Guess who had a mental breakdown last night and didn’t get anything done? That would be me.
It is a mess, let me tell you. I tried everything I could think of to escape this bizarre place, but nothing worked. All it did is give me back pains and headaches. When I finally woke up, I am back in my bed, feeling like a total wreck.
On the bright side, they did manage to keep my actual clothes here and added more of my fashion taste, and I haven’t been charged for utilities like the shower. So, I spent a lot of time just soaking in the bathtub, staring into the void, hoping for some kind of revelation.
As of now, I’ve just finished making and eating breakfast in this massive mansion they’ve dropped me into. It’s pretty large and, well, might as well call it my new home for the time being, that's all really.
Putting aside the morning's depression and mental turmoil, I decided that by afternoon, I needed to get a grip and make some progress. After finishing lunch, I made up my mind: if I amgoing to be stuck here, I might as well play along.
I headed back to the design room with a determined stride. Given my limited budget and the meager daily income of 5,000 credits, I needed to be smart about this. A battleship is out of the question, so I focused on something more practical.
A destroyer seemed like the right choice—a small but effective vessel that wouldn’t break my bill. I started working on the design, carefully planning out the hull and systems to maximize efficiency and cost-effectiveness. I had to make every credit count and ensure that the shipbuilding bill isworth every penny.
A 1,000-ton destroyer—not too shabby. It has four single 4-inch dual-purpose guns all centerline, with two centerline dual 24-inch torpedo tubes that could hit targets 70 kilometers away. That’s the maximum range of each torpedo’s fuel, but still, it’s quite a lot. It runs at 30 knots on oil because, at this point, I couldn’t bring myself to go cheap with coal; it wouldn’t be worth it. It has a single large funnel in the middle. I’m not sure if it’s enough, but I’m confident it will do. Overall, the top is overcrowded, and looking around, I don’t see any crew to operate this thing. According to the tutorial, I’ll have to navigate these ships through the Admiral Control Room, which is somewhere else in this port.
The ship looks like a Benham-class destroyer but smaller. It costs around 2 million credits rounded off per ship, which is quite a lot, but it’ll do. I headed to the construction facilities to get the ship built and after reaching the place the system told me there that it would take only a day to finish these ships which is quite a surprise, so I ordered ten of them in total, which is rounded off to 20 million credits.
I named them the Color Class Destroyers because I’m out of creativity and just want this entire process to be over with.
After sorting out the destroyers, I decided it is time for a break. I grabbed some lunch, and as I ate, I began thinking over my remaining budget. Once I finished, I returned to the task at hand. With 80 million credits left, I needed to spend wisely on additional naval and auxiliary ships. I revisited the tutorial to make sure I am on the right track.
After some thinking i decided to go with simple logistics vessels and vessels turned out to be surprisingly affordable after finishing their design. At just 500,000 credits each, both cargo ships and oil tankers are budget friendly. Considering their minimal technology and basic function—essentially floating metal for transporting supplies—it made sense. So, i decided to use some of the remaining funds to order these auxiliary ships.
I spent another 20 million credits, placing orders for ten C-1 Class Cargo Ships and ten O-1 Class Tanker Ships.
Overall, I am satisfied with my starting logistics fleet. To wrap things up and make use of the remaining 60 million credits, I decided to invest in a pair of heavy cruisers. They might not be game changers on their own, but they’ll serve as valuable supplementary vessels, adding significant firepower to my fleet.
I designed the heavy cruisers with a sleek, modern hull, costing me the equivalent of about two-Color Class Destroyers each. The design’s supposed to improve rapidly move through the water, though I’m not sure if it’ll make up for my rapidly dwindling budget. They use the same oil-fired propulsion system as the destroyers, offering a comfortable 30 knots with just one funnel to manage it all.
The cruisers come equipped with three triple 9-inch cannons: two forward, with one being super firing, and one at the back. They’ve got a decent fire control system and radar capabilities. For anti-aircraft defense, there are two 5-inch dual secondary guns with proximity shells, plus an array of 40mm cannons all over, also with proximity shells.
Each cruiser set me back 27 million credits. I ordered two, so that’s 54 million out of my budget, leaving me with a nice, big hole. I guess it’s time to start conquering territories before my remaining funds disappear completely.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
After designing the cruisers, I spent most of my time just mulling over my thoughts and exploring around the port. I mean, what else is there to do here? I don’t have my phone, so I can’t exactly scroll through social media or binge-watch something. It’s just me and my endless wandering, trying to make sense of this bizarre adventure and situation.
*
The next day, I headed to the construction yards, expecting to see my ships ready for launch. To my confusion, they aren't quite there yet. As I got closer, I noticed a cloth-covered bottle of champagne waiting at the bows of my ships. It os a small but significant gesture. I felt a sense of pride swelling within me.
With a deep breath, I climbed up to the platform where the first of my destroyers awaited its christening. A panel appeared next to the champagne bottle, prompting me to name the ship. I decided on "Red" for the first Color Class Destroyer. With a decisive strike, I smashed the champagne bottle against the hull, the champagne spilling gracefully and marking the ship’s launch.
I stepped away from the platform as the ship began its descent, rolling down the slipway stern-first and splashing into the port. One by one, the remaining ships are soon to follow.
I named them in order: Blue, Green, Yellow, Violet, Black, White, Pink, Cyan, and Gray, creativity is lacking but i am just playing along here
Next up are the Scharnhorst Class Heavy Cruisers. Given their iconic status from both world wars, I named them Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. It just felt here for a specifically designed pair. I thought about other famous pairs like Portland and Indianapolis, and while I had a feeling, they would suit this universe, I realized there’s no one here to judge my naming choices and also Portland Class are supposed to have 5 or 7 ships i dont know. Besides if someone wants to replace me, they’re welcome to come and replace me—this isekai life isn’t exactly my dream scenario.
With the launches complete, I watched as the vessels made their way to the dockyards, smoothly maneuvering into position on their own. It is quite impressive. Curious about their performance, I decided to head back and check on my designs.
The next are the Scharnhorst Class Heavy Cruisers, being quite an iconic duo in both world war, i gave them their names and so Scharnhorst and Gneisenau is now in this world, i thought to myself that there are more iconic duos like Portland and Indianapolis, i just feel something within me so that's why i choose besides there is no one to judge my naming preference for my ships let them come and be my replacement i dont want this.
With their launched done i watched as those vessel moved to the dockyards where they parked on their own, quite amazing and so i decided to go and check my design.
First up the Scharnhorst. Upon arriving on deck, I made my way up to the bridge by entering the spacious superstructure. Climbing the stairs, I found myself in the bridge, where the controls had a distinct Age of Steam and Steel aesthetic. There are no modern onboard computers—just the good old-fashioned helm and traditional controls.
After checking out the bridge, I made my way down to the hull. There are tons of rooms and compartments, probably useful if I ever needed them. The farthest room held the massive engine—it looked impressive, though I had no idea how it ran on its own. But honestly, I'm not in the mood to dig into the details.
I also came across what looked like the radar-guided fire control system. It is pretty slick, reminded me of stuff I’d seen in museums. Though it didn’t all quite match up, I figured it did the job just the same. Not bad, really.
With the Scharnhorst tour wrapped up, I moved on to check out the destroyer. It only had a couple of rooms—the fire control room and the engine room. The thought of spending any time on such a small ship didn’t sit well with me. Sleeping in those cramped quarters sounded like a disaster waiting to happen, so I quickly decided against it.
After inspecting the ships and following the holy tutorial's instructions, I made my way to the Fleet Control Room. I grabbed a cup of orange juice and activated the control panel. The interface is packed with manual orders, but there are also options to automate tasks like patrolling or guarding specific regions.
For now, I decided to order all of my naval warships, along with some auxiliary vessels, to leave port and head to an open expanse of water. It seemed like a good starting point to get things moving.
It took a while, but the ships eventually made it to the designated area. I figured it is time to test their capabilities, so I started messing around in the Fleet Control Room. After some exploring, I got this thing called the Control Mask, which let me control the ships and the fleet while in the bridge of any of the warships.
I teleported over to the Scharnhorst using another feature of the Fleet Control Room spawning a portal leading to the bridge and kicked off a small naval exercise. With the Control Mask on, I started targeting random spots and trying out different naval maneuvers i know. Honestly, it is more fun than I expected. I even got to practice sea refueling and ammunition replenishment. That part is pretty cool—some sort of magical particles and dust moved between the ships, handling everything without me having to lift a finger. It is a real “wow” moment.
Once the serious stuff is done, I decided to cut loose a bit. I went full throttle with the cannons, aiming at the local fish, and used the anti-aircraft guns to take out some seagulls. I feel quite guilty afterward, but hey, it is all in the name of target practice.
*
As the sun sank below the horizon, everything around the port took on this soft, golden glow. It's kind of peaceful, in a way. After spending the whole afternoon testing the ships sending them on their usual, i headed back to the mansion.
But as I walked across the concrete floor, there is this weight in my chest that I couldn’t shake. Sure, commanding the ships had its moments, but the excitement isn't enough to drown out how much I missed my life back then including my friends. I kept wondering—would I ever see them again? It all felt like I am stuck in some divine plan, one I didn’t sign up for, and no matter how much I wanted out, there didn’t seem to be an escape.
By the time I reached the mansion, I let out a deep sigh. I could only hope that somehow, someday, I’d find a way back to the life I used to know.