Imperium of Man Terra Aeterna Season 01: Rise of Humanity's War Machin

Diplomatic Negotiation

Negotiating with the shipgirls, surprisingly, turned out to be relatively easy.

First, they were essentially simple and kind-hearted—far from the intrigues and power games typical of conventional politicians.

Second, the interests of both parties complemented each other so well that an agreement could be reached quickly and efficiently.

The harbor territories produced shipgirls. Reuel, as the ruler of the Imperium of Man, provided land, colonization space, and vast quantities of resources.

Thus, a Pioneer Fleet from the Azure World was dispatched to Earth to assist in building a new world under Reuel's leadership.

In return, the shipgirls were granted limited exploitation rights over oil, metal, and mineral resources from Earth and other planets under the Imperium of Man. All extracted materials would be sent back to the Trade District via space-time channels.

After a permanent dimensional portal was constructed by the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicus, Reuel no longer needed to manually open space-time routes. The Azur Lane fleets could now travel freely between the two universes.

Once the general direction of the alliance was agreed upon, discussions continued into the finer details of the treaty: the number of personnel permitted to be stationed at the harbor, the volume of resources allowed to be mined per calendar rotation, logistics quotas, and so on.

Personally, Reuel didn't really mind if the shipgirls took a little more than their share of resources. But he was mildly annoyed by the strict working style of the Trade District companies, especially when it came to small things like report logs, transport manifests, and interdimensional audits.

Still, none of this stemmed from Minato—the main faction of Azur Lane—trying to pressure the other side. Quite the opposite, in fact. They wanted to ensure that the agreement remained fair, transparent, and free from exploitation.

Compared to the major nations like the United States or Europe from his previous life, these White Eagle shipgirls could be considered a model of global morality—at least, in its militaristic form.

For the time being, Reuel took advantage of the opportunity by staying in the harbor zone. There, he could wait for the final outcome of the negotiations while also observing more closely the lifestyle of the shipgirls and the unique societal structure of the Azur Lane world.

---

The Next Day

Morning sunlight slipped gently through the gaps in the guest room curtains of Minato's port.

Reuel slowly opened his eyes—and was immediately greeted by a pair of enormous crimes against humanity.

Ah, no. It was just Belfast.

As the head maid of the Royal family, Belfast had been assigned full-time to attend to Reuel's every need during his stay at the port. From personal logistics, diplomatic protocol, to daily matters like—yes—his morning bath.

"Lord Reuel, breakfast is ready," she said with a graceful bow.

Belfast expertly helped Reuel out of bed, prepared hot water for his bath, and served breakfast to noble standards.

For Reuel, this was a rare experience. At least for the past three decades, he hadn't encountered a maid this efficient and dedicated.

Compared to the cosplay maids from his previous life, Belfast was the very definition of class and function united in an ideal form. The gap between reality and imitation was painfully clear—like heaven and earth.

"What are your plans for today, sir?" Belfast asked gently, standing behind his chair as he ate.

"Not much," Reuel replied, sipping his hot coffee. "Enterprise, Yixian, and Bismarck are still discussing the cooperation agreement. I figured it'd be a good time to explore the port area."

Truthfully, he was quite curious. How did these shipgirls live day to day? Just how integrated was black box technology in their everyday lives? And how did this military-feminist community balance warfare duties with social dynamics?

Reuel intended to find some answers today.

"In that case, may I accompany you on your walk?"

Belfast bowed slightly, polite as ever.

"Of course. I'd be delighted to have you with me," Reuel replied with a calm smile.

---

After leaving the main building, the two of them walked side by side down the port streets.

Before long, they bumped into Richelieu by chance. Naturally, the three of them began walking together in a small group.

As they strolled, several young shipgirls discreetly followed from a distance. They peeked out from behind buildings, hid behind walls and fences, watching Reuel as if observing a rare alien specimen—understandable, given how foreign his presence was in their world.

"Currently, there are over five hundred active shipgirls in the port area," Belfast explained. "We're divided into nine main fleets, including the Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Dragon Empery, Iris Libre, Northern Parliament, and Sakura Empire."

"We may have been born into this world," Richelieu added, "but each of us carries faint memories of our military service from a past life. Somehow, those memories shape who we are now."

As they walked, Belfast and Richelieu took turns explaining. Every shipgirl, they said, had a corresponding counterpart in Reuel's original world—real-life warships.

The Eagle Union, for instance, included shipgirls like Enterprise, Yorktown, Hornet, and Essex—names Reuel had been introduced to a few days earlier.

And there were many more notable figures at the port—icons from the great navies of different historical worlds.

"You don't seem to have that many in number," Reuel commented, thinking for a moment. Compared to the massive scale of human civilization like the Imperium of Man, the Azur Lane population was relatively small. But their combat power? Anything but ordinary.

"Quantity isn't everything," Richelieu said flatly. "Advanced technology and precise tactics—that's the key to victory."

Reuel glanced at her. "With so few people, who handles your logistics and maintenance?"

"Transport work and light tasks are handled quite efficiently," Richelieu replied, gesturing toward the side of the road.

Gracefully, she scooped up a small yellow chicken-like creature—no more than a few dozen centimeters tall. The creature flapped its tiny wings, squirming like an overfed chicken, comical and oddly adorable.

"This little thing may look silly, but it's strong. It can carry torpedoes and even move naval artillery," Richelieu said, lifting it by the back of its neck.

Reuel chuckled. "Ah, the Azur Lane mascots. I ran into one two days ago."

Reuel gazed at the little yellow chicken with genuine interest. He didn't particularly care where the creature got the strength to carry torpedoes, or how the shipgirls communicated with it. What mattered was that, to Reuel, this tiny creature was astonishingly versatile.

He was so impressed that he secretly entertained the idea of breeding these mascot chickens across all the territories of the Imperium of Man. He could already imagine the massive potential of this cute little thing in a world as harsh and brutal as his own.

There were two things Reuel had truly come to love since discovering the world of Azur Lane:

First, these yellow chicken mascots that seemed capable of doing just about anything.

Second, the repair ship girls—otherwise known as Universal Bulin.

These mascots could even mine, and Reuel started to wonder whether they could manage agriculture on a planet as well. But, considering his relationship with the world of Azur Lane was still in its early stages, he decided to save that question for another time.

He hadn't yet proposed turning the shipgirls into a full-fledged space fleet either. Too soon. Everything had to be approached with layered diplomacy.

"What about construction and repairs?" he asked next.

"Bulin," Belfast answered. "They may not look very bright... but their expertise in maintenance, manufacturing, and logistics is beyond question."

They brought Reuel to a large structure resembling a factory.

In the open yard, a cruiser floated in midair. Parts of its tower and the portside hull were heavily damaged. Several girls were busily repairing the ship's structure with impressive speed and coordination.

"Bulin!"

Suddenly, a girl jumped out and greeted them with excessive enthusiasm.

"Welcome to the Bulin Repair Shop! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask Bulin!!"

She had blonde hair, glowing red eyes, and wore a flashy gold skirt. In each hand, she held a massive drill that looked like it could pierce the sky—ready to dismantle a continent.

Her expression was bright and... a bit dumb. But in an adorably endearing way.

"Kimbree?!"

Reuel recognized her immediately. This was the transformation girl used to enhance ships in the Azur Lane game. He hadn't expected that she'd be one of those responsible for real-world logistics in this place.

Reuel looked around. There were dozens—maybe even hundreds—of yellow-haired Bulins in identical purple-and-white uniforms, all working hard. Each one held a wrench larger than their own tiny body.

Their uniforms bore numerical codes.

"UB-0686?"

"Are you Bulin No. 0686?" Reuel asked, narrowing his eyes with curiosity.

"That's the right answer, Bulin!! Bulin's name is Universal Bulin No. 0686!"

The Bulin cheered joyfully as if she had just won a children's math quiz.

"There are over three thousand Bulins in the port area," Richelieu explained. "They're responsible for managing the armory, maintenance, construction, and various other tasks."

Unlike shipgirls—who each originate from real-life warships and possess unique personalities—the Bulins were mass-produced and uniform. Only their serial numbers distinguished one from another.

"Their work efficiency is extraordinary," Richelieu added. "I once got rammed by a Siren and nearly lost my keel. But my ship was fully repaired in just two or three days."

"When fleets go on expeditions, we often bring a few Bulins along for logistics," Belfast chimed in from behind.

"..."

"..."

Reuel fell silent for a moment, then muttered, "Are these Bulins... similar to drones or support units we build in other games? Not main characters, but essential parts of the support system?"

At last, he was beginning to understand.

The shipgirls needed the Bulins to reach their full potential. But the Bulins themselves weren't made for combat—they were created for support. So it made sense that they handled all the construction and repair work.

Still... the fact they could restore a warship in just a few days was no small feat.

Those giant wrenches—they weren't just for show.

Watching these "infrastructure soldiers" in action, Reuel felt his civil engineering instincts flare to life.

"Can you also build highways? High-speed rail networks? Airports? Nuclear power plants? Or even produce CNC machines, microcontrollers, and silicon chips?"

"Overheated...?"

Bulin No. 0686 tilted her head. Her brain seemed completely unequipped to process Reuel's barrage of technical questions.

Her face was now confused, yet still cheerful—like a child who had just been asked to file income taxes.

---

You know, the existence of the Bulins felt like something nonsensical and impossible to explain—much like Akashi. As long as there was a design or blueprint, they could bring it to life without fully understanding the underlying process.

Reuel was already planning to put these Bulins to work on infrastructure projects across the territories under his control.

Meanwhile, the Azur Lane mascot—the little yellow chicken—would be tasked with logistics, production, and similar responsibilities.

As for matters involving the Adeptus Mechanicus or factions from the Warhammer universe, Reuel would deal with those another time.