Arknights' Lock of Heaven

As the sky gradually closed, the energy also gradually dissipated, eventually leaving only a faintly glowing wall that seemed to stretch across the sky.

“Perfect,” Xia Yu nodded upon seeing this, and then withdrew her spell.

The energy that permeates the entire ecological park is his technique, meant to provide a safety net in case anything goes wrong, but it seems it won't be needed now.

This is not a necessary step in the [Simulated Gaia - Spiritual Particle Environment Modification System], but merely a backup plan he had in case of emergency.

"The first phase of the ecological park project has been successfully launched," he said with a smile into the microphone in front of him. "Congratulations, fellow infected people!"

"We can finally truly conquer this land beneath our feet."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Tsk, what bad luck," Corporal Joseph complained as he threw down his hand of bad cards at a frontline outpost on the snowfield defense line. "When will this shitty life on the snowfield ever end?"

"Hey, if you're having bad luck, don't blame fate or the world," a comrade joked. "Blame your own hands that deal the cards."

Yes, he dealt all the cards himself, but he ended up with a bunch of bad cards... Joseph was speechless.

"Never mind, I'll go out for some fresh air." The small outpost was filled with the smells of smoke, sweat, and all sorts of other odors. He decided to go out and breathe some fresh air, and hopefully get rid of his bad luck.

After all, today is a rare good day, maybe it will bring me good luck.

Ignoring the teasing of his comrades behind him, he put on his coat and walked out. Joseph remembered that it seemed like it was that new recruit on duty today.

According to the rules, it was impossible for him to stand guard alone, but who cares about the rules? In this awful weather, even if the infected people didn't starve to death, they wouldn't have the strength to climb up the defense line a hundred kilometers away and attack them.

"Hey, recruit, what are you looking at so intently?" He had just arrived at the observation point when he saw the usually timid recruit staring blankly at the outside of the outpost.

"Sir...no, I don't know..."

"What the heck?" Seeing his impatient expression as he struggled to get anything out of his mouth, Joseph shoved him aside. "Come on, let me see what's got you so engrossed..."

"what is that……"

He turned his gaze northward.

Thanks to the rare good weather on the snowy plains, the excellent visibility allowed him to see clearly what was happening in the distance.

A white curtain wall rises from the ground in the distance, soaring straight into the sky.

"Sir...is that a natural disaster?" the recruit asked timidly. "Should we run?"

Normally, if he said he was going to run, Joseph would definitely have given him a deep memory, but now, he doesn't know.

“Run… natural disaster… no, that’s not right,” in the end, he still managed to retain some rationality.

"Report this to your superiors!!!"

Thanks to this rare good weather, the so-called defense line, stretching for hundreds of kilometers, witnessed the formation of that towering curtain wall.

The communications at the Ursus front command post were overwhelmed; everyone was reporting the situation and asking whether they should retreat.

According to the simple beliefs of the Terrans, anything that can influence celestial phenomena is generally considered a natural disaster.

Legend has it that the Great Music of Letania, passed down for thousands of years, can influence the entire Trilintelme when played, but such a technique is not something that comes easily.

At least on the snowy plains, they didn't know anyone who could use such a national-level technique.

Then it must be a natural disaster.

Well, the fact that they haven't collapsed yet is a testament to their strict military discipline.

The report was delivered all the way to the Duke's desk.

"So...they weren't bluffing?"

"Anything capable of producing a celestial phenomenon of this magnitude must be extraordinary!"

"Investigate! Investigate everything! Have the Blood Pact assassins investigate!"

467 Who is that person?!

Speaker Witt was not at peace.

After following Frostnova through the faint white curtain with several guards, he squatted down on the spot without regard for his image.

He reached out and grabbed a handful of snow.

Ah, he could feel it; the snow was melting.

It is melting at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Froststar, who was ahead of her, had already taken off her heavy coat, revealing her light summer clothes underneath.

Because of her ulterior motives, she didn't remind the Imperial Speaker to pay attention to the temperature, so the Speaker and his guards, who were wrapped up from head to toe, started sweating profusely within minutes.

“The temperature here reminds me of the yellow sands of Sargon,” the captain of the guard, who had been silent until now, suddenly said. “It’s scorching and uncomfortable.”

“It’s just that the Ursus people can’t adapt to it,” Frostnova said, turning back. “Actually, the temperature is a bit high. It will adjust down once the snow melts.”

"Also, do you need to go back to the Orville and change into something suitable? Actually, I suggest you wait a couple of days before coming over, since the eco-park will be very muddy after the snow melts."

In fact, Frostnova doesn't like Speaker Witt running around everywhere; now his safety depends entirely on the Infected for protection.

It's better to be safe than sorry; if something goes wrong, the rest of the plan will be subject to all sorts of risks.

This man is far too important to Ursus.

"Then, will I have the honor of meeting that Rhodes Island advisor on the Orville?" Speaker Witt asked in return.

“I can’t guarantee that,” Frostnova shrugged. “The advisor is… too free-spirited. You should know that he never cares about power. He only does what he wants.”

“…I understand,” Speaker Witt sighed upon hearing this.

He stood up, threw down the snow in his hand, and turned to look at the desolate snowfield.

Countless infected people poured in from the base in the east. They cautiously approached the seemingly illusory white wall, and after being given permission, they happily flooded into this still barren land.

The summer temperatures from Sargon surprised every Ursus resident; 99% of these infected had never left Ursus, let alone the distant Sargon.

They had never felt such intense heat emanating from the nature around them.

Wave after wave of infected people poured into the sky; they were amazed, they were ecstatic, they prayed…

Just as Rhodes Island promised, they finally gained a foothold in this desolate snowfield.

Even though it is so small now.

“It seems I’ve been looking at the world from the bottom of a well,” Speaker Witt sighed upon seeing this.

But the smile on his face wasn't the formulaic smile used in various social situations, but a genuine, heartfelt joy.

The incredible technology that Rhodes Island claimed to possess... is actually real.

That means that Ursus, where various conflicts are about to erupt, has a new option.

Just as the late emperor united Ursus through the Four Emperors War, he can also find a new opportunity for Ursus to alleviate the escalating internal conflicts.

Cooperation with Rhodes Island is of utmost urgency. Once this product is placed on Ursus's table, supporters will naturally gather spontaneously.

But first, they had to get past the hundreds of thousands of troops on the border.

The nobles were already in a bind. They had staked everything on this plan, and it was impossible for them to obediently follow orders and share the spoils while holding a large army.

Rhodes Island's promise is real, and this has both advantages and disadvantages.

The benefits have already been mentioned above.

As for the downsides... the dukes will become even more frenzied once they learn the news.

The Everlasting Flower was enough to motivate them, but this technology, capable of turning the entire Ursus upside down... would drive them completely mad.

Speaker Witt is an Ursus, and no one knows those nobles better than him. They won't stop because of threats. Once those hungry wolves see such a delicacy... they will definitely do anything to snatch it.

He could imagine that perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps the day after, the hundreds of thousands of troops on the border would be mobilized.

The dukes' blood oath-bound assassins would certainly not let this astonishing news slip by.

“Miss Frostnova, I must meet with your advisor as soon as possible,” Speaker Vitt said earnestly to Frostnova. “Ursus is willing to give anything for this technology.”

"Including the hundreds of thousands of troops on the snowfield defense line...we also have a way to deal with them!"

The conflicts of interest among the Ursus nobles are deeply intertwined. If the royal family and the parliament exert their full efforts, coupled with the allure of this technology, it is not impossible to persuade a portion of the troops to defect.

Their previous plan was to wait for a surprise attack that the dukes were unaware of—the advisor to Rhodes Island, the butcher of the Bloody Night—and wait for him to launch an assassination attempt, at which point those nobles would surely suffer heavy losses.

As for the infected's base... well, we can't worry about that now.

He even staked himself on the gambling table to entice those greedy nobles to place bets.

But now everything has changed. The technology Rhodes Island promised is real. This technology will allow Ursus to thrive for a century without expanding outwards. The vast snowfields can become fertile land, and Ursus has never lacked such barren land.

The most important objective then shifted from killing enemy high command to doing everything in their power to protect Rhodes Island's experimental base, and incidentally, to protect the infected people they cared about.

“I’m sorry, I will report your request to the advisor, but I can’t guarantee what he will do,” Frostnova said, shrugging. “After all, he’s far too free.”

Here we go again, with the same explanation.

Speaker Witt sighed. "Then, may I arrange a meeting with Mr. Patriot?"

“Oh, that’s no problem,” Frostnova replied with a smile. “I can take you there right now.”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"How could this be... how could this be..."