Chapter 34
"I'm sure my dad, the magistrate, can help you," Amy chimed in, nodding enthusiastically as she sat beside Moser.
No wonder Amy was so confident when she handed over the invitation; her father is the chief magistrate of Berlun!
At that moment, Baron Moser felt a bit speechless about his precious daughter. It was like watching his prized cabbage being snatched away by someone else. It seemed that as long as that girl named Xia'er was around, he was reduced to a mere tool for her.
But Xia'er was quite impressive herself—academically gifted and among the top students at Berlun Private Academy. Most importantly, she had a genuine interest in law, and her teachers praised her as having a natural talent for it.
Aside from her humble background, she had no flaws at all.
With a little nurturing, if she could study alongside Amy, he might just end up raising two future magistrates, helping him forge connections in the political and legal circles of Ansu.
"Thank you, Mr. Moser, I really appreciate it," Xia'er said after a moment's hesitation. "But I've already received my salary from Aivina, and I need to help her finish this week's work."
"That's fine. You can come find me anytime after you wrap things up," Moser nodded discreetly.
Even with a better position waiting for her, Xia'er was able to resist temptation and keep her promise—a rare and admirable quality.
With the help of his skills in the Art of Conversation Lv.1, Moser found himself increasingly impressed by Xia'er.
He planned to observe her for a while longer; if she truly was as remarkable as he thought, he would be willing to sponsor her and Amy to attend the same university. His daughter was great in every way, but she really needed an exceptional person to guide her in her studies.
"However, you need to be careful. It's best not to go to Bell Tower Alley lately. If you must go, make sure Aivina accompanies you," Moser reminded her, recalling something important.
"Is something happening in Bell Tower Alley?" Xia'er asked, puzzled.
"I’m not sure of the specifics," Moser shook his head. "A friend of mine just advised me against going, and I trust his judgment."
"Not long ago, he mentioned that the Blackwater Party would be involved in something big, and then this morning, their leader died under mysterious circumstances."
Had he predicted trouble for the Blackwater Party? No wonder Moser had quickly distanced himself from it when Xia'er mentioned it in their earlier conversation.
Now, with that mysterious person predicting trouble in Bell Tower Alley again... it seemed something was indeed brewing.
"Father! Father!" Amy exclaimed, her eyes wide with concern upon hearing about the danger in Bell Tower Alley. She shook Moser's arm anxiously. "Don’t we have some houses next to the police station? Can we rent one for Xia'er?"
Moser: "..."
His once cherished little girl seemed to have someone else’s name written all over her.
"Do as you wish," Moser sighed, rubbing his temples in resignation. "You two go have fun; I have some matters to attend to."
"Thank you, Father!" Amy released Moser's arm and bounced over to Xia'er, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the door. "After the tea party, I’ll take you to see the house..."
As Xia'er was whisked away, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Was she... being supported by a wealthy benefactor?
She didn’t stay until the tea party ended; instead, she made an excuse to head back to Bell Tower Alley.
However, she had arranged to meet Amy tomorrow after the graduation ceremony to look at the house, so Amy didn’t seem too disappointed and began to look forward to the next day.
On her way back, Xia'er picked up a portion of Ansu Li Ta and almond puff pastry, spending nearly four shillings. Lichi liked nutty desserts, so she thought it would be nice to bring some back for her to try.
This time, Xia'er felt far from relaxed. The information she had gathered along the way hinted at lurking dangers in Bell Tower Alley.
No, she had to act before anything happened. She feared that the longer she waited, the more likely it was that something irreversible would occur.
Perhaps because she was walking too fast, she licked her lips, feeling a sudden thirst.
As she passed the Bell Tower Church, she tossed two pennies into the prayer box, a small offering to the goddess.
Once she returned home to Bell Tower Alley, Xia'er placed the pastries on the table and hurried upstairs to open her notebook.
1. Record the investigation results with Aivina; it’s best to ask her what exactly is happening in Bell Tower Alley.
2. As I approach my departure, I can try to provoke Aivina a bit to see if the contract is still in effect. If it is, she won’t have any objections.
3. Tomorrow, I’ll have my sister take a day off, attend the graduation ceremony, and then go house-hunting together. Once we find a place, we’ll move in that night, and I’ll do everything I can to convince her to quit her job.
4. I’ll pray at the Bell Tower Church every day to see if I can run into Yulis and observe if there’s any unusual activity at the church.
After jotting these down, Xia'er set her pencil down and opened the system.
"Future Date: Day 16 (Year 741, July 4, 11:58) (Cost: 10 Destiny Points)"
Sixteen days later...
Xia'er had never ventured this far into the future.
"Future Date."
"No. 2."
As she silently recited in her mind, a silver light enveloped her.
---
**Chapter 36: Abyss of Despair (Part Five)**
"Future Date"
"Year 741, July 4, 11:58"
"Countdown - 23:59:59"
Xia'er slowly opened her eyes in bed.
Upon waking, she found herself staring at a familiar ceiling.
Familiar... ceiling?
Xia'er suddenly flipped out of bed, a shadow emerging behind her, leaning against her back.
Wasn’t this supposed to be sixteen days later?
Why was she still at 44 North-South Stone Street? Why was she still in Bell Tower Alley?
A damp, musty smell invaded her nostrils, and she frowned.
This scent had never been present in her home.
Outside, the rain pattered softly. She got out of bed and walked to her desk, flipping open her notebook.
"Year 741, June 18, 7:30 PM"
"Since returning, I don’t know if it’s psychological, but my thirst has intensified compared to when I was at Jazz Bridge. This isn’t normal; my unease is growing stronger."
"When my sister returned from her break at 6:30 to have dinner, I laid everything out and told her I would be working for a friend’s father, Baron Hastings, at the magistrate's court. I exaggerated my salary to convince her that I could earn a lot."
"My sister cried while eating dessert. She was happy that I could study law again and agreed to take a day off tomorrow to thank Amy after the graduation ceremony."
"However, she didn’t agree to quit her job, saying that working together would help us save for tuition faster. This time, I was very firm, insisting that she must move out with me. To persuade her, I revealed some information—there’s danger in Bell Tower Alley."
"Now my sister and I have left Bell Tower Alley and rented a hotel next to the police station, but I’m not sleeping with her; I’m staying outside the hotel. My thirst is worsening, and I didn’t drink any water on the way to the hotel; my lips are starting to crack."
"—There’s definitely danger in Bell Tower Alley. I remember Aivina mentioning dehydration; it could be contagious. I can’t stay with my sister any longer."
Xia'er's pupils constricted.
Had she... contracted dehydration? When?
It wasn’t even after returning to Bell Tower Alley; she had felt thirsty while walking on Jazz Bridge...
This meant that infection had become a foregone conclusion. Even if she returned to reality, it wouldn’t change the fact that she was already infected!
Xia'er flipped to the next page.
"Year 741, June 18, 8:30 PM"
"I just left Aivina’s house. I confessed to her about my inexplicable thirst, and for the first time, I saw shock on her face. You’d find it amusing..."
"We reached an agreement: she would help me take care of my sister, and I would need to help her re-enter Bell Tower Alley for investigation. She subtly advised me not to leave Bell Tower Alley—she’s worried this mysterious dehydration might spread."
"I agreed to her request; even for my own life, I must return to Bell Tower Alley and investigate the issue thoroughly."
"In the end, I left her a vial of blood to take to someone reliable for research."
It was a choice she would make.
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