Zofia wasn't much older than Felix—probably around eighteen or nineteen.
What really caught Felix's interest, though, were the two Kuranta girls sitting beside her—one calm and composed, the other full of youthful energy. Both of them looked at Felix with curious, blinking eyes. He recognized them instantly. These two were destined to become key characters in the future storyline. Eventually, they would both join Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals and have personal story arcs of their own.
The older girl, quiet and dignified, had a stern yet gentle aura. She reminded Felix of her—the girl once known as the "Radiant Knight." Her name was Margaret Nearl. In the timeline Felix remembered, she would go on to compete in the 22nd Kazimierz Major in the year 1091, just over three years from now. Since Kazimierz considered adulthood to begin at nineteen, it was easy to estimate that she was currently around sixteen.
The younger girl, bubbly and innocent in appearance, was none other than Margaret's sister—Maria Nearl. According to the story, she would enter the 24th Kazimierz Major nine years later. That would place her age now at about ten.
Looking at these future champions—still endearingly young and unaware of their fates—Felix smiled politely at them, then turned his attention back to Zofia.
The old knight and the old craftsman sat nearby, suddenly uncharacteristically quiet. They both shot Felix a glance, silently wishing him good luck before retreating behind their drinks to spectate, abandoning any pretense of loyalty.
"I heard you were the one who encouraged the old craftsman this time?" Zofia asked, hands on her hips. Her tone wasn't scolding, but there was unmistakable authority in her voice. Even though she had to look up slightly to meet Felix's gaze, the presence she projected was commanding.
Felix responded with an Andoain smile and made a courteous gesture. "Please, have a seat, Ms. Zofia. Allow me to buy you a drink today."
The old craftsman suddenly yelled out, "Why didn't you invite us brothers?"
Felix raised his glass toward him with a toast. "The peach trees are in full bloom today. Forgive me—I'll drink with you later."
"Would you stop with the riddles already?" the old knight groaned. Despite his education, he had long given up deciphering Felix's poetic metaphors.
Bald Martin chuckled and explained, "That's a poem from Yan Country. It means the lady before us is as lovely and radiant as peach blossoms in bloom. Well, Zofia, this one's from Felix."
"Thank you," Zofia replied. Her golden eyes scanned Felix's face as she offered a polite, composed smile.
They clinked glasses. After taking two small sips of wine, Felix leaned slightly forward.
"Miss Zofia, may I ask—what is it that worries you?"
His golden eyes met hers. "Is it that you're afraid Maria might get hurt while working? Or that she'll become so engrossed in craftsmanship that she'll neglect her studies?"
He gestured toward the old craftsman.
"I believe the old master can handle both of those concerns. After all, he promised to limit her crafting time to just two hours a day. And as for whether she might get injured…"
He glanced at the old craftsman, who thumped his chest like a bear, the sound echoing through the room.
"If Maria gets hurt, I'll chop off my bear paw as an apology."
Maria, seated beside them, burst out laughing. "Are bear paws tasty?"
"Um… this…" the old craftsman stammered, at a loss for words.
The old knight let out a hearty laugh.
Zofia, however, showed no obvious displeasure or strong objection. Instead, she simply asked in a quiet voice:
"Mr. Felix, have you ever heard of the Nearl family?"
Felix already knew, but he still shook his head, gesturing for Zofia to continue.
"The Nearl family is a knightly house with a long and storied history," she said softly.
At her words, both the smiling old knight and the eager craftsman—who had just been trying to explain that bear paws weren't edible—fell silent.
"Mr. Felix, what do you think of the current knight competitions?"
"The result of societal decay—an institution that props up Kazimierz's economy while manipulating knights at will, secretly controlling the game from behind the scenes."
Felix gave a low hum. "Knight competitions have strayed far from the true spirit of chivalry. I'm aware. But Kazimierz has become too dependent on this commercialized spectacle... If it were to be shut down for any reason, the economy would collapse. Prices would plummet. Tourists would stop coming. The entire economic structure would take a hit unlike anything seen before."
He took a sip of wine, then added, "That said, even if the knightly competitions disappear, a second version will emerge—under a different name, with a different format."
The conversation had begun to shift.
Zofia smiled. "You're right. I've competed in the tournaments myself. Any knight who enters the arena will eventually be touched by Capitalist 's influence. Sponsorships, advertisements, rigged matches—it's all part of the package. It's enough to corrupt even the most upright knight, turning them into another pawn of Capitalist ."
"The Nearl family has fallen. Do you think they can reclaim their former glory in an age like this? Even if that 'glory' is just a hollow title handed down by the Business Federation?"
Zofia's eyes shimmered. Felix's sharp insight reminded her of a certain man—an ordinary corporate worker who enjoyed reading newspapers during his breaks.
"No," she said softly. "I just want to see them grow up."
Her voice grew tender as she turned to look at Maria—giggling and joking with the old knight and the craftsman—and at Margaret, who sat quietly beside her, having listened to the entire conversation without interrupting. Her eyes remained fixed on Felix.
"I'm a gunsmith."
Felix's voice was low. "I'm not drawn to battle like a warrior, nor do I seek the kind of upright fights that define a knight. Even when I worked as a courier, I never hunted—animals or people."
"But as a Sankta who crafts firearms, I can give my people the kind of weapons that ensure they won't get hurt again." He lifted the edge of his coat, revealing the glinting metal of Ace of Spades and Dawn strapped to his thighs, reflecting cold light under the lamp.
"Miss Maria will undoubtedly become a knight someday. So why not let her forge her own armor—one strong enough to protect herself?"
Zofia gave a small smile. "In the end, Mr. Felix, you're still trying to convince me."
She cast a glance at the old craftsman, who was looking at her with pitiful eyes, and let out a quiet snort.
Then, shaking her head, she returned her gaze to Felix. Her voice regained its calm, and she smiled.
"Before I came here, I had already decided to let Maria make her own choice. I simply wanted to see what kind of person the so-called 'chivalrous Sankta' Old Martin kept talking about really was. And now… I've seen him."
Felix glanced at Bald Martin with mild surprise. He hadn't expected the old man to give him such a high evaluation. Was it because he'd opened so many bottles of wine over the past few days?
Ahem. Just a few days ago, the most common thing Bald Martin said was:
"Mr. Felix, open the wine!"
The old craftsman grinned broadly—his expression not unlike that of a contented bear—and Maria burst into joyful laughter at her aunt's words, her cheerfulness bringing a breath of youthful spring to the bar, which was usually filled only with men. Her laughter melted the hearts of the drinkers present.
Felix smiled without saying a word. He finished the wine in his glass, glanced up at the familiar "Drunk" status hovering above his head, and silently motioned for another drink.
"I admire you, so I want to share with you the Nearl family motto," Zofia said. It was getting late, and she couldn't linger at the bar too long with two underage girls. Before departing, she gave Felix a warm smile. "'Don't be afraid of hardship and darkness.' I hope you can face adversity like a true knight."
Felix expressed his thanks.
Margaret and Maria waved cutely as they said goodbye. Maria even leaned forward to give Felix a quick hug, only to bump her forehead against the mechanical armor on his chest. Her smiling face immediately scrunched up in pain, tears welling in her eyes.
Felix gently consoled her, his tone soft and patient, until Maria finally left with both a smile and tears on her face.
There was nothing he could do. He had to wear that mechanical armor for protection whenever he stepped outside. After all, no one wanted to hug a man dressed for the battlefield.
"Thank you, Felix. It's all thanks to you." The old craftsman squeezed in beside him, patting him on the shoulder with a smile. The old knight took the seat on Felix's other side, effectively sandwiching him between two older men.
"Felix, what are you looking for right now? As your friend, I still owe you a favor."
[D-rank Mission: The Troubles of Old Craftsman Koval — Completed]
[Mission Requirement: Maria Nearl begins learning craftsmanship]
[Reward: 9,000 Experience]
[Special Reward: Craftsman Secondary Occupation Transfer Book]
Felix's eyes lit up. Smiling, he turned to the craftsman and said, "Old Koval, I've taken a liking to the craftsman profession. How about letting me browse your collection of craftsman manuals?"
The old craftsman's eyes widened in surprise, followed by delight. "Oh? I didn't expect you to be interested in craftsmanship! I always thought you were only into gunsmithing and mechanical engineering. Hahaha! Felix, you're a kindred spirit after all!"
A blacksmith could forge iron tools. But a craftsman—
A craftsman could manipulate various metals to create weapons and armor of superior quality, and even carve out strongholds from barren land.
That was what it meant to be a craftsman.
It felt like the end of a long search. Felix had originally assumed that to unlock this profession, he'd have to go all the way to a factory in Victoria to apprentice there. In a previous life, even after becoming drinking buddies with this same old craftsman, he had never managed to earn the right to learn from him.
The old craftsman, now thoroughly drunk, fumbled through the bag slung over his shoulder and slammed two books down on the bar. "These two books are enough to get you started as an apprentice craftsman. Once you've mastered them, I'll teach you personally."
"Alright, it's a deal." Felix grinned and gave the old craftsman's bear-like shoulder a hearty punch. Yet another opportunity had landed in his lap—he couldn't help but wonder what luck had struck him today.
Could it be... the contact with the Nearl family? Was the Nearl family naturally blessed with good fortune?
He thought it over for a moment. It was said that the prototype of Kazimierz was based on Poland, though most of the cultural research focused on knightly classes from Western and Central Europe. The Nearl family, after all, could be considered a true "European" noble house—a lineage of knight-lords.
That would explain things. After all, Felix's own luck stat was only E. If he hadn't kissed the back of Zofia's hand or hugged Maria, perhaps today's fortune wouldn't have come at all.
Bald Martin sauntered over. "Young Master Felix, would you like some wine?"
"Open it!" Felix waved without hesitation. "I'm in a good mood today—let's go!"
...
Around this time, black markets across various mobile cities in Kazimierz began receiving shipments of slightly better-than-average low-grade crossbows. The vendors treated these weapons as rare treasures, offering them at steep prices to trusted regulars.
Some of these crossbows ended up in the hands of roaming gangs; others were bought by bounty hunter groups, and yet another portion was acquired through private channels.
Naturally, word of this spread to the Commercial Union. However, they showed no interest—these were just crossbows. Had it been a high-quality Hand guns crafted by the Sankta people, they might have paid attention. But crossbows? Not worth their time.
During this period, Felix didn't gain any experience. Each time he crafted a crossbow, he would stop just before completion, resulting in poor quality and failure. Though he managed to produce a few low-quality fine iron long crossbows, he earned no experience at all.
Still, his small treasury grew quickly.
After parting ways with Bald Martin, the old knight, and the old craftsman—using a "messenger mission" as an excuse—he was wished well and invited to come back for a drink whenever he returned to Kawalerielki .
In reality, he'd been driving a military pickup truck across Kazimierz 's mobile cities, stirring up chaos in the black market. The fine iron crossbows had sparked fierce competition among bounty hunter groups, leading to bloodshed and countless casualties.
But Felix was still stockpiling wealth. As his prices soared higher and higher, he eventually sold nearly a hundred of his fine iron crossbows. His savings soared past the ten million mark—then doubled to twenty million.
With that kind of money, he could easily buy land in Kawalerielki , develop it, and become his own boss.
With that kind of money, he could purchase two hundred beautiful slave maids to tend his estate.
With that kind of money, he could even list a small company. He remembered Rhine Lab Sciences had gone public with roughly the same amount.
He had his own plans for this fortune.
Waking up in a luxurious apartment on the top floor of a building somewhere in Kawalerielki , Felix stretched lazily and walked to the window, gazing down at the world below.
In addition to manufacturing low-quality crossbows, Felix had also begun collecting chips and batteries during this period. In the mid-to-late stages of the mechanical class, it would become possible to manufacture mechanical creations—like mechanical vehicles—and rare chips were essential to make them function.
He temporarily entrusted this task to the Commercial Federation. Just like in his previous life, he treated the Federation as a reliable partner to assist in gathering materials. However, material collection was a time-consuming process.
Still, the Chamber of Commerce proved to be very useful. As long as you had money, they would treat you like royalty. For the right price, they would even go so far as to offer Felix materials of their own accord—eager to maintain a good relationship with such a wealthy client.
He hadn't yet opened the two books given to him by the old craftsman. They would allow him to immediately switch classes to apprentice craftsman after reaching the maximum level as a new craftsman. But since he had gained no experience lately and couldn't level up anyway, he decided there was no rush to study them.
"If you have money, you're the boss." That phrase held true in any world.
Felix glanced at his panel and smiled. "The day has finally come."
He began changing his clothes and took the elevator down.
Only five minutes remained in the countdown to the public beta.
"Sir, please take your time," the front desk staff greeted him warmly as he passed.
Felix glanced at the calendar on the wall.
Terra time: October 5, 1087.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
[Public beta has started]
[Adjusting coordinates… Loading network configuration… Reading updates… Attempting to establish a spiritual connection with the Ark…]
[Welcome players to the land of Terra in "Ark", Terra Spark Version 1.0]
[Estimated duration of Version 1.0: Terra time, 1560 days]
---
Hello everyone,
いつもお世話になっております.
Translator here,
First of all, I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for reading, supporting, and even taking the time to comment on my fanfiction. Your engagement truly means a lot to me.
I deeply apologize for not being able to reply to your comments lately. My current work schedule is quite packed and demanding, and unfortunately, that leaves me with very limited time to respond personally. This translation and writing project began as a way to relax and share something I enjoy with fellow Arknights fans, and it remains a side project I care about deeply.
Please rest assured that despite my busy schedule, I will continue to update the story. It might take a bit of time between chapters, but I am committed to seeing this through and sharing each part of the journey with you all.
Once again, I apologize for the silence, and I thank you for your patience and understanding. Your support motivates me to keep going, even if it's one step at a time.
ご迷惑をお掛けして申し訳ございません.
今後ともよろしくお願いいたします.