As morning passed, the sunlight lost its gentle touch.
Accompanied by a flurry of noise, the entire Headquarters returned to its operational state.
The sunlight crept inch by inch across the curtains, over the room, and through the gaps in the curtains.
It shone on the face of a young girl sleeping soundly on the bed.
The girl slept peacefully, but her sleeping posture was by no means elegant. The quilt was kicked off, scattered, and her body was sprawled out on the bed like a large 'X'.
Presumably feeling the sunlight, York couldn't help but frown in her sleep, and after a while, she laboriously opened her eyes.
“Hmph, have I returned to this ant-like shell again? If not for the great battle in the molten core until the world was annihilated, how could I allow these heavenly fires to burn the sky, block the earth, and wreak havoc on the human world?
I shall now reclaim your divine powers!”
York wanted to get up and close the curtains again, but she had played too late last night. She tried to wriggle on the bed for a bit but ultimately failed to get up.
“Still unable to get up, hmph. Not only do I have to bear this weak body, but there’s also such a powerful sealing force? Hmm, the sealing power is getting stronger and stronger…”
York closed her eyes, mumbled a few words, then simply rolled over to face away from the window, not caring whether the curtains were properly drawn, and fell back into a deep sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, a series of urgent knocks came from the door.
Bang, bang, bang.
York vaguely heard someone calling her name.
“York, York, wake up! There’s a shelling training class this morning, it’s the female general teacher’s class, you absolutely can’t be late!” After saying that, the voice quickly faded away.
Apparently, after reminding York, she immediately ran off...
Don't say my sister isn't good enough...
The female general teacher. York's body suddenly jolted. She instantly woke up from her half-asleep state. The female general teacher had a fiery temper and loved to lecture people.
If she were late for her class, she would probably be lectured until the end of the class. Remembering that terrifying scene, York immediately felt all her sleepiness vanish.
She sprang up from the bed with a 'snap' and rushed straight to the wardrobe.
A few lonely clothes hung in the wardrobe, making it seem empty.
But she didn't open the wardrobe to change clothes; she didn't really like any of these clothes, and she had never worn any others.
She faced the changing mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door, covered her left eye with her left hand, and extended her right hand forward like a claw, striking a cool pose.
“The Evil King's True Eye shall descend again, return, Hesin!” Accompanied by a flash of light, York had already summoned her Ship Girls, and at the same time, returned to her usual attire.
She walked to the window and yanked open the curtains.
She opened the window and jumped straight out from the two-story-high window, landing heavily on the ground, creating a large pit in the lawn.
“Ah, ah, ah, I can barely control the rampaging demon’s power anymore!” She broke into a run towards the academy. There was definitely no time to eat breakfast now. Hmm, I’ll wait until I’ve protected the classroom discipline, then go with the King of Judgement to accept the offerings from the Glorious Lord…
“York, don’t run around in your Ship Girls like that!” York glanced at the Ship Girls by the roadside who had spoken to her.
Hmm, it was an acquaintance, living on the 4th floor of the light cruiser building next door.
She couldn't help but snort coldly in her heart, “Now even you dare to speak to me like this? Have you forgotten that I could have suppressed you in the deep sea with a flick of my hand back then?”
However, at this moment, she clearly had no time to deal with this ignorant and foolish mortal; she was in a hurry to catch up with lost time…
Rushing to the classroom door, York found that the female general teacher had already started lecturing at the podium. “Damn it, I was only one step away from reversing the flow of time…”
A while later, York stood listlessly at the back of the classroom, listening to the teacher at the podium explain how to improve the accuracy of shelling.
Even a true protagonist of destiny has times when they must endure humiliation and accumulate strength before the Demon King. Let this Demon King be arrogant one more time; when the bell of salvation rings, the world will eventually be purified again…
…
“Glorious, what do you think of me now? Am I handsome?”
Wang Yu wore his newly acquired white naval uniform, pointing his right index finger forward.
“A man who doesn't display his ambition is unworthy of his eight-foot stature.” He then turned his gaze to Glorious, asking with anticipation, “How is it, how is it? First, say a bunch of cool words to stun her, then suddenly invite her to join our port and fight together to maintain peace in the sea. I think with this approach, little York will surely be easily won over.”
Glorious looked at her Commander as if he were an idiot, deeply feeling that her Commander was now beyond help.
“I think you’ll most likely scare York away like that. Besides, acquiring Ship Girls is about willingness. You were just saying that you wanted to respect York’s own will and would never resort to trickery or deception. Are you sure you’re not trying to deceive a child?”
Seeing Glorious’s gaze, as if looking at a foolish son, Wang Yu couldn't help but feel a wave of discouragement. He would have to leave Headquarters in a few days.
Although he felt that York’s favorability towards him should not be low, he was still not very confident that he could get York to join his port with just a few words.
If one invitation failed and scared York away, and she didn't dare to see him for several days afterward, then this Ship Girls acquisition mission would basically be a bust. But if he waited until he was about to leave before talking to York, and York was indecisive, and he didn't even have time to strike while the iron was hot, wouldn't that be an even greater loss?
He had been full of confidence in front of Shangri-La, but now he was hesitant.
He felt caught between a rock and a hard place. What should he do? He looked at Glorious as if asking for help.
Glorious, as expected, did not disappoint him: “Commander, just interact with York as you normally do, and leave the rest to Glorious. When the time is right, you can invite York to join our port. I think with Commander’s charm, there’s still a great chance.”
“I don’t want what you think, I want what I think.”
Wang Yu couldn't help but complain inwardly, “How do I not feel that my charm is that great? Isn’t it all thanks to you that I can live off a rich woman in this world?”
However, he didn't have any other solutions for now, so he might as well listen to Glorious.
Time flew by like a white colt passing a crevice.
A day passed in a flash.
In the evening, York, who had played at Wang Yu's place all afternoon, was content and prepared to leave.
“The offerings here at the King of Judgement are very good, and the Glorious Lord is also a fated good partner, spreading glory to the world, illuminating all darkness.”
York only felt the attraction of power (friendship) growing stronger, and the sealing power growing weaker…
“What? Is the King of Judgement leaving? To spread glory to more places, to judge more sins, so he’s leaving here for a brand new battleground? Never to return?”
York felt her head spinning, not knowing how she got back to her room. Before, she would play until very late before wanting to sleep, but now she didn't even have the interest to play with her companions. She recalled the scenes of meeting the King of Judgement.
Her curiosity when she first heard of the King of Judgement, his disheveled appearance when she first met him, the brilliant smile he always showed when he saw her, the doting look in his eyes when he gently stroked her head, and his foolish appearance when they acted silly together…
She wasn't truly foolish; she understood why Sister Glorious finally told her about their departure. It was just that her sisters had warned her countless times to be wary of the Commander's sweet words, yet when they spoke of their former Commanders, their eyes were filled with a complexity she hadn't understood before. Now, she felt she was beginning to understand…
So this was destiny? Only when trapped in a cage would one think of breaking free from destiny…