Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Operator Skadi also went to Drip Village at the same time. Well, their goals don't conflict, but given Skadi's personality, Grani is probably going to suffer a bit."

"The specific location has been given to Manticore, and you can set off at any time."

-

"..."

"..."

"Hey, say something!" A figure broke the silence in the darkness, his tone helpless. "I just don't understand how that pretty boy managed to snatch you away from me in such a short time."

The lion scorpion lowered its head, its two fingers intertwined, and remained silent.

The figure in the darkness had grown accustomed to her behavior.

Or rather, that's how she should have been.

But for some reason, the man who had only been on Rhodes Island for a short time a few days had already abducted his obedient subordinate.

"I heard you talk to him when no one's around, instead of exchanging notes," the figure in the darkness said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. "We've known each other for so long, but I've never seen you say more than a few words to me..."

Upon hearing this, the lion scorpion lowered its head deeply.

"Forget about these depressing things," the figure in the darkness shook his head and instructed the lion scorpion, "Logically speaking, given your relationship with him, you shouldn't have been transferred there, but Kal'tsit insisted."

"I even suspect he's Kal'tsit's lover. So what if he's a little good at fighting? Is it really worth valuing him so much?"

Clearly, Kal'tsit did not reveal all the information she knew about Xia Yu to this person.

Or rather, everyone on Rhodes Island has a one-sided understanding of the Xia language due to Kal'tsit's interference.

“Remember your duty,” she instructed the Manticore, “If anything…uncontrollable tendencies arise in this squad, you know what to do.”

Upon hearing this, the manticore nodded hastily, its eyes filled with anticipation.

"Alright, alright, I won't keep you any longer," the figure in the darkness sighed helplessly. "Go."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lion scorpion turned and walked away with light steps, without hesitation.

Seeing this, the figure in the darkness was filled with despair.

It's a problem that the Lion Scorpion didn't listen to his own instructions.

I really don't understand why that old woman Kal'tsit trusts that new pretty boy so much after what happened...

She considered herself to have known Kal'tsit for many years, but had never heard of her being such a close friend.

If she really knew him, she wouldn't have failed to pull that pretty boy over to help her back then.

After all, even though she said she couldn't stand it, she was still a little intimidated by that pretty boy's record.

God knows how this guy can fight so well.

And it's so beautiful.

Despite her constant calling him a pretty boy, she has nothing to say about Xia Yu's looks.

How can such a person exist in this world?

And yet, he arrived at Rhodes Island without any apparent deviation?

How could Kal'tsit trust her so much?

She couldn't figure it out.

-

“I have to go out again soon,” Xia Yu said, sitting by Ni Yan’s hospital bed, peeling an apple for her as she instructed, “to find a new member for our team.”

"My vice-captain, you should stay on Rhodes Island and recover. I have a difficult task to entrust to you."

As she spoke, Xia Yu pulled out a document with a picture of a red-haired Sarkaz girl on it.

"This is also one of our goals. I'm going to Kazimierz to find Skadi, and your task is to find a way to recruit her into our team after she returns to Rhodes Island."

"Uh, a lie?" Mudrock was stunned upon hearing this. "Isn't it... not quite right to say that?"

Could it be that my squad is some kind of den of dragons and tigers? Why use the word "deceive"?

"Just get the gist," Xia Yu waved her hand. "Don't worry about the details."

"I assigned this mission to you because you and she are both Sarkaz. Maybe you'll have something in common."

"Of course, these are all secondary. Your most important task is to get well and wait for me to come back."

Xia Yu handed her the peeled apple, muttering, "Listen to Warfarin. Don't let her seemingly unreliable demeanor fool you; her medical skills are top-notch."

"Who are you calling unreliable?" Just then, an unpleasant voice came from the doorway.

Xia Yu turned her head and saw Warfarin leaning against the door of the ward, her pale face tense and serious.

"Be careful if I sue you for libel!"

"Then, Miss Warfarin, why were you hanging on the bridge when we first met?"

Upon hearing this, Warfarin's feigned seriousness finally crumbled.

“That was just… an accident! Yes, an accident!” Warfarin muttered softly, “I’m usually pretty reliable.”

Seeing this, Mud Rock couldn't help but smile. Although they hadn't known each other for long, she was still clear about the true nature of this Blood Demon Miss.

She's usually quite carefree when interacting with patients, only becoming serious when it comes to their conditions.

"Alright, take good care of yourself," Xia Yu put down the apple in her hand and said to Ni Yan, "Once I recruit more people, you, as the vice captain, will have to take on the responsibility of managing the team."

Mudstone nodded obediently upon hearing this.

You wouldn't guess it at first glance, but this girl, who is wrapped in heavy armor, is only 1.6 meters tall and is quite petite.

After giving Niyan her instructions, Xia Yu turned and followed Warfarin out of the ward.

He knew Warfarin had come here to find him.

“I need Skadi’s blood,” Warfarin said bluntly as she led Xia Yu to a secluded spot. “Deepsea Hunter’s blood is very special… Although Kal’tsit disagrees, I still want to try.”

“Kal'tsit won’t agree,” Xia Yu continued, “and I don’t think Skadi will either.”

“Your miracles can’t save everyone,” Warfarin said, staring intently into Xia Yu’s eyes. “You should know that too.”

"While no one is as miraculous as you, Rhodes Island does have people whose Originium Arts can alleviate Oripathy, but they can't save everyone either."

"Of the millions of Oripathy patients on this land, how many can you save?"

"Only science, and only drugs that can be mass-produced, can save them."

“So I stayed on Rhodes Island,” Xia Yu looked into her eyes as well, “instead of using my abilities to give the world a false and forever unattainable salvation.”

“Very well, it seems we think alike,” Warfarin nodded. “Therefore, I need Skadi’s blood.”

“I can’t do it,” Xia Yu shook her head. “It’s not because of grand words or empty talk about going against her wishes, but because I think Kal’tsit is right. The path of the Deep Sea Hunter is destined to be wrong.”

"You might get some results in the end, but those results will never be widely available."

"Just like me, it's simply a limited miracle."

To avoid Oripathy, they chose to become members of the deep sea...

Leaving aside the ethical issues that arise from doing so, it's questionable just how many people this technology can be used on.

If deep-sea hunters could become widespread, the Agorians and Iberians wouldn't be half-dead from the Great Tranquility.

“Alright then,” Warfarin sighed upon hearing this, “sigh, you really won’t agree to my request.”

Hearing this, Xia Yu looked surprised. She gave up so easily?

Seeing his expression, Warfarin said irritably, "What, are you surprised?"

Xia Yu nodded, indeed quite surprised.

"I thought you were going to try to convince me with the spirit of the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains."

“It’s not as dramatic as you think,” Warfarin shook her head, her expression desolate. “I’m just… a little unwilling to accept it.”

"Oriphy disease, oh Oriphy disease, how many of my people have succumbed to it, and I have exhausted all my knowledge in my life but see no hope of curing Oriphy disease."

What kind of image does the Blood Demon have in your mind?

"Hmm, likes to suck blood? Afraid of sunlight? Sleeps in a coffin?" Xia Yu stroked his chin and gave a general overview of his impressions of vampires.

“What? Just like most people,” Warfarin rolled her eyes at him. “Apart from the first point about liking to drink blood, everything else is just hearsay.”

“Indeed,” Xia Yu nodded with a sense of understanding. “I also think that sleeping in a coffin and being afraid of sunlight are not very reliable, but almost everyone says so.”

“Yes, everyone says so,” Warfarin chuckled self-deprecatingly, “We Blood Demons, we Sarkaz, we are all wicked demons…”

"That's what everyone thinks."

"But do you know why, out of so many races in the world, only the Sarkaz are so despised?"

“It’s because of Oripathy,” Xia Yu said calmly. “The Sarkaz’s susceptibility to Oripathy is the complete opposite of that of the Deepsea Hunters.”

“Yes, because of Oripathy,” Warfarin took a deep breath. “Everyone says that Sarkaz are born warriors, but if we could have a safe home and a stable life, who would want to live such a precarious existence?”

"Because of Oripathy, we are feared; fear breeds prejudice; prejudice breeds division; division breeds war."

"After fighting our way through, we finally discovered that the reputation of us Sarkaz had become utterly tarnished in the world. We were no longer Sarkaz, but demons."

“You know what? I have a pen name in the medical field,” Warfarin said, leaning against the wall with a desolate expression. “It’s called Mr. Blood.”