Chapter 150
Lucy, still unaware of the gravity of the situation, slowly nodded and said, "That's a nice name... Can I just call you Miss Xia'er?"
"Lucy..."
Xia'er interrupted her, looking directly at her. "It seems that the 'Rule of Misfortune' affecting you is also present in me."
Lucy: "Huh?"
Lucy’s mind took a moment to catch up. She looked at Xia'er, confusion etched on her face, and after a while, she finally connected the dots.
No wonder Xia'er could tell right away that the 'Rule of Misfortune' wasn’t just a singular occurrence.
It wasn’t just her who was being interfered with by this 'Rule of Misfortune'?
"Miss Xia'er... what is your 'Rule of Misfortune'?" Lucy asked cautiously.
"Do not come into contact with the extraordinary," Xia'er replied calmly. "If you encounter a being of the third tier or above, you will face life-threatening misfortune."
Lucy: "..."
She thought back carefully.
She herself was at the third tier.
There were at least a dozen extraordinary beings in the Dedun Manor.
Professor Ashford, who had just arrived, was also at the third tier...
The sense of relaxation Lucy had felt moments ago tightened into anxiety.
She instinctively shrank back, but the stone wall behind her offered no retreat. Trembling, she looked at Xia'er and said, "Miss Xia'er... can we talk about this another time?"
"If you want to go back first, I promise to visit you another day... and send someone to deliver a token of gratitude..."
Lucy seemed to have an idea. She raised her hand and pointed to a nearby gold coin lying on the ground. "If you don’t mind, I can lend you that 'Lucky Coin.'"
"Its function is to turn some misfortune into good luck if tossed on the angel's face. If it lands on the other side, it doubles your misfortune... The side effect is that it can only be tossed twice a day, and even if you don’t roll it, it will automatically toss itself twice at the end of the day, with the results taking effect the next day, even if you’re not carrying it."
"If you find yourself in a situation you can't resolve, you might want to try tossing this... Wait, don’t come any closer!!!"
As Xia'er took a step toward the coin, Lucy recoiled as if she had seen a creature from another realm, completely oblivious to her status as a third-tier "Destined One."
The 'Lucky Coin'... did Lucy come up with that name herself? The effects of the coin didn’t sound particularly lucky.
A shadowy finger emerged from the coin's shadow, grasping it and pulling it into the darkness.
In the next moment, the shadow reached out from behind Xia'er, handing the coin to her.
Holding the warm coin, which felt almost alive, Xia'er looked toward Lucy and said, "If I have the chance, I’ll come back to learn more. Thank you for this artifact."
With that, Xia'er turned and left.
If what Lucy said was true, then the simulated version of herself could only remain for 24 hours, making the coin unnecessary.
If misfortune were to strike suddenly, having this coin would give Xia'er an additional means to counter it.
As for why Lucy so readily lent her the coin, Xia'er could guess a few reasons...
Aside from fearing that her own misfortune might affect Lucy, it was also possible that, in Lucy's mind, Xia'er wouldn’t survive the day. She probably thought that by tomorrow, she could reclaim the coin after Xia'er was gone.
Xia'er tucked the coin back into her pocket, glanced back at Lucy, and headed straight for the secret passage, leaving Dedun Manor behind.
It wasn’t just her who was troubled by the 'Rule of Misfortune'; the "Destined One" Lucy was also bound by some form of it, forcing her to remain within Dedun Manor.
What Xia'er wanted to know most was when this 'Rule of Misfortune' had locked onto her.
What were the specific details of her own rules? What would happen if she understood all the rules and acted accordingly?
Besides herself and Lucy, who else had encountered this 'Rule of Misfortune'? If there were others, were they still alive?
These questions needed answers, especially the first one: when had the rules locked onto her?
If she hadn’t been locked in reality yet, Xia'er could find a way to avoid that lock and resolve the issue at its root.
Late at night, walking down the path at the foot of Creek Mountain, Xia'er tread carefully, observing for any potential misfortunes while contemplating the rules that bound her.
Lucy’s 'Rule of Misfortune' required her to be engaged in a task; even if the task was complete, she had to remain in Dedun Manor to investigate. So far, it seemed that was the only rule she knew.
As for Xia'er, one of her rules was likely "do not come into contact with the extraordinary," while another might be that she was not allowed to leave a certain distance from Bole City.
Perhaps coming to Creek Mountain was already a violation of the rules.
Misfortune wouldn’t strike immediately. If she remained bound by the rules, the next misfortune could be even more severe than she imagined... Xia'er had to be fully prepared.
There was still plenty of time left in the simulation; she didn’t want to die before uncovering the truth.
Moreover, she had to return to Bole City, as Xia'er didn’t know if staying outside the city would cause her misfortune to accumulate.
Xia'er hurried toward Bole City.
...
In Bole City, at No. 15, Duke Bridge District, Aivina's residence.
In Aivina's room on the third floor, she lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
It was nearly one in the morning. Normally, Aivina would have been asleep by ten or eleven, but tonight she seemed troubled, restless in her bed.
Perhaps it was the thought that she would no longer see Xia'er in Bole City, only able to communicate through letters, that weighed heavily on her mind.
But sending Xia'er to Ansu was a last resort.
Asking Aivina to return to Ansu with her... she wasn’t ready to face her family yet.
Today, Aivina felt a persistent heaviness in her chest, a feeling that would likely linger until she received a letter from Xia'er assuring her of safety.
"Sigh..."
Aivina sighed, got out of bed, slipped on her soft slippers, and walked toward her desk.
Since she couldn’t sleep, she might as well write some letters to acquaintances in Ansu, asking them to look after Xia'er.
After some thought, she quickly came up with a few names and began to write on the letter paper.
"Click—"
The door to the maid's room opened, and "Crown Guard" Nia stepped out, heading straight for the exit.
The noise made Aivina pause her writing. She turned to Nia, curious, and asked, "What’s going on?"
"An extraordinary being is approaching, Miss," Nia replied, opening the door. "I’ll go check it out."
"Okay."
Upon hearing it was an extraordinary being, Aivina lost interest; it couldn’t possibly be Xia'er.
Now, she found herself reminiscing about Xia'er from a month ago, who would often come to share the latest news.
But who would come to see her at this late hour?
Adele? No, she should be asleep by now; even the biggest issues could wait until tomorrow.
Everyone who needed to visit her had already done so...
For some reason, Aivina felt a vague sense of foreboding, which only added to her anxiety, making it impossible for her to continue writing.
Adele had already advanced to the second tier with the help of an antidote and her own talent, while Aivina remained stuck at the first tier as a "Listener," unable to complete the "Psychologist" replication ritual.
She hadn’t been overly fixated on her advancement before, but now she worried about falling behind her friends and returning to a state of isolation.
Click—
The door opened again, and Aivina set aside her thoughts, picking up her pen to write once more, asking, "Who is it?"
"It’s... someone from the police investigation department, Miss."
The metallic hum of armor accompanied Nia's words, but there was a noticeable hesitation in her tone.
Aivina picked up on this immediately, pausing her pen, straightening her nightgown, and looking toward Nia. "Is it a case involving extraordinary beings? Can’t they handle it themselves?"
Recently, Bole City had attracted many different organizations, even drawing in a group of extraordinary beings lured by rumors, leading to a surge in extraordinary cases and a significant increase in chaos throughout the city.
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