Chapter 335
As she spoke, Aivina paused for a moment before continuing:
“Niya was once a candidate saintess of the Church of the God of Order. Strictly speaking, she was exiled to me, but she hasn’t completely severed ties with the Church…”
“Now it seems that after all this time, they still maintain their sanity and want to use Niya again…”
A half-mad candidate saintess, exiled to a family as a guard, completely marginalized—essentially left to rot.
But Aivina had consumed the potion of the Listener, which had preserved Niya’s spirit. Now, the Church of the God of Order, desperate for a saintess, was turning its gaze back to Niya…
Xiar was certain that if Niya were to enter the Otherworld again, she would absolutely lose her mind… The Church of the God of Order didn’t see Niya as a person; they viewed her merely as a tool for exploring the Otherworld, a disposable asset.
“Sorry, this is just my personal matter, and I’ve dragged you into it…”
Aivina looked up at Xiar, but before she could finish her sentence, Xiar covered her mouth with his hand.
“Personal matter? I can give you a chance to rephrase that.”
Aivina blinked at Xiar, then slowly opened her mouth and gently bit the tender flesh of his palm.
“Ah…”
Xiar winced and pulled his hand back, intending to bite Aivina in return, to let her experience the taste of being bitten. But just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
Aivina, who had been leaning against Xiar’s shoulder, quickly sat up straight. Xiar straightened his clothes slightly and called out, “Who is it?”
“Adele…”
A voice came from outside the door.
Adele? Has she finished her nap?
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a slightly disheveled Adele hurried into the room, her hair still tousled from sleep. She nervously said to Xiar, “There’s an assassin from the Pleasure Society here. A waiter just told me that an old doctor wants to see me… I don’t know any old doctors in Ansu…”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Xiar asked, “Is there a chance that this old doctor is Professor Ashford?”
“Ah?”
Adele looked taken aback, asking blankly, “Isn’t he still in Berun City?”
“Do you ever read the newspaper?”
Xiar inquired.
“No.”
“Then it’s nothing…”
Xiar shook his head. “Let the waiter bring him up.”
Adele dashed out of the room and said something to the waiter at the door. Soon, she returned, standing behind Xiar, her hands resting on the back of the sofa, slowly crouching down so that only half her head was visible as she observed the situation.
“What are you doing?”
Xiar turned to look at Adele, feeling like he had seen this scene somewhere before.
When Adele had taken him to meet Yulis in the simulation, she had also hidden behind Yulis’s chair, trying to appear intimidating.
“What if it really is an assassin?”
Adele said seriously, “We need to be prepared.”
Your preparation is to hide behind me?
Xiar felt a bit helpless.
Staying in the Dedton Group’s hotel was relatively safe; after all, Lucy had personally guaranteed that since its establishment, no member had ever lost a single hair—of course, that was an exaggeration, but it did indicate the hotel’s security.
That’s why Xiar planned to stay in the hotel until he could start the simulation, and then move afterward.
Before long, an elderly man wearing a heavy cotton mask was brought to the suite door by a waiter wearing a green chip mask. The waiter knocked and said, “Your guest has arrived, Miss Adele.”
“Come in.”
Xiar spoke, watching as Ashford entered the room, the waiter helping to close the door behind him.
“Professor Ashford, please have a seat.”
Xiar gestured to a nearby chair, smiling.
Compared to their previous meeting in Berun City, Xiar was much friendlier toward Ashford, as his actions had already indicated that he was unlikely to be affiliated with the Pleasure Society.
He hadn’t expected Ashford to draw all the attention to himself by directly announcing it in the newspaper. To be fair, Xiar wouldn’t dare to do such a thing. Ashford was indeed an upright person, doing his best to make amends for the mistakes of his students.
“Sorry for not arriving sooner; I was delayed by a few matters.”
Ashford sat down on the opposite sofa, removing his heavy cotton mask as he explained.
“The announcement in the newspaper was a necessary disguise.”
After saying this, Ashford turned his gaze to Adele, who was hiding behind the sofa, and curiously asked, “What’s this about?”
“Why has the professor come to see Adele?” Aivina interjected, “You know your current identity is quite sensitive.”
“Actually, I came here personally to remind you of a few things.”
Ashford began, “I want to advise Adele not to disclose any information about the research until the results of the Redemption Society’s findings are published.”
“As for the other two ‘doctors,’ I’ve slightly altered their memories… and brought them back to Ansu… If I hear any news about Fred, I’ll inform you immediately.”
One had to admit, Ashford’s remedial measures were quite drastic; he had directly used memory alteration techniques to make those doctors forget the events of those few days.
“Has the research already begun?”
Xiar asked curiously.
“Yes, the Royal Medical Society has opened a research facility in the northern suburbs that originally belonged to them for our collaborative research.”
Ashford nodded, saying, “The royal family is still supportive of this research. Although they might want a share of the results, having any results is a good thing…”
“I’ve already explained the issue of the prototype flowers to the Royal Medical Society and the Redemption Society. The prototype flowers were consumed in previous research, and there’s only this little bit left. No one will suspect Adele anymore.”
“Thank you for your efforts, Professor Ashford.”
Xiar nodded and said, “On behalf of Adele, I express my gratitude.”
Later, Xiar called Adele out from behind him, and she formally thanked Professor Ashford before they chatted for a bit.
Mainly, Xiar inquired about Ashford’s methods for restoring Lichi’s face, and Adele described the condition alongside him.
Upon hearing this, Ashford thought for a moment and recommended a rehabilitation center from the Redemption Society—a new cell regeneration therapy developed by the alteration school. Although it was slow, it could completely resolve Lichi’s issue… though the price was rather exorbitant.
After learning more about this aspect, Xiar had Adele see Professor Ashford out. The cost was secondary; as long as there was a solution, that was what mattered.
Once Professor Ashford left, Aivina, sitting on the sofa, let out a slight sigh of relief and said, “With the royal family stepping in, Adele’s problem is essentially resolved.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The royal family’s involvement means the Church of the God of Order will also intervene. They want to change the situation where the Church of the Savior Goddess holds all the power in North Ansu and become the sole national religion of Ansu.”
Aivina shook her head. “The Pleasure Society has failed; they won’t be able to act again.”
“But isn’t the Redemption Society closely aligned with the Church of the Savior Goddess?” Xiar asked, puzzled. “The Church of the Savior Goddess will surely claim they’ve provided all the help they could.”
As long as the name of the Redemption Society was mentioned, people would undoubtedly associate it with the Church of the Savior Goddess. It would be quite difficult to strip the Church of the Savior Goddess of all its efforts in North Ansu based on that alone.
“That would just turn into a power struggle among those major factions,” Aivina said with a smile. “What we want is simply to extricate ourselves, isn’t it?”
In terms of achieving their goal of escape, they had indeed succeeded, leaving hardly a trace behind.
During dinner, Amy, who had come to check in, and Lichi, who had been wandering around Ansu City, returned. After dinner, Xiar mentioned that he had found a house and advised them to stay indoors as much as possible for the next few days.
The others had no objections; after all, this luxurious hotel was equipped with nearly all facilities and plenty of entertainment options. Even if they stayed here indefinitely, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Aside from the cost, there were no downsides, especially since Lucy was covering the expenses, which made it even less of an issue.
In the following days, everyone mostly stayed in the hotel, not venturing out again.
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