Chapter 429
She only stood in the washroom for a moment, waiting until the footsteps outside faded away. After washing her hands at the sink and drying them, she opened the door.
The palace servants were mostly busy in the banquet hall, leaving the main hall empty. After leaving the washroom, Xia Er walked at her usual pace, unhurried, following the path etched in her memory until she reached the underground passage.
As she walked through the dark corridor, she soon stopped in front of a wooden door. Xia Er raised her hand and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock—
The dull sound echoed, and the door was quickly opened, the light inside restoring her vision.
The one who opened the door was still that furry creature, who scurried away as soon as it had let Xia Er in.
Xia Er glanced around the collection room and immediately spotted a tall, hunched figure standing in front of the operating table.
Lafayette.
After entering, Xia Er closed the door behind her.
At that moment, Lafayette turned to look at Xia Er.
However, Lafayette didn’t say a word, not even a greeting.
**[Keen Perception]**.
Xia Er’s sharp senses picked up on three gazes fixed on her.
One was Lafayette, another was the hairless creature.
And the last one... was on the “wall” at the innermost part of the collection room.
Qiangyin’s dark chamber.
It was... Qiangyin...
What was he doing here?! Didn’t Windsor say he wasn’t coming?
Lafayette seemed to be aware of Qiangyin’s presence as well, which was why he hadn’t spoken a word since Xia Er entered.
That gaze bore down on Xia Er like a heavy weight. The “Newborn” could control the rhythm of their heartbeat, but Xia Er couldn’t...
If Qiangyin sensed her tension, this simulation would be over before it even began.
Fortunately, **[Calm Reflection]** allowed her to maintain her composure, preventing her from giving herself away the moment she sensed the third gaze.
“Professor Lafayette.” Xia Er calmly approached Lafayette, reaching into the pocket of her uniform skirt to pull out the vial of “Physician” potion.
Holding the potion bottle, Xia Er slowly spoke, “The potion you wanted, Professor.”
This was originally meant for her own use, but now she had to adapt on the fly.
Lafayette took the potion bottle from her hand, frowning slightly as he said, “This quality isn’t right... it’s not perfect.”
“This is the best potion I could find in Ansu City,” Xia Er replied. “It was meant for me.”
“Haha... then you might as well keep it for yourself,” Lafayette said dismissively. “A potion of this quality won’t allow me to continue my experiments. If there’s nothing else, please leave.”
“I won’t be refunding the deposit,” Xia Er retorted coldly, reclaiming the potion bottle and stuffing it back into her pocket.
“Haha...”
Lafayette merely chuckled, not bothering to respond further.
Xia Er turned to leave, but just as she reached for the door, it swung open.
A tall man with long white hair stood outside, his eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled and scrutinized Xia Er.
“Your Excellency Qiangyin?” Xia Er quickly reacted, lowering her head and stepping aside to avoid direct eye contact.
“Haha... a friend of Professor Lafayette?” Qiangyin’s gaze lingered on Xia Er for a moment before shifting to Lafayette. He spoke slowly, “I hadn’t heard... that the professor had such a young friend...”
Xia Er’s right hand subtly curled, mimicking a grabbing motion. If she wished, the pocket watch would appear in her palm in an instant.
Lafayette remained silent. She looked up, peering through her goggles at Qiangyin, and spoke just as slowly.
“Everyone has their secrets, Qiangyin... you have yours, and I have mine.”
The atmosphere fell into silence once more. After a long pause, Qiangyin finally stepped aside, allowing a path to open. He smiled and said, “Apologies, Miss Xia Er... please continue to enjoy the banquet upstairs.”
The conversation on the ground hadn’t escaped Qiangyin’s ears.
Xia Er kept her head down, slipping past Qiangyin and hastening toward the exit.
Once Xia Er had left, Qiangyin turned his attention back to Lafayette.
“There shouldn’t be any secrets between us...”
“Mother...”
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PS:
Okay, I’m just a minor character, and this time I really am a minor character, with nothing more to say.
Tomorrow! 7K! Aim for 8!!!
I can definitely do it!
Good night!!!
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Chapter 228: Even If Rivers of Blood Flow (6287 words)
Unlucky, unlucky, unlucky...
Xia Er hurried into the hall, the oppressive feeling from her encounter with Qiangyin still lingering in her heart.
In this simulation, Lafayette had been subjected to a complete memory distortion by her simulated self using the “Subverter” archive in conjunction with Aivina, but it hadn’t altered much of her past memories... it merely made her believe she had joined a mysterious organization.
Now, with Lafayette and Qiangyin together, it was clear that Qiangyin would notice something. If he were to be more cautious, he might even call in the “Newborns” from the Royal Medical Academy to examine Lafayette...
If Lafayette were to be found with altered memories, then Xia Er, who had met with her, would be completely exposed.
In that case, not only would she be unable to investigate the information regarding the Order of the God of Order’s otherworldly nodes, but even surviving the next 24 hours in this simulation would be in question.
Xia Er had two plans.
One was to ignore Qiangyin entirely, drink the “Physician” potion, find Adele, and ask her for a sample of the dehydration virus—something Adele had created, so she would naturally have a reserve—then go to the East District to spread the virus, preparing to transition to the second stage of “Plague Bearer.”
The second was to activate the contingency plan, directly starting a blood ritual in the East District to attract the attention of the Order of the God of Order and Qiangyin, while she took advantage of the chaos to bring Lafayette along to find the method to enter the otherworldly nodes held by the Order.
After taking seven steps toward the door, Xia Er had already made her decision.
The potion—she knew the ritual for its recreation, and with the simulation in hand, she could complete the ritual and digest it at any time.
But information wasn’t something every simulation could provide.
Moreover, this was information that could kill Qiangyin.
In the previous simulation, Xia Er had used the method of transitioning through the otherworldly gate, which was feasible, but once the frenzied fourth-tier Qiangyin emerged, Xia Er would ultimately still be within his sphere of influence—because both she and Aivina had to be present to monitor Qiangyin’s mental state, only leaving at the very end.
If she could obtain the method to enter the otherworldly nodes from the Order of the God of Order, it would mean that Xia Er could enter the same otherworldly space node as Qiangyin at different locations...
Or even at different times.
Transcending time and space, driving Qiangyin mad...
This was a method that no one could trace back to Xia Er.
From her previous conversation with the Dark Worm, Xia Er knew that the memories of otherworldly beings were not affected by external time and space; they were more like a common “transfer station” in different temporal spaces.
Xia Er’s footsteps gradually came to a halt, and she turned around, heading toward the back garden.
She needed to stay here to signal Tara and adapt to the situation.
As long as Lafayette wasn’t killed on the spot by Qiangyin, she would definitely find her.
However, Xia Er was uncertain whether this blood ritual would succeed.
Because the blood and flesh used were mostly from “Crown Guards” or “Detectives,” extraordinary individuals. Although Xia Er had left some of her own blood, it didn’t guarantee communication with the Dark Worm.
Soon, Xia Er spotted the familiar glass house in the back garden. She circled around it and walked toward the fence.
This position... should be within Tara’s range of abilities.
Xia Er took out her handkerchief and casually tossed it down.
The soft, white handkerchief floated down, covered by Xia Er’s shadow.
About three seconds later, a pale little hand emerged from the shadow, grabbing the handkerchief and pulling it into the darkness, making it disappear.
Even without drinking the potion, Xia Er could still clearly see that white shadow; her spirit had already transformed beyond that of an ordinary person.
The message had been sent...
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