Chapter 170 03.0169: "Salon in the Captain's Office"

"Mr. Horatio, Miss Hood."

Horatio, who was chatting, heard the greeting and looked towards the source of the sound along with the officers.

The captains who were sitting there were instantly in awe when they saw the newcomer.

The ones who came over were none other than the two masters of this giant ship.

Captain and first mate.

The brilliant gold edges on the colonel's and lieutenant's uniforms made them stand out among the other captains and look extremely majestic.

"Mr. Peru, Mr. Sterling." Horatio smiled and saluted the two senior officers who were approaching.

"Well, okay. Ladies and gentlemen, how do you feel about being at the battery today?" Commodore Peru, the captain of the ship, nodded in return, his face looking dignified but with a kind smile, he asked.

This combination of strength and flexibility, majesty without making people feel intimidated, is a unique temperament of a senior captain that takes time to acquire.

"Not bad, just a little tired and a little sore. The ramming impact almost broke me and the enemy ship apart," Horatio joked humorously.

The young man's joking answer made the captain and the officers laugh heartily, and the slightly serious atmosphere became relaxed and cheerful again.

When Farida heard the teasing, her cheeks turned slightly red.

She pursed her lips and lowered her head slightly shyly.

[This guy actually brought this up in front of so many people.]
There was a hint of resentment in her apologetic eyes as she glanced at the tall and handsome young man beside her.

Horatio held his glass and laughed generously with the officers, looking unconcerned and without any complaints.

She just took a sip and smiled again.

But this also refreshed her concept of the navy.

She had thought that the Imperial Navy was extremely serious about everything they did, and that even having a meal would be just like having an aristocracy, with etiquette and a lot of red tape to follow.

But in fact, although the scene is grand, they are really just taking a rest.

Accompanied by the melodious and lively music played by the military band, these naval captains, who are the chosen ones of heaven, lie down however they are comfortable, not caring about their sitting posture at all.

However, their words and actions are elegant and graceful like those of gentlemen and ladies, making people feel relaxed and comfortable as if they were attending a private salon.

Those annoying red tape and interest rules are diluted here to a comfortable level.

The dialogues are also mostly humorous.

It was in stark contrast to the serious and depressing style of the officers she saw on the bridge.

These officers of varying ranks, reserve officers, lieutenants, and captains addressed each other respectfully and chatted casually.

"The end of freedom is chaos, and the end of order is despotism. Compromise is the purpose of the navy, so relax." Horatio said quickly and softly as he passed by Farida, and then returned to the conversation.

Seeing Horatio say this, Farida gradually relaxed and joined their conversation.

And she was sure of it from the officers' expressions.

For some reason, now that Horatio was standing next to him.

The untouchable temperament she possessed was indeed no longer the same as before, and it was enough to make people vomit when she stood next to others.

Although there was still a slight feeling of discomfort, it was not a torment for these veteran captains who had been through many battles.

[It’s amazing, how did he do that?] Farida glanced at the young man beside her.

As the officers arranged the work at hand, they arrived one after another.

Each piece of equipment is operated by experienced warrant officers.

Even if there is an external enemy, the enemy will not reach the combat distance too quickly, and there are warships surrounding them to keep on alert.

They can take the special officers' express elevator and all personnel can be at their posts in just five minutes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats!"

At the invitation of the 'king' on the warship, officers, civil officials, and commissioners from other departments stationed on board took their seats one after another.

"Please, Miss Hood." Horatio politely invited Farida to take a seat.

Her seat was on his left, and he pulled out a straight and comfortable velvet chair for her.

After everyone is seated.

The captain tapped the crystal cup with a silver spoon, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

The servants in the hall and the minion servants immediately set out and started running.

The regular official servants stood behind the captain and the captain.

The others were arranged according to gender, and each had a teenage servant standing behind the officials.

These people were like the little servants that Horatio had been when he had his simple meals, but slightly better.

Not everyone is qualified to serve officials at meals in the captain's office.

These young men and women were the children of warrant officers who commanded the bridge. They had received a certain degree of education and were well dressed. The servants first brought a gold-plated basin to each adult who sat down for them to wash their hands, and then stood neatly behind the officials, observing their expressions and serving them meals.

Looking at the entire spacious captain's office, Commodore Peru sat at the top seat of the oval table, looking directly at the crowd.

One arc can just accommodate three people.

According to the Imperial Navy's unique set of rules.

Captain Lord Stirling, in his void blue uniform with a thin gold stripe, sat in the arc to his right.

The chair on the left is temporarily absent.

That seat was reserved for the Mechanicus Tech-magos of the Indefatigable.

But the Sage is usually very busy, and he needs to monitor the operating readings of the most critical parts.

And thanks to the transformation, he only needs nutrient solution to survive, so this position is usually empty.

On the right hand side of Captain Sterling were all officers of the Imperial Navy, and these people took their seats in order according to the sequence of taking over the command of the warship.

Seated to the left of the empty seat to the captain's left is the ship's Monsignor.

He is a kind and dignified old man. Monsignor is an honorary title granted by the state church to priests who enjoy the treatment of bishops.

These state religion members who serve the Imperial Navy often receive a higher level of treatment than their original rank.

After all, there are all kinds of risks on a battleship, especially when making a subspace jump.

The battle-hardened Indefatigable still serves the Empire today, thanks in large part to the contributions of senior Ecclesiarchs.

"Monsignor, I have been serving this battleship since I was a candidate officer. About a hundred years?" Captain Peru leaned forward with a smile, turned his head and asked the monsignor.

"105 years, Captain," the respectable old man replied with a smile.

"Well, you've served the Indefatigable three times as long as I have," Captain Perux gave a thumbs-up and nodded pertinently to the diners.

The next person on the left is the ship's inspector on the Indefatigable.

Even when eating, he still wore the majestic and stern wide-brimmed hat of the military inspector, and his alert and cold eyes did not forget to be vigilant about his surroundings.

“Military Supervisor Carson has extensive experience and has thwarted countless acts of weakness and betrayal.

Thanks to these dedicated military inspectors, the empire's valuable assets have been prevented from being robbed countless times by villains using treacherous schemes."

Captain Peru introduced it to the people dining, mainly the group of young reserve officers who had just joined the ship.

"But don't be afraid. He is a respectable commissioner. As long as everyone performs their duties conscientiously, my old friend will not cause you any trouble."

Military Supervisor Carson nodded.

One further left is the chief medical officer.

This respectable gentleman was no worse dressed than the Lord Captain.

Horatio recognized that this was the medical officer who had helped him get the medicine.

“You will never find a more capable and reliable surgeon in Abyssal Port.

I told you that many captains who were promoted from the Indefatigable broke their arms out there.

"Oh! Don't move! I want to go back to Abyss Port to ask Dr. William Harvey to amputate my limbs!" Captain Peru performed the movements vividly.

The officials who were dining laughed out loud, and the atmosphere became cheerful and joyful.

The chief medical officer, who was wearing a single gold-rimmed glass, was so embarrassed that he smiled shyly.

Next are the various Masters, who are civilian officials. Some are from the Ministry of the Interior, and some are professional masters specially hired from the civilian population by the Ministry of the Navy.

From the overview, to the right of the captain are naval officers, and to the left are non-naval officers.

But when it comes to the candidate officers, the situation is different.

The reserve officers took their seats on the port and starboard sides according to their assignment.

The positions of these young officers are very interesting. Their seats are assigned according to their distance from the bridge and their side positions.

Horatio and Farida were on the port side, and therefore on the captain's left hand side.

Next to Horatio was the candidate officer in the power department, then the officer of the light spear artillery group, and then their macro artillery officer.

The officers of the backbone spear battery were sitting on both sides, followed by the reserve officers of the bow torpedo room.

Some people didn't come because they were recuperating from injuries.

For example, there was only a little boy on Horatio's right, with a red face, who looked worried about his injured colleague.

"It's a pity that some of our gentlemen were injured in the battle and could not attend. But thanks to the favor of the God-Emperor, they did not lose their lives. Let us raise our glasses and wish for the health and recovery of these brave and wounded warriors of the God-Emperor!"

"I wish for the health and recovery of these heroically wounded warriors of the God-Emperor!" The officials raised their glasses in unison.

　Please give me a monthly ticket and a recommendation ticket, QAQ thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)