Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Don't want the Linguang family crest to become an appendage to your business? No problem, you can start your own company!"

"As far as I know, quite a few noble knight families have switched to this model."

"It would be a great pity to let such Originium Arts go to waste."

"In Ursus, in Letania, in Victoria, in your homeland Yan... your Originium Arts may be appreciated, but you will never become a truly great figure."

"But in Kazimierz, in the Knights' Arena, your Originium Arts will be sought after by everyone, and you can even use it to create a magnificent business empire!"

"If you're willing, a board position in the Business Federation is not out of the question."

Upon hearing this, bald Martin was stunned, and even forgot to wipe the cup in his hand.

A director of the business association... to ordinary people, that's an absolute big shot!

Charn continued his passionate speech.

"This is a miracle that can only be achieved in Kazimierz!"

"A single set of armor is enough to make the fledgling Miss Maria stand out from the crowd. What if she makes it to the main competition? What if she gets a good ranking? What if... she becomes the champion?"

"By then, as the armor maker, you will only need to express your intentions, and countless people will flock around you with piles of gold coins, requesting cooperation."

"The Kazimierz Knights Championship itself is the biggest draw."

"At that time, you can earn more money than you could ever earn in your entire life, and experience a life that almost no one in Tutella can ever experience..."

"Once you sign the contract, all of the above promises will be readily available."

Maria and bald Martin were dumbfounded.

Is it really that good?

But thinking about it, it makes sense... If Maria really won the championship while wearing that armor... it might not be impossible...

Haven't you noticed how highly sought-after the manufacturers of the weapons and equipment used by each champion have become in recent years?

Not to mention Maria's situation.

Charne's eyes were full of expectation as he extended his right hand toward Xia Yu.

"I have taken care of everything. As long as you give your approval, we can begin our cooperation."

Seeing Xia Yu stand up from her seat and walk towards him, Charné concealed his excitement.

"The first step in our cooperation is to remove the assassination warrant on you..."

To his surprise, Xia Yu did not take his hand.

Instead, he patted his shoulder meaningfully.

"Having said all that, what about the risks?"

Xia Yu's eyes held a hint of mockery as she said calmly, "I don't believe in free lunches."

“There are risks, of course,” Charné replied without hesitation. “Once the directors I’ve joined call off the assassination order, the equipment manufacturers, led by Howling Guard, will immediately realize the problem.”

"To prevent us from growing too big, they will stop at nothing to hinder us..."

"But it doesn't matter!"

"With interference from our board members, they are unable to mobilize the forces of the Unarmored Alliance."

Charn has already identified himself as one of their own, constantly referring to himself as "we".

"We only need to guard against their other forces, and besides, I have an ace up my sleeve!"

"You should know about the Blood Knight, Dikeopolis, right?"

"The champion of the previous Knights' Tournament!"

“I raised him up from the ground up, and I also established the Crimson Knights for him.”

"It is because of his championship that I have been able to get to where I am today."

"But the Blood Knight is an infected person. Of course, I'm not saying that infected people are bad, but his physical condition is not optimistic."

"I estimate that he will retire after this tournament."

“If you join forces with me, I am confident that I can make him lose to Miss Maria.”

Charn lowered his head as he said this, “Believe me, I am very confident that I was the one who lifted him up.”

"You're not sincere..."

Hearing this, Xia Yu shook her head.

"You've said so much, but you haven't gotten to the most crucial point."

Why do you want to cooperate with me?

"Why choose me? Why offend those equipment manufacturers for my sake? Why... would you go to such lengths, even revealing that the previous champion Blood Knights threw the match?"

Xia Yu looked at him with a smile and said slowly, "You're desperate... aren't you?"

“How come you see?”

Charné's smile vanished.

"Isn't it obvious? Because there's no need to!"

Xia Yu returned to her seat and leisurely picked up her wine glass.

"As a spokesperson for the business federation, there's no need for them to take such a big risk to seek cooperation with me."

"Want to make money? With your position, you have plenty of opportunities."

"Want to go further? Then there's even less need. Only the weak would resort to such risky tactics."

"Although you've exaggerated the benefits of cooperating with us and tried to ignore the consequences of being hostile to those equipment manufacturers and future military-industrial complexes, do you think I'll be blinded by the rosy pictures they've painted?"

"Their view of me is simply that I have a potential competitor, and they just want to eliminate me."

"But you're different. You're a member of the Business Federation, one of their own..."

"Being a traitor comes at a price!"

"You betrayed their interests, and if the plan fails, your fate will certainly be much worse."

"So you don't need to do it at all..."

"Unless you are so desperate that you have no choice but to take this risky move to protect yourself."

"Am I right?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Charné paused for a moment, then laughed again.

"Mr. Xia Yu is indeed no ordinary person..."

"So, can we cooperate?"

"You need my channels to protect yourself from the Undead Alliance, and I need your Originium Arts to protect myself..."

"We're all in the same boat, aren't we?"

At this moment, Charné was truly grateful to the directors who had issued the assassination order against Xia Yu.

If it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't have been able to persuade such shrewd people at all.

But now, they have created a fatal flaw for Xia Yu, and in doing so, they have also given themselves an opportunity.

At least that's how Charnet sees it.

He reached out his hand to Xia Yu again.

He thought the other person would grab his hand immediately, but Xia Yu just looked at him quietly.

Not a word.

211 Maria became the breakthrough point?

Xia Yu quietly looked at his hand.

"I reject."

"What's the reason?"

Upon hearing this, Charné trembled.

He knew he couldn't afford the consequences of failure.

"I need a reason."

His voice trembled without him even realizing it.

He couldn't understand Xia Yu's decision, but he knew that if Xia Yu really refused, he would be completely finished!

You know, he guaranteed those big companies that they would definitely succeed.

If he doesn't do it...

The outcome can be imagined.

"Reason?" Xia Yu glanced at him indifferently. "I don't need you."