Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

Three weeks later.

In Southern Europe, under a clear blue sky, a fleet composed of battleships and carriers sailed into the Mediterranean from northern Italy.

The shipgirls, now at sea, were noticeably more spirited.

Though they claimed building a city inland was fine, they were clearly more at ease navigating the boundless oceans.

Leading the fleet was the flagship of the Vanguard Fleet, Richelieu, flanked by several carriers. Cruisers and destroyers maintained positions at a slight distance.

Setsuna stood on the bridge, gazing out at the expanse of blue sky and sea.

The fleet pushed southward, cutting through waves as they rounded the Balkan Peninsula and headed north into the Aegean Sea.

Finally, a new landmass came into view.

"So, that's Constantinople…"

Richelieu stared at the distant horizon, where the ruins of a massive city could faintly be seen.

Surrounded by water on three sides, with a vast gulf to the north—the Golden Horn, spanning tens of kilometers—it was an ideal location for building a naval base.

The terrain consisted of endless plains, and the warm climate made it perfect for agriculture and industrial development in the short term. Long-term, it had enough space for airports or even starship launch sites.

Even in ruins, the city's remnants spoke volumes of its former grandeur.

"It's the perfect spot for a capital, don't you think?"

Setsuna grinned.

"This place could someday surpass the harbor in size, becoming a giant metropolis from which we'll expand across the entire world."

The greatest advantage of rebuilding civilization from scratch was that the entire Earth was at his disposal.

With 148 million square kilometers of land and 362 million square kilometers of ocean, the possibilities were endless.

He could shape this world into his vision of a utopia.

After the fleet reached the shore, the shipgirls dispersed, retracting their rigging and hopping onto the land to unload supplies.

Their rigging, capable of expanding or shrinking, was like a personal four-dimensional pocket.

The pocket's capacity corresponded to their tonnage.

Even the smallest destroyers could easily carry several thousand tons of materials. As for the larger carriers and battleships, their cargo capacities were measured in tens of thousands of tons.

However, the pockets couldn't hold living creatures—no Matryoshka-style stacking of one shipgirl inside another's rigging.

One by one, the shipgirls and Bulins unloaded materials, dropping fully-packed containers onto the ground with loud thuds.

Soon, the entire beach was piled high with raw materials.

"…"

Watching the shipgirls, Setsuna couldn't help but think it looked like they were performing some kind of mustard seed into a mountain magic trick.

"Feels like with shipgirls, I could raid—uh, I mean—bring back tons of stuff from other worlds…"

The bizarre utility of their abilities sparked an idea in his mind.

In Richelieu's bridge, Setsuna and several shipgirls gathered to discuss plans for constructing the new city.

Until the city was complete, the shipgirls' vessels would serve as the best shelters.

"So, I have some general ideas and designs for the new city's construction."

Setsuna spread out several blueprints on the table.

He had painstakingly drawn these sketches during the journey.

As a former civil engineering student, if there was one thing he excelled at, it was city planning and design.

"Starting from scratch to build a city is a massive task, but given how advanced Azur Lane's technology is, it shouldn't take too long."

"The first step is to clear out the ruins around the city and clean up the debris in the bay, leveling the land."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"That's easy. The Bulins can handle it quickly, and we'll help as well."

Though the world was in ruins, Earth was littered with debris. Without advanced industrial equipment, just clearing the junk would be time-consuming.

"Next, for the main construction, I plan to divide the city into four major sectors: the port, agricultural zone, industrial zone, and residential zone."

Setsuna continued to explain.

"The agricultural zone will grow crops like wheat and rice. The industrial zone will handle metal smelting and manufacturing. The port will serve as the shipgirls' base of operations. As for the residential zone, we'll leave space for future recruits from other worlds…"

"Later, as the city expands, the agricultural and industrial zones can be relocated further out. We can then add new research parks. But that's a plan for the future…"

His blueprints were highly professional. The city featured a central axis as the main thoroughfare and a neatly organized layout.

Borrowing advanced ideas from a parallel world, he had preemptively planned locations for airports, highways, high-speed rail systems, and even spaceports.

Setsuna explained everything thoroughly, but the shipgirls looked utterly baffled.

"Does everyone understand?"

Setsuna felt he had simplified things as much as possible.

"Nope. What about you?"

Richelieu turned to Formidable.

"Not at all."

Formidable glanced at Essex.

"I'm a weapon designed for fighting at sea. How could I understand any of this?"

Essex looked toward Taihou.

"Ah… The Commander is so handsome when he's serious…"

Taihou sat nearby, one leg crossed over the other, chin in hand, staring at Setsuna with hearts practically floating in her eyes.

"…"

Setsuna felt his brain cracking.

Of course, they wouldn't know civil engineering or urban planning.

Suddenly, a golden Bulin raised its hand.

"Bulin understands!!"

"We need to build houses and a city!"

"You understand the blueprints?"

Setsuna was startled, handing the schematics to the small, drill-wielding golden-haired creature.

"Of course, burin!"

"As long as we have the materials, Bulin can build anything, burin!!"

The prototype Bulin was brimming with enthusiasm.

Overjoyed, Setsuna felt like he had found a kindred spirit. He pulled the Bulin into a seat beside him.

"Alright, alright, can you understand this construction plan?"

"Bulin doesn't need construction plans! Just tell Bulin what to build, burin."

"Do you perform structural analysis when building?"

"Bulin doesn't know what structural analysis is, but everything Bulin builds is super sturdy! Even a battleship can't break it, burin!!"

"…"

"Are you an Ork Mekboy?!"

This peculiar little creature clearly hadn't been educated in systematic physics or construction, yet it somehow understood Setsuna's intentions.

The Bulins had their own unique architectural methods, differing from Earth's practices.

They could build ships, repair warships, manufacture weapons, and even construct buildings—truly industrial marvels.

"You're exactly the kind of talent I need!"

"Who says Bulins are dumb? They're obviously brilliant!"

Setsuna hugged the Bulin tightly, ruffling its hair.

He resolved to produce more Bulins in the future—millions, if possible. With enough Bulins, they could churn out world wonders in no time.

The Great Pyramid, Petra, Hanging Gardens, Tree of Life, Dyson Spheres, Sentinel Arrays, Aether Phase Engines...

From classical wonders to space-age marvels, he wanted them all.

When it comes to building a base—or, in this case, an entire settlement—Red Alert has already outlined the standard procedure:

First, solve the energy problem with a power plant. Then set up a mine to secure resources.

Next comes barracks and a heavy factory to churn out units to protect the base. If you have the resources, you can progress to advanced tech—a combat laboratory.

The construction of the capital city followed a similar principle.

The Next Morning

As the first rays of sunlight kissed the sea's horizon, the bustling chirps of the Manjuus and the voices of the shipgirls filled the air. Everyone had assembled neatly on an open plain, waiting for tasks to be assigned.

"Alright, let's get to work on the city's construction," Setsuna addressed his initial team.

30 shipgirls, 300 Bulins, and countless Manjuus—all from the Azur Lane world.

"Essex, Bluegill, Albacore, take some Bulins and Manjuus and head to Athens and Nicaea. Build mines and refineries there," Setsuna instructed, marking areas on the map.

The Balkan Peninsula was already a rich mining region, which had been a significant factor in choosing Constantinople as the capital.

Although Athens was nearly a thousand kilometers away, shipgirls could travel by sea, making transport efficient.

"Got it," replied Essex, a shipgirl in a tight trench coat with purple twin-tails. She led the Bulins across the waves.

The two submarine shipgirls silently dove into the water, leaving only bubbles on the surface.

"Yat Sen, Ning Hai, Ping Hai, head to the Golden Horn. Have the Bulins and Manjuus set up a naval base. We'll need a port as our foothold."

Setsuna then addressed the three Eastern Radiance shipgirls.

When leaving Azur Lane's base, the port had dismantled a naval base, packed it into containers, and brought it along. Now, it only needed reassembly.

"Understood," Yat Sen nodded gracefully, leading the two younger shipgirls north across the waves.

"Formidable, Taihou, take some Bulins and Manjuus and clear the land. We'll need space for the city on the mainland."

"Clear…this much space."

Setsuna circled a large area on the map.

"This…is nearly 65 square kilometers! Commander, just how big is this city supposed to be?!" Formidable exclaimed.

From the marked area, it was evident that the planned capital was about 50 times the size of Port Island. Factoring in agricultural zones and airports, the total area was even more astonishing.

It was indisputably designed to be a megalopolis.

"This is just the initial plan. We'll expand further later, so don't get too excited."

"Besides, this will be our future capital. Isn't it normal for it to be big?"

Setsuna shrugged nonchalantly.

"This isn't about being big—it's practically the size of a small country in South America…" Formidable muttered, astonished by the sheer scale of his ambition.

"Ah…as expected of the Commander," Taihou cooed, her eyes brimming with infatuation.

"Whatever you order, Commander, I'll carry it out without hesitation…"

Taihou, as always, exuded an intense, yandere-like devotion, propping her chin on her hands and staring at Setsuna with adoration.

"…"

Setsuna couldn't help but question if Taihou had even comprehended the task she was assigned.

If most shipgirls initially had a favorability level of around 50 (with exceptions like Belfast and Yat Sen in the 70-80 range), then Taihou had hearts practically floating in her eyes, ready to elope and marry on the spot.

"If the Commander could work alongside Taihou, I'd be even more motivated…"

The sakura-haired shipgirl gazed longingly at Setsuna, her ruby-red eyes shimmering with devotion. As if her words weren't suggestive enough, she began to adjust her outfit with deliberate care.

Her hands tugged the already low-cut neckline of her kimono even lower, exposing her cleavage further, as if her chest wasn't already scandalously exposed. The soft curves of her chest seemed to practically spill out of the silk fabric, shamelessly showing off her figure.

"I've reinforced my defensive armor, Commander. I'm a state-of-the-art carrier who can handle any task you assign. Just look at my flight deck and closed hangars—aren't they amazing?"

Setsuna froze for a moment, unsure whether to process her words or the sultry way she leaned closer, arms subtly pressing together to emphasize her assets even more.

"Are you satisfied with Taihou's body?" she asked, her voice dripping with honeyed allure, her cherry-pink lips curling into a teasing smile.

"…"

Whoever heard of flight decks being so… huge and soft? Wouldn't the carrier planes crash straight into those peaks?!

Setsuna silently roasted her in his mind.

As if reading his thoughts, Taihou's smile deepened, her tone growing even more provocative. "Not just for carrier planes, Commander. If you'd like, you can use your… 'other equipment,' too."

Her crimson eyes sparkled as she licked her soft pink lips seductively. Her words hung in the air, thick with temptation, leaving no doubt about the intentions behind her teasing tone.

"???"

Setsuna felt a heat ignite in his chest.

Suddenly, a cool voice cut through Taihou's provocations.

"Put your rigging away and get to work with Formidable."

Richelieu, the flagship of the Iris Libre fleet and a cardinal, had arrived.

She efficiently buttoned up Taihou's outfit, wrapping her up tightly.

"The Commander will join us to construct the naval base."

"Hurry up and work with Formidable; don't delay progress."

"You?!" Taihou glared at Richelieu.

"What's your ulterior motive?!"

"No motive. I simply believe efficiency is more important. At this early stage of establishing a settlement, we cannot afford distractions," Richelieu replied with righteous composure.

"We must work together to ensure our development gets on track as soon as possible."

"…"

The other shipgirls, who had been toying with similar thoughts, hung their heads in shame.

Indeed, their purpose here was to assist Setsuna in rebuilding civilization. Compared to this flagship's perspective, their own aspirations seemed petty.

"Hmph…"

Taihou considered Richelieu's reasoning and reluctantly accepted. She took her assignment alongside Formidable, but not before giving Setsuna a playful wink

"Commander, visit me when you have the chance~," she called out as she left.

"If you'd like, I'll be waiting on the bridge. I promise—no pests will disturb us~."

The other shipgirls were assigned their respective tasks—scouting terrain, cooking, patrolling, and reconnaissance.

In the end, the group noticed one peculiar detail:

Richelieu was the only one without a task.

"What's your job?" Taihou asked suspiciously.

She had only refrained from pestering the Commander because Richelieu had urged her to prioritize work.

Now, however, Richelieu didn't seem to have anything to do herself.

"As the fleet's flagship, I will henceforth serve as the Commander's secretary ship," Richelieu declared matter-of-factly.

"I'll handle his daily meals, accommodations, and routine needs."

Her tone was entirely justified.

"Any objections?"

"…"

"Ha?!"

Taihou and several shipgirls exchanged incredulous glances.

I'm not letting this slide!