Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Ah," Raymond was stunned when he heard his question, and said incredulously, "You don't know?"

“What should I know?” Igor countered.

"You don't know why you refused the mayor's request?" Raymond asked incredulously. "Why do you think the mayor would let you release false information about a natural disaster?"

“This… I’m not sure, is it business competition?” Igor hesitated for a moment. “But in any case, I can’t violate the rules of the Cataclysmic Messenger…”

His voice grew softer and softer because he had already broken his promise.

For my mother.

“Well, my dim-witted genius,” Lemon shook his head, his face full of disbelief, “you actually… oh well, never mind.”

"So, what kind of ship is it?" Igor, not wanting to miss this opportunity, pressed on.

“Well,” Lemon thought for a moment, “Fine, I’ll mercifully tell you for the sake of those notes and textbooks.”

"You know about the infected people who are causing more and more trouble in the east, right? They're the guerrillas."

“I know,” Igor hesitated for a moment after hearing the word “infected” before asking, “Is it related to them?”

“This is a huge deal,” Raymond slapped his thigh. “Those infected are annoying, and there are legendary warriors like the guerrillas and patriots leading them. Originally, the bigwigs of the Empire planned to scorched earth and let them all starve to death on the snowfields in one winter.”

Hearing this, Igor frowned. He knew all this, of course, and although he disapproved, what could he do?

"But the Kazimierz in the west have gone mad for some reason. They actually sent a large merchant ship under the guise of trade, full of food and supplies, to deliver to those infected people!"

"You should also know the Emperor's sympathetic attitude towards the infected. He even gave them a trade permit, and it's a long-term one. That means there will be a steady stream of supplies sent over after this trip."

“How could those big men up there stand for that?” Lemon shook his head.

"So, that fake natural disaster was meant to stop them from advancing?" Igor's feelings were very complicated upon hearing this.

"No, my dear top student, how can you be so naive?"

Upon hearing this, Lemon laughed out loud, "It's not that simple. Why should those Kazimir guys interfere in our Ursus affairs?"

"For those big shots, this is like slapping them in the face; how could they possibly tolerate it?"

At this point, he looked at Igor meaningfully, "The so-called natural disaster is, of course, just a reason for that merchant ship to disappear."

359 How could anyone be so stupid?

"The reason for...disappearance?"

Igor was momentarily bewildered.

No, it's less about being bewildered and more about... disbelief.

"Why do you think the Sixth Army would be stationed here? And with 20,000 troops at that?"

Raymond scoffed, looking at his weak appearance. "Fight bandits? What kind of bandits need 20,000 regular troops with two high-speed warships to fight them?"

"If you ask me, although that Kazimierz ship is very big, it is still a merchant ship. We don't need such a big fuss to take it down. The reason there are so many people is entirely for... well, oh right, to make an example of them."

"I really don't understand what those Kazimir people are after, coming to the snowfield to die."

Faced with Lemon's smug look, Igor opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

He... probably... maybe, knows why.

As someone born in the snowy plains, he knew all too well the dangers of this land; as an Ursus native, he understood the persecution the infected suffered in this country.

Ciprini is an industrial city, and Lemon, who was born there, has definitely seen all kinds of ships. He would say that they are big, not just ordinary transport ships.

He couldn't believe that someone capable of gathering such a large number of ships and supplies from Kazimierz would be unaware of the dangers of the snowfields and the perils of the journey.

But those people still came.

They traveled thousands of miles carrying food and supplies for the hungry infected people in the snowy plains.

Igor couldn't judge this behavior... He... He...

What kind of spirit is this? What drives them to do this?

And their own country... not only drove those infected people to their deaths on the snowy plains, but also... also ruthlessly killed those who were willing to lend a helping hand.

Ursus... Ursus...

Thinking back to this, I recalled the news of the natural disaster that I had released under the mayor's threat of my mother...

Igor lowered his head in despair and covered his face with trembling hands.

So that's how it is... So that's how it is... In order to give those people a reason for disappearing, they tried every means to threaten me into releasing the news of the natural disaster.

Am I... also an accomplice to this atrocity?

Am I... also stained with their blood?

I...I...can't let this happen...Yes, there's still time, I can still...

He looked up and saw his mother in his courtyard.

I……

Mother……

I……

I can’t do anything…

"What's wrong? You look like the sky has fallen," Lemon said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Could it be that there really is someone you know on that ship?"

“No…no,” Igor answered instinctively.

“Then why are you in such a hurry?” Lemon shrugged. “That’s why I don’t understand you guys.”

"..."

"Aren't they...aren't they afraid of being held accountable by the Emperor and Kazimir?" After a moment of silence, Igor asked as if he had given up on himself.

"After all, it's a ship from Kazimir, and it carries His Majesty the Emperor's orders..."

"Pfft," upon hearing this, Lemon burst out laughing. "No, you're serious, you brilliant student?"

"The ships of Kazimir? Does Ursus need to give them face? The face given for disappearing into the Scourge is for our dear Emperor. As for the Kazimir people?"

"Ha, believe it or not."

"Do they dare to attack and demand an explanation?" With that, Lemon raised his head high, as if Ursus were an invincible empire.

But... Ursus has fought so many wars over the years, and apart from one war to divide Gaul, how many have they won?

They lost to Casimir, they lost to Letania, and even their fight against the Eastern Kingdom turned out so badly...

Igor was in great pain.

He knew that within Ursus, people like Lemon were the majority.

Or perhaps, as an Ursus, he already knew the answer to his question, but simply needed a reason to comfort himself.

But with just a few casual words, Raymond shattered all his hopes.

"..."

After a long silence, Igor finally looked up at Lemon.

"This... this should be highly confidential information, is it alright for you to tell me this like this?"

“Secret?” Upon hearing this, Lemon scoffed. “You’re overthinking it. What you call a secret is only for ordinary people. For us, those of us deeply involved, it’s nothing secret.”

"Besides, everything is almost over, it doesn't matter if you know," he waved his hand dismissively, "Do you know why I was so indifferent to you the past few days, but I'm saying so much today?"

Raymond stepped forward and patted Igor on the shoulder. "You are free now."

“We’re leaving tonight,” he said casually, “so it doesn’t matter what.”

"Tonight?" Igor looked up sharply at this. "But the natural disaster I predicted is..."

“Three days later, right?” Lemon laughed. “We should have kept a closer eye on you for a few more days, but who knew that the captain of that ship would go and die?”

"Perhaps he knew he couldn't escape, so yesterday he ran off to the snowy plains alone. This morning, five thousand men from the Sixth Army were ordered to leave the city to suppress the bandits."

"Ha, how far can a Kazimierz man run in the snowy winter fields?"

"So you don't need to suffer here anymore, the fate of that ship is already sealed."

"Out of the city? How is that possible..." Hearing this, Igor stared blankly out the window, "Why...why..."

"Who knows? Maybe they knew they were doomed if they stayed here, so they abandoned everyone and ran away alone."

Raymond shrugged. "God knows what's going on in those Casimirs' brains."

“Is it possible that he wanted to lure more people away to relieve some pressure on the ship?” Igor took a deep breath. “After all, if he brings a ship full of supplies here at this time, the important people on board will definitely be very interested in his head.”

"Didn't you say it yourself? Five thousand people went after him."

"That means that the ship will only have 15,000 people left to face."

“That’s true,” Raymond nodded upon hearing this. “It’s exactly what someone who would travel thousands of miles from Kazimierz with supplies would do at a time like this.”

"Highly educated people have such sharp minds."

Upon hearing this, Igor simply looked out the window without offering any reply.

Suddenly, he remembered that it was always that ship, that ship, but he didn't know its name.