Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey

Watching the other person fret over her affairs, Suika felt somewhat touched as well.

Seeing that although Hoshiguma was sitting beside her with her eyes fixed on the television, her trembling legs revealed just how unsettled she was inside, Suika finally drew her attention away from her book.

"Come have a drink!"

"You want to get me drunk again..." Hoshiguma complained, yet uncontrollably picked up the wine glass beside her before looking helplessly at Suika.

"I can tell you've been under a lot of pressure these past few days. Get a good night's sleep, and whatever it is, we can talk tomorrow."

Suika said this with a grin as she filled Hoshiguma's cup.

"Sigh, you, you..." Before she could say much more, Hoshiguma collapsed drunkenly before Suika after downing two cups.

The next morning, Suika looked over Hoshiguma, who was sitting at the dining table, and said,

"Not bad, not bad. You look energetic.

You look much better than yesterday."

Even Hoshiguma, normally so agreeable with everyone outside, couldn't help rolling her eyes at Suika's words.

"Have you really decided?"

"If Kazdel doesn't work out, I'll go through Ursus.

I've looked into Ursus's history and situation. Their oppression of the Infected is indeed severe, but I'm not Infected.

Besides, there's no way they'd know that what happened to Wang Ke had anything to do with me.

I'll head west through Ursus. There shouldn't be much of a problem."

Ursus had always been part of Suika's plan.

Unlike Theresa's death, which had been an inevitable trend, the death of a certain woman in Ursus had seemed to Suika nothing but pitiful and regrettable.

That old bastard The Black Snake clearly had countless ways to corrupt Talulah, yet he specifically chose the most vicious one.

He killed Alina, tore away Talulah's spiritual pillar, then destroyed the convictions she had always fought for in that village.

He forced Talulah to admit from the bottom of her heart that her ideals were too naive and had no future, turning her into The Black Snake's toy.

Of course, Suika still had a trace of doubt concerning Alina.

Because in her memories, if Theresa was the unattainable white moonlight, then Alina was a saint.

She had warmed Talulah's heart and given her spiritual nourishment, but saints were genuinely hard to judge at times.

The key was that Alina wasn't a fake saint. She truly loved and cared for every person around her equally.

Even when she died at the hands of a traitor, she still tried to use her last breath and strength to point Talulah toward the path ahead.

Suika thought she was great, but she truly didn't want her friends to become people like that.

Stitching Closely Before Departure

Because she didn't want her companions to get into trouble and still refuse to let her avenge them.

Even if it was for some so-called ideal...

After all, ideals were things for the living to talk about. Once you were dead, there was nothing left. What ideals could you possibly talk about then?

On the other side, Hoshiguma fell into deep thought after hearing Suika's words.

She had never considered Ursus before, because Great Yan and Ursus did not have a good relationship.

More accurately, friction between them along the border had never ceased.

For Great Yan's border forces, aside from the north, the largest number of soldiers lost in localized conflicts with foreign nations had died along the Ursus border.

Ursus glorified military achievement, while Great Yan's border was too far from Ursus's imperial capital. The emperor there simply couldn't control the old noble families here.

In order to seize military merits, bloody clashes naturally broke out frequently along the border.

Just like that force Ursus had previously slaughtered through deceit, Great Yan later exacted equal retaliation upon Ursus.

Because of her instinctive aversion to Ursus, Hoshiguma had never considered taking that route at all.

But after Suika brought it up, she thought it over and realized the route really did make sense.

Just as Suika had said, while Ursus discriminated against the Infected, it treated ordinary people equally.

As long as Suika entered Ursus through regular channels, traveled west on the main roads, and entered Victoria, it would indeed be easier than crossing Kazdel and then Leithanien.

As for how to enter Ursus through normal channels, that was even simpler. After all, she was someone about to be expelled by Great Yan.

Presumably, Ursus wouldn't refuse entry to someone expelled by Great Yan. Just like the saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

"So your original plan was to go west through Ursus?" Hoshiguma looked somewhat surprised.

Suika shook her head.

"Of course not. Do you remember what I said about why I wanted to head west after leaving Great Yan?"

Hoshiguma recalled her earlier conversation with Suika.

"You said... 'Terra is so vast, I want to go see it.'"

"Bingo! I never set a destination for myself. I want to travel across every corner of Terra and experience different cultures and customs.

So I wanted to visit both Kazdel and Ursus.

But since Kazdel is still in civil war, the prerequisite for sightseeing isn't there. So I'll visit Ursus first."

As she spoke, Suika excitedly stood on her chair.

She had long wanted to take a trip on a whim, but all this time, her easygoing nature had kept her from finding the determination to carry it through.

But leaving Lungmen had given her an opportunity, an excuse.

It would keep her from being lazy, make her leave her comfort zone, measure Terra's land with her own steps, observe Terra's scenery with her own eyes, and listen to Terra's voices with her own ears.

Seeing the light in Suika's eyes, Hoshiguma rubbed her hair.

"I don't really understand the way you think, but wherever you go, you have to promise you'll write to me.

Even if I can't accompany you across Terra, I still hope to learn through your letters what this land looks like through your eyes."

"Of course. Even if you hadn't said it, I'd have written to you.

After all, you're Hoshiguma!

Want a drink to toast our friendship?"

As Suika spoke, she raised the Ibuki Gourd and gave it a shake.

"No. I still have to work later.

It wouldn't be good if people noticed I smelled like alcohol."

Hoshiguma reached out and pressed down the Ibuki Gourd Suika had raised.

After Hoshiguma left, Suika looked at the date on the calendar and stretched.

"My, my, there's only this little time left?

I should go say goodbye to everyone I know!

And I need to return the street messenger job, too. I also need to settle my wages in advance, or half a month's work will have been for nothing."

Having made her plans, Suika walked out the door.

"Good morning, Uncle Dong, and morning to you too, Brother Jaye!"

When she arrived at Uncle Dong's seafood shop, Suika waved at the two men working inside.

"Morning, little Suika!" Uncle Dong waved back at her kindly.

He liked this polite little girl quite a bit. At the very least, she was much better than Jaye, that brat who irritated him every other day.

"Are you getting ready to resign?" Sharp-eyed Uncle Dong spotted the resignation letter in Suika's hand.

"That's right. I'm leaving Lungmen, and I don't know when I'll be back. I can't exactly keep this messenger position before I leave."

Upon hearing Suika's words, the people around them also asked in surprise why she was leaving.

"Little Suika, isn't Lungmen good? Why leave?

The uncles and aunties here all like you. Lungmen is changing with every passing day, and staying here would offer good prospects for your future."

Since Suika had never mentioned it before, everyone was concerned when she suddenly announced that she was leaving.

"I'm leaving because I want to! Lungmen really is wonderful, and the uncles, aunties, grandpas, and grandmas on the streets have all been very good to me, but this still isn't where my roots are..."

Since Wei Yenwu hadn't publicized the matter of her expulsion, Suika naturally wouldn't tell others that she wasn't leaving by choice, but had been given a deadline to leave Great Yan and Lungmen.

Hearing Suika's words, everyone looked regretful.

"What a shame. Once you leave, little Suika, we don't know who'll take over the messenger work here.

And we'll probably never find another messenger as diligent and hardworking as you."

"Haha, Auntie, if you keep praising me like that, I'll blush!" Suika replied with a smile.

After greeting people along the way, she arrived at the post office.

"Suika, there's another letter here for Penguin Logistics..." Before Suika could speak, the manager took out an urgent letter.

"Uh, but I'm here to submit my resignation." Suika handed her resignation letter over.

The manager didn't seem surprised, as though he had known about this already.

"No matter. I'll add the reward for this letter to your wages. Just consider it your final shift and deliver this letter to Penguin Logistics, all right?

As for your wages, I'll urge accounting and try to have them ready by tomorrow morning. How about you come collect them at noon?"

"No problem. Thank you, then." Suika accepted the Penguin Logistics letter, bowed to the manager, and left with it.

Watching Suika depart, the manager shook his head.

"Leaving Lungmen is easy, but leaving Great Yan... little one, let's see whether you've got what it takes."

Suika didn't know about the manager's sigh behind her. Carrying the letter, she headed straight toward Penguin Logistics.

When she arrived at the bar, she found everyone from Penguin Logistics gathered there.

"Wow, everyone's here today!"

Suika high-fived Exusiai as she spoke.

"Of course! There's work every day, but that doesn't mean every day is packed to the brim!" Exusiai replied with a grin.

A Letter From Home Is Worth a Fortune

"You came specifically to deliver a letter?"

Seeing the letter in Suika's hand, Exusiai led her over to Emperor.

"Yeah. This should be the last time I deliver a letter here." Suika nodded.

"Has the time come already?" Everyone at Penguin Logistics had learned from Emperor that Suika would be leaving Lungmen, but they still felt somewhat reluctant after hearing her say it herself.

In Exusiai's eyes, Suika was a good person who might look small, but had an exceptionally clear head and occasionally brought them apple pie.

Suika nodded, then took out the Ibuki Gourd and poured everyone a small cup.

"Great Yan has a saying: no feast lasts forever.

I'm already quite satisfied to have stayed in Lungmen for so long.

Besides, leaving this time doesn't necessarily mean we'll never meet again. Maybe we'll have another chance to see each other later!"

Suika raised her cup, perfectly calm.

Because in her view, Lungmen was Great Yan's most exceptional place and the gateway into Great Yan. Ursus's military could not possibly have no designs on it.

Even without the Reunion Movement, some other organization might emerge instead. As long as those old bastards in Ursus weren't all dead, before the young emperor reclaimed his authority, attacking Lungmen would be inevitable if they wanted to preserve their status and armies.

So she would definitely have another chance to return to Lungmen.

That was the confidence brought to her by knowing the plot in advance.

"Fine, but which route are you taking back to the Eastern Country? I remember we have a shipment headed for Great Wilderness City. It's pretty close to the Eastern Country. Want us to give you a ride?"

Exusiai asked, draping an arm around Suika's neck.

"Back to the Eastern Country? What would I go back there for?" Suika looked baffled.

"You're not going back to the Eastern Country?" Even Emperor showed a surprised expression when he heard that.