Sword-level Sword Girl could be more useful than a Famous Sword-level one.
Moreover, Sword Girls also had stamina and durability. In prolonged battles, their stamina and durability would continuously decrease. Once durability reached zero, the Sword Girl's blade would suffer significant damage, and her rank would drop by one to three levels. Therefore, constantly rotating the Sword Girls to allow them to recover in their sheaths and maintain their stamina and durability was crucial.
In the Sword Girl Academy, there were three specialized courses teaching sword wielders how to choose the appropriate Sword Girl for battle. Failing any of these courses would result in severe penalties, such as being held back a year.
"Mingyue, release your Sword Girl, Suifu!" Gu Han instructed Nian Mingyue to release her Treasure Sword-level Sword Girl, Suifu.
"I object!" Nian Mingyue immediately objected without hesitation. "According to the data, Jingang is a Dragon-class warship, equivalent to a Famous Sword-level Sword Girl of the fifth rank or higher. Suifu is only a Treasure Sword-level Sword Girl and is definitely not a match for Jingang. I should release Luorui, only Luorui can withstand Jingang's attacks."
"Objection overruled!" Gu Han snorted. "I have my reasons for choosing Suifu. Now is not the time to use Luorui. Mingyue, you agreed to completely follow my commands. Are you going to oppose me now?"
...
"Understood!" After a moment of silence, Nian Mingyue did not insist further. She drew a slender, white-veined iron sword from her back sheath. As her index finger quickly swept along the blade, the sword essence in her body rapidly infused into it. Suifu transformed into a shimmering light, and within a second, coalesced into a human form. The Sword Girl who had tried to cut Gu Han's skin during their last meeting was now released.
"Suifu, as pure as the snow, as curved as the crescent moon, embedded in the bone, the blood red!" The released Sword Girl Suifu playfully wrapped her arms around Nian Mingyue's neck and lightly licked her lips. "Sword Girl Suifu, I kiss my dear sword wielder lady!"
"Stop it!" Nian Mingyue's face rarely showed a hint of blush. "Suifu, if you keep entering the battle like this, I won't release you anymore!"
"Hehe! If Mingyue doesn't like Suifu anymore, it doesn't matter whether I'm released or not!" Suifu's eyes curved into crescent moons.
"Admiral! I'll release Luorui instead!" Nian Mingyue tried to retract Suifu. She really wondered if she had hit her head when she decided to synchronize with Suifu.
"Denied. Suifu's attributes are more suitable for this battle." Gu Han directly refused.
"Admiral, thank you! Here's a reward for you!" Suifu slightly lifted her skirt, revealing a pink...
"Anning, release your Crimson Blood Demon Sword!" Gu Han lowered his head and gave Anning instructions, ignoring the mischievous Sword Girl.
"Understood." Anning impatiently replied, drawing a blood-red greatsword from her sleeve. Pointing the tip towards the sky, she chanted, "My peace, the peace of the sword, the peace of the world! Release, Crimson Blood Demon Sword!"
After saying this, the Crimson Blood Demon Sword in Anning's hand transformed into a blood mist, which then condensed into a blood-red cloak. The entire body of the Sword Girl Crimson Blood Demon was enveloped in this cloak.
"Blood red, surrounding my life!" Crimson Blood Demon bowed. "Sword Girl Crimson Blood Demon, I am willing to serve you, my sword wielder lady."
You might have noticed that when Nian Mingyue released Suifu, she only touched the blade. However, when Anning released her Sword Girl, she recited a somewhat otaku-like line... In fact, releasing a Sword Girl only required injecting enough sword essence into the blade, and there was no need to touch the blade or recite any lines. However, many sword wielders, influenced by novels and TV shows, liked to imitate certain characters and say cool lines before releasing their Sword Girls. Of course, this was purely for fun and had no practical use.
Actually, Anning's line was still relatively mild. When it was Song Hamma's turn to release his Sword Girl, the scene and dialogue were as follows:
"Shout, shout, shout, like the roar of a storm!"
"Rip, rip, rip, like the tearing of creation!"
"Light always contains boundless sorrow"
"Darkness always hides the final hope"
"Life is like me, like a dream and a bubble"
"I am like life, subject to joy and sorrow"
"Where the sword points"
"Where the heart follows"
"O Famous Sword, deep in my memory!"
"Answer the call of your greatest wielder"
"From the thorny hell"
"Grant the most cruel slaughter"
"To those who bear the name of evil!"
"Release! My love"
"Manifest! Zhen Shan."
If it weren't for not wanting to embarrass Song Hamma in front of his teammates, Gu Han would have kicked him in the butt. Just releasing a Sword Girl, did he really need to spout so much otaku nonsense? Damn, if this guy had used the effort he put into memorizing these lines to study his textbooks, he wouldn't have been punished by standing in the corner every day...
What Gu Han found even more unbearable was that Song Hamma not only recited such a long monologue but also posed in different positions to match the lines. The entire process took over ten different poses before he finally finished the last line and released his Sword Girl, Zhen Shan.
"Sword Girl Zhen Shan, greetings!"
However, unlike her owner who liked to recite lines, Zhen Shan was the complete opposite. After saying seven words, she refused to say another word or show any additional expression. She even deliberately kept her distance from Song Hamma, indicating that she was not very willing to be with him.
"Zhen Shan, come closer to me!" Song Hamma was unhappy and pleaded.
"No, please keep a distance of more than three meters from me!" Zhen Shan coldly replied.
"How can you be like this! You are my Sword Girl, I am so pitiful..." Song Hamma lamented, making Gu Han feel much better. Dealing with such a guy should be like this.
"Sour Popsicle, our Sword Girls are all released, you should release yours too!" Song Hamma, having been rebuffed by Zhen Shan, decided to take it out on Gu Han. This guy had only been in the game for two days, so he must still be using one of the initial three Sword Girls. He was determined to mock him!
"Me?" Gu Han smiled playfully and drew the Qingpin Sword from his back. "Her."