Chapter 96

“This was once a candidate for the Holy Maiden.”

Amy sat motionless, her mind replaying Xia’er’s words from earlier.

A vast new world slowly unfolded in her thoughts.

Amy usually enjoyed strolling and traveling with friends during her free time, her favorite activity being visiting small shops recommended by friends to experience mediums or divination. Although she never achieved any results, she found joy in these activities, falling for scams weekly, each different from the last.

She hadn’t expected that after choosing to go to Derton Manor with her father this morning, she would actually become connected to such extraordinary powers.

No need for payment, no lengthy incantations, no mysterious movements, and no boring meditations that made one want to sleep—just sitting there, the power of the extraordinary was displayed right before her eyes.

This time, it was real!

Amy turned her head towards Xia’er, gradually understanding the situation.

No wonder Xia’er always seemed so mysterious and aloof at the academy; she had long been part of a world Amy could never reach…

Now, such a world was presented to Amy.

Xia’er asked if she accepted or refused?

Amy was curious—could anyone really say “no”?

“Are you all… Extraordinary Persons?”

Amy scanned past Aivana, Adelle, and Nia, finally settling on Aivana.

Her intuition told her that this esteemed Miss Russell was likely the leader of this small group.

However, unfortunately, Amy guessed wrong.

Under Amy’s gaze, Aivana turned her head stiffly towards Xia’er, passing the question along.

Aivana was uncomfortable with being stared at so intensely by someone she didn’t know, especially someone who couldn’t be ignored outright.

“Yes, they are all Extraordinary Persons.”

Xia’er replied for Aivana.

“You have plenty of time to consider this; it’s not urgent.”

“I am willing. I want to understand.”

Amy nodded hastily, fearing she might miss her chance if she hesitated too long.

She finally understood why Xia’er had asked her to leave earlier; such important matters required internal discussion.

Xia’er nodded gently, then looked toward Aivana and Nia.

Teaching others about the extraordinary and becoming one oneself was something Xia’er knew little about, as she herself was half-baked and only had a shallow understanding of the extraordinary world.

Moreover, Xia’er’s experiences were somewhat extreme and generally not applicable to others.

Teaching others might result in unexpected outcomes.

Seeing Xia’er’s pleading look, Aivana sighed inwardly and spoke to Amy, “If you’re free tonight, you can come to my house for dinner.”

“We’ll discuss everything in detail then.”

Before discussing, Aivana needed to confirm the situation with Xia’er.

Xia’er wouldn’t casually talk about Extraordinary Persons to an ordinary person unless they weren’t ordinary at all.

Aivana had already apologized for her previous misjudgment—she indeed misread the situation. This girl named Amy might truly have some big secret.

After all, she was now connected to Xia’er, and secrets involving Xia’er were never boring.

“Alright, we’ll meet tonight!”

Amy nodded, then suddenly remembered something and looked at everyone, asking, “By the way, I have another question…”

“Am I now a member of your organization?”

Amy looked at Aivana and then Xia’er, her eyes full of anticipation.

Organization? What organization?

A question mark appeared above the heads of Aivana, Adelle, and Xia’er simultaneously.

After telling Amy they would discuss later, Xia’er took Aivana and Adelle away from Amy’s home.

The three potions left with Amy were unsafe, so Xia’er kept them for safekeeping.

Before leaving, Baron Hastings, who had regained consciousness, came out to greet Aivana, since he was the owner of the house. It would be impolite if he didn’t greet the guests from the Russell family.

Xia’er showed Aivana and Adelle Black Hastings’ body, noting that besides being slightly weak, he was fine. There was no need to use extraordinary abilities to heal him; he just needed to recover on his own.

Aivana’s house wasn’t far. After renting a carriage, they arrived at her manor in less than seven minutes.

The matters at Derton Manor were concluded, but many things still needed Aivana’s attention.

After confirming that the cultists planted within her had all died, Aivana instructed Nia to ride a warhorse to inform the steward and arrange for the workers to return.

Her drawing room had a large hole for days, and the stored food had gone bad. It was time to bring the servants back.

After arranging these trivial matters, Aivana brought Xia’er and Adelle to the study for their discussion.

“What happened to her, Xia’er?”

Aivana looked at Xia’er and asked, “Was anything unusual when she was at Derton Manor?”

“Yes.”

Xia’er nodded. These matters didn’t need to be hidden from Aivana and Adelle, and Xia’er needed their help.

“Do you remember the incident with the spiritual beings?”

Xia’er looked at Aivana.

“Yes,” Aivana nodded.

This was a significant matter orchestrated by Xia’er’s organization, a disaster for Extraordinary Persons.

As for the specific casualties at the manor, they would have to wait for further intelligence.

Calculating the timing, some relevant organizations should be preparing to investigate soon.

Adelle nodded in agreement.

“Amy encountered that spiritual being.”

Xia’er chose her words carefully and continued, “It seems she was mistaken for the Holy Maiden of the Arrival Sect by that spiritual being…”

“Holy Maiden?”

Aivana seized the key point and asked, “The summoned spiritual being was…”

“Perhaps because the sacrifices all had cultist marks, the ritual specifically summoned the servant of the Arrival Sect.”

“Servant of the Arrival Sect…”

Hearing this, not only Aivana but also Nia felt a chill down their spines.

Luckily, they didn’t stay there long, or

Something really could go wrong.

Moreover… That organization behind Xia’er is too audacious.

Sacrificing cult members to summon the servants of an evil deity? Who exactly is the cult member here?

This would even baffle the high-ranking officials of the Arrival Sect if they came to investigate. No wonder Xia’er was so confident before, saying that the cult members wouldn’t investigate further.

“What did you do with that spiritual being?”

Aivana pressed on, “Did you kill it immediately after summoning, or did you destroy the array after the summoning?”

If the servant of the deity were released, the entire Borough City would be in danger, and no one would be able to escape.

This is an uncontrollable and extremely dangerous factor.

Since there hasn’t been any danger so far, it means that the spiritual being must have been dealt with or sent back to the Other Realm. However, to be safe, Aivana decided to ask Xia’er for confirmation.

She wanted a clear answer.

“It… is still alive.”

Xia’er shook her head and said, “I can’t say whether it’s truly alive or dead in its current state…”

“It saw its Amy as the Holy Maiden and sealed itself onto Amy’s back.”

Xia’er took out the black leather bag and continued, “These three potions are left by the spiritual being for Amy.”

Aivana had been curious why Xia’er directly brought out three potions, from the “Reformed Monk” all the way to the “Radiant Bishop.” But from their murky appearance, these potions didn’t seem like they were made with fresh ingredients; instead, they looked like they were created using the flesh and bones of an Extraordinary Person.

Drinking such potions with unknown formulas would definitely cause problems, regardless of the severity.

“It sealed itself on the back of that girl?”

Nia, who had been silently standing behind Aivana, finally couldn’t help but speak up, puzzled, “Why didn’t I sense any aura of a creature from the Other Realm?”

This was something Nia was most qualified to comment on, as she would be the most sensitive and affected if a creature from the Other Realm appeared.

Even Nia couldn’t sense any presence, which means no seal could hide it completely.

“I confirmed it; the seal is indeed on her back,” Xia’er shook her head and said, “Moreover, the spiritual being sealed on her back has already killed someone.”

Xia’er then recounted how Amy described the incident where bandits were instantly torn to pieces. This sealed spiritual being could passively sense danger to Amy and eliminate those who posed a threat to her.

After listening, Aivana lowered her head in thought. After a while, she raised her head and asked Xia’er, “What do you think? Will she be considered a ‘Holy Maiden’?”

“I’m not sure,” Xia’er replied honestly. “But in her current condition, I can guarantee that she would be treated as a saint or holy maiden even if she went to the Salvation Goddess Religion.”

“Regarding the ‘Holy Maiden,’ I’ve heard a theory,” Aivana began. “I once heard that there is no true ‘Holy Maiden’ according to the doctrines of each organization.”

“They are merely some very special individuals, rare ones capable of resisting most pollution from the Other Realm. The organizations rely on them to explore and communicate with the Other Realm.”

Hearing this, Xia’er looked at Aivana in surprise and asked, “Are you saying that the ‘Holy Maiden’ isn’t actually something with a specific path, but rather a resource that different organizations compete over?”

“You could say that,” Aivana nodded. “But this is just a guess. After all, there are few existing ‘Holy Maidens’ and ‘Saints,’ and each is closely protected by their respective organizations. It’s almost impossible for them to be taken by others unless the organization itself is destroyed.”

“Two or three hundred years ago, there were frequent holy wars, but in recent two centuries, such events have been rare. There are few records of these holy wars.”

At this moment, Nia spoke up again, adding, “The main purpose of a ‘Holy Maiden’ is to communicate with the deities of the churches or attempt to communicate with other old gods, primarily to obtain the missing pathways for replication rituals.”

“If they can get the original potion or replication ritual from creatures of the Other Realm, they can reverse-engineer the pathway and formula for the replication ritual.”

Nia seemed particularly familiar with this information, knowing even more than Aivana did.

Hearing this, Xia’er nodded slightly, firmly believing in this explanation.

They couldn’t know for certain, so they could only guess.

But Xia’er had experienced it firsthand.

She had been suspected of communicating with the Other Realm and had been considered a ‘Holy Maiden’ by the Salvation Goddess Religion and the Arrival Sect multiple times.

Especially by High Priestess Yulis, who almost always found ways to bring Xia’er back to the An Su Church during simulations.

The three of them were lost in their own thoughts when Adelle, who hadn’t spoken until now, finally broke the silence.

“So what do you plan to do?”

Adelle looked at Xia’er and Aivana and asked, “Amy’s uniqueness will make her a treasure contested by different organizations and forces…”

This was a concern Xia’er had also considered. If they kept Amy with them, endless trouble would follow. If they let her go, she would surely be found by the Arrival Sect’s people—the most loyal followers.

Bringing her to a relatively peaceful and safe organization or church, where she could be protected, seemed to Xia’er to be the best solution.

“How about sending her to the Redemption Society?”

Adelle whispered, “There are doctors there who heal people—except for Xie Lun. If the Redemption Society has a ‘Holy Maiden,’ it should be better for ordinary people compared to other churches, right?”

Although she had left the Redemption Society, Adelle didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with her former employer. She added a few good words about the Redemption Society.

Aivana: “No.”

Nia: “No.”

Aivana and Nia almost simultaneously rejected Adelle’s suggestion.

“We can’t send her out.”

Nia shook her head. After a moment of silence, she said, “Before… I was a candidate for the Holy Maiden of the God of Order Church.”

“I know very well what happens after being chosen.”

The iron armor covering Nia’s body emitted a faint hum, as if the deep-seated fear and pain had resurfaced in her mind.