Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Um, I'm not sure."

Sona answered honestly.

"His subordinates were all infected."

“I remember I mentioned this to you before,” Xia Yu said calmly, “Ursus’s policy toward the infected.”

“Throw them into the mines to work until they die…” Sona repeated unconsciously.

"Yes, and for those infected, Patriots are their hope."

At this point, Xia Yu looked at Sona, "Just like how the infected people under your protection view you."

"Patriot and his snowfield guerrillas continued to destroy mines, free slaves, and attack nobles..."

"In Ursus, if you get infected and are thrown into a mine, his guerrillas are your only hope."

"I heard that he recently thwarted a joint operation launched by dozens of nobles and even almost killed a duke."

"The truth is, if it weren't for the duke's men protecting him to the death, his head would have been left on the snowfield long ago."

"Even so, he still paid a heavy price: he would spend the rest of his life in bed, and his family's elite knightly order, built up over hundreds of years, was almost entirely wiped out..."

"Even now, the people on the snowfield still call him the Shield of the Infected."

"The Shield of the Infected..." Sona felt a longing upon hearing this.

"Wow, what an impressive title."

"But what does that have to do with us? Are you suggesting we go and seek refuge with him?"

"Excuse my frankness, but this might be a bit..."

Sona was still thinking about how to refuse in the most tactful way possible.

After all, that's a snowfield...

“No, no, no, you want me to send you to join the Patriots?” Xia Yu shook her head repeatedly upon hearing this. “That would be such a waste.”

“He never lacks manpower.”

"Ursus has countless mines and countless slaves; what it lacks is only logistics."

"He lacks food, medicine, and winter supplies! Everything that can sustain a person on the snowy plains."

"You should have heard what a terrible place the snowfield is."

"And we happen to have some cooperative relationship with Mr. Patriot."

"And to be honest, it's really difficult to provide him with supplies."

"It would be far too difficult to get those urgently needed supplies through the heavy blockade of the Ursus nobles to him."

"Therefore, Rhodes Island has decided to take a different approach."

At this point, Xia Yu took out a map and pointed to the northernmost part of the border area between Kazimir and Ursus.

"It's much easier to transport it from here than from other directions."

"Although the journey from west to east is very long, neither Yan Kingdom nor Dong Kingdom in the east intends to provoke Ursus at this time, so they cannot provide us with protection."

"This has always been the policy of both countries."

"But Kazimir is different; you and Ursus are sworn enemies!"

"Given the recent political situation in Ursus, transporting supplies from here is undoubtedly the most suitable option."

"The Kazimierz government will turn a blind eye to this. They would love to make things difficult for Ursus. The more the Patriots make a fuss, the less Ursus will dare to start a war against foreign powers."

"Nobody wants to be robbed of their home by a super strongman like Patriots when they are at war, so the Securities and Futures Commission would love for you to step up your efforts."

"The fatter the Patriots' guerrillas, the better! It would be even better if they could turn Ursus into ruins."

“In other countries, they might be more cautious, but those of you who have personally suffered losses at the hands of Patriots certainly have no doubt about his abilities.”

"Not to mention the business federation."

"The Patriots' guerrillas need more than just Rhodes Island's medicine, food, supplies, and weapons—they need everything!"

"What is this? This is the market! This is money!"

"How could a group of businessmen turn down money?"

"This is a great opportunity for them to expand their market and also to take on their sworn enemy Ursus. Why would they disagree?"

"Moreover, due to the recent political situation in Ursus, the emperor himself has no desire to launch foreign wars, especially the war against Kazimir."

"You should know that the few territories of the Ursus royal family are located around your Kazimir and Letania. If a war breaks out here, they will be the first to suffer!"

"The rise of the Patriots' guerrillas is exactly what the Ursus Emperor wants to see most. After all, the nobles are the ones who blockade the snowfields, and he would love for the Patriots to fight those nobles to the death."

"This is also why Rhodes Island chose Kazimierz. The Emperor cannot openly block your supplies to the Patriots unless the Patriots are already able to crush those nobles."

“Kazimir is willing, the Emperor of Ursus is willing, and the Patriot is willing.”

"A win-win situation for everyone!"

"So, what does this have to do with us infected people?"

Upon hearing this, Sona calmly asked.

It sounds wonderful, but what does it have to do with people like us?

"Of course it concerns you!"

Xia Yu said bluntly, "Well, Rhodes Island isn't planning on providing such a large-scale support to the Patriots. After all, we're just a company."

"Therefore, an agent is necessary."

"First, you should go to the Securities and Futures Commission and ask for a piece of land."

"Territory?" Sona was completely stunned. "How could the Witness Council possibly give territory to us infected people..."

“Nothing is impossible,” Xia Yu said, giving her a meaningful look.

"After all, your roles are quite crucial in the drama prepared by the Securities and Futures Commission."

"And the location doesn't need to be too good, just close to the northern snowfield, close to the border of Ursus!"

"Then, I have a friend who was a member of the Rangers guerrillas who fought against Ursus back then. She has some connections there, so it won't be a problem for you to establish a foothold there."

“Oh, I have another friend, the one I mentioned to you before, Toran, the leader of the Bounty Hunters Guild. I can’t speak for other places, but in Kazimierz, he can handle some things, like bandits.”

"Oh, right, there's another friend, whom you all know, the Radiant Knight Margaret Nearl. With her around, you don't need to worry about the Registry."

"There's another one. He's still relatively unknown, but he'll be a big shot sooner or later. He's with the Business Federation, and he can help you make connections."

"By the way, I also have a good relationship with Patriot, and since you are both infected, I think he will definitely appreciate everything you do, and you will have common ground."

"Yes, my superior, Lord Kal'tsit, also exchanges letters with Mr. Witt, the current Prime Minister of Ursus. With such an important figure protecting him, the flow of supplies will definitely not be a problem."

"With these, even in harsh, cold places, you can help those infected survive, and live well."

"Just by acting as a middleman, you can live a life free from worries about food and clothing, and even gather and protect more infected people."

"Rhodes Island's inhibitors can be provided to you at the factory price. Apart from the batch given to Patriots, you can sell the rest for whatever price you want."

"So, how about it? Is this deal feasible?"

Xia Yu rested her chin on her hand and looked at Sona.

The other person looked at him as if he were looking at a devil.

What did she come here for today?

Oh, may I ask about the future of the infected in the High Knight Commander's territory?

What did the other party propose?

Let's get into international trade!

Well, "trade" is a nice way of saying it; it's really just smuggling!

He continued to maneuver between the two nations of Kazimir and Ursus, moving between powerful forces such as the Supervisory Council, the Commercial Federation, the Ursus Emperor, and the Ursus nobles...

What have I done to deserve this?

Sona really wanted to stand up, grab him by the collar, and ask, "Do I look like someone who can accomplish such a great thing?"

Wake up! I'm barely making ends meet myself! So many people are worried about what they'll eat tomorrow!

Sona just found it absurd.

It's like a farmer asking, "What should I do if I can't get enough to eat?"

Then he replied, “It’s easy to solve the problem of not having enough to eat. We can kill the emperor, seize the throne, and then we won’t have to worry about not having enough to eat.”

Well, the ideals are lofty, but looking at the meager resources behind us, isn't it too ahead of our time to talk about this now?

This analogy may not be entirely accurate, but it perfectly describes Sona's feelings at this moment.

Not only her, but even Miss Maria, who had just been indignant about the suffering of the infected and felt completely lost about her inability to do anything about it, was even more bewildered.

So...so Mr. Xia Yu is a big shot who usually deals with these important matters between countries?

My dear sister, where do you work? I have this feeling that Rhodes Island, this so-called medical company… is just…

Is that indecent?