Chapter 38
“Not interested for now,” Xia Er shook her head.
Her heart was heavy with worry.
The other party was a second-tier extraordinary being preparing to advance to the third tier... and here she was, just a newbie who had barely reached the first tier. Xia Er never expected the gap to be so vast.
Even if the other person failed to advance, there was no way Xia Er could win against them.
“Have you found the person who conducts the Reappearance Ceremony?” Xia Er asked.
“No, they’re hiding very well,” Yulisi replied, shaking her head.
“Thanks.” Xia Er stood up to express her gratitude, then slung her canvas bag over her shoulder, preparing to turn and leave.
“Where are you going?” Yulisi asked, curiosity piqued.
Xia Er didn’t look back, just waved her hand. “Zhongta Alley.”
“Hey! You’ll get yourself killed!” Adele couldn’t help but remind her.
But Xia Er didn’t turn around, appearing as if she had long since cast aside any thoughts of life and death.
Once Xia Er’s figure disappeared at the door and it closed behind her, Adele reached out and shook Yulisi’s shoulder. “Sister, why didn’t you try to talk her out of it?”
“‘Avengers’ are like that,” Yulisi shook her head. “You can’t dissuade them.”
Adele stood up, still holding Yulisi’s shoulder, biting her lip as if lost in thought. Then she released her grip and chased after Xia Er. “That idiot, how is she going to get in without a pass?”
It wasn’t until Adele closed the door and her footsteps faded down the corridor that Yulisi shook her head helplessly again.
“Sigh... ‘Healers’ are like this.”
---
**Chapter 40: The Safest Place (Part Four)**
“What are you following me for?”
“What do you mean, following you? Don’t I need to go back to Zhongta Alley? This road isn’t yours, duh...”
Xia Er ignored the girl making faces beside her and walked straight toward Zhongta Alley, her mind racing with strategies.
In terms of strength, she really couldn’t compete with a more powerful extraordinary being.
But that didn’t mean she had to confront them head-on.
If she could figure out where the other person was hiding, she could report it to the church once she returned to reality. Even if it was just finding a way to solve the dehydration issue, she could go back and escape this dangerous city of Boleun with her sister.
Xia Er felt like she was at odds with Boleun City; as long as she stayed here, nothing good would come of it.
After walking for a while, just as they were nearing the checkpoint for Zhongta Alley, Adele suddenly asked, “Did your family die from dehydration?”
“No.”
“Friends?”
“No.”
“‘Friends of Life’?”
“No.”
“Then why are you risking it to investigate?”
Adele’s face was full of question marks. Unlike Aivina, who was deeply interested in others’ experiences, she simply couldn’t understand.
Seeing that Xia Er didn’t answer, Adele didn’t get discouraged. After showing her badge, she led Xia Er back into Zhongta Alley. It seemed she thought of something and changed the subject again.
“By the way, Xia Er, you just became an extraordinary being not long ago. Do you write spiritual notes?” Adele asked curiously.
“Spiritual notes?” This topic finally piqued Xia Er’s interest.
She knew that Du Er’s research notes were spiritual notes, and the points needed for the exchange were more expensive, requiring the system to eliminate the spiritual marks on them.
But Xia Er really didn’t understand why one would write spiritual notes or how to write them.
“You don’t have any? What about other spiritual anchor points?” Adele looked a bit surprised.
“What anchor points?” Xia Er turned to Adele.
This was the first time she had heard such terms; Aivina had never mentioned them, and this was the first time someone had brought it up.
“Um... you can think of it as something that reminds you of who you are when you see it... I don’t know if you can understand this?” Adele gestured dramatically. “Without it, you might start doubting yourself under the influence of potion whispers, and in severe cases, you could be assimilated by the potion!”
Self-doubt...
That’s right, Xia Er had indeed experienced such thoughts.
Whether in reality or in the simulated notes, she had encountered similar self-doubt, unable to distinguish between reality and simulation.
But simulation wasn’t a potion; did it also require a spiritual anchor point?
“Generally speaking, various churches and organizations are quite adept at using spiritual notes. You record certain things daily, allowing higher-tier extraordinary beings to occasionally check the notes to confirm the mental state of the note holder, facilitating intervention.”
Adele thought for a moment and continued, “If no one is there to help you check your spiritual notes, those extraordinary beings who haven’t joined an organization will choose to create a unique item, feeling its weight and texture to continuously form a kind of muscle memory, reinforcing self-awareness and stabilizing their mind.”
“Of course, this item must be something only you know about, but it should also be replicable. If your long-held spiritual anchor point gets swapped out or disappears, it increases the risk of collapse.”
“If you have time, I suggest you make one for yourself.”
Xia Er nodded; she understood what Adele was describing because she had indeed experienced such instability.
And a spiritual anchor point was akin to the spinning top in *Inception*, a means to reinforce self-awareness.
It seemed she really needed to find a way to create her own spiritual anchor point.
“Thank you, Adele.” Xia Er sincerely expressed her gratitude, and her impression of Adele improved slightly.
Though her personality was a bit erratic, her nature was still good.
“Don’t mention it.” Hearing Xia Er’s praise, Adele reached into her black robe and pulled out a gauze mask, grandly saying, “Here! No need to be polite!”
Xia Er took the mask and put it on, as she would be staying in Zhongta Alley for a while longer and needed to be cautious about infection.
“By the way, I have a question.” Xia Er looked at the silver raven mask hanging around Adele’s neck and curiously asked, “This mask has no protective effect; why do you wear it? Isn’t it a hundred years old?”
Upon hearing this, Adele’s previously cheerful expression immediately fell. “Because the next path to advancement is called ‘Plague Doctor.’ Don’t just blame me; everyone on the ‘Healer’ path has to wear one.”
Wearing a mask beneath the mask, it seemed Adele was feeling quite stifled and began to vent to Xia Er.
The two soon reached Nanbei Stone Street. Just one more street ahead was the place they had encountered earlier, and a bit further was the Zhongta Church.
“Wait here for me. I’ll go to the church and get you a badge so you won’t be mistaken for an unidentified extraordinary being by other ‘Healers.’ I was just testing you because you didn’t have a badge,” Adele gestured for Xia Er to stay put while she continued forward.
“Can’t I go?” Xia Er asked.
“The church area is the safest; it’s a shelter where all the patients are. Other ‘Healers’ start their checks from the outskirts...”
Adele’s explanation made Xia Er understand. Seeing Xia Er stop in place, Adele waved her hand and ran toward Zhongta Church.
Indeed, with so many patients there, as Yulisi had said, the suffering of those around would affect her. If Xia Er went there, her head would likely explode from the buzzing noise.
However...
Thinking of this, a hint of confusion appeared on Xia Er’s face. After watching Adele disappear, she took a step forward, following her little by little.
Since she entered Zhongta Alley, her head hadn’t buzzed even once.
There was none of the discomfort that had intensified the closer she got.
She cautiously stepped forward, finding no abnormalities; the street remained deserted.
The more pain others felt, the stronger her own feelings...
Xia Er frowned, as if realizing something, and suddenly quickened her pace toward Zhongta Church.
The clock tower grew larger in her view, and the rain had stopped at some point, but the surrounding fog only thickened.
Soon, she saw the large square in front of Zhongta Church, filled with tents...
And on the flooded black stone pavement lay countless bodies, clearly having struggled fiercely in life...
“Adèle!” Xia Er’s heart tightened as she looked at the silver-haired figure standing before the mass of corpses.
Adele slowly turned her head, her body stiffening. She was gripping her throat tightly, seemingly trying to shout something.
But no sound came out.
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