I'll Become a Captain One Day! / Cabbage, Two Rooms!

Huh, this girl actually visited websites like this?

Ling Feng did not disturb Tesla and merely watched in silence while she slowly worked through the test questions. But in Ling Feng's opinion, this was all completely unreliable. Take this question, for example...

If you had a child, what flavor of formula would you give her?

Three Rage? Was this trying to ruin your life?

Extra-Rich Su? Why had he never heard of that?

Cute Cow? What did formula have to do with romance, anyway?

So Tesla chose one of them...

At last, the result appeared...

"What the hell? It's hard to find true love because I'm tsundere? How is that possible? I'm not tsundere! I knew this test was unreliable—there isn't even any scientific basis for it. Hmph!" Tesla immediately closed the website!

Ling Feng: "..." If she knew it was unreliable, why had she taken the test? As a scientist, why was she so superstitious too?

Tesla stretched and rose from her chair. Then she spotted Ling Feng standing beside her...

"Mm? Ah—"

Tesla was immediately startled and tried to step back, but her foot suddenly caught on the chair. Her body tipped backward out of control, and she and the chair were about to fall...

"Hey, watch out..."

Seeing that Tesla was about to hit the back of her head, Ling Feng hurriedly reached out with his right hand and caught her by both shoulders. He steadied her at the critical moment, preventing the tragedy of her continuing to fall. But as a result, their faces were now very close...

"Are you okay..."

Ling Feng let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, he had caught her. If Tesla had really fallen, something would definitely have happened, considering she was just an ordinary person!

"Uu..."

At such close contact, Tesla's face instantly turned crimson—extremely crimson. Her heart felt as though it had been struck by a hundred thousand volts, and she had no idea what she was thinking...

So close that she could even feel Ling Feng's breath...

"You... let... let go of me..."

Tesla struggled and twisted her body to the side. As a result, the chair lost its balance again. The floor was too slippery, and with only two chair legs touching the ground, its legs slid straight forward while Tesla's body fell directly toward the floor...

"Careful..."

But Ling Feng would not stand by at a time like this. He hurriedly stepped half a pace forward and used his body to block Tesla, taking the fall himself. Tesla landed on his chest instead, so she would not be hurt...

But there were side effects to doing this, such as...

Tesla was now completely sprawled over Ling Feng. Though he could not see her face, judging by her slightly trembling body... her condition did not seem very good...

"Uh... hey, are you okay?"

Ling Feng asked softly. Tesla did not move, and he did not take the initiative to push her away either...

"This is the suspension bridge effect..."

Tesla muttered quietly, her face blazing red...

"Huh?"

Ling Feng had not heard what Tesla said because her voice was simply too soft. Still, judging by her reaction, there should not be any serious problem!

Ling Feng shifted slightly, intending to get up...

"It's nothing. Don't move..."

Tesla hurriedly pressed Ling Feng down. If he got up now, he would see her expression and state. She did not want that...

She knew what the suspension bridge effect was, and she knew she was surely mistaking this for her heart racing because of that effect. But subconscious feelings could not be controlled by subjective will, so no matter how much she wanted to calm down, she could not...

What was she supposed to do? Stay like this forever? And... Ling Feng had definitely seen her browsing that romance test website, right? Damn it, why had she gotten so absorbed in it? She clearly knew those tests were unreliable...

Tesla was completely muddled and had no idea what to do. Her clever mind and extraordinary intelligence were utterly useless at this moment. No wonder people said being in love lowered one's IQ. She had not even started dating yet; they had merely touched a little, and she already felt like she was about to die...

Feeling her heartbeat accelerate without stop, Tesla desperately wanted to calm down, but she simply could not. Still...

She could not keep pressing down on him like this forever, so she could only force herself to ask, "Um... what did you come to see me for?"

"Mm... huh?"

Ling Feng had not heard clearly...

After all, with Tesla pressing down on him like this, Ling Feng was also somewhat flustered inside. At first he had not felt anything, since it was merely an accident. But Tesla actually refused to get up and kept clinging to him, making things incredibly awkward...

And compared to Kiana, this tsundere's chest was no less impressive. Even through such a thick layer, Ling Feng could clearly feel Tesla's heartbeat speeding up...

What exactly was this girl trying to do? Was she trying to scam him for compensation? I don't have any money...

Tesla hurriedly seized the chance to get up. Then she turned her back to Ling Feng and folded her arms over her chest. Though her face was still a little red, she tried her best to look aloof. "I asked... what did you come to see me for?"

"Uh... me..."

This time, Ling Feng finally heard her. He hurriedly got up too, scratching his head with a smile. "Theresa sent me. The Academy Head gave me the Moonlight Throne and told me to come find you!"

"The Moonlight Throne? That quickly?"

Tesla clearly already knew about this. She secretly touched her face with both hands. It was no longer so hot, but it was probably still red, so she continued facing away from Ling Feng. "Ahem, fine. I understand. I'll modify the program for you right away!"

As she spoke, Tesla righted the chair and sat before the computer again, her hands flying over the keyboard. "I've already modified the Moonlight Throne's control program. It now uses the Ai-chan artificial intelligence system developed by St. Freya Academy. The Moonlight Throne is a relatively advanced intelligent battleship, and it's small, so it doesn't need many personnel. The academy doesn't have spare manpower either, so Ai-chan alone is enough!"

"Eh? Wait..."

Ling Feng suddenly realized something. The Moonlight Throne was supposed to be his battleship, but it was really just the battleship? There was not even a crew to go with it? "In other words, there isn't a single crew member aboard the Moonlight Throne?"

"Of course not!"

Tesla could not help covering her mouth and giggling. "But it's fine. The Moonlight Throne isn't very large, so it doesn't need a crew. Cleaning isn't difficult either; you just need to wash the deck occasionally. Oh, and it hasn't been equipped with drones or carrier aircraft yet, so the deck won't need frequent cleaning either!"

Ling Feng: "..." She was already assigning cleaning duties? Was he the captain or the janitor?

"Fine, that'll do for now. When can I use it? I want to leave as soon as possible!" Captain or janitor, Ling Feng just wanted to take Mei and the others to Japan and find the gift as soon as he could!

As for the cleaning, Mei seemed to enjoy tidying up, didn't she? Besides, if Mei went, Kiana would probably go too. So there should not be anything for him to do. After all, he was the captain! Didn't he have at least that much authority?

"Leave?"

Tesla turned to look at Ling Feng, a trace of confusion in her eyes. "The battleship can be used at any time, but where are you going? There doesn't seem to be a combat mission."

"It's not a combat mission. I just want to take leave and go to Japan!"

Ling Feng did not hide it from Tesla. Smiling, he said, "It's because of Mei's father. Her dad said he left a gift for Mei in Japan, something that can deal with the possibility of Mei becoming a Herrscher in the future. The Honkai energy in Mei's body is becoming more and more unstable, so I hope to find the gift as soon as possible!"

"I see..."

Tesla nodded thoughtfully. She knew Mei's background story, though this was the first time she had heard about the gift. But that was not important. Tesla directly asked, "Ling Feng, I remember your team's funds aren't very plentiful, right? Will you have enough money for this trip to Japan?"

"Eh... it should be fine if we spend carefully!"

It would be a lie to say Ling Feng was not worried about funding, but after calculating it carefully, it should be enough. "After all, we have our own transportation. By the way, the Moonlight Throne's fuel costs can be reimbursed, right..."

"Fuel costs are reimbursed, so you don't need to worry about that. But..."

Tesla looked at Ling Feng. She seemed to be considering something, yet she also hesitated. "Ling Feng, if you don't have enough funds, have you considered borrowing some from someone? Money is a small matter, but if you don't have fun, that would feel like a huge loss!"

"Who am I supposed to borrow from?"

Ling Feng had naturally considered that too. He smiled helplessly. "Don't forget who I am. Who do you think I can borrow money from in this era? I asked the Academy Head before, but she ruthlessly refused!"

"Eh... that's true. Theresa is like that..."

Tesla wanted to say something, but felt unable to bring herself to say it...

Besides, should she really have to be the one to offer? This guy would rather ask the Academy Head—that stingy miser who liked withholding salaries to buy manga—than come to her? Did he look down on her, or did he think she was too poor to lend him money?

"Then you can get back to your work, Tesla. I'll be off!"

Having settled the battleship issue, Ling Feng had no intention of staying another moment. It would be best to familiarize himself with the ship now, inform the trio to pack what they needed, and then fly straight to Japan!

"Eh... w-wait!"

Tesla hurriedly called after Ling Feng...

"Is there something else?"

Ling Feng turned back to look at Tesla...

"Eh..."

Tesla froze. Then inspiration struck, and she suddenly thought of something. Her face lit up in realization. "Wait... wait for me..."

With that, Tesla turned and walked into a room on the left. Ling Feng was in no hurry and simply waited in silence!

"Here, take this!"

Tesla soon came back out, holding the Divine Key Chiyou. "Japan has Schicksal organizations too, but they aren't united with us. And our enemies aren't just Honkai Beasts. Anti-Entropy and rebels are enemies too. Without a Divine Key, your combat strength is too weak. And if something like last time happens again, it'll be troublesome, so..."

Tesla placed Chiyou into Ling Feng's hands. "You should take this with you. You'll have the strength to fight if you encounter danger. Though I don't hope you'll use her. And also..."

Tesla took out an envelope and placed it in Ling Feng's hand. Then she folded her arms and said proudly, "There's five thousand inside, but it's not for you. Help me bring back some local specialties from Japan. You don't need to spend much, a few hundred is enough. You can borrow the rest as payment for running the errand. All right, ahem, you can go now!"

After saying that, Tesla deliberately turned away with an aloof air and sat back down in her chair. She did not say another word, cold and indifferent...

Looking at the Divine Key in his hand and the envelope Tesla had given him, this girl...

"Thanks, Tesla. I'll pay you back..." Five thousand was not a huge amount, but it was already enough. He had not expected the seemingly slacker-like Tesla to be the one to lend him money at such a crucial time. In the future...

He would take better care of her. Though the only thing he could help her with was probably research related to Divine Keys...

After saying goodbye, Ling Feng left the laboratory. Tesla looked back once, then shook her head in conflict. "I... I must have been kicked in the head by Kiana... And..."

"I want to go to the hot springs too. That guy didn't even invite me along... how mean..." Tesla leaned back in her chair, her face full of sorrow like a salted fish...

She wanted to go, but she did not want to bring it up herself. And then... there was no then...

Cabbage, Two Rooms!

Since there was not much time, and it was not a major matter, there was no ceremony for conferring his rank or anything like that. As long as everyone knew he was the captain, that was enough!

To avoid disrupting normal classes, Ling Feng did not immediately tell the three girls. Instead, he first went aboard the Moonlight Throne to familiarize himself with it. Honestly, it was his first time entering the Moonlight Throne. During the previous combat mission, only Kiana and the others had been aboard!

"Boss, what can I do for you?"

At that moment, a cabbage head made of holographic projection suddenly appeared before Ling Feng!

"Holy shit, a cabbage?"

Ling Feng was instantly startled. He had seen many artificial intelligence avatars, but this was truly his first time seeing one in the form of a cabbage!

"How rude! I'm not a cabbage! I'm the artificial intelligence, Ai-chan!"

The cabbage... uh, no, Ai-chan slowly turned around. Only then did Ling Feng realize the cabbage was merely Ai-chan's hairstyle. Her actual form was still a humanoid artificial intelligence, but... she really did look like a cabbage...

"Ahem, Cabbage... Ai-chan!"

Though she was only an artificial intelligence, Ling Feng decided to be more polite. After all, she was the core control center of this battleship. If she got unhappy and went on strike, he did not know how to operate a battleship. Smiling, he said, "First, tell me what functions the Moonlight Throne currently has. And introduce the battleship while you're at it!"

"As you command, Boss!"

Ai-chan agreed happily and began chattering nonstop as she introduced the battleship. Of course, this was all information Tesla and some programmer had entered into the database; Ai-chan merely needed to retrieve it!

Through Ai-chan's brief introduction, Ling Feng gained a general understanding of the Moonlight Throne. It had been built more than ten years ago, but it had seen very little use and traveled very few flight miles. Its flight records in particular were practically nonexistent—though they might have been deleted!

Overall, the Moonlight Throne was not a brand-new battleship, but the entire vessel was relatively new, and its various specifications met the requirements. Put another way, it was like buying a Mercedes—one that did not leak oil—then leaving it at home and maintaining it for ten years instead of driving it, before finally taking it out again. That was roughly the Moonlight Throne's situation...

But that made Ling Feng even more depressed. Who had been so bored as to build a battleship just to leave it sitting around, then suddenly give it to Kiana? Did Kiana have such a rich friend?

Forget it, there was no need to think so much. He would make do with it for now. Once Mei or Kiana became an A-rank Valkyrie after some time, he could ask Theresa to help apply for a brand-new battleship. It was just that...

It felt like he was getting farther and farther from his original goal of slacking off...

Sigh, there was no helping it. For Mei's sake, he had to keep it up. Slacking off was impossible—he could never slack off in this life. Only by becoming a captain and loafing around while waiting to die could he barely maintain this kind of life...

As for the Moonlight Throne, to be honest, Ling Feng did not like it very much. First, it was too small. Second, the living area was too small—practically nonexistent. More than half of the battleship's volume was occupied by propulsion equipment. This thing was basically just a giant thruster...

After the morning classes ended, the four of them still had lunch in the academy cafeteria. Ling Feng told them about the matter, then they returned to the dormitory to pack their things—mostly clothes and the like. Finally, they boarded the Moonlight Throne and set off!

At around five in the afternoon local time, the Moonlight Throne finally arrived at Japan's largest city, Tokyo!