Chapter 486: Maid Corps

Qin Ge put down the email in his hand, raised his head, and looked toward his new secretary ship.

Yes, the secretary ship system that rotates once a week has been executed very well during this period; at least Qin Ge appears to think so on the surface.

At this moment, his new secretary ship was looking at him with a delighted expression. Although she didn't speak, that gaze made Qin Ge have to pay attention.

"He Min, why are you always looking at me? Is there something strange about my appearance?" Qin Ge asked his new secretary ship.

He Min was the secretary ship for this new week; she is a member of the Royal Maid Corps, under Belfast's jurisdiction as a maid. She has a very gentle temperament and is highly skilled in household affairs, and for him, she is even more accommodating than Belfast.

At this moment, upon hearing Qin Ge's question, He Min quickly replied, "No, I'm just watching the commander smoothly handle each task, and for some reason I feel happy too… it's truly unbelievable."

Qin Ge smiled and said, "Is that so?"

"Yes, before becoming a secretary ship I specifically went to consult Miss Belfast, because I was afraid I might do something poorly. But Miss Belfast told me that the commander is the same when working as in daily life, and is also a very easy‑going person.

"Indeed, just as she said, merely watching the commander work makes one feel happy; I doubt anyone else could do that." He Min said with a smile.

Seeing a girl say that about himself, even Qin Ge's face showed a hint of a smile, so the earlier feeling of strangeness was put aside.

"Then while I'm working, you don't have to stay constantly by my side; you can rest on the sofa, brew yourself a cup of tea, and that's fine." Qin Ge said with a smile.

"It's all right; actually, if I were to sit alone there watching the commander work, I'd feel a bit guilty, so standing here accompanying you gives me a sense of working together, so commander, you don't need to worry about me—just focus on your work." He Min said with a smile.

Qin Ge smacked his lips, "You Royal Maids are all the same; Belfast said the same thing before. Well then, do as you wish."

Thus they kept this arrangement: Qin Ge worked while He Min stood beside him; if she saw his cup running low, she immediately added some water, always keeping the cup at a half‑full state.

As time passed, Qin Ge finally finished this morning's work. Looking at the last email, he involuntarily smiled and looked up, saying, "Our vice commander will be back soon; estimated in not too long a time we'll be able to sortie again."

"Are you talking about Vice Commander Li Chenming, commander? I heard he went to recruit new officers for the Grand Fleet; have the new officers already been found?" He Min asked.

Qin Ge nodded, "When he set out, I told Hu Feng about this, so the Maritime Affairs Bureau has given considerable help to our Grand Fleet's recruitment this time.

With their help, this has gone very smoothly. According to the email the vice commander sent back, he has already recruited five commanders and is now on the way; estimated he'll return in a few days.

"If he'll return in a few days, does that mean we'll sortie as soon as the vice commander arrives at the port area?" He Min said somewhat dejectedly, because if that were the case, the time she could spend with Qin Ge would be short.

Afterward, our commander will go to command the Iron Blood ship girls to collect combat data, while I've been assigned to another formation, so at sea we might not see each other for about a month.

Qin Ge shook his head, "Of course not that fast; once the vice commander brings the new commanders back, I still need to give them some training—you guarantee they'll adapt to our fleet's pace more quickly.

"It will also take about a day or two, plus preparing supplies and such, so sorting out to sortie will likely be about five days later."

"Five days later? That's still fine!" He Min's face lit up immediately upon hearing Qin Ge's answer.

Five days is roughly a week; by then, even if I leave, I'll have completed the required period for a secretary ship in full.

"What's wrong, He Min? You're saying that—does something need attention?" Qin Ge asked, puzzled.

He Min smiled and replied, "Naturally I want to take good care of the commander during this time; if only a few days remain before I have to leave, wouldn't the secretary ship duties be delayed then?"

Qin Ge smiled and said, "That won't be a problem; didn't I tell you before that even if sortieing causes a shortage of secretary ship time, we can make it up after returning to port?"

He Min smiled, "But I still think it's better to finish it like this continuously; otherwise, too long a gap would leave me out of condition."

"All right." Qin Ge smiled, "But seeing you keep bringing up Belfast just now, is she your idol?"

"Yes!" He Min said firmly, "Head Maid… Miss Belfast is very capable and has a steadfast will… I admire her greatly; I hope one day I can become someone like that…"

Qin Ge smiled, "Actually I feel you two aren't that different; anything Belfast can do, you can do too."

"No." He Min shook his head, "I still lack a lot; the gap between me and Miss Belfast is still huge, she's regarded as the perfect maid."

"A perfect maid?" Qin Ge chuckled; regarding that answer he actually agreed completely. Belfast indeed takes good care of everything for him when she's by his side, and even when he forgets something, she can handle it very properly.

Therefore the people in the port area often tease Belfast, saying she'll turn the commander into a wreck. But that's just joking; on the side it also shows Belfast's capability.

"By the way, I have a question for you." Qin Ge smiled at He Min, "How many people are there in your Royal Maid Corps? Or rather, how many grades are there?"

"Are you asking about this term's Maid Corps, or including the previous ones?" He Min asked.

Qin Ge was somewhat surprised, "Does the Maid Corps still have several batches? I've never heard Belfast mention these."

"Yes, the current Maid Corps with Miss Belfast as Head Maid is the present one, while the previous Maid Corps was led by Miss Newcastle." He Min smiled.

"Newcastle? The Southampton‑class Newcastle?" Qin Ge smiled, "Come to think of it, as the first batch and the first ship built and launched of the Town‑class Light Cruiser, that's indeed fitting.

"So are all Town‑class Light Cruisers maids?"

"Yes, and we also have the Dido‑class." He Min smiled.