Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“My dear aunt, what’s the rush?” Fariyad’s old face scrunched up at this, “I’m worried about the at least ten thousand regular troops outside! I’m worried about those two high-speed warships!”

"Any normal person could tell they're up to no good. Grandma, just tell me the truth: who exactly did our employer offend to warrant such a large-scale operation?"

"Are you scared?" W looked up with a smile. "When you took the job, weren't you very confident looking at these eight hundred people? You even said you could walk sideways across the snowfield..."

"That was because I was ignorant and arrogant!" Fariad almost jumped up. "It's all my fault, but the most important thing right now is that the brothers are very uneasy!"

“Yeah, W,” he said, and several mercenary leaders around him chimed in, “You’re a mercenary too, we’re on the same side. Aren’t you afraid of what’s going on outside?”

"What exactly did that employer give you that made you so devoted to him?"

"Yeah, W, to be honest, I hardly recognize you anymore."

W watched them chatter away quietly until they finished, then listlessly continued trimming her nails.

Seeing this, Fariad felt increasingly weary.

Initially, he looked down on W and even planned to cause her some trouble when she took over the mercenaries.

But all his little schemes were thwarted by the two women following behind W.

I have witnessed their terror firsthand, and the employer who has such subordinates must be no ordinary person.

Just look at this ship and you'll know; such a large cargo ship is not something that people with limited resources can afford.

He originally thought that the mysterious employer should be a high-ranking nobleman from Ursus, since only someone with such power could afford to operate such a giant ship in the snowfield.

But it was later discovered that all the documents they had passed through were signed by the Emperor of Ursus.

Then he assumed that the ship served the emperor of Ursus.

Then, the Orville was stuck in Chepliny.

At first it wasn't obvious, but after those two menacing Ursus active-duty warships and their accompanying troops were brought over in the last two days, everyone felt something was wrong.

Are the Ursus people really that wild? They even dare to plot against their own emperor's ship? Fariad was completely baffled.

Later, some mercenary captains who were also uneasy approached him, hoping to find out some inside information.

As for why he was sought out, it was because when W arrived at the camp, his sliding kneeling motion was so smooth that he felt W must know something.

But he really didn't know. The only thing he knew was those two evil stars... But could he just say that out loud?

They didn't even remember you, so why are you telling them? Aren't you just asking for trouble?

So he also had his own unspeakable suffering.

“I explained this to you the day before yesterday,” W said slowly after their voices had gradually subsided. “Don’t worry, the higher-ups have their own solutions. You just need to keep to your posts.”

Hearing this, the mercenaries looked at each other, and finally all focused their attention on Fariad.

The latter sighed helplessly.

Then, forcing himself to speak, he said to W, "W, let me be frank. Someone told us that the captain of this ship, our employer, has abandoned us and the Orville, and fled alone."

"What we want to know is whether this is true."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding mercenaries also turned their attention to W.

"Fake!" the latter retorted without hesitation. "That person will escape... Haha, that's the funniest joke I've heard all year."

"Then why can't we let him come out and meet us?" one of the mercenaries shouted.

“Want to see him? It’s simple,” W said with interest. “Hand over the person who sent you the message, and I’ll let you see our employer.”

“W, you know this is impossible,” Fariad sighed. “What kind of spell have they cast on you that makes you want to do this?”

"You should know that if the regular army from outside invades, you'll die too!"

What kind of mind-control potion is this...

Upon hearing this, W sighed.

I'd like to know too.

Why would someone believe that?

Is it because of that mysterious advisor, because of the enigmatic Kal'tsit, or because of the infamous evil spirit of the Tower of Babel?

Because people like them wouldn't be so unwise as to leave these precious resources, manpower, and the ship in danger of capsizing at any moment.

W himself didn't know either.

All she knew was that, apart from the mercenaries and low-ranking crew members in front of her, the people in charge here were not at all flustered by the two warships eyeing them from the outside.

So you can't panic.

She straightened her back, intending to continue making excuses, when a voice sounded from behind her.

"So you're the ones who want to see the captain?"

Hearing this, everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

A burly man clad in heavy armor stood silently watching them, holding a giant hammer.

Mudstone.

The second-in-command on this ship, at least on the surface, was rumored to have been a Sarkaz mercenary in the past, but it seems he doesn't do that much anymore.

"Does anyone have any requests?"

“We want to know what’s going on,” Fariad said, bracing himself for the worst, amidst the expectant gazes of the surrounding mercenaries. “Why are we trapped in Cheprini by two warships?”

“I understand your concerns,” a deep voice came from beneath the burly armor. “I was once a Sarkaz mercenary myself, and I know what you’re thinking.”

"So, I won't hide it from you anymore."

"You're slightly wrong. Those two warships didn't block us, although they were definitely heading our way."

"Can we find out who the employer has offended?" Fariad asked hurriedly. "Which high-ranking noble? And since we can get a document personally signed by the Emperor of Ursus, can we resolve this through political means?"

"Regarding this, I advise everyone not to have too high hopes. Let me explain why."

“First of all, we’ve offended not just one noble family, but all the noble families of Ursus,” Mudrock paused before continuing, “and then, our goal is to deliver supplies to the helpless infected in the snowfields, which is why we’ve offended them.”

Upon hearing this, a huge uproar immediately erupted in the mercenary group.

"All the great nobles of Ursus!?" Fariad jumped up upon hearing this, disregarding everything else. "Didn't you say you were just a merchant caravan?"

“Yes, we are a caravan,” Mudrock said with a smile. “We also have a document personally signed by the Emperor of Ursus as proof. What’s that saying again? We’re royal merchants.”

"The infected on the snowfield...aren't they supposed to be rebelling?" someone shouted. "How could the emperor possibly supply rebels?"

“You don’t need to understand politics,” Mud Rock said casually.

"It's over, it's all over now," someone heard this and collapsed to the ground, muttering, "We're doomed..."

But this was just one example; many more people began to have a fierce glint in their eyes and unconsciously adjusted their posture to make it easier to hold their weapons.

"I bet you're all thinking right now, would you be able to save your lives by taking this ship and handing it over to those nobles?"

W suddenly smiled and said, "Don't deny it. We're all mercenaries. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

"But I still have to say, have the Sarkaz mercenaries become this naive?" Mudrock continued, "They actually think those great nobles will let them go?"

"But at least it's a path, isn't it?" someone muttered in a sinister tone.

"A road? What road?" Mudrock chuckled. "A road to appease the Ursus Emperor by offering your heads?"

“What does this mean?” Fariad asked, taking a deep breath.

"Do you know why those armies just silently surrounded us without making a move?" Mudrock said calmly, "Because we are a caravan officially appointed by the Emperor of Ursus, the kind that is registered in Saint Jun's Fortress."

"If they attack us, tsk tsk tsk, that would be a big problem. The Duke's army attacked the Emperor's caravan, what are they trying to do? Rebellion?"

"No matter how much the emperor and the nobles may be at odds, they still have to maintain a semblance of civility."

“And if you actually do it,” W continued with a smile, “and then take this ship to those nobles to claim credit, guess what will happen?”

Upon hearing this, Fariad's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly, and he turned to look at the mercenaries in a corner.

"I believe you've already thought of it. You've helped those nobles resolve the last problem. They can happily cut off your heads and then announce to the world that the Orville was massacred because of the Sarkaz mercenaries' rebellion, but the loyal Ursus Sixth Army avenged them, killing all those greedy Sarkaz mercenaries and upholding His Majesty the Emperor's authority."

At this point, W looked at Fariad and said, "So I'm really curious who this person is who has given you so much information and incited you to cause trouble time and time again?"

"He told you that the troops outside are coming for us, he told you that our captain is not on board, he told you so much, didn't he tell you all that?"

W said meaningfully, "You know, giving incomplete information can be deadly."

371 Mercenaries

Upon hearing this, Fariad turned to look at the corner of the bridge, only to find that the person he was looking for had already been controlled by Yanke.

Then he turned to look at W, and just as he was about to say something, W spoke.

"killed."

She said it lightly.

"What?" Upon hearing this, Fariad was stunned.

“I don’t care who’s behind him, or why he did it,” W glanced sideways at Yan Ke, “I killed him.”

"Wait..." Fariad was about to say something when he heard a soft "pfft" behind him.

He turned around abruptly and saw Yan Ke pull the knife out of the mercenary's body, the latter still looking on incredulously.