Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

The words of the Great Elder finally made Enya raise her head and look seriously at the dying old man in front of her.

Chapter 39: Yelagund's Joke

"People can believe in anything. All it takes is a story, a few coincidences, and they'll believe in you, me, Enthiodis, the mountains, the water, or even a leaf." If the Great Elder's words were to reach the outside world, they would definitely be considered heresy. However—this was what the Great Elder said, and he himself was the final authority on the Yelagund faith! "Since people can believe in anything, then what exactly is faith?"

The answer has long been known by generations of great elders—

“What people believe in is faith itself.”

People give the right to choose to the object of their faith, and they attribute everything they reject to their faith. People unconditionally trust the lifestyle guided by their faith.

So what is faith?

Faith is laziness, escape, and decadence! Faith is stability, faith is stagnation!

The increasingly agitated Great Elder suddenly began to cough, and blood, which had turned black and red, once again flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"...Great Elder, it's time for you to rest."

"No! Saint! Saint!" It suddenly sat up and grabbed Enya's wrist tightly, like an iron clamp. The strength was not like that of a dying old man, and it hurt Enya.

His eyes were fixed on the Saint in front of him, but he seemed to be looking at someone else——

"Faith is ugly! But even so, no one can destroy it!" The Great Elder spoke each word, his voice almost weeping blood. "Kjerag has endured for millennia, and the rift between the three great families has deepened, but no one can deny faith. Faith is the very foundation of what makes Kjerag what it is! Faith unites the people of Kjerag. People pursue faith, people rely on faith. Kjerag has existed for millennia because of this! People yearn for stability, people long for stagnation!"

Did Enthiotis think he'd won? He hadn't! He couldn't have won! How could he have triumphed over Kjerag's faith, which had been condensed over millennia?

"I am no longer able to do this, but you are still young. You are the Saint of Manzhu Court, and you will become the Grand Elder of Manzhu Court." The Grand Elder pleaded, "Go teach him a lesson! Go defeat him! Make him understand that in the face of faith, his actions are nothing!"

This was no longer the plea of ​​the great elder, but the last plea of ​​an old man who had been entangled in faith all his life, had devoted his life to faith, but had never believed that Yelagund really existed.

No matter what, he might be a bastard, an ambitious man, or a stubborn old man, but... he still loved this land and Kjerag.

When a man is about to die, his words are good. What the Great Elder said now is the truth, not a lie.

Only now would he say this.

Begging, begging Enya to agree to his request.

Enya's eyes were clearly filled with pity, but she was silent for a moment, then reached out and forcibly pried the Great Elder's hand away from his wrist.

She has never been a pawn to be manipulated, so she will not accept this last request.

"I disagree, Great Elder."

Enya turned around, leaving the Great Elder with only her back.

"You said faith means stagnation, and people rely on faith because they long for stability." Enya shook her head. "I don't think so."

"It's true that once people have faith, they tend to rely on it. Laziness, escapism, decadence... I don't deny what you say. But that doesn't mean faith means stagnation. Faith is faith. Faith itself has no attributes; its content is given. When faith moves forward, believers move forward too. When faith stops, believers stop too. The reason the people of Kjerag yearn for stagnation in your eyes is precisely because faith in Yelagund has been stagnant for a thousand years in Manjuin's hands!"

We have lived in this snowy mountain for thousands of years, following certain customary rules and confining ourselves to a certain area. We have not explored the outside world and have not communicated with people outside.

However, is this convention really related to faith?

Isn’t…isn’t this just Manzhuyuan’s arrogance?

"...Arrogant? No, it has always been like this!"

"It's always been this way, is that right?" Enya asked. "If that's right, then it must have never changed."

—Kjerag must change, Kjerag should change.

"Saintess... what are you going to do?" The Great Elder looked in disbelief at the girl before him, who had always been obedient, now embarking on a path where even he had no idea where it would lead. "Faith is the very foundation of what makes Kjerag who he is!"

"Yes, so I will fight Enthiotis. But not to make everything go back to how it was before—" Enya didn't look back. "I am a saint, but I am not the saint of Manzhuyuan. I am the saint of Shelag."

"If Manzhuyuan led the people before, now it's my turn." Enya closed her eyes. "You should rest, Great Elder."

The door closed tightly, trapping Kjerag's millennia of dust within the hall. "Come here, the Great Elder is tired."

From this day forward, Kjerag will move towards the future, no matter whose hands it falls into.

——The Great Elder did not close his eyes. He just stared blankly at the road where Enya left. He suddenly recalled that when she went up the mountain, in addition to uneasiness, there was a kind of determination in her eyes that he could not understand.

...Ah...Saint, you really...became a saint...

He stretched out his hand as if trying to grab something, but he grabbed nothing except the stale air in the room.

Before he died, a hand stroked his head. He suddenly opened his eyes and saw Yaer, the maidservant of Enya, who had appeared out of nowhere.

"————, you should rest."

He finally heard that familiar yet unfamiliar name from her mouth. He was clearly excited, but before he could say anything, his life was like a burnt-out candle, blown out by a breeze.

-

"Huh... this road... seems to be the road for the selection of the Saint." At this time, Enxia finally climbed up the cliff and saw a small road that was partially submerged by wind and snow.

Enxia remembered that the night before the selection of the Saint, her sister seemed to have had a quarrel with her brother.

That night, my sister seemed to sit alone on the sofa in the living room until dawn.

She still remembered that when she told her sister that she would also like to participate in the selection of the Saint if she was not too old, her sister hit her head hard.

My sister is really strong and it really hurts when she hits people.

She didn't realize at the time that this would be the last time her sister beat her.

——It’s snowing.

Enxia looked up at the sky. It was covered by a thick layer of clouds. Heavy snow was pouring down, accompanied by mountain winds. As a professional climber, she knew that it was very dangerous to continue moving forward under such circumstances.

"Mrs. Yelagund really loves to joke around."

Chapter 40: No Man's Land

Although he said this, Enxia never had the thought of stopping.

She just wondered if it had snowed so heavily when her sister had taken this path. Since she was the saint's sister, Yelagund was probably testing her as well.

Never mind her...

Sister Nuoya had brought her here, so how could she possibly retreat? This little bit of snow and wind was supposed to stop the world's greatest climber?

On it!

"Are you planning on leaving me behind?" Kuro also climbed up, pulling on the rope. She wasn't good at rock climbing, but her physical strength was several times that of Enshia, so it wasn't difficult for her. She mastered the basic techniques of rock climbing. "I'll walk with you from now on."

"Hey~ Sister Kuro, you will definitely be fine. I feel that even if there is an avalanche, you can surf in it." Enxia said jokingly.

"I haven't tried it, but I can try it next time." Kuro thought seriously for a while, then showed an interested expression in Enxia's speechless eyes.

"I was just joking," Enxia whispered. However, she really needed to think about the next step. They were already very close to Manzhuyuan, but there was still a difficult road ahead. It was steep, narrow, and even completely empty in some places, filled with snow. Every step she took was accompanied by the fear of falling off the cliff.

How did my sister get through it...

Meanwhile, Actoros had already passed through the Holy Hunt enclosure and entered the woodlands of Saint Maiden Peak. Their presence naturally provoked a fierce attack from the local defenders, but the main force had been drawn in by the Doctor's troops. This was a surprise attack, one that caught everyone off guard. Nosis had initially believed that the Doctor and his men were feinting an attack on Manzhu Court, but were actually attacking the Shivaash family's territory, forcing Enthiodis to compromise by exchanging possessions—he even considered the possibility of Enthia being taken hostage.

But he was wrong. Rhodes Island would not use such despicable means. Their goal from the very beginning was the Holy Maiden Peak, Manzhuyuan, and the Holy Maiden.

Nosis thought he had figured out the filth and dirtiness of human nature, but he forgot that there are always some people who will move forward without hesitation.

After all, he is just a researcher. Although he has a good brain, he is not a true tactician.

He relies only on playing with the baser parts of human nature, but knows nothing about true tactical masters.

Special forces can be used as the main force at any time, and the main force can be used as special forces at any time. The way of war is real and false, false and real, and there is no fixed pattern.

What Nosis didn't expect was that he still didn't see through the arrangement of the Doctor and Noah. The team led by the Doctor seemed to be the main force, but in fact it was a feint to attract attention. Axtos seemed to be the main force, but in fact it was a surprise attack to attract attention.

The real surprise weapon is Enxia, ​​who is now on the path of becoming a saint.

Noah and the doctor have a perfect understanding on this point. They believe in the power of human hearts and believe that Enxia can bring her sister out.

I believe that Enxia and Enya will give them a chance to turn things around.

At this time, Noah, who was guarding under the cliff, held the holy bell given to him by Yaer tightly in his hands, and prayed silently for Enshia's safety. Although Kuro was by his side, facing this mountain, human power is ultimately limited. If something really happened, Kuro might not be able to protect Enshia.

...This snow came at such a perfect time...Yeragond.

But she still had some confidence because she had a conversation with Enshia before when she was in Rhodes Island.

She asked Enxia why he liked climbing mountains so much.

Enxia was a little embarrassed at the time, but still told her the real reason.

"Actually... I just want to fulfill my own wish."

Enxia actually knew.

She knew that her wish could not be fulfilled.

She had no way to bring her sister back home from Manzhuyuan.

She also had no way to make the relationship between her brother and sister better again.

How could he not guess what his brother wanted to do?

How could she really not see that the gap between her brothers and sisters was growing wider and wider?

But what can she do?

She doesn't like to cry, doesn't like to confide her troubles to others, and even less likes to give up.

She could only dig the mountaineering pick into the rock above her head, and she could only temporarily forget some of her troubles when she looked down at the scenery on the top of the mountain.

She liked the flying snow hitting her face, leaving traces like tear marks.

She had also seen climbers encounter accidents along the way, or just try to take a nap and never wake up again.

While climbing certain mountains, she would even give names to climbers who had died in accidents.

Green Boots, The Resting One, Sleeping Beauty—

Some of them were even only a few steps away from reaching the summit, but they were still bewitched by the mountain and could never get out.

Of course, mountain climbing is a very dangerous thing.

But when she reached the top of the mountain, she could forget everything, including all her worries, and experience the true pleasure of looking down on all the other mountains.

Mountain climbing has become an important way for her to relieve her emotions.

Moreover, when I was climbing, I always thought... one day I would climb the Holy Maiden Peak, and one day I would bring back my sister from Manzhuyuan.

Perhaps, ever since she fell in love with mountain climbing, this road has been the one she has always dreamed of.

"Sister, wait for me..." Enxia struggled forward, "I'm coming to save you."

-

Enxia and Kuro had no idea how long they had been marching, but they soon stopped. Before them stood a nearly complete army of Mountain Snow Demons—these demons had clearly just been transferred from the front lines, and the people who had mobilized them...

"Brother...you're too cautious." Enshia felt that he had underestimated his brother. He finally thought of this. Perhaps his hometown informed Enshiodis, or perhaps he knew Enshia too well, but his troops appeared here anyway.

There are probably more than a thousand people... No matter how hard I look at it, I can't get through.

“…Enshia, keep going.”

"What?!" Enxia looked at Kuro beside her in surprise as he drew his weapon and stepped forward. "Sister Kuro, there are more than a thousand people...you..."

"It's just a thousand or so worthless people. Just keep moving forward. I can handle these people." Kuro smiled. "Being able to spare these thousand people is already the limit. The doctor and the others won't give us that many chances."

"I……"

"Go ahead, or I'll throw you over there."

"I got it! Then I won't care about it anymore!" Enxia simply rushed forward. The Mountain Snow Ghost troops knew that they could only block and not hurt Enxia, ​​so facing Enxia's charge, they could only try to intercept as much as possible. However, these interceptions were directly pierced through in a golden flash in the next second. Kuro, who fell like lightning, held two maces in her hands and directly broke the weapons of the Mountain Snow Ghosts that were used to stop Enxia. She went deep into the Mountain Snow Ghost troops - as if she was in an empty space.

After Kuro took action, Enshia's path became smoother.

She once again understood why Sister Noah let Kuro follow her - Sister Kuro was as strong as a monster!

Chapter 41: Sisters Meeting

With Kuro's full efforts to clear the way, the thousand-member Mountain Snow Ghost Army was unable to stop the golden flash, allowing Enxia to break through the siege.

Finally, she arrived at the side of Manzhuyuan. She originally wanted to climb up directly, but she immediately heard the conversation between two soldiers.

"Alas... the mountain is in chaos, and the mountain is also in chaos."

"Yeah... The Great Elder fell just like that, and down below, Actor and that Doctor are attacking the defense line again... I thought we had already won."