Arknights' Lock of Heaven

There are all kinds of stalls: some use a truck as a shop, others make do with a few planks of wood, and some even just put a cloth on the ground and hawk their wares...

It was certainly lively, but the goods were all rather strange.

Food was scarce; most of the food consisted of things whose origins were completely unknown.

The variety of strange and wonderful devices was dazzling, and Xia Yu was willing to bet that even Rhodes Island's chief engineer, Kroos, wouldn't recognize them all.

Xia Yu could only recognize the usefulness of a bucket helmet that looked like the kind worn by medieval plate-armored knights, and a few rusty swords that looked like they had just been dug up.

There are also strangely shaped pottery figurines, ancient coins of unknown origin, and so on.

It looks just like those antique streets from my previous life.

Come to think of it, it's not surprising that some of the wealthy people in such a prosperous city as Longmen have some strange and unusual hobbies.

Where there is demand, there is a market. Who knows, the rusty ancient sword that's sitting here today might become a family heirloom that some wealthy merchant, big or small, flaunts at a gathering tomorrow.

Why "neither too big nor too small"? Because most truly wealthy merchants and nobles wouldn't even consider such things.

8:52

The long queue finally came to an end, and there seemed to be an unusually large number of people entering the Dragon Gate today.

Kal'tsit drove the vehicle slowly to the checkpoint, and Xia Yu immediately spotted a familiar figure.

That's Chen.

13 Chen's Concern

“Dr. Kal'tsit from Rhodes Island, right?” Chen glanced at the credentials Kal'tsit handed him and then politely asked, “I heard your landship ran into some trouble and you need Lungmen’s assistance?”

Chen is certainly not on duty here; it would be a waste of her talent to do this job given her position.

She was sent by Wei Yanwu specifically to welcome Kal'tsit.

Lungmen attaches great importance to this cooperation.

“It’s just a minor problem,” Kal’tsit smiled formally. “We can handle it ourselves, but thank you for your kindness, Superintendent Chen.”

“This is what Lungmen should do,” Chen said, then turned to Xia Yu in the passenger seat. “And who is this?”

“This is Xia Yu, a field operator from Rhodes Island,” Kal'tsit explained to Chen before he could speak, “She is responsible for escorting me here to discuss cooperation matters.”

"Escorting alone..." Chen was somewhat surprised to hear this, and frowned as he said to Xia Yu, "It seems that this operator must be quite capable."

"You always need some kind of strength to protect yourself when you're traveling in the wilderness, don't you?"

Once again, without giving Xia Yu a chance to reply, Kal'tsit answered Chen again.

Chen seemed to care about Xia Yu, but Kal'tsit deflected her questions with words.

Watching the two of them flattering each other, Xia Yu sat there bewildered.

Who am I? Where am I? Why can't I get a word in edgewise when they're talking about me?

It's better that I don't have to say anything.

Xia Yu has never liked socializing, but things online are another matter.

It would be good if I could just stay in place and be a mascot, and even better if I didn't have to say anything myself.

Although he quite liked the operator Chen while playing the game, games and reality are ultimately two different things.

No matter how much you like someone, you shouldn't rush into their arms as soon as you meet them.

While he was enjoying himself, Kal'tsit finally finished with those diplomatic remarks that made the otaku tremble with fear. From now on, their car only needed to follow Chen's police car.

She will take Kal'tsit and Xia Yu to the hotel where they are staying.

"Boss, that person in the passenger seat..." Not only Chen, but even her deputy was somewhat concerned about Xia Yu. "She's really a hidden talent. She looks so delicate, yet she has the ability to carry people across the wilderness."

The word "delicate" was naturally used to describe Xia Yu. Luckily, the person in question didn't hear it, or he would have instantly turned into a grumpy old man.

Who are you calling delicate? Say it again while looking at my fist, which is as big as a punching bag?

Well, to be honest, even though she didn't have much magic power, Xia Yu still subconsciously used spells to keep her body clean, so she looked much different from those who had traveled through the wilderness.

"Send someone to keep a close eye on that Xia Yu," Chen hesitated for a moment, then said to his deputy, "Keep him in our sight."

Chen has always cared about him.

I don't know why, but even though it was our first meeting, I had some inexplicable feelings for that person.

This feeling is strange, faint, yet undeniably present; it's somewhat like disgust, like repulsion...

Anyway, it wasn't a positive feeling.

She looked at her officers, who didn't seem to share the same feeling.

They were simply amazed by the man's beauty and his disproportionate martial prowess.

It belongs only to me.

But this is clearly the first time we've met. She's so beautiful; if I had seen her before, I would never forget her.

Chen was certain this was their first meeting, but what was that feeling of rejection?

Why would I feel repulsed by a complete stranger?

Chen Baisi was completely baffled.

She tried several times to steer the conversation toward Xia Yu, but Kal'tsit blocked her each time.

This made her pay even more attention to Xia Yu.

However, since the other party came to Longmen to discuss cooperation, it was inconvenient for her to directly use her status as a police superintendent to investigate Xia Yu's background.

The only thing they could do was have their officers keep an eye on that man to prevent him from doing anything that would harm Lungmen.

Although it seems unlikely at the moment, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

In an off-road vehicle.

Kal'tsit gripped the steering wheel, turned to Xia Yu, and said calmly, "That Superintendent Chen seems to be paying some attention to you?"

Xia Yu, who was curiously looking out the car window at the mechanically beautiful gate of the moving city, turned her head and met Kal'tsit's questioning gaze.

“This is the first time I’ve met her,” he shrugged matter-of-factly. “Maybe it’s because my appearance doesn’t match that of a tough guy who can lead people across the wilderness.”

"After all, they seem to think that you, a doctor, are not very capable of fighting."

Xia Yu knew perfectly well why Chen seemed to pay so much attention to him.

Not to mention Chen, he would have the same feeling even if he met Wei Yanwu.

After all, they are all dragons. As divine beasts, they would naturally take a second look at someone like me who is full of divinity.

Although he had suspected it for a while, he only confirmed it after seeing Chen's reaction.

One's own divinity also works on dragon descendants like Chen.

I'm afraid I won't be able to be present when I talk to Wei Yanwu tomorrow.

Given Wei Yanwu's appearance, his understanding of the Heavenly Lock is definitely greater than Chen Shen's.

It's not that I'm afraid they'll do anything to me, it's just that it would be bad if they interfered with Rhodes Island's negotiations.

After all, he's now a member of Rhodes Island, so naturally he has to be responsible for the interests of Rhodes Island.

However, their bloodline really is related to the legendary dragon...

“I’ll just drop you off at the negotiation tomorrow,” Xia Yu said to Kal’tsit. “I won’t go in; I can take the opportunity to visit Lungmen.”

Kal'tsit didn't ask why, she just told him, "Be careful."

Xia Yu's made-up excuse couldn't fool her, and Xia Yu didn't expect to fool her with that excuse either.

The two of them mostly understood each other without saying a word.

Xia Yu did not intend to tell Kal'tsit about the matter of divinity.

And then there's the mysterious deep sea.

Xia Yu did not intend to reveal everything about herself to Kal'tsit. It's always good to be cautious and keep some things to yourself.

Kal'tsit knows that Xia Yu has many secrets, and this incident probably involves one of them.

But who could resist Xia Yu's Originium Arts? Originium Arts that could cure Oripathy, she could never give up no matter what.

It's just a secret. Everyone on Rhodes Island has their secrets.

Amiya inherited from Theresia the secret that the Demon King was a secret, the Doctor's origins were a secret, and even her own...

She is also full of secrets.

These are all secrets that could revolutionize the world.

No need to worry if you have too many debts, no need to worry if you have too many lice.

As long as the benefits of Rhodes Island holding onto Xia Yu outweigh the risks, Kal'tsit will not give up this ability to cure Oripathy.

Currently, the risks do not seem to outweigh the potential gains.

Therefore, Kal'tsit will not give up on Xia Yu.

As for telling Xia Yu to be careful... that's not true. It was just a veiled reminder to him not to cause trouble.