Fu Hua soon noticed that she was being watched by someone. Following her instincts, she turned her head and saw a somewhat absent-minded Valkyrie wearing Schiksal's uniform standing in the corridor.
"Hello, I'm Fu Hua, an A-rank Valkyrie of Schiksal."
"Um, hello, I'm Luo Lin, a C-rank Valkyrie from the Logistics Intelligence Department. Are you here to see Captain Ragnar...?"
"Mm."
Luo Lin noticed that Fu Hua wasn't wearing glasses. Her blue-green eyes were as sharp as she had seen in the system, but there was no killing intent in them now.
"You're from Shenzou?"
"Mm."
"Then we're somewhat like compatriots. No need to be so nervous, right?"
Luo Lin awkwardly smiled. She couldn't say that seeing this face gave her PTSD, making her feel like the other person could rush over at any moment and use some kind of lethal martial arts technique on her, could she?
"You're quite studious." Fu Hua looked at the textbook Luo Lin was holding and showed her an encouraging smile. "I won't disturb you for now. See you later."
"Ah, goodbye!"
"Miss Fu Hua, this way." Arianna watched the two finish their conversation and led Fu Hua deeper into the building.
Why did Fu Hua come here? The only people worth visiting here seemed to be Captain Ragnar and little Bianka, right?
Luo Lin rubbed her chin and made a guess:
It must be Otto's doing!
---
"Captain Ragnar, how's your recent rest?"
Ragnar looked at Fu Hua with some surprise. "Miss Fu Hua?"
She didn't dare to underestimate this person who carried the title of an A-rank Valkyrie. Ragnar often saw Fu Hua's shadow when dealing with those confidential tasks under Otto. She showed extremely strong combat power during missions, and she also had a formidable and eerie intelligence ability.
Once, some stubborn spies were interrogated for a long time without revealing any information. After Fu Hua was brought in, it took her only a few minutes to make the opponent beg for mercy, and they spilled everything as if a bamboo tube had been upended...
"It's me. Overseer Otto asked me to relay relevant intelligence and also entrusted a task to you."
Fu Hua took out a personal terminal from her pocket and showed Ragnar a document signed by Otto.
The captain of the Valkyrie Assault Team became serious, and the lazy and relaxed atmosphere vanished. She straightened up and took the terminal to examine it.
"The AE spies are active in the border areas of Finland, Belarus, and Russia... Is there anything noteworthy about these places?"
"Overseer Otto said to follow these spies and monitor their movements at all times... The Valkyrie Assault Team is deployed to the Belarus branch to respond to possible emergencies."
"Then I'll leave immediately..."
Fu Hua stopped her actions. "No rush. The Valkyrie Assault Team members who haven't been on leave have already arrived there. Overseer Otto's intention is to inform you to go to Belarus after you've rested..."
"Huh?" Ragnar relaxed her tense body. She was a bit puzzled, "Since the Valkyrie Assault Team has been notified, shouldn't this mission be very important? Why don't I need to go immediately?"
"Bishop Otto's exact words were: 'The recent actions of the AE radicals are significant. They have transferred personnel to Australia and Singapore, and a large number of combat mechs have disappeared in the Pacific Ocean with unknown whereabouts. They could appear anywhere on Earth, but the probability of the places where the AE spies suddenly become active is higher—there's no need to be overly tense for now. Just wait until they reveal their what they have in their hands. Before that, there's no need to be overly nervous.'"
"For now, the targets of AE are unclear. Increasing the readiness level at this time would only waste energy. Moreover, the power of Schiksal is not weak; it just needs the Valkyrie Assault Team to be on standby." Fu Hua explained.
Understanding the situation, Ragnar breathed a sigh of relief. "I see. I trust the abilities of my team members... But if something happens, I'll still rush over immediately."
Fu Hua nodded. "How you use your vacation is entirely up to you, Captain Ragnar."
"You've come all the way here. Fu Hua, why not stay and have a meal before leaving?"
"Oh? Where did you learn such polite words?" Fu Hua stopped in her tracks and looked at Ragnar with interest. "Did you specifically learn them from that logistics officer?"
"Ha ha, you guessed it right."
Ragnar remembered the strange expression Luo Lin had when she asked about how to say polite words in Shenzou, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's go then. We won't look for some fancy restaurant like the Grand Chef's Kitchen; let's just eat in the cafeteria here... By the way, I saw a girl from the Intelligence Department here before. You learnt it from her, did you?"
"Haha, you guessed it right."
Ragnar recalled Luo Lin's strange expression when she asked about how to say polite words in Shenzou, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's go. The food in the cafeteria here is actually quite good."
The two went to the cafeteria for their meal. The cook specially made two delicious dishes for them to enjoy.
The children were very interested in the stranger who appeared next to Captain Ragnar, and they whispered to each other while eating.
"Sister Luo Lin, who is that?"
Little Bianka was also very curious and asked.
Luo Lin swallowed the meat and sighed, "That's an A-rank Valkyrie from headquarters, and your teacher Ragnar is also A-rank... A-rank Valkyries can be considered the backbone of Schiksal."
Of course, Fu Hua is an old Celestial... She carries the title of an A-rank Valkyrie, but actually has the strength of an S-rank. She even downgraded herself and infiltrated St. Freya Academy as a student, making her a unique figure among A-ranks.
However, B-rank Valkyries are also hiding their strength—Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya seem to have always held the title of B-rank Valkyries, and each of them has become a powerful without changing it.
They probably didn't have time to change their Valkyrie Ranking, busy saving the world and what-not.
"Wow, then I want to become a Valkyrie stronger than an A-rank Valkyrie in the future!" Little Bianka said with determination, waving the spoon in her hand.
Luo Lin smiled, "Be bold. Bianka wants to become the strongest Valkyrie in Schiksal!"
"Mm, Bianka wants to become the strongest Valkyrie!"
"Good, very ambitious. Since you want to become a Valkyrie, I'm ready to teach you how to become one—being a Valkyrie isn't just about having strong combat abilities, there are many other things to pay attention to." Luo Lin said, "But my personal abilities are limited. If I teach you relevant knowledge, there will definitely be mistakes and omissions, so I'll teach you some physical training techniques first... If you perform well, I can even teach you the marksmanship you've been longing for."
"Marksmanship?"
"That's the one you practice every morning in the woods with a stick." Luo Lin smiled and said, "Mother Superior and the teacher are worried about you running around in the woods, and they've found out long ago!"
"Um... Teacher is mean!"
The blonde girl's face suddenly turned red, unable to tell if she was shy or angry.
---
Voting on Patréon now. Will last up until June.