Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Having more friends means having more options, and I never mind having too many friends."

“You certainly have a wide circle of friends,” Speaker Witt said, his face stiffening as he listened to the distant roar of battle.

"And those two who are fighting..." he asked tentatively.

“Sigh, they were actually good people,” Xia Yu shook her head regretfully upon hearing this, “but there was nothing we could do. Our elders were heartless, forcing two brothers into becoming sworn enemies.”

"Originally, even if they were fighting, they could have respected each other and fought openly. It's just a pity that one of them was about to make a mistake, and in the end, he made an irreparable mistake. He still holds a grudge about it to this day."

Xia Yu sighed, "It's my fault, really. Why did I have to send a mass message? These two friends are actually quite concerned about me."

“Look,” he said with a smile, pointing to the fruit platter in front of him, “these fruits were sent from afar by one of them after they received my message.”

"What a sin! According to him, he originally intended to buy the fruit, but the local Pasha and Colombians colluded to cheat the people, which he couldn't stand anymore. So he set fire to the local dignitaries, killing them, and distributed the money from the fruit purchase to the local farmers."

"What's that line of poetry again? 'Those adorned in silk robes are not the ones who raise silkworms.'"

“The lives of farmers at the bottom are so miserable,” Xia Yu said, looking out the window. “Before, we just had to accept the Pasha’s exploitation, and at least we could survive, right? Now the Colombians have come, bringing their advanced technology and factories.”

“With the technical support they have, the Pashas no longer need as many farmers to cultivate the land, but the factories in Colombia are still short of workers.”

"Their approach was extremely brutal. They directly imposed taxes, both named and unnamed, without any repetition. They drove the self-sufficient farmers into bankruptcy, turned them into slaves, and then threw them into factories to work for Colombians."

"Don't even think about getting wages as slaves. They all belong to the noble lords. They split the profits 40/60 with the capitalists in Colombia. They won't care if they die; they'll just replace them with the next batch."

“After all, Sargon has a considerable agricultural population.”

At this point, Xia Yu sighed, "My friend couldn't stand it anymore. After hearing what I did in Casimir, he followed suit and went to the factory to hang the Colombian factory owners from the fruit trees. After all, there aren't many streetlights in Sargon."

At this point, he looked at Speaker Witt and asked, "What do you think of his performance?"

"..."

Damn, this is unbelievable! You actually asked me a question like this?

Speaker Witt was in a real dilemma. If someone else had asked him that question, he would have shown them that some things in the world cannot be said openly, and what the consequences would be.

But here, looking at the artificially created clear sky and hearing the distant roar of war, he really didn't dare to do it.

And what did this advisor say earlier? That such a powerful person actually has elders?!

No, is this even allowed to live?

If you guys are so powerful, how did Terra enter the Age of the Protoss? And how were the Protoss overthrown?

If the question were asked in a different context, he could quote extensively from classical texts and speak eloquently, explaining that Ursus was established after the overthrow of the Eagle's rule, but now he can't understand it either.

“I think that gentleman did the right thing,” Speaker Witte could only reply. “Everything he encountered in Sargon stemmed from the loss of government function.”

"Because the Pasha have too much power, they can even be called a state within a state. Apart from taxes and wars, they do not have any other responsibilities to the monarch, not to mention loyalty."

"Naturally, he will not be responsible for the country; that is the Emperor Sargon's business. On the contrary, if a rebellion breaks out in the territory, the monarch has an obligation to assist them in suppressing it."

Speaker Witt recalled his understanding of Sargon: "In the past, such a system was undoubtedly suitable for that era, but now, Sargon has not fought a war for a very long time, and their ancient system is outdated."

"Just like in Ursus, the aristocratic system has gone from being the backbone of the nation to a stumbling block to its development,"

"The difference between Ursus and Sargon is that we have never given up on solving problems. Whether it was the late emperor or the current emperor, whether we succeeded or failed, at least we have been exploring and trying."

"As for Sargon, their emperor seems to be watching this with indifference, which has led to the nobles' greedy plunder of state power, while the common people can only rely on their fate and whether there is a responsible lord."

"If they do, they can survive; if they don't... just as that person saw, the lower classes are torn apart, while the nobles above make a fortune."

"Power doesn't become vacant just because there's no central authority; it's only seized by those who don't deserve it. And that gentleman... in the end, he's all alone, and all he can do is kill the person who caused all this."

"However, relying solely on individual force cannot reverse the deficiencies in the system. You may be able to kill this group of people, but the problem will still remain, and another group of people will take their place. Individual force is ultimately limited in its effectiveness, and in the end, national-level regulation is needed to solve the problem."

After he finished speaking, he let out a deep sigh of relief.

It's not easy. Connecting Sargon and Ursus, first distinguishing between friend and foe, then explaining the contradictions... He would have done a better job if he had more time, but this isn't a diplomatic speech, so you'll have time to prepare.

You can only think and speak at the same time.

“Well said, that’s excellent,” Xia Yu clapped and said, “You really hit the nail on the head. In the end, it’s a national issue, and it can’t be solved by killing a bunch of people.”

"Especially that line, 'Individual strength has its limits,' that's so well said."

"That's how the heroes of Yan Kingdom are. You can only use the sword in your hand to seek justice in this world, but you can't always win, you can't win forever."

"People will eventually die."

“However, speaking of which, I’m also a little curious,” Xia Yu looked down at Speaker Witt, “What if there were a person, or a group of people, who couldn’t stand the state of the world, and coincidentally, they just happened to have the power to kill whoever they didn’t like, whether that person was a prince or a nobody.”

“Kill one for every one of them. What’s more, they seem to be able to live for a very long time, long enough that they can still survive even after the civilization of Terra has been wiped out.”

He said with a smile, "Then tell me, if they keep killing like this, will humanity ever learn its lesson?"

Upon hearing this, Speaker Witt froze on the spot, and even Patriot, who was watching the commotion from the side, trembled slightly, and some warm tea splashed onto his leg armor.

"Isn't this how human civilization developed?" Xia Yu said slowly, looking at them. "There are always some people who dare to try. They were the first to search for wild fruits, risking their lives to show their people what was edible, the first to try planting, the first to come into contact with fire... and the first to define what a leader, a king, and an emperor are..."

"Human civilization is built on experience. When a disobedient dog tries to steal food from its owner, it gets beaten and learns not to do it again. If people keep killing and killing, and everyone knows that touching certain things will lead to death, will humanity learn its lesson and stop touching those things?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Speaker Witt was stunned, and Patriot beside him was also unsettled.

Froststar was still leisurely munching on a mango, glancing sideways at the two old men who were looking worried.

Why is she so relaxed?

Of course, it's because she had heard similar arguments before.

In the end, it was Kal'tsit's experience and superior skills that convinced the advisor.

I didn't expect the consultant to bring up this question again.

This time, Speaker Witt did not rush to answer, nor did Xia Yu urge him.

After a long while, he finally looked up at Xia Yu.

"This problem is actually very simple."

"Is that how you put it?" Xia Yu pressed.

“Human desires are never satisfied,” Speaker Witt said solemnly. “Just like the example you gave earlier, the first person to search for wild fruit did so for the desire to fill their stomach; planting was the same; coming into contact with fire was for the desire to survive better; and becoming a leader, a king, or an emperor was for power, for the desire to control others.”

“Killing can solve problems with people, but it cannot solve the desires inherent in everyone’s nature. No matter how strict the law is, there will still be people who break it.”

“A friend of mine once told me one of your sayings: ‘If capital has a 50% profit, it will take risks; if it has a 100% profit, it will dare to trample on all human laws; if it has a 300% profit, it will dare to commit any crime, even at the risk of being hanged.’”

"Death cannot stop humanity's pursuit of desires and interests. Despite the existence of laws, violations still occur one after another."

"The people in your story are just using death to weave another set of laws for humanity. The backwardness of the system must ultimately be improved by improving the system itself. Murder cannot solve the root of the problem."

477 It's still uncertain what Ursus's last name will be after that.

"To put the cart before the horse" is probably what this means.

“Hmm, that’s an interesting idea,” Xia Yu nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Speaker Witt with interest. “Why are you so nervous? You don’t actually think I’m planning to drag my friends into this, do you?”

“…No, not at all,” Speaker Witt’s face stiffened, then he said with a wry smile, “You seem to be a reasonable person.”

“Actually… you weren’t that reasonable,” Frostnova retorted, “You were actually planning to try this in Kazimierz a few months ago!”

Upon hearing this, Speaker Witt's smile almost vanished.

“Well, she was persuaded by Kal'tsit,” Xia Yu said frankly. “Her reasoning was quite interesting, and it’s similar to yours.”

"Oh? What exactly did they say?" Speaker Witt asked curiously.

“It’s nothing. She asked me whether I wanted a zoo where I could be domesticated and have everything go my way, or a thriving civilization,” Xia Yu shrugged. “It’s simple and straightforward, right?”

“Indeed,” Speaker Witt breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, it's not just about that... Killing is ultimately just a momentary pleasure. As he said, systemic backwardness can only be changed through systemic reform. Hoping to solve problems simply by killing is like treating the symptoms rather than the root cause. Temporary killing may make you feel better, but what follows is endless killing, and one day you'll get tired of it.

Kal'tsit's solution is to leave professional matters to professionals. Yes, you may not have a good way to solve these problems, but there is no shortage of capable people in the world. You can find them and let them solve the problems!

If they can't solve it, then they're not capable enough. Just replace them with another group. If someone obstructs them or gets corrupted or assimilated in the process, then your knife isn't just for show. There are millions of humans in Terra, so someone will surely find a way, right?

Xia Yu thought this made a lot of sense.

boom!

The battle on the distant battlefield remained fierce; they had been fighting since noon until almost dark.

That's how it appears to others, at least in reality; Merlin had already taken over the role long ago.

“This is really…” Speaker Witt looked at the flickering firelight in the south, his feelings were very complicated.

“If you’re worried about casualties, there’s no need to,” Xia Yu said with a smile. “They’re not murderers. As long as they’re not stupid enough not to run, most of them will survive.”

Killing people is meaningless. What good would killing all those soldiers and causing hundreds of thousands of families in Ursus to lose their loved ones do for the infected in the snowfields?

It brings nothing but hatred.

Conversely, if they are allowed to live, Ursus will have hundreds of thousands of the best propaganda tools for the infected in the snowfield. They come from all over Ursus, from all corners of the country, and can reach places where the infected's influence cannot.

Once they are defeated and flee back, the entire Ursus will know from them that the infected are not to be trifled with.

In this era, if you want to change others' discrimination against you, you'd better have a pair of iron fists that can fight back. These hundreds of thousands of infected people are proof of the existence of the iron fists of the infected.

Although the nobles drove many infected people to the snowfields, Ursus is so large that some infected people have not been found.

Once these hundreds of thousands of defeated soldiers escape back home, the persecution against the infected will likely decrease dramatically.