Chapter 358: Change of Conditions

The battlefield ahead was still filled with thundering cannonfire, but now inside the command ship, Qin Ge was in a bewildered state.

"Do you think our eyes might be mistaken?" Akagi said with a smile.

"But why hasn't anyone told me this before?" Qin Ge wondered.

"Because they're all just weaklings!" Kaga said disdainfully.

Qin Ge couldn't help but feel a black line cross his brow, yet he found no reason to refute. For standing before him were two former faction leaders, whose strength Qin Ge had plainly seen.

In the battle against the Purifiers, Akagi and Kaga's strength was absolutely the main force of the Sakura Empire Carrier Fleet. Even the newcomers of the 5th Carrier Division hadn't reached their level.

Among the envoys dispatched now, although they are all awakened shipgirls from each faction, they are not necessarily the main force shipgirls of their factions. Moreover, in terms of strength, they also fall short of Akagi and Kaga's level.

"But since Guanghui already shows signs of awakening, why has she never mentioned it?" Qin Ge wondered.

"Actually, speaking of which, it's possible she doesn't even realize she's currently in the state of impending awakening." Akagi said with a smile.

"Why?" Qin Ge wondered.

"Awakening is a profoundly mysterious state; some may never meet its requirements in a lifetime, while others naturally undergo awakening."

"Before awakening, shipgirls feel no special state, but after undergoing deep awakening, they will notice their own changes." Akagi said.

Upon hearing Akagi say this, Qin Ge instantly recalled when he had once asked Mikasa, and what Mikasa had told him.

"Awakening is a very mysterious state that cannot be explained; having level 100 proficiency and a full breakthrough is merely a preliminary condition, after which various opportunities are needed to awaken the memories of one's former self as a battleship."

"This memory is completely different from that granted by the Wisdom Cube earlier; it is the truest and most direct memory, as if we do not belong to this world, as if our mission in this world is being manipulated by others."

"I have merely touched the edge of awakening; relying on the memories flashing in my mind, I carved out that warship model, and I believe that form is the most original appearance of us shipgirls."

"That remark was made by Mikasa when I first arrived in this world; at that time I had discovered a warship model identical to the one from my previous world."

"Will it cause one to recall the experiences of having been a battleship?" Qin Ge asked.

"Oh? Was it Senior Mikasa who told you that?" Akagi said with a smile.

"Yes." Qin Ge nodded; after all, there aren't many awakened shipgirls he's close with, so Akagi could easily guess.

"That's right; when memories of one's past as a battleship surface in the mind, it already signifies that awakening is underway. However, Guanghui's current situation is merely having traces of awakening without actually undergoing it."

"So she still needs time and opportunity." After saying this, Akagi paused, then added, "But I think she only needs time, because the opportunity is right by your side."

"Then what kind of opportunity did you experience when you awakened?" Qin Ge asked.

"That's a secret, but if one day you become our commander, I might tell you." Akagi gave a mysterious smile, teasing Qin Ge.

"Well, previously you said you'd wait until my fleet had ten awakened shipgirls before joining my fleet—is that really true?" Qin Ge said helplessly.

"Heh, of course it's true—Great Qin and the commander, when your fleet has ten awakened shipgirls, you'll gain the ability to stand equal with the nine major factions."

"Then, with such a commander here, how could we possibly not join?" Akagi said.

"Don't you think, since I can already summon Tiancheng, if during the period when I have ten awakened shipgirls I were to summon another Akagi and Kaga?" Qin Ge said with a smile.

Akagi and Kaga stared for a moment; they had only calculated the conditions for joining Qin Ge's faction later, but they truly hadn't considered what it would be like if Qin Ge really summoned more shipgirls just like them.

Because of Qin Ge's luck, it's absolutely possible to do such a thing.

"What if I say, during this period you refrain from summoning any carrier shipgirls, Commander Qin Ge?" Akagi said to Qin Ge.

Qin Ge glanced at the red dots on the radar, noticing they had dwindled by about half, then turned to Akagi and said, "After all this time, surely you know I'm very accustomed to using that tactic, right?"

"Carrier shipgirls have always been the core of our fleet; moreover, we now have six carrier shipgirls. If we increase that number to ten or twenty, do you think we would still struggle as much fighting the Sirens as we do now?"

Akagi couldn't help but feel helpless, for what Qin Ge said was indeed true. In his fleet, the strongest force is the carrier shipgirls, although the battleship shipgirls are not bad either.

"Then why not negotiate? How about reducing that number from ten to five? What do you think?" Akagi said.

Qin Ge smiled, "Or better yet, why not simply reduce that number from ten to one?"

Akagi's brows furrowed; she was about to speak when Qin Ge waved his hand.

"Actually, this condition isn't too strict, because you should also know that among the commander's shipgirls, there likely aren't any awakened ones, right?"

"And Guanghui now shows traces of awakening, just as you said—she merely lacks time. Coincidentally, what I have most of right now is time."

"I think we don't need to wait many years; it's possible that by the end of this school year she could become an awakened shipgirl. At the latest, it won't surpass the birth of that project ship, right?"

"So I can agree that during this period I won't summon any carrier shipgirls, but if after that time you still can't decide, then I'll have to consider the future development of my fleet." Qin Ge said to Akagi.

Akagi raised a hand to rub her forehead, smiling, "If it weren't for you having Amagi Elder Sister in your fleet, how would I end up so passive?"

"Speaking frankly, have you won, Commander Qin Ge? I agree to your demand; after your Guanghui completes awakening and the project ship is summoned, I will join your fleet."

"But by then, do you have the confidence to control me?"

"Cough..." Qin Ge felt helpless.