Chapter 638
As she recalled how she had once guided the notorious pirate, Bu La Ge, onto the path of the "Pious Monk," even elevating him to the status of a bishop, it became clear that it was not easy to guess that E Luo Yi Si was someone who had lived by the sea.
Why... would the necklace of Sa Da Na, the most significant link to reality for Sa Da Na, appear on this person?
Was it a chance acquisition? Or had Sa Da Na led her to find it?
Could it be that she was the one with the deepest faith in Sa Da Na?
In the letters left behind by her simulated self, she had informed Xia Er that although she had obtained Sa Da Na's necklace, she had not found a way to connect with Sa Da Na...
In the simulation, Xia Er had tried various methods to summon Sa Da Na, including using blood, directly calling out in "spirit language," and even employing a "Gambler" save file marked with Sa Da Na's insignia.
But Sa Da Na remained unresponsive, as if in a deep slumber.
As Xia Er pondered this, she entered the private prayer room alongside Ta La.
After finding a sofa to sit on, she looked up and met E Luo Yi Si's deep brown eyes, filled with longing.
As a high bishop, E Luo Yi Si naturally recognized Xia Er's identity.
In that moment of eye contact, E Luo Yi Si quickly lowered her head, eager to seek Xia Er's forgiveness for her "blasphemy." However, Xia Er smiled and spoke before E Luo Yi Si could utter a word.
"Do you remember how you came to possess this necklace?" Xia Er gently inquired, pulling out the Sa Da Na necklace left by her simulated self.
E Luo Yi Si's train of thought was interrupted. After a brief pause, she lowered her head and spoke in a somewhat rough voice, "This was obtained by my servant ten years ago during a voyage from a ghost ship..."
A ghost ship?
Noticing the inappropriateness of her wording, E Luo Yi Si quickly added, "I mean, it was an abandoned ship, my lady."
An abandoned ship... where Sa Da Na's necklace was found?
"Please, tell me more," Xia Er urged, nodding slightly. "What was that ship like?"
E Luo Yi Si nodded, recalling the memory before she began, "Rather than a ship, it was more like a massive floating wreckage."
"During that voyage, shortly after we set sail from Buli Si Port, a storm caused us to deviate from our original course. After days of relentless storms, we lost our way..."
"All the navigational clocks and compasses failed. It felt as if we had entered a void—no wind, no waves, no stars, no moon, no sun..."
As she recounted the latter part, E Luo Yi Si's voice trembled slightly, as if she were reliving the terror of that time.
This situation seemed to be the most dreadful nightmare for sailors like them, drifting hopelessly on the endless sea, waiting for death.
"In such circumstances, we couldn't recalibrate our latitude and could only estimate our drift based on the last reliable coordinates. I was the ship's priest at the time, and all I could do was pray to you every day..."
"But the stars and celestial bodies showed no signs of recovery. Without the navigational clocks, we couldn't even distinguish day from night, relying solely on the dwindling fresh water and food to make our estimations."
"Just when our food and water were nearly exhausted, my prayers... finally received a response. Something was calling to me... I was certain it was the call of the Mother Goddess..."
"I told the captain about this discovery, but he insisted it was just my hallucination, the seduction of the deep-sea sirens, and refused to change course... So, I bound him and had the first mate change our course towards the direction of the call."
At this point, E Luo Yi Si paused slightly before continuing, "Not long after changing course, I encountered that massive wreckage. It seemed to have surfaced from the depths of the sea, its surface covered in barnacles and various marine life."
"I boarded the ship and found this necklace... along with food and fresh water."
Food and fresh water?
A wreckage that surfaced from the sea... containing fresh water and food?
E Luo Yi Si's experience was bizarre and extraordinary, but Xia Er narrowed her eyes, beginning to contemplate a possibility.
The world of the Old Days was different from now; the continental plates had not yet split so much. If what E Luo Yi Si encountered was real, it was highly likely to be a remnant from the Old Days.
A remnant capable of causing weather anomalies could very well be a "Uniqueness" fragment.
Deep in the ocean, perhaps lay the relics of the Old Days.
"Did you find anything else on that wreck? Or did you bring back any fragments?" Xia Er asked, looking intently at E Luo Yi Si. "Do you remember the latitude and longitude before the storm hit?"
Xia Er wanted to verify her thoughts through tangible evidence.
E Luo Yi Si took a deep breath and replied, "I... I thought it was a divine miracle, so I intended to stay on that wreck and cleanse it of its impurities."
"But when I removed some of the outer shells, which were like barnacles, I saw blood seeping out and dark red flesh..."
"At that moment, my mental strength and will were insufficient. The whispers in my mind nearly drove me mad. I could only escape back to the ship while I still had some semblance of reason, and then I fainted."
"I heard from the sailors that when I returned to the ship, all the crew had fainted... When everyone woke up again, it was a clear day, and we saw Buli Si Port not far away, saved."
Had they been sent away?
Xia Er could almost confirm that it was "Uniqueness," or perhaps even something alive lurking in the depths of the sea.
The touch of fate's betrayal!
Suddenly, Xia Er thought of the feather quill, which had also been embedded with "Uniqueness," tainted by it, gaining not only enhanced abilities but also a complete mental transformation.
Could it be that it was an alchemical life form embedded with "Uniqueness"?
The necklace of Sa Da Na still remained... This could very well be... the handiwork of He Ka Te?
Had her creation once again evaded the cleansing of the great catastrophe?
If it truly was He Ka Te, could she have left behind more information?
After leaving E Luo Yi Si's room, Xia Er continued to ponder this question.
E Luo Yi Si had provided the coordinates from that time, but since they had drifted for several days in heavy rain, the location was certainly inaccurate. Attempting to sail back would likely not lead to that wreck.
Xia Er looked down at the necklace in her hand, the scarlet blood diamond reflecting her face.
Her simulated self had been unable to contact Sa Da Na, and even blood had no effect... Was it because Sa Da Na was asleep?
Or was it because the blood of her simulated self was ineffective?
Regardless, Xia Er had to try... In this simulation, aside from attempting to harvest a batch of destined points, there was another crucial task: to seek out Sa Da Na.
Xia Er stepped out of the monastery, the rain pouring down harder, but she seemed unfazed, walking straight ahead, while Ta La hurriedly grabbed a black umbrella to shield her from some of the rain.
At that moment, Xia Er was mentally responding to Xiao Zuo's prayers, instructing Xiao Zuo to pass the necklace to the Pure White Armor or Lei Mei Dai Si, as she intended to ask these two ascendants residing in the Otherworld about Sa Da Na's whereabouts.
However, soon after, standing at the edge of the cliff, Xia Er halted.
Lei Mei Dai Si's thoughts were still in chaos; she seemed unable to grasp the significance of the name Sa Da Na, just as she had struggled to recognize Sa Da Na during her time as a Dark Worm.
Meanwhile, the Pure White Armor, who maintained a relatively clear memory throughout, provided Xia Er with information that left her feeling strangely unsettled.
Before you last contacted us, Sa Da Na, who had originally found the boundary of the ancient castle, had suddenly disappeared and has not appeared since.
Time in the Otherworld was unaffected by the simulation. According to the original timeline of destined death, Sa Da Na must have already found the ancient castle by now, perhaps even breached it and emerged from the Otherworld node.
Yet the Pure White Armor claimed that the once-crazed Sa Da Na, who had found the castle's location, had suddenly vanished?
If Xia Er did something in the Old Days, the Otherworld would instantly sense the change. Just like with Lei Mei Dai Si, when she did something in the Otherworld, the Lei Mei Dai Si there would immediately change states.
Had Xia Er's actions in the Old Days altered Sa Da Na's state?
And... it wasn't a change in form, but a complete disappearance?
What was going on? The necklace of Sa Da Na was still here...
Boom—
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