Arknights' Lock of Heaven

He looked at Frostnova, "The so-called salvation for the infected cannot be brought about by mere killing."

"Human nature is complex. If infected people are oppressed today, and I kill indiscriminately to stop the oppression of infected people, tomorrow some infected people will take advantage of this to bully ordinary people."

"Ultimately, this is not a class conflict between infected people and people outside of it, or rather, there should not be such a class distinction at all."

"Infected people are just patients."

"In the past, society excluded people because of their incurable diseases. Now that we have a cure, all of that is irrelevant."

“Simply killing won’t solve the problem, and I don’t expect everything to get better in Kazimierz after killing all those people.”

"This isn't some fairy tale world where everything will be alright after defeating the bad guys. Without changing the social system, without overthrowing and rebuilding all the deeply entrenched rentier classes, you can't change this country simply by killing a group of people..."

"How ridiculous."

"It's not like children playing house."

"Everything I did had only one reason: to satisfy my bloodlust."

"Is that really so?" Frostnova was stunned upon hearing this. "Although I don't quite understand what you're saying, but... but..."

She took a deep breath. "It seems you know what the right thing to do is, don't you?"

"So you really aren't going to do anything?"

“Who said I didn’t do anything?” Xia Yu shrugged and pulled out a box of inhibitors, waving it in front of Froststar.

"what is this?"

"Inhibitor".

"What does this mean for those who are infected?"

"I hope so!" Frostnova answered without hesitation.

As the successor to the Patriots and an important part of the Rhodes Island project, she naturally knew the truth.

That's why she respects Xia Yu so much.

For those infected, this is hope!

"Now imagine, seven or eight years from now, when the true medicinal effects of this thing are revealed..."

“Rhodes Island will be the talk of the town!” Frostnova replied.

“By then, having eliminated the biggest difference between the infected and ordinary people, we will have the most solid foundation in the world,” Xia Yu replied. “Rhodes Island’s strength will also be completely transformed, and Amiya will have grown up…”

At this point, he stretched out his hand towards the void in front of him and grasped it tightly. "Then, changing the world will no longer be a delusion."

Smashing the shackles of the old world is no longer a pipe dream.

"Your people no longer need to expect a savior to save them and place all their hopes on one person. They can fight for their own tomorrow."

Thinking of Fujimaru Ritsuka's experiences, the helplessness and confusion deep in her heart, and the way she carried the whole world on her shoulders...

Without a doubt, from a storytelling perspective, this is perfect.

But when it comes to the individual... how many people can withstand such pressure?

At least Xia Yu was unwilling to do that. From his education to his experiences, he refused to become that kind of person.

The world doesn't belong to me alone, so why should I bear the burden all by myself?

Gudako had no choice. The entire world had been wiped out, leaving only a few cats from Chaldea. For the sake of the world, and for her own sake, she had to do this.

But Xia Yu wasn't without options; only someone who'd lost their mind would do this.

“This is what I expected,” he said to Frostnova, “and what I have been doing all along.”

343

"So why don't you explain some things to her yourself?"

After Frostnova left, Xia Yu watched Kal'tsit slowly walk onto the deck and said, "She trusts you so much, why didn't you just tell her directly?"

"Because even I lack confidence in this kind of technology..."

Upon hearing this, Kal'tsit sighed softly, "I also need faith to sustain me."

"If you confidently tell me that these are time-tested technologies with reliable guarantees, then of course I can trust you."

"Just like always."

"But you're telling me... these technologies haven't been tested on a large scale, and you yourself don't even have a firm grasp on them. How can I not be worried about having researchers who don't understand magic at all filling in the gaps?"

She sighed. "The planet's ecosystem and climate system are not isolated from each other. What if you cause something serious to happen there?"

"Could an unprecedented natural disaster occur? Or will it permanently damage the ecology and climate of the snowfield, causing things to get even worse?"

How many people will perish because of this?

“These things… I can’t be willful; this isn’t a problem that can be solved with a simple statement of trust.”

At this point, she looked at Xia Yu and asked, "Are you really prepared? Prepared to clean up all the messes?"

“Of course, I’m not that arrogant,” Xia Yu shrugged. “One advantage of mystical methods is that mystery will submit to higher levels of mystery.”

"Even if things go wrong in the end, I have the ability to turn things around... it's just that it's really expensive."

"Is it just money?" Kal'tsit asked thoughtfully. "If that's the case... then we'll probably have to ask the Dukes of Ursus for some money."

"Let me think... what should I do..."

Then he fell into deep thought, clearly going back to managing his vast network of connections.

Xia Yu wasn't lying about this. If something really went wrong, it would mean the destruction of the entire natural system. The power of Tiamat in her hand was exactly what she was good at. Reshaping the ecosystem might be an exaggeration, but it was a reliable backup plan for this experiment.

Moreover, with the Holy Grail's magic supply, Xia Yu felt reassured and began to work boldly.

“Come back to the office with me,” Kal'tsit said after much deliberation, pulling Xia Yu back to her office. “Let’s make some plans.”

"If we want Originium... trading with the Snowfield Guerrilla won't bring in much profit, so we'll have to make up for it by getting it from those nobles."

"In any case, we can't neglect insurance measures. Let's go back and plan it out properly!"

There is no doubt that Kal'tsit wanted to see this technology succeed.

If we can overcome the snowfields today, we may be able to overcome the scorching winds and sweltering lands, as well as the vast unknown lands of the world, tomorrow.

A new chapter in Terra's civilization is about to begin.

She naturally supports it, so why is the situation in the Terran countries becoming increasingly tense?

It's because the explorable areas have already been explored. The ocean is a forbidden land. The once glorious Iberia is now half dead. Who would dare to go there?

To the north lies an endless snowfield, with a harsh climate and the presence of evil spirits.

It is completely unsuitable for human habitation.

To the south, the environment of the scorching, hot lands is equally harsh, and unknown evil spirits lurk there, eyeing the civilized world with predatory intent.

Why did the once mighty Khan, the invincible nightmare, suffer defeat after defeat in the scorching heat of the land, yet gain nothing despite his victories?

Because the land there is fundamentally unsuitable for human habitation.

Thus, the Terran civilization was surrounded by despair on all sides, and looking upwards... very few people were willing to turn their gaze to the stars.

That was too far away for them, while the land of the neighboring country was right before their eyes.

If Xia Yu's technology truly succeeds, then combined with mass-producible magic steel capable of isolating demonic influences... a new era of exploration will begin, and Terra will find a new way out.

Of course, this kind of thing will definitely take decades or even centuries to implement, but that doesn't stop Kal'tsit from starting the plan ahead of time.

After all, time is the one thing she has plenty of.

She estimated that Xia Yu would also be available.

-

"A beer, please!"

In Red Pine Valley, as the sun sets, the infected, exhausted from a long day's work, return in twos and threes to their makeshift tents.

Or you could choose to have a drink at that simple tavern in the valley.

In the past, these were things we wouldn't have dared to imagine.

After all, they are infected.

In the bustling Great Knight Territory, how many taverns would be willing to accept them?

Even if they did... do they have the money to spend it?

Perhaps some people are capable of making it in the knightly arena, but they are ultimately a minority.

The vast majority of people don't even have that right; they can't even afford to glance at those bustling streets without risking being arrested.

They could only hide like rats in the sewers of the Grand Knights' territory...

Of course, Jamie doesn't belong to this category; although he doesn't have much, he still has some savings.

Yes, that's Jamie, the one who was eventually rescued.

Originally, he was unwilling to come and wanted to stay in the Great Knight Territory. It wasn't because he coveted the prosperity there, but because he had a family business before becoming an infected person.

He had a wife and children, and he felt that his life was nearing its end. In his final moments, he wanted to stay by their side.