Chapter 311
“Alright, Nia, no need to dwell on it anymore. I’ll just ask Aivina directly when she wakes up…”
Xiar shook his head and said, “Could you wait for her at Aivina’s door? Let her find me once she’s awake.”
“Okay… sure.”
Nia seemed to realize the agitation of her potion, took a deep breath, and left the study.
Left behind, Xiar rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
Why did it have to involve the Church of the God of Order again?
Nia had almost recalled something earlier, which made her spirit unstable. Xiar quickly ended the conversation to avoid any mishaps.
Nia was already a seasoned veteran, but she couldn’t handle such turmoil.
It seemed he would have to wait until Aivina woke up to ask her directly.
However, Xiar didn’t have to wait long.
Just as she finished breakfast and set up her easel in the studio, there came a knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
“Come in.”
Xiar called out.
The door creaked open, and Aivina appeared in the doorway.
At that moment, Aivina looked as if she had just woken up, wearing only a trench coat over a thin nightgown.
“What happened, Xiar?”
Aivina closed the door and hurried over to Xiar, asking, “I noticed some of Nia’s sealed memories were starting to stir… so I put her back to sleep for now.”
Aivina’s expression was tense; she thought something serious had occurred.
“Sorry, it’s my fault,”
Xiar glanced at Aivina, shaking her head slightly as she spoke, “I wanted to probe Nia about the conflict between you and the Russell family, but she mentioned the Church of the God of Order…”
“Phew…”
Hearing this, Aivina let out a sigh of relief. She walked behind Xiar and said, “It’s fine. After my promotion, I gave Nia a psychological suggestion. She won’t recall anything about ‘the Other Side’… What’s this?”
At that moment, standing behind Xiar, Aivina noticed the canvas in front of her.
On it was a bizarre left hand, standing upright on the ground.
Its knuckles were numerous, and a jagged maw with sharp teeth was faintly visible in the palm. It was merely a sketch done in charcoal, but the chaotic lines combined with the terrifying hand gave off a chilling vibe.
“I was pondering the ‘Blood Painter’ ritual, just doodling.”
Xiar shook her head, stopped drawing, wiped the charcoal dust from her hands with a damp cloth, and turned to face Aivina.
“Still haven’t decided on a path? You seem to have collected quite a few potions…”
Aivina shook her head and replied, “I wouldn’t recommend it, especially not the ‘Blood Painter’ path, unless…”
“Unless?”
Xiar looked at Aivina, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
“Unless you remain one level below me forever; otherwise, I can’t guarantee your mental safety.”
Aivina sighed and said, “The ‘Blood Painters’ are a bunch of lunatics… truly deranged.”
To create art that could drive others mad, one’s own mind must be in a good place—Xiar had no doubts about that.
“Do you want to talk about it, Xiar?”
Aivina pointed to the sofa and table by the fireplace behind her and said, “You have questions, right?”
“Yes.”
After cleaning her hands, Xiar followed Aivina and sat down on the sofa with her.
“Family matters?”
Aivina spoke first, voicing Xiar’s concern.
“Yes,”
Upon hearing Aivina bring it up directly, Xiar didn’t hold back her thoughts. She said, “Bolen City is becoming increasingly dangerous… I was thinking it might be safer in Ansu City, and I wanted to ask for your opinion.”
“That’s definitely true.”
Aivina nodded slightly and replied, “Compared to Bolen City, Ansu City is indeed much safer—at least in terms of the extraordinary.”
Aivina, being a native of Ansu, was well aware of the current situation there. The area was not only densely populated but also chaotic. The lower tiers of society lived in conditions far worse than those in Bolen, an industrial town.
Naturally, the crime rate wasn’t much better; it was a breeding ground for “detectives,” “ascetics,” “assassins,” and “butchers.” A few “poison makers” and “instigators” might also be lurking around, but they wouldn’t dare show their faces.
“So, you’ll come with me to Ansu?”
Xiar blinked and asked.
“Mm.”
Aivina nodded without hesitation.
At that moment, Aivina was also feeling quite frustrated.
After working hard to build a fortune, it could all be taken away with just a word…
This made Aivina realize that unless she was at the core of power, no matter what achievements she had or how many “friendships” and riches she accumulated, everything could be stripped away with a mere document.
If she wanted to make a name for herself, she had to do it at the heart of power… Aivina had the capital and the confidence.
“So what exactly is the conflict with your family?”
Xiar asked, “One thing I’ve been worried about is your family…”
“The Russell family, a pack of hounds held by the royal family and the Church of the God of Order, each pulling on a different leash,”
Aivina shook her head and spoke calmly, “The leader of these hounds, my father, offered me two ‘freedom’ choices.”
“One, convert to the Church of the God of Order, join the Queen’s Sword, and climb the ranks.”
“Two, listen to the ‘Limiting Notes’ of the royal melody and enter the Order as a candidate for the saintess, then climb the ranks…”
“Choose between the royal family or the church.”
At this point, Aivina smiled and said, “I’m grateful I met Nia early on. Knowing that these two options were merely to control people made me realize I could never have freedom in my family.”
“So I drank the ‘Listener’ potion, which no one expected, broke Nia’s ‘baptism’ effect, and took her away from Ansu City to Bolen.”
How wonderfully rebellious!
After hearing this, Xiar nodded.
Things were certainly not as simple as Aivina made them sound, but she had a clearer picture now.
At least from Aivina’s description, Xiar could understand how Aivina was viewed in the eyes of that hound leader—her father.
As a “hostage” that could be traded to the royal family or the church.
Aivina’s independent nature, combined with Nia’s tragic past, made it impossible for her to comply with such arrangements.
“What happened next? Didn’t your family send anyone to look for you?”
Xiar inquired.
“They’ve been searching… but it’s all people from my mother’s side.”
Aivina leaned back against the sofa cushion, choosing not to elaborate further.
Such a complicated relationship…
On one side was the royal family at the pinnacle of Ansu’s power, and on the other was the largest orthodox church in Ansu, with the Russell family caught in between, seemingly merging the two and acting as a “buffer”…
“What I mean is, won’t they cause you trouble?”
Xiar asked, “That’s what I’m mainly worried about.”
“No,”
Aivina shook her head and said, “In their eyes, the moment I drank the ‘Listener’ potion, I was out of the game. They’ve already determined that I can’t advance to level 4.”
As she said this, Aivina showed no signs of disappointment or any other emotion; it seemed she had already accepted this outcome.
“Is it really that hard to advance to level 4?”
Xiar asked.
This wasn’t Xiar trying to show off; rather, her own simulated path to promotion had been smoother than a rocket launch, with hardly any setbacks.
Perhaps it was because the things she did in the simulation were so outrageous that the potions had no objections.
Aivina looked at Xiar, who was full of curiosity, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, “I don’t know.”
“It’s okay, Aivina.”
Xiar reached out and took Aivina’s slightly cool hand, speaking earnestly, “Digesting potions is quite simple. There are even people in the organization who have jumped from level 1 to level 3 in a single day.”
Feeling the strength in Xiar’s grip and looking into her earnest eyes, Aivina fell silent for a moment before smiling and nodding, saying, “Alright.”
Aivina understood that many of the questions Xiar asked were quite basic, but the plans and ideas she had were often outrageous, largely due to the organization behind her.
That mysterious organization likely had significant power, and the quality of its members was high. After bringing Xiar in, it had created the illusion that advancing was “very simple” for someone who had only been in the extraordinary realm for a few years.
Table of Contents
