Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Every day has been like this; at this time of day, you won't see him anywhere else.

Yes, this mayor is always so leisurely. After all, Ciprini is now essentially his personal fiefdom. No one will try to go against his will. Even when the emperor's decrees are issued to the city, whether they are actually implemented or just a formality depends on his opinion.

Ah, of course, he hasn't been as relaxed as before in the last month.

As for why... well, you'd have to ask the Orville, the ship that came all the way from Kazimierz.

Lermontov simply couldn't understand how those people could think of transporting supplies all the way from Kazimierz to those lowly infected people on the snowfield.

What are they after?

From the perspective of interests, politics, or any other angle, he could not think of a reasonable explanation.

Of course, his biggest concern right now is not the Orville; that ship is just a contributing factor.

He only needed his messengers to send out a message to keep them trapped here and unable to move forward; he never took that ship seriously.

The real threat was the Ursus Sixth Army, which had been transferred to Cheprini a month earlier under the pretext of suppressing bandits and stationed in the city.

The discipline of the Sixth Army was notorious within Ursus, but he had no choice but to accept it in order to complete the dukes' mission.

Then, for the past month, the pleasant afternoon tea time was gone, as soldiers and officers of the Sixth Army were bullying and committing crimes in Chepulini, throwing the entire city into chaos.

Every day there are endless reports, one case after another. It's one thing for ordinary people to be bullied, since those people can't really cause any trouble anyway, but the big merchants and powerful nobles of Ceprini are the richest ones...

Those thugs smash up a shop today, and tomorrow they intercept a batch of goods under the guise of suppressing bandits. That's all money from their supporters!

The Lermontov family was not a traditional noble family; their rule over Cheprini relied on generations of relentless management and the influence of the mayor in distributing the city's profits.

It can be said that these wealthy merchants and nobles who pledged allegiance to him were the foundation of his rule over the city.

Although the actions of the Sixth Army suggest that they most likely just wanted to make a quick buck in Chepulini and leave.

If their general intended to stay here, he wouldn't have tolerated his subordinates offending these powerful local figures.

Although this was a good thing for Lermontov, the extremely controlling man did not want these scoundrels to stay in Cheprinid.

Lermontov had probed Boris's attitude during a meeting with him some time ago.

The Sixth Army naturally wanted to stay longer and gain more, so Boris kept praising him for using the news of the natural disaster to stop the Orville. Then he brought up the Duke's mission and subtly reminded him that his messengers of the natural disaster might not be so obedient and might 'accidentally' leak the truth, trying to dissuade him from staying any longer.

Boris readily agreed, but Lermontov didn't believe a word he said.

Just like when the Sixth Army first arrived, he was told to keep his men in line and not cause trouble, but the army only agreed superficially and then continued to do as it pleased.

Therefore, we need to use some methods to force them to leave.

Although they seem to be in the same camp and stand against the emperor, being in the same camp does not mean that their interests are completely aligned.

Spreading rumors of a natural disaster to intercept the Orville was to give the Dukes an explanation for their mission. Now that the explanation is given, it's time to get those insatiable wolves of the Sixth Army out of their city.

The usual methods won't work to get the Sixth Army to leave.

The only reason Ciprini could get them to leave now was the ship that had brought all this trouble, the Orville.

As everyone knows, the Sixth Army is the Duke's most loyal lackey. Boris might ignore his words, but he would never dare to neglect the Duke's mission.

Therefore, the Orville must take some action.

But, oh, those Kazimierz, the mayor himself invited him to a banquet, and they just dismissed him with a simple "I don't have time"... leaving him powerless to use any means he wanted to.

Fortunately, I have many eyes and ears in this city.

“Yes, Mr. Mayor,” the butler replied. “This morning, Vice Mayor Alexei went to the city hall and found the two women who had come from the Orville, the messengers of the Cataclysm, and their entourage. After a private conversation in his café, he told them Igor’s address.”

The butler knew Lermontov's temperament well. Although his master looked down on Alexei, the deputy mayor, he would never allow a servant like himself to belittle his status as deputy mayor. You can belittle his character, his behavior, or his relatives and friends, but you cannot say a word against the title of deputy mayor.

Since the master was like this, the butler naturally wouldn't cause any trouble. He kept referring to Alexei as Deputy Mayor, even though this so-called deputy mayor had been suppressed by the master over the years to the point that he didn't even have a desk in the city hall.

"Then, the two messengers of the calamity, accompanied by their entourage, went to the mansion that their master had given to Igor, but were prevented from meeting by Grek's men."

"Then, after being turned away, they went back to Deputy Mayor Alexei, and that's the latest intelligence."

“Ha, that good-for-nothing Alexei,” Lermontov scoffed contemptuously upon hearing this. “Does he think he can cause any trouble?”

"The reason I didn't let him die along with those who tried to resist me back then was because I saw that he was all talk and no action. So I spared his life and even helped him embellish his political achievements every year. Although he didn't even have a desk in the city hall, his 'contribution' was always included in the annual report. After all, it's better to face a piece of trash whose spirit has been crushed to the lowest point than to face a new opponent."

Lermontov shook his head. "We'll see what choice he makes. I hope he won't disappoint me."

"Or will he choose to fight to the end? Ha, with those low-life trash he's recruited? Or those few hundred infected people outside the city?"

“He is naturally no match for the mayor,” the butler flattered. “After all, what he said in his own café is now in the report before you. If his subordinates are infiltrated like this and he still overestimates himself…”

“Then we’ll just have to find a new, dear deputy mayor,” Lermontov sighed dramatically. “What a pity, I still quite like this good-for-nothing.”

"At least from the very beginning, he hasn't caused me any trouble since."

“Mayor,” just then, a servant rushed over, “someone outside is requesting an audience. It’s Vice Mayor Alexei’s entourage.”

"Oh?" Lermontov's eyes widened slightly in surprise upon hearing this. "Is this stubborn mule finally going to give in?"

"Bring that man in; I want to see what he has to say."

As soon as he finished speaking, his entourage, who had been prepared beforehand, was brought before him.

The attendant respectfully presented a letter with both hands. The butler took it, opened the envelope, checked it, and then placed it on the table in front of Lermontov.

"Oh?" Lermontov had only glanced at the letter at first, but the more he read, the more serious he became, and his expression changed from nonchalant to delighted.

"The person in charge of that ship is Xia Yu, right? Judging from the name, he's from Yan... He's already gone to the east to investigate the natural disaster. Tsk, no wonder he's been keeping his doors closed to visitors. Turns out he can't come at all. The two messengers for the natural disaster in the city are just a front."

"Is he really not afraid of natural disasters? He actually dared to go and investigate on his own? Oh, a scholar."

He said with great interest, "Scholars... ah, scholars, no wonder, only these naive people would do such a thankless task."

Lermontov's attention was entirely focused on this section, while Alexei's words of loyalty were completely ignored.

"In that case, the Sixth Army..." He paused for two seconds, then looked at the messenger who had come to deliver the message.

"I've seen you before. You seem to have been following Alexei for a long time. By the way, what's your name?"

The attendant bowed his head and respectfully replied, "Bob, Your Excellency Mayor, my name is Bob."

“Bob, is it?” Lermontov nodded with satisfaction at his respectful demeanor. Back then, during the natural disaster, this was the same man who had looked so defiant, staring at him and the other officials as if he were about to pounce on them at any moment.

But look how well-behaved he is now.

"Those messengers of natural disasters trusted your master so quickly? They even trusted him with something like this?"

"Because when they came to visit their master, they unexpectedly encountered Mr. Victor, who was also infected. Mr. Victor is..."

“Alright, I know who Victor is. Isn’t he just one of those infected your master keeps outside the city?” Lermontov waved his hand dismissively. “It was those infected who earned Alexei’s trust?”

“…Mayor, you should know that those people would risk their lives for the infected. My master, who funds the infected, naturally gains their trust.”

“Well, that makes sense,” Lermontov laughed. “Go back and tell Alexei that I’ve received his sincerity, and if the news is true, he’ll soon have his own office in the city hall.”

"Oh, and you, Bob. I liked your attitude today. Here's a reward of 100,000. Go collect it from the butler."

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, signaling for the servant to take him away.

Is Alexei so easily subdued?

Perhaps, after all, he's been benched for so many years.

However... the facts aren't actually that important.

Their goal was to get the Sixth Army out of Chepulini as soon as possible, but their general Boris naturally intended to stay as long as possible.

The Dukes would surely be interested in the leader of the Orville, someone who dares to trouble them. If the Dukes are interested, then Boris will have no choice but to do his best.

Whether the leaders of the Orville actually went out is not important.

The important thing is that someone provided this source.

Sending Boris with everyone to arrest people... is obviously unrealistic. The Sixth Army has a strength of 50,000 men, and that's just the official count. Only the Grand Duke himself probably knows how many more are hidden behind the scenes. Of course, it's impossible for such a large force to mobilize for an unarmed cargo ship.

Boris brought 20,000 men with two high-speed warships, including shield guards, elite vanguards, assault troops, sorcerers, crossbowmen, and artillery—more than he could ever have.

If it weren't for making an example of someone, we wouldn't need so many people.

Boris isn't that stupid, well, but even with fewer people, they might not be able to find the other party. Although Alexei provided the coordinates of those infected villages, the other party will most likely be staying there.

But at least five thousand people can be mobilized. If something goes wrong, it won't be easy to find someone in the vast snowfield. Tsk tsk, five thousand people to catch one person is quite a big deal.

It's for the public good, there's nothing shameful about it.

The more people there are, the more dedicated you seem, right? I'm sure Boris understands that.

Then there are the troops left in Ceprini. Hmm, that new messenger of calamity seems quite disobedient. Well, let him have his way. Find an opportunity to release him and his mother. Doesn't he have ideals? Doesn't he refuse to submit?

Then go find the Orville and get the guards to give him a hint: once he escapes, he'll realize he has no place in Ciprini and his only way to survive is on that ship that's leaving.

Go tell them that the natural disaster is a fabrication, and then bribe a few thugs to cause trouble for that ship every day.

Make them tense, and then spread the news that 5,000 people are going to arrest their leader. Their future is uncertain, they are beset by internal and external troubles, and their morale is in turmoil. Tsk tsk tsk.

Then I'll have someone pass on a message saying that as the mayor, I don't want them to fight in the city, so I'll turn a blind eye and let them leave...

After they escaped, the remaining troops had no choice but to pursue them! The Grand Duke had given a direct order.

Lermontov didn't even consider what to do if the Orville escaped... After all, those two high-speed warships weren't just for show; the Sixth Army, despite its notorious reputation, still had some real skills.

If they really escaped... then these people are utterly incompetent, and they, not themselves, should be the ones explaining to the Grand Duke.

A mayor with real power like himself is sought after by both the emperor and the nobles. Because the royal family is weak, he has sided with the nobles, but that doesn't mean he is a lackey of the nobles like Boris.

Even if something goes wrong, the Grand Duke wouldn't really make things difficult for him.