Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"But for a legendary sage, assets may be meaningless; perhaps all you need is a hand to stir up trouble?"

"The legend of Avalon is still circulating in Victoria today."

Kal'tsit has come to cause trouble!

In any case, she had to act today as if Rhodes Island had nothing to do with this so-called sage.

Otherwise, people with ulterior motives don't need a reason to survive; simply being here today could be their excuse to attack Rhodes Island.

To some extent, standing in opposition to so-called sages is an excuse that can be used.

Patriot gave Kal'tsit a grateful look.

Given the condition of his throat, it would be too difficult for him to say so much at once, but fortunately Kal'tsit voiced all his concerns.

It's fine to find an Avalon lineage for the Everlasting Flower, but you also have to bear the consequences of getting involved with Avalon.

A variant version of the Arthurian legend also circulates in this world.

Xia Yu understood this after Kal'tsit spoke.

It was indeed my oversight that I forgot about this.

It was only when Kal'tsit spoke that I remembered.

No wonder patriots are so stubborn.

The Reunion Movement has just been thrown into this state by Kosicheal's manipulation of Talulah, and before this matter has even been resolved, you, this so-called sage, have come knocking on our door...

The saying "Once bitten by a snake, twice shy" applies here.

Who would believe you if you said you just wanted to give it to someone and had no other intentions?

Even the shieldman who hoped Patriot would take the hit didn't believe it; he was just more concerned about Patriot's life.

"This is purely a problem with Merlin's bad reputation," Xia Yu comforted herself, "It has nothing to do with me!"

Keep making things up!

Kal'tsit looked at the silent sage in front of Patriot, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

He caused himself so much trouble, and in the end, he couldn't even come up with a reason to convince the other person.

Ha ha!

You could have at least told me beforehand!

"Bozokastie, have you ever felt powerless?"

The sage stood quietly in the sea of ​​flowers, expressionless.

"They die before your eyes, and you can only watch helplessly—children, the elderly, women, men—they keep dying, and some still remember what you look like, still regard you as a hero..."

"They beg for your help, they cry out to you, they kneel before you, but you can only watch helplessly."

"Because you can't do anything, you can't do anything at all, you can't even make a sympathetic face!"

"And so, in their despair, they watched as they were slaughtered like pigs and sheep."

Patriot gripped his halberd tightly.

"I suppose you don't have it, right?"

"Because you are braver than me, because you did not remain silent, because you stood up and faced the arrogant Ursus Empire, saving the infected in the snowfields day after day for decades, leading them to resist oppression."

“If you’re worried I’m up to something, there’s no need to,” the sage said calmly, his eyes fixed on the towering Wendigo before him. “What can a pathetic prisoner do?”

"He can't even leave that prison called Utopia."

"Forever confined to the endless stone tower, forever a mere spectator."

"Sending this flower out of Avalon is the best I can do," the sage said, placing the shimmering flower on Wendigo's menacing halberd. "Whether you use it or not is up to you."

"Don't worry that I'll use this to manipulate the Reunion Movement and stir up trouble," the sage chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I'm not lacking in the awareness that I'm not cut out for this."

"I've tried leading a group of people to survive before."

"It ended in utter failure."

"That's it, goodbye... no, perhaps you don't want to see me again."

"Then farewell, Bozocaste."

"If saying this will put your mind at ease."

Just as he had arrived, an unnamed wind swept up a sky full of petals, and the sage quietly departed.

If it weren't for the radiant, everlasting flower on the Patriot's halberd, everyone would have thought it was all a dream.

The Patriot stared silently at the priceless flower on the halberd, falling into silence.

"Lord," after much deliberation, Patriot still couldn't make up his mind, and finally had to ask the most learned person present for advice, "What do you think should be done?"

“Take it,” Kal'tsit said, not contradicting Xia Yu, as she knew why the latter was doing it.

If it weren't for the fact that her technology was really lacking, Kal'tsit wouldn't have wanted to watch Patriot die from Oripathy.

"Don't forget, your daughter has already used it," she said, her expression still calm and collected. "Even if you don't use it, after you leave, your daughter will still lead the people behind you."

"Even if that sage has some ulterior motive, he might not necessarily use it on you. Compared to you, that girl named Frostnova is much easier to deceive, isn't she?"

"If you can hold on a little longer, you can at least help her through it for a while and give her some time to grow."

Yelena...

Patriot was silent for a moment, then reached out and put the everlasting flower into his pocket.

This is the patriot's Achilles' heel, his only Achilles' heel.

It's not just because Yelena is his daughter, but also because she carries the future of the Reunion Movement on her shoulders.

This is the result of a patriot's lifelong efforts, and it represents the lives of those infected on the snowy plains.

That's why Kal'tsit was able to use this weakness to persuade Patriot in just a few words.

She didn't believe Xia Yu wouldn't have thought of this. As long as he brought up Yelena and used the same rhetoric as herself, Patriot would accept it.

But he didn't.

He left with only a few words that wouldn't cause much of a stir for someone like the Patriot.

Despite her immaturity in various ways, Xia Yu's immaturity is surprisingly reassuring.

Why does everyone assume that the wise man has ulterior motives?

Just as Kal'tsit breathed a sigh of relief, Amiya spoke up.

Patriot looked at Kal'tsit.

“This is Amiya,” the latter solemnly introduced him, “the leader of Rhodes Island.”

"You carry Yelena's aura of death," Patriot said calmly.

“I know, Frostnova practically burned everything in Lungmen,” Amiya replied, looking into Patriot’s eyes. “She entrusted everything to me, sending me here to see Talulah, to see why she did it all…”

“Yelena is too young,” Patriot interrupted Amiya. “How much has she been through?”

"At her age, she can only entrust things to others casually."

“I know that my age will inevitably make people look down on me,” Amiya said with determination in her eyes, “but I felt Frostnova’s resentment and anger.”

"Similarly, I also felt that same sorrow from that sage I just saw..."

“I’m not an naive young girl, and I know perfectly well that there are no gifts without a reason in this world, but that sadness is just as real…”

“Don’t let your perceptions cloud your judgment,” Kal’tsit interrupted Amiya. “Skillful rhetoric often blends truth and falsehood, and no matter how sincere the emotions may seem, it doesn’t prevent someone from setting a trap.”

“Amiya,” she patted the little rabbit’s head, “I know it’s not your fault, but you also need to understand that your enemies are not bloodless, tearless machines; they have feelings and are living, breathing people.”

"But hostility is hostility, it is only related to position, and feelings cannot be the basis."

“I know,” Amiya said, clutching her ears in frustration, “I understand too…”

"But...but..."

Seeing this, Kal'tsit sighed.

How could she not know?

Amiya has always been more mature than her peers, so this shouldn't be the case.

But who can blame them when the so-called sage on the other side is actually Xia Yu in disguise?

No one understood the inexplicable trust between the two of them better than she did.

Xia Yu wouldn't tell anyone in detail about his abilities, but Amiya knew far more than he did.

Having known each other for less than 24 hours, Amiya and he already shared a secret.

Kal'tsit suddenly remembered something: one day Amiya came to her with a troubled expression and asked what the most powerful weapon in the Terran kingdoms was.

When he brought out Ursus's naval cannons, Victoria's armor, and other latest weapons from various countries, he was met with a disappointed face.

It now seems that Amiya knew about Xia Yu's catastrophic abilities all along.

Given their close relationship, it's understandable that Amiya might lose some of her judgment due to that genuine display of affection.

But was he, who is now like a natural disaster, ever so weak?