Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"You know what? It was never developed to kill anyone, but to enable people to survive in harsh environments and gradually transform the world into a habitable place for us."

"Before that, it was an experimental technology, originating from a mysterious laboratory (Atlas Institute)."

To be precise, although it wasn't explicitly stated in Leonardo da Vinci's materials, it's clear that this technology was quite incompatible with the clock tower.

The most likely origin is the Atlas Institute.

The Atlas Academy is one of the three major departments of the Mage's Association, a school of accumulation and calculation. It is an alchemist academy with a base in the Atlas Mountains of Egypt, commonly known as "the Giant's Cellar."

They existed since before Christ. Unlike modern alchemy, which became mainstream from the Middle Ages onwards, they were a group of alchemists who were the ancestors of magic and elucidated the principles of the world.

According to Leonardo da Vinci's records, the alchemists of Atlas were originally a group with very few magical circuits. They acknowledged their shortcomings as magicians and chose the path of pursuing truth as human beings. The result of this choice is the Atlas Academy we know today.

They are better than anyone else at using their minds to create blueprints for the future. In order to avoid the "end" proven by the first Dean, they endlessly repeat the cycle of destroying and forging weapons.

As for why Xia Yu was given this set of techniques, it was because when Xia Yu first 'kidnapped' Fujimaru Ritsuka, he really scared Da Vinci and the others, so when they asked for various materials, they specially selected this one.

Well, to put it another way, this technology is incredibly advanced, absolutely presentable. Normally, something like this wouldn't leave the Atlas Institute; heaven knows where Chaldea got it from…

Maybe it's the sixth singularity? Who knows?

But to say it's sincere, the technique is complex and profound. People without any foundation will be completely clueless. It's also a completely different type of magic from the era of the gods. Mastering it requires a lot of effort.

Even if you master it, who knows how long it will take to convert it into actual combat power? Xia Yu's method of application is not considered as converting into combat power in the eyes of magicians, which is why Chaldea gave this technology to Xia Yu in the first place.

Sigh, how naive I was back then. I heard this thing was so powerful, so I released it for Fujimaru Ritsuka. But after getting it, I realized... what is this? What does it say?

I recognize each character individually, but when put together, I can't understand it at all.

That's why there were the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth... kidnappings, and later, after they became acquainted, he asked Leonardo da Vinci for magic advice.

“Technology has no right or wrong,” Xia Yu said, looking at Shuangxing. “The concept of right and wrong can only be applied to humans themselves. I understand your mindset.”

"Battle, before this, the battles you were familiar with were warships and cannons, sorcerers and bows and crossbows, warhammers and longswords. Suddenly you discover that it can be like this, where the enemy dies before they can even see you."

"In addition, the Terrans' deep-seated fear of natural disasters has created your mindset."

Xia Yu looked at Shuang Xing seriously, "But what I want to say is that the world is constantly moving forward."

"For thousands of years, humans have been fighting each other by throwing stones. Now, war has become a battle between high-speed warships. Sooner or later, the form of war will evolve to the point where you don't even know where the enemy is before your command post is destroyed, your city is reduced to ruins, and your troops are always reporting casualties, but they don't know what destroyed them."

That's how it was in the Gulf War. Saddam was well-prepared. At that time, Iraq had a million troops and possessed the most advanced weaponry in the world, claiming to be the fourth strongest military power in the world.

At the outset of the war, Iraq displayed its military strength with 1300 fighter jets, including MiG-29s, MiG-25s, and MiG-23s, as well as hundreds of French Mirage fighter jets, nearly 6000 new armored tanks, various advanced missiles, and over a million active-duty troops.

All the soldiers were trained in the Middle East, a battlefield, and many people thought that the US military would get bogged down in a protracted war like it did in Vietnam.

But the United States ended the 42-day battle with an overwhelming victory.

In just 42 days, the United States showed the world what information and electronic warfare is.

Was Iraq weak at the time? Of course not, it was strong enough to crush 90 percent of the countries in the world.

However, faced with the overwhelming technological superiority of the US military, they still suffered a crushing defeat.

In Terra today, almost all the regular armies of the countries still fight with cold weapons.

But is Terra's technology really that weak?

That's probably not the case. After all, they have an inheritance; they didn't start from scratch with nothing.

As natural disasters unique to Terra, people's attitude towards them has shifted from fear to exploration.

Who knows when those top scholars will give the world a major breakthrough?

"Look at everything I've accomplished now. You might feel that your combat experience from the first half of your life is completely useless. But I can assure you that in just a few years, others will be able to do the same."

"No matter where you are, if you fall behind, you'll be bullied," Xia Yu said meaningfully. "If you always look at the future with the perspective of the past, then you'll just be waiting to be humiliated by others."

"Just like today."

“Phew,” Frostnova took a deep breath upon hearing this, “I understand.”

She looked up at Xia Yu, "To be honest, I never thought about these things before."

"Do you think something like this didn't exist in Terra before?" Xia Yu raised an eyebrow. "Do you know the Witch King?"

"I know, the Witch King was the former ruler of Letania, a figure of terror and..."

“He led Letania to glory,” Xia Yu interrupted her. “Legend has it that he single-handedly shattered the Gallic cavalry, utterly crushed the country in the Battle of the Four Emperors, and seized vast territories.”

Do you really think he did it all by himself?

“I thought what they said before might be an exaggeration. Although that’s what the books say, I’m not a bookworm who just reads books all the time. I know quite a bit about Originium Arts,” Frostnova said, looking at Xia Yu with a serious expression and a hint of playfulness in her eyes. “But after the Great Knights…”

“Okay, don’t include me,” Xia Yu said, both amused and exasperated. “If it were me, at least I wouldn’t have been knocked off the tower and died.”

"Seriously, if the Witch King can really do everything on his own, how powerful would the Twin Queens have to be to defeat him?"

"People nowadays tend to believe that the Witch King used some kind of Originium Arts technology, which is probably related to the various towers of Letania."

"Now that the Witch King is dead, have you, the Twin Queens, truly destroyed all of his Originium Arts, which were publicly condemned as blasphemous?"

“How could that be?” Frostnova shook her head. “Even if this technology was truly born from blasphemy, who would actually destroy it? At most…”

She hesitated for a moment before stammering, "It will be sealed."

“You see, as you know,” Xia Yu smiled, “there is such technology in this world.”

"You feel bewildered by my silent killing of five thousand people, but when the Witch King crushed the Gallic vanguard cavalry, what do you think the Gallic emperor thought at the time?"

"Have you figured it out?"

“I’ve figured it out,” Frostnova nodded. “Actually, once you get to the bottom of it, it’s just like that.”

“Now that you’ve figured it out, let’s go back and reassure them,” Xia Yu smiled. “I still need to collect some data.”

"Um, I don't need to help here... okay," Shuangxing scratched her ear sheepishly in the face of Xia Yu's gaze, "I'll go back first."

366

"So do you understand now?"

In the small village of the infected, Froststar said to the guerrillas with a stern face, "Especially you, Thomas, I know you may find it hard to accept at first, but that's the truth."

"The world is constantly evolving. Even without today, there will always be a day when such powerful weapons will appear, just as thousands of years ago, when humans fought with stones, we have now begun to bombard each other with magic and artillery."

"Someone will figure it out eventually. It could be Rhodes Island or other countries, Ursus, Victoria, Columbia. The world has no shortage of geniuses."

"We cannot keep our eyes fixed on this small snowfield forever; we must open our eyes and see the world more often."

“Big sister, I understand,” Thomas nodded upon hearing this and said with emotion, “At the time, I was just… momentarily confused, but it was only for a moment. After all, five thousand people dying silently in front of you is a terrifying scene, even for the enemy.”

"But I realized it quickly, didn't I? The consultant is here to help us, and the stronger he is, the better for us, right?"

"It's also my fault for being so stubborn," he said, scratching his head sheepishly. "I'll go apologize to the consultant later."

“No need for that,” Frostnova said easily upon hearing this. “Some things are better discussed in private. He and I both know that this is not your fault. Not only you, but most people in the world would have reacted the same way when the Witch King of Letania single-handedly wiped out the vanguard of the Gauls. It’s only human nature.”

“I know him, he won’t hold these things against me. I’ll just talk to him about it privately.”

Upon hearing this, Thomas stared intently at Frostnova, as did the guerrillas around him.

"What's wrong?" Frostnova asked, puzzled, looking at them. "Is there something on me?"

“No, it’s just that, big sister, you’ve really changed a lot, you’ve become even more amazing,” Thomas said with a sigh when he heard her question. “In the past, my impression of you was that we were brothers and sisters, we fought side by side. You were quiet and reserved, and although you were very thoughtful, you didn’t show it because of Oripathy.”

"And now, not long has it been, and you can already talk fluently about things we've never known before. That's great! Big sister, you're not just a warrior anymore; you've started thinking about these things too."

“Yes, that’s right,” the other guerrilla fighters chimed in enthusiastically, “Sister Frostnova, you’ve become so amazing. We understand some of the principles you’ve just mentioned, but we just can’t… can’t put them into words.”

"And you explained everything to us so easily, big sister. You couldn't have done this in the past. Is that place called Rhodes Island really that magical?"

"Yes, yes, I was completely engrossed in listening to you talk about the war between the Lycanthian Witch King and Gaul. Could you tell me more, sister...?"

“Let’s not trouble you, Sister,” Thomas interrupted him. “Your sister only came back from the front because of me, this good-for-nothing. I heard from the consultant that they need to collect some data. We roughnecks probably can’t help with these things. Only your sister can help them now.”

"My older sister is back now. We can talk about more about what's going on outside later. Right now, we need to focus on business."

“This…” Froststar felt a little guilty upon hearing this.

All of that I had heard from Xia Yu before was just a retelling with some of my own insights. It wasn't anything special, let alone helping Xia Yu collect any data... Those things were like gibberish to me right now...

To be honest, how long have I been at Rhodes Island? Even if I've been learning from Dr. Kal'tsit all along, it would still be a gradual process, right? I've spent most of my life fighting in the snowy plains. Although the old geezer didn't neglect his education, the conditions in the snowy plains are really limited, making it difficult to learn much.

Even if I'm working hard at Rhodes Island, time can't just magically appear out of thin air...

Or should I go back to Xia Yu's side? At least I shouldn't let Thomas and the others' image of me collapse?

However... well, never mind, I'll just be honest. This thought flashed through Frostnova's mind for a few seconds before disappearing. Being secretive wasn't her style, and besides, she had a mission to complete.

“Actually, I’m not as good as you think,” Frostnova said with an awkward smile, looking at the guerrillas who were full of admiration. “At least I’m not at the level where I can understand such advanced technology.”

"So when I went there, all I could do was watch him work. The only ones who could help him were the scientists on the ship... But it's better if they don't see this kind of scene."

"Although they are not delicate flowers in a greenhouse, they are still researchers, unlike us who grew up in war."

“But, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for us to be warming ourselves by the fire in the village while the advisor is out there working alone?” Just then, a guerrilla fighter hesitated for a moment before asking, “He’s come all this way to help us, after all. We can’t just… just leave him like this…”

"Yes, I also think this won't work."

"Yes, we can't let people who have helped us so much feel disheartened. Even if we can't help much, at least we can do some physical labor, right?"

At this point, they all stood up and prepared to walk towards the valley.

"Alright, I understand what everyone's thinking," Frostnova said, half-laughing and half-crying, "but do you think I came back to warm up with you all by the fire while leaving others stranded in the freezing cold?"