Chapter 386
Just under ten seconds had passed when a wave of intense dizziness hit her. Xia'er’s trembling legs could no longer support her, and she collapsed to her knees, one hand bracing against the ground to prevent herself from falling completely.
A faint sound of footsteps approached from ahead. Xia'er slowly lifted her head, and through her blurred vision, she saw a child in tattered, dirty clothes, their gender indistinguishable, looking at her with a hint of fear.
As their eyes met, the child paused for a moment, then slowly crouched down and softly asked, “(Orlando language) Do you... need help? Big sister.”
It was a little girl.
Xia'er, kneeling on the ground, managed to raise a hand, trying to signal the child to keep her distance, to avoid being caught up in whatever was happening.
But in the next moment, a familiar sensation washed over her; she felt her body rapidly dissipating.
The “side effect” of 【Time Distortion】 had arrived.
Xia'er’s once fiery red hair was instantly replaced by long, sky-blue locks with slightly curled ends. Her clothes transformed in an instant, and the feeling of her muscles melting away vanished just as quickly.
A smile spread across Xia'er’s face.
She had made the right bet!
Turning to look back, she saw no pursuers. She knew she had shaken them off.
At least for the next six minutes, they wouldn’t be able to find her without their heavy scanning.
And six minutes later?
Sorry, but she would be long gone.
Xia'er pushed herself up against the wall, smiling as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a one-shilling silver coin, performing a little magic trick as she placed it on the forehead of the child who was gazing up at her.
“(Orlando language) A share for those who see.”
Xia'er dusted herself off and strolled past the little girl, leaving the alley behind.
...
“Save, No.8.”
“‘No.8: Detective’ Xia'er”
“Reality”
“July 17, 741, 14:45”
“Evaluation: Run! Refreshing!”
“Though the earlier part was so steady I nearly dozed off, the final heart-pounding escape exceeded my expectations—‘Detective’ was a bit too cautious; I’ll use less next time.”
“Here’s your reward, based on your performance.”
“Reward: Destiny Points *19, 【Stealth Lv.1】”
“Destiny Points: 517”
“Stealth Lv.1: Slightly increases your stealth ability, allowing you to conceal your presence to a certain extent, making you harder to detect.”
Xia'er slowly propped herself up on the table, feeling a slight dizziness in her head, but it faded almost instantly.
Although she had spent a full 24 hours in the simulation and saved her progress, she hadn’t used any abilities like 【Spiritual Summoning】 that could heavily taint her mind, so her mental state remained intact.
She had everything she needed on her, and it should have already entered the system shop. She just hoped her frontal lobe hadn’t shattered... that run had been quite intense.
Just as Xia'er was about to open the system shop to check, she heard the sound of the door opening.
She paused her actions and turned to look at the entrance.
It was Aivina.
“I’ve handed the materials to Adele. We just need to mix them, and if all goes well, we should have the ‘Detective’ potion by tonight... When do you plan to use it?” Aivina approached Xia'er and asked.
This was the item Xia'er needed before her simulation, but now, the Xia'er in the simulation had already obtained the potion and saved the ‘Detective’ file, so there was no longer a need for the ‘Detective’ potion.
This was awkward... She should have sent her simulated self to handle these things...
“I might not use it right away. I want to test each potion first,” Xia'er replied.
“I figured as much.” Aivina didn’t seem surprised.
Before they had established their relationship, Xia'er had always sought her out for various potions, and each time it was a different one. Aivina could probably guess Xia'er’s intentions.
However, she wasn’t clear on how Xia'er planned to “test” whether the potions were suitable, and of course, she wouldn’t pry if Xia'er didn’t want to share.
Though Xia'er had many secrets, Aivina could sense her heart.
Aivina pulled out a few twenty-pound notes from her pocket and handed them to Xia'er, saying, “Remember to give Adele some manufacturing fees; she’s probably running low on funds for food and rent.”
“And the payment for the potion will be deducted from the pounds you have stored with me. Just let me know when you need money.”
Xia'er nodded, “Got it.”
Suddenly, Xia'er realized something.
This conversation... why did it feel so oddly familiar?
...
...
...
PS:
Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a joyful start to the new year!
Today, I finally get to take a proper break. I hope everything goes smoothly for you all next year! May your studies improve and your careers soar!
Tomorrow, on the 1st at 8 PM (or possibly 9 PM), I’ll be live streaming on Bilibili, drawing a winner for the 4070 graphics card (the previous guy never came to claim it), and I’ll also give away some calendars I won in a raffle (not the monthly ticket raffle), along with a few sets of women’s clothing as a New Year’s gift!
On the last day, let’s hand in any extra tickets!
And hey! Don’t forget to vote for your favorite character of the year.
Good night~
【Leave of Absence】A classic leave of absence at the beginning of the month! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
The 1st is a long-awaited day off!
Remember to join the live stream at 8 PM (or 9 PM) tonight, where we’ll draw the graphics card that the previous guy didn’t claim, along with some miscellaneous gifts and women’s clothing.
New year, new beginnings.
Forget all your worries.
Be happy every day.
—The latest year
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Chapter 209: Long Time No See, Past Sufferings (4684 words)
(“Detective” file has been changed from No.8 to No.7; I accidentally skipped 7 earlier.)
——————————————
“By the way, Aivina, I have some news for you.”
Xia'er had initially intended to tease Aivina a bit, but after thinking it over, she decided that it was best to focus on the matter at hand.
“What news?” Aivina looked at Xia'er calmly, her heart already steady.
She felt that no matter what news she heard, she wouldn’t be surprised anymore... After spending time with Xia'er, Aivina had indeed been hit with quite a few bombshells.
“Three days from now, on the 20th, Princess Windsor will come looking for you, and there will be reporters waiting to document everything—Windsor will leak her whereabouts in advance.” Xia'er inquired, “Have you thought of any countermeasures?”
Xia'er handed the initiative over to Aivina, curious to see if she had any plans.
If Aivina truly had no way to prevent Windsor’s visit, Xia'er would find a way to deal with it... though her methods might not be very friendly.
“Windsor? What does she want?” Aivina seemed to realize something, moving closer to Xia'er and lowering her voice to ask, “Is it related to what you mentioned earlier?”
The “earlier matter” Aivina referred to was, of course, the top-secret information Xia'er had written on the note... However, it seemed that this top-secret information needed to be updated now.
“Yes,” Xia'er nodded.
“The first point...” Aivina was about to ask, but suddenly stopped.
While it was very likely the first point, it was also unlikely.
The first thing Xia'er had written was about the Royal Medical Society explosion. Windsor was indeed a member of the royal family, and she was connected to the strong sound, but this matter wouldn’t involve Aivina at all, as Ashford had taken all the attention.
The third point about the high-ranking members of the Joyous Society wanting to merge with the church also had nothing to do with her.
After some elimination, the only point that could relate to her was the second one, concerning the Order of the God of Order wanting to take Nia away.
Windsor was coming, and it was connected to the Order of the God of Order and Nia...
What could exposing my whereabouts accomplish...
A housewarming party.
If Windsor offered to use her connections to help support the housewarming party, Xia'er would certainly not refuse... but who Windsor invited was beyond her control...
At that time, the majority of the guests would undoubtedly be Windsor’s people.
So that’s how it is...
“She wants to use the reception of the housewarming to let the Order of the God of Order take Nia away, doesn’t she?” Aivina asked in a low voice.
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