Finally, it’s here, the Freshman Trial. Jiang Jiang looked at the notification he received: “All first-year Commanders, please gather in the school hall tomorrow morning. The details of the Freshman Trial will be explained there. Please…” Jiang Jiang turned to look at the things on his workbench, full of confidence. Everything that could be done, had been done. Dido and Sirius hadn’t been exposed, and their proficiency had reached the average.
Information on other Commanders’ Ship Girls, except for a few whose secrecy was too good, had all been obtained. Now, the winning weapon was also ready, and the plan could proceed to the next step.
Jiang Jiang walked out of his room and came downstairs to the dining room, where Dido and Sirius were cleaning. Seeing their Commander come down, the two Ship Girls immediately came over. After several weeks of living together, Jiang Jiang had become much more familiar with the two maids. He told them about the notification, and Dido and Sirius indicated that they were ready.
“As a Royal Maid, Dido will serve Master wholeheartedly. Whatever the instructions, Dido will complete them with all her might…!”
“As for battle, leave it to the Battle Maid Sirius. I will absolutely not disappoint you, my proud Master!”
Jiang Jiang smiled and nodded, expressing his trust, but Jiang Jiang’s smile didn’t last too long.
“But now, let’s talk about Master not eating properly while we were away, and instead eating those energy bars! Sirius cannot approve of such things!”
“Wuwu, is Master disgusted with Dido? Why won’t you let Dido cook for Master? Is Dido not needed by Master anymore?”
“This is an insult to a Royal Maid. Please, Master who has made a mistake, immediately hand over those sinful things, so we can destroy them for Master’s health!”
“Wuwuwu, Dido doesn’t want to lose Master’s need because of them.”
Jiang Jiang instantly regretted it. Because Dido and Sirius went to train, sometimes Jiang Jiang was hungry, but he was too lazy to cook, so he simply ate some high-energy food, which was quick and convenient. He lied to the two Ship Girls that he had eaten, but as the saying goes, if you walk by the river often, how can your shoes not get wet? One time, he was caught red-handed by the two, and the unhandled packaging from before was also discovered, leading to the current exposure.
This made the two Ship Girls very angry, demanding that Jiang Jiang hand over the ‘stolen goods.’ But Jiang Jiang was unwilling, so he had to hide them. As a result, since the two maids couldn’t find them themselves, they shifted their target and kept an eye on Jiang Jiang every day, subtly urging him to hand them over. Oh, how troubled Jiang Jiang was.
“Ahem, didn’t I say I already threw them all away? Alright, get some rest early and prepare for tomorrow’s trial.” Jiang Jiang quickly changed the subject, then slipped away.
Watching Jiang Jiang disappear in an instant, Sirius and Dido shook their heads helplessly, tidied up their things, and, following Jiang Jiang’s words, returned to their rooms to rest.
The next day, the school hall was bustling with people. Jiang Jiang discreetly found a corner to wait. For secrecy, he hadn’t brought Sirius and Dido, but other Commanders didn't have so many considerations.
“Hey, my Columbia said the weather is nice today!”
“Good morning! How did you know I bought an elite main gun for my Columbia?”
“Oh, I almost forgot about today’s gathering, luckily Victory reminded me.”
“…”
Hehe, it’s clearly cloudy today, where is it nice? It seems like they didn’t even speak, don’t talk to yourself. Bullshit, look at all that hair gel, you must have woken up at five in the morning. By the way, haven’t you seen the murderous looks from those African Commanders around?
I heard that on construction day, the African Commanders’ ‘hunting European’ operation even had senior students join in. Tsk tsk tsk, a bloody day for the two major factions.
In the end, if the school hadn’t been alarmed and intervened to stop it, both sides would probably have beaten each other to a pulp.
Jiang Jiang watched the Commanders showing off everywhere, while complaining, he secretly noted down their information. Hmm, he knew the Ship Girls’ proficiency and equipment. If he encountered them later, he would know how to target them.
Just as Jiang Jiang was happily eavesdropping, a familiar voice came. “Jiang Jiang, you’re here! By the way, have you been very busy lately? I haven’t seen you much.” Lin Ye, with his Ship Girl, came over.
“It’s Lin Ye. I’ve been busy training my Ship Girls recently. After all, I’m unlucky, and my Ship Girls aren’t good at combat, so I can only make up for it with diligence.”
Hmm, I didn’t lie, Dido and Sirius are best at being maids, they aren’t wholeheartedly dedicated to combat, right?!
“Hiss! You’re a hardcore grinder! Let me introduce you, this is Hatsuharu, the best Ship Girl!” Lin Ye proudly introduced his partner to Jiang Jiang.
The cat-eared girl in a sailor uniform, hiding behind Lin Ye, blushed and said, “I am Hatsuharu, the first ship of the Hatsuharu-class… belonging to the 21st Destroyer Squadron, always active with my sisters in the northern sea area… Although I don’t have much battle Achievements, I have tried my best…” As she spoke, Hatsuharu’s voice became barely audible. Jiang Jiang also greeted her kindly. She was an introverted Ship Girl.
“But where are your Ship Girls? I haven’t seen them yet. Didn’t you bring them?”
“Uh, I didn’t bring them because I was afraid of being teased. You know those Commanders who look at rarity. It doesn’t matter if I get criticized, but I’m afraid my Ship Girls might develop negative feelings after hearing it.” Hmm, Dido is indeed very self-conscious, although perhaps no one would dare to mock an ultra-rare Ship Girl.
“…That’s true.” Lin Ye expressed his understanding, deeply agreeing. In fact, Lin Ye was also very annoyed by those ‘European dogs’ who showed off their ships everywhere. His Hatsuharu was already introverted… During their conversation, several Ship Girls walked to the center of the hall. The elegant Hood stepped forward and said, “Quiet.” Instantly, everyone noticed her, and the clamor immediately disappeared.
Hood nodded with satisfaction and continued, “Today, I believe many Commanders have been waiting for a long time. The Freshman Trial is not only a trial but also a sponsorship given to you by the school.
However, how much you can get depends on your own abilities. The trial will begin in three hours. The trial rules have already been sent to your mobile phones. If you have any questions now, you can ask the Anshan sisters, who are in charge this time.”
Seeing Hood finish speaking, about a third of the people in the hall immediately ran out. These people had already understood the situation beforehand, including Jiang Jiang. As for Lin Ye, who was still confused and hadn’t reacted, he looked at his phone while squeezing into the crowd of people wanting to consult.
It seems this year’s Freshman Trial is the same as in previous years. Jiang Jiang looked at the document he received on his phone while running.
The Freshman Trial is a series of tests for all first-year Commanders on a designated sea area. First, they must pass the basic stage. Commanders must bring their Ship Girls and use communication equipment to record their Ship Girls passing the stage. This tests the basic skills of the Ship Girl and the Commander.
After that, they will defeat the examiners arranged by the school. After gaining the examiners’ recognition, they can enter the final test: competing against other Commanders in the sea area, and their performance in the trial will determine their ranking.
However, all stages and examiners need to be found by the Commander themselves, and in the final sea area, there will be many surprises hidden everywhere, which are hidden rewards.
Jiang Jiang arrived at the location he had arranged with Sirius and Dido this morning, picked up the supplies that had been prepared long ago, and then turned and rushed towards a starting point.
Although Hood said there were still three hours until the trial began, there was no rule that they couldn’t depart now. After all, the stages needed to be found. Three hours was just right for traveling and searching.
Moreover, in previous years, the Freshman Trial sometimes lasted for half a month, so supplies were very important. Even though Jiang Jiang was currently carrying enough supplies for a week, he knew it might be far from enough.
Therefore, the hidden supply stations arranged by the school were also Jiang Jiang’s target. These things were first-come, first-served. If he was slow, he might be forced to withdraw due to lack of supplies.
The Freshman Trial not only tested combat power against enemies but also survival and logistical capabilities. If you can’t even survive yourself, don’t even talk about combat.
Jiang Jiang jogged to a starting point, picked up the examination supplies on the table, took his Ship Girls onto the best military tactical yacht, and headed in one direction. His actions were smooth and fluid, not exceeding thirty minutes.
If it weren’t for Dido and Sirius’s “top-heavy” and not being good at running, Jiang Jiang could have been even faster. Just like that, the gap began to widen at the starting point.
There were many maritime transportation tools at the starting point: cruise ships, yachts, jet skis, etc., all available. However, the number of good ones was limited, first-come, first-served, like Jiang Jiang’s military yacht.
Militarily manufactured, with a hard exterior, large fuel capacity, and high speed. It had three layers: a cockpit, a living cabin, and a cargo hold, definitely the best one.
Other cruise ships, jet skis, etc., either lacked speed or carrying capacity.
Jiang Jiang drove the yacht while thinking about his progress. “I should be the fastest right now. The fastest yacht as a driving tool should allow me to get ahead of everyone else.”
“It’s still early before the trial starts. Let’s sweep the surrounding supplies thoroughly first.”
Over the next two hours, Jiang Jiang, with Dido and Sirius, scavenged resources like a swarm of locusts on their way to find the stages, making those behind Jiang Jiang miserable.
When they finally found a supply station after much hardship, they always discovered that someone had gotten there first, and they were instantly speechless. It wasn’t until they realized that these ‘inhumane’ acts all came from one person that they cursed angrily, “Is this person a rabbit? Not only does he take enough, he hoards to death!”
From then on, a rumor spread: “The rabbit strikes, not a blade of grass remains, not a single thread, nothing is left.” Of course, these were all later stories.
Meanwhile, a certain Jiang Tuzi was picking and choosing among the cabin full of supplies. “Don’t want this, too much of that.” One by one, materials that would make the Commanders trailing behind fight over them were mercilessly thrown into the sea.
“Hmm, I’ll leave these inferior ones for the lucky ones who come later. Dido, Sirius, come give me a hand, let’s empty this supply station, we can slowly pick later on the way.” As he spoke, Jiang Jiang picked up a supply box floating on the sea, leaving a mess behind, and left contentedly with the carefully selected materials.
“Master… Is this okay for us? Isn’t this a bit unfriendly to the Commanders behind us… Dido, Dido thinks it might cause public outrage…” Finally, watching Jiang Jiang’s continuous ‘rabbit-robber’ behavior, Dido weakly asked.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Can taking supplies be called stealing? With these things, if you’re quick, you get them; if you’re slow, you don’t.” Jiang Jiang replied righteously.
“But… but, Master, didn’t you just say ‘stealing’?”
“Ahem, don’t pay attention to so many details. If a Commander doesn’t even understand the importance of basic logistical preparation and supplies, then he should retire early, lest he harm himself and others.”
“Truly worthy of my proud Master! To have such awareness and consideration! Sirius will obey all of Master’s brilliant commands!” Sirius exclaimed, full of admiration, from the side.
“Wuwuwu, Dido didn’t understand Master’s intention and even questioned Master. A maid like Dido will be abandoned, right? Ah, she will definitely be abandoned, right?”
Seeing this situation, Jiang Jiang quickly changed the subject and appeased her, saying, “No, no, Dido and Sirius, can you help me organize the supplies? We are already very close to a stage…” Dido was comforted by his words, and her emotions finally calmed down.
“That’s great… As long as there are still unfinished tasks, Dido can still be useful, right?”
Just as the three were organizing supplies, the autonomously driven yacht gradually approached a stage surrounded by circles of buoys. A floating sign read “Basic – Shooting.”
In the center of the buoys were ten model ships. These ten model ships not only moved quickly in a certain pattern within the circle but also had strangely shaped, hard shells that were obvious just by looking at them. It seemed that the basic stage was not something that could be passed easily.
Jiang Jiang looked at the map and rules in the document, frowning. Something seemed unusual. In previous years, the Basic – Shooting stage required using practice ammunition to destroy at least three model ships to pass.
However, this year’s difficulty seemed to have increased significantly. The number of hits required became six, practice ammunition was replaced with live ammunition, and there was even a time limit of ten minutes. Moreover, the model ships from previous years didn’t look like this.
The black and red color scheme, and a style far from the appearance of warships in this world. With Jiang Jiang’s knowledge of warship technology, the warships in front of him were at least two streets ahead of this world’s technological level.
Although it was related to this world’s warship technology level being stuck in the Cold War era, Jiang Jiang could guarantee that this style currently only appeared in science fiction movies.
Are they Siren ships? Jiang Jiang thought inwardly. Although he had seen them in the intelligent computer and on the illustrated guide, this was the first time in reality. This sense of technological oppression was truly impactful. But why do this? It seems some variable has arisen.
Dido and Sirius were already standing outside the field, ready. The maids looked at their Master’s serious expression, not understanding why.
“Why isn’t Master speaking? Is he dissatisfied with Dido? Ah, is Dido going to be abandoned? Wuwuwu, Dido doesn’t want that…”
“My proud Master, is there any problem? Give the order! Sirius is already ready!”
“Ah, ah! Nothing, I’m just thinking about how miserable those slackers will be, tsk tsk tsk. Although there’s no limit to the number of attempts, those slackers will probably have to do some serious remedial work here.” Jiang Jiang didn’t let his worries infect the two Ship Girls, but instead found an excuse to gloss over it, so as not to affect the Ship Girls’ state.
“Alright, time’s almost up, sortie!”
“As long as I try my best, I can be useful to Master…! Sortie!”
“I dedicate Victory and glory to my proud Master!”
Meanwhile, at the school, a group of Ship Girls gathered in the conference room. Hood asked Fushun, who was beside her, “How are the new Commanders doing now?”
“Most of them have already departed. Quite a few departed an hour before the departure time, and the fastest one was an hour and a half ago.”
“Hmm, it seems there are quite a few smart ones among this year’s first-years.”
“By the way, what about that Commander Sheffield reported earlier? He has two ultra-rare Ship Girls, which is very rare.”
“Are you referring to Jiang Jiang? Hmm, is that his name? There are no records of his departure here yet.”
Hood frowned. Had he not departed yet? Although he had two ultra-rare Ship Girls, but… “Wait, it seems one set of equipment is missing from a departure point. It was missing before our staff arrived. This, this, this!”
Hood raised an eyebrow. “I remember our staff arrived two hours ago, which means…”
“He departed two hours ago!”
It seems an interesting little fellow has appeared…