Arknights: The Prophet of Penguin Logistics — Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Talulah’s ConfusionYou're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

The letter was penned in an exceedingly elegant, flowing script. If it were not for the inexplicable fact that Lynn could effortlessly read and comprehend the written language of this world, he likely would have dismissed the complex strokes as some form of abstract artistic design. The sheer precision of the handwriting alone spoke volumes, quietly revealing the author’s refined upbringing and impeccable education.

‘Consider this letter an expression of my presence, Mr. Prophet. I am Talulah.”I apologize for reaching out to you through such archaic means, but I possess no other avenue to contact you. I can only rely on this crude, inefficient method to seek out your location. If my sudden intrusion has disrupted your peaceful life, I am deeply sorry. Please, I ask that you forgive my abrupt and rude behavior just this once.”Regarding the philosophical principles you imparted last time, I have managed to form some vague concepts and a clearer understanding after reviewing certain unorthodox materials. I do not know if my current thoughts and actions are entirely correct, but I have come to realize that the path I originally envisioned possesses fatal flaws—flaws that can no longer be ignored. I viewed the collective far too simply and completely disregarded the individual desires of the people. This oversight is causing our organization and our ideology to fracture without us even realizing it.”I learned from a certain manuscript how to employ specific methods to correct our public image, but in doing so, I have stumbled into entirely new troubles.”Everyone’s thoughts are different, and their dreams are vastly incompatible. When I declared my intention to integrate our forces, I was met with fierce, visceral opposition. The chasm between my ideals and the reality of their desires was so staggering that it left me in shock. I never anticipated the sheer depths of madness and darkness festering within their hearts.”Perhaps I never truly understood my former companions at all. Perhaps I was merely indulging in a distorted dream, turning a blind eye to the harsh feedback of the outside world. Or perhaps, to my own quiet horror, I am actually content with this violent transformation? I do not know. I only know that when faced with those ancient document archives, my former friends began to turn on one another. Some attacked out of a clash in beliefs, some because they saw a twisted glimmer of hope, and others simply opposed for the sheer sake of opposing.”In the midst of this agonizing anxiety, I suddenly remembered your existence. You are a wise man who sees through the veil of this world with absolute clarity. And so, I must ask you: can you gather a fractured force back together? Can you return mutated, corrupted things to their original state? Looking into their eyes, I can see my own ideals rotting away. I feel as though I am gradually twisting into the very monster I swore I would never become. I am lost, because a part of me seems to agree with their brutal practices. In a dark, unforgiving future, their ruthless methods appear to be effective, even if they are steeped in darkness. I urgently hope you can write back to me.”Yours faithfully, Talulah.”P.S.: If it is convenient for you, please provide a phone number or an alternative method of contact. I know this request is ambiguous and burdensome, but I truly need your guidance. The endless quarrels of these past few days have entirely drained my energy. Our shared vision is on the verge of total collapse, and I need a reason to hold on.’

The letter was not particularly long, occupying barely two pages of high-quality stationery.

The actual volume of information contained within those elegant lines was not particularly large, either.

To Lynn, it simply read as though this young lady had caught a severe case of literary pretentiousness. Or perhaps she had been suffering from it for a long time, decided to establish a little club to ‘change the world,’ and naively assumed everyone on the planet would share her exact mindset. She had ignored the shifting dynamics of the people around her. As a result, after his previous advice had forced her to actually pay attention to her subordinates, she discovered that her grand ideals had long since mutated into something completely unrecognizable from her original, rosy conception.

Lynn was all too familiar with this exact trajectory. This was practically the standard lifecycle of any newly formed group. The establishment of an organization always required a beautiful, catchy slogan to draw people in. And the inevitable corruption of that organization always stemmed from the wavering nature of the human heart once placed in a relatively safe environment. Lynn had seen this exact drama play out countless times in corporate structures and online guilds back in his original world.

Though, perhaps such mundane organizational decay was considered rare in this world?

Faced with this heavy, existential plea—which Lynn barely even registered as a real problem—he simply raised his eyebrows. He did not feel the weight of the situation at all.

After all, there were countless theoretical management solutions to fix a fractured group; it all just depended on the competence of the executor. If the person in charge was garbage, then no amount of structural maintenance would save them. If the leader was a genius, they could carve a functioning system out of absolute wilderness. In Lynn’s eyes, this ‘Talulah’was undoubtedly just a bored, wealthy heiress playing at revolution, and whatever’organization’ she ran was probably just a glorified hobby club burning through her family’s money for fun. Hadn’t he read somewhere that there were a ton of overly dramatic student organizations over in Chernobog?

Lynn tapped his fingers against the desk for a moment, then reached for his pen to draft a reply. But right before the nib touched the paper, he paused. He glanced over his shoulder at Exusiai, offering her a slightly ingratiating, hesitant smile. He honestly did not know why he felt the need to smile at her like that.

“Miss Exusiai…?”and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

“You deal with the mess you made yourself, Lynn~”

“So I’m going to write a reply, then?”

“Then write it. Why are you asking me for permission?”

“No, I just feel like I should probably run this kind of thing by you first.”

If she had no objections, then he would get to work.

This certainly was not a love letter, nor was it some ambiguous romantic overture; it was purely a desperate cry for help from a pretentious, sheltered girl who had managed to back herself into a managerial dead end. After skimming the first few lines earlier, Exusiai had simply curled her lip, not even bothering to finish reading the heavy prose before wandering off to the side to listen to her music. She offered Lynn a casual, dismissive nod, completely unconcerned by the dramatic contents of the stationery.

Seeing her reaction, Lynn decided not to hold back either. There was really no reason to hide the most basic, entry-level business management skills required to improve organizational cohesion. He quickly pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and his pen.

After scribbling his name at the top of the letterhead, he tried his absolute hardest to write down his structural advice in a legible, normal person’s handwriting. It was a struggle—you really could not expect someone who had lived his entire previous life communicating exclusively through a keyboard to have good penmanship. The fact that the words were readable at all was already a minor miracle.

Lynn hunched over the desk, his posture terrible, as he crookedly detailed a few standard corporate methods for handling insubordinate staff, followed by his personal contact information.

‘Miss Talulah, I am very happy to receive your correspondence. I would never turn a blind eye to a request for help from such a beautiful and well-bred lady. My contact information is…’You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.