Asura in Arknights

A place that qualifies as a mobile city could never be as dilapidated as a rural town. Li Ang and his group were simply deceived by the geographical location. If you think about it carefully, Sami's land area is only so big, and Hammerforst is not that far from other mobile cities.

"Alright, just take a look around. We have more important things to do now."

Seeing Magellan's restless and unsettled state, Li Ang warned, "As we agreed before, once our matter is resolved, we can help you find a treatment."

Hearing Li Ang say this, Magellan withdrew his gaze with some regret.

Having finally arrived at this place, Magellan really wanted to explore it. If possible, she even wanted to venture into the nearby Dark Mountains, since the name of the mountain range sounded very appealing to explorers.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work.

Magellan came to this place mainly to resolve the trouble in her heart, but he could only help her investigate clues related to Xue Si after Li Ang finished his work.

"So, what's the next step? Is there anything I can do to help?" Magellan asked.

"First, we need to find a place to stay, and then we need to find a local guide, as it is a bit of a problem since we don't speak Sami."

Upon hearing this, Magellan raised his head, looked at Li Ang, and said...

"Sami? I know that."

Chapter Forty-Eight: News of Parents

"What? You actually understand Sami?"

Hearing Magellan's words, Li Ang was somewhat surprised. "Then why didn't you mention this during the security check earlier?"

When entering the city, Li Ang had to use cryptic language with the inspectors for a while before he was able to enter Hammerfast because of the language barrier. If Magellan had spoken her Sami language earlier, it wouldn't have been so troublesome.

Magellan scratched his head somewhat sheepishly and said, "Because I'm scared. What if they find out about my problem?"

"They were discussing whether to test us for infection, but ultimately gave up because the language barrier would have made things too complicated. If I had stepped forward then, it would definitely have caused trouble."

For this reason, Magellan pretended not to understand anything and sat obediently in the back row.

Now that she's in the mobile city, she doesn't have as many worries. The city isn't that big, but it's not that small either. As long as they don't commit murder or arson, the police won't bother with them.

"I see."

Li Ang nodded. Magellan's concerns were indeed valid. Since that was the case, Li Ang decided not to dwell on what had just happened. "Wait a moment, I have something I want to discuss with Adele."

Although Magellan said she understood Sami, Leon did not rashly ask Magellan to be their translator.

Next, they will begin investigating Professor Nauman's matter. If Magellan is used as the translator, she will inevitably learn something about Adele. Therefore, before making a decision, Leon needs to obtain Adele's consent.

He leaned closer to Adele and whispered, "Adele, what do you think?"

However, Adele's gaze was somewhat unfocused at this moment, and she was not paying attention to this at all. She did not take Li Ang's question to heart at all, and just subconsciously hummed in agreement.

Since stepping onto Sami soil, Adele has seemed somewhat uneasy. After all, this is where her parents died, so it's understandable that she would behave this way.

"..."

Li Ang patted Adele on the back and whispered in her ear, "It's okay, I'm here."

It was only then that Adele came to her senses, looked up at Li Ang, and forced a somewhat strained smile.

"What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly."

“I just asked you, Magellan said she understands Sami, should we just ask her to be our guide? But if that’s the case… we might need to tell her some things about your aunt and uncle.”

Adele considered it for a moment, then nodded. "No problem, I trust her."

Indeed, Magellan was far more trustworthy than any guide randomly chosen from the local area.

Since Adele had already agreed, Leon had no objections. He turned to Magellan and said, "We just discussed it, and we'll leave the translation work to you for the time being."

Magellan's face lit up with a hint of joy. She was just about to press on with a question that had been on her mind for a long time when she saw Li Ang make a gesture, stopping her from asking any further questions.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but don't rush. Don't you think we should find a place to stay first?"

……

With Magellan acting as their translator, their communication with the locals went much more smoothly, and they found a suitable hotel without much effort.

After settling down their accommodations, the three of them gathered in one room, where Li Ang had some things he needed to tell Magellan.

As soon as he sat down, Magellan couldn't wait to say, "Now, I'm officially a member, right? Can you tell me what you've come to Sami for?"

This question had been on Magellan's mind for a long time. From the beginning, she had been puzzled by the timing of Li Ang and the other's journey to Sami. After experiencing the attack by the aliens and the events that occurred in the fortress, Magellan became even more curious about them.

With such strength and an acquaintance with the Grand Knight, he must be a big shot in Kazimierz. Why would someone like him quietly come to Sami? Is he planning to do something earth-shattering?

Now that he had finally found a suitable excuse, Magellan naturally wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Give me a little bit, so it will be easier for me to translate for you later."

“We’re here to investigate something,” Leon replied. “Adele’s parents came here a year ago and were murdered here. We’re here to find out why.”

Magellan's expression turned awkward. She never expected that Li Ang and the others would travel all the way to Sami for something like this.

She scratched her cheek and said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know this had happened. Please accept my condolences."

“It’s nothing, it’s not your fault,” Adele shook her head. “Anyway, I’ll leave the translation to you.”

"Don't worry, I'll definitely help," Magellan assured him, patting his chest. "What are your parents' names? What are their distinguishing features? When did they arrive here? I'll go and find out for you right away."

“Taylor Nauman, Janice Nauman, those are my parents’ names,” Adele said.

"Taylor...Janice?"

Upon hearing Adele's parents' names, Magellan paused, rubbing his forehead and repeatedly saying, "Wait, wait! Let me think... I feel like I've heard those names somewhere before."

The surname Nauman is not particularly rare, but it is not such a coincidence that the given names are the same. Magellan did indeed discover these two names from his own memory.

For some rather special reasons, she had a deep impression of these two people and even went out of her way to learn more about them. That's why Magellan was able to recall this memory immediately when Adele mentioned her parents.

Then she gestured rapidly in the air with her hands, "Is your father about this tall, wearing square-rimmed glasses, with grayish-brown hair? Is your mother about half a head shorter than your father, with the same reddish-brown hair color as you? Are they both scholars who study environmental issues?"

There's no mistake, this definitely refers to her parents.

Upon hearing this, Adele excitedly stood up and pressed Magellan's shoulder, asking, "That's my mother's research project. Have you seen them?"

"About four or five years ago, I met your parents once at Rhine Life."

"...Go and gather some information first."

After a moment's thought, Li Ang made this decision.

Chapter 49 Ecology

"Your uncle and aunt have been to Colombia?" Leon asked, quite surprised.

“I don’t know either…” Adele shook her head. “After that day, my father rarely told me where they went.”

At the time, Adele was busy with her studies, and since her parents were often away on trips, she didn't bother to find out what they did every day. Now she regrets it; if she had focused more on her parents, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now.

“What do you know?” Leon turned to Magellan and said with a serious expression, “This is very important to us.”

“Don’t rush me, let me think. This happened four or five years ago,” Magellan said, tapping his brow with his index finger as he tried to recall what had happened. “It was during my vacation. I think I… right, I went to Rhine Lab’s Ecology Department to improve some issues with the drones.”

“At the time, it was the head of the Ecology Department of Rhine Lab who personally received a couple, your parents, which is why I took notice of their situation. After all, not just anyone can get to be received by a head of the department,” Magellan said.

“But…aren’t they Leitanians? How come…” Magellan looked at the two of them with some confusion.

“Anyway, something happened. We’re living in Kazimierz now, but that’s not important,” Leon said. “You said the head of the ecology department received Adele’s parents. What did they talk about?”

Well...where you stay really doesn't matter.

“I don’t know,” Magellan shook his head and replied. “After all, I’m just an ordinary employee, how could I possibly know what the director is talking about?”

"However, I later heard someone say that after your parents finished talking with the director, they also asked around about the situation in Yan Country."

Yan Country... So, Professor Nauman's previous stop, or the stop before that, before going to Sami was Yan Country? That's incredible how fast they travel... Yan Country, Colombia, Sami, is there any place in the world they haven't been to?

This should be considered an unexpected bonus for them. Even if they couldn't find any clues in Sami and couldn't continue deciphering the contents of the notebook, they at least knew two places that Professor Nauman had been to.

"But... why Rhine Lab of all people?"

Columbia is so big, why did Professor Naumann choose to go to Rhine Life Sciences? And how did this information manage to reach their ears five years later, by sheer coincidence?

If they had refused Magellan's offer to be their translator a few minutes earlier, they might have missed this message forever.

Is this really just a coincidence?

Unexpectedly, after hearing Li Ang's mutterings, Magellan proudly puffed out his chest and said, "Of course it's because Rhine Life is so amazing! We're the best company in Columbia, so of course they'll come to us with any problems."

If only it were that simple… Seeing Magellan’s confidence, Li Ang felt somewhat helpless.

The problem is, Professor Nauman is no pushover. He can even use the power hidden in the Sarkaz incantations. Who knows if he has other hidden methods?

Even more tragically, despite having so many tricks up his sleeve, Dr. Nauman still died in Sami.

This is a bit troublesome... If they can't find any useful clues in Sami, Li Ang should consider whether their next stop is Yan or Colombia.

After Magellan finished speaking, Adele gradually calmed down. She released Magellan and asked with some anticipation, "Do you know anything else? What else did my parents do in Colombia?"

“That’s all I know,” Magellan replied. “But I can contact some acquaintances at headquarters and ask them to help me find out more.”

Now that they've entered the mobile city, Magellan can still contact Rhine Lab headquarters if she pays some price. She originally intended to use this method to seek help, and now she's just helping to inquire about Adele's parents.

However, almost five years have passed, and I wonder if anyone still remembers what happened back then.

Of course, the simplest way is to go directly to the head of the ecology department. She was the one who received the Naumans back then, so she must know what happened.

Compared to five years ago, Magellan has made significant contributions to Rhine Life, and her status within the company has risen considerably. With a little effort, she can still connect with people at the director level.

However… the thought of the head of the ecology department, that two-faced woman who was unscrupulous in her actions, made Magellan feel a sense of resistance. She really didn’t want to get involved with that woman.

In short, Magellan had already suppressed her plan to directly question the head of the ecology department. She would only resort to this plan if there was absolutely no other way. All of this was based on her ability to return home, which could be considered as repaying the life-saving grace of Leon and Adele.

"I'll go out and familiarize myself with the surroundings first, and then I'll go and find out about Professor Nauman for you."

Magellan then stood up and walked towards the door.

Now that her curiosity has been satisfied, it's time to fulfill her promise.

"and many more!"

Magellan had only taken one step when Leon pulled him back.

"What's wrong? Is there anything else?" Magellan turned around and asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Just to be on the safe side, let me ask you this: how do you plan to gather information? You're not going to... just randomly pick someone on the street and ask them if they've seen Dr. Nauman, are you?"

“No, that would be too inefficient,” Magellan replied matter-of-factly. “I plan to investigate all the hotels in the area first. If outsiders come to this city, they are very likely to stay in hotels, so we can quickly determine their whereabouts.”

"...You're really something."

Li Ang was speechless. "Yes, it's very efficient, but you die just as quickly."

"I'll ask you a question: if you were the one who murdered Professor Nauman, or a member of that organization, and you suddenly heard someone asking about Professor Nauman in public, what would you do?"

"I will... silence that person."

At this moment, Magellan realized how foolish he had been about to do.

If the person who murdered Professor Nauman is still in Hammerford, what she just did would be tantamount to suicide.

Magellan may have been very good at exploration, but she was not good at things like scheming and intrigue.

"Then what should I do?" Magellan asked humbly.

"I'll go with you next. Just ask me whatever questions I tell you to ask, and don't say a single unnecessary word."

Chapter Fifty: The People of Yan

Hammerford was very cold; even the midday sun felt icy, as if it had no warmth at all.

The residents here have long been accustomed to this climate, and those who couldn't adapt have already found ways to move out of the city.

In short, it's a city with a slow pace of life, where little changes happen for most of the year.

However, not long ago, the arrival of a group of guests injected a different kind of vitality into this border town. It was a group of forty or fifty Yan people. As soon as they entered the town, they caused quite a stir.

You can't even see a single foreigner here normally, let alone the even more mysterious Yan people.

Because strange rumors about the Yan people were circulating on the Terra continent, the townspeople showed considerable curiosity about them, and more than one person wanted to come and see what was going on.

However, these Yan people acted in a very low-key manner, giving the locals no chance to intervene.

After entering the city, they booked a hotel and everyone checked in together.

No one has come out of the hotel these days; all the curtains are drawn tightly shut, and nobody knows what they're doing there.

In reality, people come and go from the hotel every day, but most of them are not strong enough to detect their presence. Those who are able to detect them know how troublesome these Yan people are and will not come looking for trouble.