Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

The shipgirls who came to visit from the Azur Lane world were shocked by the rapid development of this world.

In less than a year, the construction progress and productivity here had far surpassed that of the port.

After all, there were nearly 70,000 Bulins in the capital city, which was more than 20 times the number in the port.

And this number was constantly increasing. With the Bulins creating more Bulins and the effects of controlled Bulin fusion, their numbers would soon experience exponential growth.

The Sundial Array and the Eternal Snowfall were even more advanced technologies that the shipgirls from the port had never heard of or seen before.

The otherworldly heroic spirits were also quite interesting, and the two sides exchanged some friendly gestures.

After witnessing the thriving development of this world, any remaining doubts about Setsuna disappeared completely.

The shipgirls of the Vanguard Fleet were living better than those in the port. They had truly helped the Commander establish a prosperous civilization here.

"Then, for our future modifications, we'll be counting on the Commander,"

"We sincerely look forward to the day we all ascend to the stars together."

In the naval base office, Enterprise and Bismarck handed in their modification requests.

They were willing to accept Setsuna's leadership and guide the shipgirls together toward the stars.

"Hmm…"

"I'll do my best."

Setsuna was surrounded by a large stack of blueprints, with several Bulins gathered around him.

They were all working together to design modification plans for the shipgirls.

"We'll need to modify over 500 shipgirls and 70,000 Bulins."

"This workload doesn't seem any less than building a world wonder."

The nearby Formidable glanced at the plan and couldn't help but make a remark.

All the shipgirls in the port had to be modified, and of course, the Bulins had to be modified too.

Although they weren't good at combat and lacked weapons, they could be converted into space transport ships.

Transporting resources between planets was much faster than sea transport.

"Bulins can modify themselves… As long as there are enough resources, their issues are easy to solve…"

Setsuna rubbed his temples.

"The real problem is you guys!!"

"Each shipgirl's hull has to be designed individually. I'm about to crack under the pressure."

Even for ships of the same class, different shipgirls had subtle differences. No one liked their ship hulls to be mass-produced types that could be found everywhere.

But this workload…

Setsuna thought it was fine as long as the shipgirls were happy. Besides, with the mental magic boosts, he wouldn't be worn out.

"Do you have any special requirements? Let's start with the modifications for the Vanguard Fleet first."

He looked at the founding fleet girls who had accompanied him back then.

"I want a big—no, many big main guns with enough firepower, and enough mobility."

Richelieu said without hesitation.

"Armor, thicker armor. I want something that can withstand a direct hit from Richelieu's armor and hangars."

Taihou began to raise her hand.

"?"

Richelieu wasn't having it: "I want a main gun that can pierce the armor of an aircraft carrier."

"Then I want aircraft that can blow up a battleship."

"Are you two playing a game of spear and shield?!"

Setsuna stopped the two from their "stacking boxes" behavior.

Taihou often had complaints about Richelieu being the secretary ship and was always thinking about taking her place.

But Setsuna felt that Richelieu was highly efficient, meticulous, and serious about her work, so there was nothing wrong with her being the secretary ship.

If someone as lust-driven as Taihou were to replace her, he could vividly imagine her stepping into the office in a boldly revealing office lady outfit. She would tease and seduce him in ways that would inevitably lead to indescribable events happening every day, and work efficiency would drop drastically.

"Speaking of which, it seems that in the space era, the concept of large warships with huge cannons has resurfaced..."

"The era has reversed again?!"

Essex, holding several sketches, muttered while looking at them.

As a new-generation aircraft carrier, the appearance of the Essex-class aircraft carrier marked the complete elimination of battleships in naval combat.

Aircraft carriers had a larger attack range, more accurate strikes, and their aircraft were not affected by the curvature of the Earth.

But in the boundless expanse of space, the combat mode had reverted to one where both sides engaged in battles at distances of millions, tens of millions of kilometers, or even light-years apart, using long-range weapons.

This made many of the aircraft carrier shipgirls feel somewhat displeased.

"Is there a starship that can both fire huge cannons and launch aircraft, with a hull length of tens of kilometers, equipped with hundreds of turrets and hundreds of space fighters?"

Repulse asked curiously.

"..."

Akashi was silent for a moment.

"What you're talking about is called a Titan. Do you think that's a bit too advanced for our civilization, which has just entered space?"

...

Two weeks later, the first batch of shipgirls undergoing starship modifications walked into the starship takeoff and landing base.

Though this process was handled by the Bulins, as the designer and commander of their new hulls, Setsuna came along as well.

Previously, in the port area, the shipgirls had undergone modifications.

Usually, it was just minor changes like adding a torpedo launcher, installing an additional cannon on the deck, or moving the turret's position. Changing the main cannon was already considered a major modification.

Now, what they were doing was completely replacing their hulls. From the inside out, with the only part retained being the core of the Wisdom Cube, the bridge, weapon systems, and internal compartments would all be replaced.

It was a transformation of the utmost scale.

Space battleships and ocean-going battleships were fundamentally different.

Everyone felt a bit anxious.

"Commander, if my hull modification fails, will you still want me?"

Taihou, normally so confident, now asked pitifully.

"Can't you trust the Bulins for once?"

"They can even build wonders, and they built the Eternal Snowfall piece by piece."

Setsuna smiled, trying to reassure her and the other shipgirls.

"Come on."

Richelieu, as if making a decision, manifested her hull.

A silver-white battleship, inlaid with golden decorations, appeared in the drydock.

Elegant and magnificent.

Other shipgirls also projected their hulls.

For a moment, the space was filled with warships of all sizes.

From aircraft carriers to destroyers, the shipgirls of the Vanguard Fleet were all here for their first round of modifications.

"Now, let's start the modifications, Bulin."

Two teams of special-edition Bulins carried Meow Meow Hammers and walked forward.

They began dismantling the hull at an unimaginable speed.

Richelieu's deck, turrets, and bridge peeled off layer by layer.

This was the first time Setsuna had seen the internal structure of a shipgirl's body.

Unlike conventional warships, most of their internal space was used for combat modules such as ammunition storage, armor zones, and the like. There were no crew quarters or lounges.

All the space was dedicated to enhancing combat capabilities, which explained their exceptional combat power.

"Ugh, I feel so weak right now."

Richelieu crossed her arms, somewhat uncomfortable.

When the physical body was manifested, it couldn't use its ship equipment, and what's more, her body was currently being dismantled.

"It hurts a little at first, but it gets better after a while."

Taihou comforted her, speaking from her own experience.

"..."

When the outer armor and internal structures of the battleship were fully dismantled, the shipgirl's Wisdom Core was revealed.

A glowing blue cube floated in the air, exactly the same as the one Setsuna had seen before.

"This is my core... Uh, it's a bit embarrassing being looked at like this."

Richelieu felt a bit shy.

"Oh."

Setsuna observed for a moment. As long as the Wisdom Core wasn't destroyed, even if the shipgirl suffered heavy damage, such as a broken keel, she could still be repaired.

"Can I touch it?"

He suddenly asked out of curiosity, sensing a power within the glow that seemed similar to the one inside himself.

"Ah? Well, you can... the Wisdom Cube is very sturdy, so it should be fine to touch..."

A hint of a blush appeared on Richelieu's face.

Setsuna stepped forward and gently reached out to touch it.

A warm sensation spread through his palm. As someone who also used the Wisdom Cube, he was familiar with this feeling.

Then, a series of images seemed to flash before his eyes.

He saw Richelieu's completion day, sailing toward the ocean surrounded by irises and tricolored flags.

He also saw her, after her homeland fell, fighting in the Mediterranean and North Africa, and eventually witnessing the surrender of the island nation along with Missouri, as the sun set over Tokyo.

And then, he saw her engaging in repeated battles with the Sirens in the Azure World, defending the port area and the sea, and finally encountering him.

This was the entirety of her experience from birth to the present, all laid out before him, vivid and clear.

"This is the resonance between Wisdom Cubes...?"

Setsuna felt a bit emotional, sensing that he had learned a little more about Richelieu.

"Eh? You secretly kept a set of my clothes? I knew something was missing..."

He also saw some strange things in Richelieu's memories.

For example, she once neatly organized a set of her military uniform and placed it in her wardrobe, then lied about losing it, making Bulin remake a new set.

Such little emotions made Setsuna find her quite adorable.

He turned around.

"!?"

Richelieu's cheeks were flushed, her eyes somewhat dazed.

She hugged her chest tightly with both hands, her body trembling faintly as she bent forward. Her golden hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders, framing her flushed face.

A delicate blush, like the petals of a cherry blossom, bloomed across her fair skin. Her lips parted slightly, and a soft moan escaped:

"Mmnh—"

Setsuna: "???"

"So shy? No way? What's going on?!"

The other shipgirls stared in astonishment.

The once serious, somewhat aloof Cardinal and flagship of the Iris Libre seemed completely out of character, as if she had been played with.

The contrast was so strong that it was as shocking as a saint falling into corruption, like a nun shedding her uniform to reveal provocative lingerie underneath.

"Core..."

"Commander, your power... and mine, just now, they merged together..."

Richelieu bit her lip, painstakingly explaining word by word.

"You're reacting this strongly?!"

Setsuna was stunned.

"The Wisdom Core of a shipgirl is very sensitive."

A Bulin raised its hand to explain.

"If the Commander also has the power of the Wisdom Cube, the two will resonate. Touching the Wisdom Core is like touching the shipgirl's body."

"Ah?!"

Setsuna froze for a moment.

But he also felt a bit cheated, as the cube didn't really have much of a tactile sensation.

"I didn't do it on purpose..."

Just as he was wondering whether he should explain to Richelieu,

Taihou suddenly pounced over:

"Commander, touch mine!!"

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