Chapter 378
Xia'er agreed to visit Windsor at 4 PM because the simulation would end at 6 PM.
If nothing had been uncovered in those ten hours, Xia'er could choose to storm into Windsor Palace in the last two hours and extract information directly from Windsor herself.
A mere first-tier "Butcher" couldn't stand in Xia'er's way now.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, Aivina finally opened the door to her room.
Once she closed the door behind her, she sat down across from Xia'er, took a sip of her red tea, but said nothing.
"What's wrong, Aivina?" Noticing Aivina's sour mood, Xia'er stood up, ready to sit beside her.
But Aivina simply set her cup down and moved to sit at her desk, seemingly unwilling to acknowledge Xia'er at all.
However... if she truly wanted to ignore him, she wouldn't have returned to her room.
Seeing Aivina's reaction, Xia'er could guess what was bothering her. He walked over, plopped himself onto her lap, and gazed into her deep blue eyes, asking, "Are you jealous?"
"No," Aivina replied flatly, "Why didn't you tell me you drank the potion?"
Previously, when Xia'er had consumed the potion in the simulation, Aivina had only been slightly surprised; she wouldn't have reacted like this... she was definitely jealous.
Xia'er leaned in slightly, whispering in her ear, "Windsor's visit is likely at the behest of Qiangyin. I'm going to investigate her secrets... Qiangyin has invested a lot in her, unlike the usual father-daughter relationship."
"...I already said I'm not jealous." Aivina insisted, but her flushed earlobes betrayed her true feelings.
Xia'er reached out, gently brushing aside Aivina's dark hair that fell over her shoulder, revealing her fair skin and delicate collarbone. He leaned down and nibbled softly on her shoulder.
"Can you heal me, Miss Aivina?"
The difference between "killer" and "detective" seemed to have all been channeled into flirtation.
Aivina felt the warmth of his breath and the tingling sensation on her shoulder, her mind buzzing.
What’s going on... Xia'er is sitting on my lap; shouldn’t I be the one in control here...?
As Aivina hesitated, contemplating whether to wrap her arms around Xia'er’s waist, he stood up and ruffled her hair.
"The great 'detective' is off to gather intel. See you tomorrow morning, darling."
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PS:
178 (updates owed) - 2 (extra updates) = 176 (updates owed) — I’ll add the rewards once the bounty ends.
Okay, okay, I haven’t stopped taking the potion, but I’m feeling good today, so I’ll keep adding updates tomorrow!
Thanks for everyone’s support with the monthly votes! If you have time tomorrow, remember to vote for Xia'er on the event page!
Good night!
Chapter 205: The Screech of the Soul Incitement Box (4000 words)
Due to the need to save the "detective" archive, Xia'er conducted her investigation very cautiously.
She didn’t even take Aimi along to try to recruit Eleanor as her subordinate—if she was going to do that, it had to be in the last few hours of the simulation when survival was guaranteed.
The final moments of this simulation had already been reserved for the trip to Windsor Palace, so Xia'er abandoned other aggressive moves.
Whether this was related to the "detective" potion or not, Xia'er’s current mindset was to do less rather than risk making mistakes.
However, tonight wasn’t without its gains; at least Xia'er had strolled through the West and East districts, gaining some insight into the livelihoods and social conditions of Ansu City.
The news of the Queen’s speech was the most talked-about topic today, sparking much discussion about North Ansu.
While conversing with some commoners in the East district, she received a remarkably consistent sentiment.
That was a general rejection and disdain for North Ansu and its refugees.
Even without a major famine, people from North Ansu were often viewed as the lowest tier of society.
Especially after the recent famine, with thousands of refugees flooding into major cities, the negative bias against North Ansu had intensified, particularly among the lower and middle classes.
North Ansu refugees were often seen as lazy, dirty, and unruly, even considered a threat to Ansu’s labor market and social order—hardly anyone regarded them as fellow countrymen.
Moreover, most commoners in Ansu City adhered to the Church of the God of Order, while the Church of the Savior was the primary faith in North Ansu, exacerbating the discrimination and division.
Currently, the only entity providing relief and assistance to North Ansu refugees was the Church of the Savior.
Some charitable events organized by Ansu’s nobles and the Church of the God of Order, filled with messianic themes, only helped a small fraction of the refugees, primarily serving as publicity stunts.
Most importantly, the vast majority of North Ansu people supported Orlando’s restoration and independence, which made the conflict even more pronounced.
In the worst slums of the East district, Xia'er witnessed North Ansu refugees fighting over a moldy potato, living in conditions worse than rats.
Some North Ansu refugees had even begun to band together, forming small gangs and criminal organizations—these developments were unavoidable.
Xia'er had always approached the issues between Ansu and North Ansu with a modern mindset, thinking that Qiangyin’s eradication of North Ansu’s nobility was cruel and would lose public support, believing that Adele and Aimi’s desire to help North Ansu people was entirely reasonable.
But from the current social sentiment, if Qiangyin’s actions were exposed, they would likely gain the support of the vast majority of Ansu’s populace.
What a surreal world.
Late at night, Xia'er stood on the street, dirty raindrops falling before her, the original coal smoke and metallic scent replaced by the stench of sulfur mixed with dust and decaying sewage.
As night fell, she became the target of many greedy gazes. With little law to restrain the crime-ridden district of the Cathedral, she quickened her pace with Tara, eager to leave the area.
Once she reached a deserted alley, Xia'er took a deep breath and began to chant rapidly in Chinese.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."
She glanced at the system time, softly reciting the single digits in Chinese, cycling from 1 to 10 repeatedly, not caring that Tara was behind her.
Can I really say almost nine rounds of 1 to 10 in just ten seconds...?
A silver flash appeared in Xia'er’s hand, revealing a cracked box.
【Soul Incitement Box】.
In this state of uncertainty, it might provide her with some hints.
But she wasn’t sure if reciting Chinese numbers would count as vocabulary for this sealed object. To be safe, Xia'er decided to use Ansu language instead; it shouldn’t slow her down much.
Saying 90 words in 30 seconds was quite simple—as long as she knew the rules in advance.
As Xia'er muttered some meaningless phrases, she slowly traced her thumb over the crack in the box—
A drop of blood fell through the fissure.
As Xia'er’s low chant continued, the black box in her hand began to vibrate rapidly. After about ten seconds, the crack in the box slowly opened, and a piercing, shrill sound erupted from within.
"Hee hee ha ha! Windsor! Fresh, delicious brain! Ha ha ha!!!"
The sharp explosion and sinister laughter echoed through the night sky. In an instant, the silver light in Xia'er’s hand flickered, and the Soul Incitement Box returned to her system warehouse.
"Damn it... Tara, we need to go."
Xia'er cursed, quickly jogging away from the alley with Tara.
The screech of the Soul Incitement Box drew a flurry of curses, lights in nearby houses flickering on, and many people opened their windows to look into the alley, but saw nothing.
Activating this thing felt like having a phone ring at full volume during an important meeting, creating an incredibly awkward experience.
Only when they returned to the West district did Xia'er’s pace gradually slow.
Thank goodness it didn’t go off in the West district... that would have been a disaster...
She had initially thought it would provide some hints in her mind, but it turned out to be a loudspeaker at full volume...
But what it said...
Windsor’s brain?
What kind of hint is that?
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