Chapter 521
After a while, a knock echoed at the door. With Xia'er’s nod of approval, the door swung open, revealing Tara’s silhouette in the doorway.
“Lord Xia'er, you called for me?” In the dimly lit room, Tara knelt partially before Xia'er, looking up at him with a soft inquiry.
Xia'er turned to see Tara in that moment.
She had changed into a light, sheer nightgown at some point, and the flickering firelight revealed glimpses of her form through the delicate fabric. Her dark green eyes shimmered, quietly gazing at Xia'er.
“Did I ask you to keep something for me a while back?” Xia'er asked, studying Tara. “Like... a potion? A notebook? Or something specific?”
“Potion?” Tara’s voice was gentle, lacking her usual formality, sounding almost like a delicate little girl. “Yes, Lord Xia'er, Teacher Imogen left you a potion.”
“Ah, so it was Teacher Imogen?” Hearing that name, Xia'er felt a slight relief. “Can you ask her to bring it over?”
“But right now... Lord Xia'er, you should rest.” Tara’s voice turned worried, even tinged with a hint of grievance. “You’ve been working for over twenty hours straight; you can’t keep this up.”
Rising from her half-kneeling position beside Xia'er, Tara wrapped her arms around his, and he could distinctly feel her warmth through the thin fabric.
“You’re too anxious; you really should take a break.” Tara’s voice began to take on an ethereal quality in Xia'er’s ears.
Meanwhile, Xia'er felt a presence beside him; Aivina had appeared, also clad in a sheer, translucent garment, wrapping her arms around Xia'er’s right arm.
“Just rest...”
A heavier wave of drowsiness washed over Xia'er, accompanied by a numbing sensation throughout his body.
It felt like...
The clarity of a previous fainting spell.
A bone-chilling cold swept through Xia'er’s mind again. Summoning nearly all her strength, she pushed away their arms, swaying as she stood and walked toward the door.
“No... not yet... I can’t rest now...” Xia'er hurried to the door and flung it open.
A figure blocked her view entirely.
It was a woman clad in a magnificent black and gold robe, wearing a large black hat adorned with flowing black silk, embroidered with delicate, mesmerizing patterns that resembled mental pathways.
“Teacher Imogen Soma.” The moment Xia'er saw her, she instinctively took a half-step back, lowering her head slightly.
She spoke the name with an ease that suggested a long-standing familiarity.
“Still refusing to rest? You’re always so disobedient.” A muffled voice emerged from beneath the lace veil. With a simple snap of her fingers, the pink candles in the room flared to life, illuminating the entire space.
“I just feel... there are still things left undone.” Xia'er kept her head bowed respectfully.
“You do have unfinished business.” Imogen’s voice carried a hint of irritation as she slowly reached out, her gloved hand grasping Xia'er’s wrist, questioning, “What happened to the potion you drank? Where’s the magical reaction in your body?”
“Potion?” Xia'er’s face showed a flicker of confusion as she looked up at the woman shrouded in the veil. “What potion?”
“The ‘Toxician’ potion—does that ring a bell?” Imogen scrutinized Xia'er’s arm, directly asking, “How did you manage this? There’s absolutely no magical reaction... how is that possible?”
“‘Toxician’... um...” A few fragments flashed through Xia'er’s mind. She nodded gently and replied, “I remember, the ‘Toxician’ potion... I drank it... I’ve digested the ‘Plague Bearer’ and ‘Cholera Source’ as well...”
Imogen’s brow furrowed slightly beneath her veil.
She was rambling again...
This girl named Xia'er had an exceedingly strange mind.
Many of Xia'er’s memories were shrouded in a void; she could only grasp trivialities and daily occurrences, while key scenes were blurred, the sounds morphing into sharp, incoherent murmurs.
Moreover, the effects on her mind appeared intermittent... It was important to note that she was just an ordinary girl... there was definitely something extraordinary about her.
Imogen wanted to unravel this mystery, but first, she needed to ensure complete control over the girl.
“Come, let me take you for some treatment.” Imogen spoke slowly, then turned to leave, with Xia'er following closely behind.
She could never let go of Xia'er, even if there were potential troubles lurking within her... For them, no matter how big the trouble, it was hardly a concern.
In this world, there were few constraints on their existence.
And Xia'er possessed qualities they desperately needed.
She was an extraordinary talent, far surpassing anyone or anything Imogen had ever encountered.
This girl named Xia'er had a terrifying gift in the path of the “Toxician.” Even without completing any replication rituals, she could perfectly digest the “Toxician” potions.
In her exploration of Xia'er’s memories, Imogen saw horrific scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, witnessed the devastation under the tolling bells of Ansu... and all of it had never actually happened.
There was no better explanation than “uniqueness.”
Imogen led Xia'er through the corridor to a room at the far end, reaching out to open the door.
“Mond, the potion.” Imogen addressed the extraordinary being seated within.
“Yes, Lady Imogen.” Mond quickly pulled a vial from his pocket and handed it to the woman before him, saying, “This is what the teacher left for me.”
“Good.” Imogen accepted the vial, pausing for a moment to look at Mond before continuing, “Well done; your teacher will be proud of you.”
“Yes!” Mond bowed his head, responding respectfully.
“Continue with the replication ritual to stabilize the potion in your body,” Imogen instructed Mond. “Once we return to the Revelry, I’ll help you apply for the next level of replication ritual and potion.”
“Thank you, Lady Imogen!” Mond’s voice was tinged with excitement; she hadn’t expected to receive something that might have taken her another decade to earn so easily.
What she didn’t know was that these were merely Imogen’s casual lies.
When they discovered Xia'er through Mond’s poorly erased memories, Mond had already lost any value to them.
If it weren’t for the decree executed by that ordinary man named William, which could easily usurp the credit for the famine orchestrated by that lady, Imogen wouldn’t have been sent to Ansu to resolve this issue, nor would she have encountered Mond and learned of this girl named Xia'er.
Everything felt as if it were destined.
Now, however, the one executing the decree had shifted from that ordinary man named William to Xia'er, paving the way for her rise. Many heads would roll in her name.
What might have taken years to cultivate Mond could now be shortened to mere months with Xia'er’s presence.
“Drink it; it will be good for you.” Imogen turned, holding out the vial toward the girl behind her. “Xia'er?”
Imogen’s brow furrowed again.
In her view, the girl who had seemed somewhat dazed now stared ahead, but her gaze was not fixed on Imogen.
It was as if something invisible to Imogen lay before the girl.
This had happened before, and it filled Imogen with a sense of foreboding.
At that moment, Xia'er was directly observing the system repository, looking at the thumbnail of the “Endless Manual of Memorization” within, reading the text displayed.
“Find... Ashford... erase memories...”
“Digest the ‘Blood Painter’ and ‘Performer’ potions...”
“See the changes after William repeals the ‘Grain Act’...”
“Pay attention... to news from Northern Ansu...”
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