Chapter 539
“Is it dangerous?” Aivina asked from the side.
If there were any danger, Aivina would follow along. With her there, the Redemption Society would think twice before acting, especially now that Charles was in a position of power in Ansu.
“No danger,” Xiar shook his head. “I just have a few things to discuss with Ashford.”
“Alright...” Aivina nodded. “Are we leaving now?”
“Yeah.” Adele nodded repeatedly. “I came as soon as I got the message. We still have... 30 minutes until the appointment.”
“I’ll take you there,” Aivina said, looking at Xiar and Adele.
“What are you planning to do?” Xiar asked Aivina, expecting her to suggest joining them.
“Visiting a few people,” Aivina explained after a moment’s thought. “I’ll help you inquire about that route.”
“Okay.” Xiar took a deep breath, the silver light flickering before his eyes.
He wanted to see when the next simulation would be, to determine if it was necessary to run through things directly in the simulation.
“Next Day: 1h (Saint Year 741, July 25, 13:00) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)”
“Past Day: 3 Days (Saint Year 741, July 22, 13:00) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)”
One hour?
One hour... It didn’t seem worth simulating. Better to wait and see what the refreshed simulation would show in an hour.
An hour wouldn’t reveal much of the future, nor could it allow for any preparations. For Xiar, it was of little use.
Drinking the “Bitter Monk” and “Listener” potions only required one simulation. Even if he had gathered those two routes in advance, without that mysterious route, he still couldn’t unlock the past. There was little point in drinking those two potions just to simulate.
Let’s just go.
As for security, with Peirxi around, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
He also wanted to see if Ashford had made any progress in researching the antidote during this time... If there were results, Xiar would have an extra card to threaten that member of the Joy Society in North Ansu.
Though she said she wouldn’t go with them, Aivina still took Xiar and Adele in her carriage, dropping them off at the entrance of the Ansu Redemption Medical Academy.
This medical academy was quite far from the core of Ansu, located almost at the northern outskirts. The area was sparsely populated and tranquil, one of the few places in Ansu where greenery could be seen.
It appeared to be an ordinary medical academy, enrolling regular students and divided into several colleges. Only those with exceptional medical talent would be admitted into the inner circle of the Redemption Society, stepping into the realm of the arcane.
What set the Redemption Medical Academy apart from other colleges or universities was that it also accepted female students—after all, extraordinary talent knows no gender. Thus, it was common to see female students in white coats walking about.
After dropping off Xiar and Adele, Aivina left, leaving them standing at the academy entrance, while Tara and Peirxi hid in the shadows, blending into the darkness.
“Wow... Is this the new Redemption Medical Academy?” Adele exclaimed, gazing at the beautiful and grand school gate.
“You’ve never been here?” Xiar blinked at Adele, surprised.
Wasn’t she part of the Redemption Society before?
“I came for a short period of further study,” Adele nodded. “But after I graduated and went to Boren City, the academy was renovated, and I’ve never seen it since.”
Renovated right after graduation? That must have been quite a change.
At the entrance, it seemed someone had been waiting for Adele. As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, a young man, clearly older than Adele, approached them.
“Ms. Adele, this way please.” He slightly bowed his head to Adele and said, “The professor is waiting for you inside... and this is...”
“This is my good friend, here to see Professor Ashford as well,” Adele said, peeking around Xiar, her chin nearly resting on Xiar’s head.
“Just a moment, I’ll check with the professor... I’m very sorry.”
The young man, seemingly inexperienced in handling such situations, bowed slightly to Adele and Xiar before quickly turning to enter the academy.
At that moment, Xiar, shrouded in shadows, couldn’t help herself. She tiptoed and bumped her head against Adele’s chin.
“Ouch—” Adele stumbled back, biting her tongue, puffing her cheeks and waving her hand at her tongue as if that would ease the pain.
“What are you doing...?” Adele mumbled, her expression a mix of grievance and confusion.
She had no idea that her casual movement had caused Xiar, who was at a height disadvantage, some real discomfort.
“Sorry, that was an accident,” Xiar said somewhat dismissively.
“It’s fine~” Adele retracted her tongue, smiling at Xiar. “Everyone has their clumsy moments; no need to apologize.”
Adele seemed completely unfazed by the little incident, just grinning at Xiar, which made Xiar feel a bit guilty.
“Have you been studying with Xie Lun in Boren City all this time?” To shift the topic and ease her guilt over teasing Adele, Xiar asked, “I don’t think I’ve heard you talk about how you started studying medicine.”
“Yeah, let me think...” Adele seemed to ponder, as if she had forgotten how she embarked on this path. She crossed her arms and looked down, deep in thought for a while before looking up at Xiar. “When my sister was taken to the church, I wanted to be with her, so I worked really hard to study...”
“But during the assessments at the orphanage, those church people said I lacked faith... Later, a church physician recommended me to the church hospital in Boren City, where I met Xie Lun...”
Adele’s words drew her into memories. She began sharing amusing anecdotes from her medical studies, but after a few stories, she hit a wall.
She wanted to share something interesting, but her time as Xie Lun’s student had been mostly mundane.
Classes, memorizing, conducting experiments, writing papers, counting the days until her sister’s letters would arrive, and waiting for a longer break to visit Ansu and see her sister.
“Oh, oh! There was this one time when I was moving things to the storage room, and the other students forgot I was in there and locked the door from the outside. I ended up spending the night with a dozen skeletal specimens! After that, I wasn’t afraid of dissection anymore!”
At this point, Adele raised her chin, proudly declaring, “Pretty impressive, right~?”
Wasn’t that just being bullied?
“Come here.” Xiar looked up at Adele, beckoning her with a hand.
“What’s up?” Adele leaned down, bringing her face closer to Xiar, blinking curiously.
Xiar reached out and gently pinched Adele’s cheek, saying, “Silly.”
Adele was momentarily taken aback. The sensation of having her cheek pinched reminded her of her sister, Yulisi... who loved to pinch faces.
But soon, Adele snapped back to reality, puffing her cheeks in annoyance and looking at Xiar with a pout. “You’re bullying me again...”
Just as Adele was about to say something else, the young man from earlier reappeared, quickly walking up to Xiar and Adele. “Ms. Adele, and this young lady, please follow me.”
Xiar released her grip and followed the young man, while Adele covered her face, closely trailing behind Xiar.
This was Xiar’s first time in a place like this academy.
The architecture was beautiful and grand, even by Xiar’s standards, it didn’t seem outdated.
The students walking around, laughing in groups, the young man leading the way, and the lovely school... all of it gave Xiar a fleeting sense of nostalgia.
The life these students led was what Xiar had once envied and strived for... but after everything she had been through, that initial longing had nearly faded away.
If she stayed at this academy, it wouldn’t be long before it turned into ruins...
At least, her nemesis would have to stack up quite a few.
Xiar was well aware of this.
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