Chapter 324
Xia'er shook his head and said, "I'm not really sure either."
"I hope nothing unexpected happens..."
Aivina sighed softly. After finally catching a break, she wished for this tranquility to last.
"It's time to heal, Xia'er."
Aivina turned to Xia'er, looking at him earnestly.
"Mm."
Xia'er set down his book, turned to face Aivina, and slowly closed his eyes.
As a gentle lullaby began to hum, Xia'er gradually slipped into a deep sleep, leaning toward Aivina.
...
The next day, July 10th, at Manor No. 13 in the Jue Shi Qiao District.
Early in the morning, a rare guest arrived at the manor.
"Miss Adele, Miss Aivina and Miss Xia'er are having breakfast. Please follow me."
A silver-haired figure followed the maid into the estate, heading toward the dining room.
As Adele stood in the hall waiting for the maid to announce her presence, Xia'er and Aivina emerged from the dining room.
"Adele, good morning."
Aivina nodded slightly at Adele, then gestured toward the parlor, saying, "This way."
"Morning, Aivina, Xia'er."
Adele looked at Xia'er with curiosity as she walked, asking, "Did you sleep well?"
"Morning."
Xia'er nodded, his gaze lingering on Adele's dark circles. He asked, "Did you not sleep well last night?"
"I didn't sleep at all..."
Adele slumped her shoulders, her expression ethereal. "But I did drink a bottle of energy potion."
Once they were all seated in the parlor, Xia'er curiously asked, "What happened, Adele?"
Adele had come to find them right after a sleepless night, so it was likely she had something important to share.
"I was supposed to come yesterday, but something came up..."
Adele looked at Xia'er and said, "My sister asked me to go with you to Ansu City. She said she would finish her business here soon and would return to Ansu as well."
"That's good."
Xia'er nodded and inquired, "What were you busy with yesterday? I went to the clinic but didn't see you."
"I heard from the nurse..."
Mentioning this seemed to pique Adele's interest. She continued, "I took a plant infected with a disease to find Amy yesterday..."
Seemingly worried that Xia'er and Aivina might be concerned, Adele added, "This disease won't affect ordinary people."
You went to find Amy?
"Amy isn't an extraordinary being yet, is she?"
Aivina took a sip of her red tea and asked, "What did you bring an infected plant to her for?"
This was exactly what Xia'er wanted to know.
"She knows more about plants than I do... I don't understand anything about them, and I've mostly only read literature on extraordinary herbs, so I thought maybe Amy could give me some inspiration."
As she spoke, Adele smiled, as if she had made a significant discovery.
"And then?"
Xia'er pressed on.
"I had originally sealed that plant in a bottle, but then..."
Adele's tone faltered slightly. "The bottle accidentally broke..."
Hmm?
The disease didn't spread, did it?
Seeing the look in Xia'er's eyes, Adele quickly explained, "I've already dealt with the contaminated soil; it didn't spread, just contaminated a small area of the back garden... Amy's flowers died in large numbers..."
Xia'er: "..."
He could almost picture Amy's expression of despair.
"But among the flowers that died, there was one that survived!"
Adele's eyes sparkled as she continued, "That wild violet managed to survive amidst the disease!"
A wild violet?
Could it be the one I saw on the 8th?
"And then?"
Xia'er became intrigued by what happened next and pressed for more details.
"The plant disease is a type of rot fungus... similar to the mold that grows on decaying food. It can contaminate the soil and erode crops."
Adele spoke passionately, "The Redemption Society calls it 'Rotting Plague.'"
"But that wild violet could survive directly in the soil infected by the rotting plague, and there were no signs of disease on it."
"After I dealt with the contaminated soil, I went with Amy to the place where she found that flower, collected soil, nearby plants, and water for comparative research."
"The final results showed that it had nothing to do with the soil, plants, or water; it was just that wild violet that had undergone a special mutation. Amy and I preserved a few leaves of the violet and wrote a paper, sending both the leaves and the paper to the Redemption Society."
At this point, Adele's face showed a hint of pride as she smiled and said, "The 'physicians' at the Redemption Society were shocked. Professor Ashford came over after hearing about it. He said my discovery could be key to solving the 'rotting plague' and hopes I can bring the samples with me to Ansu City."
"Xia'er, there's hope for the grain in North Ansu!"
Unlike the excitement on Adele's face, Xia'er and Aivina exchanged glances, both seeing the complexity and concern in each other's eyes.
This is bad.
There's a problem.
"How many people know about this? You, Amy, Ashford, and how many other 'physicians' know besides them?"
Aivina looked at Adele, her tone serious.
Adele was simply thrilled about her luck, about potentially solving the "rotting plague," and about saving more people. She even planned to publish her paper and findings openly, hoping to resolve the issue quickly, without thinking of profiting from patents.
But she overlooked a crucial point... No, it wasn't that she overlooked it; she simply didn't realize it. Xia'er hadn't mentioned this possibility to her either—this was a lapse on Xia'er's part.
Mainly, she never expected Adele's luck to be so extraordinary that she could find something that might genuinely solve the plague.
It's highly likely that a fourth-tier extraordinary being in North Ansu is using the plague to complete a ritual, and Adele's discovery has the potential to stop it.
Though it's just a possibility, it's enough to attract the attention of the Joy Society.
"Uh... besides me and Amy, there are three other 'physicians' who know... plus Professor Ashford, that makes six people in total."
Adele seemed to notice the shift in Aivina's tone and whispered, "Professor Ashford said the paper can't be published until we get to Ansu City, and it has to have his name on it, not mine..."
If before, Sheren's attempt to seize Adele's authorship was merely exploiting her labor, Ashford's actions were entirely protective of Adele.
This matter is too significant; Adele's name absolutely cannot be made public.
Fortunately, the members of the Joy Society in the city are all under Xia'er's control.
"Write down the names of those three physicians."
Xia'er took out a notepad and a pen, saying, "Names, descriptions, and if you know their residences, you can write that down too."
"Okay..."
Adele nodded repeatedly, quickly jotting down the names of her former colleagues without hesitation. After writing, she handed the notepad to Xia'er.
They're all first-tier... one of them is even Ashford's student...
Ashford can't be completely without suspicion.
"What else did Professor Ashford say to you?"
After reading the list, Xia'er looked at Adele and asked.
"He told me not to discuss this with anyone... and kept urging me to go to Ansu with him..."
Adele hesitated as she spoke.
It seems Ashford knows something.
Xia'er tore off the list, stood up, and opened the parlor door, waving toward Tara.
"Lord Xia'er, do you have any orders?"
Tara quickly ran to Xia'er, asking in a low voice.
"Check if these people are still in Bole City."
Xia'er lowered his voice and said, "Have him investigate, but don't expose yourself."
Here, "he" naturally referred to Simon from the Chaos Squad.
"Understood, Lord Xia'er."
Tara took the paper, bowed, stepped back a few paces, and then turned to leave quickly.
Once Xia'er sat back down, Adele slumped her shoulders and weakly asked, "Xia'er... did I do something wrong again...?"
"It's fine."
Xia'er shook his head, offering reassurance. "Just keep an eye on those people... Your discovery is groundbreaking and may attract some attention."
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