Arknights' Lock of Heaven

It's not yet time for the roses to bloom.

But these bright red roses almost covered the entire palace and continued to fall from the sky.

This is something that cannot be accomplished by human power.

And this space... what unimaginable Originium Arts must have been required to create it...

“It’s not that exaggerated,” Xia Yu chatted with the doctor. “As far as I know, one of my younger sisters can do something similar.”

"Oh? It's that exaggerated?" The doctor's eyes lit up when he heard this.

“No, how should I put it,” Xia Yu pondered for two seconds, “her ability is more like creating a false world, while mine is about recreating certain places of great significance…”

"Of course, this is an exaggerated statement for the sake of accuracy. She certainly couldn't create a world, and I couldn't make many places into enchanted realms or Noble Phantasms."

"Overall, they each have their own strengths."

"Can she beat you?" the professor asked eagerly.

“You can’t beat me,” Xia Yu said tactfully.

"Oh, that's alright then," the doctor said obediently as he sat back down.

"..."

Looking at the astonished operators below the stage, Amiya took a deep breath.

Pick up the violin.

The show is about to begin.

-

“Captain,” a shield guard approached Patriot, “the bandits have been wiped out.”

“Hmm,” Patriot nodded upon hearing this, “What about the casualties?”

“Two of my brothers sustained minor injuries,” the Shield Guard replied. “They are already receiving treatment.”

“You did a great job,” Patriot said, rising to look at the snow-covered plains under the night sky, in the direction of Casimir.

"The main problem is that the enemy is too weak," the Shield Guard said modestly. "After all, they are just a group of bandits who came here on the run. They don't have any good equipment. Although they have seen blood, they are ultimately just a rabble."

At this point, he looked in the direction Patriot was looking, "That's... the direction of Kazimierz, Captain. I heard that Frostnova and Rhodes Island have reached an agreement and will give us a large amount of resources."

“It’s not a gift,” Patriot shook his head and corrected, “we bought it with our own money.”

“It’s all the same,” the Shield Guard said with a wry smile. “This dog-shit snowfield is something we can’t buy even if we wanted to.”

"Now they are willing to trade with us... and the prices are quite fair, almost like giving it away to many people."

The Shield Guards were not unaware of the pretext under which the goods would be given to the guerrillas.

He said this simply to remind patriots that, in the eyes of the guerrillas and the infected villages they shelter, this was a gift.

As for why... there's no need to say more. The snowfields, the frigid lands, are so cold. The goods are transported from faraway Kazimierz, across half of Ursus's territory, and have to endure all sorts of exploitation by nobles and officials. How much profit could that company called Rhodes Island possibly make?

Everyone appreciates Rhodes Island and thinks it's a good place.

But he knew that the captain didn't want the guerrillas to get any more involved with Rhodes Island.

Perhaps, as the proverb from the Yan state goes, "Once bitten by a snake, twice shy."

He was right; the Patriots really didn't want to.

Even though Rhodes Island helped him a lot, even though Frostnova was still at Rhodes Island, even though he and Kal'tsit were old acquaintances.

But...but...Talulah's situation is still fresh in our minds.

Rhodes Island, formerly the Tower of Babel, also possesses a Demon King... Patriots know perfectly well what they want to do.

That's why the Patriots don't want to go too far in their cooperation with Rhodes Island.

What if the guerrillas get dragged into some Kazdel restoration war again that day?

That's why he insisted on using transactions rather than support.

But in reality, the patriots also know that, just as the guerrillas and the infected thought, the so-called deal is just a fig leaf.

They don't earn much at all.

Patriot is just a soldier; no matter how famous he is, he doesn't know how to support so many people.

He didn't want the infected who had suffered so much in the snowfields to get involved in Kazdel's mess, but he didn't have the ability to support so many people on his own.

In the past, when guerrilla groups were small, they didn't have this problem.

Now, after Talulah's machinations, the number of infected people sheltered under the guerrillas' protection has increased dramatically, and the old model is no longer suitable for the current guerrillas.

In addition, there were some Reunion Movement members in Chernobyl who were willing to follow his orders, as well as some suffering citizens; he couldn't abandon so many people.

But I don't have the ability to support so many people myself.

So this is the only way we can resort to, which is almost like burying our heads in the sand.

At worst... we can gradually expand westward in the future.

By bridging geographical distances, we can eradicate corrupt officials.

Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

As a soldier, that's all he could do.

“We recently raided two more mines,” Shield Guard was reporting, “and rescued more than a thousand of our compatriots.”

Seeing his hesitant expression, Patriot sighed.

"The food supply... is running low again, isn't it?"

His voice was low as he gripped the halberd tightly in his hand.

“Our food reserves are in grave danger,” the shield guard said, bowing his head. “If everyone tries to cut back on food and clothing, we can only last for a little over three months at most…”

Three months... Patriot sighed upon hearing this.

Originally... trade matters shouldn't be discussed with too many people.

But there was nothing they could do; everyone knew there wasn't enough food, and it even caused widespread panic.

Left with no other choice, the patriots made Yelena's letter public, letting everyone know that a large caravan was being prepared in faraway Kazimierz, and that they would bring the guerrillas sufficient food, medicine, and weapons supplies...

He knew that after months of preparation, the news was probably already on the desks of the dukes.

Those people will do everything in their power to prevent this supply from reaching the camp.

Upon realizing they were unable to defeat Patriot, the legendary Ursus warrior, the dukes took decisive action.

Strong walls and clear fields.

And they kept driving the infected people in their territory further north.

They forced the patriots to take them in, increasing the supply pressure on the guerrillas.

This tactic was very successful. The guerrillas could not stand by and watch the infected starve to death on the snowfields, so they had no choice but to keep taking them in.

Although the number of people seeking refuge is increasing, the number of infected people in the camps and the villages under their protection is no less than during the Reunion Movement.

It appears thriving, but in reality, it's like a nest overturned and eggs on the verge of collapse.

If there hadn't been hope on Rhodes Island, he would have already led these tens of thousands of infected people south.

They robbed nobles, killed wealthy merchants, and struggled to survive.

This is a bloody road, and a road of no return.

No matter how powerful he is, human strength has its limits. Ursus is a behemoth after all. If he really does that, the emperor will not be able to sit idly by and watch him and the dukes fight to the death.

At least legally, he must stand up.

But the news from Rhodes Island still gave him a glimmer of hope.

Unfortunately, in order to maintain public opinion and morale among the infected, he had no choice but to spread the news.

Otherwise, the camp's order wouldn't be maintained until the supplies arrived.

When the news was announced, Patriots was already prepared to launch an attack.

He even considered using a duke's head to intimidate all sides, telling the nobles that if they dared to touch that supply line, he would fight them to the death!

It's easy to imagine the sacrifices involved. The nobles are now wishing they could all become cowards, let alone the dukes. Achieving this is no easy task.

But he couldn't find any other way. He wasn't a wise man; he had spent half his life on the battlefield, and this was the only way he could think of to break the deadlock.

However, Kal'tsit's letter told him not to rush.

'I swear on my life, all the supplies will be delivered to the guerrilla camp unharmed.'

There are many unknown things in the world, and we are both aware of their existence, so there's no need to worry.

'Just leave it to Rhodes Island.'

These are the exact words from the letter.

The day he received the letter, Patriot sat in the snow all night.

After much deliberation, he decided to obey Kal'tsit and remain silent.

Leave it to them.