Chapter 227
No... what she could do was not limited to just that.
Xia'er recalled the scene from her last simulation.
At that time, her simulated self had clearly established a condition.
If Xia'er fully adhered to the "Doom Rule," she would also reap benefits.
By actively maintaining a "calm daily life," Xia'er would gain "luck."
But could she still create a calm daily life on purpose now?
In that previous simulation, her simulated self had completely avoided contact with extraordinary beings, even bringing her sister into the house and finding a job.
If everything went according to plan, Tara would return to Boren City tomorrow, and then she would have to interact with Tara again...
Thinking of this, Xia'er shook her head.
The incident of the female thief's premature death served as a warning for Xia'er.
Any action that deviated from her simulated self could potentially trigger a butterfly effect, whether severe or mild.
Xia'er decided not to engage in any unnecessary actions that her simulated self had not undertaken.
In the end, Xia'er chose to go upstairs, picked up the books that Aivina had sent her, and began to flip through them. When she grew tired of reading, she started to try her hand at painting.
Now, whether it was studying or painting, both allowed Xia'er to temporarily forget her mental struggles, granting her a moment of relaxation, as if stepping into a comfort zone.
After all, for the three years before the simulation, Xia'er had lived this way—studying and living, a simple routine.
Thus, on the evening of the 27th, Tara knocked on Xia'er's door.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Lady Xia'er?"
Upon hearing the familiar voice outside, Xia'er opened the wooden door and let Tara in.
After closing the door behind her, Tara, dressed in a casual outfit and wearing a cream-colored straw hat, knelt halfway before Xia'er, lowering her gaze as she spoke:
"Lady Xia'er, I have completed the task you assigned... I monitored the delivery of the letter the entire time, and Gema had no suspicion. Just now, he has already gone to visit the Russell family estate."
At that moment, Tara's petite nose twitched slightly, as if she sensed an unusual odor, but she did not voice her thoughts.
Was that... the smell of blood and corpses?
"Good."
Xia'er nodded.
That meant there was nothing more for Tara to do.
Just as Xia'er was about to find an excuse to send Tara away, Tara spoke again.
"Lady Xia'er, do you... still need a sacrifice? I can go get some more for you."
Tara looked up at Xia'er's face and continued, "I wouldn't mind being the sacrifice myself."
In truth, Tara was feeling a bit conflicted inside.
It wasn't that her faith had wavered.
Rather, it was the conflict between her ascension to the divine realm to serve the Mother Goddess and her desire to remain in the mortal world, serving the Mother Goddess in her earthly form.
Would that be considered a betrayal of the Mother Goddess?
After a moment of inner turmoil, Tara quickly abandoned her thoughts.
On one side was the supreme spiritual realm of the Mother Goddess, and on the other was her physical form; both were the Mother Goddess, after all.
It was just that she preferred the Mother Goddess's earthly form a bit more, which hardly counted as betrayal.
At that moment, Xia'er felt a bit speechless upon hearing Tara's words.
Xia'er knew that Tara was sensitive to smells; the scent of blood and corpses would certainly not escape her notice. However, Xia'er hadn't expected Tara to connect it all to a blood sacrifice.
It made her feel like some kind of murderer.
"Did you forget what I told you?"
Xia'er spoke calmly.
"I'm sorry, Lady Xia'er."
Tara quickly lowered her head and murmured, "Please forgive your foolish servant; I shouldn't have mentioned anything about... that."
"Please punish me, Lady Xia'er. Tara is willing to accept any punishment."
With that, Tara drew a ceremonial knife from her waist and offered it to Xia'er with both hands.
Is this person... a masochist?
Xia'er looked at Tara kneeling before her, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Why was she so eager for punishment? Why did it seem that every member of the Holy Ascension Sect she encountered had some strange quirks?
But then again, "ascetics," or rather, zealots, were hardly different from masochists; their way of thinking was beyond common understanding.
If Xia'er really used the knife to cut Tara, she might even joyfully preserve the wound with some extraordinary item, treating the injury Xia'er inflicted as a badge of honor.
Thinking it over, it really did seem like something Tara would do.
"Find a place to settle down. Remember, keep your distance from me."
After some thought, Xia'er continued, "Do not take any action until I notify you."
"Yes, Lady Xia'er."
Tara readily agreed, but her tone suggested a hint of disappointment.
It was unclear whether her disappointment stemmed from not receiving a cut or from being sent away.
Once Tara left Xia'er's house, Xia'er returned to her room, resumed her reading, and began waiting for Aivina's reply.
She wondered if Aivina would have any suspicions.
Just when she needed a brainwashed second-tier initiate, a brainwashed second-tier cultist had conveniently presented herself... it felt like a perfect match.
Given Aivina's suspicious nature, she would surely think there was something off about this situation; the question was whether she would suspect Xia'er.
Studying and resting, Xia'er meticulously managed her time to ward off misfortune... she almost mechanically passed the next two days, and the date reached the 30th.
On this day, two pieces of good news arrived.
One was that the clothing had been completed and was now in Xia'er's hands, for which she had paid the remaining balance.
The other was Aivina's early promotion.
With two fewer failed attempts, Aivina had smoothly advanced to the second tier, breaking Gema's brainwashing. However, Tara had left a backup in Gema's memory, so after the brainwashing was lifted, Gema lost all memories of her time as a cultist.
It was as if three years of her life had vanished.
This was a decision Tara made for the benefit of the sect, and given the time constraints, she couldn't precisely eliminate only the memories related to the cult; it had to be a blanket removal.
In her letter, Aivina casually mentioned her promotion to "psychologist," while the rest of the content was mostly concerned with Xia'er's current situation.
Aivina also mentioned that she was now capable of helping Xia'er with her mental issues and asked when her own matters would be settled so they could arrange a date for a consultation.
After some consideration, Xia'er picked up her pen and wrote a reply.
In the letter, Xia'er congratulated Aivina on her successful promotion and mentioned that she indeed needed her assistance.
As for the date... after much hesitation, she settled on July 1st.
That day was when her simulated self dealt with the quill pen. Xia'er wondered if moving the date forward would lead to any unforeseen events, so she decided to stick to the original timeline for the plan, which was tomorrow.
To ensure she had enough mental energy to face the confrontation with the "Corrupted Betrayer's Touch" tomorrow, Xia'er needed to rest well tonight.
According to her previous simulation notes, tonight was also a safe night for sleep... however, Xia'er wouldn't actually sleep through the entire night. Instead, she diluted the sedative into three bottles, planning to sleep in three segments to avoid any unexpected incidents.
Clothes, corpses, and Aivina's cleanup—everything was ready.
After drinking the diluted sedative, Xia'er began to mentally repeat the steps her simulated self had drawn, reinforcing the impressions and visualizing the scenes, all while preparing to sleep in this state.
This was what she had been doing for the past few days, and sleeping this way would likely allow her to experience a small segment of the recent nightmares she had been having—though most of the time, those dreams were quite distorted and abstract.
Aside from a slight reduction in her mental recovery, there were no downsides to this approach.
After dozing off intermittently for three cycles, Xia'er found herself unable to sleep any longer.
In the early morning, before dawn, she used the burlap she had bought to wrap the corpse and dragged it toward the Bell Tower District.
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