Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“So,” Xia Yu held out her hand, “give me your ID.”

Seeing this, Skadi, who was opposite him, raised an eyebrow.

Hmm, this is...

She wasn't oblivious to the situation; it was obvious that someone was just teasing the little girl.

The lion scorpion also watched this scene with great interest, silently drinking its milk.

Even Old Martin and his men, who had been on high alert just moments before, realized they had probably made a huge blunder.

However, given the sensitive situation, news of Maria's registration for the Knights' Tournament had barely spread when several highly skilled individuals immediately approached him.

He kept staring at Maria, and considering Margaret's past experiences, it was hard not to think the wrong thing.

It now seems like it was just a false alarm.

Didn't you see that Zofia's imposing aura diminished by half upon hearing the name Rhodes Island?

Coupled with Maria's reaction, it's clear that they know about this company called Rhodes Island.

Moreover, they could recognize the handwriting on the envelope.

That is indeed Margaret's handwriting.

That's it.

However, seeing this person teasing his precious apprentice so much, the old craftsman Koval couldn't help himself. Just as he was about to speak up to answer his bewildered apprentice, old Martin quickly tugged at his sleeve.

Koval followed Old Martin's gaze and saw Zofia looking at him with a big smile.

hiss……

How could I forget that there's such a jinx by my side!

Zofia, who had come to teach Maria a lesson, was happy to see her naive niece suffer a bit.

Well, as long as it's not too excessive, it's fine.

As an adult, she naturally wouldn't be fooled by such words. Since you've come to my door so accurately, you must have already verified my identity.

And you just said Maria and Margaret look alike...

Zofia glanced helplessly at Maria, who was pacing anxiously, and sighed, "My silly niece, when will you ever learn to be a little more sensible?"

So easily fooled, yet still daring to sign up for the Knights' Tournament... Aren't you afraid of being sold out and then still counting the money for them?

"You...you said before that I look a lot like my sister!" Thank goodness Maria finally remembered that.

“But just looking alike doesn’t prove anything,” Xia Yu shrugged innocently. “It’s not unusual for there to be a few people in this world who look alike. Official documents are more convincing.”

"Aunt!" Hearing this, Maria was completely at a loss and turned around to call for help from the sidelines.

But clearly, in her haste, she forgot one thing.

The term "aunt"...

"Hehe," Zofia gave Maria a look, letting her figure it out herself.

“Master Koval!” Maria turned to look at the old craftsman again.

Seeing her pleading look and then at Zofia's kind eyes, the old craftsman coughed awkwardly twice and turned to examine the old jukebox.

Seeing this, Maria turned her gaze to the old knight.

The old knight turned his head away as if he hadn't seen anything and returned to his seat to eat his cheese slices.

Maria looked toward where bald Martin was, only to find that he had already returned to his bartender position, intently wiping the glasses.

Looking around, Maria felt isolated and helpless.

There are bad people all around.

She glanced reluctantly at the envelope on the table, gritted her teeth, and turned to run out of the tavern.

Then Zofia quickly grabbed him.

“Maria,” Zofia narrowed her eyes and asked with a kind expression, “Where are you going?”

“I…I need to get a certificate,” Maria said, instinctively shrinking back when she saw her expression.

"Oh?" Zofia's expression became even more amiable. "What kind of certificate do you need?"

“Go, go get proof that my sister is my sister,” Maria’s voice trailed off.

"Where are you going to drive it?"

Zofia's grip tightened.

"Go, go to the National Assembly?" Maria answered anxiously.

“The National Assembly?” Zofia’s voice suddenly rose. “Is that the kind of place that issues these kinds of ridiculous certificates?”

“But… but,” Maria asked, looking aggrieved, “where am I supposed to drive?”

Seeing that this silly child still hadn't figured it out, Zofia took a deep breath.

Don't be angry, don't be angry...

She comforted herself with this thought: Margaret's colleagues were there; family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. She'd deal with her when they got home!

By the way, what brought me here?

Oh, Maria has signed up for the Knights' Tournament...

Thinking of this, Zofia took another deep breath.

Don't get angry! Don't get angry! Don't get angry!

We'll talk about everything when we get home!

Although he thought this way, he gripped Maria's left hand with increasing force.

"It hurts, Auntie..." Maria cried out in pain.

"Huh?" Zofia glared angrily upon hearing this.

"Ah, Zofia," Maria immediately changed her tune upon seeing this, "It hurts!"

“I’ll teach you a lesson when we get home!” she whispered in Maria’s ear as she released her.

Upon hearing this, Maria immediately recalled what she had done that day, and trembled with guilt. Her mind, which had been clouded by her sister's letter, cleared up instantly.

Intelligence has once again taken center stage.

Ah, going home?

“You’re Margaret’s colleagues, right?” Zofia composed herself and turned to Xia Yu and the other two, saying, “I’m sorry for making you laugh…”

"I've got it!" Maria rushed up to Xia Yu, excitedly grabbing his hand. "Come home with me!"

"Maria, what are you doing?" Zofia was completely devastated when she saw this.

“Doesn’t our home address have this on the envelope?” Maria explained excitedly. “If they come home with me, won’t that prove my identity?”

"Uh," Xia Yu thought to herself, reflecting on whether she had gone too far.

Is this girl... really that naive?

But I really just wanted to tease her...

“Maria!”

A demonic voice sounded from behind her, and a hand climbed onto her shoulder again.

"Can you please shut up! Leave everything to me!"

"But, but," Maria's longing for her sister still overwhelmed everything, even though she was intimidated by her aunt's tyrannical power accumulated over the years.

She bravely spoke up, "But I haven't heard from my sister in so long..."

His pitiful look immediately quelled Zofia's anger behind him.

"Sigh," Xia Yu felt deeply guilty upon seeing this. She reached out, picked up the envelope, and placed it in Maria's hand.

He said solemnly, "I'm sorry, I went too far with my joke. It was my fault. You can keep the letter."

"Uh," Maria was still a little confused as she looked at the envelope in her hand, "It's just given to me like this? No proof is required..."

“Of course not. Your relationship with Nearl—oh, you’re Nearl too—and Margaret’s relationship with you are obvious,” Xia Yu replied helplessly. “I just wanted to tease you… I didn’t expect this letter to be so important to you. Anyway, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no need, no need to apologize, Mr. Messenger,” Maria replied hastily. “I was too excited and didn’t realize it. It’s been so long since I heard from my sister.”

"Alright, since you're so looking forward to it, go read the letter over there!" Upon seeing this, Zofia stepped forward, grabbed Maria's head, and unceremoniously shooed her aside.

Maria was delighted and happily walked away with the letter.

Upon seeing this, the old knight and Koval excitedly surrounded them.

They were also very interested in Margaret's letter.

After all, their relationship with the Lin Guang family was quite special.

"Margaret, is she alright?"

Zofia stood in front of Xia Yu, and after hesitating for a long time, she finally asked the question that she most wanted to hear.