Chapter 661
The courtroom was quite impressive, situated between the faith of the Holy Ascendancy and the benevolence of the Goddess of Salvation. However, due to the influence of the potion, their actions tended to be a bit extreme.
As Shaer pondered this, she reached out and placed her hand on Tara's shoulder, saying, "It's okay, Tara."
"Don't block the way."
A hoarse voice emerged from beneath a mask; it was Eleanor. She reached into her robe and pulled out a stack of relief vouchers. After a quick glance, she spotted a believer praying with the gestures of the Goddess.
She raised her hand, beckoning the believer over, and handed her the stack of vouchers, saying, "These are... relief vouchers. You can take them to the relief center on the south bank for some food. Everyone gets a share... Go on."
The female believer knelt before Eleanor in gratitude, showering her with praises before retreating to the side, while others pressed forward, eager to obtain a voucher.
Eleanor seemed quite accustomed to this kind of situation, having prepared in advance for their visit to the south bank.
Distributing relief vouchers was the best approach; it not only genuinely helped those who were hungry but also avoided the chaos and crime that could arise from handing out cash directly.
They navigated around the crowd and continued deeper inside, but after circling a few times in the area, Eleanor, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped.
Looking at the paper in her hand and then at the sign nearby, she appeared lost in thought.
What the Goddess provided must be right... The mistake must be mine... Where did it all go wrong?
"What's wrong, Eleanor?" Shaer noticed they had been wandering in circles and asked her.
"I'm sorry, Lady... Shaer. I think I might be lost," Eleanor turned around, her head bowed in shame.
"What did you find? Just say it." Shaer, experienced in dealing with Tara, sensed they had discovered something but were hesitant to speak.
"I... I reached the street indicated on the address, but this is a shantytown, not a factory..." Eleanor hesitated for a moment before revealing the truth.
The address matched the one on the business card... but where's the factory?
If this address truly came from the future... then there was only one possibility.
They had indeed found the right place; they hadn’t taken a wrong turn.
But that factory was something that would only be built in the future. In the current time where Shaer was, these shanties had yet to be demolished.
So... why did that person named Huo Leixiao give me this address from the future?
Shaer carefully recalled the name and the appearance of Huo Leixiao. His image remained clear in her mind; she could remember every gesture he made.
He looked like an ordinary factory owner, promoting his products, without any signs of extraordinary power...
Why?
Was he the one manipulating time?
Or just a normal person with a twisted mind?
A buzz
A gaze fell upon Shaer, prompting her to look up slightly.
At the street corner, a boy peeked out, locking eyes with her. The moment their gazes met, his cheeks flushed crimson, and he bolted away.
Hmm?
Shaer had been lost in thought about the factory owner, and when she saw the boy's face, she felt a moment of disorientation.
"Bring him over," Shaer pointed in the boy's direction.
She wouldn’t let any potential lead slip away.
Eleanor and Perci remained still, but in the distance, two shadowy figures had completely blocked the alley. The boy, moving stiffly, took hesitant steps toward Shaer and the others.
When he was about three meters away, he finally stopped, head bowed, his heart filled with confusion and fear, as if he didn’t even know why he had come over.
The boy's features began to overlap with those of the factory owner in Shaer's mind. She looked at him and slowly asked, "What’s your name?"
"Um... um... I’m Huo Leixiao..." the boy swallowed hard, speaking in a trembling voice.
Huo Leixiao...
"And your surname?" Shaer pressed, her brow furrowing.
"I... I don’t have a surname, ma’am... I’m an orphan..." Huo Leixiao lowered his head even further.
Did he only acquire the surname 'Marin' later on?
Is he the factory owner from 29 years in the future?
So, Huo Leixiao isn’t a time traveler manipulating time, nor is he a normal person with a twisted mind sent to deliver a message?
This feels more like... a meticulously designed temporal distortion? Or is someone trying to use this method to remind me of something?
But aside from myself, who else could possess such power to interfere with time and space?
Is it that ascendant cultivated by Lei Mei De Si?
No... the timelines don’t match.
The future Huo Leixiao was someone I encountered before entering the Old Days, but that ascendant was only cultivated after the first simulation of the Old Days by Lei Mei De Si.
In other words, when I met the future Huo Leixiao, that ascendant didn’t even exist...
Shaer’s investigation seemed to have hit a dead end. The Huo Leixiao before her appeared to be just an ordinary boy, with nothing particularly special about him.
And this area had no factories, nothing remarkable at all.
If we rule out the ascendant from the Witch Academy... then there’s only one possibility left.
"Uniqueness."
And specifically, the "uniqueness" of the pocket watch.
Only the "uniqueness" of the pocket watch could potentially create such temporal chaos...
But if it’s a component of the pocket watch, then another problem arises.
I can’t sense the existence of this "uniqueness," which means that right now, that "uniqueness" must be within some living alchemical being.
With the existence of the Great Cataclysm and the Otherworld, it’s impossible for an ascendant fused with "uniqueness" to exist in reality, let alone one on the path of the "Time Binder."
Aside from the feather quill, has Hecate created any other alchemical beings possessing the "uniqueness" of the pocket watch?
Where did Hecate’s "uniqueness" for the pocket watches come from?
Shaer knew very little about this foundational figure of flesh and alchemy. She rarely participated in discussions between herself and Lei Mei De Si, and due to the "Exceeding Gear" being fused with her, Hecate was completely unaware of the "uniqueness" of the pocket watch.
What surprised Shaer was that the fusion of "uniqueness" had also hindered her from obtaining certain information.
Having gained no useful information from Huo Leixiao, Shaer decided to let him go.
However, after leaving, she instructed Eleanor to arrange for a believer to follow Huo Leixiao, to see if they could gather any other useful information.
On the way back, Shaer realized a problem.
Her aimless investigation was proving to be too slow...
To address this issue, a plan began to take shape in her mind... Now she needed to return and verify the feasibility of this method.
Shaer instructed Eleanor and Perci to continue with their tasks while she took Tara back to her home.
Once home, Shaer changed out of her muddy boots and slipped into soft slippers as she entered her study.
Sitting on the sofa, she opened the system panel.
Previously, when she acquired the "Kiss of Time Erosion," the system had unlocked a new feature.
But due to having too few destiny points and a lack of applicable scenarios, Shaer had never used this ability.
That was the "Anchor Point."
By spending 100 destiny points, Shaer could establish an anchor point A in reality, and by expending mental energy, she could return to that time.
Furthermore, by spending another 100 destiny points, she could leave a second anchor point B in the next simulation, which she could also access at any time by consuming mental energy...
As long as she spent 200 destiny points to establish two anchor points in reality and simulation, Shaer could traverse between the two.
Now, all Shaer needed to understand was one thing.
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