Chapter 82
It didn't sound very friendly.
"Is every summoning random?"
Xia'er wondered to herself.
If the spiritual beings summoned each time were indeed random, then this skill would be somewhat useless. The powerful entity summoned after the last sacrifice might have had incredible abilities to assist Xia'er, but in the next battle, she might not be able to summon it again. It was quite unstable.
【Low-tier spiritual beings have almost no capacity for thought or memory, but most of them have preferences for different offerings. If the host understands the patterns and their likes, they can essentially achieve targeted summoning.】
This sounded... a bit like summoning an evil god. By consistently offering certain items, one could call upon them for assistance.
Xia'er decided to test this ability during the next simulation. After all, in the simulation, no matter what she sacrificed, she wouldn't suffer any real loss. If she had this ability during the previous simulation, with so many extraordinary corpses around, she could have given it a try.
She just didn't know what kind of being would be summoned from all those extraordinary blood and flesh.
Xia'er glanced at the time; it was just past four in the afternoon. At five o'clock, she would be taking notes for the first time in the simulation, recording how Aivina secretly sought out Adele to conspire against her.
Aivina would likely come to discuss the plan with her soon. Now that Xia'er knew how dangerous this situation was, she would naturally try to prevent them from reporting it in reality.
Moreover, whether Aivina reported it or not, two days later, a third-tier "Radiant Bishop" from the Holy Assembly would arrive at the outskirts of Bolun City to meet with Jidi at the Dedun Manor.
Xia'er had no idea what the purpose of that "Radiant Bishop" was or what their subsequent plans entailed. If the timeline unfolded without her involvement, it would probably lead to Jidi revealing the plan to use Adele to the bishop.
Jidi had likely already begun investigating Adele's involvement in ghostwriting papers for Xielun. Xia'er was unsure how far along that investigation was, but if she didn't intervene, Adele would probably be captured at the Dedun Manor on the morning of the 22nd.
Xia'er had been in contact with Aivina and Adele too much lately. If that "Radiant Bishop" decided to scrutinize Jidi, it wouldn't take long for them to discover Xia'er, who had been frequently interacting with them.
She had to ensure that Jidi kept the secret to herself before the "Radiant Bishop" arrived, no matter what it took.
The best plan Xia'er could think of was to offer Jidi's blood and flesh as a sacrifice to the spiritual being, effectively erasing her from this world.
To ensure that this plan could be executed with 100% certainty, Xia'er needed to possess enough power to contend with Jidi. Even if she couldn't match her strength, she at least needed to have a significant advantage in a surprise attack.
To achieve this, she needed to run another simulation, upgrading the "Avenger" save to a second-tier "Judicator" and refining her plan.
If she could transform into a second-tier being, she would have enough confidence to approach Yulisi in reality.
Knock, knock, knock—
As Xia'er contemplated her next steps, someone knocked on her door.
It was likely Aivina, coming to discuss the plan.
Xia'er got up, walked to the door, and opened it to find Aivina standing outside, now dressed in a simple black and gray outfit.
Though she had tried to keep it plain, the exquisite black lace with gold accents still hinted at the outfit's high price.
"Xia'er," Aivina said, raising her hand to adjust her gold-rimmed glasses with a serious expression. "I have a plan I want to discuss with you."
Xia'er reached out and pulled Aivina into the room, closing the door behind them. Leaning in close, she whispered in Aivina's ear, "Don't go looking for Adele."
"Huh?"
Aivina was caught off guard by Xia'er's smooth maneuver. She held her breath, leaning back slightly to create some distance before asking, "W-why?"
Xia'er replied, "I just received intel. Any action you take now could lead to unimaginable danger."
After a moment's thought, Xia'er decided not to tell Aivina about the "Radiant Bishop" returning on the 23rd. She still had tasks to complete in the upcoming simulation and didn't want to introduce more variables for Aivina.
"Is it really that dangerous?" Aivina asked, her serious demeanor sobering her up. "Am I in danger of losing my life?"
"Yes," Xia'er nodded. "Niya might be able to protect you, but I advise against taking that risk."
"What about Adele?" Aivina asked curiously. "She doesn't have any bodyguards watching her."
While Aivina's relationship with Adele wasn't strong enough for her to risk her life to save her, she would still want to warn Adele if she had the chance to help her escape.
"My intel network will handle this," Xia'er shook her head. "If necessary, they'll inform Yulisi from the Savior Goddess Church to protect Adele."
"Is there nothing I can do to help?" Aivina inquired.
After all, this was closely tied to her own safety. If she remained completely uninvolved while Xia'er and her intel network resolved everything, she would owe Xia'er a huge favor again.
Two life-saving debts, and she had no idea how to repay them.
What Aivina didn't realize was that she had already helped quite a bit, albeit only in the simulations.
"Not for now," Xia'er replied after a moment's thought. "If I really need your help, I'll reach out."
"…Alright."
Aivina nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Xia'er and said, "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know right away. Just come knock on my door."
After saying this, Aivina opened the door and left Xia'er's room.
Once Aivina was gone, Xia'er returned to the sofa and opened the simulation interface.
Now that she was ready to complete the replication ritual, everything was in place; she just needed the right timing.
All she could do was pray that the simulation time would align and not land on some abstract time node.
Xia'er generally avoided the past simulations, as there was a high probability she would end up at a time when she didn't have the "Judicator" potion. Thus, her options for simulation time were limited to the upcoming days.
Ideally, she wanted to keep it before the 22nd.
The simulation interface unfolded before her, and her gaze settled on the upcoming simulation.
【Upcoming: 12h (Year 741, June 21, 4:05 AM) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)】
Twelve hours later?
The timing was just right.
Xia'er let out a silent sigh of relief.
However, she wasn't too worried. If she ended up in a later time, she could always drink other potions that had already completed the replication ritual in the simulation, like the "Instigator."
It wouldn't waste simulation attempts, and she still had a re-randomizing die in her possession, though she wouldn't easily waste it unless it was a critical moment.
As for the past simulation, she glanced at it; it was the 17th, three days ago. At that time, Xia'er hadn't gained any abilities, let alone the "Judicator" potion, so she naturally dismissed that option.
"Upcoming, No. 2," Xia'er silently chanted.
With only twelve hours left, she didn't assign any tasks to her future self in a notebook.
To approach Yulisi, she had to do so as the "Avenger," and she needed to bring the letter from the Radiant Bishop. Otherwise, if she approached Yulisi as an ordinary person and then transformed into the "Avenger" after starting the simulation, it would be hard to explain.
All the intel she needed had been gathered; now, she just had to ensure her future self didn't act recklessly.
A silvery light enveloped Xia'er's vision as her consciousness detached from her body...
...
【Upcoming】
【Year 741, June 21, 4:05 AM】
【Countdown - 23:59:59】
Xia'er slowly opened her eyes.
Before her was darkness; she could feel the soft mattress beneath her and the faint, familiar scent lingering in the air.
I just told you not to investigate, and you went ahead and lay down?
But Xia'er had no complaints; if it were her, she would probably have done the same if she had nothing else to do.
Better to maintain the status quo than to make mistakes.
As Xia'er turned over, preparing to push herself up from the mattress, her hand brushed against something soft.
What is this?
"Mm..."
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