Chapter 98
She could overlook the matter of the potion given to Xia'er, but only if Xia'er agreed to return to the Holy See with her.
Whether Xia'er's actions were appropriate was not for Youlis to decide.
Once the Holy See determined that Xia'er posed a risk of losing control, Youlis would have to perform a baptism on her. This would allow Xia'er to live a little longer under the protection of the Goddess, sparing her from the torment of the whispers that could drive her mad.
"You might as well hear this news first, Your Excellency the High Priest."
Aivina ignored Youlis's obvious accusation and continued, "I trust you will make the right judgment."
Then, Aivina relayed the information Xia'er had just mentioned about when the "Radiant Bishop" of the Holy Assembly would arrive.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Youlis, who had been maintaining a cold demeanor, furrowed her brow slightly.
"The 'Radiant Bishop'?"
Adele, who was standing nearby with a potion ready to hand to Xia'er, instinctively began to count on her fingers, shocked by the news.
‘Ascetic’... ‘Missionary’... ‘Radiant Bishop’?!!
At that moment, Adele finally connected this news with the topic Xia'er and the others had just discussed.
A third-tier extraordinary being?! The Holy Assembly?! Arriving the day after tomorrow?!
Compared to the panicked Adele, Youlis appeared much more composed.
After all, the Church of the Savior was constantly facing threats from the Holy Assembly.
"You needn't worry about that, Miss Russell."
Youlis turned to Aivina and said in a low voice, "The support from the Church of the Savior will arrive faster than the inspectors from the Holy Assembly. Once I report the situation to the bishop who usually provides support, I will take Miss Xia'er to the Holy See for treatment. There will be no safety issues for her."
"The bishop left behind will handle this matter."
"However, the Church has limited personnel, so your own safety may have to be managed by you."
Hearing Youlis's response, Xia'er felt a bit helpless.
Well, she had found the first way to get through this crisis: to follow the Church's route.
But clearly, Xia'er would never choose the Church's path unless absolutely necessary.
To activate the free Old Days simulation, she needed to save all her progress.
However, if she joined the Church and consumed the "Ascetic" or "Avenger" potions in reality, she would lose the pure mode of No.0.
No.0 would turn into an ordinary mode of "Ascetic" or "Avenger" in the simulation.
This meant Xia'er could no longer use the pure mode to enter the simulation, drink other potions, and save her progress.
Without extraordinary abilities, she couldn't save her progress, and she couldn't save an ordinary person's progress to drink potions.
At least until she figured out what the Old Days and her self-created paths were, Xia'er wouldn't recklessly consume any potions in reality.
In the simulation, she could take risks, but in reality, one wrong step could end everything.
Xia'er fell into deep thought.
Aivina seemed to sense some impending crisis. After saying her goodbyes to Xia'er and Adele, she hurriedly left, seemingly to find a solution.
Youlis stayed in the room, tending to Xia'er's body alongside Adele. It seemed Youlis had planned this all along, as she took out a set of black clerical robes and helped Xia'er change out of her blood-stained maid outfit.
Xia'er, however, made no move. She focused on healing, obeying all of Adele's arrangements, just to ensure that this save file wouldn't have such severe side effects when used.
Another reason Xia'er remained still was that she wanted to see when the support from the Church of the Savior would arrive. Would it be Xiu? If so, Xia'er might be able to gain her trust through Xiu's token and extract more information for her reference.
Time passed second by second. Under Adele's diligent care, the visible wounds on Xia'er had mostly healed, and the symptoms of blood loss had disappeared.
The "Physician's" healing abilities, while not as exaggerated as one might expect, had indeed accelerated her recovery remarkably.
It was unclear what Adele's extraordinary ability was, or if it was simply due to the quality of the potion formulas and materials. It seemed that when she decided to pursue the "Physician" path, she would need to have a chat with Adele.
They waited until the early hours of the morning, around 3:50 AM, but Xia'er still hadn't seen the bishop from the Church of the Savior.
Just before the deadline, Xia'er cleverly coaxed Adele into letting her take all the valuable potions, using the excuse of wanting to see how they looked. She had them all packed into a syringe bag that hung at her waist.
Xia'er wanted to see if she could keep all these items in the "Judicator" save file this way.
Standing in front of the mirror, illuminated by the oil lamp, she looked at her reflection.
The familiar High Priest of the Church of the Savior, with a syringe bag hanging at her waist like a bandolier, adorned with various precious potions, all painstakingly crafted by Adele.
And what about Adele?
She had been so tired in the early morning that after Xia'er woke her to hand over the items, she had dozed off again, seemingly unaware that Xia'er might run off with them.
This girl would end up getting tricked out of her pants one day.
Xia'er stood there, silently counting down the last moments.
Why...
4...
3... 2... 1...
A flash of white light enveloped Xia'er, and her consciousness entered a strange space, where she stood face to face with her own self as the "Judicator," as if looking into a mirror.
In this space, the flames of frustration in her heart, the extreme thoughts swirling in her mind, and the increasingly noisy whispers vanished in an instant.
Without the influence of the potions, her thoughts returned to a normal state.
That was close...
Without much thought, Xia'er directly overwrote the "Judicator" save file onto No.2, replacing the original "Avenger" Xia'er.
Only when the system confirmed that her save was successful did Xia'er let out a long sigh of relief.
Second-tier "Judicator"...
She had finally advanced to the second tier, which gave Xia'er a bit more confidence for the future.
In a situation where both sides were prepared and there were no ambushes, the gap between the second and first tiers was simply too vast to bridge.
Xia'er found it hard to imagine what a third-tier being would be like—just from observing "Crown Sentinel" Niya, she couldn't discern much of her strength.
Niya gave Xia'er the impression that she had invested all her points in defense, as if she could always escape with Aivina no matter the situation.
For Niya, combat was never part of her plan; her sole objective was to protect Aivina.
In such circumstances, it was difficult to gauge her true power.
The silver light before her began to fade, and Xia'er gradually felt herself regaining control over her body.
What rewards would come with this second-tier promotion...?
The white light receded.
...
[Reality]
[Year 741 of the Holy Calendar, June 20, 16:15]
[Evaluation: papapapapapa!!!]
[Congratulations, host! Congratulations! You have finally completed the second-tier manifestation ritual against all odds! This is a small step for you, and... indeed, just a small step ^^_]
[I dare say, no one has ever attempted to summon so many spiritual beings at once without being backfired. I must commend your boldness, but this is also thanks to your own "charm."]
[I'm glad to see your interest in the Old Days. Based on your correct choices, the system has decided to reward you with a precious gift... though it’s still not fully repaired ^^]
[Accept this; it is what you deserve based on your performance.]
[Reward: Destiny Points ×66, [Head Hunter Lv.1], [Echo of the Silver-White Binder (damaged)]]
[Destiny Points: 136]
Xia'er slowly opened her eyes, propped herself up, and leaned back against the sofa.
She had returned to the guest room in Aivina's home.
She looked at the system panel before her and took a deep breath.
A windfall?
She had directly gained 66 Destiny Points?
And a skill along with a sealed item?
Looking at the balance of 136 Destiny Points, a bold idea began to form in Xia'er's mind.
What if she used every manifestation ritual upgrade to brush up against Jidi?
Guaranteed profit.
It was a feasible idea, but for now, Xia'er tucked it away in her mind and turned her attention to the other rewards.
With so many Destiny Points awarded, there might be something in the other rewards that could change the game.
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