Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Your Majesty, Speaker, I can stand by everything I have said,"

Evelina Gina, a spy specially trained by the Ursus royal family, said seriously, "I guarantee that everything I saw with my own eyes."

"It wasn't just me; the miracle brought about by that everlasting crystal flower was witnessed by tens of thousands of people in the guerrilla base. That infected person named Martha was already beyond saving, but..."

In a trembling voice, she said, "That crystal flower gave her a new lease on life in front of tens of thousands of infected people."

“All of this is undeniable. Everyone knows about their story, and Martha’s illness is absolutely real.”

“But… such a treasure…” The Emperor and Speaker Witte exchanged bewildered glances. “Why have we never heard of it before?”

"Avalon...the land of fairies? Victoria seems to have this legend, but the wizard Merlin...Queen Vivian...and even that priceless everlasting flower..."

“Your Majesty, I have never seen any record of the latter,” Speaker Witt said, frowning. “Avalon… or the land of fairies, does indeed have legends in Victoria, but…”

"Including the Everlasting Flower, why has the wizard Merlin never seen any record of such a treasure?"

“But Speaker, a miracle has indeed happened, right in front of the tens of thousands of infected at the base,” Everina Gina reminded her. “There’s no faking it.”

Yes, it did happen.

The emperor and the speaker exchanged another glance and both sighed.

Just as they were about to say something, there was a knock on the door from Evelina Gina's side.

"Hey Gina, this is amazing news!"

Someone outside shouted, "Come out quickly, we need to register! Hey, why are you locking the door in broad daylight?"

Upon hearing this, Everina Gina instantly pulled the blanket from the bed over the small communicator, then wrapped it around herself. Using her Originium Arts, her face flushed red, and her body temperature slowly rose.

She feigned weakness, wrapped herself in the blanket, and walked towards the door. "Emily, I'm sorry... cough cough, I might..."

"Oh, what happened to you?" Emily was startled to see her friend from the base looking like this after opening the door. She quickly went inside and closed the door tightly. "Did you catch a cold? No wonder you locked the door. You can't be exposed to the cold wind."

“Um,” Everina Gina asked weakly, “what happened?”

"You don't know yet, do you? The guerrillas announced that Rhodes Island is going to build some kind of ecological park next to their base, which is supposed to allow us to grow lots and lots of food on the snowfields."

"And that everlasting flower that was left behind... will be awarded to the person who made the greatest contribution after the project is completed. Everyone's rushing to sign up!"

“This…” Upon hearing this, Evelyna Gina also became flustered. “A reward… but how could it be our turn?”

“Yeah,” Emily nodded excitedly. “Although I know it’s probably not going to be our turn, Rhodes Island is giving out free inhibitors to those who sign up. They’re the legendary inhibitors made from the Everlasting Flower.”

"That'll definitely work, right?"

Upon hearing this, Evelyna Gina knew that Emily hadn't understood what she meant. What she meant by "how could the reward be ours?" was that such a priceless treasure could not possibly be given away so easily.

But upon hearing that inhibitors were being distributed...

“Sigh, I was thinking of asking you to sign up with me,” Emily glanced at the weak Everina Gina, reached out and touched her forehead, then hesitated for two seconds, “Let’s go see a doctor first.”

"Anyway, the registration process takes a long time."

“No…no need, I just need to rest,” Everina Gina forced a smile. “The doctors…are probably very busy right now. Rhodes Island brought so many medicines, I can handle this little cold on my own.”

"Let's not cause them any more trouble, Emily. You should sign up yourself."

“But…” Seeing her friend’s weak state, Emily still wanted to stay and take care of her.

Gazing into Emily's concerned eyes, Evelyna Gina felt a warmth in her heart. As a spy, to have a friend who cared so much about her...

"Alright, you go ahead," she said with a smile. "After I recover, I'll need you to take care of me at the construction site."

"Okay, then you should get some rest," Emily said, no longer insisting. "If you really can't get better, go see a doctor."

"Alright, alright, stop nagging like an old woman. You're only seventeen," Everina Gina smiled helplessly and pushed her out. "Go on."

Seeing this, Emily stopped worrying and turned to leave, saying as she went, "Get some rest. I'll take care of you when I become a squad leader."

Watching her friend's departing figure, she sighed and then closed the door.

“Your Majesty…” she took out her communicator.

“We all heard it, what a grand gesture,” the Emperor and the Speaker exchanged a glance on the other end of the communicator.

Will Patriots keep their promises...? That's for sure.

He's a patriot, after all; there's no way he'd fabricate anything.

But... the thought of giving such a treasure to an infected person was disheartening.

It's no exaggeration to say that if someone were willing to trade, the emperor could offer a medium-sized mobile city in exchange for such a treasure.

If my father had possessed such a treasure back then... Ursus wouldn't be in this situation today.

Moreover, the relationship between the nobility and the royal family is becoming increasingly hostile, with constant friction. How can he know if he will follow in his father's footsteps in the future... As long as he has such a treasure, it is equivalent to a second life.

No ruler on this land would remain unmoved by this.

"Evelina Gina, could you... win in the competition..." The emperor suddenly had a whimsical idea.

"Your Majesty... I'm just a spy..." Everina Gina was mortified. I'm just a spy! Is this something a spy could do?

Moreover, the royal spies are different from the spies of the nobles. Her goal is not to sabotage anything, but to watch everything that happens here as the emperor's eyes and ears. Therefore, she did not seek a high position, but instead infiltrated the base as an ordinary member among the 200,000 infected.

Now, suddenly asking her to do something so conspicuous... I'm afraid she won't be exposed.

Even Speaker Witt, who was standing to the side, looked at him speechlessly.

“Your Majesty, I believe there is something very fishy about this,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?”

"According to Everina Gina's previous reports, rumors about Patriots' Oripathy being cured have been circulating, but the sudden surge in the days leading up to Rhodes Island's arrival is very unusual."

“Yes, I’ve noticed that too,” Everina Gina reported upon hearing this. “I’ve also anonymously reported it to the guerrillas, but haven’t received any response.”

“The Patriots’ shield guards shouldn’t be that slow,” Speaker Witt shook his head. “To allow something like that to happen after receiving intelligence, there’s only one possibility.”

"This is a pre-arranged play. Those rumors were either spread by spies on the noble side and used by them, or they were simply released by themselves."

"Then reveal the truth in front of everyone, let all the infected people know that the miracle is not replicable, and leave a glimmer of hope."

"Now they're releasing this kind of news... I think it's a gesture to the outside world."

Speaker Witt said solemnly, "Your Majesty, we are all aware of Rhodes Island's plans. Lady Kal'tsit... she has been dedicated to quelling conflicts in various places."

"Perhaps this is an experiment, a test of us, and a test of the nobility."

"It's an olive branch extended to the outside world."

"They said that the one who makes the greatest contribution will receive the Everlasting Flower, but how can an individual's ability compare to that of a collective? Only a powerful force like ours can compete for it."

"From us to the various nobles of Ursus, we need not say more; if possible, we will never give up any hope of obtaining it."

"As for the nobles... based on Lady Kal'tsit's style of doing things, she is giving them an opportunity and trying to win them over. If they obediently choose to cooperate, they will gain the right to compete and will also be able to get a share of the so-called Eden Project in the future."

"If they choose to resort to force... then that everlasting flower is the sweetest trap. Don't forget, they have no shortage of force."

"The army is indeed powerful, but it cannot withstand the assassination of such a powerful individual. Judging from the situation in Kazimir, that person's ability to attack is unparalleled. To dismantle an army, all that is needed is to kill the military commander."

“There is more than one army stationed on the defensive line. If their commanders are assassinated one after another, how can those factions with different interests coexist peacefully, let alone launch a joint attack?”

"And the nobles who are unaware of that person's existence will certainly not be prepared for this."

"Incidentally, we can use this fighting power to deter the nobles."

“My conjecture integrates all the intelligence we have gathered before, as well as Ms. Kal'tsit’s style of doing things, and I believe this is their true intention.”

The main reason is that they are influenced by Kal'tsit's past behavior. They do not think that Rhodes Island will cause a bigger storm. This is the influence of preconceived notions.

"So, what should we do?" the emperor asked, nodding in agreement.

"Let Gina go into that Eden Project first, see what they're lacking, and then we'll provide support."

"But if that's the case..." The emperor still hesitated. This was certainly a safer option, but what if the withered flower fell into someone else's hands...?

“Your Majesty, don’t forget, Rhodes Island claims their inhibitors are made from the everlasting flower,” Speaker Witt said with a smile. “And we happen to have Ms. Kal’tsit’s contact number, don’t we?”

453 The Dukes' Reactions

"Are we... just going to report it like this?"

In contrast to the celebrations of the infected outside, the atmosphere among the spy leaders was somber.

The infected outside were celebrating the arrival of their allies, celebrating having enough food supplies to survive the winter, and celebrating the discovery of a cure for their Oripathy.

And the spies... they suffered a huge defeat, who could be happy about that?

Even their unknown colleague Gina could quickly report to the Emperor and the Speaker, but they could not.

Because their plan completely failed.

“I think we’re being made a fool of by the guerrillas,” David said grimly. “Petal, shouldn’t you give us an explanation?”

"An explanation? What explanation do you need?" Petal glanced at him after being called on, and said slowly, "Heh, is it all my fault?"

The people around remained unmoved.

"Didn't you guys realize it?" David couldn't hold back any longer and started criticizing, "The guerrillas have made it so obvious. It's clear they've noticed our movements and are using us against us."

"Look at this, what happened this morning was like a carefully orchestrated stage play. Ordinary infected people might not be able to tell, but can't those of us involved see it?"

“You think you’re so smart, huh?” Elena chuckled upon hearing this. “The most important thing now is…”

"Don't speak!" David interrupted her as soon as she opened her mouth. "You're the one most deeply involved. You might be exposed at any time."