Arknights' Lock of Heaven

If it works out, great; if not... well, so be it. There's no way to resist anyway.

Commercial tactics are useless, and hired thugs are just easy prey for the other side. Even the state apparatus can only succumb to absolute individual violence.

These capitalists are all shameless. When they realize that they have no way to deal with him, believe it or not, if he just says that he wants to become the supreme emperor of Kazimir, they will be the first to respond and immediately kneel down in front of Xia Yu, who has a blood feud with them.

The oversight council, which now seems to be on Rhodes Island's side, is the one that will resist.

"Not to mention, as long as we settle down here, the pressure on Kazimir from Ursus and Letania will immediately decrease."

"Is it more worthwhile to increase military spending to deter the two increasingly chaotic countries, while also increasing the power of our old rival, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or to buy everything out with a one-time supply deal and remove the sword of Damocles from our heads..."

"How many people can truly understand the intricacies of this situation?"

“Tsk,” W shook his head with a chill upon hearing this, “I still prefer to solve problems with bombs.”

“What a coincidence,” Xia Yu smiled and gave her a high five. “I also like to solve problems with simple and direct violence.”

Just like the contingency plan for encountering Ursus bandits (army) during the next leg of the journey.

The main focus is on firepower coverage.

What? An explanation afterward?

Oh, look at this meteorite crater. Your tens of thousands of troops were wiped out by this kind of natural disaster. Nobody can do anything about natural disasters. I feel very sorry about it.

What? You don't believe me? You want proof?

Oh, evidence? I've done the math, and a meteorite will land right in front of your house tomorrow at noon. You can go back and compare the results, then you'll know for sure.

“Eight hundred and forty-two Sarkaz warriors, including warriors, shield bearers, and warlocks. That’s right, this is my force, all of them are battle-hardened elites.”

Faced with Xia Yu's questioning gaze, W shrugged. "Don't look at me. I don't know what's wrong with Theresis either. Logically speaking, so many elites would be more than enough to take down Rhodes Island's main fleet on the surface. After all, Rhodes Island isn't a military organization like it used to be, like Babel."

"The old folks from back then are either dead or scattered; His Highness's affairs have disheartened too many people."

“Moreover,” she looked at the inhibitor in her hand, “it’s a good thing, but it takes time for it to work.”

"If we have a year or two to notice the effects of the drug, I am certain that the vast majority of these eight hundred people will be loyal to us. After all, they are mercenaries, and the remaining few die-hards are not a concern."

"But if you let them carry out such an important task now, to be honest, let me make this clear beforehand: don't blame me if something goes wrong."

"I see," Xia Yu said thoughtfully, stroking her chin.

"How about it? Feeling like you've been tricked by Kal'tsit?" W approached with a smile. "Eight hundred Sarkaz mercenaries. I can control most of them, but the rest aren't exactly easy to deal with either."

"I suspect there's something hidden among these people that I haven't discovered yet. This operation is very important, right? Hundreds of thousands of people on the snowfield are waiting for you to live."

She stared intently at Xia Yu. "Are you sure you want to use my people?"

Xia Yu smiled slightly at her question.

To tamper with something in a magician's workshop... haha.

Although he has always claimed to be a half-baked magician, that doesn't mean he really is.

This matter concerns the lives of hundreds of thousands of infected people, so there's no room for carelessness. The Orville is now ready to go, and Xia Yu has made a tough decision to transform the ship into her own magic workshop.

After all, this is not a one-off deal. Once the trade route is opened, the ship will not be idle. Although he has planned to pull off a big heist to broaden Ursus's horizons, what if he fails to completely intimidate them and they cause trouble when Xia Yu is no longer on the ship?

Therefore, it's better to strengthen it 'slightly'.

Just in case.

It's also a good opportunity to keep an eye on these mercenaries and find out who's hiding among them.

“It seems you are really confident,” W said, giving Xia Yu a deep look.

"Even that old woman Kal'tsit trusts you so much."

"Then it's settled."

"Pleasant to work with."

After Xia Yu left, W watched his retreating figure.

So, it really was you!

Although she wasn't interested in the intricacies of Kazimierz, she was still familiar with the infamous Night of the Blood Mist.

However... rather than believing that it was the so-called henchmen of the Business Federation, Wu Zhou Meng Shi Zhu... it's more suspicious that those business associations are desperately sending supplies here.

In addition, Rhodes Island's series of unusual actions have made it possible for that old woman, Kal'tsit, to take such a big step... Even when Her Highness was alive back then, she couldn't have done it.

So, you, who suddenly appeared, are her source of confidence, aren't you?

But it doesn't matter.

I don't care about anything as long as I can kill Theresis.

346

“I don’t understand, Rachel.”

The dignified middle-aged nobleman frowned, his glass of red wine swirling in his hand. The precious wine from Victoria shone with an alluring color under the soft lights of the banquet.

But it was clear that the person holding the wine glass had no interest in this bottle of expensive red wine, which could support an ordinary person in Ursus for a year.

Or perhaps, one's mind was preoccupied with other things.

Why would they do that?

The middle-aged nobleman said to the person across the table in a bewildered tone, "Those Kazimir people, are they insane?"

"Do you still think that the hundreds of thousands of infected we drove to the snowfields can really shake the Empire?"

Opposite him, a nobleman, equally dressed in fine clothes, sighed.

"Whatever their reasons for doing so, supplies from Kazimierz have been loaded onto ships in a grand manner, my friend."

"Believe me, I'm just as confused as you are. I can't figure out what they're after either."

"Or perhaps, our Emperor offered the Kazimirs some irresistible bargaining chip?"

"After all, you know, the ship's entry documents were genuinely from Saint-Germain, and we are very familiar with the handwritten signature on them."

At this point, both of them fell silent.

After a long silence, one of them murmured, "According to the intelligence my spies have sent back, the infected lowlifes on the snowfield are nearing their limit."

“Yes,” the middle-aged nobleman named Rachel responded, “160,000 people, Sergei. That old Wendigo can’t feed them. There are 160,000 hungry mouths. According to our plan, they will go south.”

"Everything on the way south was like a natural disaster, burning, killing, and looting, gathering more lowly people, and then we took action."

"Clean them up, suppress the increasingly unruly infected, kill them until they are terrified, divide up the rich mines on the snowfield and the slaves captured in the war, and never again have to worry about receiving news one night that your mine has been ransacked by that old Wendigo."

"We will usher in peace."

"If only... if it weren't for that damn ship!!!"

boom!

Rachel could no longer maintain his aristocratic dignity; he gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table.

However, Sergei on the other side didn't remind him, after all... everyone was in the same boat.

"Why? Can't the little emperor of Saint-Germain even see these things clearly? What is Witte good for?"

"Do they really think those lowly people from the snowy plains can defeat our army?"

What do they have?

"Yes, a legendary warrior, and then what?"

"Let alone armor, can those infected commoners each carry an iron knife?"

"And what about us?"

"He commands six elite army groups, equipped with everything from massive warships to the most basic individual soldier equipment!"

"How can we lose? I really want to go to Saint-Germain and ask that little emperor and Witte in person, how can we lose?"

"Don't get too worked up, my friend," Duke Sergei said, looking at the indignant Rachel. "Although I don't know why he and Witt made this choice, it's clear that they've decided to stand completely against the entire nobility."

"That was really reckless..."

"If it were his father, after seeing the situation clearly, he would never have made such a futile attempt to stop a chariot. Instead, he would have immediately abandoned past policies and tried to get a share of the spoils in this war."

"This is how a mature emperor should act. We are bound by the trend of the times, so instead of resisting, we should join them."

“And he chose the most unwise thing to do; he’s going to go down a dead end,” Sergei said, shaking his head. “Perhaps we really have pushed him too far over the years.”

"Do you think so too?"

“The young emperor may act impulsively, but Witt will not,” Rachel took a deep breath upon hearing this. “We have both experienced the methods of that old fox who came from the previous emperor’s era.”

"He wouldn't let the young emperor make such an impulsive choice."

"And now, he has tacitly agreed."

"So I think we must have overlooked something, something that we don't know about must have happened."

Rachel frowned as she said this.

"That's why Witt condoned the young emperor's actions, and that's why Casimir interfered."

“I know your concerns, Rachel,” Duke Sergei sighed. “And I feel the same way. Isn’t that why we’re sitting here today?”