Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. What decent person carries sacks of rice up and down a building every day...?" Chen said with a solemn face after hearing Swire's words, but the corners of her mouth kept twitching upward and then pressing down. Clearly, she had gone over every sad thing that had ever happened in her life just to hold back her laughter.

Hoshiguma, who understood what Suika had said, wore an even stranger expression. She had heard the term "eighth-grader syndrome" before, but other people at least got it in middle school. Suika was barely the size of an elementary schooler, yet she was already showing symptoms.

"Watch less anime. The stuff in there isn't realistic."

After saying that, Hoshiguma handed the result to Suika.

Suika did not feel upset after reading that she had been ordered to leave by a deadline.

More precisely, Old Wei had already been quite generous with the terms written there.

After all, the deadline gave her a full six months. That was enough time for her to walk from Lungmen back to the Eastern Country.

Of course, she had no intention of going there.

And there were a full five hundred thousand Lungmen Dollars as well.

Although this currency was issued by Lungmen, Suika had learned that the surrounding countries and regions all recognized it for circulation and use.

And if she needed to travel far away, she could deposit the money in a bank. For example, Suika knew that Lungmen had banks from Leithanien, Victoria, Columbia, and Ursus that handled cash exchanges.

"This result is much better than I expected. Don't be sad, Sister Hoshiguma. Didn't they give me six months?"

Seeing Hoshiguma's mood sink, Suika calmly comforted her.

In Order to Become a Messenger, Suika Decided...

Now that the result had been settled, Suika no longer needed to stay at the Guard Department.

After saying goodbye to Chen and the others, Suika walked outside.

Then she headed straight toward the post office.

"Hm? Are you heading to the post office?" Before she had gone far, she ran into Swire, who was riding out on a motorcycle for patrol.

Swire stopped beside Suika and asked in surprise.

"Of course. Work is work—if you're a monk for a day, you ring the bell for a day.

Besides, if I did nothing and stayed in Lungmen for half a year, I'd be bored to death."

Suika patted her messenger bag as she spoke.

"Oh, right, Sister Swire, could you do me a favor?"

"What favor? Go ahead and say it. I'll help however I can. Catching that guy was a major achievement on my record, after all. I haven't even thanked you yet."

Swire did not think Suika could be a bad person. If she really were bad, she could not have said those things by the woods earlier.

As for the decision made by Great Yan and Governor Wei of Lungmen, there was nothing a mere police officer like her could change. All she could do was offer Suika a little help and compensation within her means.

"Help me buy some books. Teaching books for the Common Tongue and other countries' languages, plus books on geography and meteorology if you can get them. If not, forget it," Suika replied.

"What do you need that stuff for... Wait, don't tell me you want to become a Catastrophe Messenger!"

One second, Swire was wondering why Suika needed so many language books. The next, her eyes widened as she realized.

"Of course. Messenger and Catastrophe Messenger are only two words apart. If this were a game, Catastrophe Messenger would be the advanced class for Messenger.

If I can be a messenger now, then there's no reason I can't study and become a Catastrophe Messenger."

Suika answered as if it were only natural.

"Looks like you really do need to go to school... Catastrophe Messenger is just what we call them. They're not actually messengers, though a small number of Catastrophe Messengers do take on letter delivery as a side job."

Swire explained the work of Catastrophe Messengers and how one could become one.

Long ago, if someone knew how to observe Catastrophes and guide people away from them, they could call themselves a Catastrophe Messenger.

But now, because Catastrophe Messengers could use their credentials to freely enter certain special restricted zones and dangerous areas, every country had its own restrictions.

In recent years, almost no Catastrophe Messenger had operated independently. They all served some organization or city.

Only after those organizations or cities vouched for them could they obtain the qualifications of a Catastrophe Messenger.

Someone in Suika's situation definitely could not obtain Lungmen's endorsement. So even if she mastered everything, she could only return to the Eastern Country and apply there.

"Doesn't matter. It's better to prepare in advance than cram at the last minute, right?

And forget that I have no plans to return to the Eastern Country. Even if I did, whether I could buy these books over there would be another matter."

Suika did not think too much about it. In her view, she definitely would not return to the Eastern Country, so she might as well learn the Common Tongue now. Otherwise, once she left Great Yan, with only her half-baked Victorian, people might not understand her even with hand gestures.

"Ah! You aren't planning to return to the Eastern Country? Then where are you going?" Swire felt that talking to Suika was far too stimulating.

Every time the girl opened her mouth, Swire was shocked all over again.

"Westward, obviously. Leithanien, Victoria, Columbia... Terra is so huge. I want to visit every place and see everything."

Since she had already come here, Suika felt that going back to some backwater corner of the Eastern Country instead of traveling across the rest of Terra would make her transmigration completely pointless.

"That's a bold dream, but Terra's wilderness is full of danger.

Wild beasts, bad people, and Catastrophes everywhere... The north and south of the Eastern Country may occasionally see fighting, but it's much safer than the west.

And you're too young. Honestly, Hoshiguma won't agree with your idea either."

Swire tried earnestly to persuade her.

Although Suika was very capable, skill alone did not necessarily guarantee survival in the wilderness.

Especially in the Kazdel region to the west, where the Sarkaz civil war was raging fiercely.

Even flies passing through would be chopped in half by the Sarkaz. Heading west under those circumstances was extremely dangerous.

"Then if I said I was going to the Eastern Country, would you buy me those books?" Suika asked helplessly.

"Sigh, I'll buy them whether you go to the Eastern Country or not... But think about how you're going to explain this to Hoshiguma." Swire could tell from Suika's words that she absolutely would not return to the Eastern Country.

But Swire had no standing to persuade her, so she could only let Suika think about how to face Hoshiguma herself.

"Don't worry, Hoshiguma won't stop me.

Because we're oni!"

After hearing that Swire agreed to buy the books, Suika relaxed considerably.

She had actually thought about this for some time, but she had never had the chance before. The environment in Lungmen had also made her reluctant to leave, and she could not find relevant books in the bookstores.

But now, Great Yan had given her a reason to leave. That meant she could begin preparing for her plan.

At that moment, a message came through Swire's communicator. There was a disturbance nearby, so she had no choice but to bid Suika farewell and hurry over.

Suika continued to the post office. Just like before, she leisurely selected her letters, greeted the others, and headed toward the street.

That evening, when Hoshiguma returned home, she found Suika sitting on the sofa watching television. Hoshiguma had not originally planned to have a television at home. This one had been sponsored by Swire after Suika complained that Hoshiguma's house had nothing in it and was unbearably boring.

"These are the books you wanted. Swire said she already had books on the Common Tongue and Victorian, so she sent these over first. You'll have to wait for the rest, but you should get them within a week at most."

Hoshiguma handed the books to Suika.

Suika took the books and saw their titles: A Comprehensive Guide to the Terra Common Tongue and Learn Victorian in Thirty Days.

Judging from the titles alone, she could tell at a glance what they were about. She flipped through them roughly and discovered that the little tiger was quite studious.

There were plenty of her annotations inside.

"Have you made up your mind?" Hoshiguma sat beside Suika, looked up at the animated show playing on the television—Zalak vs. Feline—and asked softly.

"Yeah. There's no way I'm going back. The outside world is so wonderful—why would I go back to that godforsaken mountain?" Suika carefully picked up A Comprehensive Guide to the Terra Common Tongue and flipped through it, feeling wonderfully cheerful.

"Find some time and let me see what you're capable of... Once you leave Great Yan, the outside world won't be so safe. If you aren't up to the task, I think returning to the mountains is still better than dying outside for no reason." Hoshiguma turned her head and looked at Suika's profile.

Going All In Was a Kind of Wisdom

Suika's eyes lit up when she heard Hoshiguma's words.

She truly had no concept of her own level. If she could be tested, that would naturally be for the best.

"Sure! Pick a time!"

"How about one week from now? That gives you time to think over your abilities too."

Hoshiguma reached out and stroked Suika's smooth long hair.

"No problem! Then I'll go sleep first!"

With that, Suika hugged the Ibuki Gourd and headed for the bedroom.

"Can you not sleep while hugging that wine gourd..." Hoshiguma was rather speechless. Suika was already drinking so heavily at such a young age, and she still said she wanted to be a Catastrophe Messenger. How was Hoshiguma supposed to rest easy?

"I only take a tiny sip when I can't sleep, so don't worry!

Besides, the Ibuki Gourd is an inseparable part of me!" Hugging the Ibuki Gourd, Suika scampered into the bedroom.

Hoshiguma shook her head and ultimately chose to indulge her behavior.

The next morning, Suika did not go out as usual. Instead, she sat on the sofa with a serious expression.

She had felt yesterday as though she had forgotten something.

It was only when several chains collided and rang out with a jingling sound after she got up that she remembered: she was now, more or less, a rich woman.

Once you had money, of course you had to spend it. Otherwise, keeping it in your pocket just meant carrying around a pile of useless paper.

Though the five hundred thousand Lungmen Dollars had not actually reached her pocket yet, that did not stop her from adopting the mindset of a rich woman.

With five hundred thousand as backing, she planned to spend the nearly twenty thousand Lungmen Dollars on her person.

Her plan was to probe what exactly was inside the remaining two Offering Boxes, then invest one hundred, one thousand, and ten thousand Lungmen Dollars respectively to see what stuffing money into them could produce.

First, she put one hundred into one of them.

A few seconds later, a patch of white appeared in front of Suika.

Suika stared at the thing before her with a twisted expression, her eyebrow twitching involuntarily.

Dignified Bloomers: Bloomers personally made by the head maid and used by a powerful vampire. They were transported to another world before ever being worn. Wearing them grants Dignity +1 and Maid Loyalty +1. (If a certain special action is performed, Dignity doubles. The special action specifically refers to squatting down with your hands on your head.)

There were so many things Suika wanted to complain about that she did not know where to begin.

Getting Remi's bloomers for one hundred Lungmen Dollars might have been an incredible bargain for certain people. Unfortunately, they were first-hand. If they had been worn, their price might have multiplied several times.

But what was she supposed to do with this thing? Buying one normally might even be cheaper than drawing it.

And the dignity bonus from squatting with hands on her head...

Was the person who wrote that description really not afraid Remi would fire a Gungnir into the back of his head after finding out?

As for maid loyalty... Suika shuddered when she thought of certain fan settings she had seen. Remi could enjoy that sort of thing herself; Suika had no need for it.

After putting away the bizarre bloomers, Suika thought for a moment. Her three current abilities were already more than sufficient, so there was no need to waste money gambling on more.

Though each of those three abilities was stranger than the last.

As for the remaining two, she could currently confirm that the one with a sphere on the end represented items. The Ibuki Gourd she had drawn earlier should have come from it. That meant the other Offering Box was the one that had produced the move Three-Step Ruin.

Considering how unreliable both items and abilities were at low prices, she had no intention of putting any money into it.

After all, her money did not grow on trees. If a problem could be solved with a normal attack, there was no need to use a skill.

As for skills... she had already independently developed Hazy Mist through her control over Sparseness and Density.

And the rest—such as "Little Night Parade of a Hundred Demons," "Ame-no-Tajikarao's Throw," "Lost Noble Power," and "Mount Oe: All Slaughter"—were Suika's signature skills. She did not think she could get them from an Offering Box for under ten thousand.

With that in mind, she continued focusing on the item category.

If one hundred could produce Remi's bloomers, what about one thousand?

Thinking that, Suika immediately tossed one thousand Lungmen Dollars into the Offering Box.

A few seconds later—

She stared cross-eyed at the thing in front of her—a camera.

Wind God Brand Camera: A product strongly recommended by a certain Gensokyo reporter who runs extremely fast. It looks ordinary, and it is indeed ordinary, but there is a reason for the recommendation: even while moving at high speed, it can accurately capture the photos you want.

Fine. First Remi, and now Aya had shown up.

In Suika's memory, Aya's camera really did seem to be just an ordinary camera. It did not have any special effects, and it certainly did not possess the ability to manipulate someone through a photograph after capturing their image.

So...

This was just an ordinary camera.

Thinking that she had spent one thousand Lungmen Dollars on a camera, Suika's heart ached beyond measure.

Though, to be fair, Catastrophe Messengers generally were equipped with such things to observe and record Catastrophes that were about to form or had already formed, but she was still in Lungmen.