Chapter 12
On the path of becoming a servant, the ambitious and extremely arrogant Du Wen seemed to stray from the teachings of the Goddess of Salvation Church, walking a different road altogether.
Xia Er flipped through the pages again, finding no more valuable clues, and opened another diary belonging to Thomas.
This diary contained the account of the man in the black robe.
**[Diary - Thomas]**
**[If the notes of that traitor from the church are correct, it seems that a person's writings can help replicate the ritual. However, without a priest to check my work, I don't even know what good this will do. Still, I might as well write it down.]**
The front page of the diary held Thomas's reflections, but what followed surprised Xia Er.
This man was originally a bandit, roaming between various villages within the borders of Ansu, committing crimes.
He was quite adept at gaining others' trust with his friendly demeanor and silver tongue. Once inside their homes, he would rob and murder, specifically targeting the vulnerable—often the elderly or women living alone.
This was his own account in the diary, and he began writing it after his last murder.
While prowling near the village close to Bolun City, he encountered a man dressed in fine fabric, gravely injured and on the brink of death.
To gain his trust, Thomas tended to the man's wounds and sheltered him in an abandoned house for a time.
Eventually, as the man's condition worsened and under the guise of false kindness from Thomas, the man revealed his hiding place in the city, asking Thomas to take him there.
This injured man was none other than Du Wen, the author of the notes Xia Er had just studied.
The subsequent events need not be elaborated.
The bandit Thomas killed Du Wen in his solitary house, robbing him of everything valuable, including three vials of potions and a complete replication ritual.
One vial contained the full "Avenger" potion, while the other two were half-finished "Inciter" potions—items Du Wen had acquired after ceasing to write his notes.
The glimpse into the extraordinary world thrilled Thomas immensely. He quickly began to study everything Du Wen had left behind, discovering a research note on the Inciter that detailed its replication ritual.
The so-called replication ritual was about reenacting the deeds of the divine—drinking the magical potion to merge with it—gaining power.
This was a path to reclaim divinity.
After much hesitation, Thomas chose the "Inciter" route, believing it mirrored his own nature perfectly; incitement was his specialty.
The replication ritual of the Inciter was straightforward: drink a vial of the potion and begin inciting others, whether to commit murder or engage in crime. The greater the influence, the better the potion's effects.
When success was near, just before a major crime he incited, he would drink the potion, digesting it while waiting for events to unfold.
Once the incident concluded, the potion would merge with him, and he would become a true extraordinary being.
His earlier attempts at incitement had nothing to do with Xia Er.
But the last incitement was deeply connected to her.
He spent half a year using the initial persuasive abilities granted by the potion to convince the leader of the Black Water gang that he possessed the ritual for the Avenger potion, continuously inciting him to commit murder.
The ritual he prepared for himself ultimately involved the Black Water leader killing his nephew and the man who had killed his nephew, followed by drinking the Avenger potion.
This ritual was entirely concocted by the bandit Thomas, who had no understanding of its process; Du Wen's research notes contained no records of the Avenger ritual.
His aim in making the Black Water leader drink the Avenger potion was to drive him insane under the false ritual, transforming him into a mindless yet powerful killing demon.
Once this demon took shape, it was easy to foresee that Thomas's Inciter potion would be fully digested, and he would become a true extraordinary being.
“Phew...”
Xia Er let out a breath.
Now she finally understood why she had been drawn into all of this.
It was a series of coincidences woven from betrayal and deception; she was merely a pawn to be sacrificed at will.
Xia Er had not found a second vial of the "Inciter" potion in the simulation, likely having been consumed by Thomas. When she killed him, the complete potion material would have been extracted from his blood.
Fortunately, she was already aware of all this. She remained in the shadows while her enemies knew nothing of her situation.
Thanks to some new intelligence, Xia Er had more means to resolve this matter.
For instance, the notes mentioned—the Goddess of Salvation Church.
If she could hand these two diaries over to an extraordinary being from the Goddess of Salvation Church, the issue might be resolved perfectly without her needing to intervene.
The challenge lay in explaining the origins of these two diaries and how to find an extraordinary being from the church.
Moreover, would engaging with the church's extraordinary level put her in danger?
Should she take a break?
No. Xia Er quickly dismissed the idea.
She now knew that after 4:45 AM, Thomas and Solari would be at the "Hammer" tavern on West Street, and Solari would be in a state unable to fight. If she wanted to kill them, the early morning was the best opportunity; she just needed to refine the details in the simulation.
She needed to enter the simulation once more, aiming to avoid using the death reversal skill. If the simulation time did not exceed 4:45 AM, she would choose to kill them first before approaching the church.
If the time had already passed, she would directly contact the church; if that was impossible, she would look for an opportunity to strike within the simulation's timeframe.
She was confident that her killing skills would be more fluid and decisive than in the previous simulation, leaving no chance for her opponents.
Xia Er opened the system's simulation interface, and a new random simulation time appeared before her.
**[Tomorrow: 1h (Year of the Saint 741, June 17, 7:46) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)]**
**[Past: 3 Days (Year of the Saint 741, June 14, 7:30) (Cost: 100 Fate Points)]**
**[Old Days: ***, *** Days (?????) (Cost: 10,000 Fate Points)]**
One hour later?
Xia Er was surprised that the random time was so close to the present.
Close enough that the church hadn't even closed yet; she could first scout the church before honing her assassination skills.
This seemed to align perfectly with her plans.
After placing the two diaries on her notebook, Xia Er lay back on her bed and slowly closed her eyes.
“Tomorrow.”
The white light enveloped her.
---
**Chapter Eleven: Use Dual Blessings on the Goddess of Salvation**
**[Tomorrow]**
**[Year of the Saint 741, June 17, 7:46]**
**[Countdown - 23:59:59]**
Xia Er opened her eyes, greeted by the familiar ceiling and the slowly dissipating silver light curtain.
She propped herself up, realizing that her simulation self had been asleep for an hour. Although her mental fatigue lingered, her physical exhaustion had eased somewhat.
She reached for her canvas bag, stuffing the two exchanged diaries inside while leaving her own notebook in place.
This simulation was only an hour apart from reality, so there was no need to record the events that transpired in between, especially since she had been sleeping the whole time.
Draping her new black cloak over her shoulders, Xia Er concealed her knife and three rounds of ammunition in the canvas bag.
Fully prepared, she slung the bag over her shoulder and stepped out of the house, locking the door behind her as she headed straight for the match factory where her sister worked.
She pretended not to notice any pursuers and did not conceal her movements, so as not to alert them.
Xia Er only needed to make her actions seem reasonable to the stalkers.
After crossing two blocks, she arrived at the match factory where her sister worked. By this time, the workers had mostly finished their meals and were chatting in small groups outside the factory, waiting to clock in.
Xia Er quickly spotted her sister's golden-haired figure at the entrance, her back turned to Xia Er as she engaged in a heated discussion with three men, her gestures indicating she was upset.
Xia Er instinctively quickened her pace, but as she drew closer, she realized it didn’t seem like anyone was bullying her sister.
The three burly men were like chicks before Li Qi, heads bowed and submissive, listening to her reprimands.
“What do you mean she just vanished in the blink of an eye? She’s just gone back now...”
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