Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Mainna turned around, frowning slightly. Perhaps Lime's arrival wasn't a good thing, or perhaps the presence of these silver-speared Pegasus was a threat to Noah. He probably needed Noah's side even more right now. He raised his sword and was about to leave, but then stopped. He suddenly felt a strange sense of wonder. Since when did he need to be wary of knights in the Land of Knights?

-

"Doctor, I'm sorry I didn't come to see you sooner. This night may indeed be a little strange—" Noah arrived at the Rhodes Island base. "Your situation is still... well, I don't think I need to ask any more questions."

"Noah, you're just in time. I just set up a chess game. Do you know how to play?"

"...I know a little bit, but I can't see the chessboard, so if we want to play, you'll still need to tell me the exact number of moves." Noah thought for a moment, then let Margaret push the wheelchair to the other side of the doctor. "Perfect, I'll play a game of chess with you. I also have some questions I'd like to hear your advice on."

"Let's talk as we go. No rush." ​​The doctor moved the pieces and announced their placement. Noah followed his opponent's instructions and used almost the same moves. Mirror matches were not uncommon, but the first player had a significant advantage, requiring the second player to quickly adjust their formation to have a chance of victory.

"Doctor, I'm confused as to why you're still so calm. I think you must be aware of the Silver Spear Pegasus's entry into the city. The situation in Casimir has changed dramatically, which is likely to affect the smooth progress of the Special Championship and even our cooperation. But I don't see that you're in a hurry at all." Noah played chess very quickly. Almost as soon as the doctor opened his mouth, she would reach out and move the chess piece. Although she couldn't see the chessboard, the placement of the chess pieces at every step was preserved in her memory.

A virtual chessboard has appeared in her mind, and every move of the chess pieces is retained in her memory. In this way, she remembers the order of moving all the chess pieces and then plays against them.

"I don't think the situation has changed dramatically, Noah." The doctor watched Noah's expression while playing chess. Just like what she said before, she could unilaterally get emotional fluctuations from Noah. At first she thought it was some kind of accident, or a problem with Noah's Originium skills. Later, the doctor asked Kal'tsit and found out that there was such a fate between her and Noah.

When Noah was nearly dying on Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit took charge and used a special medicine developed from the doctor's blood, which was left behind by the doctor in the past.

It was this medicine that brought Noah back to the world from the brink of death, and a connection was inexplicably established between Noah and the doctor, which was like a contract.

Although this was not the Doctor's original intention, there is indeed blood belonging to the Doctor flowing in Noah's body now, and this blood seems to make the Doctor recognized as a "blood relative" by Noah's special bloodline. This connection allows the Doctor to sense Noah's emotions. This is the truth of the so-called one-sided sieve.

Noya's heart was in turmoil. When they had joined forces to confront the Trade Union, she had always remained calm. Her long career as a merchant had given her a thorough understanding of the merchants within the Trade Union, allowing her to exploit the rules and profit from them. This was the basis of her ease, but now, with the Silver Spear Pegasus entering the city, she was suddenly on the away side of the battlefield.

Compared to those knights, Noah would rather deal with those merchants. At least those merchants know what the rules are and generally will not cross them.

But it is not feasible to talk about the rules of businessmen with the knights. Noah was forced to play away games. No wonder she felt uneasy.

After just one encounter, the doctor had almost analyzed Noah, but she didn't show it on the surface. Instead, she continued playing chess and reminded him.

"Silver Spear Pegasus also has rules. They may be different from the rules of merchants, but rules exist everywhere, no matter who you are. What you have to do now is no different from the past. Use the rules, study the rules, and then get what you want from them." The doctor continued to explain.

"Perhaps you are right, but I don't understand the rules of knights..." Noah shook her head. She was no longer a knight and had been excluded from the core circle of the knight class. Now she really knew nothing about the world of knights.

"Then why don't we change the subject—" the doctor began, "Do you think the Grand Knights' actions towards the infected are unreasonable?"

"..." Noah paused, slowing down his chess moves for the first time. "When we can't make the perfect and most humane choice, and we're unwilling to choose the bloodiest and most primitive answer, this is the result."

"I thought you would be very opposed to this situation."

"Doctor, I'm explaining their plan to you from a businessman's perspective. It's not even out of malice. Casimir simply can't afford to support so many infected people. Naturally, they choose to abandon them at the right time," Noah responded. "And among businessmen, there's a term for this action: humanitarian treatment."

"Humanitarianism..." The doctor shook his head, "That doesn't make sense."

"Reasonable and unreasonable are always relative. I sympathize with the plight of those infected, but I'm not a scholar or a doctor. I'm just a businessman," Noah replied. "Everything I said before is what a spokesperson for a trade union should say."

"So, what do you want to say, Miss Noah?"

"..." Noya paused for a moment, then raised her head slightly and answered firmly. "It's never been this way, and it's not right."

"Hmm, so you're caught in this—" The doctor shifted his chess piece, and before he knew it, Noah was surrounded by two cavalrymen, in dire straits. Noah frowned, racking his brains for a way out. "Your identity clashes with your own perspective, and you can't let go of your familiar merchant identity, so you're stuck in this dilemma. On the one hand, you're protecting the infected, even deploying your most elite bodyguards, putting yourself in deep danger. But on the other hand, you're forced to follow the merchant's rules. And since the knights entered the city, your opponents have become the Knights, and you don't want to face that... because you were once a knight yourself."

The Doctor made it very clear that there was no Riddler reference at all, she was simply analyzing Noah's actions.

Extremely precise, like a scalpel.

Chapter 172 Noah's Mission

Is a business union bad?

Maybe it is really bad. When a group is held together only for the sake of profit, many principles and morals will be ignored by them, because profit-seeking behavior itself is one of the basic human nature. Therefore, the Chamber of Commerce is obviously a group of villains who are black to the core.

But are knights decent?

The knights Noah has come into contact with include Margaret Linguang of the Linguang family, who is outstanding, has extremely high demands on herself, cares about the world, and has a long-term vision.

But after returning to her country, she was exposed to the bad side of the knight class.

After she returned to Casimir from Rhodes Island, she automatically took over the position of head of the Kirielight family due to the death of her grandfather, and also received the family sword symbolizing the head of the Kirielight family from Ms. Russell.

She had not originally thought of getting involved in business. Her initial idea was just to use the inheritance to help the Linguang family overcome difficulties. At that time, she thought she was a member of the knight class, and the Kirilet family had a wide range of friends, so there would always be someone willing to help.

As expected, after the news of Noah's return spread, many knights who had received favors from Kirilet almost broke the door threshold. The reason these knights came here was not only to ask about Noah's well-being, but some also asked if Noah needed help. However, after the polite exchanges, these knights quickly revealed their purpose.

"Miss Noah, you see, running the Kirilet family on your own is clearly... inadequate. I have a boy at home, about ten years older than you, my youngest son. He has admired the Kirilet family since he was a child, and he also has feelings for you. As the elder, I feel it's a good fit. Our families have been friends for generations. Do you want to try to meet with my boy? Perhaps—he might be able to help you?"

After exchanging pleasantries, the knights began introducing their younger generations. These were mostly young sons, even illegitimate children, those with no hope of inheriting their family lineages, having been denied the right to inherit. Many of them were notorious. The elders' wishes were clear: they wanted their sons to inherit the Kirilet name and bloodline, and perhaps some even coveted the Kirilet legacy.

They put on a good show, and if Noah hadn't learned to use his emotions, he would have been fooled.

These elders all talk about taking care of the younger generation, encouraging young people to interact more and help each other more, and worrying about Noah's future, but they don't really think this way in their hearts.

They had probably been coveting the Kirilet family, now that only Noah was left. With only Noah, the disabled head of the Kirilet family left, they naturally became the target of this group's pursuit of honor and history.

After several days of similar elders coming to propose marriage, Noah was forced to hang up a sign refusing to see visitors and spent several days in his ancestral home thinking.

She had never imagined that after her grandfather's death, she would become the target of a pack of wolves. These knights were not here to help her, but rather to take advantage of her misfortune, eager to eat her alive.

At first, Noah thought he only needed to pretend to refuse. But soon, all sorts of gossip about Noah began to spread throughout Casimir: which knight he'd spent the night with one day, which knight he'd have a passionate affair with the next. His terminal also inexplicably received numerous communication requests from the "New Generation Knights." Then, Noah realized that the knight class was happy to see this happen.

The honor of the Kirilet family could not protect themselves, and even became a gem coveted by them.

It is indeed a crime to possess a treasure.

So, in this situation...what should Noah do?

Noya naturally couldn't marry someone she had no feelings for, nor did she want to become the so-called Lady of Kirilet. She wanted to control her own destiny. However, she couldn't become a knight, so her only choice was... to become a businessman.

This is why Noah chose to be a businessman... To be honest, he had no other choice.

When Noah saw the evil of the knight class and the Chamber of Commerce, she was actually already extremely disappointed with Casimir. The biggest reason why she stayed in Casimir was the Linguang family.

Or it could be said that it was an agreement with Margaret that she would protect the Linguang family when Margaret was away, and after Margaret returned, she also became Margaret's helper. However, after staying with Margaret for so long, she almost forgot that the knights were a group of people who would do anything desperate.

Silver Spear Pegasus Enters the City...

Noah suddenly recalled that afternoon, the afternoon when a group of knights broke into his house.

Some of the young talents introduced to her were more than 20 years older than her, and some were even still children. Although she could not see the greedy gleam in their eyes, she could still feel that she was like being put on auction label and hung in the window for sale.

She was silent for a long time, then put down her chess piece. "I admit defeat. Doctor, you are truly a master chess player."

"So, have you found the answer to what you wanted to know?" The doctor nodded. "Do you really need my answer now?"

-

"...Monique, do you notice anything is wrong?"

"Something's wrong? I saw a ghost tonight... Even the Silver Spear Pegasus has entered the city. Could anything be more wrong than this?"

"...I mean, have you noticed that our communication channel has been quiet for a long time?" Roy shook his head. "Generally speaking, even if we stop the action, we should report the situation a few minutes in advance, right?"

“…Who knows?”

"Unless this group of people can no longer report—" Roy sighed, "Our communication channel... has been blocked?"

"But... who would do that? Does he want to become an enemy of the Wuzhou Alliance?"

"Let me guess... could it be the lady who has been following us all the way?" Roy turned his head, and Monique discovered that at the end of the alley, there was a figure slowly walking towards them.

"Good evening, Miss. May I ask why you are here...when you are not with Miss Noya?"

——Crash.

Before Roy finished speaking, a string of dog tags fell in front of him. These were the identification tags of the No Helmet Alliance. A whole string of them together looked scary like some landlord's key chain.

"You are the last two." Kuro, no, she had taken off the mask and no longer concealed her face. Before tonight, Noah gave Kuro an order.

That night, she hoped that as few infected people as possible would die in the city because of the Great Partition and the No-Hero Alliance.

Since she wishes so, Kuro will do it. No... now she no longer needs to hide anything.

The Black Knight will act for Noah.

"...Are you planning to wipe out the Wuzhou Alliance?" Roy's expression grew serious as he glanced at the dog tags on the ground. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"I didn't kill them. I just let them sleep well tonight. Some of them may have orthopedic problems, which are technical errors." Mace stared at Roy in front of him. "I can't protect the infected in the entire city, but I can get rid of the entire city's No Helmet Alliance."

Rather, after obtaining the communication frequency of the Helmetless Alliance from Xinteleya, she cleaned up the Helmetless Alliance at an incredibly fast speed.

Although she couldn't guarantee that the entire Wuzhou Alliance had been cleared out, at least those who had opened the communicator had been dealt with by her, and now - she was here to deal with the last two who had escaped the net.

Chapter 173: One vs. Two! (Update 1/2)

"...I admit, you're strong, Miss Triple Crown Black Knight." Roy and Monique almost simultaneously entered battle mode. "But aren't you being a bit overconfident when it comes to challenging two Blue Gold Lords on your own?"

"...Roy, stop talking nonsense and kill her—" Monique frowned and said. "Do you have to talk so much?"

"You all come together, I'm in a hurry." Jian frowned slightly, "Oh, I forgot to ask you one thing."

"what?"

"Where did you put my championship trophy?" Jian's lips curled up dangerously. "Since it's come to this, I'd like to take my things back as well. Is that not too much to ask?"

Roy's emotions were clearly mixed. This night had been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. She had initially thought she had demonstrated her strength to Noya and the others, proving the Wuzhou Alliance wasn't without its own strength. Instead, Xuantie's arrow was deflected and caught by a strange phantom. She had been forced to feign a brave escape, even contemplating a quick kneeling apology. Instead, the mace had nearly wiped out the entire Wuzhou Alliance team except for Xuantie and herself.

Strictly speaking... this retribution came too quickly.

Besides...it seems like this Black Knight might be even more powerful than I imagined...

After all, not many people dare to face the two Qingjin Lords head-on, and it is one against two, even the Silver Spear Pegasus cannot do it.

Boom——

A roar was heard in the dark alley. A mace-hand holding a giant sword shot down two lapis lazuli arrows in mid-air at a speed that was too fast to keep up with. The heavy sword was as light as a feather in her hand. The lapis lazuli arrows could not even penetrate her defense and touch her. The sound of arrows hitting the giant sword was endless. Monique and Roy attacked almost at the same time, and realized almost at the same time that the distance between themselves and the Black Knight was too close.

As assassins—or archers—being too close to the knights was a huge disadvantage, so they tried to keep their distance.

But the problem is, if the distance could be widened so easily, then the Black Knight would not have appeared in front of the two men so brazenly. The gravel under the Black Knight's feet flew, and he turned into a black shadow, instantly reducing the distance between the two Qing Jin men, and smashed the greatsword in his hand towards the two men - yes, it was a smash, not even a chop, but the weight of this greatsword obviously made the two Qing Jin men dare not take it head-on, and could only dodge away in embarrassment.

The giant sword smashed into the ground, creating a massive depression centered on the Black Knight. Roy's mouth twitched at the mere sight of this scene.

How did Xuan Tie force such a tough guy to drop the championship trophy?

The Triple Crown Champion is worthy of being the Triple Crown Champion. Even the current Glory Knights probably don’t have this kind of terrifying force.

A natural born warrior, an absolutely powerful warrior from Leithania, the Black Knight - Mace.

The value of this name may be much higher than I imagined.

"Monique, let's split up and reunite at the old place." Roy turned and ran. Qingjin might be a colleague, but with disaster looming, it was better for them to run separately. If they both ran together, neither would be able to escape. It would be better to split up. Monique understood Roy's intention and also turned and ran, running in the opposite direction. She didn't hesitate at all as they watched their maces fly away in the face of disaster—she was naturally aiming for Roy.

Roy's face turned pale when he heard the sound behind him. Was his luck just that bad tonight?

When he went to deal with the infected, he met the Absolver and Mainna. When he went to demonstrate, he was scared away by the opponent's phantom. Now he is being hunted by the Black Knight?

Did you forget to check the almanac before going out today?

Complaints aside, Roy is still an old Qingjin after all, and his movements are quite skilled. When he is running around on the streets and rooftops, even if the Black Knight is faster than him, it is impossible to catch up with him in a short time.

But delay is delay. Ultimately, Roy, unable to escape, turned and took the blow from the mace. Like a cannonball, he was flung into a house. Buried in a pile of bricks, Roy gasped for air, finally climbing out of the pile. "... Stop... I said stop. That's enough. I'm not going to work tonight. Is that okay?"

"..." Jian looked at Qingjin who was begging for mercy in front of him. There was no smile on his stern face. As he dragged the giant sword forward step by step, he even had a sense of oppression that wanted to kill everyone.

"...I told you, leave some room for error. We'll see each other again someday..." Roy's expression finally grew serious. Then, he suddenly bent down, and the brick wall behind him suddenly crumbled. A pitch-black crossbow bolt pierced through the wall and hurtled toward the Black Knight. The suddenness of the situation forced the Black Knight to swing his greatsword downwards. When the arrow and the sword collided, the immense momentum plowed two plow paths under the Black Knight's feet.

However, the Black Knight exerted force suddenly, and the kinetic energy of the crossbow arrow made of black iron was directly pressed to the ground - the arrow directly penetrated the floor in front of the Black Knight, leaving a section of black arrow body, and the arrowhead was completely sunken into the ground.

"...You can take the trophy." The arrow had been shot only by Xuantie, and his voice finally rang out. "The No-Horn Alliance will no longer be your enemy. I swear in Xuantie's name. Furthermore, from today on, we will not attack Casimir's infected again."

This was the ultimate compromise. A golden trophy was thrown from the darkness, and the Black Knight casually took it before giving Qing Jin, who had just risen from the ground, a deep look. "It's a deal."

"It's a deal." Xuan Tie's voice sounded somewhat helpless. "Although we are an assassin organization, we always keep our promises."

"..." Jian also knew that with Xuantie here, this was already the best result. There were three opponents, and he was alone. He might be able to kill one alone, but if the three opponents attacked together, he might not be able to get away with it.

This evening, she had done her best.

and--

Jian looked at the trophy in his hand. Originally, this trophy was forcibly taken away by Xuantie. He didn't expect that he could actually get it back.

I had just said it casually before - it could be considered an unexpected gain.

The mace turned around and disappeared into the night after a few rises and falls. Roy, who had escaped the disaster, shook off the dust on his body and stretched.

Maybe... he should really consider retirement recently.

My old arms and legs really can't withstand any more hardship.

Chapter 174: Nightmare Knight vs. Glory Knight (Update 2/2)