Chapter 484
**Chapter 255: The "Father-in-law's" Assist?**
“Internal information about the Vitalis Palace...?”
Aivina sat on the sofa, removing her glasses and placing them aside. She gently pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, rubbing it thoughtfully.
After a long pause, Aivina shook her head in resignation and said, “I’ve been away from Ansu City for several years now, and my connections have pretty much dried up...”
Suddenly, Aivina hesitated, looking up at the figure standing beside her—Xia Er.
“Got an idea?” Xia Er asked, observing Aivina’s expression.
Right now, Xia Er urgently needed to figure out what Qiang Yin was doing at the Vitalis Palace and who was around him... This information would be crucial for the subsequent plans and actions.
The time for the upcoming time simulation was set for July 16 at 6:00 PM, which could extend to noon on the 17th. If everything was prepared properly, Xia Er could eliminate Qiang Yin in one go during this simulation.
If he failed, he would have to expend an unknown number of fate points, making countless attempts to reset the time simulation to noon on the 17th.
If repeated simulations continued to fail and his fate points dwindled, Xia Er might even have to consider the most cumbersome method... repeatedly killing Qiang Yin in reality until he could no longer use his “uniqueness.”
However, this clumsy method carried immense uncertainty... Each time Qiang Yin died, he would leave behind fragments of information, and accumulating those would only make each new attempt more perilous, making Qiang Yin even harder to kill.
In the end, Xia Er might even find himself directly identified by Qiang Yin...
Qiang Yin simply had access to far fewer pieces of information than Xia Er. The disparity between them was vast. Qiang Yin was an arrogant person; he could never be underestimated—no fool could reach such heights.
Unfortunately, Xia Er had no connections within the royal family. If Aivina couldn’t provide any information, he would have to consider investigating on his own before the next time simulation arrived, to uncover the results before refreshing the past simulation.
“Ai Er, do you remember when you were studying Ancient Ansu? I sent the materials you needed to a professor who studies Ancient Ansu,” Aivina asked, looking at Xia Er.
Professor?
Xia Er thought for a moment and quickly recalled.
That was something Aivina had mentioned in a letter, where she expressed her struggles with the translation and decided to send the materials to a professor specializing in Ancient Ansu...
Later, Xia Er’s studies in Ancient Ansu were based on the recommendations and books sent by that professor, which even included a note from the professor, who thought Aivina wanted to further her studies in Ancient Ansu and seemed quite pleased.
“Helena Stone?” Xia Er inquired.
That name belonged to the middle-aged woman who had come to Ansu City not long after Xia Er’s arrival, acting as a negotiator. She was Aivina’s teacher and appeared to have a close relationship with her.
“No... she’s just my teacher,” Aivina shook her head, explaining, “The professor who studies Ancient Ansu is named Raven Wood.”
“Raven?” Xia Er nodded. “That’s a rare name.”
In Ansu, the word for “raven” carries negative connotations, often associated with plague, conquest, and mourning culture, as well as the metaphor of the “living totem” of the Ansu clock tower.
For someone studying Ancient Ansu to take “Raven” as their name inevitably evokes notions of “forbidden knowledge” and “curses.”
“That’s indeed not her real name,” Aivina nodded. “It’s a name she adopted after becoming engrossed in her studies of Ancient Ansu... but I don’t know what her original name was.”
“Does she know anything about the royal family?” Xia Er pressed.
“She was originally a non-academic fellow at Augusford University and also my private tutor... After I left Ansu, she resigned from the university and was hired by the royal family as a special archaeological consultant for the queen,” Aivina explained, pausing briefly before continuing, “If you want to know about the royal family, she should be able to provide some insights.”
“A non-academic fellow? Isn’t she a professor at Augusford University?” Xia Er asked, puzzled.
“Hmm...” Aivina pondered for a moment before explaining:
“Augusford University only started admitting female students in the past couple of years... At least before she left, the university didn’t accept female students or lecturers. She couldn’t obtain a formal degree or teaching position, so she participated in research or provided private tutoring to noble families as a ‘non-academic fellow.’”
Upon hearing Aivina’s response, Xia Er felt a bit dazed.
Having struggled for so long in the extraordinary world, he had almost forgotten some of the outdated secular regulations here.
That title of “professor” must be Aivina’s personal way of referring to Professor Raven.
“Can you still get in touch with her?” Xia Er asked, looking at Aivina.
“Yes, I know her address,” Aivina nodded. “We occasionally correspond by letter. At least the last time we communicated, she hadn’t changed her address... Shall we go visit her now?”
Seeing Aivina take the initiative, Xia Er didn’t hesitate and nodded in agreement.
Knowing Xia Er had urgent matters, Aivina wasted no time and led him out. However, before leaving, Xia Er changed into a uniform from the Deton Group—this outfit, complete with a mask, wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.
As they stepped outside, they ran into Lucy, who had come looking for Xia Er.
In the original timeline, the moment they had just chatted was when Xia Er and Aivina were supposed to visit Adele and hand over the research notes from the simulation. Timing-wise, it was about when Lucy was meant to arrive.
However, Xia Er had more pressing matters to attend to and didn’t have time for idle chit-chat with Lucy. Besides, Lucy was only there to share some good news—she would be nominated as an executive director at the board meeting on the 25th.
“Ah? Good afternoon, Miss Xia Er, Miss Aivina.” Lucy, who was about to knock on the door, took a step back upon seeing the two beautiful women emerge, quickly removing her golden mask to greet them.
“Congratulations! Next time we meet, I might have to call you Director Lucy,” Xia Er said, nodding at her through his silver mask. “Sorry, Lucy, but we’re on our way to visit an old friend. Let’s discuss your celebration later.”
After saying this, Xia Er grabbed a piece of stationery and quickly jotted down some notes. He folded the paper and handed it to Lucy, saying, “I’ll be on my way now.”
Lucy took the note, momentarily stunned, and replied, “Uh? Oh, okay, take care.”
It wasn’t until Tara and Nia followed the two beautiful girls out that Lucy gradually came back to her senses, feeling a wave of confusion wash over her.
She had rushed over to share her good news the moment she received it, without telling anyone else... How did Miss Xia Er know?
Thinking of this, Lucy couldn’t help but shiver.
Is this the organization I want to join...?
What a terrifying web of information...
But soon, Lucy calmed down, even feeling a hint of excitement.
The more powerful the organization, the more it proved the correctness of her choice, and she was on the verge of a promotion... Lucy felt better than ever today.
It was as if even tossing out two unlucky coins couldn’t dampen the vibrant fortune she felt!
However, when Lucy unfolded the note and read its contents, she was momentarily stunned.
“Handle... the corpse of the key bearer?”
At that moment, Xia Er, Tara, and Aivina had already boarded a prepared carriage, with Nia driving them away from the Ma Fei Er district, heading towards Belgrave.
The professor didn’t live in the expensive core area; Belgrave, as a newly developed community, had attracted many new wealthy residents, including several executives from the Deton estate.
Compared to the luxurious villas in other areas, the white stucco row houses here were more common, often built around garden squares, making it a preferred choice for the new elite class and real estate investors.
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