Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Lately, Mainna has been leaving get off work on time, and his schedule has become more relaxed. So, he often comes to coach Maria's training. Under Mainna's guidance, Maria's strength is rapidly improving. Perhaps she hadn't realized it before, but Maria's potential is actually no less than her sister's. She just doesn't usually focus her full attention on training. She enjoys craftsmanship and also enjoys imaginative inventions. Given these constraints, she can't devote her full attention.

But now, under the hands-on instruction of the famous teacher Maenna, her improvement speed is truly astonishing.

Including the Originium skill that can enhance overall combat capability in a rather exaggerated way. After repeated confirmation, Mainna was surprised to find that the potential of this Originium skill itself can be said to be exaggerated.

As long as Maria can maintain her training, her body will gradually memorize the opponent's fighting style and find its flaws, although she will definitely suffer injuries in the process. However, for a person who can maintain and regenerate their physical strength, anyone who can't kill her instantly will almost certainly be exhausted by her in the long run. This Originium technique is even more suitable for the battlefield than Margaret's...

But... this Originium technique fell into the hands of Maria, whose desire for battle wasn't that strong...

Chapter 44: Boiling a Frog in Warm Water

Mainna was a well-informed person, having seen a lot. However, someone like Maria, who had no fighting instincts but possessed Originium techniques that were most suitable for the battlefield, was rare.

If Snitzer had discovered this from the beginning, then he was most likely deliberately hiding Maria's Originium skills. After all, with his vision, he couldn't have been unaware of the potential of this Originium skill. But he didn't tell anyone. Perhaps he didn't want Maria to be forced into battle because of her talent?

After all, Maria is not Margaret, and she will never be Margaret. She should have her own life...

If you really think about it this way, then Snitks might have already thought about how to arrange the future of the two sisters before he left.

Big brother is really... as reliable as ever.

"...Uncle...Uncle...I really can't hold on any longer..." Despite her thoughts, Mainna was the type to never let up during training. Consequently, under the intense training, Maria's Originium skills were gradually reaching their limits. She was now like a lightbulb without electricity, only emitting intermittent bursts of light. This light wasn't blinding, and even felt warm. When fighting Maria, she always felt that her control over her Originium skills might not be sufficient—this light could even make her drowsy.

However, it would likely be useless against those with a significant difference in strength. This hypnotic ability was primarily based on being affected by the light at close range. While the effect might not be very strong, in battle, even a momentary delay could determine victory or defeat. Therefore, Mainna valued this hypnotic ability, which might have appeared by accident. Compared to Margaret, Maria's light was more malleable, making her more suitable for learning Mainna's Originium techniques.

For example - his signature rain of light, seemingly harmless, can melt armor in an instant, transforming it into the non-blinding brilliance of a blade.

Perhaps, Maria could indeed learn his Originium skill. After all, this brilliance was different from Margaret's. It was not blazing and was highly malleable.

While Mainna was training Maria, Zofia had some free time, so these days, she'd been hanging out at Noya's place whenever she could. Noya had even prepared a room specifically for her. It was obvious that Zofia preferred living with Noya to her own lonely house. She seemed carefree, but she was actually someone who feared loneliness. Coincidentally, Noya was also someone who feared loneliness, so the two of them were able to get what they wanted.

It’s better to have someone accompany you than no one, right?

Of course, Kuro was not very happy. She looked at Zofia with strange eyes several times. If she didn't know that Zofia was safe, she might have started to drive people away long ago.

However, Noya's recent concern was not about Zofia. After several tests, the shadow behind her had already determined several characteristics -

First, although the phantom can touch other objects and cause physical interference, almost anything will pass through the phantom and cannot cause effective damage to it - Kuro has tried it, and this physical ineffectiveness seems to be permanent.

Second, the phantom had a certain reaction to the Originium technique, but it was not big. At least when Noah tried to attack it with his poor Originium technique, it didn't even bother to dodge... Mainna originally wanted to try it, but because Mainna's Originium technique was special, in order to avoid spending more repair costs, Noah refused.

Third, the phantom only appears when one is conscious and disappears when one falls asleep. This is what Kuro discovered and told Noya the next day. Although it is not yet known whether it disappears only when one is asleep, or in a coma... at least Noya hasn't been in a coma recently.

Fourth, after the phantom appeared, Noah no longer dreamed of that strange circular building and the indescribable, bizarre entity within it. Perhaps the sword and spear had indeed severed the boundary, or perhaps the phantom was actively keeping Noah away from that entity. Regardless, Noah was glad to no longer have to face that thing.

She also thought that the Snitz couple left Casimir most likely to deal with the existence in the circular building, and the fact that it spied on her through her dreams was enough to terrify her. If it were not for the obstruction of the sword and spear, she would probably lose something very important because of this glance. However, it was also because of this glance that she had this phantom.

Noya wasn't afraid of the shadow. For some reason, she felt it wouldn't harm her—it was more like it was there to protect her. If it weren't for that one glance, the shadow might never have appeared. And its appearance might also mean that Noya was being targeted by the being in the circular building...

These were all Noah's own guesses. There was no evidence, and apart from the phantoms, there were only dreams as clues. It was too far-fetched, so she didn't even tell Mainna, intending to investigate further on her own.

But she actually had an option of who to ask... but if she had to involve this person, then the moment she opened her mouth...

Noah shook his head and temporarily put aside the idea of ​​meeting that person.

At least until now, the phantom has only brought convenience to Noah. As for trouble, let's wait until trouble really arises. Noah is already used to trouble.

Besides, this doesn't affect what Noah is going to do.

After Victoria and the Colombian company expressed their willingness to invest in the contract between Kalan Trade and Noah, the attitude of the Casimir Business Association began to change 180 degrees. The contracts that were originally so stingy that people could not bear it suddenly became lucrative. After knowing that Noah had connections with foreign companies, their evaluation of Noah seemed to have changed dramatically.

Noah once again understood how intimidating foreign capital was to Casimir, and what the real purpose of the Chamber of Commerce's alliance was...

But there's no rush now. It's like boiling a frog in warm water. If I rush too fast, they'll just become desperate. To maintain some semblance of respectability, I can't just take off my clothes. The spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce, even though they gave me the position because they looked down on me and thought I was easy to manipulate, since I can't refuse, I'll just make the most of it.

written request for leave

My sister is getting married today, so there won't be any updates tomorrow.

above! ! ! ! ! !

One hundred words one ...

Chapter 45: So this move is called? Ex Curry Stick?

In reality, so-called business wars are essentially about testing each other. When interests are truly involved, everyone instantly learns what restraint is. Ultimately, the seemingly uninhibited and open-minded attitudes of most businesspeople are just a facade, like a layer of sugarcoating. Once the interests they truly care about are truly touched upon, these businesspeople become more conservative than one another.

Just like Noah's small test, as soon as Noah released the news of its foreign investment, these businessmen jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. All the contracts that were clearly meant to take advantage of them were replaced with lucrative ones. Faced with losses, these people probably didn't want to see others profiting. It's like they despise the Kalan trade but covet Kjerag's natural resources.

However, the possibility of getting something for nothing in front of SilverGray was still too low. Even Noah would have difficulty pulling off tricks in front of SilverGray, let alone these businessmen who lacked the ability to sense emotions. SilverGray's naturally learned acting skills alone were enough to handle everything. Often, Noah couldn't help but sigh. If he hadn't known through his perception that SilverGray had no ill intentions towards him, he probably wouldn't have been so quick to trust SilverGray's sincerity.

SilverAsh is a man who takes revenge for his grievances, a man who reaps rewards for his grievances. As the saying goes, "give a peach, give a plum." As long as you don't cheat him, he won't use you as cannon fodder. As a partner, you can always trust SilverAsh.

Of course, this is only in the dimension of partners——

In other aspects, Noah believed SilverAsh's words, and even Cliffheart would laugh at his own naivety.

There's a saying that fits the current situation quite well: Noah and SilverAsh are in a relationship based on profit; talking about feelings is too costly. Only Yaxin and Noah are friends; there's no talk of profit between them, only of feelings.

Noah actually made a clear distinction. Business friends and private friends were completely different things. The most important thing about business friends was reliability. Coincidentally, SilverAsh was very reliable, and she was very satisfied.

Compared to Noah's exhilarated and buoyant performance, Mainna's situation was completely different. He watched Maria channel her Originium skills into her sword, transforming it into a blade and slashing towards him. He initially thought Maria was truly gifted, her comprehension was incredibly fast. But the next moment, he was bewildered. The strike was indeed powerful, but the question was... why did the flowers and plants other than the target of the sword begin to grow wildly under the blow?

It's no exaggeration to say that with each strike of this sword, the weeds shot up like they were on stimulants—yes, they shot up. Mainna had never seen such an effective weed killer. While the opponent might fall with this strike, everyone else would likely benefit from the healing power of the Originium Technique, right? This sword technique, which injures ten thousand enemies while healing eight thousand, was truly beyond Mainna's comprehension.

more importantly……

"...Why can't you receive this healing effect at the same time?" Mainna was puzzled. When Maria used the Originium skill to heal himself before, he thought that this Originium skill was indeed suitable for the battlefield and could make him stronger and stronger. But when he tried to guide Maria to use the Originium skill to attack others, he found that the Originium skills that were supposed to heal herself were all transformed into power to attack the enemy. Moreover - why can she heal the people nearby but not herself?

"...Huh?" Maria was also confused. "But... turning light into a sword, wasn't that what you taught me, Uncle?"

"Indeed, I taught you how to transform light into a blade... but I didn't ask you to remove your Originium skills." Mainna covered her head and said helplessly, "Don't be so stubborn."

"...Huh?" Maria was even more confused. Could Originium skills attack and heal at the same time? In her impression, Originium skills were either used to attack or heal. Healing yourself while attacking...was it possible to do that? "Well...isn't that too difficult?"

"If you can maintain the Originium healing technique for a long time, then you can definitely maintain the healing while attacking," Maenna said firmly. "From now on, you must learn to maintain the Originium healing technique while wielding the lightsaber."

"...Oyster!" Maria quickly shook her head. "Maintaining healing is maintaining healing, and a lightsaber is a lightsaber! Doing two things at once? I don't have a second brain, do I?!"

"Can you breathe and blink at the same time?"

“…Is it possible?”

"Then just get used to maintaining healing like breathing," Mainna said with a smile, but to Maria, that smile wasn't good for the devil. Honestly, she was starting to get scared.

But it was too late. Now that Mainna had taken over Maria's training, he naturally couldn't let her maintain her current status. One of the Linguang family's traditions was: you can develop your style, but you must also develop your fighting style to the limit of your ability. So, after Mainna discovered Maria's potential, he immediately decided to outline a complete fighting process for her based on her talent.

So - when Plastic Knight actually met Maria on the field, she could hardly recognize Maria's face whom she had seen in the battle report a few days ago. Maria now looked like she had just been to the battlefield. There was black soot on her face, but her whole body exuded a faint light. Her eyes no longer had the previous lively look, but were a little dull, and she was even talking to herself.

"Maintain...maintain...maintain even when sleeping..."

"..."

What happened to this child? Why did he suddenly go crazy?

Plastic Knight scratched his head. Wasn't he so cheerful and lively when he saw him a few days ago? Why did he become like this after just a few days?

But no matter what the other party becomes, what I have to do remains unchanged. I joined the Knights because I admired Martin, but I didn't expect to come to this point now.

Being able to stand firm on this battlefield is a kind of ability in itself. Any knight who can maintain his seat and quota is not an easy person.

It would be a big mistake to underestimate yourself!

The Plastic Knight held a crossbow and immediately began to shoot two arrows tentatively after Big Mouth Mob announced the start.

She knew Maria's fighting style. When fighting against Maria, one had to either crush her with absolute strength or never fall into the opponent's rhythm.

Then just interrupt the opponent's troublesome Originium skill! The opponent doesn't have any means of killing with one blow!

Sorry! You don’t have a good analysis team behind you, nor do you have the capital support! Now I am already in the...

boom--!!!!!

But the next second, the entire arena was engulfed in dust. When the two crossbow arrows flew over, Maria raised her sword woodenly, and then the entire arena shook.

——Because the playing field has been cracked.

Severed cleanly in two by Maria's sword, the Plastic Knight, instinctively tumbling over due to a sudden sense of danger, looked at the cracks that almost reached his feet and rationally raised his hands.

"I surrender."

Chapter 46: Pulling out the Weeping Willow Tree

"...After investigation, the organizers believe that the damage may have been caused by long-term use of the venue. Please rest assured that the organizers have reinforced the venue, and similar incidents will not occur in future competitions!" Big Mouth Mob wiped his sweat while reading the explanation sent from his superiors, but this is not so much an explanation... It's basically useless, right?

After all, after that sword strike, no one in the entire arena knew who first shouted the slogan "The Glory Knight Returns"; it was so loud. Perhaps before that, this group of people had no idea about Maria, and only knew that she was Margaret Linguang's sister. Then, from that sword strike, Maria's name really began to break away from the inherent impression of "The Glory Knight's Sister". The so-called knight competition is essentially an extreme worship of personal power.

Promote personal martial arts, create star knights, use passionate battles to make people fascinated, and then cannot calm down for a long time after the game, so they choose to buy the official peripherals of the knight competition, including dolls, figures, posters, cheering sticks, and even fan meetings. A star knight is a veritable cash cow, like the Candle Knight. Even if he did not intend to do so, the Candle Knight alone made a lot of money for Noah.

This is the advantage of having a star knight. Strictly speaking, because Candle Knight is invested in by Noya, the Sanhua Knights he founded are essentially Candle Knight's fan club, except that these fans are also knights who participate in the competition. Candle Knight is truly the most popular knight. Even the last champion Blood Knight can't compare to Candle Knight in terms of popularity.

Of course, the Blood Knight has many fans, but the Candle Knight's popularity is at a fault level - the reason is very simple. Compared to the big and strong one, he is a Blood Knight of the Fengti tribe.

The Candle Knight, who is beautiful, handsome, elegant and powerful, is obviously more fascinating to people. However, because of this, the war of words between Candle Knight fans and Blood Knight fans has never stopped.

——By the way, there is actually a group of fans who are neither fans of Blood Knight nor fans of Candle Knight.

They are fans of the previous champion, the Knights.

It's no exaggeration to say that the Radiant Knight's popularity is unmatched by the Blood Knight and the Candle Knight combined. After all, in terms of strength, he's the youngest champion. In terms of looks, the Radiant Knight is the dream lover of every young girl in Casimir, a fact that doesn't change even if she's a woman. He possesses both strength and beauty, a good character, and considerate manners. He never disdains his opponents and possesses a strong martial spirit. While many have lost to the Radiant Knight, few have suffered serious injuries.

Humility, honor, bravery, mercy, spirituality, justice, honesty.

Of the eight classic chivalric virtues, this Glory Knight embodied all but sacrifice, and executed them perfectly. As for sacrifice—if that had truly been practiced, the Glory Knight would likely have been a tragic hero, a firework, a fleeting glint that illuminated Casimir before vanishing.

But probably no one would doubt that if the Knight of Glory encountered a situation that required her sacrifice, she would rush into the fire without hesitation, right?

After all, he is from the Linguang family...

And now, this group of fans who became wandering ghosts because of the expulsion of the Knight of Glory saw some shadows of the Knight of Glory in Maria Linguang, so overnight, organizations such as the Maria Linguang Fan Club and the Xiaguang Knight Fan Club began to flourish everywhere.

This group of fans, who were originally moved by the Knight of Glory, now saw that glimmer of light in Maria once again. So, without Noah having time to do any public relations, Maria's popularity exploded instantly -

But actually, it had nothing to do with her... It was simply that these fans of the Radiant Knight had been suppressed for too long, and the moment they discovered the glow, they launched a counterattack without hesitation.

Although the fans of Yao Knight have become like the Viet Cong, they have only fallen silent because of Yao Knight's departure, not died. This group of people is the largest group since the establishment of Casimir Knight Athletics, and the energy contained in them may be much greater than many people imagine.

"...Indeed, even Candle Knight himself is a fan of Margaret..." Noah felt a headache when she listened to Kuro's words. She really didn't expect that Maria could successfully cause such a level of fan backlash by her own strength. She thought that some of Margaret's fans would also fall in love with Maria. After all, the two did have some similarities.

But she never thought that Maria would directly benefit from the fan bonus left by Margaret and rise to fame overnight.

It's all over now. The capital tycoons who were still hesitating whether to absorb Maria are like piranhas that smell blood. For the huge wealth that can be seen with the naked eye, they throw money, treatment, and equipment in front of Maria. They even want to force Maria's hand to sign the indenture.

"Do you have anything to explain..." Noah asked helplessly to Maria and Maina who were called to the company by her. At this time, both of them lowered their heads in embarrassment. Maria herself was fine, she was just under too much mental pressure during training, and after being threatened, she subconsciously used all her strength... and ended up splitting the ring.

Mainna is the real culprit. In order to stimulate Maria's potential, Mainna has been acting in a very inhumane manner these days. She has asked Maria to maintain the Originium skill while eating, sleeping and training. She must make Maria an uninterrupted and continuous luminous body, and engrave this Originium skill into the body's instinct like breathing.

As a result, due to lack of sleep, she didn't even know the competition had started when she went on stage. When she saw someone attacking her, she subconsciously swung her sword and smashed it down. You know... this was the Originium skill taught to her by Mainna, and with her full power output, she split the ring in half in an instant.

The group of people who originally regarded Maria as an idol knight fell silent. You tell me she is only pretty on the outside?

Sister Lin uprooted the weeping willow tree, right?

The Plastic Knight was immediately scared when faced with this sword and surrendered on the spot.

It wasn't just the Plastic Knight who was frightened. Everyone in the audience was shocked by the exaggerated visual effects. After all, they had never seen a situation where the venue could be destroyed directly.

——Although strictly speaking, Margaret could do it, but... she was very measured in her attacks and would not leak her strength to the ground.

However, control is control, and visual effects are visual effects...

In the eyes of this audience...Maria is now truly the reincarnation of the Knight of Glory.

"So... what should we do next..." Noah shook his head and asked the two with a wry smile.

Chapter 47: Coercion

Although emergency public relations have been carried out, the strength displayed by Maria has still been spread, so the problem arises.

Now how to deal with the aftermath of this game?

Even Noah probably hadn't expected Maria to improve so rapidly during these few days of training, truly worthy of being Margaret's sister. However, her display of strength came at a particularly bad time. The melee was about to begin. Her exceptional strength, coupled with her lack of membership in any knightly order, made her a natural target. The so-called melee was likely to become a one-on-one siege against countless others.

Of course, the best solution would be to have Maria join the Sanhua Knights, a large order she sponsored, capable of protecting her. However, as soon as she made this request, Maria immediately refused, refusing to join the order at all costs. Although she wasn't sure what Maria was thinking, Noah, after repeatedly stating the dangers, decided to respect her decision.

The most troublesome part is the melee. Melee, capture the flag, or point capture are all commonly used rule types in real-time competitions. As for which specific rule will be chosen, even Noah, the spokesperson, is not very clear.

Of course, there are also positives. Maria now has offensive means, coupled with her inherent ability to sustain a sustained fight, giving her a more comprehensive tactical choice, making her opponents less vulnerable. Overall, Maria's increased strength is indeed a good thing, and it would be even better if she could hide her strength a little more.