Chapter 189
Just as she was about to leave, Xia'er called out to her.
"Manager, hello."
Xia'er reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter. Seeing the manager's puzzled expression, she handed it over and said, "Please deliver this letter to Aivina as quickly as possible."
The manager was initially confused, but upon hearing that the letter was for Miss Aivina, all doubts vanished. She took the envelope without hesitation, hailed a carriage, and headed straight for the Jushi Bridge District.
Meanwhile, Liqi looked at her sister in front of her and felt a strange sensation.
Although Xia'er spoke as politely as ever, there was an undeniable authority in her tone now, as if she were not asking but commanding.
It was a quality that naturally emanated from someone in a position of power, hidden in the smallest of gestures.
After chatting with her sister for a while, Xia'er felt a significant relief from her mental pressure. She used the excuse of needing to get to work to say goodbye and returned to her rented room.
Not long after she got back, Aivina's reply arrived at lightning speed.
It was a carriage filled with nearly half a cartload of books.
**Chapter 120: The Era of Saints, the Ancient Era, and the Era of Chaos.**
*Dear Xia'er:*
*This set of books was actually recommended to me by a professor of Ancient Ansu language from Ansu, and I’ve packed them all up to lend to you.*
*After all, my skills are lacking; I can barely translate a few phrases well. Although you said in your letter that my translations are good, I know my own level—it's just amateur.*
*I hope these books can help you solve the problems in your heart soon.*
*Additionally, I’ve arranged for two maids to stay across from your house. If you need a carriage or need to send a message, just go find them; they’re right across the street, ready to assist you at any time.*
*If you don’t need them and feel they’re a bother, just send them back.*
*Your friend,*
*Aivina*
Xia'er looked at the pile of books stacked in her room and placed Aivina's letter in the drawer of her desk.
Though their time together had not been long, Aivina had already become a reliable figure in Xia'er's heart. Not only did she always fulfill Xia'er's requests, but she was also exceptionally attentive.
For instance, when Xia'er had previously borrowed life-saving items from Aivina, even knowing there were cultists threatening her, Aivina had lent them without hesitation.
Regardless, this trust deeply moved Xia'er.
Life-saving items...
A flash of inspiration crossed Xia'er’s mind.
She didn’t let this spark slip away; she seized it.
Life-saving items...
"The Death Substitute Relic"...
This extraordinary item could create a few seconds of "false death," absorbing consciousness and spirit, and then, after a few seconds, a purer consciousness and spirit would return to the body, eliminating most mental disturbances, including the brainwashing of the "missionary."
So...
Could the "Death Substitute Relic" eliminate the influence of that feather?
If she activated the "Death Substitute Relic" after being controlled by the feather, both her and the feather's spirit and will would be trapped in the "Death Substitute Relic's" cage, while her true self would be released after a few seconds, leaving the invading feather confined until the relic burned out...
During that time, wouldn’t the sealed feather itself become an unconscious object?
She could leave the simulation with the sealed object... or even directly use **[Spiritual Summoning]** to draw a blood array and sacrifice the "Death Substitute Relic" containing the spirit and will...
As long as she could bring it back to the system shop, Xia'er would be able to learn some information about the feather.
It was feasible... worth a try.
Though this plan was extremely dangerous, in the simulation, Xia'er feared nothing more than danger.
In fact, it was the lack of leads and information that truly terrified her.
Xia'er opened the simulation interface, ready to check the simulation days.
A silver-white screen unfolded before her, quickly switching to the simulation interface.
*Days Until: 27 Days (Year 741 of the Saints, July 21, 16:00) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)*
*Days Past: 11 Days (Year 741 of the Saints, June 13, 11:55) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)*
*Old Days: ***, *** Days (???) (Cost: 10,000 Fate Points)*
Twenty-seven days... just about hitting the limit where 30 days of Fate Points would turn into a cost of 100. For Xia'er, this was the most cost-effective simulation.
Moreover, with so many days available in the simulation, Xia'er could plan her time well, trying to align the outcomes with her intentions.
This time was also enough for her simulated self to learn Ancient Ansu.
Xia'er mentally recited the words spoken by the feather she had heard before, deepening her memory—she had been doing this periodically since emerging from the simulation.
Now, she could almost recite that phrase, even though she had no idea what it meant.
This simulation wouldn’t require direct combat, so Xia'er planned to digest another potion, ensuring she could save it as a backup.
After careful consideration, a few options remained in her mind.
"Assassin," "Butcher," and "Adventurer."
Xia'er believed she had completed the replication rituals for both "Assassin" and "Butcher," at the very least being able to drink the potion and digest it directly.
Even if the quality of digestion was a bit lacking, it would suffice; if she was unsatisfied later, she could always overwrite it with a better save.
As for "Adventurer," Xia'er wasn’t sure if she had completed its replication ritual. It was possible she had, but the odds were slim.
Mainly because of her background as a "Gambler," Xia'er thought digesting as an "Adventurer" should also be relatively easy.
Setting aside the three options for now, Xia'er picked up a book on Ancient Ansu language instruction and began to flip through it quickly.
The front page contained a message from the professor Aivina had mentioned.
Most of it was encouraging words, thanking Aivina for her interest in the obscure subject of Ancient Ansu.
From the narrative alone, the professor didn’t seem like an extraordinary person, but rather an ordinary individual fascinated by Ancient Ansu.
She taught Aivina about the language, and in return, Aivina would procure some Ancient Ansu books that were hard for ordinary people to access—most of these books were related to theology, with some even touching on extraordinary powers.
At the beginning of the book, Xia'er encountered knowledge she had never learned in the academy.
In current academia, most scholars use the end of the Holy War in the year 741 as a dividing point; before the Holy War is the Ancient Era, and after it is the Era of Saints.
According to all existing records, the Ancient Era lasted a total of 1,100 years, during which countless sects engaged in brutal conflicts, engulfing the entire world.
Countless sects were destroyed in those 1,100 years, while many new sects emerged that were more suited to the times, eventually leading to the delicate balance of the current ecclesiastical system.
It was no wonder that the secret cults were not new to Aivina; even though the Holy War had passed so long ago, many texts from now-extinct sects still remained. Some individuals who obtained these texts might revere them as sacred scriptures, thus founding new secret cults.
One piece of knowledge Xia'er gained that she had never learned before was that before the Era of Saints and the Ancient Era, there existed a Chaos Era, which was not recorded in any texts.
The Ancient Era was too close to the present; even if one combined the Ancient Era and the current Era of Saints, it would only total 1,841 years.
Xia'er speculated that the Old Days simulation likely simulated events from before the Ancient Era, or at least from the Chaos Era.
Since no materials had been left behind, Xia'er found it difficult to investigate and could only set aside the matter of the Chaos Era for now.
Her current goal was to spend an hour quickly learning Ancient Ansu, to see how much **[Linguistics Lv.1]** would affect her.
If the boost wasn’t significant, she would need to spend points to level up **[Linguistics]** to ensure her simulated self could accurately translate the information Xia'er needed.
This was spending Fate Points wisely; Xia'er didn’t feel it was a waste.
With a focused mind, Xia'er began the long-awaited study she hadn’t done since graduation.
She wasn’t sure if it was the influence of the crisis or the overwhelming experiences she had gone through recently, but Xia'er felt that knowledge slipped away from her mind quickly after entering, making it hard to concentrate.
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