Chapter 540
After passing through several ordinary colleges, walking through a tranquil garden and a few checkpoints, the vibrant atmosphere of campus life faded away, replaced by a serene ambiance surrounding the buildings ahead.
The lush trees served as the best protection for this hidden academy, effectively blocking the gaze of most ordinary people.
In the central garden, there were no students in sight. Occasionally, figures in long coats and black raven masks hurried past. The young man leading the way would stop now and then to greet those masked individuals.
Xia'er and Adele were brought to the innermost building, reaching a room on the third floor, where they paused at the door.
The young man raised his hand and knocked at a steady rhythm. After ten seconds, he opened the wooden door and stepped aside, turning to Xia'er and Adele, saying, "Please, go in. Professor Ashford is waiting for you inside."
It looked like a study...
Xia'er lingered at the door for a moment, glancing around until she felt Adele's hands resting on her shoulders. It seemed that if Xia'er didn’t enter, Adele wouldn’t dare to go in alone.
Xia'er stepped through the door, with Adele following closely behind. As they entered, the door slowly closed behind them.
After surveying the room, Xia'er walked around a bookshelf and looked toward the center, where she spotted an experimental area hidden behind the shelves. Various precise instruments and jars were scattered across several tables. Among the bottles, Xia'er noticed a few charred violet petals.
It seemed these were remnants of the explosion.
Their arrival seemed to catch the attention of a young man shaking a reagent. Xia'er locked eyes with him.
This is...
Xia'er observed the young man in his twenties, his head full of white hair, slightly balding, which contrasted sharply with his youthful face.
"Xia'er, Adele," Xia'er pointed to the young man behind her and introduced, "we're here to see Professor Ashford."
"I am Ashford," the young man said with a faint smile, his gaze drifting past Xia'er to Adele. "Long time no see, Adele."
"Ashford... Professor?" Adele looked at the young man, her tone laced with confusion.
This is Ashford?
In Xia'er's memory, Professor Ashford had a distinctive appearance; aside from looking quite old, his head was slightly enlarged, with a noticeable bulge at the back.
But the young man before her looked like an ordinary young man, lacking even the aura of a third-tier "Newborn."
"Surprised, are you?" Ashford chuckled, touching his cheek. "Rejuvenation... it's one of the perks of becoming a 'Newborn.'"
"Rejuvenation?" Xia'er asked, "Is this a 'Newborn' ability?"
"Hahaha, that's just a slightly amusing way to put it," Ashford laughed, explaining, "The correct term is that I've used a 'spare body' stored within me, swapping out the shell I've nurtured inside."
A shell nurtured within...
Xia'er recalled Lafayette, who had a second life. She began to grasp the abilities of the "Newborns."
Creating one's own second life... No wonder every Newborn she encountered had such peculiar forms, with many parts exhibiting unusual swellings—especially Lafayette, who stood two meters tall, even hunched over, resembling a giant.
So, if Adele were to ascend to become a "Newborn," would she have to nurture her second life in the same way?
After her second resurrection, would Adele's age also decrease?
Currently, Adele was only a year older than Xia'er and Aveline. Given Ashford's current state, would she be regressed to infancy?
"What an astonishing ability..." Xia'er asked curiously, "Does this ability activate automatically after a severe injury?"
"No," Ashford shook his head.
He seemed unconcerned about the secrets of the "Newborns," appearing quite willing to explain—more for Adele's benefit than for Xia'er.
"At the moment of ascending to become a Newborn, depending on the degree of potion digestion, 'Newborns' undergo several rounds of 'metamorphosis'... This is a transformation process from being corroded by the potion back to a normal human, which is quite different from other potion digestions."
"The flesh shed during this process re-enters the body's circulation, being metabolized again. Some individuals intentionally retain a portion of their flesh to nourish within, which can be used to repair the body when severely injured."
At this point, Ashford paused briefly before continuing, "So far, the papers and literature on 'Newborns' indicate that they generally undergo 3 to 5 rounds of metamorphosis. I'm not entirely sure what the subsequent transformations will yield."
"However, it is known that there will definitely be benefits; the more metamorphoses, the closer one gets to the original human form, achieving 'rebirth.'"
"I seem to have digressed..."
Noticing Adele's contemplative expression, Ashford smiled and turned his gaze back to Xia'er, saying, "Strong音 is dead. I want to restart the research on the 'Rotting Plague' with Adele."
He seemed to understand that discussing such matters with Adele alone would be futile, and that only by engaging the red-haired girl with the unsettling gaze before him could he hope to involve Adele in the research.
"Before I answer that question, I have one for you," Xia'er looked at Ashford, smiling as she asked, "Who are you?"
In the simulation, when Adele brought Xia'er’s message to find Ashford, Adele had returned to tell Xia'er some things.
She had seen Ashford blown apart, and brought back the information that Ashford agreed to the trade. To survive, Ashford had to attempt to ascend to a fourth-tier "Reviver"... those were his exact words.
"I am Ashford," Ashford replied, a hint of confusion on his face. "Ask any professor here, and they will recognize me."
"Let me rephrase my question," Xia'er said calmly, looking directly at Ashford. "Are there any fourth-tier 'Revivers' in the Redemption Society?"
Ashford fell silent.
"The ability of the 'Newborn' has 'healed' your body... but that's only temporary, right?"
In the simulation, I saw you on the brink of death.
You can't fool me, Ashford.
In Xia'er's eyes, a silver dial began to emerge. Should Ashford dare to make any sudden moves, the [Limit Breaker] would activate immediately.
The shadow beneath Xia'er writhed, the shadows of Tara and Percy boiling within, ready to spring into action.
.
.
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PS:
Since I used the Limit Breaker leave request, today’s update doesn’t count as an extra.
We’ll continue tomorrow! Daily goal!
I can feel it! My writing power is returning!
Good night!
Chapter 280: Joining the Redemption Society (4134 words)
The shadow beneath Xia'er writhed, as if glowing with a white halo, with Percy and Tara's shadows stirring restlessly within.
The atmosphere instantly became tense, and even Adele seemed to sense something was off, stealthily reaching into her pocket to grip a scalpel.
Though she didn’t understand why the mood had turned so serious... after all, Professor Ashford was just answering questions, and Xia'er had only asked two more.
"Calm down, Miss Xia'er," Ashford raised his hand, pointing to a nearby sofa. "We can have a proper chat. I’ll do my best to answer all your questions."
Although Ashford had previously acted quite nobly, taking on all the attention for Adele, and he was eager to take Adele on as a student, seemingly to atone for the sins of his student, Sheren.
Logically, Xia'er should trust Ashford more.
But after the last simulation, Xia'er couldn’t help but be cautious about the idea of "taking on students."
Especially regarding the paths of "Healer" and "Poison Maker."
I don’t know if other paths can achieve this, but the "Poison Maker" path’s transcendent in Bei'anshu could clearly refine higher-tier potions from the flesh of equally-tiered transcendent beings. Regardless of success, at least that method existed.
"Tara."
Xia'er slowly began to speak.
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