Chapter 209
If one were to say she was an ordinary person, it was clear that no ordinary individual could possess such remarkable skills and a systematic array of abilities. Her mental and physical strength had already surpassed that of a typical first-tier non-combat extraordinary being.
But if she were to be called an extraordinary being… there was no trace of any potion's power or aura about her. Her mind was free from the taint of whispers, and she bore none of the characteristics of an extraordinary being.
“If she were an extraordinary being…”
Adele hesitated for a moment before continuing, “That would be a classic symptom of being assimilated by a potion.”
“Except for the lack of whisper interference, all your symptoms are strikingly similar to those of an extraordinary being on the verge of madness from potion consumption.”
“However, generally speaking, by the time one reaches a stage where sleep is impossible, typical extraordinary beings would already show signs of aberration, with their eyes producing visions and hallucinations.”
At this point, Adele paused briefly before adding, “That’s why I believe your condition must be caused by something else.”
Assimilation by a potion…
Xia'er listened to Adele's words, lost in thought.
The possibility of potion assimilation seemed unlikely.
Aside from the “Judicator” and the “Gambler,” the whispers of other potions had minimal impact on her.
Yet, Xia'er had begun to form some suspicions in her mind.
Her mental issues were likely related to the Otherworld.
Her previous fainting spells and mental damage could almost always be linked to the Otherworld or the concept of “spiritual summoning.”
Just like this recent mental damage, she had sacrificed her “uniqueness” in the simulation, summoning a mysterious entity from the Otherworld that could trace back to other epochs.
The side effects of spiritual summoning were so intense, yet the system hadn’t flagged it…
Given the system's personality, it was probably just enjoying the show.
【What a pity! T T】
【Host, just look at what you’ve sacrificed! You dared to throw in something with the trait of “uniqueness,” and you expect your mind to be fine?】
【And on top of that, you used “Death Reversal” for the sacrifice. Who would have thought you could push your mind so hard?】
As if genuinely aggrieved, the system's response was unusually quick this time, no longer feigning ignorance.
Had she pushed herself too hard…?
Xia'er took a deep breath and fell silent for a moment.
But she had no choice but to push herself…
The crises she faced were not something that could be overcome with simple reasoning; each opponent was on a completely different level than her.
Without pushing herself, she wouldn’t be able to get through the challenges.
After dealing with the quill, she could take a break…
Xia'er looked at Adele and said, “Could you prescribe me something to stabilize my mind? Something that can help me sleep and recover.”
Seeing the look in Xia'er’s eyes, Adele realized that her usual clumsiness in speech wouldn’t convince her.
Now, all she could do was ensure that the side effects were minimized while preparing some strong sedatives to assist Xia'er in sleeping.
After confirming that Xia'er had no allergies, Adele began to prepare the medication on-site.
Though it was called preparation, it was merely a dilution of the strong sedatives used for extraordinary beings, reducing their potency and side effects to a level that an ordinary person could tolerate.
Soon, three syringes were prepared by Adele.
She could have diluted and produced more syringes, but she chose not to.
She placed the prepared medication into a small pouch and handed it to Xia'er, saying, “These potions will help you fall asleep quickly… and there’s a high chance you won’t encounter any dreams.”
“But if you finish these potions and your mental state hasn’t improved, you must tell me. I’ll help you devise a recovery plan.”
Xia'er propped herself against the mattress to sit up at the head of the bed, accepting the pouch from Adele, and said, “Thank you.”
“Let’s save the medical fees for the next recovery plan; we can settle it then.”
As Adele tidied up her bottles and jars, she suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way… didn’t you say I shouldn’t come looking for you?”
You just remembered that…?
Xia'er shook her head with a smile and replied, “It’s not a big deal. If everything wraps up, I’ll come find you.”
“Okay…”
Adele walked to the door, glancing back at the pale-faced Xia'er sitting on the bed, a hint of worry in her eyes.
“Take care, rest well. No need to see me out.”
With that, Adele left Xia'er’s room, and only after stepping out of her house did she let out a long sigh.
She turned back to look at the closed wooden door.
From their brief exchange, she had sensed that Xia'er was under immense mental pressure, her entire being taut with tension.
This newly rented room had no decorations, seeming merely a place to land, devoid of any warmth of life, and the air was thick with dust.
What kind of pressure was Xia'er facing…?
Could even the powerful third-tier Niya not help?
Should she tell Aivina?
But if Xia'er wanted to inform Aivina, she would have done so long ago…
The cool night breeze made Adele tighten her white coat as she hurried back to the clinic, her thoughts in disarray.
She didn’t want to lose Xia'er as a friend, but right now, she felt powerless to help.
The antidote she had created had already been widely distributed by the Goddess of Salvation; it was time to try digesting the “Plague Doctor” potion…
Meanwhile, Xia'er observed Adele from the window, only pulling her gaze away when Adele’s figure disappeared at the end of the street. She then turned her attention to the pouch in front of her.
This sedative couldn’t be taken directly; she had to wait until she had passed the crisis.
This was the initial phase of the “Touch of Betrayed Fate” sealing object, and the other two would undoubtedly continue to make mistakes, dragging her into misfortune.
She had to be prepared; she couldn’t just fall into a deep sleep, or she might meet her doom in her dreams.
Moreover, the next simulation was set for seven days later, which was a perfect timing.
If all went well, Xia'er could devise a plan to resolve everything within those seven days, minimizing all variables.
Xia'er didn’t want to enter the simulation without thorough preparation.
**Chapter 128: Xia'er in the Simulation.**
Xia'er, half-wrapped in her trench coat, lay on her desk with her eyes tightly shut.
Suddenly, in her light sleep, she felt a sensation as if she were plummeting from a great height. Her body jolted, waking her abruptly.
Her knee had accidentally bumped against the bottom of the desk, causing the entire table to shake. The small candlestick on the desk lost its balance and began to topple, threatening to spill wax all over the surface.
But Xia'er was quicker than the candlestick; instinctively, she reached out and caught it.
The candlestick, with only a short stub of candle left, didn’t fall, but some of the melted wax poured onto the back of Xia'er’s hand.
The sting and burn jolted her fully awake. After righting the candlestick, she calmly walked to the washroom and rinsed the solidified wax off her hand under running water.
A minute later, Xia'er returned to her room with a reddened hand, habitually pulling out her pocket watch to check the time.
Two in the morning…
From the time Adele left until now, Xia'er had managed to sleep intermittently for about seven hours.
Her sleep was, in a sense, quite regular; she would be startled awake by various strange dreams every 20 to 30 minutes, yet she could never remember the content of those dreams, only feeling her mind foggy.
However, this sensation had eased somewhat in the subsequent sleep sessions.
Combined with the extra mental recovery from “Calm Reflection,” she felt her mind was almost back to normal.
Xia'er glanced at the “Endless Manual of Forgetting” in the system’s repository, confirming once more that its contents were correct before taking it out.
She made some modifications to the contents.
It was still about searching for the corpse, still about stitching together the woman from the memory of the quill.
However, this time, the difference was that drawing out the quill and dragging it into the Otherworld to extract its uniqueness would no longer be handled by Xia'er herself.
Instead, it would be carried out by the Xia'er in the simulation, who would directly accomplish all the planned objectives.
Now, more than her practical experience, Xia'er valued her mental health.
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