Arknights' Lock of Heaven

But what title will they give me?

Xia Yu thought to herself as she walked back, stroking her chin.

Skadi's nickname is "Calamity," and to be honest, considering the influence of Hell, this title suits her quite well.

I just don't know how they'll give themselves a title.

Well, if it's too vulgar or too undignified, I won't accept it.

As she pondered this, Xia Yu walked toward Dishui Village.

-

"The village chief is back!"

From afar, the simply dressed villagers spotted Carol and Grani supporting each other. Someone called out in concern, and the entire village rushed to the village entrance in a tense atmosphere.

"I wonder if they've found the treasure," an old man leaning on a cane muttered to himself, watching the Reunion Movement following behind Chlor and the others. "Giving it to them is fine, giving it to them is fine..."

"As long as we can survive, that's all that matters. As for the treasure... it's fine to give it away."

Several middle-aged people in the crowd nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

They were just a group of honest, hardworking farmers who were content to simply survive.

Treasure... Although everyone loves money, the various torments bounty hunters have endured over the past two years have instilled in them a fear of treasure.

If it weren't for the village chief, Chlor, insisting on keeping this secret and using the treasure to revitalize the village, they would have handed it over long ago.

How can a farmer with only farming tools possibly stand up to a wolf-like bounty hunter?

To be honest, no one would be willing to hand over a treasure passed down from our ancestors just like that.

But what can you do if you're unwilling to accept it?

They couldn't defeat those people, and the Kasimir government turned a blind eye to what was happening there.

What can they do?

At this moment, looking at the Reunion Movement following behind Chlor and the others, they all thought that she had finally given in.

The treasure was handed over to the bounty hunter.

Although everyone felt a little disappointed, they were mostly relieved to have gotten rid of this annoying thing.

Without the treasure, those bounty hunters probably won't bother such a poor village anymore.

As Chlor drew closer, the old man who had spoken earlier leaned on his cane to greet her.

"It's good that she's alright, it's good that she's alright," the old man breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that Chlor was unharmed and showed no signs of torture. He comforted her, who looked dejected, "The treasure is gone, so be it. As long as she's alright, that's all that matters."

He's very old now, and his once eloquent tongue has become clumsy; he can only repeat himself over and over again. It's good that he's alright.

This was his simplest thought: as long as everyone was safe, life could go on.

“Grandpa Parker, what are you talking about?” Upon hearing this, Chlor looked up blankly at the old man who had watched her grow up, and pointed behind her. “I have found the treasure.”

The villagers looked in the direction she pointed and saw a large box with exquisite carvings being carried by several burly men in heavy armor.

“Ah, you can’t say that,” the old man named Parker paused after hearing her words, then looked at the people behind Chlor who were clearly not good people.

They all wore the same eerie white masks, and judging from the numerous scratches on the knives they held, their owners must have been battle-hardened warriors.

Among them were even a few sorcerers dressed in white robes and carrying simple staffs.

No matter how rudimentary their staffs were, they were still beyond the reach of ordinary farmers, unless they were willing to use source stones to cut themselves open.

The burly man leading the group was extraordinary; his height alone was nearly twice that of Coral and Grani, who were supporting each other. His massive, fan-like hands could probably twist their heads off with a single blow.

This group of people were clearly not good people; even the bounty hunters who had been terrorizing the village were no match for them.

People in remote mountain villages might not recognize the Reunion Movement's attire, but they could tell they were not to be trifled with.

Moreover, a woman carrying a greatsword, wearing a strange hat, and with long silver hair was also following them.

This is even more incredible. Everyone saw how easily this person defeated those bounty hunters in the village.

Those masked men were at least intimidating in appearance and size, but this person was someone everyone had seen with their own eyes who was a formidable fighter.

With a single, effortless sword strike, Old Peter's wall collapsed with a deafening roar. The villagers couldn't believe what would have happened if that sword had struck a person...

Moreover, the atmosphere among these people was extremely tense, as if they could draw their knives and kill someone at any moment.

These villagers could bully even a bunch of rabble-like bounty hunters, so how could they possibly face this group of ruthless monsters?

“You can’t say that,” the old man quickly pulled Chlor back and said with a smile to the crowd behind her, “This girl is just stubborn. Please don’t mind her, everyone. The treasure belongs to you all and has nothing to do with our Dripwater Village!”

As he spoke, he forcefully pulled Chlor behind him.

Silly girl, no matter what they said to you when they were trying to fool you, now that they have the treasure, these powerful people won't keep any promises anymore.

Let's not dwell on the treasure; getting rid of these powerful figures as soon as possible is better than anything else.

Even if it meant adding some food... I'd accept it.

Seeing his actions, Kel was completely stunned and stood there, then was forcibly pulled behind her by the old man with strength that seemed to come from nowhere.

Grani stared blankly at his free right hand, unsure of what to do.

She's never encountered anything like this before.

As for the Reunion Movement members, beneath their masks are faces filled with utter embarrassment.

This...this is like being mistaken for a robber...

Although it seems we were originally planning to be robbers...

But it's really embarrassing.

Especially considering that this young village chief hired them and others without holding a grudge and even paid them so much.

The members of the Reunion Movement looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

The atmosphere within the team was indeed strange, especially since Skadi had been with them, and they had just been fighting tooth and nail, but now...

In short, too much has happened before, so it's unrealistic to expect both sides to be happy together all at once, right?

A Reunion mage nudged Big Bob with his elbow, urging him to explain to the villagers.

Big Bob touched his helmet, wanting to speak but unsure how to begin.

Ultimately, it was my own fault for being dishonest. They had agreed to share the treasure with me, but I tried to keep it all for myself.

But Chloe is so kind that she's willing to share with them even if it means falling out.

How am I supposed to explain this to myself...?

I'm so embarrassed.

Skadi was the only one in the group who looked completely indifferent.

She couldn't care less about such trivial matters that could be resolved simply by talking them out. Although Skadi's body was still here, her heart had already flown back to Rhodes Island.

It flew back to the ghost shark's side.

Of course, Coral wasn't stupid. Although the intense exercise all day left her dizzy, she quickly grasped the situation.

"Grandpa Parker, do you remember the plea for help I sent out in the big city before?"

She organized her thoughts and began to explain to the worried villagers, "These are all kind people who came to help us after receiving our request for assistance."

"Don't worry, I promised to share a portion of the treasure as their reward, and we can use the rest to repair the village."

"Everyone, cheer up!" Krol encouraged, "The days of being oppressed by bounty hunters are over. Soon we will be able to enjoy the same peaceful life I had when I was a child."

Her words only fueled the villagers' panic, instead of cheering.

Some even knelt down before the crowd.

"My lords, the treasure has nothing to do with us. Take it all. It really has nothing to do with our village," old Parker pleaded, kneeling on the ground. "Just forgive us. And as for the child Chlor, she's still young. Please spare her for the sake of her finding the treasure for you."

They interpreted the Reunion Movement's silence due to embarrassment as a sign of discontent.

To prevent further tragedies, these people knelt down and begged for mercy.

Even Skadi, who was usually indifferent to these matters, was stunned.

"Grandpa Parker, what are you doing?" Krol stared blankly at the villagers kneeling on the ground, begging the Reunion Movement for forgiveness, and instinctively tried to help them up.

"They are truly kind people who came to help us!"

She reached out to help him up, but instead of helping him up, he dragged her to the ground and forced her to kneel down, pressing her back down.

"There aren't that many good people in this world! We've been oppressed by those bounty hunters for so long, have you ever seen a single knight do anything about it?"

“Even the knight lord doesn’t care, what kind of good person in this world would bother with such a trivial matter?” Old Parker said in a low voice to Chlor, “Listen to me, kneel down and let me talk to them!”

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, this child is ignorant. I will educate her properly. The treasure belongs to you gentlemen and has nothing to do with our village."

"We're just a poor, remote village. Where would we find any treasure to inherit? It was all found by the adults through hard work."

Old Parker tried his best to put on a fawning face, attempting to show his subservience in order to save the village and Chlor.

In his eyes, although Krol was the village chief, she was just an innocent little girl who knew nothing of the wickedness of human nature.

I had tried to persuade her before, saying that it was fine to hand over the treasure, as long as the village was still there, but this child was as stubborn as a donkey and refused to give up the treasure so that everyone could live a better life.

The intention is good, but what good is it if the knife handle is in someone else's hand?