Outside the workshop in the naval district, the flagships of every major faction had gathered.
Queen Elizabeth of the Royal Navy, who also served as the naval district's current secretary ship, stood at the front, questioning Lala, who had caused the Commander's disappearance.
Off to the side, Helena META, who was being held back, stared fixedly at Lala. If Lala failed to explain herself clearly, Helena META looked ready to declare war on her directly.
Behind the flagships of the various factions, ship girls who had received the news had also rushed over. They too watched Lala, who was surrounded at the very center, waiting for news of the Commander.
Frederick the Great, who had originally left with Roon, had also come. However, her usual gentle expression had vanished, replaced by a stern, repressed look. Roon stood beside Frederick the Great, looking extremely agitated, as though she wanted to charge forward and declare war on Lala herself. Fortunately, Frederick the Great remained rational and restrained her, preventing Roon from causing a disturbance.
Taiho had also escaped Albacore's "pursuit," but Nagato, Heavy Sakura's divine child, had stopped her. She stood at the edge of the crowd as well, glaring menacingly at Lala...
In short, Lala stood at the center under countless intentional and unintentional gazes, as though the moment they learned anything bad about the Commander from her, they would swarm her.
Nana, standing nearby, was somewhat at a loss. She had no idea why things had suddenly turned out like this. Everyone had been getting along just fine, yet now the Commander had suddenly vanished, and her sister had instantly become the target of all the sisters in the naval district...
Momo, on the other hand, stood nearby with mixed emotions, both delighted and worried.
She was delighted because there were clearly far more members of the Paradise Plan she had devised for the Commander than just the ones she had chosen.
But she was worried because her sister's situation truly did not look very good!
The ship girls each had their own thoughts, while the flagships questioned Lala about the details.
"Lala, according to what you said earlier, because of your operational error, the Commander was sent to another world by the Super Game Maker. Is that correct?"
Queen Elizabeth forced a smile, trying to appear as calm as possible. After all, the Commander had been working with her perfectly fine that morning, only to disappear in the blink of an eye...
Why did it have to be the Commander?! Queen Elizabeth was furious, but she had to stay calm. She could vent her emotions after this was resolved, but absolutely not now!
Lala nodded, not denying her mistake in the slightest. She completely understood how anxious all the sisters in the naval district were after the Commander's disappearance. She herself was also very worried about him!
"So, do you know where the Commander is right now?"
Queen Elizabeth looked at Lala with a hopeful gaze, expecting a definite answer from her.
"I'm sorry, Queen Elizabeth, but I don't know where the Commander was sent either. The Game Maker should have connected to my world, but I asked my father to send people to search the universe, and there was no trace of the Commander! So... most likely... the Commander and Akashi were swept into a new world!"
Just as Lala finished speaking, Yubari emerged from the laboratory with a disappointed expression. She walked over to Queen Elizabeth and the flagships of the other factions, then shook her head.
"What Lala said earlier was correct. The Super Game Maker No. 2 she created really is just an ordinary virtual game console. Its program functions, along with the Navigator's assistance, confirm that... Lala was probably right. The Game Maker was indeed taken by mistake during use!"
"Furthermore, the Navigator can testify that neither Lala nor anyone else tampered with Super Game Maker No. 1. When Akashi repaired Super Game Maker No. 1, she used the Navigator's help to improve the relevant code, so the Navigator also left sub-code within Super Game Maker No. 1."
"After confirming it with the Navigator, we know that before the Commander disappeared, no one had tampered with Super Game Maker No. 1!"
Yubari informed the ship girls present of the intelligence she had gathered.
For a moment, the oppressive atmosphere eased considerably, but many ship girls still kept their eyes on Lala.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Queen Elizabeth nodded to Yubari, then turned to Lala.
"I'm very sorry, Princess Lala. Our attitude earlier was somewhat harsh. I hope you can understand. For the Commander's sake, we had no choice but to act this way!"
"It's all right. I understand. I'm also very worried about the Commander's safety!"
Lala waved a hand at Queen Elizabeth, indicating that she did not mind.
"One matter is one matter, Princess Lala. Once the Commander's situation is resolved, we will personally apologize to you."
After saying that, Queen Elizabeth looked back at the flagships of the other factions. None of them objected, or rather, they did not care about that right now. Confirming the Commander's safety was the most urgent matter.
"Then, Princess Lala, can you determine the current location of Super Game Maker No. 1—that is, where the Commander and Akashi are now?"
As soon as Queen Elizabeth asked that question, all the ship girls focused their gazes on Lala again.
Lala nodded, then shook her head.
"There is a method, but I'm not sure whether it will work!"
"What method?"
"Before this, I tried making a signal relay device that could broadcast Scorching Magical Girl Kyoko from my world to the naval district."
Lala paused. Seeing Queen Elizabeth's somewhat confused expression, she organized her thoughts and explained.
"During the process of creating a game, Super Game Maker No. 1 continuously receives and transmits signals to determine the player's strength, then adjusts the game's content and difficulty in real time."
"So, we can change the receiving frequency of the signal relay device to match Super Game Maker No. 1's signal frequency, allowing us to contact the Commander and the others."
Queen Elizabeth nodded to show that she understood. She looked around, saw that the flagships of the various factions had no objections, and turned to Lala with a request.
"Then, Princess Lala, we'll be relying on you from here on!"
"Yubari, stay with Princess Lala during this time as well. Help her confirm the Commander's location as soon as possible!"
Nagato, Heavy Sakura's flagship, spoke in a voice that strove to sound imposing despite her small stature.
Yubari nodded, indicating that she understood.
"I have also notified Agile to come help. Thank you for your hard work, Princess Lala!"
Soviet Union, leader of the Northern Union, added.
Lala nodded and thanked them one by one, then turned her gaze toward Helena META, who was still staring at her as always.
"Miss Helena META, I apologize to you once again."
"I know that you care deeply about the Commander's safety, Miss Helena META. So, may I invite you to help us? I know that you can infiltrate space, infiltrate systems, and alter the relevant parameters. Considering certain special circumstances—for example, if Miss Akashi temporarily shut down the Game Maker to delay the game's progress—we may need your abilities to help us contact the Commander without putting him in unnecessary danger."
Helena META said nothing. She merely stared at Lala with crimson eyes. After a moment, she spoke.
"I accept your invitation, but you must answer one question first."
"Go ahead."
Facing Helena META's crimson eyes, Lala's expression turned solemn.
"Can you guarantee the Commander's safety?"
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