Arknights: The Prophet of Penguin Logistics — Chapter 83

Chapter 83: City of Romance

The Louvre—the beating heart and capital of Kazimierz—stood as the ultimate sanctuary of romance in the public consciousness.

Having hosted countless successive Knight tournaments, it had long since transformed into a world-renowned tourist destination. In fact, the sheer influx of sightseers and vacationers had essentially become the pillar holding up the Louvre’s entire economy.

Despite being a fully functional mobile city, the Louvre boasted a staggering array of permanent-looking architecture. Expansive, open-air plazas and low-lying stone carvings masked the grinding treads beneath the earth. Through some unknown architectural marvel, the city had perfectly reconstructed various attractions known to the world as historical relics. Tall, pristine white buildings lined the bustling streets, their facades gleaming under the sunlight.

On the surface, it appeared to be an ancient district carved entirely from marble and limestone. Yet, if one looked closely enough at the seams of the architecture, the faint hum and gleam of convenient, modern mechanical devices could still be seen working tirelessly behind the scenes.

The local Kazimierz citizens hurried about their daily lives, turning a blind eye to the grandeur around them. The tourists, however, were entirely captivated. They marveled at the exquisite decorations adorning the Louvre’s plazas, their cameras flashing endlessly as they tried to capture every beautiful angle of the city.

Even though the official Knight tournament season had not yet begun, an endless stream of visitors still flooded the streets, eager to admire the legendary city in its quieter moments.

Adding to the vibrant atmosphere, concert flyers for Sora were plastered across the streets and narrow alleys. Beneath a beautifully printed image of the idol striking a charming pose, the bold text announced the venue and time of her upcoming performance.

Occasionally, a few pedestrians would stop to point excitedly at Sora’s promotional posters. However, none of this bustling city life had anything to do with Lynn and Exusiai right now.

For the first time since they had met, the two of them were officially out shopping together.

Although they had been living under the same roof for quite some time, the simple act of walking side-by-side through a romantic city still carried a strange, delicate novelty that made them both acutely aware of the space between them.

“You know,” Lynn began, glancing over at the Sankta girl, “it feels like this is the first time I’ve actually gone out shopping with you, Exusiai.”

“Yeah,” Exusiai replied, her bright eyes scanning the storefronts. “Even though so much time has passed, it really does feel like this is our first time just… coming out together like this.”

“I still remember how I insisted on clinging to your leg when we were out in the wasteland.” A soft, self-deprecating chuckle escaped Lynn’s lips. “Come to think of it, it hasn’t even been half a year since then, has it?”

“It really hasn’t.” Exusiai tilted her head, her halo shimmering faintly in the afternoon light. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you for ages… who exactly is WA2000?”

Lynn coughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s nothing. My brain short-circuited, I couldn’t think of a name at the time, so I just shouted the first thing that came to mind.”

“Is that so? I see.”

Looking at Lynn beside her, Exusiai offered a brilliant, effortless smile. It was incredibly warm, carrying a quiet sincerity that stirred a deep, lingering emotion in Lynn’s chest.

Being driven out of Lungmen had been a death sentence. He had been starving, freezing, and utterly defenseless in the unforgiving wilderness. The wastelands outside the mobile city were a nightmare, teeming with wild Originium slugs and all sorts of twisted, hostile life forms that prowled day and night. There were no safe havens or friendly villages scattered around Lungmen’s perimeter—only barren earth and people who were violently hostile to unregistered, helpless refugees like him.

Meeting Exusiai in that desolate wasteland was a stroke of luck so deep that Lynn still felt a phantom ache of gratitude whenever he thought about it.

When he had first seen her driving up to him, a glowing halo suspended above her head and a gun in her hands, Lynn had genuinely believed an angel had descended to his side.

And everything that followed only proved that an angel truly had come for him. She had vouched for his identity, pulled him from the brink of death, and helped him survive the harsh realities of Lungmen. She had recommended him to Penguin Logistics, helped him earn his very first paycheck, and introduced him to the chaotic, wonderful circle of friends he had today.

It was no exaggeration to say that Exusiai had entirely rewritten his fate, pulling him from a path that was destined to end in a shallow, frozen grave.

More, Exusiai never once held that life-saving debt over his head. She treated it as the most ordinary thing in the world, chatting with him as an equal, never displaying even a fraction of the superiority that usually accompanied someone who held another’s life in their hands. That breezy, unconditional equality was something Lynn kept locked safely away in his heart.

“How should I put it?” Lynn murmured, his gaze drifting to the cobblestone path ahead. “It just feels like a lifetime’s worth of things have happened in such a short period.”

“Yeah. A lot of things are different now.”

Walking along the winding, picturesque streets with Exusiai, Lynn took in the beautiful scenery, unable to stop the quiet sigh that escaped his lips.

From being completely alone, ignorant, and helpless at the very beginning, to now casually rubbing shoulders with the upper echelons of Lungmen. He had colleagues he could trust with his life, people he could drink and brag with.

To some absurd extent, he had even stumbled backward into the role of a harem protagonist. Looking back, Lynn felt his life could only be described as a rollercoaster of absolute chaos.

If he really analyzed it, wasn’t this the exact character arc of an overpowered zero-to-hero web novel protagonist?

First, the tragic backstory: being looked down upon, thrown out into the trash, and left to die. Then, relying on the sudden appearance of a beautiful benefactor to survive. Finally, returning to the city that discarded him, working hard, slapping the faces of his doubters, and winning the hearts of beautiful girls.

Okay, maybe he hadn’t exactly ‘won’ any beautiful girls yet, and strictly speaking, he hadn’t done much face-slapping or counterattacking either. But it was an obvious fact that he was currently surrounded by an absurd number of exceptional women.

Whether it was the mysterious, stoic Texas, the dangerously high-spirited Lappland, the aggressively hospitable Croissant, or the radiant idol Sora. Then there was the Blacksteel duo who operated like a walking comedy routine, and even Shining and Nearl, whom he had crossed paths with on the road—every single one of them was a top-tier beauty.

Ah, and he couldn’t forget that incredibly chatty pen pal of his. From any objective angle, Lynn’s life had developed in a terrifyingly fortunate direction.

But if his feelings for Croissant, Texas, and the others were the warm affection one held for close colleagues and friends, then his feelings for Exusiai were entirely different. That quiet, deep gratitude was something he kept buried deep beneath the surface.

In this cruel world, only family members usually helped each other without asking for a single thing in return. So far, the only person who had ever extended that unconditional grace to him was Exusiai.

Lynn’s personal philosophy had always been to repay kindness tenfold. But for a debt as heavy as his own life, words felt entirely insufficient. He didn’t know how to articulate it, so he simply tried his best to support her, to stand by her in whatever chaotic jobs Penguin Logistics threw their way.

As luck would have it, they were currently strolling through a tourist trap known as the City of Romance. The streets were lined with countless boutiques offering gifts meant to express deep affection and gratitude.

As they handled the bustling crowd, Lynn spotted a quaint, unassuming gift shop tucked between two larger stone buildings. He had a strong intuition that there might be something inside that Exusiai would actually like.

Stopping in his tracks, Lynn turned to the Sankta, who was still smiling brightly at the sights. “By the way… let me buy you a gift.”

Exusiai blinked, her halo giving a slight, surprised pulse. “Eh? There’s no need for that, right?”

“You are my savior,” Lynn insisted, his tone gentle but firm. “You saved my life. I have to get you something to express my gratitude.”

“I actually think that instead of spending money on things like this, just working hard and living well makes people happier.” Exusiai waved her hand dismissively, her smile turning a bit sheepish. “And as for the whole ‘saving your life’ thing… I think even if I hadn’t come along, Officer Ch’en probably would have pulled you out of the wasteland in a few days anyway, right? Didn’t she mention a while back that she was planning to round up the refugees outside Lungmen?”

“Huh? She was?” Lynn frowned slightly, though his resolve didn’t waver. “But regardless of what might have happened, you were the one who saved me, Exusiai. Buying you a small gift shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?”

“…Hmm. Alright then.”

Unable to find a valid reason to refuse his earnest gaze, Exusiai finally relented, letting out a soft sigh of defeat.

Satisfied, Lynn gently guided Exusiai toward the small, nicely decorated shop.

The moment he pushed the wooden door open, a faint bell chimed. Behind the counter, a woman enveloped in a thin veil of cigarette smoke slowly lifted her eyelids. She took a drag from her cigarette, her lazy gaze landing on the two customers.

“Welcome…” Her voice was low and raspy, trailing off as her eyes locked onto the young man. “Eh? Isn’t this Lynn?”

Lynn froze, his eyes widening as he recognized the mysterious, smoking woman behind the register.

“Oh? The proprietress of Chaolong Mountain?” Lynn raised an eyebrow in sheer surprise. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

[Rhodes’s Note:

– “WA2000”: A reference to a sniper rifle character from the mobile game Girls’ Frontline. Lynn, being an otherworldly transmigrator, likely panicked upon seeing an angel with a gun and shouted the first gun-toting anime girl name that came to mind.

– “Zero-to-hero web novel protagonist”: The raw uses the term “Long Aotian” (龙傲天), a Chinese internet slang term used to describe a generic, ridiculously overpowered Gary Stu protagonist who effortlessly defeats enemies and gathers a harem.]