Chapter 581
Soon, she arrived at Westminster Square, where the Temple of the God of Order stood almost unchanged.
Xia'er walked straight across the square, heading directly toward the temple's entrance. At that moment, her gaze was vacant, almost forgetting her purpose, as she moved forward in a daze.
The lingering effects of past pollution were severe; even though the system was assisting in the restoration, it would take time to heal.
It was midday, and Ansu was enjoying one of its rare sunny days, yet everything before Xia'er flickered in and out of focus. Every shadow seemed to writhe with nameless monsters, hissing at her from the darkness.
“Miss, entry is prohibited ahead... Miss?”
“Step back! Go call the Knights of the Sanctuary...”
“If you don’t stop, we’ll open fire!”
The voices around her were drowned out by a chaotic murmur, and Xia'er didn’t hear anyone speaking to her. She continued walking toward the temple's interior.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a figure that made her stop in her tracks.
She turned her head, somewhat dazed, to look at the figure.
At that moment, her scattered thoughts began to coalesce, and the murmurs in her mind quieted a bit.
It was a little girl with bright purple eyes, her long hair parted down the middle and tucked behind her ears, cascading like a waterfall down to her knees. She wore a black dress with a high waist adorned with white lace, covered by a white linen apron embroidered with flowers to protect her expensive outfit.
The girl tilted her head slightly, curiously observing Xia'er, seemingly puzzled as to why this “strange person” was suddenly looking at her.
Instinctively, Xia'er took a few steps toward the little girl.
“Watch out! Miss Russell!”
A guard in silver armor lunged forward, but as soon as he met Xia'er’s gaze, he froze in place.
The echoes of the past were a terrifying resonance for the extraordinary.
Little Aivina looked up with wide eyes at the strange red-haired big sister before her, slightly raising her chin and asking, “Who are you...?”
Her voice was sweet and childlike, but Aivina’s tone still conveyed a hint of seriousness. The little girl’s expression was blank, even a bit dazed, lacking any of the pride she would later show.
However, when the slightly nearsighted Aivina finally saw Xia'er’s face clearly, she instinctively took a small step back, averting her gaze.
Xia'er’s fingers twitched; she longed to embrace Aivina, but she knew that for the seven-year-old girl, such a sudden gesture might be frightening.
Instead, she slowly raised her hand and gently ruffled Aivina’s hair, a simple act that brought a wave of calm to Xia'er’s spirit.
Suddenly, a searing gaze, almost lethal, fell upon Xia'er. She slowly looked up to see Charles Russell, his hair still dark at the temples.
Charles seemed to have come to the Temple of the God of Order for some business, but upon hearing the commotion outside, he realized a madman had taken his daughter hostage and rushed out, abandoning the meeting.
Earlier, during the meeting...
That powerful voice had screamed and turned to ash before everyone’s eyes, its body marked with the name “Xia'er,” and its dying words cursed someone named “Xia'er”...
Trouble was piling up, but now he needed to focus all his energy on rescuing his daughter; nothing was more important than that.
“I am Xia'er,” she said, crouching down to meet Aivina’s gaze, slowly smiling as she answered her question, “Someone you will come to know in the future...”
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PS:
Report! Private Feng Bao, hero! Schedule adjusted!
Tomorrow, 8K! Guitar Hero supervising!
Rise and shine! Good morning!
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Chapter 299: Xia'er’s Path (8052 words)
Xia'er...?
Standing at the entrance of the Temple of the God of Order, Charles felt his pupils constrict slightly upon hearing that name.
It was the name the powerful voice had called out just before it turned to ash during the meeting...
It was an extremely dangerous name, and now its owner was standing right next to his daughter, her hand resting on Aivina’s head... This made Charles feel a chill run down his spine, and his lips began to dry.
Most critically, the girl’s eyes looked utterly deranged, like a madwoman on the verge of losing her mind...
Did he have a way to snatch his daughter away from her in an instant... before she could react...?
“Go on, your father is here.”
Xia'er looked at the somewhat dazed Aivina, unable to suppress a smile. She pinched the little girl’s chubby cheek and gently patted her back, encouraging her to move toward Charles.
At just seven years old, Aivina hesitated for a moment upon hearing Xia'er’s words, then opened her arms and ran toward Charles, wrapping her arms around his leg and peeking out from behind him to steal a glance at Xia'er.
Charles slightly turned to shield Aivina behind him, watching Xia'er with a wary expression. The sudden shift from crisis to calm left him with a sense of confusion.
Why... did that girl named Xia'er seem so familiar with his daughter...? Charles was certain that Aivina had never interacted with the red-haired girl.
Now, with her mind somewhat steadied, Xia'er scanned her surroundings and noticed the Knights of the Sanctuary nearly encircling her, her expression one of resignation.
It seemed she had unintentionally stirred up some trouble... She disliked dealing with such messes, especially those arising from misunderstandings.
They must have mistaken her for a madwoman trying to abduct a little girl.
“Lord Charles, could you please ask them to disperse?” Xia'er looked up at Charles, who was not far away, and spoke.
Among these people, Charles was the only one she was somewhat familiar with.
Hearing Xia'er’s words, Charles hesitated for a moment.
Though he knew the girl before him was extremely dangerous... she hadn’t harmed Aivina and had acted quite familiar with both him and Aivina...
If the powerful voice’s demise was indeed caused by this girl, then it wouldn’t be difficult for her to kill him as well. Yet, she hadn’t shown any intention to harm him or Aivina, so after some hesitation, Charles slowly spoke.
“Step back, everyone.” Charles commanded the others.
The surrounding Knights of the Sanctuary recognized Charles, and some of them were from the Russell family, so they naturally obeyed his orders and dispersed the encirclement.
Xia'er walked toward the temple entrance, and as she passed by Charles, she casually asked, “Is Aregma inside?”
“The Pope is in the conference room... there’s been a little situation,” Charles replied, not revealing too much, merely making way for Xia'er.
“Alright, thank you.” Xia'er expressed her gratitude to Charles, slightly bowing her head and offering a faint smile to Aivina, who was hiding behind Charles’s leg.
Then, Xia'er walked straight into the Temple of the God of Order.
Once Xia'er entered the temple, Charles immediately turned and said, “Seraphine.”
“I’m here.” A woman whose lips were almost entirely covered by a metal mask stepped forward and asked, “What can I do for you?”
“Take Aivina back.” Charles lifted Aivina and handed her to Seraphine, who took the little girl in her arms and headed toward the carriage.
Little Aivina rested her chin on Seraphine’s shoulder, watching as her father grew farther away. She wanted him to stay with her a little longer but didn’t want to interrupt his work, so she chose to remain silent once again.
At that moment, Charles was unaware that his busyness would only drive him further away from his daughter. He turned and entered the Temple of the God of Order, quickly following the red-haired girl.
Now, Charles was the youngest head of the Russell family in history, and he was ambitious, sometimes a bit rash—he believed he could gain something from the death of the powerful voice, but now rushing after her seemed a bit too eager.
Xia'er seemed to notice that Charles was following her, but she didn’t stop him. Instead, she slowed her pace, allowing him to catch up.
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