Chapter 631
Xia'er had an abundance of time... so much that it felt almost infinite. Yet, she found herself at a loss, unsure how to make use of this near-infinite time.
Her avatars or offspring might struggle to distinguish between simulation and reality, unable to tell which was the true timeline. After their attempt to erase her using Li Qi had failed, they would likely retreat into hiding once more.
Now, they lurked in the shadows while Xia'er stood in the light; it was an uneven battle of information... Fortunately, they were powerless against her.
In the simulation, Xia'er could be directly erased because the Xia'er within it lacked the ability to use her save function. In reality, however, the number of saves Xia'er possessed equated to the number of lives she could live. They could not prevent her from returning to the past and restarting everything using the method she had just conceived.
Moreover, Xia'er sensed that their power had vulnerabilities... They could not completely erase certain pieces of information.
For instance, during her return from the past, they might have erased all traces of her former self as intended, but Xia'er's actions still caused some changes in the outcome, such as the transmission of information regarding the Tower Path and the Witch Path.
Xia'er needed to find any remnants of the Tower Path and the Witch Path... If she could locate them, it would prove that a third path, possibly concerning "existence" or "concealment," could also be discovered.
If she found it and obtained even a fragment of power or "uniqueness," Xia'er could trace back to the source in the past and find that "seed."
As long as Xia'er could grasp that "seed" and merge with it in advance, the future of her becoming a deity would be forever impossible. Once that future vanished, her very existence would be completely erased.
Xia'er seemed to have found a glimmer of insight; she slowly stood up.
She needed to consolidate all the power she could muster to work for her... Xia'er also needed to find Sadana to see if she could glean any information from her.
With a bit of direction in mind, Xia'er began to take action.
She set off with Tara and Perci directly to the Russell Marquisate, intending to find Aivina and confirm a few things.
At the entrance of the Russell Marquisate, despite it being early morning, a multitude of carriages were parked outside. It seemed that the Marquisate was welcoming quite a few visitors that day.
However, upon seeing Xia'er's carriage, the butler immediately abandoned his polite conversations with others and approached her directly, knowing who the true VIP was.
"Is Miss Aivina in?" Xia'er did not dismount; she opened the carriage door and inquired of the butler.
"Miss Aivina returned to her room after breakfast. Should I inform her of your arrival?" The butler slightly bowed, speaking respectfully to Xia'er.
It was clear that Charles had instructed him to show the utmost respect to Xia'er.
"No need. I'll go find her myself."
Xia'er stepped down from the carriage, and the butler sent a maid to guide her while he continued to attend to other guests.
Following the maid, Xia'er arrived at Aivina's door. After the maid left, Xia'er paused for a moment and gently knocked twice on the door.
Knock, knock—
"Come in..." Aivina's voice came from inside, slightly muffled.
Xia'er opened the door and walked in, while Tara, dressed in a maid's outfit, remained at the entrance.
Aivina, clad in a black-and-white dress, sat at her desk, holding a piece of stationery but not writing, seemingly lost in thought.
It wasn't until Xia'er approached her that Aivina seemed to realize the intruder was not her personal maid. She turned her head slightly, caught sight of Xia'er, then quickly returned to her previous position, casually scribbling a sentence in her notebook.
In the simulation, Xia'er had managed to comfort Aivina, but in reality, that was not the case... Moreover, Aivina's eyes appeared slightly puffy, as if she had cried before going to bed.
At this moment, Aivina had yet to recover from Xia'er's disappearance two days prior; for her, it had only just happened.
"I'm back," Xia'er said softly.
Aivina pressed her lips together, and the words she had been preparing to say crumbled at Xia'er's simple declaration. After a long pause, she finally replied, "Welcome back..."
Aivina stood up and tightly embraced Xia'er, using all her strength as if she wanted to squeeze the life out of her.
However, her strength was still too feeble for Xia'er; the act felt more like a playful pout than a genuine threat.
Aivina's face turned red as she held on, yet Xia'er did not utter a single cry of pain. Eventually, Aivina, exhausted, released her grip and stood there, slightly panting as if she had run out of energy.
Xia'er merely smiled and gently wrapped her arms around Aivina. At first, Aivina struggled a bit, but eventually, she slowly raised her hands to encircle Xia'er's slender waist.
Just like in the simulation, Aivina gradually realized that Xia'er now exuded an aura of the extraordinary.
Aivina pushed Xia'er away slightly, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "Did you drink a potion? Which path?"
"Sort of," Xia'er nodded and replied, "A new path."
A new path?
Aivina blinked in surprise and pressed further, "One of the three lost paths?"
"Yes," Xia'er confirmed. "It's the path that connects the past and the future, related to time."
"Time..." This concept seemed to stretch Aivina's understanding. She asked, "Is it... speeding up your own flow of time to accelerate things? Or...?"
It was clear that Aivina was trying hard to imagine what extraordinary abilities related to time might look like.
After a moment of thought, Xia'er gently held Aivina's face, making her look directly at her.
Since the one she needed to conceal herself from no longer required secrecy, Xia'er could now share some of her secrets with Aivina.
This was a necessary process to solidify their mutual trust.
Xia'er and Aivina locked eyes as she softly said, "Look at me..."
"This action I'm about to take will create countless outcomes."
"I could kiss you, you could push me away, or I could let go... At the moment I make this move, countless possibilities are born."
As she spoke, Xia'er tilted her head slightly and, on tiptoe, pressed her lips against Aivina's.
"Until I make this move, all possibilities will collapse into the result of 'I kissed you'... that is reality."
"But all the previous possibilities still exist; I call that the past. After I kiss you, even more possibilities emerge, which I call the future."
"And my ability is to traverse between these timelines derived from possibilities, witnessing how these possibilities continue... This is a power I had even before gaining the path."
Xia'er's explanation was straightforward and easy to understand, and Aivina quickly grasped the concept of "timelines," catching the essence of Xia'er's words.
"You can go to the past and the future?" Aivina asked, her expression tinged with confusion as she tilted her head slightly. "And see... me in different timelines?"
"Yes," Xia'er smiled and replied, "The time I've spent with you might be far more than you can imagine."
Soon, Aivina began to understand many things that had previously eluded her.
For instance, Xia'er's "organization," her "intelligence," and her almost unnaturally powerful calculating abilities and astonishing courage.
"The organization was fake?" Aivina blinked and asked.
"Sort of real," Xia'er shook her head... If we’re talking about the Witch Organization, it was indeed real; it was just that even Xia'er hadn’t found out where it was.
As if recalling something, a faint smile appeared on Xia'er's face as she teased, "I even saw you when you were seven... You looked so silly, very cute."
Aivina bit her lip, her cheeks flushing. In that moment, she felt as if all her secrets were laid bare before Xia'er, leaving her feeling a bit flustered.
"That's so unfair..." Aivina sighed softly.
"What's wrong?" Xia'er asked, looking at Aivina.
"Nothing," Aivina shook her head, remaining silent.
Xia'er could see her past selves, and the time she spent with Aivina might be multiplied by the time she had spent with her...
If Aivina could, she would also want to meet the young Xia'er, pinch her cheeks, and tease little Xia'er.
However, Xia'er's honesty also made Aivina realize the kind of pressure the previous Xia'er had been facing...
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