Chapter 197
The earlier part was clear, but the latter part contained some obscure vocabulary that Xia'er couldn't quite translate in her mind.
However, from the tone, it sounded urgent.
Urgency implied that what she was doing now was indeed correct.
Then, Xia'er focused her gaze on the black-blue feather in her hand.
Was this the sealing object that had caused her so much trouble?
This was the first time Xia'er had observed the feather sealing object up close. Just looking at its appearance, she could sense its extraordinary nature.
Moreover, it didn’t seem like a real feather.
The central shaft of the feather was black, adorned with countless engraved silver inscriptions that made it appear silver from a distance.
In addition to the delicate, soft feathers connected to it, the shaft contained a translucent, crystalline ink reservoir, extending to the feather tip like a pen's nib.
Was this a... feather pen?
Xia'er gently shook the feather and saw the remnants of blood-red ink swirling within the reservoir, resembling a bloodline on the shaft of the feather.
About half remained...
What was its specific function?
It could summon meteorites, so it was definitely not simple...
And for some reason, Xia'er felt an odd sense of familiarity with this feather pen.
This feeling was very similar to what a "gambler" might experience when facing cultists marked with the "Sadhana Mark," but it was slightly different.
This sensation felt strange to Xia'er, as she had never encountered this feather pen sealing object before. She didn’t even know what its function or side effects were.
When she had blown her own head off earlier, a fair amount of blood must have splattered onto it, but now she felt nothing... If she bled again, it probably wouldn’t have any effect.
What she could confirm now was that there was definitely something about this feather pen that was connected to her or the system.
However, this sense of familiarity seemed to be something only she could perceive. Otherwise, in the previous simulation, the feather pen had already locked onto her; it wouldn’t have waited until the other two were dead before locking onto her.
The feather pen itself couldn’t feel this familiarity.
Xia'er couldn’t understand or explain this situation for now; she could only hope that the feather pen had birthed a wise spirit that could reveal some information to her.
After casually putting the feather pen into her pocket, Xia'er lifted the "Substitute Saint's Remains" in front of her.
The weakness and dizziness still hadn’t faded, and the voices of the spirit clamoring in her mind were giving her a headache.
Especially since these voices were in a half-understood, half-unknown Ancient Ansu language, which made it even more of a headache for Xia'er.
There was still plenty of time; she could try to gather some information in the remaining time.
The birdcage-shaped golden pendant swayed gently in Xia'er's hand, the skeleton inside burning with purple flames.
The flames blazed fiercely, almost engulfing the entire birdcage. In the heart of the flames, a familiar shadow of a raven appeared, though it was much smaller than the shadow she had seen in the sky before.
“(Ancient Ansu) Quiet.”
Xia'er spoke, pronouncing the words in standard Ancient Ansu, one of the few words she had memorized.
If she could memorize the entire dictionary next time, perhaps she would be able to understand what the other party was saying.
Her words didn’t seem to have any calming effect on the other side, but Xia'er was patient, quietly waiting to see how long the other party would continue to scream in her mind.
Just as Xia'er was contemplating whether to take a nap to ease her dizziness, she noticed her fingers flickering.
The side effect of [Time Distortion] was starting to take effect.
This distortion and flickering quickly spread throughout Xia'er’s body. After a flash of silver light, a figure wearing a half-silver wolf mask sat on the sofa, with pink tendrils and spiritual light flickering in the depths of its pupils.
This bizarre transformation caused the struggles of the spirit in the cage and the screams in Xia'er’s mind to quiet down for a moment.
Xia'er removed the mask from her face and placed it face down on the table. Then she leaned back on the sofa, propping her right foot on her left leg, and began to swing the birdcage in her hand.
“(Ancient Ansu) Where is everyone? Why is it so quiet?”
Xia'er smiled, swinging the necklace faster and faster, the golden pendant and purple flames tracing a circular, purple-golden afterimage.
Sure enough, as Xia'er began to swing the necklace and taunt, the shadow in the cage spread its wings after a brief silence.
The purple flames in the cage began to burn wildly, completely engulfing the birdcage.
In Xia'er’s view, the skeleton inside was visibly disintegrating at an observable rate.
At this terrifying speed, it might only take a few hours for the saint's remains in the cage to be completely burned away, losing their original potency.
Moreover, the voices in Xia'er’s mind grew even noisier, with several languages mixed in that were definitely not Ancient Ansu—something she could easily discern with [Language Lv.3].
“Getting anxious?”
Snap—
Xia'er chuckled, as if playing with a yo-yo, slightly lifting her fingers to hold the burning cage in her palm.
“Well, don’t rush,”
She casually tossed the Substitute Saint's Remains toward the sentient creature still licking blood on the ground, saying, “Xiao Zuo, take it for a spin.”
The hand monster, upon receiving the command, raised its knuckles, spreading two fingers apart, and caught the thrown pendant in its toothy palm. It then flicked its fingers and dove into the blood-red vortex still suspended in mid-air.
In an instant, Xiao Zuo took the “Substitute Saint's Remains,” containing the consciousness of the sealing object, into the other realm.
Seconds later, Xiao Zuo emerged from the blood-soaked vortex, crawling to Xia'er’s feet, supporting its body with its fingers, and displaying the pendant it had bitten to Xia'er.
“Good boy~”
Xia'er took the chain from its mouth and patted one of Xiao Zuo's fingers.
It was like a master playing fetch with a dog, rewarding the pup for bringing back the ball.
At this moment, the purple flames in the cage had lost their earlier intensity, returning to a calm burning state.
And the annoying voices in Xia'er’s mind had also ceased.
“Do you understand your situation now?”
Xia'er held the Substitute Saint's Remains in her hand, gazing at the raven shadow in the heart of the flames, and spoke slowly, “I have the power to keep you there forever... so stop your pointless struggles.”
“If you still want to live.”
Xia'er no longer attempted to communicate with the other party in Ancient Ansu.
In the previous simulation, her sealing object letters written in Ansu had been monitored and understood. Now, with the initiative in her hands, the “Instigator” Xia'er naturally wouldn’t indulge the other party any longer.
“Speak…”
Xia'er narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone deepening, the pink tendrils in her pupils writhing wildly.
An indescribable sense of pressure made the flames in the cage flicker slightly.
Most importantly, at this moment, Xia'er truly held the leverage that left the other party with no way to resist.
After a while, a weak voice echoed in Xia'er’s mind.
It was in standard Ansu.
“What... do you want?”
Hearing this ethereal, weakened voice, which no longer held the earlier bravado, Xia'er knew this was likely due to the looping in the other realm.
Now it seemed to have calmed down.
But from the question... it seemed the other party was still quite defiant.
What do I want? Shouldn’t that be my question? What do you want? Why are you fixated on me?
Just as Xia'er was about to ask her own questions, she noticed her fingers beginning to flicker abnormally, as if a virtual projection had lost power.
“Tsk…”
Damn [Time Distortion]...
Interrogation was clearly best suited for the “Instigator”...
The “Instigator” was so useful! Next time, I’ll definitely use the Instigator for the simulation!
The “Instigator” was so useful! Next time, I’ll definitely use the Instigator for the simulation!
The “Instigator” was so useful! Next time, I’ll definitely use the Instigator for the...
Xia'er kept repeating this phrase in her mind, trying to hypnotize herself.
But with a flash of silver light, her internal repetition faded away.
Her sky-blue hair cascaded down Xia'er’s shoulders, and she wore a slightly oversized shirt and plaid skirt. At that moment, Xia'er sat on the blood-stained sofa, looking like a refined young lady.
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