Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“No… I’ve already got the intelligence,” David said with a wry smile.

"Then what are you hesitating for? Tell me, why did those guerrillas retreat? They must have known that the dukes' armies were about to march on our border, right?"

"Do they really think they can hold off a warship attack with this rudimentary base?"

“No… I’ve already asked,” David said, bowing his head. “Today is a fine day, suitable for brothers to quarrel, not for going out.”

"What is that?" Petal and Elena asked in unison.

“This is the answer,” David said dejectedly. “It’s some kind of… divination, what the Yan people call the Chinese calendar. This is the answer I got.”

“…Ridiculous…” Elena couldn’t help but slam her hand on the table when she heard this. “What is divination? Why are you doing divination at a time like this?”

Coincidentally, not only her, but also Speaker Witt on the Orville shared the same sentiment.

"What did you say? Excuse me, Miss Frostnova, could you please repeat that?"

Speaker Witt suspected he was hallucinating.

“Today is a fine day, suitable for brothers to quarrel, not for going out,” Shuangxing said matter-of-factly. “This is the solution given by the consultant after studying the almanac. We should just follow it.”

“…Miss Froststar, do you know? I also have some connections with the Governor of Lungmen,” Witt’s lips twitched when he heard this, “and I also have some knowledge of the calendar of Yan Kingdom.”

A copy of the Chinese almanac published by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was still sitting in his study at this time!

He wasn't lying; he did indeed like to spend his free time reading these kinds of books.

"Putting that aside... how can such a life-or-death matter be resolved by divination, given the many problems with the so-called almanac?"

“No, this is not divination, but the art of predicting the future,” Frostnova replied with a smile to Speaker Witt’s question. “These are also the advisor’s exact words.”

"What's the difference?"

"Have you ever heard of big data statistics?" Froststar shrugged. "Oh, never heard of it? No problem, I haven't either."

“No… I know what big data is,” Speaker Witt said helplessly. “Miss Frostnova, this is not the time for jokes. They are about to launch a massive military offensive!”

“We’re never joking,” Frostnova replied with a smile.

According to the advisor, Speaker Witt is genuinely interested in cooperation, but we can't be too hasty at this point; we need to put on a show of respect.

The technology is in our hands; if you want it, you'll have to beg us.

Only in this way can we change the situation of infected people in Ursus. Oh, that's what we call the value of united front work.

What Speaker Witt saw as an imminent crisis was seen as a sure thing by Frostnova and the others. If he was anxious, then let him be anxious.

In his eyes, we are all in the same boat, but for us, that may not be the case.

472 Today will surely be sunny and breezy.

Speaker Witt finally met Xia Yu, whom he had always wanted to see.

Unfortunately, he didn't want to see him in this place at all at this time.

"..."

He sat down in silence, with Patriot in front of him and Rhodes Island's special advisor beside him.

He has many questions, but perhaps he doesn't need to say them aloud.

There is only silence.

Can only be silent.

Before coming, he thought about many things, even whether the infected intended to use him as a pledge of allegiance to the nobles in order to achieve cooperation with them.

Of course, he figured it out too.

This is unlikely.

Ultimately, it's because Xia Yu's 'achievements' in Kazimierz are too dazzling that he would never have thought of it in this direction before, and he wouldn't now.

If this so-called special advisor had been able to cooperate with the nobles, then the bloody night in Casimir would not have happened.

Look how peaceful it is outside.

Ursus's army has already set off and will arrive here by evening at the latest, crushing this small base like a black torrent.

But outside, everything remained as calm as ever, and most of the infected people seemed unaware of the news.

Not only them, but these high-ranking officials... were equally calm, as if victory was assured.

They have other things to be sure of.

Speaker Witt could never understand Frostnova's attitude towards him. Perhaps you don't like a politician like me, but as the person in charge of the Snowfield Infected in the future, you have to think about the people under your command, right?

Even if you don't know how to fawn over someone, could you at least be a little nicer?

But none of these can be seen on Frostnova's side.

In the past, he was very confused, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. How could he ask? Why don't you come and flatter me? He wasn't that stupid.

Now, looking at the calm Rhodes Island advisor, then at the tense Patriot opposite him, and finally at the quite relaxed Frostnova, he seemed to understand something.

The Patriot, this old friend, seems to know something, but he hasn't witnessed it firsthand.

His daughter, however, was clearly not like that.

"I suspect... that technology you all call the Gaia simulator... can do more than what we're seeing now, right?"

He said softly.

“Of course,” Xia Yu replied with a smile, “it can truly change the world.”

"Could it also destroy the world?" Speaker Witt pressed.

“I don’t intend to turn it into a weapon,” Xia Yu said calmly. “Technologies used to rebuild civilization should honestly shine in their own fields.”

At least I don't intend to, which means it's possible, right?

Speaker Witt remained silent for two seconds.

"So, how exactly does your side intend to deal with the upcoming attack of over 100,000 troops?"

"Froststar should have already told you about this."

"Is it that so-called Chinese almanac?"

"It's that so-called Chinese almanac."

"Excuse my frankness, but at least I know what the Chinese almanac looks like in Yan Kingdom," Speaker Witt sighed. "I also have a deluxe edition of the almanac published by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau on my bookshelf."

"Moreover," he looked up at the window, where the weather on the snowfield was as gloomy as ever, "it's not a sunny day either."

“Oh, that’s their calendar, which is naturally different from mine,” Xia Yu said with a smile, her eyes crinkling. “Their so-called calendar is a summary of natural phenomena based on the natural laws of celestial changes, measuring long time intervals to judge climate changes and predict the arrival of seasons.”

"My calendar summarizes not nature, but human culture."

"Humanities?" Speaker Witt was stunned upon hearing this.

No, how can this be turned into a calendar...?

“Yes, humanities,” Xia Yu nodded, and said meaningfully, “You can also understand it as connections.”

“…I really can’t understand this,” Speaker Witt shook his head upon hearing this. “Could you put it more bluntly?”

"To put it bluntly, I was very happy a few days ago and decided to invite a few friends to have a meal in the snowfield. But I got too excited and sent the invitations to two brothers at the same time."

"And those two brothers, well, how should I put it, they are sworn enemies? That seems a bit serious, anyway, they'd fight the moment they met."

“Since it was my fault, I should naturally make amends,” Xia Yu said with a smile. “Isn’t there a no-man’s land between the base and the defense line? I just pointed them in the right direction and let them fight there slowly.”

"The reason for withdrawing the guerrillas from the front line was to avoid being affected by their fighting."

That's why today's weather is fine and sunny, suitable for brothers to quarrel, and not suitable for going out, according to this so-called almanac?

It's true... they always conform to their own stereotypes about the people of Yan, always doing things in a roundabout way.

It's just about finding outside help... why are you making such a fuss about it...

"Judging by the time, they're about to start fighting," Xia Yu suddenly said, looking out the window. "I hope they calm down a bit."

"As for the nobles' fleet," he said, shrugging and then clasping his hands together, "I hope they're alright."

"As for what you said about sunny weather, well, believe me, it will be."

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.

"..."

Three thousand meters above the ground, the two rode the wind, facing each other.

“Sure enough, this is strange,” X2.

Karna looked at Arjuna opposite him, and Arjuna looked at Karna opposite him; the two of them looked strange to each other.

How awkward... X2.

Both of them simultaneously touched their chests, where the spiritual origins belonging to Karna and Arjuna were burning brightly.

They were telling the will controlling the body, "See that big oaf over there? Yes, go and take him down!"

Well, they really are arch-enemies. Even Karna, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, becomes so irritable when he encounters Arjuna...

What happened to the hero who was supposed to be known as the one who gave alms?