Arknights: Mobile City

The deal between Heal and Theresis was anything but smooth.

To be precise, the two of them spent a long time locked in a tedious round of bargaining.

Although the Kazdel Military Commission was more or less a proper governing body, when it came to Kazdel, money was something to be saved whenever possible.

They weren't Victoria, Lungmen, or Yan—places with more money than they knew what to do with...

But Heal was different. For her, money, equipment, supplies—she'd take as much as she could get, naturally.

So, even after reaching an agreement in principle, the two of them haggled over the price for nearly two hours. As for why Theresis didn't just seize what he wanted—the reason was simple.

There was no need to make an enemy of the woman before him. This was clearly not her real body, and killing her would only get him a limited supply of medicine. More importantly, she had the means to keep producing more—Theresis wasn't the type to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.

Still, despite all the complications, the two finally reached a long-term agreement they could both accept.

Every month, K Corp would supply the Military Commission with ten doses of this "panacea." In return, the Commission was required to provide K Corp with large sums of money, and thousands of tons of iron, lumber, stone, and similar resources each month. As for additional minerals, Heal decided she'd buy those herself.

After a few rounds of transactions, K Corp's accounts were looking rather healthy. Not only was there enough to fund K Corp's early growth, but even the City's initial development could now be fully covered.

So, after receiving payment for the first month's share on the spot, Heal immediately left the Military Commission. Ten doses of panacea might not sound like much, but in truth, it was only three or four milliliters of raw ampoule.

Yet, even after wrapping up all of this, Heal didn't head straight back to the City. Instead, she turned on her heel and set out for Babel.

If you're going to play both sides, there's no backing out halfway.

Heal led the way, but suddenly stopped, looked back with a smile, and spoke in a soft voice:

"Ahem… Just curious—how much longer are you two Confessors planning to follow me?"

Silence. But Heal only waited patiently; after a moment, the two Confessors stepped forward and gave her a slight bow.

"Apologies, Doctor. We're just following orders..."

"You want to see which way I'm headed, right? That's just like Theresis—doesn't surprise me at all."

Heal's smile grew sharper, but the Confessors only lowered their heads, silent.

"But let me give you a warning—K Corp isn't quite as peace-loving as it might appear."

Heal spun an ampoule between her fingers, eyeing the Confessors with a cool, playful glint. In her hand was a high-concentration breakdown ampoule—a weapon few living creatures could withstand.

"…Forgive us for the disturbance. We'll be on our way."

The two Confessors bowed and turned to leave, but Heal called after them:

"Pass on a message for me."

Heal smiled.

"Tell Theresis to behave himself. The City's products aren't limited to just this one. If our deal goes smoothly, who's to say other companies won't want to do business with him as well?"

With that, Heal finally turned and walked toward Babel, without another pause.

…

On Rhodes Island, Theresis's counterpart, Theresa, had already heard all about the legendary "miracle doctor" named Heal.

At this moment, she was meeting with the Doctor and Kal'tsit in a hastily convened emergency session—the agenda, naturally, was Heal herself.

Just a short while earlier, Heal had shown up requesting an audience with all three, saying she'd come seeking a deal. The three found this somewhat puzzling—at the moment, they were still debating whether to let Heal come aboard Rhodes Island's flagship.

Ordinarily, there'd be no need for such caution. But according to their intelligence, Heal had been seen in Theresis's office not long ago… That, more than anything, made them wary.

After a long round of discussion, Heal, waiting below the ship, finally received a summons.

"Right this way, Miss Heal."

At her side, W stood stiffly, her expression forcibly composed and almost wooden as she said,

"This way, Miss Heal. The Doctor and Miss Kal'tsit are ready to meet you."

"Is the Speaker not going to meet me in person?"

Heal chuckled at W's rigid expression, but didn't press. She strode forward a few steps, and W hurried to catch up, striding ahead to lead the way.

Soon, Heal set foot on the deck of Rhodes Island's main ship. After passing through layer after layer of security, she was brought into an office, where the Doctor—face shadowed under a hood—and the white-haired Feline sat waiting for her.

"You've been waiting for me? I must apologize for my tardiness, then."

Heal pulled out a chair and sat down with unhurried confidence, her bright, radiant smile never fading.

"…Let's skip the small talk. Miss Heal, you're here to promote your medicine, aren't you?"

"Of course—I'm a merchant. Allow me to reintroduce myself: Heal, of K Corp. Our main business is ampoules for treatment. If you'd like, you can even call them panaceas."

Heal waved a hand casually.

"Since you've let me aboard, I'll take that as a sign of interest?"

Neither of the two responded, which was answer enough.

"In that case, shall we start discussing price?"

Heal smiled, extending a hand. At the same time, Kal'tsit spoke calmly:

"I should clarify—Babel is not like the Military Commission. We can't offer the kind of wealth they can..."

"No need to worry. What I want isn't money, nor material goods."

Heal spread her hands, still smiling. For a moment, the Doctor tilted her head, looking puzzled. She exchanged a glance with Kal'tsit, but no one could see what passed beneath the hood.

"What I want… is all of Babel's battle footage, from the start of the war up to now. The more POV shots, the better. And if possible, I'd like to see the fiercest, most desperate battles you've fought."

Heal pressed her hands together, utterly composed. Kal'tsit frowned, asking,

"And why can't Theresis provide you with those…?"

"But what I really want to see are the monuments to idealists, you know? Babel's full of them—more so than the Military Commission, I think. I've always admired idealists."

Kal'tsit fell silent, brows knit, as if trying to read Heal's intentions. But Heal spoke up again.

This time, she looked at the Doctor, narrowing her eyes:

"One more thing… If I may, could I borrow her for a while?"

As she spoke, Heal pointed directly at the Doctor.