Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Ah, advisor, speaking of Merlin, is that wizard really from Avalon? The legendary land of fairies?"

Upon hearing this, a Victorian researcher excitedly asked, "Does that fairy land really exist? But I remember the legends we have here are all about fairy castles?"

"Good children will dream of entering a castle, where they will be entertained by the master and spend a happy time."

"When they wake up and leave the castle, they can choose to leave their most precious possessions in the castle and make a promise with the castle's owner. The promise is usually that at a certain time after they come of age, they will receive this childhood gift that is treasured in the castle."

“That’s perfectly normal. I’ve seen many myths and legends told in different ways in different places,” another researcher laughed and said. “The Green Knight in our Kazimierz legend is a demon king in the Letanian people’s legend. According to research from a few years ago, these two legends probably describe the same person.”

"Perhaps the fairies have also kept up with the times. In the oldest times, it was called Fairy Village. Back then, humans lived in settlements. Now that civilization has developed, the fairies have also built castles. Is there any need to make a fuss about it?"

The researcher who spoke first looked at Xia Yu expectantly, "Advisor, advisor, you haven't answered my question yet."

"Otherwise what?" Xia Yu shrugged upon hearing this. "Could such a treasure be something I could create by hand?"

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, no matter how powerful the consultant is, it's impossible for all the good things to belong to someone else.

The legend of the land of fairies has existed in Victoria for a long time, but there is no Merlin or Avalon in it.

But it's okay! From today onwards, it will be called Avalon... If the real Fairy Village appears... then it's a bootleg too!

You call yourself the Fairy Village? Do you even have a priceless treasure like the Everlasting Flower? What? You don't? And you still dare to call yourself the Fairy Village?

Sorry, but humans are just that kind of pragmatic creature.

Moreover, according to legend, the master of the fairy village probably wouldn't mind such a thing.

Rhodes Island's temporary operator, Alice, has commented on this, saying she doesn't care about such things at all.

She came to deliver an item that Rhodes Island operator Azure Silver had left in her childhood—an old-fashioned radio.

Xia Yu's intervention prevented the sacrifice of many operators, including Bi Yin, an operator from the Rosemary Squad.

But for some reason, Alice was having a great time on Rhodes Island and seemed to have no intention of going back at all, so she registered as a temporary operator.

Her favorite place is the golden playroom, where she plays with the children. These carefree and happy times are precious to the children receiving treatment on Rhode Island.

Alice was always around the children, singing to them, telling them stories, and giving them candy.

She cherished time with her children so much that for a time, security agents suspected Alice had ulterior motives for coming to the island.

However, the investigation was abandoned due to Kal'tsit's intervention.

"Incredible! I always thought it was just a myth or legend that adults used to comfort children," the Victorian researcher said with a look of longing. "Consultant, consultant, what's the land of fairies like?"

"Avalon, that is the land of eternal spring, an ideal paradise far from the mortal world, where flowers bloom everywhere and grasses grow lush and green. There is a tower there that is said to be the end of the world, and the wizard Merlin is a prisoner in that tower."

Xia Yu slowly said, "He made a grave mistake and imprisoned himself in the tower. If it weren't for the time of change, he would never have come into contact with the outside world."

"What else is there?"

“That’s all,” Xia Yu rolled her eyes at her. “Why are you asking so many questions? Do you want to find out which way the gate to Avalon opens?”

“But that’s the land of fairies, the spiritual home of every Victorian,” the researcher argued. “Who in Victoria didn’t grow up listening to stories of the land of fairies!”

"...That's all. No matter how much I say, without the fairies' invitation, you still won't be able to enter the gates of Avalon."

“But that’s the land of fairies…” The Victorian researcher was also unconsciously assimilated, and the name was changed from Fairy Castle to Fairy Land.

"By the way, consultant, are Rhodes Island's inhibitors really made from everlasting flowers?" a researcher suddenly asked.

If so... then this everlasting flower is not...

“Of course not, what are you thinking?” Xia Yu rolled her eyes at them. “It’s just an excuse, a way of saying things, to make infected people more accepting of our drugs. It’s just to fool laymen. Think about the size of Rhodes Island and all the production lines we have in Casimir.”

"How many everlasting flowers would it take to sustain such a production volume?"

He didn't hide this from everyone.

“No wonder, I knew it was impossible,” one researcher said, scratching his head. “How could the production of such priceless treasures possibly support such a large industry?”

“It only blooms once every ninety-nine years,” Xia Yu shrugged. “As for the specific yield, you can tell by looking at Merlin’s pained expression.”

"Ah...so that's how it is..." The group of people sighed at the same time.

Such a wondrous creation... who wouldn't want to study it? If you could figure something out, winning an award wouldn't be a problem. If you made a big splash, getting an award named after you would be even more likely.

That's a treasure that can transform a person completely, even turning a body that has been eroded into Originium crystals by Oripathy back into its original form.

The fact that Oripathy can turn living carbon-based life forms into stone is absurd enough, and the underlying principles have driven countless people in the scientific community crazy. Now, the Everlasting Flower can actually reverse this process...

What an incredible discovery! Which scientist could resist the temptation to study something like this?

"But is it really that complicated if you want to study it?" Xia Yu deliberately raised her voice and asked, "Didn't we already say that we would give that everlasting flower to the person or group that has contributed the most to the Eden Project?"

"Contributions..." Upon hearing this, the researchers exchanged glances, then gave a wry smile. "Advisors, it's not that we didn't try, but those things... are simply beyond our capabilities to solve!"

Another researcher sighed in despair, "We gave up on this idea a long time ago."

"Hey you guys," Xia Yu said, pointing at them with exasperation, "if you can't handle it yourselves, why don't you ask for help? It's not like it's a rule that you have to do it alone..."

"Of course we called!"

Hearing this, a group of people began to complain, pouring out their grievances to Xia Yu, "But you know what the situation is like in the snowfield right now. Which of our classmates and teachers would dare to come here in such a chaotic situation?"

“Advisor, do you know how my supervisor replied to me?” a researcher said with a bitter face. “He scolded me in the letter, and then said that he had some research to do and couldn’t leave, but would come in two months.”

"Isn't this a good thing?" Xia Yu asked, puzzled. "At least you promised to come."

“What’s so good about it?” she said resentfully. “Although my supervisor scolded me in the letter, he also comforted me with the coded messages we used to communicate and told me to hang in there…”

"He's already contacting mercenaries...they'll definitely be able to get me out of here..."

Hearing this, Xia Yu felt ashamed. So, they thought the students were being held hostage, right?

"I was so scared that I sent several more emails back, telling my advisor in encrypted form that I was really okay..."

"Alright," Xia Yu could only comfort them after hearing this, "everyone hang in there a little longer. Once the first phase of the eco-park is completed, things will probably calm down here gradually."

"Things should get better by then."

“Advisor, will the Ursus people really make peace?” A researcher asked worriedly. “I’ve heard about what they are like since I was a child in Sami.”

“Emir, you are a Sami,” Xia Yu comforted him. “You know better than anyone how important our technology is to the people living on the snowfields. For the Ursus nobles, morality and honor are meaningless.”

"Only tangible benefits are real. As long as the ecological park is firmly in our and the infected people's hands, they will not dare to act rashly."

"Those infected people who were driven to the snowfield are not afraid of mutual destruction. They have lost everything and only have their lives left. If the Ursus people dare to launch an attack, the infected people will fight them to the death."

"Even if Ursus wins in the end, it will get nothing. Who would do such a losing proposition?"

Xia Yu kept fooling them like that. There was no other way; Kal'tsit had managed to seduce some truly good people, but pure good people don't live long in this world.

"So once the eco-park is established, everything will be fine."

455 Kal'tsit's Lament

"Doctor...my illness..."

Evelina Gina was very embarrassed because, despite her claim that she was cured, her friend insisted on taking her to see a doctor.

"Anyway, it's free," Emily said.

"Hmm? Everything's fine," Aya looked at her test results and asked, puzzled, "Are you really sick?"

“No… that happened yesterday. I just caught a cold and had a fever,” Everina Gina quickly explained. “I guess I’m pretty healthy, so I’ve already recovered.”

"Then why did you come to see me for a medical condition? Aren't you all better now?" Faced with Ya Ye's speechless gaze, the two exchanged a glance.

Emily, who was holding her hand, said guiltily, "I was just... worried about her, and it's free, so why not take a look..."

"Sigh, let me prescribe some tonics for you," Aya sighed upon hearing this, as this wasn't the first time she had encountered such a situation.

Or rather, there have been far too many such cases, and she has become completely numb to them.

The infected are incredibly enthusiastic about Rhodes Island; over 20,000 people signed up for the first phase of the Eco-Park in just one day… But the problem is… we don’t need that many people at all…

That technology is actually quite mature, and setting it up... doesn't actually require too much effort.

But as something to be displayed, you can't just simply insert a few runestone tablets and connect them with magic to declare it complete, right? That would be too low-class. It has to be built to be quite impressive and grand.

Aya actually knew that the so-called ecological park that Rhodes Island was mobilizing infected people to build was just a facade. The land leveling and data measurement were all fake.

The purpose is to confuse the public.

And to completely revitalize the economy of the infected base through work... After all, before Rhodes Island came, the base was under military control and there was absolutely no economic activity.

But military control can't last forever, right? So a classic work-for-relief model was applied here: first, open up channels for infected people to obtain inhibitors, calculate work points based on working hours, and then exchange work points for inhibitors.

Here, inhibitors are the unparalleled hard currency.

Nobody needs it.

As for those seriously ill patients who are unable to work, the guerrillas will be responsible for distributing inhibitors. Once their condition improves, they will be able to support themselves.

The future base will be in dire need of development, with job opportunities everywhere, so there's no worry about not being able to pay back the money owed for medicine.

After all, Rhodes Island's inhibitors are very cheap.

At the construction site of Eden Phase I, the logistics department was responsible for reviewing and issuing work points, while the medical department was responsible for exchanging inhibitors for the workers.

And the medical department... must distribute the corresponding concentration of inhibitors according to the specific condition of each infected person, right?

And it's free... oh no, I mean work points.

So, in just one day, people started coming to get free medical treatment.