Chapter 710
Xia'er had no idea what "wei du zhuang" (latitude stakes) had already been established, or what had become an unchangeable fact. But there was only one way for her to find out whether the "wei du zhuang" had been destroyed and whether the future had been altered.
That was to trigger a cataclysm that would bring everything to a head.
As long as Xia'er could prevent or control the cataclysm, making it either not happen or change its form... that would prove that she had indeed destroyed the "wei du zhuang."
Xia'er's vision refocused, and she looked at Tara, who was quietly closing the door and stepping back into the study. She then shifted her gaze to the window beside her.
If before, the more she realized everything that the "God of Existence" had done, the more helpless she felt about how to resolve it, now Xia'er had caught a glimmer of hope to break this "curse."
To put it plainly, the path ahead of her was becoming clearer.
Now, Xia'er held several trump cards in her hand that could force her minions out of hiding.
Forcibly probing Eric's memories, leaking Salas's aura, awakening Sadana... each of these actions was enough to compel the hidden minions to surface and reveal their true forms.
In this situation, Xia'er found herself in no rush to flush them out.
Because she still needed to wait for two very important things.
The call of the Old Ones' altar and Salas's awakening.
Both could bring Xia'er a significant boost in her own power.
She had too many things she wanted to verify in the Old Days, and if possible, next time, she wanted to exist there for a longer period.
One reason was to leave a more intricate arrangement, and the other was to maximize her own strength.
Compared to the Old Days, the extraordinary powers of the current Holy Era were simply on a different level; not even a single ascendant embodying "uniqueness" had appeared.
There was no way around it.
Both the minions and Xia'er had effectively sealed off all channels for ascension.
"Tara." Xia'er turned to Tara and spoke.
"Lady Xia'er." Tara quickly approached Xia'er, lowering her head to ask, "What can your servant do for you?"
In the past few days, the Mother Goddess had stirred up quite a commotion in Ansu, and many fourth-tier beings had realized that this was Xia'er's doing, but they couldn't figure out what Xia'er was actually trying to accomplish.
Having been involved in the entire process, Tara knew exactly what had happened.
So, when she heard Xia'er call her name, Tara was fully alert. No matter how difficult the task Xia'er assigned her might be, Tara would find a way to accomplish it.
Tara had a vague premonition... a storm was brewing in the shadows, and Lady Xia'er was surely at the eye of the storm...
"I made breakfast today and saved a portion for you," Xia'er said with a smile, looking at Tara. "Why don't you go freshen up and have some breakfast?"
Tara, who was waiting for a top-secret mission, was momentarily taken aback by Xia'er's words.
Did I hear that right? Did she just tell me to eat breakfast?
What about the mission? What about the brewing storm?
The discrepancy between what she heard and what she had been expecting made Tara question whether she had been sidelined.
"What's wrong? Not hungry?" Xia'er asked, noticing Tara's hesitation.
"Ah, no...," Tara stammered, then nodded and said, "Your servant will go right away..."
Despite the many questions swirling in her mind, Tara still took Xia'er's words as a royal decree and set off to follow them...
After all, it was breakfast made by Lady Xia'er herself... and she had specifically saved a portion for me...
Lady Xia'er made me breakfast with her own hands.
Tara's doubts were soon overshadowed by a late-arriving joy. After bidding farewell to Xia'er, she left the study.
Once Tara was gone, Xia'er turned her attention back to the tasks at hand.
Since the past simulations needed to be preserved to check whether the destined death had been preempted, and Salas couldn't be awakened anytime soon, and the Old Ones' altar was uncertain about when it would open... Xia'er could finally complete all the things she hadn't had time to do before.
For instance, helping those around her to elevate their tiers and stopping the Dragon Eagles from slaughtering in Beiansu.
Beiansu was the stronghold of the Savior Goddess Vatican. Revitalizing Beiansu could significantly boost the prestige of the Savior Goddess Church, which was currently undergoing a merger of sects, potentially making it the national religion of Ansu.
A stronger Savior Goddess Church would be more beneficial for Xia'er’s plans.
Moreover, the more faith the Savior Goddess Church absorbed, the less faith would be available for the "God of Existence"...
She wanted to see if, by having the Savior Goddess Church absorb all the faith, it would provoke some actions from the minions.
If it worked, Xia'er would have another trump card.
In the previous simulations, Xia'er had never considered further developing the Savior Goddess Church; instead, she had been using it to help herself harvest destined points...
Such actions would certainly lead to a loss of faith, not to mention expanding the base of faith to influence the birth of the God of Existence.
The matter of the Dragon Eagles could be prioritized... right now, the Dragon Eagles bore her "kryptonite" mark, and with her current ability to control time, they couldn't resist her.
As for the location of the Dragon Eagles, Imogen would naturally inform her.
Next, she needed to consider who to help elevate their strength first.
Among those close to Xia'er, after some thought, she realized that nearly everyone could be rapidly elevated.
The simplest choice would be Tara. She already had sufficient strength and foundation; the key was that her lack of ascension wasn't due to inability, but rather because Tara herself didn't want to ascend.
The third-tier "Radiant Bishop" was a symbol of the church, and Tara had always believed she hadn't fully grasped all the doctrines, not wanting to take on the role of an imperfect "symbol."
Meanwhile, the second-tier "Missionary" was enough to meet Tara's needs for preaching and teaching; she believed that was the duty given to her by the Mother Goddess, so she had never expressed a desire to ascend.
But if Xia'er were to suggest that she should ascend, Tara would undoubtedly accept.
For Tara, this would also be a sign of the Mother Goddess's guidance.
Not ascending meant the Mother Goddess wanted her to continue shining at tier two; ascending meant the Mother Goddess believed she could influence the faithful on a larger stage.
Regardless, Tara would interpret everything in her own way.
Aside from Tara, the next most likely candidate for ascension would be Adele.
Yes, not Amy, not Aivina, but Adele.
From previous simulations, Xia'er knew that Adele seemed to possess an unparalleled talent for ascending to the third tier "Newborn," a talent so remarkable that even the Dragon Eagles wanted to snatch her away from Xia'er.
In the simulations, Adele's ascension to the third tier "Newborn" was aided by the Dragon Eagles, allowing her to achieve a perfect replication...
Xia'er planned to deal with the Dragon Eagles and, in the process, bring Adele along to complete her ascension ceremony.
During this time, Tara could also complete her third-tier ascension ceremony in Ansu, and Amy could attempt to ascend to the second-tier "Queen Bee."
As for Aivina, her ascension was more complicated and required Xia'er to be present—indeed, Aivina's replication ceremony had almost entirely been "farmed" from Xia'er.
Starting from "Listener," Aivina had continuously picked up various explosive news from Xia'er, and during the "Psychologist" phase, she had helped Xia'er resolve very rare spiritual pollution from the other side.
For Aivina, Xia'er was an indispensable part of the replication ceremony. Without Xia'er, Aivina might still be stuck at the first tier "Listener."
This wasn't due to Aivina's lack of talent; on the contrary, her talent was extremely rare, and both her personality and spirit were well-suited for the family's "detective" path...
Unfortunately, Aivina had not chosen this more comfortable road but had instead opted to enter "hell mode."
As Xia'er pondered, she casually jotted down a simple plan.
Tara didn't take long to enjoy her breakfast; she hurriedly gobbled down the simple meal Xia'er had prepared for her, eager to return to Xia'er's side.
She even forgot what the food tasted like.
Compared to the taste of the meal, she preferred to be near Lady Xia'er, inhaling the scent that surrounded her...
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