Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“How would I know?” Provence stared blankly. “And why do you call me Big Tail?”

Skyfire didn't answer, but instead looked at Eyjafjalla.

"Miss Eyjafjalla, and you?"

The latter shook his head slightly upon hearing this.

285 Isn't that a coincidence?

“Anyway, thank you for saving me,” she took a deep breath. “My name is Ceylon. You can come find me when you get back to the city, and I will repay you.”

"But I'm sorry, I'm very busy right now, I have important things to do."

"Oh, so you have something to do. Then I won't take up any more of your time. But it's best not to go to the volcano alone again," Provence said, looking at her curiously. After all, it's not common to see someone dressed like that going up a mountain.

"Although I don't know what happened, I suggest you go down the mountain first. You were just attacked by these Originium bugs, and it's dangerous for you to be alone."

"No, I think what just happened was just an accident. I was in a hurry to get up the mountain and didn't pay attention to the surroundings."

Ceylon took a deep breath, her face anxious. "I grew up in this city. If the Originium Bugs here were really that dangerous, the mayor would have taken countermeasures long ago."

“Well, okay. But I think there might be a reason for their gathering,” Provence shrugged as he heard this.

"Wait, the reason?" Upon hearing this, a thought flashed through Ceylon's mind. "And what you were saying earlier..."

She looked up at the four Rhodes Island members. "Because of the manic state caused by the change in environment... I see. Thank you, I have another piece of evidence!"

“Provence, it seems she found the same thing as you,” Skyfire shrugged upon hearing this. “Although I’m not that familiar with volcanoes, as a professional and comprehensive scholar, I do have a general understanding.”

“Scholars…” Upon hearing this, Ceylon’s eyes widened. “Could it be that you are also here to find evidence? To find evidence that this volcano might erupt?”

"We're from Rhode Island Pharmaceuticals. Just call me Xia Yu."

Xia Yu looked at the dumbfounded Ceylon and said calmly, "These people are Skyfire, Provence, and Eyjafjalla."

"They are all tourists visiting Siesta."

Xia Yu looked Ceylon up and down a few times.

"Tourists?" Upon hearing this, Ceylon glanced at them a few times, then hesitated to speak.

But considering that these were her saviors, she didn't say much. "As for tourists... these instruments," she looked at the portable instruments next to Eyjafjalla, a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

“Ah, these,” Xia Yu smiled slightly upon hearing this, “These are, well, my daily hobbies.”

"After all, my friends are experts in volcanoes, natural disasters, and primitive geology. Even on vacation, finding a good testing site is a pleasant surprise."

"That's why we chose Siesta, which has a volcano."

An expert? An expert? Or an expert on volcanoes and natural disasters?

Ceylon was stunned when he heard this.

Is this good luck or bad luck? What's this called? A glimmer of hope after despair?

Is it really such a coincidence?

"Wait, you mean..." She glanced at Eyjafjalla and the others, then turned back to Xia Yu, "You treat scientific research like a vacation?"

"Oh, I already said I'm an expert," Xia Yu waved her hand. "Can an expert be considered an expert without some quirks?"

"Hey, hey, hey, I can't pretend I didn't hear that," Tianhuo rolled his eyes at Xia Yu, "What do you mean by quirks? This is scientific research spirit!"

"Besides, if it weren't for us, this volcano might have..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tianhuo warily shut his mouth.

Who knows who this young lady from Ceylon is?

“No need to be so vigilant,” Ceylon said magnanimously. “Yes, I know what you’ve discovered.”

"This volcano is about to erupt, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Tianhuo frowned.

"You... are a Siesta?"

“Of course,” Ceylon nodded.

"But if you knew the volcano was about to erupt, then why..."

Tianhuo looked down at the foot of the mountain, where Siesta was still in a state of jubilation.

"Why hold such a lively music festival?" Ceylon took a deep breath and asked, "Why hasn't any news leaked out?"

“It’s simple,” she said with a wry smile, “I’m the only one who knows this right now.”

Even my sisters who grew up with me refused to believe it.

“Let me reintroduce myself,” Ceylon looked at everyone and took a deep breath. “My name is Ceylon. I graduated from Victoria National University with a degree in Originium Studies. As you can see, I am the only one in the entire city who knows about the volcano.”

“And nobody’s willing to believe you,” Xia Yu shrugged upon hearing this, “which is why you came here alone.”

"What are you looking for? Evidence of volcanic activity?"

"Carrying a notebook, yet dressed in a dress and boots," Tianhuo looked her up and down. "If she's not just a simpleton, then she must have suddenly had an inspiration, forgotten to change her clothes, and rushed out the door, only to realize the problem when she ran into trouble."

At this point, she shrugged. "I don't remember how many dresses I've burned because of this kind of thing."

“Uh,” Provence’s lips twitched upon hearing this, “I don’t think this is something that should be described in a matter-of-fact tone.”

“Oh, this kind of thing is very common for people like us,” Tianhuo waved his hand.

"Putting aside the skirt issue for now, your judgment is generally correct," Ceylon nodded upon hearing this.

"What should I say? Doing this is still a bit risky... if we're not fully prepared."

Provence said seriously to Ceylon, "Judging from your appearance, your family is probably not short of money. There's really no need for you to run away alone."

"We should bring at least a few guards."

“I really should have brought a few guards, but…” Ceylon gave a bitter smile, “Just like I said before, nobody believes me.”

"Naturally, no one would want me to take this risk."

“If I could, I’d want a bodyguard like that too,” she said, looking at Xia Yu with a sigh, “but unfortunately…”

"So you snuck out?" Skyfire looked at her with interest. "Then your Originium Arts still need practice. Like me, even if I go out empty-handed, I won't be in any danger."

“Well…” Ceylon gave an awkward smile upon hearing this, “Originium Arts… also require talent.”

"Moreover, my Originium Arts are completely useless for combat."

"But let's not talk about that now. Can you tell me what evidence you found?"

"A peculiar, pungent odor, coupled with abnormal temperatures and frenzied Originium bugs..."

Hearing this, Provence frowned and said, "Moreover, the fact that we can encounter such infected creatures around a volcano indicates that this volcano is quite extraordinary. You know, if there were Originium inside this mountain, mining companies would be scrambling to get in."

“Not many people know the actual situation of the volcano, and it is usually managed by the city hall and related agencies,” Ceylon nodded when he heard this, and continued, “Because of the frenzy of organisms caused by environmental changes... at least compared with the previous situation, I can make some guesses about the current anomalies.”

She looked at Provence and said, “To ensure the safety of the citizens and the city, I have been searching everywhere for people with professional experience in this area. I hope you will help me and help Siesta get through this difficult time.”

"For this, I am willing to pay a sufficient price."

“No, no, no, I’m just a messenger of natural disasters. I only judged based on experience before,” Provence said, pointing to Eyjafjalla beside him. “This is the real expert. She has several doctoral titles on volcanoes and is the kind of person who has a special reaction time for every seminar she attends.”

"It's not that amazing," Eyjafjalla said, lowering her head in embarrassment.

As a highly regarded expert by Rhodes Island, she received a fixed monthly ration after Xia Yu's first batch of potions were produced.

Although the treatment period was not long, the medication prescribed for her was extremely effective due to the severity of her condition. After several months of medication, the impact of Oripathy on her auditory nerves was greatly reduced, so that she no longer had to wear a hearing aid to the point where she could occasionally not hear anything.

Eyjafjalla briefly explained her assessment to Ceylon, and upon hearing that the volcano would likely erupt within two to six weeks, Ceylon gritted his teeth.

"I see! No wonder you're an expert. You can interpret this data from this perspective. I never expected to learn such knowledge here. Wow, I should write it all down!"

"In that case... sigh."

Recalling the complete lack of concern about the matter in Black's tone, Ceylon sighed.

"Although the information is still relatively limited, my judgment is the same as yours: this volcano has very likely moved from a dormant state to an active state."

Eyjafjalla frowned and said, "Unfortunately, we don't have enough instruments at hand to further explore the causes of the volcano's activity."

"With more data and intelligence, we could even find the triggers for volcanic activity and more accurately determine the cycle of activity."

"That would make it easier for citizens to make relocation arrangements."

Seeing Eyjafjalla's furrowed brows, Xia Yu patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Everyone understands your dedication to the volcano, Eyjafjalla, you've already helped us a lot."

"It's so great to have such a professional team to help me with the confirmation."

Ceylon breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, "It's probably due to a problem with the instruments; the Siesta observation point hasn't been able to read any abnormal data."

"It seems that all my running around for this was worth it."

A smile appeared on her face. "We need to get this information to the city government as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unimaginable."

“As expected,” Skyfire shrugged upon hearing this, “From what you’re saying, Siesta City is holding such a large-scale festival at this time, yet it’s completely unprepared for natural disasters.”

“I’m sorry, this was indeed Siesta’s mistake,” Ceylon took a deep breath, his expression serious. “On behalf of the City Hall, I apologize to everyone for this.”

"Oh, there's no need to be so serious," Tianhuo said, a little embarrassed. "It's not your fault, you've been out and about all day, haven't you?"

“No, this is the mistake I should bear,” Ceylon said with a bitter smile, “because my father is the mayor of Siesta.”