Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Five Potions and a Set of Materials

Xia’er opened her eyes and exhaled deeply.

She glanced at the system interface in front of her, recalling the sensation from moments ago.

This… was it mind control?

Xia’er struggled to distinguish whether the chaotic murmurs that nearly prevented her from thinking after drinking the “Gambler” Potion came from the potion itself, or from Jiti the Missionary, or even from the “Mother Goddess Satarna” mentioned by Jiti.

Regardless, Xia’er’s “Gambler” save file was undoubtedly heavily corrupted. If she wanted to use it, she’d have to proceed with extreme caution.

“System, will I still be in that uncontrollable mental state when I load Save No.3?” Xia’er asked inwardly.

[Save No.3 already carries the ‘Satarna Mark.’ Under its influence, No.3 cannot attack anyone else bearing the same mark and will wholeheartedly believe in ‘Satarna.’]

[Enhancing skills like ‘Calm Thinking’ can increase resistance against mental pollution effects.]

“Can the mark be removed?”

[The ‘Satarna Mark’ cannot be removed.]

Hmm…

Corrupted save?

No, not exactly a corrupted save.

According to the System, continuing to improve mental skills could help her resist this kind of mental pollution.

People with the ‘Satarna Mark’ cannot harm others who also carry the mark.

That meant if Xia’er used the “Gambler” save file, other Extraordinary Person cultists wouldn’t be able to harm her.

This effectively turned it into an undercover-cultist save file.

Not bad; it was like planting a nail inside the enemy ranks.

Xia’er recalled Jiti’s words before she lost consciousness.

Jiti had asked Xia’er what her relationship was with those who disrupted her plans.

Disrupting plans? What plans?

The only disrupted plan Xia’er could think of, aside from Thomas’s Replication Ritual, was Xie Lun’s ritual.

Thomas could likely be ruled out since Xia’er had read his diary—it was just about a lucky but otherwise ordinary individual.

But Xie Lun’s research notes were filled with doubts.

Where did he get his third-stage Potion? Where did he obtain the Sealed Object? These were all mysteries.

Moreover, Xie Lun deliberately held the ritual right outside the Salvation Goddess Religion’s entrance—his hatred for the Salvation Goddess Religion seemed inexplicable, as though it appeared suddenly.

However, if the entire event behind the scenes was orchestrated by the cult worshipping the “Mother Goddess Satarna,” everything would make sense.

Now, Xia’er simply needed to prove that this cult opposing the Salvation Goddess Religion truly existed to connect the dots of the underlying truth.

These matters could be confirmed with Aivana later, or failing that, Adelle could be consulted.

Xia’er temporarily set these thoughts aside, opening the save file interface and looking at the new save slots.

Previously, Xia’er only had three save slots.

According to the System, once the initial three slots were filled, it unlocked all save slots for her—meaning, the number of saves equaled the number of paths available?

As Xia’er opened the character save interface, a much longer list of character slots appeared before her.

[Select Character]

[No.0: Xia’er (Pure Mode)]

[No.1: Xia’er Avenger]

[No.2: Xia’er Avenger (2)]

[No.3: Xia’er Gambler Satarna Believer]

[No.4: Empty]

[…]

[No.16: Empty]

Sixteen paths?

Excluding Xia’er’s original Pure Mode, there were sixteen save slots in total, making Xia’er feel overwhelmed.

Sixteen first-stage paths…

Even ignoring everything else, the cost of buying potions alone would start at nearly twelve thousand Su Pounds… Was the System serious?

Though Xia’er knew she had completed several replication rituals for different paths, seeing so many empty slots still left her feeling dizzy.

Was this some sort of grind-heavy System? Did she need to collect 16 character cards?

What a terrible System—why couldn’t it just let her draw cards directly?

Xia’er closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then suddenly thought of something, asking the System internally: “System, if one path reaches the second stage and is saved, does it still count as collecting the first stage of that path?”

[Yes]

“Then… if I transition from ‘Judicator’ to the adjacent ‘Missionary,’ and save the ‘Missionary’ in another slot, does that mean I’ve collected the first stage of ‘Reformed Monk’ within ‘Missionary’?”

[Yes]

That was slightly better…

At least Xia’er didn’t have to drink every bottle of potion individually.

Still, it was a considerable workload. After calculating the known paths along with the blank potion shelves in the Derton Manor basement exchange area, Xia’er realized a few paths were still missing.

This wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight; she had to take it step by step. For now, she needed to overcome the immediate challenges.

Aivana, who had likely disrupted Xie Lun’s plan, must already be on the cult’s radar. As Xie Lun’s student, Adelle probably couldn’t escape the cultists’ surveillance either.

The question now was whether her real self had entered the cult’s field of vision.

Xia’er wasn’t sure, so she had to try checking through the simulation—to see if she had entered the cult’s sight before achieving consecutive wins on the Death Roulette.

Fortunately, she had a save file with the ‘Satarna Mark,’ which might allow her to infiltrate the cult at a certain point in time.

Of course, the prerequisite was finding a way to remain clear-headed within that cultist save file.

Xia’er stood up, put away the notebook given to her by the maid, placed it in her handbag, and then walked out the door.

“Could you please take me to the exchange area?” Xia’er said to the maid waiting outside the door.

She no longer intended to gamble on the Death Roulette. Xia’er only wanted to quickly purchase the necessary Potions and Replication Rituals and leave Derton Manor.

The maid led Xia’er away from the rest area and toward the basement. At the entrance of the basement, Xia’er saw Aivana and Adelle talking outside the exchange area.

“Xia’er, where did you go? You disappeared in a blink.”

Aivana looked relieved upon seeing Xia’er. She had momentarily worried that Xia’er had wandered off and gotten lost.

After all, it was Xia’er’s first visit to Derton Manor, and if she got lost and ended up at a gambling table, she might lose everything instantly.

And if she incurred debt and was dragged into the Death Roulette casino, the chances of survival would be slim.

“I had the maid take me to the rest area for a bit.” Xia’er replied.

“Rest area?” Aivana furrowed her brow and looked at Xia’er, asking, “What did you do there?”

“What do you mean, ‘what did I do’?” Xia’er looked at Aivana, blinking in confusion before hesitantly saying, “I asked the maid to give me a Notebook to jot things down… Does that count as doing something?”

“What?”

“Cough… cough…”

Aivana turned her face and coughed twice, masking her embarrassment before changing the subject. “Have you decided what to buy yet? Adelle and I have already finished our purchases.”

Xia’er held up the handbag filled with Su Pounds and a few chips and said, “I want to exchange all the money into chips first.”

“May I be of service, Miss?”

A nearby red-chip masked maid gave a slight curtsey and spoke.

Xia’er handed over the handbag to the maid, watching as she took it and walked towards the exchange area. A while later, the maid returned and handed the handbag back to Xia’er.

“4,500 pounds worth of chips, please review them, Miss.”

Xia’er took the handbag and took a deep breath.

Stealing money!

More than 5,000 pounds became 4,500!

“Since you’re a newcomer, we’ve given you a discount for exchanging chips. Please don’t mind it.”

The maid saw Xia’er silent and thought she might be upset about being given too much.

The maid felt a bit nervous, worried that if she had mistakenly asked for too much discount and offended the other party, it would have been offensive, after all, the thoughts of the rich are hard to guess.

“Thank you.”

Xia’er nodded stiffly and then walked to the place where first-tier potions were exchanged.

Aivana and Adelle had also finished buying their potions and were now very relaxed, following behind Xia’er to see what she wanted to buy.

With 4,500 pounds worth of chips, she could buy at most five bottles of potions. Choosing which five became Xia’er’s consideration.

Firstly, the “Gambler” path was definitely ruled out. Besides the reason that non-Derton Manor members couldn’t purchase it, if Xia’er wanted to advance, she could directly enter the simulation, come to the manor, and execute fifty people, even without wasting more Mortality Points to exchange.

As her execution proficiency improved, Xia’er would definitely kill faster next time, saving time.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to check the Replication Rituals beforehand and then buy potions. Xia’er could only rely on her memory from flipping through notes at Aivana’s house and the names of the potions themselves to speculate on the rituals, thus trying to select potions whose rituals she might have already completed.

Xia’er bought the “Blood Painter,” “Adventurer,” “Inspector,” “Butcher,” and “Coroner” potions.

With the remaining chips, Xia’er purchased materials for the “Instigator” potion. She only had some of the “Instigator” materials, but now having gathered all the necessary materials, she could attempt to brew the potion.

Xia’er also wanted to directly buy the “Instigator” potion, but she simply didn’t have enough chips.

Thus, Xia’er left Derton Manor with five bottles of potions and a few potion materials, following Aivana and the others.

Upon reaching the carriage, a sense of emptiness after shopping washed over Xia’er.

She looked at the vials stuffed in her handbag and felt her heart ache.

She had just become wealthy, but the money hadn’t even warmed her hands before turning into potions and materials.

“Then I’ll take my leave. Thank you for coming with me to shop.”

Adelle bowed slightly toward Xia’er and Aivana in gratitude.

“Wait,”

Xia’er called out to Adelle, looking at her and asking, “Do you still have any special medicine for Dehydration Syndrome? Can you sell me a few bottles? The money… can be owed for now.”

“No need for money. It’s not something valuable, and besides, it’s my responsibility to distribute it to more people.”

Adelle pulled out a vial from her waist pouch and handed it to Xia’er, instructing, “An ordinary person needs only one drop diluted and consumed. There are roughly twenty drops inside.”

“I currently live at No. 31, Gem Avenue, downtown. If it’s insufficient, come find me again.”

After leaving the address, Adelle bid farewell and departed, seemingly prepared to research the Replication Ritual of the “Plague Doctor.”

“Shall I go with you to deliver the medicine?”

Aivana opened the carriage door and said to Xia’er, “Anyway, I have nothing to do when I return home.”

Aivana knew that when Xia’er obtained the special medicine from Adelle, she would naturally think of giving a portion to her sister. Perhaps there were others she wanted to give it to as well, so she followed along to observe Xia’er’s usual social circle.

“Come on, the carriage is faster,”

Aivana offered her seat and said, “Delivering it a second earlier might improve the effect.”

Aivana’s last sentence finally convinced Xia’er, who no longer rejected Aivana’s kindness and directly boarded the carriage, reciting several addresses.

Since they were currently in the suburbs, it took about half an hour for the carriage to reach the first destination — Bern Private Middle School Academy.

The graduation ceremony had been held yesterday, and the items used for the celebration had yet to be dismantled. Only a few teachers were helping.

Xia’er approached a teacher, inquired about the Dean’s residence, and then returned to the carriage, instructing the coachman to drive onward.

The teachers assumed Xia’er had missed the graduation ceremony and wanted to retrieve her diploma, but Xia’er hadn’t forgotten what she had read in the diary during the simulation — she had seen Dean Jenny die in the Clock Tower Lane District quarantine zone.

Dean Jenny had also contracted Dehydration Syndrome.

Naturally, Xia’er wished to repay the kind-hearted dean who had helped her. When she arrived at Dean Jenny’s house, the dean was already lying in bed, barely alive, with only an anxious old servant greeting Xia’er.

After diluting a drop of the special medicine, Xia’er fed it to Dean Jenny, waiting until she appeared to recover from the dehydration symptoms before leaving the dean’s house.

The second place to visit was L Qi’s place in the Jewelry District. Xia’er handed the diluted medicine to L Qi, who drank it without asking questions. After a brief chat, Xia’er returned to the carriage.

During their conversation, L Qi occasionally glanced at Aivana on the carriage, making Aivana feel uneasy, prompting her to get down and greet L Qi.

The final stop was Amy’s house.

Baron Hastings had heard some rumors about the Dehydration Syndrome, and he was surprised that Xia’er could obtain the special medicine so early. However, when he saw the Rossul Family’s carriage outside through the window, he understood and accepted Xia’er’s goodwill.

Amy, on the other hand, didn’t care much about the Dehydration Syndrome or the special medicine. She only asked Xia’er why she hadn’t attended yesterday’s graduation ceremony and whether anything unexpected had happened.

It was clear that Amy, unable to contact Xia’er and forbidden by her father from going to the Clock Tower Lane District, had worried endlessly, fearing something had happened to Xia’er.

After chatting a little more with Amy, Xia’er returned to the carriage.

She had basically distributed the special medicine to all the ordinary people she knew. Next, she needed to prepare her own potions and replication paths.

She would study all the potions and replication rituals she had obtained so far, checking if there were any she had already completed or could complete multiple ones simultaneously.

Additionally, she would ask Aivana about Sathana and the cult at a safe place — Aivana’s home.