Chapter 246
Outside the door, a familiar voice broke the silence, easing some of Shaer’s doubts.
It was Tara.
Though their positions differed, Tara was undoubtedly the person Shaer trusted most after her closest companions—there was no one else who came close.
In terms of loyalty, she was even more reliable than Aivina—after all, she believed in Shaer completely and unconditionally. Even if Shaer were to ask her to take her own life right then and there, Tara wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.
“Come in,” Shaer said.
Perfect. She could subtly probe Tara for information about what had happened.
Shaer lowered her head, flipping through her notebook, extracting the details that warranted her attention.
She needed to grasp the situation as quickly as possible.
The wooden door creaked open, and Tara entered, carrying a tray that she placed on the wooden table to the left of the entrance.
“I’ve put the potion on the table, My Lady,” Tara said, her gaze filled with respect as she looked at Shaer, who was still engrossed in her notes.
But as Shaer continued to read, the weight of her thoughts grew heavier.
Things were heading in a direction she had dreaded the most.
The containment of the “Uniqueness” had indeed caused the world to deviate from its original course, leading to events that had never occurred before.
And the situation in Boren City was far more chaotic and complex than Shaer had imagined…
Queen Ansu called for attention to the famine in Northern Ansu, sparking public protests and resistance;
A large number of Northern Ansu immigrants were transported to Boren City and other industrial towns;
The Bell Tower Church was ordered to close by Chief John Zhang of the Boren City Council, accused of treason;
A terrorist organization known as the “Orlando Republican Army” committed acts of terrorism across Ansu, with these attacks dubbed the “Famine Rebellion”;
The Boren City Mint explosion, with factory owner Mig hanged from a lamppost at the factory entrance;
Massive clashes erupted between Orlando immigrants and local workers in Boren City;
All of this had transpired within just a month.
Moreover, in the middle of the month, Adele had left Boren City.
As a volunteer, she boarded a train with a mercy group formed by the Redemption Society and the Church of the Goddess of Salvation, heading to Orlando, where a severe famine was unfolding, to assist the extraordinary individuals investigating its causes.
This was her way of fulfilling a promise she had made before—after making a mistake, she would save more people when she had the means.
When Shaer turned to the last page, her pupils constricted slightly at what she read.
The handwriting was quite messy, revealing the turmoil of the writer’s thoughts at that moment.
The “Orlando Republican Army” had launched a desperate assassination attempt targeting those nobles in Parliament who had opposed Northern Ansu, along with their families.
This fire had also reached Aivina—an orchestrated bombing and shooting at a banquet had nearly cost Aivina her life, and even Nia couldn’t save her in time.
At that moment, the simulated Shaer had chosen not to attend the banquet, avoiding the scene—this was five days ago, on July 26.
Now, Aivina was still at home, undergoing treatment, yet to awaken from her coma.
As Shaer read this, her hand holding the notebook began to tremble, deep imprints forming under her fingers on the thick cover.
She had known that the emergence of the “Uniqueness” could lead to changes in the future, but she hadn’t anticipated such drastic alterations…
In previous simulations, even after thirty or forty days, Boren City had never experienced such a flurry of significant events.
During her time as a clerk in a simulation, she had only learned about the trial between the factory workers and the factory owner.
Even later, that incident hadn’t stirred much of a storm, let alone escalate into a factory explosion and the hanging of the factory owner.
Moreover, the famine had not affected Aivina—previously, even after forty days, Aivina had been perfectly fine, and Shaer had been completely unaware of any reports or details regarding the famine.
Was this truly just a simple butterfly effect?
Or was someone pulling the strings behind the scenes?
Having experienced two different timelines, Shaer took a deep breath and began to analyze.
The rapid deterioration of the famine must have been caused by human factors, compounded by the influence of the “Uniqueness”…
Shaer could likely confirm that the potato blight during the famine was definitely caused by extraordinary individuals; otherwise, such significant changes between two different timelines wouldn’t have occurred, especially without Shaer influencing Northern Ansu in any way.
It’s worth noting that even in the historical Irish famine, a republican army hadn’t formed during the crisis, though uprisings and terrorist attacks did happen, but the impact wasn’t nearly as severe.
And then there was the original worker issue within Boren City…
Shaer recalled that during the trial, her notes had indicated that the workers’ protest had been backed by the Church of the Goddess of Salvation…
But in this simulation, it was recorded that the Church of the Goddess of Salvation had already been banned by the Boren City Council…
And Orlando primarily worshipped the Goddess of Salvation.
Was the Church of the Goddess of Salvation orchestrating things from behind the scenes? Were they the masterminds, or were they merely being scapegoated?
And what about the assassination attempt on Aivina…
This was something Shaer had to curb in advance.
Who could it be? Who orchestrated this assassination or provided assistance from the shadows?
Shaer didn’t believe that only the Orlando Republican Army could successfully carry out an assassination attempt on Aivina with so many protections in place.
Suddenly, a list of potential names flashed before Shaer’s mind.
If it were me… if it were me… I would…
Shaer suddenly had a thought. She picked up a candle from the table and walked toward the figures hanging in the air.
As the candlelight illuminated their expressions—some terrified, some angry, some bewildered—Shaer took a deep breath, gradually calming herself.
None of this had happened in reality yet; there was still a chance to remedy the situation…
And the remedy, in the simulation, could be quite straightforward and brutal…
Shaer scanned from left to right over the figures bound and suspended in mid-air.
The grain merchant, Balfour Huntington.
The chief city councilor, John Zhang.
The high priest of the Church of the Goddess of Salvation, Yulis.
The Knight Commander of the Queen’s Sword, Opodesadias.
In addition to these familiar faces, Shaer also spotted a few unexpected individuals.
The senior commissioner of the Dutton Group, Luci Hilufa.
The daughter of the owner of the Stuart Art Exchange, Isabella Stuart.
And a pink-haired woman whom Shaer seemed to have seen before but couldn’t quite place.
They all hung in the air, looking at Shaer with various expressions.
Yes…
The simulated version of herself and her current self shared the same feelings.
By simply putting herself in the shoes of her simulated self, Shaer quickly realized what she would do.
Would she investigate slowly, like before, when she had no power? Unraveling the threads one by one?
No.
This was a simulation.
In the shortest time possible, she would capture everyone who might know about the situation and subject them to rigorous interrogation, extracting any information that could help her—that was what her simulated self would do.
However, with only five days since Aivina’s attack, and factoring in the time it would take to send Tara to gather people, there wasn’t much time left for the simulated Shaer.
She would only have time to capture them; the interrogation would have to be left to the Shaer who arrived at that moment.
But… why had the simulated Shaer prepared a potion?
Shaer glanced toward Tara.
Since Aivina’s attack, the notebook had recorded nothing, and Tara might know more than the current Shaer did.
“Tara, what kind of potion is that?” Shaer asked, pointing to the vial, her tone calm.
“Hmm?” Tara paused for a moment, but quickly replied respectfully, “It’s the ‘Butcher’ potion, My Lady.”
You’re angry, aren’t you…
I.
…
“Wah!!! Wah!!!”
Damn it… damn it, damn it!!
Goodwin was suspended in the air, her hands bound behind her back, her pink hair falling over her face.
She clutched a stone shard in her palm, rubbing it against the ropes binding her hands.
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