Chapter 1
**The Witch's Quick Guide**
*Author: Bu Luo Feng*
In the third year since Xia Er arrived in this steam-powered world, she gained the ability to simulate both the past and the future.
The simulation of life became a game where one could commit any evil deed, and countless iterations turned reality into a speedrun of life’s side quests.
The church, potions, mutations, ancient gods, witches, sealed objects... none of these had anything to do with Xia Er. She was just an ordinary girl who wanted to live a peaceful life.
She simply had a knack for nipping danger in the bud.
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*This book is also known as: “Who’s Still Walking on Eggshells When Everyone’s Simulating?” “No One Understands Cults Better Than Me” “No One Knows Evil Better Than Me” “Goddess, I’m Here to Negotiate”*
**Chapter One: The Girl Who Just Wants a Peaceful Life**
June 17, 741 of the Holy Era, the heavy industrial city of Boleun.
A red-haired girl pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped out of the noisy classroom.
Just as she was about to leave, a slightly nervous voice called out from behind her.
“Xia... Xia Er, I’d like to invite you to a tea party tomorrow afternoon at my house.”
Hearing the voice, Xia Er turned her head slightly, her dark red eyes reflecting the noble blue of the other girl’s gaze, along with the black invitation in her hand, embossed in gold.
“Thank you, Miss Ai Mi,” Xia Er said with a smile as she turned around and accepted the invitation. “If I have time tomorrow, I’ll definitely come by.”
Seeing that the red-haired girl hadn’t given a clear answer, Ai Mi’s expression dimmed a little.
She knew that when Xia Er said something like that, it usually meant she wouldn’t attend the tea party. Other invitations had been turned down in the same way.
But Ai Mi wasn’t ready to give up. She pressed on with her invitation:
“It’s a tea party about further studies. A few professors from An Su University will be there... Don’t you find law interesting, Xia Er? My dad knows them well; you could show off your smarts in front of the professors and surely get a recommendation letter!”
“And besides, we’re almost graduating, and you’ve never been to my house! It’s quite spacious...”
At this point, Ai Mi’s eyes sparkled with hope.
She was almost hinting that if Xia Er attended the tea party, she would definitely get a recommendation letter from the best university in the capital, An Su, for a subject she liked.
If Xia Er got that recommendation, they could leave this fog-shrouded city together and head to university in An Su!
Ai Mi’s heart raced as she gazed at the stunning girl lost in thought before her, feeling a bit dazed herself.
Xia Er’s hair blazed like fire, the curls shimmering with golden-red light in the sunlight, as if each strand carried the passion and power of flames.
Her skin was as white as ivory, contrasting sharply with her red hair. Her features were sculpted to perfection, and she always wore a faint smile that hinted at mystery and nobility.
Especially her slightly distracted dark red eyes, deep and enigmatic, radiated an irresistible charm wherever they fell.
“Xia Er?” Ai Mi instinctively called out, eager to hear her answer, even though no one had ever successfully invited her before.
“I...” Xia Er’s gaze refocused, meeting the blonde girl’s eyes. She slightly retracted her smile, tucked the invitation into her pocket, and said coolly, “I’ve never found law interesting.”
“Thanks for the invitation. See you at the graduation ceremony the day after tomorrow.”
With a slight nod, Xia Er turned and walked away.
The hem of her black school uniform fluttered slightly, and as it did, Ai Mi’s hopes were pulled back down to earth by gravity.
Ai Mi raised her hand, wanting to say something more, but after a long pause, she helplessly let it drop, watching the red-haired girl walk further and further away.
...
After turning down Friend A, exchanging pleasantries with Classmate B, and chatting a bit more with Teacher C, Xia Er finally smiled and bid farewell to Passersby D, E, F, and G before leaving Boleun Private Academy and heading home.
Since her soul had replaced that of a girl who had sought to end her life three years ago, Xia Er had more or less gotten used to life in this world and her new identity.
This world was a strange reflection of her past life, reminiscent of Victorian Birmingham, yet with many subtle differences—like the numerous churches with names she had never heard before and the wondrous buildings they had constructed.
However, she was somewhat disappointed that in these three years, she hadn’t encountered any events or individuals related to extraordinary powers; it seemed like an ordinary parallel world.
As she stepped out of the academy, she walked along the neatly paved cobblestone path, and after crossing three blocks, her feet landed on a road made of black gravel.
**Bell Tower Alley.**
Compared to the quiet and elegant environment of the academy, the Bell Tower Alley was stiflingly hot, filled with the roar of machines and the crackle of furnaces. The uneven ground, paved with black gravel, emitted an indescribable stench.
Bell Tower Alley was a small microcosm of Boleun City, where machines roared day and night, steam billowed with black smoke into the sky, and the entire city felt like a massive furnace trying to scorch the heavens.
“Ding-a-ling—”
A carriage sped past, splashing dirty water from a puddle. Some of that black water splattered onto Xia Er’s clean white stockings, leaving a dark stain.
Returning from the academy felt like stepping from the set of Hogwarts into a blood-soaked gangster den; it was hard to imagine such scenes coexisting in the same city.
“Hey, little girl, are you alright?”
The carriage stopped not far behind Xia Er, and a middle-aged man with a double-breasted suit (that didn’t quite button up) and a round face poked his head out of the window. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and stared intently at Xia Er’s back.
Xia Er pretended not to hear, lowering the brim of her standard wide-brimmed hat and quickening her pace.
She was like a photographer in the African savanna, doing her best to avoid any interaction with either mating or non-mating animals, adhering to the principles of naturalism and the “non-interference photography method.”
Xia Er skillfully navigated through the alley and emerged onto another street.
On either side of the road stood rows of houses, some tall, some short, their walls weathered and showing the marks of time. The alley was filled with the smell of coal smoke and cooking.
She stopped in front of number 44, took a deep breath, and stepped up the few stairs to stand at the door.
Xia Er took out her key but didn’t unlock it right away. Instead, she bent down slightly and carefully searched the gap in the door, then slowly pulled out a long strand of fiery red hair.
After confirming that the door hadn’t been opened since she left, Xia Er finally inserted the key into the lock, opened the door, and locked it behind her.
The door shut out the noisy sounds and indescribable odors from outside, allowing Xia Er’s nerves to relax a little.
Inside the small living room were rough wooden tables and chairs, an old-fashioned but clean sofa, and a small fireplace adorned with a few cute trinkets. The overall layout was simple yet cozy.
The kitchen was connected to the living room, with a coal stove serving as the main cooking tool, and a bag of coal piled in the corner.
Xia Er went upstairs to her room, changed out of her standard dress and apron, and slipped into a practical linen skirt before heading down to the kitchen to start a fire and prepare dinner.
If anyone from school—like Miss Ai Mi—saw her now, they would surely drop their jaws in disbelief, even questioning whether they were hallucinating.
How could such a mysterious and noble-looking beauty live in such a lowly community and be so skilled at household chores?
Can’t you hear the whispers of spring?
Xia Er expertly prepared dinner—a stew made from potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, and some scraps of lean meat, along with thick slices of coarsely ground bread that she had lightly fried.
After placing a small pot of stew and a plate of bread on the little wooden table, Xia Er wiped her hands on her apron, reached into her skirt pocket, and pulled out a pocket watch with an ancient silver casing.
This pocket watch had appeared on her the moment she arrived in this world. The chain was nowhere to be found, and the originally silver casing had oxidized to a dark hue, but since it kept time quite accurately, Xia Er had decided to keep it instead of pawning it for cash.
For someone with a strong sense of time, having such a pocket watch was incredibly important.
“Six twenty-nine... a minute early.”
Perhaps due to her increasing proficiency in cooking, she finished dinner a minute ahead of schedule this time.
A minute felt too short for anything meaningful, leaving her to watch the seconds tick away, and the feeling of wasting time made Xia Er a bit anxious.
“It’s fine, just close your eyes and count down a minute. Sister will be back soon.”
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