Chapter 47

“You… Strictly speaking…”

The fragmented voice of Xiu echoed in Xia’er’s mind, as if her question had thoroughly confused the Radiant Bishop.

To disrupt her replication ritual twice within less than an hour could somewhat affect her, but fortunately, this was just a simulation and the real Xiu wouldn’t be affected.

After a brief pause, Xiu’s voice resounded again in Xia’er’s mind.

“Strictly speaking, only those who die from infection will be counted in the replication ritual. Using a sealed object to accelerate the fatal effects of an epidemic is also considered death by infection, provided the virus and poison used are self-configured, which often leads to a strange sense of narcissism among those who follow this path.”

“If you kill the infected before they die from the infection, their deaths won’t be included in the replication ritual.”

Hearing this, Xia’er nodded silently.

If she could disrupt the ritual early, the person setting up the ritual would definitely reveal themselves, as failing to perform the ritual would result in their death.

Whether it was causing panic to make people flee the Clock Tower Lane District or killing large numbers of people, it would attract the attention of the “Plague Messenger” performing the replication ritual.

The lethality of dehydration syndrome is low on its own, requiring the use of a sealed object to cause mass instantaneous fatalities. This can only happen when a large number of infected gather simultaneously.

The person orchestrating the ritual was quite knowledgeable about the Salvation Goddess Religion’s handling of epidemics. Knowing that the high-ranking members of the religion wouldn’t approach and that the Salvation Goddess Church wouldn’t ignore its followers’ plight, they chose to detonate the virus near the Clock Tower Church of the Salvation Goddess Religion.

Moreover, they were well aware of the Redemption Society’s inspection routes, so they could delay the simulation until July 4th, when the infected were most densely gathered, and then use the sealed object to increase the lethality.

One idea after another flashed through Xia’er’s mind and was quickly discarded. She had a general plan, but still lacked some crucial information.

For instance, how did the sealed object operate? Was it activated to start passive defense, or was it always in a state of passive defense?

Understanding this would significantly aid Xia’er’s plan.

“Bishop Xiu, you also can’t figure out the operational logic of this sealed object?” Xia’er asked.

“Yes, without knowing its origin, we’d have to conduct experiments one by one to record all its characteristics and side effects,” Xiu replied.

“What about some of the major Extraordinary families? Could they have information about this sealed object?” Xia’er inquired, “Do you know Aivana Russell?”

“Russell.”

After a moment of contemplation, Xiu responded, “During the period when I couldn’t enter the Clock Tower Lane District, I could only visit other informants who provided intelligence to the Papacy and the Redemption Society. One of them was Miss Russell.”

“Major families might indeed know the origins of sealed objects that even the Church doesn’t know, as they possess and trade many sealed objects themselves, but…”

Xiu’s voice paused slightly in Xia’er’s mind before continuing.

“When I found Miss Russell, she was already dead.”

“Dead?” Xia’er’s eyes narrowed slightly.

In the first simulation, Xia’er hadn’t told Aivana any news, and since then, Aivana hadn’t appeared again.

Dehydration syndrome has a low fatality rate for ordinary people, but its effects gradually intensify over time. If a cure could be developed before death, there would be no problem.

For Extraordinary individuals, it’s even less likely to be fatal. Aivana probably wasn’t killed by the infection; her family wouldn’t let her die so easily.

Another possibility was that she was “handled” somehow.

Aivana knew about dehydration syndrome earlier than Xia’er and investigated it sooner. However, Aivana didn’t know whether it was a common epidemic or part of a replication ritual.

It’s very possible that she discovered something critical and was killed…

With this in mind, making the decision to protect her sister might not be…

It could really be wrong.

Moreover, this decision was made by Xia’er in reality; she had no idea that Aivana, who held such great power within the family, would also meet a tragic end in the future.

My sister… ended up being pushed into a dangerous situation instead. But looking at how things are developing now, nowhere seems absolutely safe.

Xia’er didn’t have time to wait another day for the church officials to come again and investigate the Sealed Object. She also couldn’t spare the time to accompany Xiu to the church.

She looked at Xiu and asked, “Bishop Xiu, I have a request.”

“Go on,” Xiu responded without any movement, seemingly indifferent to Xia’er’s numerous requests, as long as she agreed to go to the church with her.

“If you show your bishop’s emblem in all the other districts of the Salvation Goddess Religion, can you command the nuns and priests there to serve you?” Xia’er asked.

“Yes,” Xiu nodded. “Sometimes when I need to handle matters, I give my bishop’s emblem to my subordinates so they can use it and letters to help me.”

That makes it easier then…

“Can you write a letter for me? And lend me your bishop’s emblem?” Xia’er directly inquired.

“No,” Xiu promptly refused but added, “But you can tell me what the letter should say.”

“‘An unknown illness is spreading, and matters concerning its resolution will be handled exclusively by Miss Xia’er. The entire Clock Tower Church will obey Miss Xia’er’s commands.’” Xia’er stated.

Xiu fell silent for a moment, then after a long while, she couldn’t help but say, “The matter has already happened.”

“No, it hasn’t,” Xia’er said firmly. “The goddess won’t let this happen. This is His will for me.”

“I only need this letter for ten minutes, along with your bishop’s emblem, and I’ll return it to you after ten minutes.”

After staring at Xia’er for nearly twenty seconds, Xiu began to feel a growing doubt in her mind.

She… wasn’t insane, and she was very sure that what she said was true, with no hint of deceit.

This made Xiu question whether her emotional perception ability was malfunctioning.

However, in the end, Xiu gave in and said, “Ten minutes.”

A shadow took paper, pen, and envelope from the silent church and placed them on Xia’er’s back. She wrote a more formal letter than Xia’er described and placed the bishop’s emblem inside the envelope, handing it to Xia’er.

If nothing happens in ten minutes, she would simply retrieve the envelope and destroy it. Xia’er couldn’t possibly disappear right under her nose.

Taking the envelope, Xia’er looked at the nearby pile of corpses and asked, “Bishop Xiu, may I ask one last thing?”

“Go on.”

“Where exactly is the Sealed Object located?”

“Over there.”

A shadow walked to a position in the square and stood still, and Xiu pointed at it.

“Not far…” Xia’er slightly nodded, then looked back at Xiu and said, “Thank you.”

Then, Xia’er stepped forward and headed toward the manhole cover she had spoken about earlier.

“What are you going to do?” Xiu asked, but her body did not move; she merely activated two shadows to follow Xia’er.

“I want to see the Sealed Object,” Xia’er said, holding the envelope and jumping down into the manhole, running directly towards the direction of the Sealed Object.

The shadow accompanying Xia’er gradually solidified, and Xiu’s mechanical voice echoed in her mind once more.

“Why do you want to end your life?”

In the distance, the ring had turned, and the terrifying pupil hanging above began to contract violently.

She could feel her life rapidly evaporating, and her throat felt like it was burning.

A dark shadow appeared behind Xia’er, suddenly raising its hand and punching Xia’er in the back of the head.

The back of Xia’er’s head was struck open by the dark shadow, but her body quickly recovered, and her movements returned to normal.

Xia’er leaped high, holding the letter in her left hand, and grabbed the strange eye that had fallen into the sewer with her right hand.

“I’m not trying to end my life; I just want to end the pain.”

Xia’er closed her eyes, ending this life.