Asura in Arknights

Then, Ryan hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Leon, although what I'm saying might be a bit redundant, you absolutely must protect that girl..."

"Of course, I won't let Adele get hurt in the slightest."

Isn't this exactly what Li Ang has always been doing? He wants to walk with this girl into the future.

-------------------------------------

After that, Li Ang quietly left the room.

This was their last time in Kazimierz, so Leon didn't disturb Adele, leaving her and Sarah alone.

Moreover, Li Ang still has a few things left to resolve.

After wandering around Lightbringer Manor twice, Leon found Shining, who was taking care of Liz, who was bedridden.

The sanctuary that Liz had released was forcibly broken by Leon, which was a further blow to her already weakened body. It took her so many days of rest before she showed any signs of improvement.

During this time, Shining stayed by Liz's side the whole time, and if it weren't for that, Shining might have joined them.

At this moment, Shining had already noticed Li Ang's arrival, so Li Ang did not go to knock on the door, but quietly waited for Shining outside the room.

After a while, once Liz finished her treatment, Shining came out.

As soon as she came out, Shining said, "You came to see me this time because of that problem from before, right? I thought you had forgotten about it."

During this time, Shining was somewhat restless because Li Ang had not come to see her to ask the question that was the condition for the exchange. She only met him once, which was because he was about to go to Sami.

Now that Li Ang has finally come to her door, Shining can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"How could that be? I was just quite busy before, and I only managed to find a little time now," Li Ang replied with a smile. "Anyway, the questions I need to ask aren't complicated, so I'll get them sorted out before we leave."

"...Shall we talk somewhere else?"

"No need, let's just say it here. There are no outsiders here anyway."

Shining took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself, and said in a low voice, "Ask away."

"What I want to ask is very simple: why did you name your organization 'Apostles' in the first place?"

P.S. Oops, I set the scheduled update date wrong! I just checked and it's set to November 26th!

This timer only allows you to set the timer duration; it can't upload immediately. How silly!

Chapter Twelve: What is an Apostle?

"Or let me put it another way, do you... know the meaning of the word 'Apostle'?"

Upon hearing Li Ang's question, Shanling secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the question wasn't about her dark past.

The origin of the name 'Apostle' is somewhat complicated, but for Shining, it is not a secret that cannot be told.

However, Shining is now somewhat confused.

Why did you even think of asking that?

When they first met, Shining had already mentioned the name, and Li Ang had no doubts at the time. So why is he suddenly asking this question now?

Don't answer questions with questions, you idiot!

Li Ang mentally scoffed, then answered Shining's question, "Because I heard that word from Adams during our previous battle, I wanted to ask if there's any connection between your organization's name and the 'Apostle' he mentioned."

"I see." Upon hearing Li Ang's explanation, Shanling nodded in understanding.

Since it came from Adams, there's nothing strange about it.

The fact that the other party knows the secrets of the 'Black Festival' and modifies the entire ritual to create their own unique Originium Arts means that this is no longer a realm that ordinary people can enter.

The commotion they caused during their battle a few days ago could be seen throughout the entire Grand Knight Territory. Although the official report stated that it was due to a reactor overload caused by improper operation, Shining, as one of the participants, clearly knew the ins and outs of the entire incident.

Shining then replied, "You guessed right, the meaning of 'Apostle'... is indeed as you thought."

"I guess you're asking if we have a connection with some kind of deity, right?"

Li Ang nodded silently.

"I'm sorry... you've got the wrong person."

"I chose this name simply to commemorate someone, someone who... has already died."

Li Ang could sense that she wasn't lying.

When that person was mentioned, Li Ang could feel the complex emotions surging within Shining's heart: admiration, regret, sadness, and above all, deep self-reproach.

Judging from Shining's expression, she clearly didn't want to continue the conversation on this topic. However, after a moment of silence, she changed the subject and said, "But if you are interested in 'immortals,' I can provide you with some information."

"It is said that there are still true 'immortals' active in Ursus, but I do not recommend that you go there to find them. All immortals... are true monsters. Even if their strength is not comparable to the top experts, they may still possess some very strange abilities."

So, what's called power...?

Judging from Shining's tone, it was as if she had personally faced a certain 'immortal' before.

Perhaps the death of the "person" that Shining spoke of was related to the "immortal" she had once faced.

...The Kazdel Civil War, which just ended a year ago?

If there's any place that could conceal the arrival of the immortals, it would probably be that battlefield that has stretched for decades.

Leon wisely refrained from pressing the matter further. Shining's answer had already given him an unexpected surprise: immortals active within Ursus... This information was highly credible and might come in handy sometime.

Afterwards, Shining told Leon everything she knew about the 'Apostles' and the 'Immortals'.

After verifying the information from both sources, Li Ang found that the information he received from Adams was basically correct. It seems that Adams was really very confident at the time and did not hide a single word from Li Ang.

Unfortunately, he ultimately met with a tragic downfall.

“Well then, I have another question, which is about those Sarkaz incantations.”

Upon hearing this, Shining subconsciously frowned.

"I have told Miss Eyjafjalla everything I know about the Sarkaz incantation, without holding anything back."

"I am just a warrior, and I don't delve into things that only wizards study. Even if you have questions for me, I'm afraid I can't answer them."

“No,” Li Ang shook his head slightly and said, “I just want to ask, does this kind of sacrificial text... possess some kind of power? Can this script be used to achieve some special effects?”

Are you referring to 'ritual'?

Shining didn't hide anything this time. After thinking for a few seconds, she replied, "The Sarkaz wizards can use some ancient and complex spells through incantations. This should be the world's earliest Originium Arts. However, most of the ways to use incantations have been lost. Perhaps only a very small number of people have preserved the way to use incantations."

Professor Nauman left a small 'ritual' in his notebook? Leon nodded thoughtfully.

"So, as long as you master the sacrificial text and the method of constructing the ritual, anyone can use that ritual?"

“That’s impossible,” Shining replied without hesitation. “The ritual has very strict requirements on the bloodline of the person performing it. Only a small number of Sarkaz with ancient bloodlines can perform it. It’s not something that everyone can do.”

"If the bloodline doesn't meet the requirements, the sacrificial text is at best just ordinary writing..."

However, Shining hesitated at this point.

If only those with ancient bloodlines can perform the ritual, then what about the ritual she discovered earlier that resembled a 'black celebration'?

So, after saying that, Shining added, "I'm not entirely sure either. Maybe there's a way to bypass this restriction, but I just don't know it."

"...Did you discover something?"

A ritual that only the ancient Sarkaz can perform? If that's the case, does that mean the vampire bloodline is ancient?

Didn't Byron's bloodline just happen to exhibit atavism? If you have the chance, you could try to find him and see if you can.

“It’s nothing,” Leon subtly changed the subject, preventing Shining from thinking about Dr. Nauman’s notes. “It’s just that I once saw a broken stone platform with some strange symbols carved on it. I now know that they are Sarkaz incantations.”

Then, Li Ang casually described to Shining what he had seen in the image of the Originium Will.

"That must be an abandoned altar, and it sounds like it's of a high level... I didn't expect something like that to still be preserved."

"However, without a priest to preside over the ceremony, even the most powerful altar is just a pile of broken stones."

P.S. Uh oh, I'm suddenly experiencing writer's block. I need to catch up on Atlas of Madness.

Calvin, later tonight

rt,orz……

I'm experiencing some writer's block, so the update will be a little late today.

Last week was so unpredictable that I didn't have time to write anything. This week I have to get a nucleic acid test every two days, it's exhausting. I'll try to save some more over the weekend...

.....................................

Chapter Thirteen: A New Journey

“Miss Shining, thank you for your cooperation. Now we're even.” Li Ang nodded and said with satisfaction.

Exchanging some outdated information for this information was a worthwhile deal.

The information that Shining told him was difficult to obtain through ordinary channels. If he had missed this opportunity, it would have taken a lot of trouble to figure it out. At least Li Ang himself was very satisfied.

However... Shining has a different opinion on this.

She shook her head and said, "No... this is not enough."

"You may not think it's a big deal, but compared to the information you gave me, I've put in so little effort."

With that, Shining bowed deeply to Li Ang, "And for all the things I did before, I must pay a sufficient price."

"Liz and I will stay in Kazimierz for the time being. Once Liz is feeling better, I will definitely not refuse to help her if she needs anything."

Logically speaking, one should make a quick getaway after getting a good deal, so why is Shining raising the price? Li Ang doesn't quite understand Shining's way of thinking. One thing is certain: Shining... even values ​​Liz more than himself.

"Uh, okay." Li Ang scratched his head.

Since the other party took the initiative to propose it, Li Ang really had no reason to refuse.

"However, let's talk about these things when we get back. It's getting late, and we need to leave soon."

"Please be careful, both of you. Have a safe journey."

Watching Li Ang disappear around the corner of the corridor in the distance, Shining slowly withdrew her gaze.

-------------------------------------

When Li Ang arrived outside the manor, Adele was already dressed and waiting quietly in the car.

However, at this time, only Renn and Marna were by her side.

“You’ve finally arrived,” Ryan said with a sigh of relief upon seeing Li Ang. “I thought something else had happened.”

“Something happened that delayed me for a little while,” Li Ang said apologetically, scratching his head. “But it’s all right now.”

"Anyway, it's good that everything is alright."

Li Ang nodded, then asked, "What about the others? Have they all gone back?"

“Sarah is staying inside. It’s a bit chilly outside, so I didn’t let her come out,” Ryan replied.

As for the three from the Rinko family...

“They’re acting suspiciously, I don’t know what they’re up to, just ignore them,” Marna said casually.

“Alright.” Leon shrugged and said to Marner, “Then I’ll leave the rest to you after I’m gone.”

"Can I refuse?" Marna asked with a stern face.

"I didn't force you. If you really don't want to do it, you don't have to. But the problem is... do you even have a choice?"

“Okay…” Marna sighed helplessly.

Leon is right. Marna really had no choice. This was a task directly imposed on him by the Supervisory Council, or rather, the Grand Knight Commander.

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) naturally couldn't completely trust Li Ang, an outsider. By placing Marna in the company, it was, in a sense, a way to check and balance him. Considering their past relationship, Marna was the most suitable candidate.

Moreover... among all the trustworthy people within the Supervisory Council, only Marna is such a freak, giving up a perfectly good knight to become a low-level corporate slave.

However, Marna has now turned his life around. He's wearing a brand new suit, a gold-rimmed watch, and gold-rimmed glasses, and he finally looks like a successful person. The only thing that hasn't changed is the short sword he hides under his clothes.

"I won't ask about the specifics, since I don't understand them anyway. Let's just continue with the previous arrangements."

"..."

Marna adjusted his glasses and said, "Then let me ask you another question: aren't you worried about the cash flow drying up if you suddenly change your previous strategy?"

Pol Pharmaceuticals has already suffered a severe blow. The safest course of action now is to focus on recovery rather than rashly changing its development plans.

“Isn’t this what the SEC wants?” Li Ang said calmly. “If we want to stabilize those infected people, this is a necessary step to take, isn’t it?”

“And one of the companies capable of doing this is Pol Pharmaceuticals… to be precise, it should be that Director A.”

"If the funding chain breaks, I don't think the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) would just stand by and do nothing, would it?"