Chapter 127

Chapter 127: Adelle’s Elixir.

Tap tap tap—

“Who is it?”

Adelle paused her experiment, setting down the reagent and removing her black gloves. Only after stepping out of the room did she take off the silver raven mask from her face. She hung the mask on a nearby rack and jogged to the clinic entrance, opening the door.

“You are…?”

Adelle looked at the plainly dressed maid before her. To be honest, she had a slight case of face blindness and couldn’t recall when or if she’d met this person.

“Miss Adelle, I am Lady Aivana’s personal maid. This letter was given to me by Miss Xia’er for you.”

The maid handed over an ordinary envelope with no stamp or seal using both hands.

“Xia’er?”

Adelle took the envelope, smelled the paper, nodded, and began reading its contents. It was undoubtedly written by Xia’er.

The content was typical of Xia’er—no pleasantries, just a direct explanation of the matter at hand.

However, the content itself surprised Adelle. It merely described a certain ailment, followed by Xia’er’s request to purchase some sleep-aiding elixirs or medications from Adelle.

Adelle indeed had such medications… but they all carried significant dependency risks and side effects. If Xia’er intended to use them herself, Adelle would never recommend them. Instead, she would prefer Xia’er maintain regular sleep and eating habits, supplemented with ordinary health tonics, gradually improving her condition.

Adelle sensed that the ailment Xia’er described likely belonged to Xia’er herself rather than someone else.

“Wait a moment.”

Adelle seemed to forget Xia’er’s caution and hurried back to her small lab. Grabbing a medicine pack, she rushed back to the clinic entrance without even putting on her silver raven mask, still wearing her white coat.

The maid, having received no specific instructions for such a situation, only knew that Adelle was a friend of Miss Xia’er, so she didn’t question anything. Leading Adelle, they headed toward Xia’er’s current residence.

When they stopped in front of Xia’er’s house in the Gemstone District, Adelle looked at the wooden door under the moonlight and street lamps and asked, “Is this Xia’er’s new home?”

“Yes, this is the place Miss Xia’er recently rented.”

The maid nodded and then knocked on the wooden door.

“So close…”

Adelle was still examining the carpet in front of the door when the wooden door opened shortly afterward.

“Adelle?”

Xia’er seemed surprised to see Adelle standing outside her door. Why had she come?

Xia’er’s heart sank slightly, but she quickly calmed herself. Adelle was only at the first rank… even if there were any ominous signs, they could easily be avoided with precognition.

Xia’er’s original intention was to seek help from Aivana. Aivana, being detail-oriented, would surely sense Xia’er’s predicament and rush to assist. While Aivana coming alone might have been manageable, Nia would inevitably follow her. And Xia’er wasn’t confident enough to handle the misfortune of encountering a third-rank individual.

What she hadn’t expected was that the seemingly carefree Adelle would rush over directly upon reading the letter.

For such behavior, Xia’er had no grounds to criticize. After all, it was for her own good, and it was also Xia’er’s oversight for not clarifying the situation in the letter.

“Come in.”

Xia’er stepped aside to let Adelle enter while turning to the maid and saying, “Please keep an eye on the surrounding security.”

“That is my duty, Miss Xia’er.”

The maid curtsied slightly, pulling up her skirt, and then helped Xia’er close the wooden door.

When Xia’er turned around to look into the living room, Adelle was nowhere to be seen.

“Adelle?”

Xia’er called out softly. Soon, a response came from upstairs.

“Come up!”

Is this your house or mine?

Adelle’s high level of action left Xia’er somewhat exasperated.

Holding onto the wooden railing, Xia’er ascended to the second floor and followed the sound into her bedroom. Upon entering, she saw Adelle already unpacking the medical supplies, including syringes and her homemade portable surgical kit, laying everything out neatly.

“Lie down on the bed. I’ll examine you.”

Without turning around, Adelle began organizing her equipment while giving instructions as she heard Xia’er’s footsteps.

Xia’er wanted to resolve her issues quickly, so she complied, removing her shoes and socks before lying down on the bed, waiting for Adelle to prepare.

Soon, Adelle approached with a syringe in hand, whispering, “I need to perform some routine checks. Let me know if you feel uncomfortable anywhere.”

“Alright.”

Lying on the bed, Xia’er nodded slightly. Then she watched as Adelle knelt beside her, using a syringe filled with translucent liquid to draw a small amount of blood from Xia’er’s arm.

The blood mixed with the transparent liquid in the syringe. Adelle gently shook it, and Xia’er’s red blood quickly turned blue within. Shortly after, the solution transformed from blue to black, behaving as though alive, clinging to the side of the syringe facing Xia’er, as if trying to return to her body.

Seeing this, Adelle’s brows furrowed tightly.

Xia’er was just an ordinary person…

But how could her blood behave like this?

Once Adelle entered her professional domain, she conducted a series of tests, injecting the black blood from the syringe into bottles containing different reagents, observing their reactions.

Meanwhile, Xia’er lay on the bed, her head tilted to one side, curiously watching Adelle’s every move. This observation might prove useful when she consumed the “Doctor” elixir.

After about five minutes, Adelle shifted her gaze from the test tubes to Xia’er, looking grave as she asked, “Xia’er, I’ve discovered a very rare condition inside you.”

Hearing this, Xia’er asked, “What’s its name?”

Knowing the name meant there was likely a way to treat or suppress it, however difficult. With simulation and the system store, Xia’er believed she could eventually obtain what she needed.

Adelle hesitated for a moment before asking, “What do you want to call it?”

Xia’er fell silent. So, it was a new condition?

“To be honest, I’ve never encountered this illness in any literature… Perhaps it might exist in the archives, but I’m no longer part of the Redemption Society, so I can’t check.”

Adelle paused again before continuing, “If I were talking about extraordinary individuals experiencing such mental conditions, I could quickly draw conclusions.”

“But for ordinary people without extraordinary abilities to exhibit this… well, this is truly the first time I’ve ever seen it.”

Xia’er seemed to grasp the key point and asked Adelle:

“If the subject is an extraordinary person, what conclusion would you draw?”

“We can’t calculate this way… Even if ordinary people and extraordinary individuals exhibit the same symptoms, their causes might not be the same. Even if the causes are identical, the treatment plans will differ significantly…”

Adelle timidly added a reminder.

“It’s fine, go ahead and say it.”

Xia’er said.

In truth, even Xia’er herself wasn’t sure whether she could still be considered an ordinary person. If she were one, it was clear that no ordinary person should possess her level of combat skills or the various skills from the system. Her mental and physical strength had already surpassed those of non-combat-oriented first-tier extraordinary individuals.

But labeling her as an extraordinary individual also seemed off… She clearly lacked any traces of potion energy or aura, her mind hadn’t been tainted by the whispers, and there weren’t any characteristics typical of extraordinary individuals.

“If the subject is an extraordinary person…”

After hesitating for a moment, Adelle continued, “This would represent a classic case of being assimilated by a potion.”

“Excluding the absence of whisper interference, all your symptoms closely resemble those of extraordinary individuals who are about to go mad from being consumed by a potion.”

“Generally speaking, at this stage where sleep becomes impossible, most extraordinary individuals would have started showing signs of mutation, experiencing visions of spirit sight overlaid with hallucinations.”

At this point, Adelle paused briefly before continuing: “That’s why I believe your condition must be caused by something else.”

Potion assimilation, huh…

Xia’er listened to Adelle’s words and fell into deep thought. Potion assimilation seemed unlikely. Apart from the ‘Judicator’ and ‘Gambler,’ the influence of other potions’ whispers on her was negligible.

However, Xia’er did have some suspicions. Her mental issues were likely related to the Other Realm. Almost every instance of her previous unconsciousness and mental damage could be linked back to the Other Realm or [Spiritual Summoning].

For example, in this recent case of mental harm, she sacrificed her ‘Uniqueness’ within a simulation, summoning a mysterious entity from the Other Realm capable of retroactively appearing in other epochs.

The side effects of Spiritual Summoning were so severe, yet the system failed to flag them…

Judging by the system’s demonstrated behavior, it probably just wanted to see her suffer.

[So unfair T T]

[Host, take a look at what you’ve sacrificed! You dare toss in traits like ‘Uniqueness’? Is it any wonder your mind isn’t well?]

[And not only do you sacrifice, but you also use [Death Reversal]? Who would have thought you’d exploit your own spirit to such an extent?]

As if genuinely aggrieved, the system replied quickly this time without pretending to be unresponsive.

Was she pushing herself too hard, too ruthlessly?

Xia’er took a deep breath and remained silent for a while.

But she couldn’t help but push herself…

None of the crises she faced could be resolved through simple reasoning. Every opponent was several levels above her.

Without pushing herself, she wouldn’t survive.

After resolving the feather pen issue, she’d take a break…

Xia’er looked at Adelle and asked, “Could you give me some medicine to stabilize my mind? Something that helps me sleep and recover mentally?”

Seeing Xia’er’s gaze, Adelle knew that with her poor communication skills, she wouldn’t be able to convince Xia’er otherwise. All she could do now was to prepare some potent sedatives for Xia’er, ensuring they reduced the side effects while assisting her with sleep.

After confirming Xia’er had no allergies, Adelle began preparing the medication on-site. What she did was essentially diluting the potent sedatives used by extraordinary individuals, reducing their side effects and potency until they became tolerable for ordinary people.

Soon, Adelle had prepared three doses of injections.

She could have diluted more, but Adelle chose not to.

She placed the prepared medications into a small ampoule pack, handed it to Xia’er, and said, “These ampoules will help you fall asleep quickly… And you’re unlikely to encounter dreams.”

“But if you run out of these ampoules and your mental state hasn’t improved, you must tell me, and I’ll create a recovery plan for you.”

Xia’er leaned against the headboard, accepted the ampoule pack from Adelle, and said, “Thank you.”

“We can settle the medical fees when we discuss the next recovery plan.”

Adelle tidied up her bottles and vials as she spoke.

Suddenly, Adelle remembered something and said, “Oh… Didn’t you mention something about not wanting me to visit you?”

You remembered now, huh…

Xia’er smiled and shook her head, saying, “It doesn’t matter much. Once things are over, I’ll come find you.”

“Alright…”

Adelle stood by the door, glancing worriedly at Xia’er sitting on the bed, pale-faced, before speaking. “Take care, rest well, no need to see me out.”

With that, Adelle left Xia’er’s room, and only after stepping out of Xia’er’s house did she let out a long sigh.

Looking back at the wooden door she had closed, Adelle realized from their brief conversation that Xia’er was under immense mental pressure, her entire being taut with tension.

This newly rented house had no decorations, as if it was rented merely for having a place to stay, devoid of any life-like atmosphere, and the scent of dust greeted her upon entering.

What kind of pressure was Xia’er facing…

Even the powerful Nia at Tier 3 couldn’t offer assistance?

Should she inform Aivana?

But if Xia’er wanted to tell Aivana, she would have done so already…

The cool evening breeze made Adelle tighten her white coat as she hurried along the path back to the clinic, her thoughts scattered.

She didn’t want to lose Xia’er as a friend, but she couldn’t help much right now.

The antidote she created had already been widely distributed by the Salvation Goddess Religion; it was time to attempt digesting the ‘Plague Doctor’ potion…

Meanwhile, Xia’er observed Adelle from the window until her figure disappeared at the end of the street. Only then did she turn her gaze to the ampoule pack in front of her.

She definitely couldn’t consume these sedatives immediately; she needed to wait until the crisis passed. Given the initial phase of the Sealed Object ‘Traitor’s Touch of Fate’ locking onto the three of them, the other two would surely make continuous mistakes, bringing doom to herself as well.

She had to prepare carefully and couldn’t fall into a deep sleep, lest she die in her dreams due to misfortune.

Moreover, the next simulation was scheduled seven days later, which was a perfect timing.

If everything went smoothly, Xia’er could devise a plan within seven days to resolve everything, minimizing all variables.

Xia’er didn’t want to enter the simulation without thorough preparation.