Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Your Excellency, Miss Froststar just told us that... what Gaia is, that it can influence the climate of the snowfields?" the mayor asked boldly.

“Oh, of course, otherwise why would we come to the snowfield?” Xia Yu said matter-of-factly. “There are not many countries on the mainland with such extreme climates, the Sami region is xenophobic, and there are also Colombian companies involved.”

"And there just happens to be a group of infected people in Ursus who have nothing to eat or wear, isn't that a coincidence?"

“But Your Excellency, I still find it hard to believe,” Ms. Kaine couldn’t help but say. “After all, this kind of thing… sounds too fantastical.”

"You think I brought you here so you would believe these things?" Xia Yu retorted. "So you would convince the people behind this?"

"No, no, no, this is just to prepare you and the people behind you mentally."

“Once we reach the Patriots, we will begin construction of Project Eden as soon as possible,” Xia Yu said calmly. “It won’t be long before the entire Ursus will witness the birth of this miracle.”

"But at this point, those behind you should carefully consider whether this technology that can change the entire Ursus is truly fake."

"Should the hundreds of thousands of troops on the snowfield still be stationed there? Should we launch an attack and then face the infected's desperate struggle, in which Ursus will gain nothing? Or should we acknowledge the status of the infected, stop persecuting them, and achieve mutual benefit for everyone?"

"You can go back and think about it carefully."

"As for the Lich King's Court," Xia Yu frowned, "tsk, where did you get this information? I suggest you thoroughly investigate your intelligence network. It's true that there are Sarkaz on the Orville, but there are only eight hundred mercenaries. Where did this Lich King's Court come from?"

“You can even go back and bring two hundred men to search the ship all night, as long as they don’t bring weapons. If we find even one lich on the ship, we’ll consider it a loss.”

"We, the Orville, have just told you our position: we hope that Ursus and the infected can coexist peacefully, avoid unnecessary conflicts, and transform this barren snowfield into a paradise on earth."

"Therefore, I am willing to explain this misunderstanding to everyone. There are no liches on the Orville. The Sixth Army's actions were merely a desperate counterattack on our part."

"If they do it once, they will do it again. If they insist on not listening, the same thing that happened to the Sixth Army Group may very well happen again."

"Even if your army eventually conquers the snowfield, you will completely lose this technology that could change the entire Ursus."

"Go back and tell the people behind you, sword or plow, the choice is yours."

"That's all for now. Are you going to send someone up to search us?"

“No, no, no, since you’ve said so, of course we believe you,” the two men shook their heads frantically upon hearing this.

"Well then, it's getting late, so I won't keep you two any longer. Froststar, see them out!"

Upon hearing this, Frostnova extended her hand, gesturing for the two to follow her away.

The two hesitated, then could only follow Froststar away.

As soon as they saw their figures disappear into the ecological cabin, the researchers who seemed to be busy with their research immediately put down what they were doing and gathered around.

“Captain, if you ask me, we should just find some biologists,” one researcher complained bitterly. “I’m a physicist, and I don’t know where to begin with this bunch of coconut trees!”

"I even learned how to eat a coconut in the last couple of days."

"Although pineapples are delicious, I study high-energy fossil science, so getting my hands on this is a bit..."

"And then there's this 'researching mangoes' course in Cataclysmics... How am I supposed to know what varieties or temperatures they're in? So all I can do is keep carrying my terminal around, stopping every now and then to write and draw on it, pretending I'm doing research..."

"Alright, alright, it's not like we're asking you to actually do the research," Xia Yu rolled her eyes at them. "It's just for show, isn't it? We're looking for the air of scholars, to make it look like a legitimate research project to fool people, not for you to actually do the actual work!"

"But what if we get caught?" one researcher said worriedly. "This isn't just our problem. What if they see through our deception, aren't fooled, and send troops to attack the infected in the snowfield?"

"You said we need to use that technology to make them hesitate, but first we have to make them believe in its existence. What if we're exposed..."

“That’s impossible!” Xia Yu explained, “A businessman and a politician, what can they possibly see through?”

"Don't worry, with me here, everything will be fine!"

“Alright,” everyone looked at each other after hearing this. “We still believe in the captain’s abilities, but… sigh, the thought of tens of thousands of people dying if something goes wrong here is incredibly stressful.”

"Don't worry, you won't have insomnia," Xia Yu comforted her. "I've already had tea prepared, so I guarantee you'll get a good night's sleep."

Upon hearing this, everyone around rolled their eyes in unison.

Tea? I think it's more like sleeping pills!

To be fair, this thing is actually quite useful.

“By the way, Captain,” a researcher casually picked a mango, “where did you get these fruit trees? There wasn’t anything here before.”

"Didn't I say I have connections all over the world?" Xia Yu smiled and said, "For a mere fruit tree, I can just find some friends."

"You are truly incredibly resourceful."

"Alright, alright, we can call it a day now. Everyone go home and rest."

At his urging, everyone left.

Xia Yu wasn't lying to them; he truly did have connections all over the world.

After learning of the Orville's 'predicament,' a Mr. Karna, who wished to remain anonymous, traveled a great distance to Sargon and, after many hardships, managed to bring the fruit trees back.

As for some minor incidents, well, they're not worth mentioning.

Hmm? You're asking what exactly happened?

It's nothing much. It's just that winter was approaching, and even in Sargon, there weren't many fruit trees ready to bear fruit. Fortunately, Lion Scorpion was knowledgeable and knew how extravagant the powerful kings and Pashas of Sargon were. The orchards they built relied on magic arrays to produce various tropical crops that bore fruit all year round to support their luxurious and decadent lives.

In Ursus, such a magic array consumes a great deal of energy, but it's different in Sargon; they don't need as much energy to regulate the temperature.

So the anonymous Mr. Karna set his sights on a wealthy Pasha, wanting to make a deal with him.

But Mr. Karna is good at making deals, while Pasha might not be so.

When Karna arrived there, he happened to be there when the Pasha's tax collectors were collecting taxes. To put it simply, it was an eye-opening experience.

It was truly eye-opening.

The announcement stated that the benevolent Pasha only collected 30% of the taxes, but in reality, countless people had no choice but to sell their children or even their entire families into slavery.

Why? Isn't it only 30% tax?

Yes, the tax on goods is only 30%, but there are all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies that are truly eye-opening.

Leaving aside taxes on raising chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, sheep, and cattle, there were taxes for marriage, taxes for having children, and taxes even for not having children. In addition, you had to pay taxes to the Pasha, the lord, and officials would deduct from your taxes at every level...

After layers of exploitation, countless people were forced to sell their children.

Of course, this wasn't the case throughout Sargon. It was just that this Pasha had colluded with the Colombians, who needed land to set up factories. The Pasha, unwilling to part with his own land, used this method to bankrupt ordinary people, so that he could legitimately reclaim their land under the guise of tax arrears.

Then they sell these lands to Colombians.

So the final result was that Pasha and the corrupt officials who had been lining their own pockets were punished by the heavens. At the celebratory banquet for signing the contract, all the dignitaries present were suddenly sent to their deaths.

Oh, Sargon isn't under the jurisdiction of Yama, so he must have gone to meet the god of the underworld.

The end result was that these lush fruit trees appeared on the Orville.

And, unnoticed, a small sect appeared in Sargon.

422 A chilling thought

“Ms. Kayne, do you believe what they say…”

It wasn't until they left the Orwell that the mayor of Prostov recovered from his shock.

"What they said... what they said..."

The shock of that news was so intense that he couldn't find the words to describe his feelings.

Is it mocking their overestimation of their abilities? Their wild fantasies? Their utter absurdity?

Or is it……

“What we think is not important,” Ms. Kayne said, coming to her senses. “What matters is what the big shots think.”

"Our only task is to tell them everything we saw and heard on that ship, and I advise you to do just that."

"Don't overthink it. You're just the mayor of a peripheral city, just like I'm just a businessman. Our ideas can't change anything."

“…Of course I know that,” the mayor sighed. “My question is, do you believe their story?”

"There were no important figures on that ship as we had imagined. The Sixth Army only encountered advanced technology... I wonder if the Dukes will be satisfied with this answer."

"..." Ms. Kaine did not answer. She had a feeling on the ship that something corresponded to the information she knew.

But her tense thoughts left her no time to think carefully. Before coming here, His Majesty the Emperor and Speaker Witt had warned her that she must not offend a person named Xia Yu, who was also the captain of the Orville.

Such a serious warning made her previously believe that the person was the legendary ruler of the Sarkaz royal court.

But he's not a Sarkaz, and I always felt there was something... about him.

Just as Ms. Kaine was lost in thought, the mayor beside her suddenly said, "Sigh, I don't know how to report this to the dukes. Do you think they'll believe such an absurd conclusion?"

"And that captain, I always felt that he didn't really like us, especially the businessmen."

"What was he saying again?"

"With a 20% profit, merchants become active; with a 50% profit, merchants take risks; for a 100% profit, merchants dare to trample on all human laws; with a 300% profit, merchants dare to commit any crime, even risking being hanged."

"I don't know why, but he seems to be hostile towards businessmen, even though Kazimir is such a developed commercial region. It's just... how should I put it..."

These words struck Ms. Kayle like a bolt from the blue, instantly connecting several pieces of information.

From Kazimierz... full of hostility towards merchants... and those words...

The group also has operations in Kasimir, but just a few months ago, an incident in Kasimir brought those operations to a standstill.

As for the reason, according to the official announcement from Kazimir, it was the Black Gloves Unarmored Alliance, a group under the Business Federation, one of the two major powers of the Kazimir government, that caused trouble during the finals of the Kazimir national tournament, the Knights Arena.

They overthrew the board of directors of the Unarmored Alliance and some nobles close to them, and hanged them in the streets of the Great Knight Territory in the most ruthless way, which opened the eyes of audiences from all over the world.