Chapter 444
"What's wrong, Tara?" Xiar asked, curiosity lacing his voice. "Did something happen just now?"
"N-no..." Tara quickly shook her head, swallowing hard. She cautiously lifted her gaze to meet Xiar's, her voice barely a whisper. "Lord Xiar... did you really not feel anything just now?"
"Should I have felt something?" Xiar replied, a hint of intrigue in his tone.
"N-no, nothing at all," Tara insisted, shaking her head repeatedly.
But under Xiar's unwavering gaze, beads of sweat began to form on Tara's forehead. Eventually, the pressure of his scrutiny became too much for her to bear, and she crumpled to her knees before him.
"Woo... please forgive me, Lord Xiar! I shouldn't have poked your face when you were unguarded. A humble servant like me shouldn't entertain such wicked thoughts. Please believe me, Lord Xiar, I have already conquered all my inner demons..."
Xiar: "..."
Wait, I was completely defenseless just now, like I was asleep. Why would loyal Tara have such wicked thoughts?
It seems I can't let Tara watch during simulations anymore; aside from Aivina, it appears no one else is truly trustworthy.
"Forget it..." Xiar waved his hand dismissively, choosing not to pursue the matter further. "There are some things I need you to do. Write a letter and summon Peirxi."
Now, it was time to focus on the important matters.
---
"Lord Xiar, the letter has been sent, but Peirxi probably won't arrive for another two to three days..." Tara returned to Xiar's side, having hurried out to send the letter.
She wasn't surprised at all that Lord Xiar knew Peirxi's name and their relationship, even though she had never mentioned it.
Whatever the Mother Goddess does is perfectly normal; Tara had long since learned to accept it calmly.
However, Tara's words received no response from Xiar.
"Lord Xiar?"
Tara shifted her gaze from Xiar's feet, slowly moving her eyes upward to his face.
At that moment, Xiar sat still, staring at the notebook in front of him, not moving at all. In fact, due to his deliberate concealment of his aura, Tara felt as if she were gazing at a statue.
Could it be that the Mother Goddess's consciousness has returned to the divine realm?
"Lord Xiar? Can you hear me?"
Tara spoke softly, and only after confirming that Xiar truly wasn't responding did she cautiously extend her left hand, gently waving it in front of his eyes.
"Uh... huh? What is it, Tara?"
Xiar seemed to awaken from a deep slumber, turning his gaze toward her.
In her view, Tara's lips moved continuously, but Xiar couldn't hear a thing.
Xiar wasn't deaf.
At that moment, her mind was filled with a buzzing sound, a harsh noise reminiscent of steel grinding against steel, so piercing that it conjured visions of sparks flying before her eyes.
These sounds layered upon one another, eerily similar to the noise emitted by the otherworldly creature in the platinum armor. It had started as a faint whisper, gradually escalating to a deafening roar.
Moreover, the sound in Xiar's mind grew louder, causing her eardrums to throb painfully, as if they might burst at any moment.
This wasn't the first time Xiar had encountered such a situation. Previously, when entering the other realm, she had experienced something similar, though the nature of the whispers had been different.
There had been no such issue when communicating with the Dark Worm. Why was it that after interacting with that suit of armor, she faced such severe side effects...?
She had to resolve this issue; otherwise, her mental state would continue to deteriorate...
Xiar waved her hand, signaling Tara to remain silent for the time being.
At that moment, Xiar opened the system interface, glancing at the screen before her.
"Simulation"
"Character Archive"
"Skills"
"Inventory"
"Point Store"
Xiar took a quick look at the point store. There were many new things available in the basic subjects, but none could address her current predicament.
She exited the point store and opened the skills interface.
All the skills she had acquired were laid out before her.
Next to each skill was a golden "+" symbol.
This indicated an upgrade option. Since points had been so precious before, Xiar had hardly used her destiny points to upgrade her skills.
Upgrading a Level 1 skill to Level 2 required 10 destiny points, which had been far too expensive for the early Xiar, potentially even causing her to hit a wall. But for the current Xiar, 10 points were no longer a concern.
She shifted her focus to the Level 4 skill, Calm Reflection.
Level 1 to Level 2 required 10 points, Level 2 to Level 3 required 50 points, and Level 3 to Level 4 required 100 points.
But upgrading from Level 4 to Level 5 required a staggering 500 destiny points...
In the system, you generally get what you pay for. Needing a full 500 points indicated that the upgrade would bring significant enhancements... but that was far too costly.
Originally, Xiar had only wanted to upgrade Calm Reflection, hoping that enhancing her mental strength might help her resist the whispers in her mind. Now, she had to consider whether there were any alternative options.
Her balance of destiny points was down to 581. She needed to ensure she had at least 100 points left for emergencies or simulations... spending down to just 81 would be a bit risky for her.
Just then, Xiar noticed Tara's hand, glowing with white flames, once again blocking her view. Tara pressed the white flames against Xiar's eyes.
Xiar felt a flash of white light before her senses returned. When she came to, it was as if a hazy white veil had descended before her, and the whispers in her mind had instantly lessened.
This is...
Xiar was very familiar with this ability, having experienced it once before.
Back in Boren City, during a simulation, when she first encountered the pages of the other realm and her mental state became unstable, Xiar had been helped by this very ability.
The "Ascetic" path of the extraordinary could not only help alleviate physical pain but also share the burden of mental whispers.
Xiar felt a wave of relief wash over her, and she could hear the sounds of the outside world again.
She turned to see Tara, who looked pained, and their eyes met.
Seeing Xiar's gaze, Tara took a moment to catch her breath before speaking.
"Lord Xiar... the body you are using now... is both mentally and physically weak, unable to bear your power and the pressure of the divine realm... Tara can share some of that burden..."
"Tara..." Xiar began, pausing for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.
She felt a twinge of guilt for her earlier distrust of Tara... aside from the occasional small actions, Tara was genuinely considering her well-being. She shouldn't nitpick at the little things.
"Are you alright? Don't push yourself too hard." Xiar stood up, looking down at Tara with concern in her voice.
Tara seemed taken aback, as if it were the first time she had heard Xiar speak to her so gently. She blinked in surprise, then straightened her frail chest, declaring with conviction, "This is just a small trial; it has no effect on me, Lord Xiar!"
Though Tara said this, Xiar could see that she was struggling to maintain her balance.
Table of Contents
