Chapter 105: Taihou and Taihou-chan
Two hours later.
"Commander! The Sirens said they can help us have a child!!!"
"???"
Taihou practically dragged Setsuna to the Siren naval base, followed by a group of eager onlookers—shipgirls, dragon girls, and even some curious Heroic Spirits—all ready to witness the so-called birth of a 'mini shipgirl.'
Inside the base, Observer, Purifier, and Compiler had already been waiting.
"?"
Setsuna looked at the three Siren girls in confusion.
"So, what exactly did you tell her?"
He knew the Sirens had advanced technology, possibly even bordering on magic, but the idea of creating a child between a human and a shipgirl seemed downright science fiction.
After all, the system had clearly stated that different species couldn't naturally produce offspring.
"It's all because Taihou wouldn't stop pestering me," Purifier sat cross-legged on a chair, lazily swishing her tail-like appendages.
"She kept saying that if we didn't figure something out, she'd get the Bulins to repurpose me into a mining or construction ship or something."
"At first, we told her straight up that it was impossible. Shipgirls are born from their ship hulls and Wisdom Cubes—not born in the human sense."
"But Taihou refused to give up. She said that if the Spirit of Origin could separate Spirit Crystals to create new Spirits, then maybe something similar could be done for shipgirls too."
"We thought the concept was pretty interesting, so we discussed it. And then Compiler said she had a way."
"…"
Sitting inside her jellyfish-like ship rigging, Compiler finally spoke, her voice as monotone as ever.
"Using conventional methods, a Commander and a shipgirl cannot produce offspring. However, if we extract a fraction of your Wisdom Core energy and a fraction of Taihou's, then infuse them into a new Wisdom Cube, there's a possibility it could form a new shipgirl."
"The resulting shipgirl would be forged from the energy of both of you. In a way, she would be your child."
"???"
Setsuna—and the nearby shipgirls—were completely dumbfounded.
It did sound similar to how Mio separated Spirit Crystals to create new Spirits.
A little energy from himself, a little energy from Taihou, mixed together inside a Wisdom Cube…
Well, when put that way, it wasn't entirely different from having a child. Just with a different method.
"So? How do we do this?"
Setsuna turned to Compiler.
"Leave it to me. We've previously researched methods to extract energy from Wisdom Cubes. The only additional requirement is a new Wisdom Cube."
The small Siren girl answered calmly.
Setsuna thought for a moment before handing her a Wisdom Cube.
"Do we need to prepare a ship hull?"
"We have some here,"
Purifier gestured toward the dockyard, where several mass-produced ships were stationed—destroyers, cruisers, battleships, and even aircraft carriers.
Once everything was set up, Setsuna and Taihou sat before a strangely shaped device.
Behind Compiler, her massive ship rigging extended two mechanical arms, gently pressing probes into their arms.
"…"
Setsuna and Taihou felt a strange sensation—something was being drawn out from within them, almost as if a piece of their energy was being extracted.
The Sirens' research on Wisdom Cubes was just as advanced as the shipgirls of Azur Lane.
However, since Compiler was usually silent and rarely interacted with others, her capabilities were not widely understood.
"Yawn—"
As her Wisdom Core energy was being extracted, Taihou couldn't help but yawn, and Setsuna also felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him.
"For stability, I need to extract enough energy from both of you to ensure a conscious entity can form within the Wisdom Cube. Please remain focused," Compiler's voice instructed.
Taihou forced herself to stay awake, her mind drifting into fantasies about the future.
"What will our child look like, I wonder…?"
The surrounding shipgirls watched with great interest, while the Heroic Spirits and Spirits, unfamiliar with this kind of process, looked completely lost.
"Ara? I thought I was about to witness something truly spectacular. Like the two of you merging into one like wild beasts… and then…"
Kurumi let out a regretful sigh.
"But it's just a bunch of engineering and technical stuff? How dull~"
"If you want to see something interesting, come to my room alone tonight. I'll make sure you see something very good," Setsuna shot back with a smirk.
Kurumi Tokisaki—sensual, teasing, and always aiming to be in control. She often played the role of the predator, waiting to devour her prey.
But Setsuna wondered—if things really reached that point, would she still be so composed and playful?
"Setsuna, are you seriously sending me an invitation right now? Ah… you really are a wicked man…"
"Are you that desperate for my body?"
Kurumi's mischievous grin widened as she lifted the hem of her short skirt slightly, preparing to continue her teasing.
"Give me a break. With your figure? Your gravitational pull is barely noticeable."
"You do realize who your competition is, right?"
Setsuna countered without hesitation.
Against someone like her, he had to fire back just as boldly.
"Eh?"
Kurumi was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected such a blunt retort.
She glanced around at her supposed "competition"—Richelieu, Yat Sen, Taihou, and Belfast. Then she turned to Mio.
Finally, she looked down at herself.
…She was actually a bit smaller than even Gudako.
A strange sense of defeat suddenly crept into her heart.
"Trying to bait the Commander like this won't work," a small shipgirl helpfully chimed in.
"After all, many shipgirls play direct attack strategies… If you're not making a move, someone else definitely will~"
After more than ten minutes, Compiler had extracted enough energy from both of them. Setsuna and Taihou felt slightly drained—not just from the loss of Wisdom Core energy, but also from the small portion of consciousness that had been separated.
Using her mechanical arms, the Siren carefully infused the extracted deep-blue energy into a brand-new Wisdom Cube.
The process resembled ink dripping into a water tank—the new Wisdom Cube was instantly dyed a deeper color, a mix of dark blue and crimson hues that seemed to represent Setsuna and Taihou's combined power.
"Since you two share a strong bond, your energies are able to merge seamlessly…"
"Hmm, this should override the original energy of the Wisdom Cube and allow a new consciousness to be born."
Compiler operated her equipment meticulously, adjusting various parameters with precision.
A few minutes later, she handed the transformed Wisdom Cube to Setsuna.
"Try it. Summon the new shipgirl together."
"…Huh?!"
Setsuna examined the Wisdom Cube formed from his and Taihou's energies.
It was slightly smaller than a standard cube and had a deeper color, swirling with a faint glow of deep blue and red—clearly reflecting both of their powers.
"This… is this really… the crystallization of our love?!"
Taihou instantly entered yandere mode, clinging tightly to Setsuna with sparkling eyes.
Together, they placed their hands on the Wisdom Cube, channeling their consciousness into its energy.
Fwoosh!
A flash of blue and red light intertwined, enveloping an aircraft carrier docked in the shipyard.
The massive vessel began to distort, shift, and transform.
Five minutes later, the energy of the Wisdom Cube had fully reshaped the carrier into a human form.
A small shipgirl slowly descended to the ground.
She was even shorter than a destroyer, dressed in a red kimono similar to Taihou's, with mismatched black stockings—one long, one short.
Her black hair was tied into two long twin-tails that nearly touched the ground, adorned with the same headpieces as Taihou.
Her bright crimson eyes carried an unmistakable trace of Taihou's signature yandere glint.
"A mini Taihou?! Should I call her Taihou-chan?!"
Both the shipgirls and Setsuna were utterly stunned.
This newly born little shipgirl was, without a doubt, a chibi version of Taihou—smaller than even a destroyer.
"Heehee~ Commander, Taihou finally found you~"
The tiny Taihou—Taihou-chan—took small, eager steps and threw herself into Setsuna's arms.
Taihou-chan clung tightly to Setsuna, rubbing against him affectionately.
"Taihou has always been waiting for you~ My dear~"
"???"
Setsuna was completely amazed by the Sirens' advanced technology—they had actually created a small shipgirl.
Although Taihou-chan lacked Taihou's seductive allure, she was undeniably adorable, making him want to cuddle and lift her up high.
"I am the latest-generation armored aircraft carrier of the Sakura Empire~ Bombs or torpedoes, nothing can scratch me in the slightest~ Commander, just leave all your enemies to me~"
Taihou-chan confidently introduced herself, summoning a miniature version of her ship rigging to show off.
"You're an armored carrier too?"
Setsuna was surprised, gently rubbing Taihou-chan's head.
"Oh, she really is identical to Taihou."
"This is absolutely a biological daughter."
Richelieu, Yat Sen, and the other shipgirls quickly gathered around, playfully teasing the tiny shipgirl.
"…"
"How wonderful, it was a success."
Compiler commented nonchalantly.
"…"
The Siren girls watched the scene with great interest.
Purifier suddenly spoke up.
"You know, if the Tribunal units ever ask us what we've been up to, what experiments we've conducted, or what new weapons we've developed…"
"If we answer that we used our technology to help Azur Lane shipgirls have shipchildren, do you think we'll get beaten up?"
"…"
Observer fell silent for a moment.
"Don't ask. If you ask again, I'm going to run for it."
"Haven't you noticed that some of the shipgirls are already planning for their second and third child with the Commander??!!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven