Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Eating pineapple in the icy North is a great idea; its sweetness and sugar content will bring you plenty of happiness in the cold.

Of course, Mashu doesn't dislike pineapple, but...

She looked at the card in Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand.

That's Xia Yu's card.

A rationing system is implemented in the infected's base. Of course, after defeating the noble alliance fleet, there is no need to worry about basic supplies anymore, as they are now exchanged for work points.

No longer having to worry about getting enough to eat or contracting the disease is something those infected never dared to imagine before.

For fruits, which are undoubtedly luxuries here, the principle of scarcity makes them valuable to the fullest extent, so a rationing system can only be implemented for the time being.

Once the second ecological park, which is the fruit-growing park that Muirsey will be in charge of, is completed, the fruit trees will be transplanted there. Only then will the people of the snowfield be able to use fruit as a daily supplement rather than a luxury.

As for the origin of the fruit trees, well, all I can say is that the people of Sargon are quite devout.

They became even more devout after the fire actually descended upon everyone, including the nobles.

Importing fruit trees from there across the entire continent to Ursus was destined to be a losing proposition.

But there will be people who will take the initiative to do it, whether in Colombia or Sargon.

All that's needed is for the eco-park that Miao Miao is in charge of to open, and resources will naturally come knocking on our door.

Before this, fruit was truly a luxury item in the snowy plains, with limited availability.

At this moment, the pineapple in Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand was undoubtedly obtained by exchanging Xia Yu's share of Xia Yu's identity card.

“Hey, it’s nothing,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a grin. “Don’t underestimate him. With his abilities, how could I have gotten this card if he didn’t want to?”

"Relax, relax, it's okay, it's okay," she said, bringing the pineapple to Mashu's lips again. "Come on, ah~~~"

Upon hearing this, Mashu instinctively opened her mouth and then bit down.

Ah~~~

Indeed, it would be a wonderful thing to eat tropical fruits that seem to carry the scent of summer in the cold, frigid zone.

Even Mashu was captivated by the sweetness, her face radiating happiness.

"Come on, try these grapes, oh, and bananas too!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka unceremoniously exchanged a large bag of fruit, while Mashu carried many more. The two of them swaggered out of the logistics department, with Fujimaru feeding Mashu as they walked.

"S-senpai...is this too much..." Mashu struggled to resist the temptation of the delicious fruit...To be honest, they hadn't really had a proper meal in recent years.

"Is it a lot?" Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the bag in her hand. "I'll take some back and share it with everyone in Chaldea. I'll also take some to the research institute to share with Leonardo da Vinci, Miss Sion, and the new director."

A small girl in the distance perked up her ears as soon as she heard the words "research institute".

"But you also know that Leonardo da Vinci and his colleagues were all good people, and there was a group of scientists who were always asking them questions. They couldn't possibly keep all the benefits to themselves in this situation, could they?"

"So we try our best to make sure everyone gets a share, even if it's just a few grapes!"

“But… this is, after all, Senior Xia Yu’s identity card and quota…” Mashu said weakly.

The short little girl in the distance twitched her ears again when she heard the name Xia Yu.

"What's wrong? Da Vinci and Sion are so busy with their careers that they don't even have time to spare, yet they can't even afford a little bit of fruit?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked with a righteous expression. "Mash, is that really the kind of person you see him as?"

“No, of course not,” Mashu quickly retorted, “Xia Yu-senpai is quite reliable in my eyes.”

“That’s settled then,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a smile. “You don’t need to save him money. You have no idea how rich that guy is now!”

"It's just some fruit. Believe me, I can give him a single order and he'll immediately go to... uh, the place where this fruit is from and bring all the orchards back to me?"

“There’s no need for consultants to move the orchards,” a voice rang out behind them just then. “Once the second ecological park is completed, many people will bring their orchards here themselves.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said to Mashu with a smile, “Look, he’s a big shot now. What kind of relationship do we have? We’re like family, we eat from the same pot. When he goes hunting, we’re the ones who cook for him!”

"Now that he's successful, is it too much for us to take a couple of pieces of fruit from him?"

“You agree, right? The one behind us… um…” Fujimaru Ritsuka turned around with a smile. She had noticed someone following behind her earlier, but she didn’t expect the other person to interrupt, let alone that it was a child.

A slightly immature-looking girl was standing behind them, dragging a large suitcase, and was curiously looking at them.

Ah this...

Ever since he mentioned the research institute and Xia Yu's name, heavy footsteps had been following him at a distance. He thought it was someone with questionable identity, but it turned out to be a little girl.

Those heavy footsteps... the distance that wasn't too far or too close... you could tell just by looking at the huge suitcase next to her.

"Wow, what an adorable child!" Fujimaru Ritsuka took a liking to her at first sight. For some reason, she felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity with her. She took a few steps forward and stood in front of her, smiling as she reached out and patted her little head.

"Honey, where are your parents? Where's your mother? Why are you here all alone?"

"Mom..." Amiya thought rapidly upon hearing this. Hmm, she didn't recall anything like it... If she had to say... Princess Theresa? Teacher Kal'tsit?

Ah, how strange.

But based on what she had just learned, she had already figured out the identities of the two girls; they must be her future teachers.

So, it's best to be honest with your teacher.

“I don’t have a mother,” Amiya answered softly.

"Uh," Fujimaru Ritsuka was stunned upon hearing this, her smiling face twitched, and then she forced a smile and continued to ask, "Ah, I was wrong. So where is your father? Why did he leave you, a child, all alone guarding such a big suitcase?"

Dad... Doctor? Uh, no, Mr. Xia Yu... Hmm, something feels off.

"I don't have a father either."

Snapped!

Fujimaru Ritsuka turned around and slapped herself.

What a lousy mouth!

Then, forcing a smile, she looked at the little girl in front of her with affection and asked, "Did you come to Xueyuan alone? And with such a big suitcase?"

Are you looking for someone?

“Yes, I just heard you sisters talking about the Academy of Sciences…” Amiya answered obediently.

“The Academy of Sciences, right?” Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled again upon hearing this. “We’re going the same way anyway. Come on, give me your hand, I’ll take you there.”

Mashu, who was behind her, kept her eyes fixed on the girl. Upon hearing this, she didn't hesitate to easily lift the large bag of fruit she was holding and then easily picked up the huge suitcase.

He seemed to be doing it effortlessly.

That's how capricious a Pseudo-Servant can be.

Looking at the two people walking ahead, one big and one small, she thought to herself, "They look so alike."

I'm not talking about facial features, but rather... how should I put it, aura.

They really resemble their predecessors from the beginning.

Although I am still inexperienced, I will still firmly lead everyone forward.

They really look alike...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Everyone at the Academy of Sciences was extremely busy.

Yes, except for Xia Yu.

After Xia Yu had the alchemist Sion from the Atlas Institute and the genius Leonardo da Vinci, all the scientists who had originally surrounded her went to their side.

Ah, how pleasant...

Xia Yu sat in a chair, enjoying the rare afternoon sun on the snowy plain, took a sip of tea, and then continued to study the professional books in her hands.

To be honest, the arrival of young Leonardo da Vinci caused quite a stir at the beginning... because she seemed to be too young, yet knew a lot, and when she first came, she went around asking scientists questions under the guise of understanding the differences between the two worlds.

Then the people at the Academy of Sciences immediately became envious.

What a promising talent! He grasps things instantly and understands everything immediately. Compared to him, all the graduate students in my own university seem like naive fools...

Scientists from the Ursus National Academy of Sciences nearly came to blows with Colombians in their attempt to seize this fictitious genius disciple.

Finally, after Xia Yu understood the situation, she both laughed and cried as she persuaded them to leave, and then solemnly introduced Little Da Vinci to everyone.

Just one sentence, "She is my teacher," is enough.

The people here know Xia Yu's identity to some extent, and even those who don't, Speaker Victor will try his best to let them know.

The first group to arrive were scientists from Ursus. The Speaker was afraid they might offend this great god, so he repeatedly issued some prohibitions.

Later, scientists from Colombia arrived and also issued a serious warning to the latter.

Cherish life, stay away from reckless behavior.

If you really want to die, please stay away from us and don't spill your blood on us.

After all, in their eyes, Ursus was the one who had been attacked, so they naturally knew how powerful the other side was. But what if the Colombians caused some trouble...?

But actually, these Colombians are quite well-behaved.

They had actually been attacked before; they knew that major Colombian companies had suffered serious setbacks in their operations in Sargon.

So initially, these scientists respected Xia Yu.

After many questions only elicited blank stares... well, to put it another way, they did come to respect Xia Yu quite a bit later, but they just felt that he would have been better off if he had studied more...

Xia Yu was also wronged by this!