Chapter 571
Questions swirled in Xia'er’s mind, one after another, but the system showed no intention of providing answers. It seemed that everything depended on Xia'er herself to seek out the truth in the Old Days.
Xia'er took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
She had spent 24 hours in the simulation, and perhaps due to the lack of intense mental strain, only 9 minutes had passed in reality.
What was the flow of time like between the Old Days and reality?
Did she really have to step into the Old Days to explore it herself?
Knock, knock, knock—
The sound of knocking broke her thoughts, and Xia'er looked up toward the door.
“Come in.”
The door swung open, revealing the figure of Aivina, with Tara and Adele following closely behind. Tara seemed to be carrying a tray.
“Still awake? Adele has some herbal soup that’s good for your health...” Aivina glanced at Xia'er, noticing the cold sweat on her forehead. She stepped forward, took out her handkerchief, and gently wiped Xia'er’s brow. “What’s wrong?”
Aivina’s keen observation caught the slight tension in Xia'er’s demeanor, as if she were facing something unknown and terrifying.
“It's nothing...” Xia'er shook her head, licking her slightly dry lips as she reached for the cup Tara offered.
Inside the cup was a bubbling soup, with unsettling green bubbles and a faint glow, exuding Adele’s signature minty fragrance.
Xia'er brought the cup to her lips and took a small sip. The cool soup slid down her throat, making her breathing feel much easier.
She downed the slightly bitter concoction in one go and then scanned the faces of those around her.
At that moment, the dim red flame in her mind began to change color, igniting into a silver glow.
“Please respond to the altar within 10 minutes, or the next opportunity may be who knows when. ^^_”
Ten minutes?
Xia'er’s pupils constricted slightly.
So soon?
She wasn’t ready yet...
Xia'er had no idea what the Old Days truly entailed, but before stepping into them, she needed to arrange everything... Even if not for herself, she had to leave some contingency plans for those around her.
Gently, she pushed Aivina’s hand away and stood up, looking at Tara.
Just a glance was enough; Tara seemed to understand what Xia'er intended to do. She quickly pulled out a notebook and pen from the pocket of her apron and handed them to Xia'er, while also uncapping an ink bottle and holding it up in front of her.
Xia'er took the notebook and began to write rapidly.
“Be cautious of the Dedun Group. It’s best to keep a distance from Lucy during this time; do not contact her...”
“Keep a close eye on Keleisi Xuechou’s movements. If she shows any signs of approaching me, run...”
“Take Amy Hastings to Eleanor at the Goddess of Salvation Church. She will protect Amy. We can’t let Amy act alone, nor can we let her get too close to us, especially not to Keleisi Xuechou...”
“...”
Xia'er wrote quickly.
The arrangements for Amy were a choice Xia'er had to make reluctantly.
With the protection of a divine servant behind her, Amy should have been the least of their worries.
But this time, the enemy was none other than Sadana... the real Sadana, not the mistaken identity of the divine servant...
Now that the divine servant was sealed behind Amy, the Sadana from the other realm might not be able to reach it.
But if Keleisi Xuechou encountered Amy in reality, activating the divine servant behind her, Sadana would definitely try to use it for something.
So she had to ensure that Amy was in a safe place, not too far or too close to Xia'er and the others.
Once Xia'er finished writing, she handed the notebook to Aivina.
Aivina took the notebook and quickly scanned it, her pupils narrowing.
She suddenly looked up at Xia'er, her previously cold demeanor wavering slightly. “You... are you leaving?”
These notes clearly seemed to be arrangements for “afterwards.”
“No... I don’t know...” Xia'er shook her head, looking at Aivina, unable to hide the confusion in her eyes.
Writing those things had cost Xia'er a lot of time, and now, there were less than 30 seconds left before she had to respond to the altar.
Xia'er couldn’t ignore the system’s warning. This simulation of the Old Days clearly didn’t allow her to choose when to enter. Until she understood its operational logic, she had to seize this first opportunity.
God knows when the next summoning would be—what if it happened after Sadana descended? Then it would all be too late...
“I’ll go with you.” Aivina grasped Xia'er’s hands firmly, her voice resolute.
“No.” Xia'er instinctively replied.
The Old Days were a place Xia'er hadn’t even begun to comprehend. Even if Aivina could truly accompany her, Xia'er couldn’t let her take such a risk.
In the next moment, Aivina stepped forward and tightly embraced Xia'er.
Aivina held on with all her might, as if trying to use this almost childish method to keep Xia'er from leaving. Xia'er slowly raised her hands and returned the embrace.
“Wait for me...”
Xia'er spoke softly.
“No matter what happens over there... I will come back...”
Time was running out. Xia'er could only focus her mind on that silver flame in her head.
The silver flame expanded wildly in her mind, the ethereal fire piercing through her brain and skin. But upon touching reality, the illusory silver flame transformed into red and black.
The intense flames engulfed Xia'er completely. In just a fleeting moment, all that remained in the room were the stunned faces of those left behind, and Aivina, standing in a daze with her arms wrapped around empty air.
“Xia...er?”
Adele murmured, but her voice failed to break the suffocating silence in the room.
...
“I wield the minute hand as a dagger, tearing apart the veil of dawn and dusk...”
Bang—
The dilapidated door was smashed open, revealing the darkest sky outside.
“I use the sun and moon as fuel, burning down the ladder of causality...”
“Ahhh—!”
A girl’s scream echoed as a terrifying creature, clad in resplendent church garments and with pus-filled eyes, reached in through the doorway, grabbing a girl by her tattered clothing and dragging her away.
“The blood sacrifice for the Lord has come; how dare you hide here... I remember you’re called... What are you doing over there?”
“Time Binder... strip away my future, excise the cancer of yesterday...”
A small figure, curled up inside a broken wardrobe, covered in tattered clothes, clutched a strange silver rune in her arms, trembling as she continued to pray.
“Use my blood as an offering...”
“May the Holy One return...”
Bang—
A giant axe swung down, shattering the already broken wooden frame. The creature’s glowing eyes illuminated the girl’s disheveled hair as she looked up in despair, fear etched on her face as she gazed at the monster before her.
“You dare to pray to the Outer God...”
The creature’s massive claws reached toward the girl.
But at that moment, the silver rune in the girl’s hand erupted into a brilliant silver flame!
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PS:
166.5 (overdue) - 2 (extra) = 164.5 (overdue)
It’s not that I want to leave you hanging, sob sob. My SSD crashed halfway through writing, and it took me a long time to fix it. My computer broke down last night, and I almost couldn’t find anyone to ask for help. Thankfully, a friend from the reader group helped me out, but I just didn’t have enough time to write!
I could have written 10,000 words, really!
I’ll continue with 8K tomorrow!!!
Good night!
Chapter 294: The Silence of Darkness, “God of the Dead Star” (8238 words)
The searing flames felt as if they were burning Xia'er’s very soul, every fiber of her being was engulfed in excruciating pain.
She felt as if she were being “formatted,” reduced to shattered fragments, yet even in this state, she maintained a semblance of “calm contemplation.”
Perhaps losing consciousness would be the best choice at this moment; enduring the torture of these silver flames was undoubtedly a form of torment, yet Xia'er had to withstand it all.
The agony made her want to scream, and she indeed screamed, her soul emitting a silent, anguished wail that no one could hear.
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