Chapter 20: Treasure and Living Fosil

Initially, I had planned to fly to the target with Grani and Carol. However, Skadi showed up, and let’s just say she’s heavier than I expected. Orga couldn’t move at all with her on his back, which seemed to sour Skadi's mood. Her expression remained unchanged, but I could see Grani struggling to hold back her laughter.

It's been so long since this treasure hunting adventure began, reminiscent of the first Arknights event. It brings tears to my eyes to realize how much time has passed—so many OP units and so little time to save up for gacha pulls, especially with limited units appearing every six months or even less during collaboration events.

Now that we’re in the mountains, I’m floating thanks to the floating art included in my outfit. Since Awakened Horizon has a floating ability, I prepared for any potential fights by summoning two giant arms right behind me, equipped with a pair of guns and a pair of swords.

The only difference between me and Horizon is our hair and eye color—mine differs from her white hair and blue eyes. But now that I think about it, she is a robot, right?

So far, we haven't encountered any enemies, but I remember that the enemy will likely be waiting at the target. I wonder how they found it. Skadi may lack in daily life, but in battle, she becomes incredibly focused and transforms into a completely different person. They probably followed us from the beginning.

There’s a chance they are tracking us, but that makes things more exciting for me since I have some idea of what the treasure is. Speaking of treasure, it’s slowly reminding me of my past life, where I used to play treasure hunt games with my family.

This brings to mind the 5 Ws and 1 H questions about what happened after my death: Where was my death location? Why did I die in the first place? When did my death occur? Who was I truly? How did I reincarnate? Unfortunately, these questions remain unanswered, as I barely remember my past life when I take a moment to reflect on it.

It’s almost like a fragment of a thought. When I tried to piece it together, I realized those pieces didn't fit because they belonged to another set. This meant my memory is full of holes, but I’m on a mission now, so I’ll think about it later—if I remember.

While I wasted time looking at the scenery and helping Grani and Skadi, who occasionally fought over trivial matters, we finally arrived at our destination. To my surprise, the enemies were already there—bounty hunters. It made me wonder how they had arrived so quickly.

The fight, if you could even call it that, was mostly handled by Skadi, as expected. Now that I think about it, her sword is special; no one else can wield it, according to the original lore. I’m sure I couldn’t lift it normally, but if I enchanted myself, I might be able to.

However, there was no chance to prove it. In the end, everything unfolded like the original timeline, but this time they offered me some of the treasure, which I declined since I’m not really in need of money. This probably made things a bit different from the original.

Since my mission is to help them, I realize now that it might not be necessary. Even without Big Bob, they would likely be fine. I had forgotten that Grani still has Kazimierz blood, which is evident when looking at her race.

Later on, I remembered that not every Kuranta has Kazimierz origins—like Narantuya, who is from Sargon. Grani was born in Victorian, but she still has Kazimierz blood. I recalled that Victoria and Kazimierz are closely related, so it’s not surprising. Still, there’s a small chance that every Kuranta carries Kazimierz blood.

For now, I’m making a special sheath for Skadi's sword, as she and Grani want to hitch a ride to Rhodes Island. I wanted to refuse at first, but Grani's cuteness convinced me otherwise. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve crafted a sheath just to demonstrate how heavy Skadi’s sword is. In fact, I can somehow lift it.

(It’s a surprise that Grani doesn’t believe me and tries to lift it herself, only to slip and hit her back on a giant rock. Just how heavy is this thing?)

In the end, after using my second skill, I finally managed to create a functional sheath. However, once Skadi placed her sword in it, the sheath changed color to match the sword, making it look cooler and fit better. I decided to ignore it, as there are many amazing things in Arknights, like Sutr and Ilfrit.

Now that I think about it, both of them are patients of Oripathy as well. Perhaps I can absorb their power. I wonder if it would be like Amiya, where I couldn't copy her abilities at all since they came from a different source.

As I pondered this, we slowly started to fly. Now that I've managed to prevent Orga from radiating Oripathy, maybe I should try the next experiment—seeing if he can take on a human form. But then I realized, if he turns out to be female, should I change the name? I created Orga without considering gender in the first place.

At that moment, I was enjoying Grani's tight hug as she shook from fear, probably because we were flying really fast—about 100 km/h, though that's just my estimate. Skadi, on the other hand, seemed completely still, too afraid to move at all.

In the end, we spotted Rhodes Island on the horizon after approximately 12 hours of flying to reach them.

I was reprimanded by Kal'tsit for permitting Granni to employ a highly dangerous method involving her blood and for acting without proper authorization. I had overlooked this, so I acknowledge that it was partially my responsibility.

The reprimand continued for an extended period, and I became so accustomed to it that I began to zone out whenever the same points were reiterated. I made every effort to prevent Kal'tsit from noticing my distraction.

After what felt like an eternity, we were finally dismissed. I slowly guided Skadi to the roof of the Rhodes Island ship.

"Suppress the Seaborn blood?" she inquired.

"Yes," I replied. "I heard from others that you are seeking a way to suppress your Seaborn blood. I thought about it and made this, but it's still a prototype. Could you please inform me later if it proves effective?"

The necklace I designed aims to disrupt the hive mind of the Seaborn; however, there is a significant concern: Ishar'mla is a Firstborn, which may limit its effectiveness. To mitigate this risk, I have also provided a pill that will induce Oripathy, signaling me for rescue.

"What is this pill?" Skadi asked.

"It's an Oripathy pill. If you sense that the equipment is failing and your Seaborn blood begins to assert control, take this. It will suppress the Seaborn blood long enough for me to assist you."

Skadi nodded slowly, but I could see determination in her eyes; she was not ready to give up. This reassured me as I took her hand.

"Although we have only known each other for a brief period, I regard you as a comrade, much like Granni. So, please, do not disappear on us."

Hearing my words, Skadi slowly nods as she walks away, heading for another mission, likely to meet the rest of her squad. I can only hope that the failsafe works, as I don't want Ishar'mla taking over Skadi and ruling the land.

I then make my way to the medical center where Ilfrit is. As I approach, I notice Silence, who has dark circles under her eyes, indicating she hasn't slept. I gently inform her that I can try to suppress Diablo, as I now face Ilfrit.

As expected, Ilfrit's bratty behavior is strong. At first, she struggles, but when she hears Silence, she quiets down. I take her hand and begin absorbing the Originium inside her body. Suddenly, I find myself standing in a black space.

"This is different from Amiya's situation, but I suppose that's normal since Amiya used a device to suppress the Black Crown in the first place."

"Who are you, brat, to enter this place?"

This is a surprise. I recognize Diablo's silhouette from Ilfrit's E2 art, but he looks just like Mon3tr, with the only difference being the flames. Perhaps it's because we're not in the real world, or maybe my resistance to art and flames is high enough that I don't feel the heat.

"You really have some nerve to ignore me, brat."

"Oh no, Diablo. I was just thinking about something since this is an unexpected situation for me. But have you seen Ilfrit?"

"Ilfrit? Oh, you mean that brat. She's over there."

Diablo points to a corner where I see Ilfrit trapped inside a cage made of fire. This makes me wonder why she's in a cage.

"Well, that brat dared to say she would tame me and take my power, so I put her in her place."

Hearing that, I can't help but giggle; it sounds just like Ilfrit. However, this poses a challenge, as I now need to convince Diablo to let Ilfrit borrow his power, and I'm not sure how to do that.

"This is a complicated situation for me because I want to contain her rampage. From what you've said, it seems this is happening because she is forcing you to give her power."

"Yeah, and she's too early to be sprouting that nonsense. I will only lend my power if she can at least contain half of it."

"I don’t think that’s possible right now since she’s hotheaded and impatient. By the way, I want to ask something: since you are just a shard, does that mean I can transfer you to me?"

"Hmm...? That’s an interesting suggestion. I can see that your body can indeed contain my power, but I’ve already taken an interest in this kid, so I will watch her grow."

(Oh, that’s surprising. But if he’s already taken an interest in Ilfrit...)

"How about this: for now, I will contain most of your power. Since it originally belongs to you, you can take it back when Ilfrit is in trouble, but I will hold it until she can master it."

"Interesting. Alright, if you can free Ilfrit from her cage, then I will accept your proposal."

(First hurdle complete, I guess. But the problem is: should I use ice art? Can I even use art in this space?)

In the end, to play it safe, I absorbed the fire that trapped Ilfrit, and it worked. At the same time, I noticed there were no signs of Oripathy on her skin anymore.

"Well, it looks like the contract is established."

Saying this, Diablo slowly cut off his hand, which transformed into a small version of himself and entered Ilfrit. Diablo then grinned as he slowly turned into flames and went into my right eye.

"Then for now, let's work together. As for the price to contain me, I will take your right eye until the contract ends, at which point I will return it."

As I spoke, I noticed a crack in this space. When it broke, I found myself still sitting, facing Ilfrit, who had a shocked expression. She pulled her hand back, looking angry, but the flames she emitted were smaller than they should have been, which made me relieved.

"Huh...? What happened to my fire?"

"It’s working, Orisa?"

"Yes, be quiet for now. I managed to make a contract with Diablo inside Ilfrit's body. She won’t rampage anymore."

Hearing this, Ilfrit charged toward me in a fury, swinging her fiery fist. I caught her hand and simultaneously released a small portion of Diablo fire.

"Impossible, Diablo..."

"Oh, don't worry. It's just a temporary contract. If you can learn to control your power, I'll return it to you."

With that, I gently released Ilfrit, sensing that she needed some time alone. However, I noticed Silence gripping my hand, her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at me.

"T-t-thank you, thank you, thank you..."

She began to cry softly as I hugged her and patted her back. At least I had relieved some of Silence's burdens, but I now needed to think about mending their complicated relationships, especially with Saria. Both Saria and Ilfrit were like Skadi, struggling to express their emotions.

(At least they are taking a step forward, though I think it will be challenging for Ilfrit since she wants to pursue both Silence and Saria.)

With that thought in mind, I slowly looked up.