Chapter 301: Match Order

However, looking at the high-level officials of the major factions, they were not overly surprised by this situation.

Because Qin Ge has brought them so many surprises over the past two days, having such an excellent commander makes the shipgirls naturally want to rely on and trust him more, which is why their trust level is so high.

As the tests continued, when Qin Ge had finished testing all his shipgirls, even the newly summoned Xinong now had a trust score of 56 points, meaning that just these few days have greatly increased their trust.

Moreover, the scene of others expecting to be caught cheating never appeared; instead, after the tests proceeded smoothly, it shows that Qin Ge himself already has more than twenty shipgirls.

This news surprised the commanders of several factions; they couldn't understand how a first-year student could have so many shipgirls.

Furthermore, it appears these shipgirls have been summoned for a long time, because from the trust scores one can see that the newly summoned shipgirls definitely do not have such high trust.

However, everyone was only briefly surprised and then calmed down, because having many shipgirls does not mean their training level is high; the most important factor determining a shipgirl's strength is training level, and when the training level reaches a certain point, it can overwhelm lower‑training shipgirls.

Therefore, for Qin Ge, having so many shipgirls certainly does not mean each one has a high training level, so they still have a chance.

But sometimes ideals are plentiful while reality is meager; I wonder what expression they will have when they learn that Qin Ge also has a shipgirl with full training.

However, now is not the time to discuss those matters, because the tests are over, indicating that all shipgirls and commanders are fine and there is no cheating, so we will proceed to the first event next.

The first event is held in a temporary tent set up beside the venue, following the usual order: first White Eagle, then Royal, and so on, with the last being Qin Ge representing Donghuang.

In fact, this order was worked out jointly by the nine major factions, because nobody wanted to put Qin Ge first; after all, according to information from Iron Blood, Royal, and even the Sardinian Empire, Qin Ge is the person who compiled Donghuang's latest tactical and strategic manual.

If Qin Ge were to answer their questions first, what would the other commanders do afterward? Their knowledge certainly wouldn't match Qin Ge's, and the disparity in answers would greatly affect how the judges score the other commanders.

Such low scores would affect the commanders' enthusiasm, after all Qin Ge is not their faction's commander; the people they lead are.

"Commander, what kind of problems do you think will arise this time?" In the Donghuang rest area, Guanghui sat beside Qin Ge and asked him.

"Hehe, Guanghui, are you still worried that your commander won't be able to answer?" said the Prince of Wales from the side.

"Ah, Your Royal Highness, although my commander is very capable, there is always some worry before a clear result comes out," Guanghui replied with a smile.

"I feel your worry is completely unnecessary," Mikasa smiled and said, "Logically, Donghuang should be in fifth place; do you know why they placed you at the end?"

"Could it be because of our commander?" Guanghui looked puzzled at Mikasa, and at that moment Qin Ge also looked puzzled.

Mikasa nodded and said, "According to the reliable information I've received, the other major factions feel that Qin Ge's participation in this competition disrupts the balance, yet they have no reason to reject him."

So they came up with a compromise: moving Donghuang from fifth place to ninth. This also ensures that the other commanders can receive a fair and just score at their level.

"This…" Qin Ge was momentarily speechless, while his shipgirls all burst out laughing.

"Hehe, feel honored—being able to make the nine major factions change the rules for you, and this time their opinions are completely unanimous; this is the first time such a thing has happened since the establishment of Azure Lane," said the Prince of Wales with a smile.

"Well, I never imagined it would turn out like this; I originally just wanted to come to the Sakura Empire to win an honor for Donghuang, then return to continue my studies.

but now this event is developing step by step into something fantastical, leaving people somewhat bewildered." Qin Ge said helplessly.

"Hehe, that's indeed the case," said Banrenma with a smile.

"You all," Qin Ge smiled at his shipgirls, then shifted the topic elsewhere.

On the other side, in the Iron Blood rest area, the Iron Blood commander representing this deployment, Taide, glanced at the distant laughing Donghuang fleet and said to the Prince of Wales ahead, "Your Highness Prince Ou Gen, what do you think of Donghuang's commander?"

"Huh? Why ask that?" Ou Gen Qin Wang replied calmly to Taide.

"Because I will surely face him later, I need to grasp his information, and besides, I'm curious," Taide said to Ou Gen Qin Wang.

Ou Gen Qin Wang's mouth twitched slightly, "You're actually quite honest; in that case, let me tell you: even if you tied together your other eight commanders, they still couldn't beat him."

"Why? Is it just because he has many shipgirls?" Taide asked, puzzled.

Ou Gen Qin Wang shook his head; at that moment, Gneisenau beside him smiled and said to Taide, "There are many things you might not understand, so some discrepancy is normal, but I can tell you this: it's best not to become an enemy of Commander Qin Ge."

"Ah?" Taide looked astonished at Gneisenau's words.

Since Gneisenau is a high‑ranking member of Iron Blood, hearing such a statement from an Iron Blood high‑ranking member about a Donghuang commander makes it seem very strange.

"Did you read the strategic and tactical manual I gave you last night?" Ou Gen Qin Wang asked.

"Yes, I have," Taide replied to Ou Gen Qin Wang.

"What do you think of the book?" Ou Gen Qin Wang asked.

"Although I don't know which senior wrote it, the tactics and strategies described in the book are exquisitely profound; I only skimmed it last night, but even a quick look gave me great insight, and to fully comprehend it would still take a long time," Taide said reverently.

"Then if I tell you that the author of the book you read last night is none other than the Commander Qin Ge you just mentioned?" Ou Gen Qin Wang smiled.

"Impossible! How could he possibly write such a professional book? You know our Iron Blood has many senior officers, yet none of them have managed to produce such a comprehensive work," Taide exclaimed in astonishment.

Ou Gen Qin Wang smiled, turned his head toward the Donghuang fleet's direction, and said, "But he did write it."