Chapter 217
Although the plan succeeded, if it came at the cost of damaging Aivina's mind or spirit, Charles would have to reconsider making some adjustments to the plan.
“No.”
Aivina shook her head. “I’m just scared.”
“Scared?” Charles asked.
“Scared that you might end up like Nia.”
“Turn into… a monster?”
“Someone who could leave me at any moment.”
“Is my situation really that dangerous?” Charles pressed.
If her mental state was truly on the brink of collapse, Charles would have to think about changing the plan. In extreme cases, he might even have to abandon the “uniqueness” just to avoid losing his sanity.
He hadn’t yet experienced the benefits of achieving “uniqueness,” but he didn’t believe anything could be more important than his own life.
“No, you’re in a much better condition.”
Aivina shook her head.
“As long as I’m alive, your mental state won’t deteriorate; you can recover slowly.”
“Provided that…”
Aivina emphasized, “You can’t be too far from me. If things worsen and I’m not around, it’ll be much harder to treat.”
“Help me note one more thing.”
Charles spoke up.
Aivina picked up a notepad and pen. “What is it?”
“After the mission is complete, I can’t stray too far from Aivina; it’s best if I can stay by her side at all times.”
Aivina paused for a moment before writing it down in Ansu (a fictional language).
“Did Nia come with you?”
Charles inquired.
“Yes,” Aivina nodded.
“Can you wait for me over at Nia’s for a bit? I’ll be there shortly.”
“But…”
“It’s fine, it won’t take long.”
“...Okay.”
Aivina obediently stood up, leaving the lamp behind, and walked toward the factory entrance. When she reached the door, she turned back to glance at Charles, who raised his left hand and waved at her.
Once Aivina left the factory and disappeared from view, Charles leaned against the wall and slowly got up.
He couldn’t fully grasp his feelings in reality; he needed to conduct a detailed assessment of his body.
Charles glanced at the time—there were still two and a half hours until his arrival in reality… He had been unconscious for quite a while.
He couldn’t let Aivina hear what was coming next, especially the details about the system. He had to write it all down for his real self—he would even draw it all out if necessary.
**Chapter 131: I’m Tired, I Want to Sleep.**
**[The Next Day]**
**[Year 741, July 1, 20:00]**
**[Countdown - 23:59:59]**
The silvery light gradually faded from Charles’s eyes. As soon as he opened them, he found himself staring at a mirror and a beautifully crafted porcelain sink, its edges adorned with silver plating and surrounded by dazzling enamel.
A washroom? Aivina’s?
Given its exquisite nature, it must be the washroom on the third floor of Aivina’s house, the one closest to her room.
He had used it several times before, so he had some recollection of it.
He hadn’t died prematurely… Did that mean the mission was successful? Was that why he was now in Aivina’s home?
Charles rinsed his hands under the tap, and after drying them with a white cloth, he noticed the notepad beside him.
This thing came along too…
It seemed that his simulated self still had plenty of energy; perhaps he had anticipated the time and brought the items to the washroom ahead of time, waiting for his arrival.
That likely meant he hadn’t completed the task of entering the Otherworld…
Leaning against the wooden door of the washroom, he picked up the notepad and began to flip through it.
The preliminary preparations didn’t have any particularly noteworthy details, but his simulated self had marked safe resting times, which was crucial for Charles.
Were the next eight hours safe? He could use the sedative right away when he returned.
Charles nodded and continued to read. The further he went, the more serious his expression became.
His simulated self… planned to complete all the objectives in one go?
From the timeline she had laid out, it indeed seemed possible…
Charles’s pace quickened as he flipped through the pages; he could almost memorize everything with just a glance.
This was the “photographic memory” effect produced by his improvement in linguistics.
It wasn’t until he reached the part about exiting the Otherworld that Charles let out a long sigh of relief.
Impressive…
Even Charles had to admit that his simulated self was truly a master of handling pressure.
Had he known his simulated self was this formidable, he wouldn’t have needed to use the “Coroner” to log in; he could have entered with No. 0’s pure body and downed another potion.
However, as Charles continued to flip through, he suddenly froze.
What is this…?
Was his simulated self trying to convey information through drawings?
How troublesome…
Why not just have Aivina write it out like before? After all, this was just a simulation; there shouldn’t be any penalties, right?
Suppressing the urge to give up on understanding, Charles tucked a strand of his long black hair behind his ear and began to decipher the drawings.
To be honest, Charles really didn’t have any talent for drawing.
Even though “Dexterity” granted him excellent control over his body and muscles, he couldn’t create anything beautiful; his lines were stiff, and he lacked the nuance of pressure in his strokes.
This made the images on the page look more like doodles than anything else.
The first drawing depicted a massive whirlpool shaded in pencil, with abstract shapes made of rectangles and triangles beside it. The one that resembled a hand was likely Little Zuo.
If someone else looked at it, they might not even recognize what Charles was trying to depict.
Fortunately, since he had drawn it himself, he could follow along with his thoughts and understand what it was about.
Following these abstract drawings, Charles gradually pieced together what had happened in the Otherworld.
Had he obtained the “uniqueness”?
Then, countless system interfaces piled up before him?
Finally, was it Little Zuo who threw him out?
The “uniqueness” item was a gear?
Where did the gear go?
Unlike the fully functional subsystem his simulated self possessed, which included simulation capabilities, the system Charles had now was essentially just a timekeeping trinket, unable to answer his questions.
However, based on the descriptions in the drawings, the gear should have been collected by the system.
Yet, whether in the system’s warehouse or on his person, Charles couldn’t find any trace of the gear.
In the pocket watch?
Charles took out the “Echo of the Silver-White Timebinder,” but found no differences; even the patterns on the watch remained unchanged.
He decided to temporarily set aside the issue of uniqueness and turned his attention to the end of the notepad.
At the end, his simulated self seemed to have recorded some changes and conditions regarding his body.
In the last drawing, Charles saw two almost identical figures represented by squares.
Both figures had two boxes above their heads, seemingly symbolizing their names.
The two square characters were most likely himself.
If they were someone else, his simulated self would have added more distinguishing features.
Charles noticed that one of his right hands was covered in cracks and tendrils… The two figures were separated by a whirlpool, with an arrow pointing below it.
Was this the effect of entering the Otherworld?
Charles looked at the drawing indicated by the arrow; his hand seemed to have undergone significant changes, and half of his head was shaded in black lines.
It appeared to still be within manageable limits.
For more detailed matters, he might have to ask Aivina, who had been almost constantly with his simulated self.
As for the issue of “uniqueness,” he could only inquire about it with the system once he returned, since the system was involved as well.
But… how was he supposed to explain to Aivina that his hair color had changed and that he had inexplicably become an extraordinary being?
Charles looked at himself in the mirror, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
Why couldn’t the official system allow transformations after entering the simulation…?
Maybe he should just press the pocket watch…
If he pressed it, he wouldn’t have to do anything himself; everything would be easier…
After hesitating for a moment, the silver light flashed in his hand, and the pocket watch returned to the system’s warehouse.
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