Crossover Shipgirls: Building a Dimensional Empire from Scratch

A few days later, back on Earth.

Above the skies of Constantinople, the Eternal Snowfall pierced through the clouds, carrying everyone back to the base.

Counting the time spent wooing the Spirit of Origin, traveling with her around the world, and the cleanup efforts across two timelines, the entire mission had taken nearly two months.

Upon returning, Setsuna noticed that the capital city had expanded even further compared to when he had left.

”Whoa, not bad at all.”

Nia Honjo and the other two Spirits pressed against the observation window, looking down at the massive city below.

From high above, the city’s layout appeared highly organized, with various functional zones divided neatly along the main roads.

On the outskirts, a space base, as large as the capital itself, housed several ships undergoing retrofitting—presumably the ship bodies of some of the shipgirls.

In another area, a colossal compass-like structure with a diameter exceeding five kilometers stood tall.

The Sundial Array, the first World Wonder, had been under construction for over a year and was still ongoing. Thousands of colorful Bulins scurried back and forth across the worksite.

To the north, along the Golden Horn, stood two naval bases—one blue and one black. The Azur Lane and Siren ports faced each other, their contrasting architectural styles mesmerizing the three Spirits.

”Setsuna, is this entire city managed by you alone? That’s amazing...”

Mio leaned against his shoulder, her voice filled with admiration.

”Calling it a city is a bit modest. More accurately, it should be called a civilization—though it’s still in its early stages.”

Setsuna opened the statistics interface and took a glance.

During his two-month expedition, the total population had surged from 700,000 to over 1.2 million. Most of the population consisted of Bulins and mass-produced Siren shipgirls.

The snowball effect of combining resources from multiple worlds was becoming increasingly evident.

With over a million inhabitants, the metropolis had grown bustling and lively.

And scattered all over were countless little yellow chick-like creatures darting around. With the increasing number of shipgirls, their population had mysteriously skyrocketed as well.

Since these Manjuus were classified as pets and not included in official statistics, Setsuna had no idea how many of them actually resided in the city.

Fortunately, they didn’t consume much, often foraging in the forests themselves, so they were left to roam freely.

Buzz—

The starship landed.

The moment Setsuna stepped off the gangway, a red blur shot toward him.

”Commander-sama—!”

Taihou leaped at him, snuggling against his chest and rubbing herself affectionately.

Instantly, his arms and torso were enveloped in an overwhelming softness.

”I missed you so much... I thought you’d forgotten about us here...”

”How could I?”

Setsuna patted Taihou’s head, the once-yandere girl now completely transformed into a clingy little girlfriend.

”Now that you’re back, you have to spend time with me. Tonight, you’re not allowed to go anywhere—”

Taihou tilted her head and pouted adorably, a blend of allure and innocence.

Setsuna almost couldn’t resist the urge to indulge her right then and there.

”Ahem—”

Nearby, Yat Sen, who had also come to welcome him, cleared her throat awkwardly.

She was much more reserved, lacking Taihou’s fiery enthusiasm.

”Yikes—there really is a yandere here…”

Honjou Nia recalled the scene she had glimpsed through Raziel, and her gaze toward Taihou became a bit wary.

Getting into a competition with her over the Commander was definitely not going to end well.

”Hmm?”

Taihou quickly noticed Mio standing beside Setsuna.

”So, you’re the Spirit of Origin that the Commander mentioned…?”

Despite her beauty, Mio didn’t exude the overwhelming aura of a world boss. To Taihou, even Sirens in their fully armed forms appeared more intimidating than her.

”I’m also one of Setsuna’s oath-bound ships.”

Mio clung to Setsuna’s arm with a serene smile.

”???”

”What kind of nonsense is that?! You’re not even a shipgirl!” Taihou couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

”Then I shall be Setsuna’s oath-bound Spirit instead? Hmm, that does sound better…”

Mio tilted her head thoughtfully.

”…”

Watching his three oath-bound shipgirls and the recently recruited Spirit of Origin all gathered in one place, Setsuna swiftly took control of the situation.

”Enough chatter. Take them to meet the others, show them around the city, and help them get familiar with everything.”

”From now on, we’re all allies, so get along well.”

...

Setsuna led the group of eight or nine back into the familiar city, offering the three Spirits their first real look at this otherworldly civilization.

The city’s structure, predominantly inhabited by shipgirls, Heroic Spirits, dragons, and Sirens, operated on an entirely different logic compared to human societies.

There was no financial system, the administrative structure was minimal, and the concept of bureaucracy simply didn’t exist. Governance fell solely on Setsuna and the shipgirl fleets handling affairs as needed.

Industries and high-tech research were completely integrated within the naval base and Akashi’s workshop. Though small in scale, the productivity levels were astonishing.

Equality was absolute—no wealth disparity, cutting-edge technology, and highly efficient production (primarily in military manufacturing).

Resources were distributed based on need and capability. Anything desired could be crafted by the Bulins, and if they lacked the means, they could always procure it from other worlds.

Gold, the universal hard currency, was in abundant supply.

Crime rates? Practically zero. No one locked their doors, and there was no need for public security agencies.

—Shipgirls and Bulins had no ill intentions, and the Heroic Spirits brought in were, for the most part, well-disciplined.

Among the more chaotic individuals, Jeanne Alter was kept under strict watch by Jeanne d’Arc and Artoria.

As for Tohru, who possessed the power to stir up trouble, she was still diligently training under the maid squad.

Constantinople now was reminiscent of the early ”Utopias” envisioned by scholars and political theorists.

In every sense, it was nothing short of a paradise on earth.

”This area is designated for the Spirits’ residence. Your neighbors are Chaldea’s Heroic Spirits, while the shipgirls live at the naval base. Feel free to visit them whenever you like.”

Setsuna led them to a district within the city, showcasing rows of elegant townhouses.

”As an early recruitment benefit, you get to pick your own place.”

”Oh—Setsuna is so generous? I’ll take this one!”

Kurumi and Nia each pointed to a house, and Setsuna signaled Richelieu to hand them access cards.

The interiors were tastefully luxurious, with all the furniture handcrafted by Bulins or imported as high-end goods from other worlds.

”Wow…”

The group let out gasps of admiration.

”I don’t want to stay here, I want to live with Setsuna—” Mio clung to Setsuna’s arm with an expectant smile.

”Uh… there’s a waiting list for single occupancy… I can’t play favorites.” Setsuna answered earnestly.

”A waiting list?” Mio blinked in confusion.

”Meaning, you can team up with the others for bed-sharing rotations. Otherwise, if it’s one person per day, I won’t be able to manage it all.”

Setsuna subtly gestured toward Richelieu, Taihou, and Yat Sen.

”???”

The pure-hearted Spirit of Origin was momentarily stunned.

You can form teams for this kind of thing too?

Setsuna is amazing—I must be too inexperienced.

...

”Incredible… It’s just like the ideal nation depicted in manga.”

After receiving their homes, Nia was completely immersed in the marvels of this otherworldly city.

She had initially worried that life here wouldn’t be as comfortable as her own world.

But after looking around, she realized that in terms of technology, public safety, and overall amenities, this place far surpassed her homeland on Earth.

On top of that, everyone received a personal villa—far more luxurious than her cramped thirty-square-meter apartment.

”Wait.”

Kurumi suddenly raised her hand, pointing at the groups of Bulins and Sirens moving in clusters along the streets.

”Setsuna, I just have to ask...”

”Why does everyone here look the same? Are they clones or doppelgangers?!”

From her perspective, every Bulin looked identical. The only way to differentiate them was through their hair color and clothing, which indicated their type—purple, gold, or rainbow variants—as well as the ID tags pinned to their uniforms.

The Siren girls also looked quite similar, with the Executor-class mass-produced Sirens totaling six or seven types, each with white hair and yellow eyes.

If it weren’t for the occasional appearance of Heroic Spirits and other shipgirls, the Spirits might have thought that the entire city’s population of over a million were all clones—just like NPCs in a game meant to fill the numbers.

”They’re not clones. They are part of the Starsea Alliance and the port district, just like us. They’re residents of this city.”

Belfast answered without hesitation.

”Huh? Can you really tell them apart?!”

Nia looked in confusion at the three purple Bulins walking side by side in front of her.

They wore the same clothes, walked with the same steps, had the same ahoge sticking up from their heads, and were all holding identical ice creams while chatting and laughing together.

”Of course. The one on the left is MK-065545, responsible for manufacturing and repairing carrier-based aircraft at the Azure Lane naval port. The one in the middle is MK-153226, a maintenance technician in District C of the capital. The one on the right is...”

Belfast fluently listed their serial numbers and job descriptions, leaving the Spirits dumbfounded.

”You actually remember all of their details?!”

”Yes, Bulins have been our companions since their inception in the port. I believe most shipgirls can tell them apart.”

The maid nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

”…”

The Spirits gained a new understanding of the shipgirls.

”And that one? That... that’s a cat... no, a catgirl?! Setsuna?…”

Kurumi suddenly froze, staring at something in the distance with a blush creeping onto her face. Her body seemed eager to move.

Setsuna turned his head to look.

It was Yukikaze, playing around with a few other destroyers from the Sakura Empire kindergarten.

”…”

”I know you really like cats, but she’s a shipgirl. If you just rush up to pet her, you might get hit by a torpedo. Get to know her first, and then you can try petting her ears.”

”Really?”

Kurumi’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

”Yeah, there are quite a few beast-eared girls in the Sakura Empire fleet... I can also buy some actual cats from other worlds if you’d like.”

Setsuna pondered for a moment, deciding to fulfill Kurumi’s small wish.

”As for catgirls... uh, once I locate the world of Nekopara, I’ll see what I can do. So tell me, do you prefer real cats or catgirls?”

”…”

Kurumi fidgeted for a moment, clearly embarrassed that her preferences had been exposed.

”Can I... have both?”

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