The next morning, Ximo, who had dark circles under her eyes, took advantage of a break in her work to return to her room. She retrieved the black token from the handheld suitcase again and examined it from every angle.
But this time, no matter how long she looked at it, that subtle feeling that had stirred her memories before did not reappear.
The contents of the dream from the previous night weighed heavily on Ximo’s mind. She refused to simply dismiss it as a memory from this body.
She could reluctantly attribute the killing intent she had sensed in the Black Currant warehouse, or the inexplicable dexterity she had shown while weaving the flower crown, to muscle memory from this body. But the memory from the dream was different—it felt far too real, so real that Ximo believed it was something she had personally experienced.
But… how could that be possible? She had transmigrated to this world. How could she possess the memories of a little assassin disguised as a maid?
Ximo tried to recall her memories from before the transmigration—yes, though she wasn’t sure if it was because she had transmigrated once before, the past memories in her mind felt extremely distant, overlaid with a yellowish filter. But she was undoubtedly a modern person who had transmigrated here.
Moreover, it was because this damn system had botched her transmigration identity that she had ended up in “Ximo’s” body, right?
Ximo couldn’t make sense of it, but she had a vague feeling that this matter was extremely important—whether it was the content of the memory itself or the truth behind it.
“Spacing out, meow dearie? Buckle up and get some energy for the next task~”
The system avatar’s voice chimed in right at that moment, and Ximo felt a surge of irritation just hearing it.
“I really want to lodge a fierce complaint against you, you damn machine…” Ximo sighed, then suddenly thought of something. “What about customer service? Can you summon that customer service rep from last time? I have some questions for her.”
Ximo was thinking of System, the one who had appeared once right after her transmigration and called herself customer service. Perhaps she could get some answers from her.
“Customer service functions are temporarily locked, dearie. They will reopen only after you complete all the plotlines of the first major chapter of the original text.”
“Locked?” Ximo was stunned. “There’s such a thing?”
“Dearie, you can ask me anything directly. After all, I am System—just in a state where not all functions are unlocked.”
Hearing the mechanical, avatar-like tone, Ximo laughed out of anger. The system was technically correct, but the difference between the two was like night and day—automated customer service versus a live agent. She didn’t expect to get anything useful out of this damn machine.
So, that meant she had to find a way to complete the first major chapter of the original plot to unlock customer service, right?
It seemed that, in order to unravel the mysteries surrounding her, she had no other choice.
Though reluctant, Ximo sighed and said, “Fine, what’s the damn task this time?”
“Don’t be so down in the dumps, dearie. This task will be simpler~”
【As the sickly young lady of the Camberlan Family, not everyone around you is uncaring.】
【After being publicly humiliated by Charles at the ball; with rumors spreading throughout the city about your “debauchery and indulgence in pleasure”; and being forced to step down from your position as City Guard Captain. After this series of blows, your only friend, Luo Keke, couldn’t stand by any longer.】
【She took the initiative to invite the infamous you out for a day of fun, hoping to comfort you properly.】
【Please complete the plot task: “Accept Luo Keke’s invitation to go out and play, and complete the related plot (Incomplete)”. Warm reminder: Failure to complete this task will result in punishment.】
Ximo frowned, rubbed her chin, and nodded. This task was indeed simpler—at least it didn’t force her to play the role of a punching bag.
Just accompanying Luo Keke out for a day of fun shouldn’t be too difficult, right?
Soon, Luo Keke came to find Ximo and invited both her and Xiliya to go out together. The reason was that there was a chamber of commerce celebration on East Street in the next couple of days, and they could stroll around together.
It seemed this task really was straightforward. Even if the plot diverged from the original, Luo Keke still came looking for Xiliya, which relieved Ximo.
On the day they went out, the two arrived at the commercial district of East Street and waited at the agreed spot for about five minutes when a carriage pulled up in front of them.
“Sorry, sorry! I got held up helping Dad with work today,” Luo Keke hopped down hurriedly, then turned to wave at the coachman. “You can head back now, Hans. I’m shopping with friends today—you don’t need to follow me around.”
The taciturn coachman grunted an “Mm” and drove the carriage away, but Xiliya’s gaze remained fixed on him until the carriage vanished from sight.
Come to think of it, Xiliya recalled that Samuer and Masha’s conversation had mentioned something about “inside agents,” meaning there were spies for Samuer in Camberlan City, right?
During her previous visit to the Black Currant Chamber, Xiliya had noticed that their coachman didn’t seem to be a pure-blooded human. His appearance was mostly human-like, but those pointed ears gave away that he definitely had some beastman blood.
“Wow, the commercial street is so lively today! Come on, let’s shop around~”
Luo Keke’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the street ahead. The shops on both sides were adorned with colorful ribbons, and many had discount signs out front.
The chamber celebration was a customary joint event among Camberlan City’s merchant guilds… In plain terms, it was just to boost consumer spending.
“Luo Keke,” Xiliya said casually, “By the way, I feel like your family’s coachman is a bit too burly. He doesn’t seem like pure human stock, does he?”
Hans was visually over 1.8 meters tall, with a sturdy build, and his usual silence made him seem somewhat mysterious.
“Um, you’re right—he is a half-beastman, though his beastman blood is pretty diluted.”
Perhaps thinking of Xiliya’s current position as City Guard Captain—and how she had personally ordered the blockade against the beastmen clan’s attack just a couple of days ago—Luo Keke added an explanation:
“But don’t worry~ Hans is a good guy. Dad has him follow me every day partly to act as my bodyguard, but I’m not a kid anymore. I don’t need someone tailing me all the time.”
“Hans’s mother was apparently a human kidnapped to the beastmen clan long ago, where she gave birth to him. They say because he was mixed-blood, Hans got bullied a lot in the beastmen clan, so after his mother died, he ran away from there.”
“My dad took pity on Hans and hired him, so you don’t need to worry about him. I guarantee he’s no problem.”
Xiliya nodded thoughtfully. If Luo Keke was telling the truth, then Hans, having suffered at the hands of the beastmen clan, shouldn’t be working for them.
But since she now knew Samuer had inside agents in the city, she could start investigating from this angle.
