Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey

So she did not care whether the people below formed cliques and had their own little groups.

As long as those groups got along harmoniously and did not become divided, that was enough for her.

This had also led to quite a few small groups within the Reunion Movement. People like Mudrock, who had joined with their own resources, had followers who would leave the Reunion Movement with her after she decided there was a problem and chose to withdraw.

Watching the other party swing the iron hammer in her hand, Suika could almost hear the sound of "eighty, eighty" echoing beside her ears.

With the way she wielded that hammer so fiercely, it really was hard to believe that beneath that thick protective suit was a youthful, beautiful, curvaceous white-haired, red-eyed Sarkaz girl before she revealed her true appearance.

After hearing Talulah's request, Mudrock nodded and agreed.

"Of course, Chief.

Do you have any particular requirements for the house?"

Talulah looked at Suika. "You should state the requirements. After all, you know the visitor better."

Suika looked at Mudrock, who appeared exceptionally tall and burly in her protective suit. "Just make it a little bigger, with better soundproofing."

After hearing her, Mudrock nodded and said in a muffled voice, "Of course. Lead the way. I can raise the house right now."

Not far from Alina's house, Mudrock raised a hand lightly under Suika's guidance. As the earth trembled, soil surged up from the ground and quickly formed a large, sturdy house.

"Thank you for your help! This is your reward."

After the house had been built, Suika nodded in thanks, then took out one of the few remaining candies she had brought from Lungmen and placed it in Mudrock's hand.

Mudrock stared at the candy in her hand for a second.

"Not a bad reward. I'll be leaving, then."

Though her voice still sounded dull, the happiness in it was obvious.

After Mudrock left, Suika looked around the house. Though it was completely empty aside from a stone bed and a set of stone table and chairs, the visitor probably would not mind.

Just as Suika was about to leave, Alina and Talulah approached together, carrying a thick blanket between them.

"Your friend probably did not bring bedding with her when coming here. I washed this blanket just last week, so it's very clean. I hope your friend won't mind it when she arrives."

Alina spoke gently.

"Of course. Thank you!" Suika took the blanket from Alina and placed it on the stone bed inside.

After putting everything away, the three of them left the house. Talulah went to handle her own affairs, while Suika and Alina went to the back to continue practicing flight and magic.

Early the next morning, Suika sensed a powerful presence suddenly appear not far outside the camp.

She hurried over, only relaxing after she saw who had arrived.

The visitor wore a nurse's uniform that was half red and half blue. Though she looked very young, the air between her brows carried the bearing of an elder.

After seeing Suika, she examined her.

"When I received your message, I thought your Oni were trying to cause another incident. I didn't expect it to be real.

A completely new world.

Is this your Oni's backup plan?"

Suika shook her head.

"Of course not. Although this world is quite suitable for monsters to live in.

There are also some terrifying big shots here, along with harsh environments. And there are unknown dangers above the sky.

Gensokyo may not be large, but in terms of safety, it is far better than this place.

It's fine to visit for fun occasionally, but as things stand, it is not a good place to stay for long."

"The harsh environment you mentioned is that disease where stones grow on the body?" the visitor asked.

Suika took out an Originium Shard she had prepared as usual and handed it to her.

"That's right. This is an Originium Shard, the infectious material for that disease.

The people in this world have very unusual constitutions. After coming into contact with this stone, they quickly develop a condition where this kind of stone grows all over their bodies. Then, as the illness worsens, crystallization occurs after death.

Of course, you do not need to worry. I tested it. This thing does nothing to me, and it should be the same for you."

The visitor picked up the Originium Shard with her bare hand and studied it closely. A shocked expression appeared on her face.

"This is no ordinary stone! Even without testing equipment, I can sense that it is extraordinary."

"That's right. In this world, it is called Originium. It is a commonly found crystalline mineral containing energy, with several different forms. It can be found from the surface to rock layers thousands of meters underground.

Originium is also the most important natural energy source and an important industrial raw material.

The key point is that unlike ordinary minerals, this thing can grow independently and rapidly in natural environments..."

Suika explained matters related to Originium to the visitor.

"However, although this thing has become the foundation of this world's industry, its contamination has also caused the living beings here endless suffering."

"So you want me to develop medicine capable of treating this so-called Oripathy?"

"No. Rather than a complete cure, what I want is to control the worsening of the condition. As long as it can reduce the concentration of Originium in the blood, and the body will not continue to deteriorate when undertaking activities unrelated to Originium, that will be enough.

Ideally, it should be something that can be widely promoted."

Suika rejected her assumption.

"Hmm?

You do not want a complete cure, but you want an effective control drug that can be widely distributed and cheap enough.

Ibuki Suika, aren't your demands a little excessive?"

The visitor looked somewhat displeased.

"Of course they are excessive. That's why I asked you to come, Yagokoro Eirin.

If I only needed to save one or two people, I could do it myself with my ability.

There would be no need to specifically ask you to come, would there?"

As Suika spoke, she activated Density and Sparsity at her fingertips, condensing the Originium particles in the surrounding air into a tiny Originium Shard.

"So this stuff exists even in the air?" Having some understanding of Suika's ability, Yagokoro Eirin asked after witnessing this.

"That's right. The amount is very low, but it is not nonexistent.

Precisely because Originium exists everywhere on this land, and Catastrophes can increase Originium concentrations in localized areas, it is better to develop cheap control drugs than expensive treatments.

After all, we are not the saviors of this land."

After speaking, Suika looked behind her. Alina, who had followed Suika out, had also arrived nearby.

The Strength of the Long-Lived

"A local?" Yagokoro Eirin looked at Suika.

"That's right. She's my landlady. I've been staying at her place these days." Seeing Alina, Suika smiled and waved to her.

Seeing Suika's gesture, Alina cautiously approached.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you the friend Suika mentioned?"

Yagokoro Eirin cast Suika a sidelong glance from above. "Do you think we are friends?"

"Aren't we?" Suika raised the Ibuki Gourd in her hand as though making a toast.

"Hmph. She is also one of the Infected you mentioned, isn't she? Hold out your hand." Yagokoro Eirin did not want to dwell on the matter of friendship any longer and instead looked at Alina.

After being looked over from head to toe, Alina instinctively felt afraid and reflexively took a step back. "Ah!"

Suika pointed toward the settlement in the distance.

"A house has been prepared for you over there. How about we go there first?

Besides, what kind of doctor sees patients in this godforsaken snowy wasteland?"

"Lead the way." Yagokoro Eirin nodded and said nothing more.

Suika walked to Alina's side and patted her somewhat uneasy hand.

"Don't be afraid. She's the friend I invited. Her name is Yagokoro Eirin, and she's a doctor.

As for her skill level, it's hard to say. In any case, she is definitely several stories above most people.

Her personality is a little strange, but she is still a good person."

After saying that, Suika took Alina's hand and led Yagokoro Eirin to the residence prepared for her.

After entering and seeing the clean room, Yagokoro Eirin nodded in satisfaction before looking at Alina.

"Give me your hand."

Alina had not reacted yet when Suika shoved her in front of Yagokoro Eirin. She had no choice but to extend her hand.

Yagokoro Eirin held Alina's wrist and checked her pulse, then continued, "Show me the places where stones have grown on your body."

With the mindset of having nothing left to lose, Alina lifted her top and revealed the area around her waist where Originium crystals had grown.

Yagokoro Eirin was also surprised upon seeing those Originium crystals. She had not expected there truly to be an acute illness that made stones grow from a person's body.

She reached out and pressed the crystals a few times, then asked Alina about how she felt. Only then did she nod and somehow take out a syringe.

"Would it be convenient for me to take some of your blood? I do not need much. Enough to fill one-fifth of this will do."

"Okay!"

After Alina agreed, Yagokoro Eirin took a small blood sample and said, "That will do. Give me some time!" With that, she turned and walked to the stone table. Reaching into empty space, she pulled out all kinds of equipment.

"Yukari's Gap? No, something similar." Suika, standing nearby, was startled when she saw Yagokoro Eirin's actions.

There were quite a few people in Gensokyo skilled at manipulating space, but the most famous among them was undoubtedly Yukari Yakumo.

When she saw Yagokoro Eirin casually slice open space, Suika's first thought was Yukari Yakumo's Gap. But the space beyond it should not have been as clean as the one Yagokoro Eirin had opened. It should have had all sorts of giant eyeballs.

And if what Yagokoro Eirin had opened really was a Gap, Yukari Yakumo would probably already be standing in front of her. Suika did not believe Yukari Yakumo would not be curious about something like this.

Considering Yagokoro Eirin's identity and Lunarian technology, though, achieving this was not impossible.

So after being surprised for a few seconds, she calmed down again.

"I'll walk you back." Seeing Alina standing there without knowing what to say or do, Suika spoke up and relieved her embarrassment.

"Okay..." Alina walked to the door, then seemed to remember something and tugged at Suika's clothes.

"Hmm?" Suika turned her head to look at her.

"Does Doctor Yagokoro Eirin need anything to eat? Is there anything she avoids?" Thinking of the pressure she felt from the other woman's presence, Alina did not dare ask her directly and could only quietly ask Suika.

"Vegetarian food is fine. I don't eat meat!"

Yagokoro Eirin's voice came from inside. Suika looked over and saw that she had not looked in their direction at all. Her attention remained on the equipment.

"Wasn't there some flour dough? Just make dough-drop soup with some vegetables." Suika thought for a moment before telling Alina.

"Okay!" With something to do, Alina was no longer lost and ran back home.

Suika did not follow her. Instead, she turned to look inside. Sure enough, Yagokoro Eirin had stopped fiddling with her equipment and was looking at her, then pointed at the table in the room.

The meaning was obvious. She had something to ask Suika.

Suika was not worried and sat down directly.

After examining her for a moment, Yagokoro Eirin finally spoke.

"Are you really Ibuki Suika?"

"What else would I be?"

"Before coming here, I went to Hakurei Shrine and saw you—the you in Gensokyo... but that one had absolutely no memories of any of this. To be honest, before suddenly arriving here, I had been wondering whether this was some person's prank."

As she said this, Yagokoro Eirin kept staring at Suika's face, as if trying to find something there.

"The me inside the Great Hakurei Barrier is me. Why can't the me here also be me?

Besides, if I were not me, why would I have sought you out?

And why would I be sitting here?"

Suika said something thoroughly tongue-twisting, but Yagokoro Eirin nodded in agreement.