NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Ragnar Lothbrok
Following her colleagues' advice, she purchased some beautifully packaged snacks circulating internally within Schicksal from the Kolostein mall. Additionally, she gathered hair accessories, colored pencils, and small toys, stuffing them into a large bag.
With her colleagues' blessings, Luo Lin carried the bag filled with gifts, dragged her luggage, and entered the Vienna International Airport through the VIP channel.
Well, Schicksal paid high salaries, so what's wrong with splurging on a first-class cabin!
Luo Lin arrived very early, still some time before the plane took off. The girl looked around the decorations in the VIP waiting area with some curiosity but soon lost interest. She pretended to stare at the sky outside, but her actual attention shifted to her own system.
Yesterday, for the first time since the endless abyss module opened, Luo Lin... dropped a tier.
—From Sinful Three to Sinful Two.
Luo Lin felt quite melancholic. She had worked so hard and struggled to increase her tier score. However, half an hour before the settlement, the other players suddenly showed great strength, began backstabbing, and she watched helplessly as her ranking plummeted, quickly falling to the bottom of the leaderboard.
Luo Lin tried to salvage her score by going back in, but her anxious mindset affected her performance. She made frequent mistakes in the Titan scraping stage with her small pistol, and the final score she achieved was even worse than before.
It's understandable for players who couldn't surpass the glass panel in the endless abyss, understandable.
Luo Lin felt the urge to go back into the abyss and beat up some monsters (or be beaten up by them) again, only to be told that the endless abyss was in a cooldown period and would not reopen until the next day.
Helpless, she turned her gaze to her 'beloved' Fu Hua - Valkyrie Accipiter. After a brief skirmish, Fu Hua knocked Luo Lin to the ground, leaving her with the words "your performance this time is still not perfect" before disappearing without a trace.
Fortunately, after the abyss settlement, Luo Lin received a sum of crystals that she could use to purchase supplies in the shop. However, just like the rewards from the game itself, Luo Lin found that she couldn't afford any of the items she wanted when she carefully analyzed them.
Gotta save up crystals!
Luo Lin scrolled through the shop's scrollbar despondently, looking at the various weapons and stigmata shining brightly inside. As she waited for the plane to take off, a tall woman sat down opposite her.
"From Schicksal's Intelligence Department?"
"Who?"
Luo Lin lifted her head cautiously, and the woman opposite her was wearing loose casual clothes, looking relaxed, but her every move exuded a strong sense of competence, with a military air about her.
Obviously, this was a colleague from Schicksal, with a high rank, and a frontline Valkyrie specializing in field operations. As Luo Lin looked at the smiling face, she felt a slight sense of familiarity...
"Ah, Captain Ragnar Lothbrok of the Assault Team?!"
She was the mentor of Rita Rossweisse, the savior of Himeko, and the spiritual idol of Bianka.
"I thought I was getting old and forgotten, not even recognized by my juniors anymore."
When Luo Lin glanced over with a wary, suspicious look earlier, Ragnar even felt a little aggrieved, but she quickly adjusted her mindset. After all, Luo Lin was wearing the uniform of the Logistics Department, and she didn't interact much with frontline Valkyries like her, so it was normal for her not to recognize her immediately.
Luo Lin almost jumped up from the couch to salute, but Ragnar pressed her down with one hand, looking helpless.
"Alright, Miss Luo Lin, we're in a public place... don't disturb others."
Luo Lin looked around, and the other passengers in the VIP lounge were all attracted by the commotion here, casting curious glances over. The girl felt embarrassed and lowered her head, murmuring, "I'm really sorry, I disturbed you."
Ragnar spread her hands helplessly, took Luo Lin to a place away from others, and sat down.
Ragnar looked Luo Lin up and down, and asked her questioningly, "You're Luo Lin, right?"
"Yes, Captain Ragnar! What about you...?"
"Oh, I'm also going to do volunteer work at the orphanage in France." The Valkyrie captain of the Assault Team said, "When I checked the task list, I found that someone else was also heading in the same direction as me, so I just booked my ticket for today."
"Understood, Captain Ragnar."
"Still calling me captain? My esteemed Miss Luo Lin?"
Ragnar deliberately emphasized each word, prolonging the ending sounds, making Luo Lin feel extremely embarrassed, with goosebumps all over her body.
"I understand, Ragnar..."
"Now it feels a bit like a vacation." The Assault Team captain finally nodded in satisfaction, relaxing against the back of the sofa. "Relax, it's not a formal occasion. If we must, you and I are on vacation."
"Um... I suddenly remembered why I wanted to talk to you just now—why are you still wearing the Logistics Department uniform?"
"Well, that's..."
Luo Lin touched the hem of her clothes and seemed to have been wearing the Schicksal uniform since she transmigrated. Besides being necessary for work, its style was quite handsome, fully showcasing the designer's skills.
And Luo Lin's male soul had a strange insistence in these areas. Compared to other flashy clothes that emphasized feminine features, she preferred to wear this—so she bought several sets of uniforms and hung them at home, changing and washing them every day.
"Because I usually stay at Schicksal headquarters and don't go out shopping... And this outfit is very comfortable to wear, so I've been wearing it all along."
"Don't you have any other clothes?"
"Maybe a few casual outfits?" Luo Lin propped up her chin, thinking about what else was in her wardrobe, "And some thick winter clothes, gloves, scarves..."
Ragnar looked at the girl with the eyes of someone looking at a monster, half-opening her mouth, thinking of a terrible possibility, so she asked cautiously, "The thick clothes you mentioned wouldn't happen to be the coats from the Equipment Department, would they? Aren't they a bit ugly...?"
"It's that coat, although it looks a bit ugly, but it's really useful. Besides being adept at combat equipment, they also part-time in making some daily necessities, and the quality of each one is very good..."
"This... if I have the chance, I'll buy some too."
Ragnar's expression was subtle. She realized that the Valkyrie in front of her was a typical pragmatist who didn't care about appearance at all but valued practicality more. However, Ragnar had never heard of this news about the Equipment Department's life hacks before. Normally, she and her companions were more concerned about what new combat equipment the Equipment Department developed or if some research institute needed a certain Herrscher beast sample...
Ragnar listened with interest until Luo Lin shifted the topic to the newly equipped equipment. The girl talked admiringly about how powerful the new weapons were, how much the data had increased compared to before...
The captain of the Assault Team had to make a pause gesture. She explained with a headache, "Alright, Luo Lin, let's not talk about this part. I deal with them in this aspect every day. I've tested most of the prototype weapons they make, and despite their grandiose claims, most of them are impractical for actual combat..."
Ragnar complained for a while, then suddenly realized something was wrong, "Aren't we on vacation? Why did the conversation suddenly turn to work? It's all your fault, Luo Lin, you owe me a good mood."
"I'm sorry!"
"Then punish you by taking care of the children with me later, don't run away, okay?"
"Okay, I'm going to the orphanage for that!"
Luo Lin rubbed her hands, completely unaware of how troublesome taking care of human children would be. She was excited about meeting Little Bianka soon and had no room in her mind to think about anything else!