Arknights: The Scarlet Devil of Terra — Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Flandre’s Proposal

Alina pushed the heavy wooden cart with great effort, her breath misting in the freezing air as she finally arrived at the checkpoint.

Halt! Who are you, and what are you doing here?

Seeing a lone figure approaching the barricade, a heavily armored Ursus soldier immediately walked over, brandishing his polearm with a threatening glare.

Alina shrank back slightly, putting on a flawless look of startled innocence.

Good afternoon, officers… I am just a mountain dweller living nearby. Isn’t there a gathering over at Mickey Village today? I made some handicrafts at home and was planning to take them there to sell, just so I could buy a little grain to bring back.

She gestured weakly toward the sky, pulling her thin shawl tighter around her shoulders.

After all, winter is coming. Once the heavy snow falls in a little while, I do not know if I will have another chance to come down to the market. You officers are still out here working so hard even though winter is almost upon us. It must be exhausting work!

As Alina spoke her gentle words, she stepped aside and allowed the soldiers to rummage roughly through the items piled on her cart.

Pah, just another pauper!

Just as Alina had said, there were no valuable goods hidden on the cart. Most of the cargo consisted of little woven trinkets and crude baskets that mountain dwellers would occasionally craft to scrape by.

Seeing that there was nothing of worth on top, Alina tactfully fished out a few Ursus Para coins from her pocket and handed them over with a submissive bow. The soldiers weighed the meager coins in their hands and decisively chose to let her through the barricade.

Damn it, there is absolutely no profit to be made on this miserable route. Which idiot insisted on setting up a checkpoint out here in the middle of nowhere?

Sigh, just bear with it. I heard it was a direct decision from above. Apparently, the lords up in the capital raised taxes again, so the higher-ups had no choice but to arrange for us to stand out on these freezing country paths. They also know there is not much profit to squeeze out of these peasants, which is why they did not give us a strict quota to meet. Anyway, we can withdraw back to the barracks once the true north wind starts blowing.

Alina overheard the grumbling conversation between the two soldiers as she pushed her cart away, and she immediately started calculating the situation in her mind. Upon learning that this checkpoint was not specifically targeted at hunting down the Infected, the heavy weight in her chest lifted, and her mood improved considerably.

Seeing Alina successfully pass through the checkpoint from her hiding spot in the trees, Flandre also breathed a quiet sigh of relief. There were not many soldiers stationed there; Flandre could have killed them all without breaking a sweat. But for now, Flandre did not want to ruin her good image in Alina’s eyes by painting the snow red.

Did those guys make things difficult for Sister Alina?

After turning a snowy corner out of sight of the guards, Flandre appeared right in front of Alina, her crimson eyes scanning the older girl for any injuries.

Alina smiled and shook her head.

No, these things are just ordinary trinkets that those soldiers have no use for, so they did not intend to make things hard for me.

Flandre tilted her head and followed up with another question.

Then, are they out here to target the Infected?

No, the local nobles raised taxes again. Those people were simply assigned to these dirt roads to collect taxes from travelers.

Alina’s tone was very lighthearted now. The fact that these armed men were not here to look for trouble with the Infected was wonderful news to her. After passing the stressful checkpoint, the two girls quickened their pace through the frost-covered trees and soon arrived at their destination for the day, Mickey Village.

Wow, it is so lively here!

Compared to the dead silence of the Infected camp, the people here seemed far more vibrant and full of life. With the seasonal gathering taking place, there were crowds of villagers coming and going through the muddy streets.

Alina took Flandre to find an open space near the center of the village to set out the woven items they had brought, and then she stood there and began to politely hawk her wares to the passing crowd. Flandre found this sort of mundane activity very novel. She stood right behind Alina, perfectly imitating her waving motions and bright smiles.

Since they could only rely on these woven goods to make money, the Infected back at the camp had put extra care and desperate effort into making them. The appearance and durability of these woven items were top-tier in the local market. Coupled with her warm and generous personality, the things Alina brought were soon completely sold out.

Holding the heavy pouch of coins, Alina took Flandre by the hand and handled through the crowd to the large warehouse in the village where bulk grain was sold.

The biggest difference between Mickey Village’s market and the others is that they do not charge extra stall fees here, so many poor families take advantage of the market to buy and sell what they need. That is why this is the liveliest market in the entire area. Also, the grain reserves here are very sufficient, and the prices are usually the lowest in the region. We should be able to bring back quite a lot today.

Alina whispered the explanation to Flandre as they waited in line. Soon, it was their turn at the counter. Alina took out all the copper and silver coins they had earned and handed them over to the merchant.

After counting the coins with a bored expression, the man looked down at them.

This money can buy three hundred catties of grain in total.

That is not right. I remember this much money should be able to buy at least three hundred and fifty catties! Alina asked, her eyes wide and puzzled.

Winter is coming, so grain prices naturally go up. Are you buying or not? If not, move aside for the next person.

Alina bit her lip hard. If prices had risen even here in Mickey Village, they would likely be completely unaffordable in other settlements. But with fifty catties less than expected, many starving people back at the camp would have to tighten their belts even further for a while.

I will buy it. Three hundred catties it is! she said firmly, desperately holding back the tears of frustration welling in her eyes.

The heavy sacks of grain were soon loaded onto her wooden cart. Noticing Alina’s low spirits as they walked away, Flandre pulled out the sweet candy Alina had given her earlier and held it up.

Do not be sad, Alina. How about Flandre goes back and kills him?

Alina gasped, immediately grabbing Flandre’s hand and shaking her head vigorously.

No, please do not! It is not his fault that the prices changed.

Sister Alina really is a gentle person! Flandre tilted her head, her wings twitching slightly.

Let us go! Alina looked back at the towering granary one last time, then pulled Flandre close and pushed the small cart away toward the village exit without looking back.

On the long walk back through the frozen wilderness, Alina suppressed her own sadness and told Flandre cheerful stories to pass the time until they returned to the Ursus checkpoint. Since she was the only traveler moving back and forth on this desolate road today, the bored people at the checkpoint only did a simple, lazy check. After confirming the cart was filled with nothing but basic grain, they waved her through directly.

Flandre, who had quietly bypassed the checkpoint from the dense forest side, looked behind her. Three identical versions of herself were standing off to the side in the snow, each carrying a massive sack that looked to weigh at least two or three hundred catties. Earlier, when they were leaving the village, Flandre had seen Alina’s devastated expression and simply could not help but sneak back to that warehouse to swipe some extra supplies.

Once they met up again on the safe side of the road, Flandre took the initiative to admit her actions.

That bad guy made Sister cry. Flandre already gave him face by not killing him. Flandre swiped these with her own skills, so just take them, Sister!

Alina stared at the three bulging sacks of premium grain, completely at a loss for words, not knowing whether to cry or laugh at the absurd sight.

But stealing is bad behavior! Alina finally said, her voice gentle but scolding.

Then Flandre promises there will not be a next time! Flandre answered decisively, puffing out her chest.

Alright… since you have already brought them all the way out here, it is impossible to send them back safely. But there strictly must not be a next time!

Alina reached out and lightly flicked Flandre’s forehead.

Ouch! Okay, Flandre understands, there will not be a next time.

Flandre clutched her forehead with a pitiful, exaggerated look, making Alina laugh out loud again, the heavy burden in her heart finally lifting. They had originally expected to bring back three hundred and fifty to four hundred catties of grain, but now they were bringing back nearly one thousand two hundred catties. Suddenly, the camp’s winter stores were going to be much more abundant.

As for the village granary… in such a massive storage facility, the sudden loss of a few hundred catties of grain would not be discovered for quite a while. Plus, with the local nobles occasionally sending their own thugs to take some off the top, it would likely just be written off as standard shrinkage and would not attract anyone’s serious attention.

Naturally, Alina’s small wooden cart could not move over a thousand catties of grain at once. Besides the two sacks placed on the cart, Flandre easily carried one massive sack in a back basket and carried another by hand, casually following behind Alina as if the crushing weight was nothing but air.

When the two finally returned to the hidden base, the sight of so much precious grain drew bursts of shocked exclamations from the starving Infected.

Yelena, who had stayed behind, came over to ask about the situation. Because she knew very well that the meager trinkets Alina took could have bought a third of this massive haul at most. After hearing Alina’s helpless explanation, she also looked at Flandre with a complex mix of amusement and exasperation.

However, the matter of those new checkpoints you mentioned is indeed worth paying attention to. I will instruct everyone to try and avoid going out lately. To avoid running into patrolling Ursus soldiers.

The news about the checkpoints that Alina recounted drew even more concern from Frostnova. With Talulah currently absent from the camp, she could only issue a strict notice in Patriot’s name, telling the Infected at the base not to appear on the main roads easily.

Lest they be discovered by those soldiers.

Then she also relayed this urgent news to Talulah through their communication channels. Talulah completely agreed with her cautious course of action upon receiving the news. Ursus was about to enter the brutal depths of winter; no matter how restless the camp residents were, moving through the blinding wind and snow was much safer than risking a direct confrontation with the regular Ursus army.

In the late evening, just as Flandre was preparing to rest in her quarters, she suddenly heard a quiet, mournful commotion not far away. She walked out into the freezing night and found everyone standing around, watching in absolute silence as an elderly woman walked out of a nearby cabin. She was dressed very thinly for the weather, nodding and smiling peacefully to those around her as she walked.

The others also responded in pure silence, slowly making a path for her, and the old woman just walked forward into the howling wind, snow, and darkness. Two sturdy Infected men followed closely behind her, each holding a heavy iron shovel.

Flandre had some dark guesses about what this ritual meant. She turned to look at Alina and found that Alina also had a face full of deep sadness, her hands clasped tightly together.

Grandma Asari’s illness has reached its final stage. She did not want to die indoors, saying that cleaning up the infected dust would be too much trouble and might infect the healthy people moving into the cabin later. So she prepared her own burial plot out in the wasteland long ago. She did not even want to wear an extra layer of clothing tonight, saying she wanted to leave everything in the house for everyone else to use.

Oripathy?

There was a very detailed, clinical explanation of this exact thing in Flandre’s inherited memories. And according to that ancient explanation, Oripathy was not some extremely dangerous curse; on the contrary, it was meant to be a positive physical enhancement. It was just that the mortal people of Terra were far too weak and could not manage to rely on Originium to strengthen themselves, which is why their bodies broke down and it became like this.

What should have been pure Originium energy with positive evolutionary effects was turned into a gruesome terminal illness by the fragile little animals of Terra. But seeing how genuinely sad everyone around her was, Flandre did not feel it was right to comment on the truth of their suffering.

On the next day, Flandre found Yelena.

Flandre has news about an organization that treats Oripathy. Flandre wonders if you are interested?

There are many shady organizations in Terra that claim to treat Oripathy, and we have come into contact with quite a few of them over the years. For example, some of the suppression agents we use now were provided by those exact organizations.

Yelena spoke patiently with Flandre, used to the young girl’s sudden ideas.

At that exact moment, Flandre saw that massive, towering figure passing by the tents.

Mr. Buldrokkas’tee, Flandre has some information she hopes you can judge.

Both Yelena and Buldrokkas’tee looked at Flandre in sheer surprise. Because it was out in the open that Buldrokkas’tee did not like Flandre’s chaotic nature. So Flandre usually would not take the initiative to seek him out, let alone ask about his serious business. Today, she actually, for the very first time, hoped to get help from Buldrokkas’tee.

Buldrokkas’tee also froze in his tracks for a second before his deep, rumbling voice echoed out.

Speak. What is it?

Flandre organized her words carefully before saying, Remember what Flandre told you before about the Sarkaz civil war?

Buldrokkas’tee nodded slowly. Although he did not care much about the modern Sarkaz civil war anymore, he was still a Sarkaz by blood after all, so he would still naturally pay attention to such news.

After the Princess was defeated, her remnants did not completely scatter into the wind. Instead, they reorganized under a doctor named Kal’tsit and formed a highly advanced medical organization called Rhodes Island. This organization travels all over Terra in the name of treating Oripathy, and they do indeed have some incredible skill. While they cannot say they have fully cured Oripathy, the drugs they have developed are indeed very effective at delaying its onset and providing critical emergency treatment for patients experiencing severe flare-ups.

Flandre paused, letting the heavy information sink in.

Flandre’s idea is that the Reunion Movement could send someone to contact them. The Reunion Movement is an organization of the Infected, and they promote helping everyone control Oripathy; there is no ideological conflict between the two groups. As for whether their identity is sensitive, Flandre thinks it is a bit too arrogant to talk about such trivial political things in the face of death.

The Reunion Movement is currently trapped in Ursus, and Rhodes Island’s reach does not extend here yet. Whether you use them or reach a mutual cooperation, the final say is entirely yours. And as the side that lost the Sarkaz war, Flandre thinks if the last Wendigo is willing to extend a hand of friendship, they likely will not refuse a request for medical cooperation.

Flandre expressed her views entirely from the practical perspective of the Reunion Movement’s survival.

After she finished speaking, both Buldrokkas’tee and Frostnova fell into deep thought. Buldrokkas’tee was quietly recalling the ancient people and bloody events of the Sarkaz, while Frostnova was indeed somewhat moved by the logic.

Just as Flandre said, regardless of the other party’s mysterious background, Ursus was an extremely xenophobic and isolated place. Their enemies’ reach could not get in, so as long as they were still hiding within Ursus territory, the absolute initiative would remain in the hands of the Reunion Movement. In that case, they could indeed try to safely cooperate with them; after all, the Reunion Movement had absolutely nothing of value to steal, so it would be hard for the other party to get anything malicious from them. And on their side, even if they only obtained some basic suppression agents from the other party, it could greatly ease the daily dying pressure on the team.

Should we wait for Talulah to come back and ask?

Although Frostnova was tempted by the proposal, the one who could make the final strategic decisions for the Reunion Movement was not her, nor her father, but Talulah.

Buldrokkas’tee nodded slightly, which could be taken as agreement with Frostnova’s suggestion.

Write… the details down. When Talulah… returns, give them to her.

Buldrokkas’tee spoke his heavy words one agonizing syllable at a time.

Alright!

Seeing that the towering Wendigo had not rejected her proposal outright, Flandre turned and left the area with a bright, satisfied smile.

Old Stubborn, do you think it is possible Flandre is one of Theresa’s people?

After Flandre left earshot, Frostnova looked at Buldrokkas’tee and asked quietly.

Buldrokkas’tee slowly shook his horned head.

Why are you so certain? Frostnova looked at him, puzzled by his immediate dismissal.

Her words… show no respect… for that Highness.

That’s it? Frostnova didn’t know much about the deep cultural reverence of the Sarkaz, and she didn’t understand why the Old Stubborn would be so absolutely certain based on just this one minor point of etiquette.

You don’t understand… the Sarkaz. I do!

Buldrokkas’tee looked silently towards the snowy path where Flandre had left, his glowing red eyes narrowing as he failed to quite understand the girl himself. Was she really a Sarkaz?