Chapter 183: Raven's Vacation
Such advanced technology... perhaps these beings truly were visitors from another universe.
"Should we tell Eagle Union and Dragon Empery?" one of the Sakura Empire commanders asked hesitantly. "If this is real, sharing this information could strengthen our enemies."
Another commander shifted uncomfortably. "But sir, if we don't tell them and they find out later..."
"They'll accuse us of trying to monopolize interdimensional contact," finished a third. "That could unite all other factions against us."
The Admiral stared at the recorded footage again—that casual manipulation of fundamental forces. His hands trembled slightly. In all his years of warfare, nothing had prepared him for this moment.
"We're enemies with them, yes," he said finally. "But we now face visitors from beyond reality itself. Our petty conflicts mean nothing if these beings decide we're not worth their time. No one can remain neutral. Contact them—whether they appear is their choice."
"What if they refuse to come?"
"Then they'll be the ones left behind when history changes forever."
Within hours, priority communications went out across all known networks. Raven and his group received quarters in the port facility while they waited.
Two days later, the first foreign fleet materialized through a spatial rift. Admiral Halsey of Eagle Union stood on his flagship's bridge, studying the massive golden vessel through his viewports.
"Sir, energy readings from that ship are still off our scales," his aide reported nervously.
"Yeah, I can see that," Halsey muttered. If Sakura Empire isn't lying about these interdimensional people, we need to be here. But if this is all bullshit... "Keep our weapons ready, but don't point them at anyone yet."
Hours later, Dragon Empery's fleet arrived. Yat Sen watched the other fleets with careful eyes. So many of us in one place. This is either really important, or we're all about to get screwed.
By evening, Northern Parliament's ice-scarred vessels had joined the growing armada. Even representatives from smaller factions—Iris Libre, Vichya Dominion—had sent delegations.
Fleet after fleet continued arriving, ships flying banners of Eagle Union, Dragon Empery, and Northern Parliament. Representatives from every major faction that had heard about interdimensional contact had come. This unprecedented event could change their universe's fate forever—it would be recorded in history.
An unimaginable era of change was about to begin. Nobody dared miss this meeting, fearing they'd become footnotes in history, swept aside by progress.
While the great powers prepared their diplomatic positions, Raven found himself with time to kill. The virtual port stretched across vast areas, hosting countless vessels both ordinary and extraordinary. Ship-girls enhanced with Wisdom Cubes received resupply and maintenance alongside their regular counterparts.
Through his storytelling gift, Raven had quickly earned the love and admiration of many ship-girls. Today, he sat on his usual platform, regaling his audience with tales from other universes.
"After waiting for ages, everything came to nothing," Raven said dramatically. "The powerful Supremes felt crushing despair wash over them. Their hope transformed into bitter sorrow."
"Many Supremes had almost no lifespan remaining. When they awakened, they found themselves constantly losing their remaining years. If they couldn't achieve immortality in this final chance, they'd never get another opportunity."
A heavy cruiser leaned forward. "Mr. Raven, what made them think they could become immortal in the first place?"
"Ah, excellent question!" Raven's eyes gleamed. "They discovered ancient ruins containing secrets of transcendence. But the path required perfect timing—miss the cosmic alignment, and wait another million years."
"Million years?" gasped a destroyer. "That's so long!"
"Thinking about their sacrifices, the countless years of waiting, only to face this... some desperate Supremes turned dark. They decided to initiate the Dark Turmoil, harvesting all life to sustain themselves."
Belfast, standing at the crowd's edge, watched quietly. Look at them all hanging on his every word. He's got quite the talent for this.
At this crucial moment, Raven paused dramatically.
"To learn what happens next, tune in for the next episode!"
The ship-girls and commanders, completely captivated, erupted in protests.
"Nooooo!"
"You can't stop there!"
"Mr. Raven, please continue! What's the rest of the story?"
"What happened to those Supremes seeking immortality?"
"Tell us more stories about other universes!"
A crowd of destroyers, cruisers, and battleships surrounded Raven completely. They'd dismissed their rigging to move in human form. Slender pale legs, elegant curves, and gentle faces filled his vision.
If heaven existed anywhere, this had to be it.
Raven's expression went blissfully vacant as he lost himself in the beautiful, welcoming crowd. Lost in the chorus of "Mr. Raven" calls, he completely forgot about returning home.
The Human Empire, Big Guy, Chaos Gods—they could all wait forever.
Seeing the ship-girls surrounding him three layers deep, Raven adopted a helpless theatrical expression. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you another part."
"Those Supremes realized they couldn't achieve immortality, so they initiated the Dark Turmoil. They harvested the life essence of entire worlds, using forbidden methods to extend their dying lifespans."
"Every Supreme had once been the strongest in the universe. Even though they'd deliberately weakened themselves, they retained incredible power. They could shatter planets with casual gestures."
"When the Dark Turmoil began, countless worlds and hidden sanctuaries instantly fell to disaster. All living things became mere sustenance."
"Especially those of you with special energies—those hungry Supremes would devour millions upon millions in one bite, then millions more the next!"
As he spoke, Raven assumed a frightening expression. Sharp fangs sprouted from his beak as he made exaggerated chomping sounds.
This sent the destroyer-class ship-girls into delighted panic. They screamed as they scattered.
"The evil Supremes are coming! They're starting the Dark Turmoil! Quick, find the Secretary-General!"
"No, we should get Enterprise-san!"
"What about Akagi-san? She's really strong!"
Raven laughed as he watched the little ship-girls flee in mock terror. Even in another universe, destroyers are the same—full of energy and completely adorable.
Emperor's Grand Design observed from nearby, staring at him without expression. He's supposed to be representing us, and here he is playing around with kids. How does Big Guy put up with this?
"Is that supposed to be entertaining? Why frighten those children?"
"Don't you find it amusing?" Raven grinned shamelessly. "Look how happy they are. When's the last time you saw ship-girls laugh instead of worry about fighting?"
Emperor's Grand Design paused, watching the destroyers peek out from behind cover, giggling as they whispered about the 'scary story.' Hmm. Maybe he has a point.
"Completely boring," she replied, turning away. "Though... if you really want to continue, I guess I could listen."
Raven blinked. Even as Big Guy's flagship, she shouldn't have mastered his tsundere act so perfectly!
The peaceful storytelling session was interrupted when a beautiful ship-girl with silver-white hair approached. Her maid outfit was immaculate as she offered a graceful curtsy. Belfast, the famous Head Maid of the Royal Navy.
"Belfast, hello," Raven nodded.
"The meeting is about to commence. We're just waiting for you."
The time for entertainment had ended. With the Head Maid's guidance, Raven and Emperor's Grand Design proceeded to the conference hall. Upon arrival, Raven found the Emperor, Malcador, Dorn, and the others already present.
Unlike Raven, they hadn't spent time entertaining themselves. During their stay, they'd been carefully observing the Azur Lane universe, contemplating the best methods to convince various factions to accept Imperial rule.
Azur Lane civilization operated under a unique system where humans and ship-girls governed together. The ship-girls handled combat while remaining outside politics, taking orders from human command structures.
Every ship-girl maintained a soul contract with her designated captain—called a Commander. These bonds allowed them to share memories and experiences, making betrayal impossible.
When Raven entered, the busy conference room fell silent. Everyone—both Imperial and local—looked at him.
The ship-girls and commanders whispered among themselves. They'd learned that Raven was one of the Human Empire's supreme rulers. His casual attitude hardly matched their expectations though. After all, what high-ranking official spent time telling stories at ports and playfully frightening destroyer-class ship-girls?
Raven surveyed the assembled ship-girls and mentally catalogued their identities.
"Eagle Union's Enterprise... Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth... Dragon Empery's Yat Sen... Iron Blood's Bismarck... Sakura Empire's Akagi... Sardegna Empire's Vittorio Veneto..."
He recited their names with an amused grin, appearing completely unserious about the proceedings.
"Please, continue your business. I'm just here as a mascot."
With that dismissal, attention returned to the actual negotiations. Raven never involved himself in formal matters like this. His defining trait was following his whims, with no genuine desire for political power.
The atmosphere in the room grew more serious as the formal discussions began. Dorn stepped forward, his Primarch presence commanding immediate attention from all assembled delegates.
"The endless heavens contain countless civilizations, each following their own development," Dorn began with the measured authority of a Primarch. "Yet human civilizations across all universes share a connected destiny."
"We must unite to prevail in the final war approaching. Therefore, as envoys of the Human Empire, we've come seeking to merge our civilizations—to face together the powerful enemies awaiting us."
Dorn's diplomatic skills served him well. His voice carried conviction and power, making his listeners instinctively trust him.
"Your proposal is too vague," Enterprise responded, shaking her head. Her voice carried the weight of countless battles. "Eagle Union won't become subordinate to any foreign power. We won't sacrifice ourselves for someone else's ambitions."
These people claim they want to help us, but they're asking us to give up everything we've fought for, she thought. How is that different from the Sirens trying to control us?
Queen Elizabeth's eyes flashed with indignation. "The Royal Navy has ruled the seas for centuries. We shall not bow to upstart empires, regardless of their technological superiority."
"But Your Majesty," Belfast interjected quietly, "their demonstration suggests capabilities far beyond our current understanding."
"Technological superiority does not grant political legitimacy," Bismarck stated coldly from across the table. "Iron Blood learned that lesson through bitter experience."
Yat Sen of Dragon Empery spoke thoughtfully. "The question isn't their power—it's their intentions. Why do they truly need our allegiance?"
"We could both compromise and sign a cooperative alliance instead—trading technology and resources as equals," Enterprise suggested.
Dorn's expression remained stoic. They fear subjugation. Understandable, but they don't comprehend the scope of what's coming. The wars ahead will consume isolated civilizations.
"Human civilization requires unification to possess sufficient strength," Dorn insisted with Primarch certainty. "Joining the Empire brings no harm—only technological and resource advantages. The enemies we face cannot be defeated by divided forces."
"What enemies?" Akagi demanded sharply. "You speak of threats, but we already fight the Sirens. Are you claiming there's something worse?"
The room fell silent. Even Raven looked up from his wandering thoughts.
"Much worse," the Emperor finally spoke, his golden eyes surveying the assembled leaders. "The Sirens are merely scouts. What comes after them will make your current war seem like training exercises."
The negotiations reached an impasse. The Empire needed the Azur Lane factions to sign formal membership agreements. Meanwhile, the local powers worried deeply about surrendering their independence.
The negotiations reached an impasse. The Empire needed the Azur Lane factions to sign formal membership agreements. Meanwhile, the local powers worried deeply about surrendering their independence.
As the heated debate continued around him, Raven listened from the sidelines. Initially, he paid attention, but gradually his mind wandered to more pleasant thoughts. French fries, the ship-girls' gentle faces, their fair and slender legs...
These political discussions are always the same, he mused. Everyone wants security but nobody wants to pay the price for it. At least the ship-girls are honest about what they want—protection for their people and an end to the fighting.
Suddenly, a delicate pale finger poked his arm. He turned to find a small ship-girl sitting beside him. Her distinctive beret and elegant bearing marked her as French—Iris Libre, most likely.
She whispered conspiratorially, "I heard them say you can travel between different universes. Could you take us somewhere without war?"
Raven tilted his head, studying the little ship-girl with amusement. Dark circles under her eyes suggested she hadn't slept well in days. Another one carrying too much weight on small shoulders.
"You're from Iris Libre, aren't you? Already planning your escape? Very few universes are truly peaceful—the one we come from makes your conflicts appear like gentle disagreements."
"Eh? How did you know I was from Iris Libre...?"
Before she could finish her question—
[End of Chapter]
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