Chapter 94

“This gamble of the ‘Destined Ones’ is more chaotic than I imagined.”

I had thought that being a Count would imply a respectable status and a considerable fortune, but it seems I was mistaken.

“I don’t want to eat this!”

“Adelle, there are many people outside who are starving because they have even less than this. You shouldn’t complain.”

Adelle, my younger sister, threw the bread aside and burst into tears, while our father, Count Bradley Somerset, sternly reprimanded her.

I glanced at the food placed before me, thinking that the dining scene in a noble household might resemble that of an ordinary family.

On the table lay a thin, unidentifiable soup and bread that seemed as hard as rocks.

Certainly, these were not appetizing dishes even for a child.

Determined to eat, I attempted to dip the bread into the soup, but just as I broke it apart—

Crack!

Did I just hear the sound of wood splintering?

Chapter 94: The Gamble of the ‘Fated Ones.’

An Su, Central City, Imperial Avenue, Derton Mansion.

This five-story brick building stood in the most bustling part of An Su, with its red-brick exterior blending harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Classical columns flanked the entrance, and elaborate pediments and reliefs adorned the facade. Tall arched windows were neatly arranged, and a massive golden chip was embedded in the center of the second floor, shimmering under the sunlight.

In the best-lit office on the third floor, a woman dressed in a white shirt and black vest, though emaciated and with dark circles under her eyes, tossed a gold sovereign between her fingers repeatedly, catching it with her palm each time.

Knock knock knock—

The knocking sound from outside interrupted her. She let the gold sovereign fall onto the desk without catching it after the last toss.

The queen emblem landed steadily on the desk, while the backside showing a knight slaying a dragon faced the ceiling.

Someone was here with ill intentions.

The woman showed no signs of distress; instead, she grinned and looked towards the door, saying:

“Come in…”

The office door opened, and a man wearing a silver chip mask slowly walked in. After closing the door behind him, he bowed slightly to the woman.

“Special Agent Lucy, the boss wants you to go to Borough City.”

The man in the silver chip mask said respectfully.

“How so? Is Borough City also incurring losses?”

Lucy raised her eyes and asked the man.

“Who is profiting from this?”

The man in the silver chip mask explained slowly, “Special Agent Lucy, it’s not about losses.”

“It’s a message from the Salvation Goddess Church, saying that the Arrival Sect has performed a sacrifice ritual at Derton Manor in Borough City… It seems they have summoned a divine servant, and the entire Derton Manor has collapsed. Currently, we do not know the exact casualties or damages. The manager wants you to handle it, and it’s best to investigate everything before the Salvation Goddess Church does, as it concerns the company’s reputation.”

“I understand. You can leave now and wait for my news.”

Lucy waved her hand, watching the man leave and close the door. She then looked at the gold coins on her desk.

Was this good news or bad news?

She opened the drawer, revealing an ancient wooden box inside. Inside the box was a set of exquisite black tarot cards.

Golden cracks glimmered on the backs of the black cards.

She took out a card, lit some incense and a candle, and began to shuffle the cards skillfully.

“Will there be any gains from this fieldwork?”

Lucy silently pondered in her heart.

She laid out the cards one by one on the table, muttering a question for each card she placed.

A Celtic Cross spread was formed.

1. Wheel of Fortune.

2. Death.

3. Devil…

The current situation, obstacles, challenges, and the influence of the subconscious… As the cards were revealed, her inner doubts were gradually dispelled.

This was… a turning point in her own fate, with great risks…

But simultaneously…

Card number 10 was revealed by Lucy.

An inverted Sun card lay quietly in the final result position of card 10.

But there was also a small possibility of achieving a huge reward…

The tarot cards provided a clear warning: This investigation would be a life-or-death decision. Success could bring rich rewards, but failure could mean a great cost, including the end of life.

What kind of reward could make someone like a ‘Fated One’ feel abundant?

She shook her nimble fingers, and a gold sovereign danced between them.

Plop—

The gold sovereign was firmly grasped in her hand. When she unfolded it again, the gold had completely faded, revealing a rust-brown color. On the front was a faceless angel stained by rust, and on the back was a demon with an eye dripping blood.

A rich reward would mean completely controlling or escaping this Sealed Object…

Or… going further?

Regardless of which, both options were highly tempting to Lucy.

As a ‘Fated One’ who had gambled all the way up to this position, if she could risk everything she envied now to participate in a high-risk but high-reward gamble, she would not hesitate to go all-in.

Without this gambling nature, she would never have reached this position.

She had gambled her way up, and she always believed she would not lose.

Because she was the one favored by destiny.

Lucy stood up, picked up her silver cane, and walked out the door.

Behind her, a black raven perched on the windowsill, flapping its wings and preening its feathers.

…

Trot trot trot…

The iron hooves of the warhorse galloped on the cobblestone road, the sound of horseshoes striking the stones ringing clearly.

Only after entering the city did the hoofbeats gradually slow down.

At this moment, Aviana withdrew her gaze from the distant Creek Mountain, and the three people in the carriage exchanged glances, all sighing with relief.

After a moment of silence, Aviana turned to Xia’er and asked, “What was that just now…”

“It’s over,” Xia’er shook her head and replied, “There will be no more members of the Arrival Sect there.”

Adelle: “Huh?”

Not only Aviana, but even Adelle couldn’t help showing a puzzled expression.

What did he do? What happened just now?

“Did they… all die?”

Aviana couldn’t help confirming.

Adelle: “Huh??”

No, weren’t we just playing cards? How did all the members of the Arrival Sect die?

Adelle looked confused, looking back and forth between the two girls who seemed to be speaking in riddles.

“Mm-hmm.”

Xia’er nodded.

After exchanging looks for a while, both of them slowly lowered their shoulders and smiled at each other, as if they had lifted a heavy burden.

Only Adelle remained bewildered.

“Mm? It’s over? Mm? Won’t anyone come to catch us?”

Adelle’s question received no response, but when she saw their smiles, she seemed to understand something.

It was fine if Xia’er smiled, and even Aviana, who usually kept a stern face, smiled. That should confirm they were indeed safe, right?

Leaning back in her seat, Aviana rubbed her temples.

No wonder Xia’er suddenly told her not to report to the Salvation Goddess Church and Derton Group.

The organization behind Xia’er had the ability to act covertly and directly disrupt things from behind the scenes.

With this disruption, there was no need to risk exposure by reporting.

The ruined Derton Manor would be in a hurry, and the discovery of the Arrival Sect by the Salvation Goddess Church would also cause panic.

The most anxious would be the members of the Arrival Sect, who had lost a base without reason and possibly a bishop, and if their identities were traced, the main base behind the bishop could also be destroyed.

Now, it was about which side could get to the scene first to conduct an investigation or destroy evidence, and even the Redemption Society might interfere. With four parties involved, things would become chaotic, leaving no time to worry about Xie Lun.

By the time someone realized this, the clues would have been cut off, making further investigation impossible.

Now, Aviana planned to reassess the organization behind Xia’er.

Initially, she thought the organization behind Xia’er was merely a deeply hidden intelligence agency, surviving through secret intelligence trading. But now, it seemed that this organization not only had the ability to gather intelligence but also possessed the power to disrupt.

Just like the terrifying commotion that shook the earth and killed all the cultists instantly, Aviana was very sure that even a Crown Guard could not achieve such a feat.

Besides, besides the earthquake-like commotion, Aviana also felt a strong sense of crisis and a spiritual alert from deep within her mind.

This seemed to be something beyond the earthquake, some kind of Extraordinary Path ability?

Aviana pondered in her mind, but found no answer.

The horse’s pace became increasingly slower, and even Adelle sensed something amiss. She looked at Aviana and asked, “Is the carriage… moving too slowly?”

Aviana leaned forward, pulled aside the small curtain in front, and looked through the glass at the carriage’s driver.

—

Dong dong ——

Aivana reached out and knocked on the glass window, but Nia in front didn’t give any response.

They had just arrived at the Clock Tower Lane District, following the North-South Stone Street into the city. The carriage had stopped right in the center of the street.

Luckily, it was still early, and most workers were already at work, so there weren’t many pedestrians on the street. Nobody noticed anything amiss here.

“Nia?”

Aivana jumped off the carriage and walked forward. The armor on the driver’s seat was completely motionless, looking like a decorative piece of art.

Xia’er also noticed something was wrong. She and Adelle jumped off the carriage and supported Nia.

Aivana gently slapped the horse’s buttocks, and the horse ran back home along the stone street. The remaining three dragged Nia to the 44th house on the North-South Stone Street, where Xia’er had not yet reached the lease term.

After some simple healing treatment, Aivana sighed deeply and said, “It’s fine… It’s just a problem with her spiritual body… This is Nia’s old problem.”

Speaking of which, Aivana looked toward Xia’er and said, “Just like your previous situation.”

Like my previous situation?

Xia’er pondered. She roughly understood why Nia suddenly lost consciousness.

It’s a spiritual being…

“Xia’er, I want to ask you a question, and I hope you can answer me,” Aivana took a deep breath and looked at Xia’er, asking, “When your organization was dealing with the Arrival Sect…”

“Did you use extraordinary items from the Other Realm?”

The Other Realm…

This was the second time Xia’er heard this word from someone else. The first time was when she heard it from Radiant Bishop Xiu.

In fact, up until now, Xia’er only had a vague understanding of the so-called “Other Realm.” She knew that once one entered, they would go mad, all extraordinary items would be distorted, and terrifying beings could be summoned from it.

“What is the ‘Other Realm’?”

Xia’er did not directly answer Aivana’s question but asked instead.

“You don’t know?”

Aivana was somewhat surprised by Xia’er’s reaction.

She thought for a moment and shook her head, saying, “I’m not very clear about what the Other Realm really is. There’s very little information about it… Apart from the Church, few people specialize in studying knowledge related to the Other Realm.”

“I only know that the Other Realm is a world that overlaps with reality. Different sects call it different things… such as ‘Spirit World’ or ‘Soul World.’”

“It’s an extremely dangerous place, filled with all sorts of terrifying creatures… Some sects can communicate with the Other Realm through special methods, but once they face the creatures or items from the Other Realm directly, the higher the spiritual vision of the extraordinary person, the higher the mental pollution they receive after facing them.”

After some hesitation, Aivana, thinking they were all trustworthy, said, “Nia has once entered the Other Realm, and then the potion went out of control, turning her into what she is now.”

“She… is already 120 years old this year.”

Xia’er understood why, in the simulation, the spiritual beings she summoned couldn’t directly affect the simulated Braggers and Aivanas, but the simulated Nia lost all resistance after just one glance.

“Is this situation serious?” Xia’er asked.

“Not serious. She hasn’t faced the items from the Other Realm, so she’s fine…”

Aivana shook her head and said, “I think I need to speed up the replication ritual of the Psychologist.”

Previously, Aivana didn’t understand why Xia’er’s spiritual body was contaminated and damaged. After learning that Xia’er’s gang was associated with the Other Realm, Aivana had a rough idea.

From Xia’er’s appearance, she didn’t even know that her spiritual body was polluted due to the Other Realm.

This damned organization… They’re truly a bunch of madmen.

Whether it was to protect Nia, who had been with her since childhood, or Xia’er, who might have unknowingly faced the Other Realm, Aivana had to quickly complete the replication ritual of the Psychologist.

Xia’er was currently pondering something.

Spiritual summoning… pollutes the spiritual body…

But if the spiritual being was summoned by herself, it seemed to have a favorable attitude towards her and wouldn’t harm her.

In the future, large-scale spiritual summonings should be done less often. If she accidentally summoned something formidable, it would be difficult to handle.

Luckily, the spiritual being Xia’er summoned twice in the simulation, she was quite familiar with its abilities.

And judging from the current timeline, it should have dissipated on its own.

Finally, Xia’er shook her head and said,

“No matter what, it’s over. The rest of the matters are no longer related to us.”

“Yes…”

Aivana nodded.

The disturbance would likely cause unrest in Borough City for some time. Even though she was part of the Rossul Family, nobody would come to her for questioning – after all, she was only a Level 1 and couldn’t cause such a commotion.

Under Aivana’s healing, Nia gradually regained consciousness from her coma.

After all the commotion, even Adelle lost her appetite, and they simply found some leftover ingredients at Xia’er’s house to make do.

“Xia’er, I need to continue working at the private clinic,” Aivana looked at Xia’er and said, “Do you have any plans for later?”

“Me?”

Xia’er pondered and shook her head. “I don’t know. I just want to spend this vacation peacefully and then go to An Su to study.”

By the way, she wanted to continue digesting the potion in the simulation and fill in the archive… Although she wanted peace, the urgency to improve her strength remained.

However, in the future, she would need to find Aivana and Adelle more often to check her body and spiritual condition to avoid incidents like this before.

“Will you continue to be my assistant?” Aivana asked.

“If you don’t mind,” Xia’er replied. In fact, she hadn’t decided what to do next.

If she continued as an assistant, the salary was decent, the workload light, and she could rent a new apartment with her sister. Then she could take her sister to Adelle’s place, so Adelle could see if there was any way to treat the skin burned by the potion.

However, all of this required money. Xia’er felt embarrassed about continuing to take advantage of Adelle’s things, so she could only take it one step at a time, looking for other ways to earn money besides robbery and looting.

“Adelle, what about you?” Aivana looked at Adelle and said, “There are still many vacant positions at the clinic. If you need a place to put your equipment and digest potions, you can come. The vacant positions are free to use.”

“Really?”

Adelle blinked, but she seemed hesitant.

Since leaving the Redemption Society, Adelle had moved out all her personal belongings, and now all her experimental equipment was piled up at home, making her very distressed. She had nowhere to conduct experiments.

“I can hire you as a doctor at my clinic,” Aivana nodded. “Fifteen pounds a week, and you can arrange your own schedule for the time outside of clinic hours.”

“Hiss…”

Adelle sucked in a breath of air, and after a while, she weakly said, “I don’t have that much money…”

Aivana: “…”

Aivana: “Fifteen pounds is your weekly pay, not the money you give me…”

To get paid to work, you’re indeed a talented person.

The atmosphere among the three gradually relaxed, but Xia’er still had something to do.

She needed to confirm whether Amy was safe.

Amy might have been injured in her spiritual body or physically. Considering this, Xia’er planned to visit Amy’s house and bring Aivana and Adelle along. If Amy was really hurt, they could let Adelle or Aivana treat her on credit.

Hearing that Xia’er was going to visit a friend, Aivana and Adelle, who had nothing to do and wanted to relax, readily agreed and walked towards Amy’s house together.

Since the warhorse had been released by Aivana earlier, they could only rent a carriage and return to the Jazz Bridge District, arriving at the villa where Amy lived.