Chapter 102: Collapsing Body and Inspecting the Blood Array

Collapsing Body and Inspecting the Blood Array

“You’ve been driving all day. Go home tired and sleep. You earned 4 shillings more today than yesterday. You bought some wine to drink at home, then slept until tomorrow, forgetting everything that happened today...”

“Yes... I... I’ve been driving all day...”

Gem Avenue, across the street from a jewelry store. Ciel stepped out of the carriage. The coachman quickly turned the carriage around and headed home.

Just before getting out, Ciel’s save file transformation also happened to end. She now stood under the morning sun, her gaze penetrating the bustling street towards the jewelry store opposite.

Inside the store named “Crystal Clear,” a woman wearing an ornate jeweled mask and a standard dress meticulously wiped every speck of dust in the shop with a cloth, working diligently and attentively.

A woman dressed somewhat plainly entered the store. The woman with the jeweled mask greeted her, seemingly unconcerned by her attire, and began introducing the jewelry inside.

Ciel stood there, smiling as she watched the figure in the jewelry store across the street. Only when her body swayed unconsciously did she lower the brim of her round-brimmed straw hat and walk towards the right side of the street, blending into the crowd.

About twenty minutes later, Ciel’s figure appeared at the entrance of the Roswell Estate.

She skillfully pushed open the iron gate, closed it behind her, and walked towards the interior of the estate.

A reflection from the study window caught Ciel’s eye. She looked up towards the second-floor study and saw a suit of armor by the window watching her.

Ciel gave the armor a gentle wave, then walked directly into the manor house.

She could have chosen to return to her house in Clock Tower Alley to rest, but her spirit was simply too weak at the moment.

In previous simulations, Ciel had experienced sleeping through an entire simulation without waking up. This time, Ciel decided to come to Avena and Adele’s side, so if she overslept due to excessive weakness, someone could wake her.

She couldn’t drag her sister into this, nor could she involve Amy, who was just an ordinary noble. Now, even for such a small matter, Ciel could only rely on Avena and Adele for help.

It seemed Nia had spotted Ciel’s return earlier and informed the others. Avena and Adele ran out from the study and saw Ciel ascending the stairs in the main hall.

“Ciel!” Adele saw Ciel and hurried towards her, saying with a mournful face, “You disappeared when I woke up. If you hadn’t come back soon, Avena and I were about to go out and look for you...”

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Adele initially intended to take Ciel’s hand, but upon getting closer and smelling the thick scent of blood on Ciel, she couldn’t hide her emotions, froze on the spot, and after a moment, stealthily moved back a few steps.

Ciel’s condition seemed somewhat strange...

Avena had also walked up beside Ciel by now. Smelling the scent of blood, her expression didn’t change much. She simply asked, “My room’s bathroom still has hot water. Do you want to go wash up?”

“Thanks.” Ciel nodded.

Avena didn’t ask further questions, simply saying, “Did it go smoothly?”

“Quite smoothly.” Ciel replied, then swayed as she walked upstairs, disappearing from the three’s sight.

“Avena...” Only when Ciel’s footsteps faded did Adele cautiously ask, “Ciel... what exactly... did she go out to do?”

Adele was a “Physician.” For her Reconstitution Ritual, she often worked like a normal doctor, seeing patients and performing surgeries. She was extremely sensitive to the smell of blood.

This thick metallic scent clearly couldn’t be explained by blood splattered from just one or two people.

It was as if she had rolled around in a sea of blood. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Coupled with Ciel’s calm expression, as if nothing had happened, Adele, who previously had a very positive impression of Ciel, felt a flicker of fear.

“I don’t know either.” Avena shook her head.

Although she didn’t know what Ciel had just experienced, the exhaustion in her eyes was impossible to hide.

She must have gone through a major battle...

But where would a battle occur?

Surely she didn’t go to Deton Manor and slaughter everyone.

That was impossible; there was still a second-tier transcendent guarding Deton Manor.

This situation inevitably made Avena worry.

All three of them were in danger of being investigated by the cultists, yet Ciel shouldered everything alone. This gave Avena a slight sense of frustration.

A feeling of being a burden. If she didn’t work harder, she might not even be able to keep up with Ciel’s shadow.

Meanwhile, Ciel was in Avena’s bathroom, soaking in the bathtub. Her canvas bag hung on the door.

The pure copper bathtub gently swayed on its gilded cast iron frame. Using this type of rocking bathtub for the first time felt slightly unfamiliar to Ciel.

She was almost completely submerged in the tub. After a while, she slowly lifted her head, breaking the surface of the water.

Ciel looked down and saw that the originally clean water in the tub had been dyed slightly pink, radiating outwards from her.

This bathwater was unusable.

Knock, knock, knock—

A knock sounded on the bathroom door. After a moment, Avena’s voice came from behind the door.

“Ciel, may I come in?”

“Please come in.”

The bathroom door opened. Avena entered, holding a set of clothes in her left arm and a bottle of pale green potion in her right. She walked to Ciel’s side and handed her the potion.

“Adele gave this to you. She said it can wash off bloodstains without leaving a smell.”

After saying this, Avena placed the clothes aside, turned to leave, and closed the door for Ciel on her way out.

Ciel opened the stopper, brought the bottle opening to her nose, and sniffed lightly. A faint minty fragrance drifted from the pale green liquid inside.

As expected, still mint flavored...

After washing her body with the potion Adele provided, the smell was indeed gone, leaving only a faint mint scent.

At this rate, Adele would eventually invent something like essential balm... perhaps she already had.

Changing into the slightly larger black and white dress Avena gave her, Ciel picked up her satchel and walked out of the bathroom, seeing Avena and Adele sitting on the sofa waiting for her.

“I need to rest.” Ciel looked at Avena and said, “Study or here?”

“Here is fine.” Avena fetched a clean towel and handed it to Ciel. “Dry your hair first.”

Ciel put down her canvas bag, took the towel, and began drying her hair.

Washing off the blood smell and changing into clean clothes slightly improved Ciel’s mood, but also intensified the drowsiness in her mind.

After drying her hair somewhat, Ciel groggily walked towards the bed, took off her shoes and socks, rested her head on her own pillow, and pulled the covers over herself.

“Avena...” Ciel’s voice came from the bed. Avena looked towards Ciel and asked, “What is it?”

“Can you do me a favor?” Ciel’s eyes were already closed. Even she didn’t notice that she was no longer bartering with benefits when asking Avena for help.

“I can.” Avena nodded, not even asking what it was.

“When the invitation arrives, wake me up...”

“What invitation?”

“Deton... Manor...”

Avena’s pupils constricted slightly.

Deton Manor? Invitation?

Weren’t the cultists entrenched in Deton Manor trying to investigate Adele? Had news of Adele being here already leaked?

As Deton Manor’s highest-level black gold member, Avena often received invitations from Deton Manor, usually for new gambling games or newly arrived goods.

But receiving an invitation at this particular juncture inevitably made Avena think more.

And... how did Ciel know an invitation was coming?

Before Avena could ask, she realized Ciel had already fallen fast asleep.

Although curiosity gnawed at Avena’s heart, she couldn’t bear to wake the seemingly exhausted Ciel at this moment and had to swallow her questions.

Adele was also full of questions, but seeing Avena didn’t press further, she didn’t dare ask either, instead picking up the “Physician” and “Plague Doctor” spiritual notes she had taken from Avena’s bookshelf and starting to read again.

Time passed, minute by minute...

-

“Miss.”

“Miss, wake up.”

“Lady Avena.”

In her haze, Avena felt the cold touch of armor on her face. She fluttered her eyes open and saw Nia kneeling beside her.

Avena threw off the blanket covering her, sat up from the sofa, and through the faint candlelight, saw Adele lying on the other sofa.

Adele’s blanket had been kicked onto the carpet. She was curled up in the sofa, shivering while sleeping.

Ciel’s condition earlier looked extremely poor. To avoid waking her, they hadn’t chosen to sleep on the bed, leaving it entirely to Ciel.

“What is it, Nia...” Avena asked softly.

“Someone delivered a letter.” Nia handed Avena a black envelope. The golden wax seal bore the Deton Manor chip emblem.

Instantly, Avena’s mind cleared completely. She sat up properly on the sofa, took a deep breath, and reached for her neck.

She placed the “Sacrificial Saint’s Relic” she wore around her neck into her palm, gently traced the cage surrounding the relic with her index finger. Blood dripped into the relic, igniting a purple spiritual flame.

Avena’s body instantly went limp, slumping back against the sofa. After a few seconds, she slowly propped herself up and looked at the envelope in her hand.

She took the small letter opener Nia handed her, cut the wax seal, and unfolded the letter inside.

This... was just an ordinary invitation.

Besides Deton Manor rotating in some new games, there was also an event...

From noon on the 22nd until 10 PM on the 24th, the fee for exchanging chips at Deton Manor would be reduced to 5%, and the commission for reclaiming items would also drop to 10%.

This meant that exchanging chips now, 100 su pounds would get 95 chips, and items originally valued at 100 and reclaimed for 80 would now be reclaimed for 90 Pounds.

This event was... quite significant, but such events happened for a few days every quarter, so it was still normal.

Usually, when such events occurred, Avena would choose to visit and see if there was anything she wanted to buy, as Deton Manor always managed to acquire some interesting items during these times.

But why start the event specifically at this time?

Wasn’t the 23rd the day that Divine Advent Church Bishop arrived?

And Ciel... seemed to know all this in advance. Before the event even started, Ciel said an invitation would be sent.

It was almost as if she had watched someone write the invitation.

Avena looked towards Ciel, her eyes holding a complex emotion.

She reached into her pocket, took out a delicate small leather wallet, opened the golden clasp, revealing a golden pocket watch inside.

Avena took out the watch and glanced at the time, her brow furrowing slightly.

This... it was already noon on the 22nd.

How did Ciel sleep for so long?

“Nia, help me turn on the light.” Avena climbed up. The book resting on her chest slid down her silk nightgown and fell onto the floor.

She slipped on her velvet slippers and walked towards the bed.

As Avena reached the bedside, the kerosene lamp was lit. Looking at Ciel lying on the bed, Avena’s heart clenched slightly.

Ciel’s face was pale, her forehead covered in beads of sweat, as if having a terrible nightmare. She was curled into a ball, even her lips devoid of color.

Avena already regretted not sleeping beside Ciel.

If Ciel had held her while sleeping like before, she probably wouldn’t have had such a terrifying nightmare...

“Ciel...” Avena took out her handkerchief, reaching out to wipe the sweat from Ciel’s forehead. But just as her handkerchief touched Ciel’s forehead, Ciel snapped her eyes open like a startled rabbit, swiftly grabbing Avena’s wrist.

Ciel’s grip was strong. Avena’s handkerchief slipped from her grasp. She pressed her lips together, saying nothing, just watching the bloodshot-eyed Ciel breathing heavily, then slowly calming down.

“Sorry... Is it night already? How many hours did I sleep...” Ciel, having calmed down, released Avena’s wrist, her tongue involuntarily licking her dry lips.

The pressure on Ciel recently had indeed been excessive.

The almost non-stop simulations and continuous events had exhausted her body and mind.

And last night’s bloodletting nearly became the last straw that broke Ciel’s spirit.

She had a nightmare.

In the dream, she was lying in a hospital morgue, watching a red-haired figure wearing a hat, mask, and glasses, whose face couldn’t be seen clearly, repeatedly dissecting her body.

Dissect, suture, then dissect and suture again, seemingly endlessly. Even the mild excitement from adrenaline triggered by blood loss and the pain of being cut felt so real.

“It’s twelve o’clock now, noon.” Avena looked at Ciel and replied, “You slept for a whole day, Ciel... Nia, help me get a glass of water. Are you feeling hungry now, Ciel?”

“The invitation, did it arrive?” Ciel looked at Avena, not answering her previous question.

“It arrived.” Avena nodded with some worry.

“Thanks.”

With Deton Manor holding its own event, the number of attendees would definitely be high. Blending in wouldn’t be strange. Even if all those cultists were summoned, no one would notice anything unusual.

Even her own appearance there wouldn’t raise any suspicions.

I must... go check the arrangement of the blood array... prepare for the ritual...

Ciel threw off the covers and slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed. But the moment her feet touched the carpet, she felt a wave of exhaustion and collapsed weakly.

Avena reacted quickly, swiftly reaching out to support Ciel under her arms, helping her back onto the bed.

Why... hasn’t my spirit recovered much? Instead, my body feels even weaker...

She felt as if her body and spirit had reached some threshold. After that terrifying, endless dream, they instantly collapsed.

“Just sit tight for a moment, Ciel. I’ll go wake Adele right now.”

Ciel looked up and saw Avena quickly walk over to the curled-up, soundly sleeping Adele and shake her vigorously awake.