Chapter 466
However, the "Substitute Saint's Relic" is a unique extraordinary item exclusive to the Russell family. It was clear that Xia'er had no other means of obtaining it, and the Relic's function was merely to temporarily transfer the source of pollution. Once the Relic burned out, the pollution would return intact.
"Yes," Xia'er nodded slightly in the darkness, offering no further explanation on how he had dealt with the mental pollution issue.
Explaining that would involve the system, which had explicitly warned him not to mention it in reality. Xia'er had no intention of courting disaster.
"Alright... let me think..." Aivina withdrew her right hand, rubbing her temples as she asked, "What you just said was to kill that person?"
Aivina hesitated to even mention Qiangyin's name directly. To her, Qiangyin loomed like a mountain over the heads of all the nobles in Ansu, and even the Russell family couldn't do anything about him. Naturally, Aivina couldn't believe Xia'er would succeed.
She knew Xia'er was capable of miracles, but this was beyond the realm of miracles; the odds were likely even lower than praying for Qiangyin to drop dead on the spot.
"Yes, I need your help," Xia'er confirmed, reiterating his earlier statement.
Aivina had been waiting for an opportunity to assist Xia'er, but this chance came too suddenly, leaving her momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Yet, trusting that Xia'er wouldn't deceive her, Aivina decided to hear out his plan first.
"What do you intend to do?" Aivina asked. "How can I help you?"
This was a monumental task, and Aivina wasn't sure if she could truly assist Xia'er.
Xia'er didn't directly explain the complexities of manipulating the dimensional nodes or dragging Qiangyin into an endless cycle of death—things that could be accomplished but were difficult to understand without mentioning the system. Instead, he began to share other secret information about Qiangyin.
He detailed Qiangyin's "uniqueness," the tacit approval of the Pleasure Society's actions, the mysterious studies within the Church of the God of Order, using Windsor as a living notebook, and his relationship with Lafayette, leaving no stone unturned.
Aivina fell silent, processing the vast amount of information Xia'er had provided... Each of these matters was not something one could uncover without months or even years of investigation.
After finishing his explanation, Xia'er remained quiet in the darkness, patiently waiting for Aivina's response.
After a long pause, Aivina finally gathered her thoughts. She noticed that her left hand, which was gripping Xia'er's palm, had become slightly clammy... she was sweating.
"Sorry..." Aivina switched to her right hand to grasp Xia'er's right hand, then withdrew her left to wipe it on a handkerchief in her pocket before extending it again to hold Xiaer's left hand.
"The amount of information is overwhelming... What exactly do I need to do?" Aivina asked.
She racked her brain but couldn't figure out what she could do in such a complex web of relationships—at least, the only idea she had was to use her banquet on the 21st to gather people together, just as she had discussed with Xia'er before.
"We need to completely control Lafayette. To do that, we first have to take control of the guards around her, specifically the members of the Pleasure Society hidden by her side," Xia'er explained. "Once we have them under our control, they will become our allies."
"They're all Tier 3," Aivina gently shook her head in the darkness. "It might be a bit difficult for me alone, unless they're in a state of severe mental weakness or near death."
"A Tier 3 'Subverter' will assist us," Xia'er clarified. "With two of us, we can manage to control them."
This was something Xia'er had practiced in simulations; using the saved data of a Tier 3 "Subverter" in conjunction with Aivina's abilities would make the task not only feasible but also relatively easy.
"A 'Subverter'..." Aivina nodded slightly upon hearing this. "That does increase the feasibility quite a bit..."
Then, as if struck by a thought, Aivina asked, "What happens after we control them? Use them... to poison Qiangyin?"
Even with two additional Tier 3s under their control, Aivina didn't believe they could take down Qiangyin.
"No, we won't need them to take action. They just need to monitor Qiangyin's movements," Xia'er shook his head. "I'll have the Pope of the Church of the God of Order take action to kill Qiangyin."
"The Pope... Pope Erigema?" Aivina asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.
She was well aware of who the Pope of the Church of the God of Order was; at least half of the Russell family were followers of that church, and she had absorbed quite a bit of information about it through her surroundings.
But why would the Church of the God of Order help them?
Not long ago, Xia'er had mentioned that the Church was the organization trying to capture Nia, and they had secret dealings with Qiangyin.
In this context, it was hard for Aivina to believe that the Pope would step in to help them kill Qiangyin... unless that Pope had received a reward or conditions from Xia'er that were richer than what Qiangyin could offer.
"My organization can reach certain agreements with the Church of the God of Order," Xia'er explained. "The conditions we provide could persuade the Pope to abandon any plans regarding Nia, even to turn against Qiangyin and orchestrate his death."
So it was this mysterious intelligence organization...
No wonder Xia'er knew so much...
But this only sparked a flicker of concern in Aivina's heart.
She looked at Xia'er and asked, "Is doing all this... part of the organization's task for you?"
Aivina's question caught Xia'er off guard in the darkness.
Was she worried that this elusive organization was using him to do something dangerous?
It seemed that from the very beginning, Aivina had harbored some resentment towards the organization Xia'er spoke of, as they always seemed to make him undertake perilous tasks.
"No," Xia'er shook his head. "They're cooperating with me to eliminate threats to us."
"Cooperating with you..."
Xiaer's words left Aivina momentarily confused.
Initially, she had thought Xia'er was merely a peripheral or lower-tier member of this mysterious organization, but given the current circumstances, her previous impression seemed overly simplistic.
"What position do you hold in this organization?" Aivina couldn't help but ask.
She had always respected Xiaer's privacy and refrained from probing into the secrets of his organization, but now, her curiosity about its structure was piqued.
From everything she had seen so far, this organization was incredibly secretive and powerful, yet Xia'er seemed to wield considerable influence within it. The presence of a Tier 2 guard like Tara hinted at something more.
Normally, a peripheral or lower-tier member of an organization wouldn't have a Tier 2 extraordinary being as their servant, especially one so loyal.
Had all her previous assumptions been wrong? Was Xia'er not being forced into dangerous situations to serve this organization, but rather a hidden high-ranking member?
"What position?" Xia'er hesitated at Aivina's question.
This was a fictional organization he had concocted, full of holes, and now she wanted him to state his position within it?
He would have to make something up on the spot.
"Do you know about the Saintess?" Xia'er tentatively suggested.
"Saintess?" Aivina's tone rose slightly, her voice laced with concern.
Given the influence of the Church of the God of Order, she had no positive associations with the term "Saintess."
In her mind, Saintesses were high-risk, extremely vulnerable "consumables."
Suddenly, Aivina seemed to realize something. She tightened her grip on Xiaer's hand, her tone tinged with anger as she said, "So the dimensional pollution affecting your mind was caused by them?!"
Xia'er: "..."
Well, that backfired spectacularly.
He had only intended to imply that his position was somewhat akin to that of a Saintess—though lacking in strength, he would be valued and nurtured, wielding significant power.
But now, his current situation, where he occasionally suffered from dimensional pollution, bore a striking resemblance to the treatment of those church Saintesses.
Having witnessed Nia's torment, Aivina couldn't suppress her anger upon hearing that Xia'er was being treated similarly.
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