Chapter 223
At this time, Xia'er narrowly dodged an arrow that had gone astray from a merchant practicing archery, but she had yet to encounter the high-risk misfortune recorded in her notebook simulation—she would have to wait until six-thirty in the evening.
That was when the banquet that Aivina was attending would conclude, and the misfortune would arrive.
The banquet was held in the Jueshi Bridge District, where the prince's son, Oubode, had rented out Manor No. 4 to host other extraordinary individuals investigating the Dedun Manor.
The expenses for this banquet would surely be substantial—tonight's extravagance was likely what had summoned the terrifying misfortune.
If she delayed even a little longer, many high-ranking extraordinary beings would rush to the Jueshi Bridge District for the feast. During this time, it would be best for Xia'er to keep her distance from the area.
Just as Xia'er was preparing to leave the Jueshi Bridge District, the last thing she wanted to see happened.
She unexpectedly ran into Ai Mi on the street.
“Xia'er?”
Upon spotting Xia'er walking alone, Ai Mi immediately abandoned her other companions and jogged over, “What a coincidence! Are you looking for Aivina?”
It had been more than two days since Ai Mi last saw Xia'er, so her excitement was understandable.
She noticed the gift in Xia'er’s hand, assuming it was meant for Aivina—after all, Xia'er and Aivina seemed to be quite close.
Moreover, they were both “extraordinary beings.”
Although Ai Mi was usually quite sociable and eager to make friends, she still held a certain reverence for “extraordinary beings,” which somewhat restrained her usual friendliness.
Seeing Ai Mi in front of her, Xia'er let out a silent sigh.
If she turned Ai Mi down here, it would look suspicious when she later showed up with gifts.
As luck would have it, she was heading in the direction of Ai Mi's home, leaving the Jueshi Bridge District.
“No, this is for you,” Xia'er said, shaking her head, forcing herself to continue, “I was just about to find you to discuss some ‘related matters.’”
Ai Mi's eyes lit up at Xia'er’s words.
She was currently very eager for any new knowledge about the extraordinary, but she was waiting for Aivina to help her search for potions, so she had to be patient, though her excitement was already bubbling over.
Xia'er wanted to talk to her about “extraordinary” matters, which naturally thrilled Ai Mi, especially since Xia'er had come alone.
After all, she wasn’t very familiar with Aivina or Adele, and she always felt a bit restrained when she was with them.
After saying goodbye to her friends, Ai Mi took Xia'er’s hand and cheerfully led her toward home.
Xia'er actually had a plan for this.
She knew the exact time the misfortune would strike, so she could make an excuse to leave before six-thirty, wait for the “calamity” to pass, and then return.
At that moment, only Ai Mi and a servant were at her home; her father had gone to their country estate with Ai Mi's mother to recuperate from an injury and mental shock.
Ai Mi, on the other hand, stayed behind in the villa in Bole City to avoid missing any information related to the extraordinary.
Once they got home, Ai Mi eagerly wanted to eat the dessert Xia'er had brought, but Xia'er stopped her, saying it was almost time for dinner and that eating dessert first would ruin her appetite—better to save it for after the meal.
Ai Mi agreed with this reasoning. After putting the dessert and drinks away in her room, she took Xia'er to the garden to see the flowers she had been nurturing, which were now in bloom.
Lost in the joy of sharing, Ai Mi completely forgot about the main topic—namely, the extraordinary matters. By the time she remembered, it was almost dinner time.
Xia'er didn’t want to dampen Ai Mi’s spirits. During dinner, after Ai Mi had sent the other maids away, she took the initiative to bring up the secrets of Dedun Manor.
This topic was sure to pique Ai Mi's interest.
When she learned that Dedun Manor was not just an ordinary high-end casino but also hosted extraordinary gambling games, Ai Mi was utterly shocked.
Death roulette, exchange zones, the Dedun Group… all this new and exciting information was overwhelming Ai Mi’s understanding.
She even forgot to continue eating, listening intently to Xia'er’s stories, her eyes filled with admiration as she watched Xia'er describe everything so casually.
Dinner lasted until six o'clock. After checking the time on her system interface, Xia'er turned to Ai Mi and said, “I just remembered, I need to deliver something to my sister. I might have to leave now.”
“Ah? So soon?” Ai Mi, who had been engrossed in the conversation, felt a bit disappointed. “But we haven’t even had dessert yet… Can’t you have a maid deliver it?”
“It’s fine, I’ll be back after I drop it off,” Xia'er thought for a moment and asked, “But it might be a bit late… would that bother you?”
“Not at all.”
Ai Mi shook her head, then nodded vigorously, saying, “You can come over anytime!”
“Hmm…”
Xia'er wore a thoughtful expression, then hesitantly asked, “If I come back late, would it be okay to stay over at your place for the night?”
Such a good deal?
Ai Mi felt instantly wide awake upon hearing this.
“Of course, that’s no problem at all.”
Ai Mi straightened her back, trying to appear more composed, unaware that her posture only made her look more awkward.
“Thank you.”
Xia'er smiled and nodded, saying, “Then I’ll go deliver the item now.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
After seeing Xia'er to the door and watching her leave until she was out of sight, Ai Mi dashed back to her bedroom.
Once inside, she jumped onto her bed, hugging her pillow and rolling around, unable to hide her excitement.
Though she had many friends, this was the first time a friend would be staying over at her house… something she had always wanted to try.
She had plenty of friends, but when she thought about it, none were close enough to invite over for a sleepover—except for Xia'er, of course.
Right now, Ai Mi felt like she was dreaming—if this were a dream, she hoped she would never wake up.
About forty minutes later, a slightly fatigued Xia'er returned to Ai Mi's doorstep.
She opened her system interface, which displayed her remaining fate points—1-$269.
Xia'er could never have imagined that this disaster would be a gas stove explosion—specifically, an explosion from a cart transporting gas stoves that occurred right next to her.
If she hadn’t transformed into the “Judicator” and saved her progress just one second before the explosion, she would have been blown to pieces.
After following Ai Mi back to her room, she asked Ai Mi to fetch some of that dessert again. As before, Ai Mi didn’t call for a maid but went downstairs herself to pick out some snacks.
At that moment, Xia'er poured a third of a sedative into Ai Mi’s milk tea, while she opened another bottle and took a sip, claiming the non-toxic tea as her own.
By the time Ai Mi returned, Xia'er had already put away the sedative and tucked it back into her potion bag. Ai Mi, upon returning, had no suspicions and drank the spiked milk tea along with her snacks.
“This is delicious! It’s mint-flavored—I love it~”
A minute later, Ai Mi, who had just been praising the milk tea, suddenly slumped onto the carpet, drowsy.
After picking her up and placing her on the bed, Xia'er tucked her in, then sat down at the vanity, opening the ancient Ansu language dictionary and literature she had brought back from home.
Now… all she had to do was wait for Tara to arrive.
**Chapter 135: The Sense of Crisis Not Found in the Simulation.**
Mother Goddess… where are you?
In a dark alley, a small figure stood before a wall blocking the way, slowly closing her eyes and silently praying within.
This was a prayer she had made countless times, hoping for even a single response.
Not long ago, just as she was about to set sail for distant lands to establish new parishes, she finally heard a response during her prayers.
In that hazy reply, it mentioned a place called “Bole City” and two shadowy girls, one of whom she could only remember had hair resembling a shade of red.
This was a top-secret matter, not to be disclosed, or else she would lose her life—this was the final warning the voice had given her.
The small figure slowly opened her eyes, a hint of confusion flickering in her emerald green gaze.
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