Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Traveling alone through the wilderness to Dragon Gate with a questionable identity, what else could this be but a test?

I just don't know what the specific test will be.

You can't exactly bring a bunch of wanderers from the wilderness to rob someone, and then pretend to be a hero and rescue a damsel in distress.

Putting aside whether Kal'tsit needs to be rescued by me, this kind of old-fashioned plot doesn't really test anything.

It's just a protection job. Xia Yu would bet any spy with ill intentions would act exactly like the most loyal subordinate in order to gain trust.

Kal'tsit wouldn't be so superficial; as the de facto ruler of Rhodes Island, she wouldn't be so ignorant as to not understand this basic principle.

Boom boom boom!

The roar of the engine interrupted Xia Yu's thoughts.

Several modified motorcycles swaggered up to Kal'tsit's off-road vehicle.

Several off-road vehicles covered in various wildly styled metal accessories were also lurking around, waiting for their chance to strike.

Through the car window, one could also see the cold gleam of the crossbow mounted on the vehicle.

It was obvious that the visitor had bad intentions.

The moment Xia Yu saw them, she subconsciously thought of a movie.

Mad Max.

“Is this… really that cliché…” Xia Yu turned to look at Kal'tsit.

But she discovered that Kal'tsit had been watching her all along.

The meaning in his eyes was quite clear.

It's your turn.

When has the Holy Grail ever been reliable?

The thugs roaming the wilderness are as numerous as the stars.

This encounter was probably an accident.

To be honest, if they were all set up on flat ground, it would take Xia Yu a bit more effort to deal with them, since it was a gang of armed bandits numbering in the dozens.

The average fighting ability of the Terrans is not low.

But on the speeding vehicle, all that's needed is to release the Heavenly Lock.

The sharp chains spread out like snakes, seemingly less than an arm's width, yet as insurmountable as a chasm.

In just a few dozen seconds, the bandit gang that had been swaggering around the SUV was completely wiped out.

Perhaps one or two lucky ones will survive, but at least those on the motorcycle have been smashed to pieces.

Xia Yu doesn't know much about cars, let alone this Originium-powered car from Terra.

We can't even find the fuel tank.

Or rather, these vehicles powered by Originium don't even have fuel tanks.

Therefore, Xia Yu's response was very simple and straightforward.

No matter what kind of car it is, just use the Sky Lock to hold the front wheel.

It won't take long, it'll be done in a flash.

The physical laws of this world will take care of the rest.

Simple and efficient.

I've at least taken on a bodyguard job, so if I do it well, I can leave a good impression on Kal'tsit.

Although it's unlikely that there will be such simple and well-paid tasks in the future.

"Your Originium Arts are quite extraordinary."

After dealing with the wasteland-style bandit group, Kal'tsit finally managed to utter a single sentence after a long pause.

"It's burning through money," Xia Yu said frankly, taking a sip of the broth from the thermos in her hand. "Don't be fooled by the fact that I just moved my fingers; I've already used up ten Originium from the reserves I bought from Kroos..."

"So what if it's extraordinary? Thanks to this extraordinary Originium Arts, I'm still a complete pauper."

The number of ten was just a lie; no one else would know anyway. It's better to keep a low profile than to risk your life.

The safety of other people's lives.

"..."

Kal'tsit was silent for a moment before her cool voice rang out again.

"How many Originium would it take to cure my Oripathy?"

“Three hundred Originium Stones, no bargaining,” Xia Yu shrugged. “Since Rhodes Island took in a homeless person like me, I’ll waive the labor fee.”

He wasn't exaggerating this point, after all, Kal'tsit's Oripathy wasn't severe, and if she were cured with the Holy Grail, three hundred Originium would probably be enough to break even.

Yes, what the Terrans consider incurable Oripathy can be cured by Xia Yu with just three hundred Originium.

Even in severe cases, the number of doses will not exceed one thousand.

But perhaps for someone like Kal'tsit, a few hundred Originium is nothing.

Or perhaps some wealthy families could afford it.

But don't forget, there is only one disease in the world.

Poor disease.

More than 90 percent of the infected in this world are from the lower class. What is a few hundred Originium that the rich consider fair is an insurmountable barrier in their eyes.

They may have created far more wealth in their lifetime than this, but they received very little in return.

Civilized societies discriminate against those infected.

They earn the lowest wages, live in the most dilapidated houses, and do the dirtiest, heaviest, and most dangerous jobs.

Many of them cannot afford even one treatment for Xia Yu, and for some, it is uncertain whether they can even afford bread for tomorrow.

Xia Yu couldn't possibly offer them free treatment.

It's not about being cold-blooded, it's just about being powerless.

Even a Holy Grail with full magic power, let alone one without magic, cannot cure the Oripathy of everyone in the world.

Every day, infected people die, and in every corner of the earth, countless new people become infected every day.

Treatment can only ever address the symptoms, not the root cause.

Make a wish upon the Holy Grail so that the people of Terra will never suffer from Oripathy again?

This seems like a viable solution.

As a socialist successor raised under the red flag, Xia Yu still harbors some ambitions.

Once he has accumulated enough magic power, if modern medicine still cannot make a breakthrough, he will definitely give it a try.

The reason we need to see if modern medicine can make a breakthrough is because, from the perspective of the Type-Moon universe, the Holy Grail is unreliable in many ways.

It seems that I've never gotten the result I wanted from making a wish.

In Xia Yu's memory, the closest she came to success was in Magical Girl Illya.

Emiya, the great hero, defeated seven enemies in one night, and then wished upon the Holy Grail to let Miyu live in a world where she would not suffer.

It was successful at first, but later someone came to their door and took them back.

This shows how unreliable this thing is.

Of all the versions of the Holy Grail, the one in FGO seems to be the most useful.

Since they're all meant to be used purely as magic-supplying machines, if they can still malfunction, then they shouldn't be called the Holy Grail.

Making a direct wish to eradicate Oripathy might kill all the infected people as well.

Therefore, the Holy Grail must be used with utmost care, and any wishes made must be carefully considered.

Inside the off-road vehicle, Xia Yu was looking forward to receiving three hundred Origin Stones. Although she couldn't keep them all, it would still be good to have some fun.

Unfortunately, Kal'tsit didn't speak again after asking her question.

Silence fell between them again.

-

7:42 PM

The two, weary from their journey, finally arrived at the outer city of Longmen.

It's called the outer city area, but it's actually just a simple campsite that Lungmen set up in the wilderness when it docked here.

Only after passing the Guard Bureau checkpoint and crossing that huge metal bridge will you reach the real outer city.

Kal'tsit drove slowly forward, while Xia Yu looked curiously out the car window.

The sheer size of Longmen presents an excellent business opportunity for nearby smaller settlements.

The guard post set up by the Royal Guard was crowded with vendors from nearby gathering points. Although it was almost night, the place was still bustling with noise.