Xiliya returned to her room without lighting the lamp. Instead, she went straight to the cabinet and carefully picked up the worn Ceramic Doll.
Perhaps because of Ximo, that evening she recalled the past after a long time.
The Ceramic Doll wasn’t particularly valuable, but it was a rare memento—something her mother had bought for her while they shopped together.
Xiliya had been frail since childhood, and her mother had been the same. So, she had few chances to go out with her mother.
That time was special because it was her birthday. Her mother had forced herself to accompany her shopping for half a day and bought this small Ceramic Doll as a gift.
Thinking back now, for someone who had lived two lives, it was truly a distant memory.
In her memories, her mother’s face always bore a faint smile, but those pale blue eyes lacked vitality… just like her own back then.
Her mother had once cupped Xiliya’s little face with some worry and said, “Xiliya’s eyes look just like Mama’s.”
She had also said, “I hope our little Xiliya can grow up safe and sound.”
Xiliya solemnly placed the Ceramic Doll back. Those baby-blue eyes, once filled with cowardice, now burned with determination.
—
Three days later, on West Street in Camberlan City.
It was dusk, and there weren’t many pedestrians on the street. West Street was already a bit more rundown than East Street.
East Street was Camberlan City’s rich district, where the founders of nearly all the merchant guilds lived. However, they also bought properties on West Street—because the land there was cheaper and could be used as warehouses.
The Camberlan Family’s carriage stopped in front of an open estate. Luo Keke, who had been waiting at the gate, immediately came forward. When she saw who stepped down from the carriage, she looked surprised.
“Welcome… eh? Xiliya! Why are you here? Madam Masha didn’t come?”
“She’s too lazy to bother,” Xiliya didn’t give Masha any face at all. “She probably never intended to cooperate with your Black Currant Chamber anyway.”
Xiliya remembered Luo Keke. This young heir to the chamber had an enthusiastic and outgoing personality, and the Black Currant Chamber wasn’t willing to stoop to Masha’s level. In her previous life, their relationship had been decent.
“Oh,” Luo Keke sounded a bit disappointed, but she quickly recovered. “No worries! Madam Masha doesn’t want to come, that’s fine. It’s been a while since I last saw you, Xiliya.”
Ximo, who followed behind, also got off the carriage. Luo Keke’s eyes lit up when she saw her.
“Ximo, what a coincidence! So you’re Xiliya’s personal maid?”
“Uh, good evening. Yeah, quite the coincidence, huh.”
Ximo blinked, surprised to run into Luo Keke here—the same person who had helped her before.
Xiliya’s gaze swept meaningfully over the two of them. “You two know each other?”
“We met by chance before,” Luo Keke said with a grin as she reached for Xiliya’s hand. “Come on, I’ll tell you all about it later.”
But Xiliya didn’t budge. Instead, she turned to Ximo with a deliberately serious tone. “We’re about to discuss business. You shouldn’t come in.”
Ximo nodded. “Got it, Miss.”
“Eh, what’s the big deal? Madam Masha isn’t even here—what business is there to talk about?”
“Since she didn’t come, I’ll talk to you instead. You’re the Camberlan Family heir, aren’t you?”
“Wow, it feels like you’ve changed a lot since I last saw you.” Luo Keke didn’t push it. “Alright then. Hans, go help park the carriage.”
A tall, silent figure stepped out from behind Luo Keke. Ximo recognized him—he was the coachman she had seen at the tavern entrance before.
Xiliya gave Hans a couple extra glances, a flash of wariness in her eyes.
Others might not notice, but Xiliya keenly sensed that this Hans wasn’t a pure-blooded human.
And so, Xiliya and Ximo parted ways for the moment. Xiliya followed Luo Keke into the estate, while Ximo went with Hans to the back yard to stable the carriage.
In the pitch-black estate, Ximo walked along, nervously touching the necklace around her neck through her clothes.
She still needed to thank Xiliya properly for tonight’s events. After all, the task Xiliya had given her had indirectly helped her complete half of the System’s mission.
Still, this was her first time being entrusted with such an important role, so she couldn’t help feeling a bit tense.
On the other side, Xiliya followed Luo Keke into the estate and immediately spotted the lavish dinner laid out on the long table. The Black Currant Chamber must have originally planned to impress Masha with this feast.
The two sat down. Luo Keke poured Xiliya a glass of juice. “You probably can’t drink alcohol, right, Xiliya? Sigh, my dad even told me to open a good bottle for Madam Masha. Looks like it’ll have to go back for him to drink instead.”
Xiliya smiled. “Masha wasn’t planning to give you face anyway. I suggest you stop wasting time on her.”
Xiliya knew why the Black Currant Chamber had invited Masha tonight. The Camberlan Family controlled the city’s imports and exports, so all the guilds wanted to curry favor with her.
Choosing the chamber’s West Street estate as the venue made sense too—it was their warehouse, so they could naturally show Masha around and introduce their wines.
But Xiliya knew full well that Masha wouldn’t give any face to a chamber like the Black Currant Chamber, which didn’t know how to adapt… or in plain terms, wouldn’t join her smuggling schemes.
“Whatever, let Dad worry about that stuff. Tonight, let’s just catch up.”
“You’re curious how I know Ximo, right? Actually, it was that day when I was delivering goods to the West Street tavern—I happened to run into her there.”
Xiliya raised an eyebrow. “West Street tavern? Why would Ximo go to a place like that?”
So, Luo Keke recounted the encounter with Ximo in full detail during their casual chat.
“So, you were the one who suggested Ximo post a commission at the Adventurers’ Association?”
Luo Keke blinked. “Yeah. Your little maid is pretty cute, huh? What made her think of going to West Street for help?”
Xiliya didn’t respond. She hadn’t expected there to be this backstory to the task she’d given Ximo. She’d originally thought Ximo had deliberately played a trick by posting at the Adventurers’ Association, but it turned out it wasn’t even her idea.
Something like coughing blood could have been faked for her benefit, but investigating the chamber? She hadn’t been there, and Ximo couldn’t predict the future, so it couldn’t have been staged.
But how had this girl thought to go to West Street for help…? Another suspicion crept into Xiliya’s mind.
Could it be that Ximo hadn’t been scheming against her at all? That the little maid was just purely naive… and a bit silly?
