Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"Ah, this..." Amiya was dumbfounded when she heard this.

“Xia Yu is the strongest ally you have right now. Trust me, you can’t go wrong by going to him!” Fujimaru Ritsuka cleared her throat and said with a serious expression, “To achieve great things, going it alone is not a good choice.”

"Especially when you don't have the power to overturn the table."

"As for missions and such..." Her expression softened, and then she rubbed Amiya's little head. "Take my advice. If the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up. The world will keep turning no matter who leaves. Don't take missions too seriously."

"You're only fourteen, you don't need to think so much."

Yes, if the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up; the world won't stop spinning just because one person leaves.

This would certainly work for Amiya; she has people taller than her by her side, and Terra won't stop moving forward just because she's not there.

At least not now.

However, it's different with Fujimaru Ritsuka.

When humanity was burned down, the sky collapsed, Group A was completely wiped out, and among the remaining Masters, she was the only tall one who could hold the fort. Human civilization truly could not function without her.

She really had no choice but to grit her teeth and persevere, and she's been doing it ever since.

But Amiya obviously doesn't need to be like her.

The situation isn't that bad; she has more options.

She knew all too well how difficult the path she had chosen was; if she had a choice, who would choose it?

“But… I can’t…” Amiya struggled a bit.

"Alright, let's talk about something realistic," Fujimaru Ritsuka said without pressuring him. The ideas a person has formed since childhood are difficult to change in a short time, and the way of a teacher is to guide them patiently.

"You clearly like this ship, but you're hesitant because of the various expenses involved, thinking that those resources should be used where they're more needed, right?"

“Yes,” Amiya nodded, looking at her teacher to see how she would convince her.

“You’re still just a kid,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a smile, tapping Amiya’s forehead. “If I were you, I would happily accept my master’s gift and then swagger around building this ship right under the noses of the whole world!”

"Why?" Amiya asked, puzzled. "Rhodes Island is just a pharmaceutical company. We don't need to own the most advanced ship in the world."

"This will cause us unnecessary fear..."

“Wrong, completely wrong,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said, holding Amiya and resting her chin on Amiya’s head as they looked at the orange-red sunset. “You don’t actually think that after Xia Yu caused such a huge mess, you can still be a simple pharmaceutical company, do you?”

"As far as I know, Ursus is a top-tier power in the entire Terra region, but even such a powerful nation had a quarter of its army routed by the aftermath of a battle between two people."

"These messages were not only not covered up, but were also widely publicized. Now that things have come to this, do you really think that people will stop being wary of you after hearing the news?"

“Of course I know all that,” Amiya nodded. “Overall, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. It has given hope to the infected, facilitated the establishment of our drug network, and also served as a warning to many ill-intentioned eyes.”

“Rhode Island’s sales network is being established more and more smoothly now.”

“But I think this is enough. There’s no need to show any more threat,” Amiya said softly. “In the end… our goal is simple: the infected are human beings too, and they shouldn’t be treated like slaves.”

“Ha, your purpose is naturally simple,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a smile, “but you don’t seem to realize one thing: why they sent you here.”

Oh dear, innocent little rabbit, your intentions are pure and kind, but others may have different intentions.

Cherish your childhood; look at that white rabbit from the Snowfield Group, he's practically a workaholic now.

She knew Xia Yu too well. This person would think of changing anything he disliked, especially when he had the power to do so. But he didn't change things for power or position... which led to a certain outcome.

He may become the one who drives change, but he will never be the one standing in the spotlight.

He's a lazy bum! You'd be better off letting him deal with those things all day than letting him die.

There is no doubt what method he will choose.

"And...aren't you avoiding my question?" Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a smile. "I asked you to cling to my coattails before, but you ended up talking to me about ideals and missions."

"What, you think that thigh will leave you?"

Amiya fell silent upon hearing this.

Why did she refuse when the Doctor invited her to a snowy mountain vacation, but was sent to the snowy plains by Kal'tsit with a casual remark that she was just there to learn from someone?

She was also in the know, and she was afraid... that Xia Yu might just choose to leave this world.

After all, the people who came were his old friends.

Kal'tsit saw this very clearly. She knew that Xia Yu had no attachment to that world and that the people she cared about most were probably these few friends in front of her.

But she refused to explain and took the opportunity to send Amiya to the snowfield.

"Silence means consent," Fujimaru Ritsuka gently rubbed her ear. "What's wrong? Are you afraid your master will steal your thigh away from you?"

“No… it’s Mr. Xia Yu’s freedom to go wherever he wants,” Amiya said, bowing her head. “He has no obligation to sacrifice his chance to go home for the sake of the people of Terra.”

They knew perfectly well that Rhodes Island couldn't do without Xia Yu right now, whether it was the inhibitors or the attention from all sides after the Ursus incident. If they lost Xia Yu... Rhodes Island would be finished.

“You’re just overthinking things,” Fujimaru Ritsuka chuckled. “Why don’t you just ask the person involved directly?”

507 You must learn to occupy the moral high ground

"Before you get caught up in the fear of loss, why don't you just ask around?" Fujimaru Ritsuka squinted and rested her chin on Amiya's little head, enjoying the rare winter sunset and the softness of the girl in her arms, feeling very comfortable.

If you really can't bring yourself to ask, then just observe him more closely.

"My disciple, remember your teacher's words: never worry about gains and losses on your own, it's pointless."

"Never give up hope under any circumstances. Even if there's only a sliver of a chance, you should seize it," Fujimaru Ritsuka said gently, rubbing Amiya's ear. "How can you judge someone else's choice if you don't go and see for yourself or ask around, just based on your own assumptions?"

“But… that’s Mr. Xia Yu’s home after all…” Amiya lowered her head and said softly, “I can’t stop him from going home because of my own selfishness. He has already helped us enough. How can we let him keep giving up the opportunity to go home while he continues to give to the world?”

“See, I wasn’t wrong,” Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled smugly upon hearing this. “You really don’t understand him.”

"If you spend more time with him, you'll realize he's not going back."

Our place may not be his home either.

Xia Yu's origins have always been mysterious. She knows nothing and has to ask Chaldea for help with even basic magic, yet she seems to know a little bit about everything.

As a friend, Fujimaru Ritsuka would not actively seek out his secrets.

He just had a feeling... that place... wasn't his hometown.

Just like drifting from there to Terra, who knows if this is the first time he's ever experienced this kind of drifting?

Fujimaru Ritsuka has encountered similar examples before. Musashi Chika was like that, drifting through one parallel world after another, helping her countless times.

However, well, it seems that Xia Yu's drifting is a bit deeper than Musashi's.

They've drifted to another world!

If that's the case, then who knows where he drifted to Babylon from?

I'm afraid only he himself knows.

However, Ritsuka wouldn't tell these things to her little apprentice.

It'll lose its fun if we reveal all the secrets; let's just wait for Amiya to discover it herself.

Damn it, it seems like I've picked up this kind of riddle-solving habit from spending too much time with Sherlock Holmes.

But it feels pretty good!

After reflecting for two seconds, Fujimaru Ritsuka resumed rubbing Amiya's ears with a clear conscience.

Mmm, it feels amazing!

Ah, Xia Yu's incredible luck! To have drifted to such a wonderful world, filled with kemonomimi girls... it's practically paradise!

"But... isn't that Mr. Xia Yu's house? Won't he go back?" Amiya was very puzzled.

“You can guess for yourself,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said, squinting her eyes with enjoyment. “Go and observe for yourself.”

"Besides, even if he wanted to come with me, it's not certain whether there will be a ticket for him at Storm Border."

Amiya seemed thoughtful upon hearing this.

"Also, don't refuse gifts from your master. You can't be shameless, but you can't be too proud either," Fujimaru Ritsuka said in a mature and sophisticated manner. "If it were me or Xia Yu, we would definitely accept them with a super sweet tongue."

"Your claim that Rhodes Island shouldn't pose any more threats is utter nonsense!"

"After what happened in the snowfield, whether you like it or not, you are already a threat in the eyes of others."

"Xia Yu did this very cleverly, packaging herself as a high and mighty god who usually doesn't care about the mortal world and only comes out to save the world when Terra is in imminent danger. As everyone knows, why would a god care about power and position in the mortal world?"

Being high and mighty isn't always a bad thing.

“When you are on the same level as them, they will never give up seeing you as a threat, no matter what. Even if they cooperate with you on the surface, they will definitely not let their guard down in private.”

"But if your level is only something they can look up to, then the so-called threat theory will be denounced as nonsense."

"Because God has no need to threaten a group of mortal kings. If He wants, He can simply replace the person on the throne."

"So, kindness is a good thing, but sometimes you have to use your brain."

Fujimaru Ritsuka chuckled and tapped Amiya's forehead.

"Don't treat Rhodes Island as a simple pharmaceutical company right now. You need to learn how to package it and how to raise your banner, understand?"

"You think you can change the status of infected people in the name of a company? No way is that going to work. Ha, a company? Do you know how many people's livelihoods that would affect?"

"Your actions are destined to be difficult, and you can only try to maneuver in the cracks."

"But if you take advantage of the momentum of this snowfield incident and make use of the major crises to come, no matter which country you go to, wearing such a mask, anyone with a bit of insight will not dare to stop you."