Surrounded by so many beautiful and adorable shipgirls, Lin Lan naturally drew a lot of attention the moment he stepped into the shopping street.
However, thanks to media promotion, the people of Orlan were very friendly toward shipgirls and their commanders.
Lihu County was relatively remote, so people looked at Lin Lan more with surprise than anything else and didn't pay too much attention.
After all, compared to shipgirls who were already part of Orlan, it was the appearance of someone from Natlan or Liao Continent on the streets that would be more eye-catching.
In a big city, it was a common sight for commanders to take shipgirls out shopping.
"Today, whatever catches your eye, just say so. I'm paying, don't be shy."
Lin Lan spoke generously to Sui Qiong and the group of Iron Blood shipgirls. With the financial strength he had now, he had every confidence to say such words.
"Commander! I want to eat that!"
Since the commander had spoken, U-110 naturally was the first to eagerly point at a sweets shop, beginning the first stop on their journey of freeloading off Lin Lan's wallet.
"Commander, that drink looks good!"
"Buy it. Anyone else who wants a drink, go order it together—I'll pay."
"Commander, is that a video game store over there?"
Hearing Tirpitz, who had remained silent until now, speak, Lin Lan followed her gaze.
Sure enough, it was a specialty store selling console games.
"You're actually interested in games… Well, I guess that makes sense. Just pick whatever game you like. If you don't have the console, get that too."
Halfway through his sentence, Lin Lan recalled a certain nickname Tirpitz used to have and figured it made sense after all.
"Would carrying the gaming equipment be a hassle for you?
Oh right, you all have storage space in your rigging. Then it's fine—pick whatever you like. I won't go in with you, don't worry."
They say spending money is like water, but in the face of absolute wealth, that saying doesn't really apply.
"Let's eat lunch first. We'll have more energy to continue shopping afterward."
Around noon, Lin Lan checked the time and spoke to the group.
At that moment, the two chibis already had their hands full of candy and snacks. Ruprecht and Sui Qiong each carried several skewers of grilled meat.
Tirpitz, after walking out of the game store, had already become a permanent VIP member of that shop.
Seeing the exaggerated grin on the face of the shop's owner who escorted Tirpitz out—as if she had just sent off the God of Wealth—it was clear Tirpitz had bought quite a few game discs.
August had purchased a good number of perfumes and potted plants, all of which she stored in her rigging.
As for the Iron Blood girls Leipzig and Nurnberg, they had bought a lot of handmade crafts and delicate decorations, very much in line with their personalities.
"I remember the last time I treated Ruprecht at that buffet, the owner recommended a fellow restaurant nearby. Let me see where it is…"
Lin Lan planned to have lunch at a buffet restaurant. Looking around the streets, he quickly spotted the place.
Although he didn't bring the discount coupon given to him last time, Lin Lan didn't really care about that small amount of savings.
As soon as they entered, a waiter warmly greeted them and led Lin Lan and the others to their seats.
Glancing around, Lin Lan noticed that this buffet restaurant was indeed more luxurious in decor compared to the previous one, and the dishes—just from a quick scan—were clearly more abundant than those at the grilled meat buffet.
Seeing the bright smile on the waiter's face, Lin Lan couldn't help but feel a hint of schadenfreude.
Just Ruprecht alone was a big eater—enough to overwhelm this restaurant. If the other shipgirls let loose their appetites, there was no way it'd be any lighter.
"Ruprecht, this is the buffet you've been looking forward to. Explain the rules to them, then take everyone to get food."
After paying based on headcount, Lin Lan smiled calmly at the eager young draconic girl.
"Hmph, then I won't hold back. Listen up—you eat at a buffet like this…"
As Ruprecht explained, everyone exchanged amused glances, now fully understanding the "proper" way to enjoy a buffet.
And thus began the restaurant owner's nightmare.
Ruprecht, the glutton, teamed up with Z16, the little glutton, to sweep the meat section like sharks, taking whatever was brought out.
The others didn't hold back either. Stacks of plates piled high like little mountains after every dish, and one server alone couldn't keep up with the cleaning.
Lin Lan had no choice but to ask more servers to help, even bringing out a cart just to clear the empty plates.
Thankfully, it wasn't the weekend, so there weren't many customers dining at noon.
Otherwise, if someone had gone to grab food only to find the serving areas completely empty, they might have thought this place was a scam restaurant with no food.
More than two hours later, after several trips with carts of empty plates, a pale-faced woman in her forties approached them:
"Um… Commander sir, terribly sorry to interrupt your pleasant meal with the shipgirls, but… our store is closing for the day…"
Having already eaten his fill, Lin Lan looked around at the Iron Blood shipgirls, their faces full of satisfaction.
Even Sui Qiong, though she wore a calm expression, was still stuffing roast beef into her mouth.
He gave a small nod and casually replied:
"Alright then, let's call it here. Your restaurant's great—the food's fresh and there's plenty of variety. We'll come again next time."
He meant that sincerely.
Besides the grilled meat, this place had seafood, desserts, snacks—quite a selection. For a county-level buffet restaurant, it was top-tier.
But just as he finished speaking, the woman—likely the owner—collapsed to the floor as if struck by lightning, scaring him half to death.
"Ma'am, are you okay?!"
Lin Lan immediately stood up and reached out to help her up, but she just waved her hand and got up on her own with a smile worse than crying.
"I'm fine, Commander sir, just slipped on some oil."
Seeing this, Lin Lan honestly didn't feel right about coming to exploit this place again. This poor woman was so scared her legs gave out.
Just as he was leaving the restaurant with the Iron Blood girls, talking about going to browse a home goods and clothing store next, the woman suddenly chased after him.
Before he could react, she stuffed a bunch of discount coupons into his pocket.
"What are you doing?!"
Lin Lan stared in surprise as several coupons overflowed from his pocket and fell to the ground.
The design looked very familiar.
"Commander sir, I know of a grilled meat buffet restaurant not far from here. Their service is excellent—you should try them next time!"
Only then did Lin Lan realize these coupons were from the grilled meat buffet he had visited with Ruprecht before.
"I see now—you definitely have a grudge with that restaurant's owner."
Snapping back to his senses, Lin Lan couldn't help but comment.
"Ah? How did you know, Commander sir? That bastard…"
"Alright, alright, don't worry—I'll definitely go bleed him dry."
Unexpectedly, the woman's response revealed that there was some drama there.
But Lin Lan wasn't one for gossip. He chuckled and cut her off, picking up the coupons from the ground.
That grilled meat buffet had already witnessed Lin Lan's might.
Just one young draconic girl was enough to make that owner feel the pain. If he saw Lin Lan bringing a whole squad of shipgirls next time, that poor man might just faint on the spot.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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