Marine Headquarters Fortress.
"Tsk tsk~"
Cross leisurely wandered around his office, examining things left and right, and occasionally touching some of the decorations.
This was his first official office; the one at the Marine Academy was just temporary. If he recalled correctly, he'd probably be working in this office until he was promoted to Vice Admiral.
In Marine Headquarters, generally only officers of Rear Admiral rank or higher had their own private offices. Everyone else shared an office with a few, a dozen, or even thousands of people.
Of course, there were a few exceptions for important departments or officers with special positions who, despite not being Rear Admiral, also had their own private offices, but these were extremely rare.
So, he could finally decorate his office properly.
Knock, knock, knock~
Suddenly, a knock sounded. Cross turned his head to see Gion push the door open, smiling at him.
"Hi~ I came to visit!" Gion said with a smile.
"Huh?!"
Immediately, Cross's face twisted into an expression of distaste. "What are you doing here?"
Gion ignored Cross's obvious displeasure and walked in, gently saying, "I heard you were transferred to Marine Headquarters. I specially came to see you!"
"Cut the act. Just tell me what you want. You wouldn't come looking for me for no reason!" Cross retorted annoyed. "Last year, you asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend to reject Tokikake's courtship, and then you leisurely ran off for several months, leaving me to be resented by the easily-fooled Tokikake for a long time."
"Cough~"
Gion cleared her throat, a little embarrassed, and quickly said, "Well, didn't I come to apologize to you?"
Hearing this, Cross scrutinized Gion up and down, then scoffed, "You come to apologize empty-handed, relying just on your mouth?"
"Hey~ you brat, that's going too far!" Gion glared unhappily at Cross, then pulled out a silver card from her pocket and waved it at him, proudly saying, "This is a hot spring island membership card. You can soak in natural volcanic hot springs there and enjoy a 30% discount~!"
"Hot Spring Island?! Are you talking about that hot spring island near the Calm Belt, where the volcano erupts lava as bright as fireworks but doesn't harm the island in the slightest?" Cross's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly.
"That's right, it's that hot spring island famous for its natural volcanic hot springs and 'firework' volcano!" Gion smiled. "Without a membership card, you can't even get into the natural volcanic hot springs!"
"I can't believe you have such a good thing! Quick, give it to me!" Cross grinned, almost unable to close his mouth, and reached out to take it.
However, Gion smiled and pulled her hand back, saying, "Don't rush. Help me with one more thing, and I'll give you this card."
"Huh?! Isn't this supposed to be an apology gift for me?" Cross complained. "What else do you want my help with?"
"This hot spring island membership card was hard-earned. Helping me once isn't enough!" Gion said with a smile, swaying the membership card in her hand.
"Tell me first, I'll consider it!" Cross said with a wary expression, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Don't worry, it's not anything troublesome. It's just a rather tricky mission!" Gion quickly waved her hand, explaining.
"A mission, huh… Tell me about it." Cross looked at Gion with suspicion.
"You…!"
Gion found Cross's continued suspicion both annoying and amusing. She had no choice but to explain, "Some time ago, Marine Branch 46 sent word to Marine Headquarters saying that a black, cat-like monster appeared on Stonewood Island. At the end of every month, it harasses the villagers, eating a few livestock before leaving. Branch 46 sent a force of two hundred men to hunt the monster, but many of them were clawed and bitten to death, forcing them to request support from Marine Headquarters."
"So, you received orders to deal with that monster?" Cross asked, understanding.
"That's right, I received the order to deal with that monster."
Gion's brows furrowed tightly as she said gravely, "Stonewood Island is near the Kurus Kingdom, not too far from Marine Headquarters, about a three-day journey. However, Stonewood Island's terrain is very troublesome. The surrounding waters are full of reefs, making it impossible for large warships to approach. My Third-Class Warship can barely get in."
"But that's not the most troublesome part. Stonewood Island is a medium-sized island with several adjacent large mountains. After I arrived, I led four hundred soldiers to set up an ambush outside the village, waiting for the monster to appear at the end of the month. Who knew the monster seemed to sense the danger? I waited from the end of last month until the middle of this month, but the monster never appeared."
At this point, Gion's pretty face darkened, and she said angrily, "Later, the villagers said the monster was hiding deep in the mountains. So I left a hundred men in the village and led the other three hundred soldiers to search the mountains. The result was that the monster actually waited until we were all deep in the mountains, then attacked the village again, causing a huge ruckus before leaving. The two hundred soldiers I left behind suffered heavy casualties!"
"Oh~ So there's actually such a smart monster!" Cross exclaimed in surprise. "That monster could sense your departure, so it must have been hiding nearby, monitoring you, and perhaps even sensing the strength of its enemies!"
"Exactly. According to the survivors from Branch 46, the monster moved as fast as the wind and possessed great strength. It defeated their two hundred men head-on, and the hundred elite Marine Headquarters soldiers I left in the village were also defeated head-on. This proves that the monster is definitely avoiding me!" Gion's expression was proud, yet her tone carried a hint of vexation.
"Hehe~ Interesting!" Cross stroked his chin thoughtfully, slowly saying, "So, you want me to go and help you find that monster, huh?"
"You can have your Enlivened creatures search the mountains from the air, or ambush it from the sky, waiting for the monster to appear. That way, the chances of finding the monster are much higher!" Gion's pretty face was serious, and she shook the hot spring island membership card in her hand again, saying, "As long as you help me capture or kill that monster, this card is yours!"
"Going to such great lengths, it seems the monster on Stonewood Island is really frustrating you!" Cross said with a touch of schadenfreude.
"Stop making sarcastic remarks! Just answer me one thing: are you helping me or not?!" Gion glared fiercely at Cross, annoyed.
"Look, is that how you ask for help?!"
Cross arrogantly rebuked Gion, only to see her pretty face flush red, almost exploding with anger. So he quickly added, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but I can't. Don't let me just sitting in the office, looking idle, deceive you. In reality, as soon as the Den Den Mushi rings and an order comes from above, I have to deploy immediately. This is the mission Fleet Admiral Kong assigned to me; I simply can't run around freely!"
Gion saw that Cross wasn't making excuses and became serious. "That's fine. If you agree, I'll talk to Fleet Admiral Kong. If that doesn't work, I'll ask Tsuru-nee for help!"
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