Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Learning Ancient An Su.

Xia’er looked at the system store.

After ignoring clothes and other miscellaneous items, Xia’er revealed a slightly puzzled expression.

“System, that Sealed Object? Didn’t it enter my brain? Why isn’t it considered to be brought back to the store?”

Yes, Xia’er couldn’t find that black-blue feather in the System Mall. Clearly, during the last moment of the Simulation, that feather was still inside her body.

This was absolutely a problem somewhere.

“Did you encounter a bug?”

Xia’er bluntly questioned within her mind.

[It was said from the start]

[The System cannot purchase intelligent living beings ^^]

A living being? Isn’t it a Sealed Object?

Does a Sealed Object that gains self-awareness count as a living being?

Xia’er frowned slightly, feeling a bit troubled.

The idea of directly using the System to investigate the feather’s background had failed, which would inevitably increase Xia’er’s workload and investigation volume.

And because of that Sealed Object’s interference, the already obtained “Strong Fortune Coin” and “Evil Eye” were discarded by it.

If not for successfully saving one checkpoint, Xia’er would have wasted all her previous efforts.

However, encountering that feather this time wasn’t entirely without gain.

Xia’er remembered in her mind the words spoken by the feather when it controlled her body.

This might be a breakthrough point.

But this also caused a new issue.

Without written characters, only language, there’s no way to translate. It would be impossible to borrow an ancient An Su dictionary from Aivana to compare translations.

Unless she could find someone who is proficient in ancient An Su and absolutely trustworthy, letting that person listen to Xia’er’s recited words.

While thinking about this, Xia’er opened the store’s [Basic Disciplines] interface.

Besides the previous four disciplines, three more subjects were added this time.

[Basic Disciplines]

[Tailoring (Learnable): 1 Mortality Point]

[Sculpting (Learnable): 1 Mortality Point]

[Linguistics (Learnable): 1 Mortality Point]

Linguistics?

Previously, seeing ancient An Su didn’t trigger the option to learn this discipline, but now hearing it made the option appear?

The delirium produced by potions should not be classified under basic disciplines, so it’s normal that they can’t be learned.

Xia’er looked at her remaining 166 Mortality Points, without much hesitation, and directly selected Linguistics.

Xia’er had never purchased any of the Basic Disciplines before, so she was also somewhat curious.

After choosing to study, the Linguistics section flickered slightly, and the original “Learnable” became “Lv.1”.

[Linguistics (Lv.1): 2 Mortality Points]

[Linguistics Lv.1: Slightly enhances your talent in linguistics, making it easier for you to learn various basic languages. With a little effort, you can become an excellent linguist.]

…Is that it?

Xia’er didn’t feel any changes in herself.

The ancient An Su phrases still stuck in her mind remained incomprehensible, like listening to celestial scriptures.

Still need to learn it myself…

Xia’er felt a bit disappointed.

Learning a language is easy in theory, but it takes at least several months of focused study, and obviously, Xia’er didn’t have that kind of time right now.

For some minority languages or those with few recorded documents and translations, the learning time increases exponentially.

The only possible solution would be to let the Simulated Self learn, then write down the answers. That way, when Xia’er goes back, she can directly see the results.

Actually, Xia’er had thought of a more extreme idea earlier.

In the last simulation, during the final hour, the Sealed Object behind the scenes hadn’t appeared yet. At that time, Xia’er had an idea.

That is, in the next simulation, directly let the Simulated Self enter the System’s “Deep Simulation” at the last moment, find the location of the feather through the perspective of the Other Realm.

This could directly locate the black-blue feather.

However, this idea was just a pipe dream because finding the location of the feather would be meaningless to Xia’er.

Because Xia’er had no idea how to fight a Sealed Object, especially when this Sealed Object seemed much stronger than herself.

Remember, in that previous simulation, that feather summoned a meteorite and destroyed Borough City… Without investigating the exact strength of the feather, Xia’er wouldn’t act rashly.

With the clues breaking off here, Xia’er temporarily ran out of better ideas and could only begin reasoning slowly from the details in her memory.

After the feather took control of her body… it immediately picked up the [Echo of Silver White Time Binder], which was her pocket watch.

As for the other two people’s Sealed Objects, the “Strong Fortune Coin” and “Evil Eye,” the black-blue feather didn’t even glance at them, as if it didn’t care about them at all.

Was everything it did aimed at filtering out the [Echo of Silver White Time Binder]?

Didn’t it know what it wanted?

Was it looking for something it didn’t even know itself?

Xia’er stood up, paced around the room, and quickly pondered.

Now it was certain that its target was just her and the pocket watch; the other two people were merely dragged into it.

Another certainty was that the feather had intricate ties with the System, but clearly, its power was nowhere near that of the System.

The clue broke off here, leaving Xia’er slightly discouraged, but she didn’t give up.

This situation was what she was most familiar with.

The enemy is visible, while she remains hidden.

As long as Xia’er had some time, she would eventually uncover the opponent.

If she followed the initial method and gave Lucy and Obold no information, she could live for at least forty days.

This amount of time was incredibly ample for Xia’er.

Xia’er walked to the desk, sat down, and started writing on a piece of paper.

This was a letter to Aivana.

The letter first thanked Aivana for her translation and generosity—after all, Xia’er was almost penniless now, and the money Aivana sent indeed helped alleviate Xia’er’s urgent needs.

Then, Xia’er borrowed books and materials about ancient An Su translation studies and the Great War of the Ancient Era from Aivana—these were things the Academy wouldn’t teach, and Xia’er knew very little about them.

Naturally, Xia’er needed to learn ancient An Su, while the materials about the Great War of the Ancient Era were related to Tara. In the Arrival Sect where Tara belonged, there were records about that feather…

“The information about the peculiar feathers dates back to the Ancient Era.”

Understanding that era might aid Xia’er’s investigation.

Moreover, these materials are considered foundational subjects and have little connection to the Extraordinary; thus, Xia’er studying them wouldn’t invite Doom.

After finishing her Letter, Xia’er folded it neatly. She then changed into a fresh dress, slipped on her boots, and tucked the letter into her pocket.

Xia’er had neither female Servants nor Servants of any kind, so she had to take care of everything herself, including buying envelopes.

However, this was just as well—it gave her an excuse to step out and Rest for a moment.

After numerous Simulations, Xia’er realized that consecutive Simulations could harm her spirit. If she didn’t take it seriously, she might faint at home.

There was no Aivana around now to watch over her, no timely healing from Aivana if something went wrong. She didn’t know how long she’d remain unconscious before recovering.

With ample time available, the best course of action was to wait a while, allowing her spirit to fully Rest before proceeding with the next Simulation.

During this interval, Xia’er wouldn’t waste the time—she could use it to study foundational subjects.

Even though the simulated Xia’er might master Ancient An Su language in the Simulation to the point of expertise, none of those skills would transfer to the real Xia’er. Only what she learned in reality truly counted.

After purchasing the envelope, Xia’er placed the letter inside and headed straight toward Gemstone Avenue.

Her current residence was only two streets away from Gemstone Avenue, very close by.

Soon, Xia’er found the jewelry shop named “Crystal” on Gemstone Avenue.

The store seemed to have just opened. Li Qi, wearing a Mask, was carefully wiping the glass display windows with a clean cloth, not missing a single fingerprint or speck of dust.

This job was evidently much easier than her previous work in the Factory, with better pay. Li Qi cherished her current position greatly.

Besides going to the Police Station, contacting Aivana without meeting her directly left Xia’er with only one option: this jewelry shop.

The Investigation Department at the Police Station housed Extraordinary Persons, so Xia’er couldn’t go there. Visiting Aivana’s house directly wasn’t safe either.

She didn’t know the exact range at which Doom could trigger, so it was better to keep her distance whenever possible.

Additionally, coming to the jewelry shop allowed her to see her sister Li Qi again.

According to Aivana, from security to the store manager, everyone in the shop was secretly assigned to protect Li Qi. In fact, aside from Li Qi, there were no other employees in the shop.

Xia’er took a deep breath and walked straight toward the jewelry shop, slightly tiptoeing and reaching out to tap Li Qi’s shoulder.

Li Qi turned around sharply, surprisedly exclaiming, “Xia’er?”

While cleaning the windows, Li Qi had noticed Xia’er’s figure but hadn’t been sure until Xia’er approached her from behind.

“Sister.”

Xia’er smiled faintly. Seeing her sister now, the gloominess caused by the interrupted lead dissipated somewhat.

At this moment, looking down at Xia’er, Li Qi felt an indescribable sensation.

She felt that her younger sister had changed considerably—not in terms of better clothing—but rather… her Gaze or aura.

The young Xia’er used to suppress her playful side, trying to appear more mature. But now, as Li Qi looked into Xia’er’s dark red Pupils, it was like staring into a pool of stagnant bloodwater soaked with countless corpses. This sudden thought made Li Qi feel a chill run down her spine.

Quickly dismissing this thought, Li Qi asked, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you… Is Miss Aivana treating you well? Is working under her very tiring?”

“Yes, it’s fine. Recently, I even got a raise,” Xia’er nodded, seemingly recalling something, and said, “But lately, the clinic has been busy. Once things settle down, let’s move to Gemstone Avenue, Sister.”

“Alright.”

Li Qi’s face beneath the Mask revealed a smile as she held onto Xia’er’s cool little hand for a long time without letting go.

For some reason, she had a strange premonition that after letting go this time, she didn’t know when they would meet again.

The commotion outside caught the attention of the shop owner, a slightly plump middle-aged woman who stepped out from behind the counter, opened the door, and asked toward Li Qi’s direction, “Li Qi, is everything alright?”

“I apologize, Manager,” Li Qi reluctantly let go of Xia’er’s hand, bowed slightly toward the manager, and explained, “It’s just that my sister happened to pass by, and we exchanged a few words. I’m very sorry.”

“Oh… It’s fine, don’t rush. There aren’t many customers anyway, you can chat,” the middle-aged female manager said, preparing to return inside.

She had originally been a Servant of the Rossul Family, but due to age and past hardships, she couldn’t handle heavy work anymore. The kind young mistress had arranged for her to become the manager of this leisurely jewelry shop.

Of course, she knew that Li Qi was someone under the special care of Mistress Aivana, so she wouldn’t dare treat Li Qi rudely.

Just as she was about to leave, Xia’er called her back.

“Manager, hello,” Xia’er extended her hand, pulled out a Letter from her pocket, and handed it to the manager, saying, “Please deliver this letter to Aivana as quickly as possible.”

The manager initially had doubts, but upon hearing that the letter was for Mistress Aivana, she immediately understood and accepted the envelope without hesitation. She stopped a Carriage and rushed toward the Jazz Bridge District.

At this moment, Li Qi looked at her younger sister and sensed a slight oddity.

Although Xia’er spoke as politely as ever, there was now an authoritative tone in her voice, as if she wasn’t asking but commanding. It was a natural aura of someone in a higher position, subtly revealing itself in small, unintentional ways.

After conversing with her sister for a bit longer, Xia’er felt her mental stress significantly alleviated. Using the excuse of needing to prepare for work, she bid farewell to her sister and returned to her rented home.

Not long after she returned, Aivana’s reply arrived at top speed.

It was a Carriage filled almost halfway with books.