Chapter 23: Scattered Drizzle (With gratitude to Hua Kai Yun Yan Shu for their patronage)

[Page 1 of 3]

[Greetings. The Emerald Skirt North District Life Gene Archive is at your service.]

"Hello, I would like to query the personal genetic profiles of my biological parents and my older sister."

In a quiet and impeccably tidy hall, Hexia stood before a consultation AI terminal, her umbrella still dripping with rainwater.

[The query fee is 100 Federal Credits per person. Please present your identification and consent to a scan. This process will be recorded in its entirety.]

Beep—

[Identity verified. Beginning file search...]

[Greetings. According to the records, the probability of you being the biological child of your parents is 99.99%...]

Hearing this, Hexia let out a sigh of relief and continued to listen.

[Your genetic profile matches that of your late sister. While not explicitly recorded in the archives, it can be inferred that you were identical twins, or perhaps clones.]

Well, that was expected. Hexia had already arrived at this conclusion in her heart.

"Query whether my mother had any records of frozen embryos or fertilized eggs."

[This information falls under Federal resident privacy. However, according to Article 258, Clause 5 of the Resident Privacy Protection Act, after a resident’s passing, their family members have the right to know privacy information related to themselves...]

[Your biological mother, 'Gu Yongtian,' did have a record of one frozen embryo, which was retrieved after being stored for six years...]

So that was it. Hexia looked at the lines of data appearing on the screen, and after a long while, she ended the interaction with the AI terminal.

She walked out of the quiet hall, which contained very few people, reopened her black umbrella, and stepped into the rain-drenched world outside.

The sound of rain was constant. Countless droplets fell from the gray sky, striking the fabric of her umbrella, kicking up tiny splashes, and then sliding down the smooth surface.

Her mother had indeed been pregnant with twins, but for various reasons, she had not given birth to them together. Instead, she had chosen to freeze one first—the one who was frozen was her.

The umbrella turned slowly, flicking off some water. Hexia recalled her childhood experiences and wondered what it would have been like if she and her sister had grown up together.

Perhaps she wouldn't have encountered many of the things that followed; both her temperament and her cultivation of the transcendent sequence would have gone much more smoothly.

But there were no "ifs" in reality. The sisters had lived different lives and faced different environments. It was already impossible to maintain the synchronization seen in the legendary twins of history.

She could not accept her sister, for that would mean the annihilation of her own personality. Perhaps it would take much more—maturity in will, experience, and strength—to ensure she remained undisturbed by her sister.

Hexia looked up, her umbrella tilting slightly. Raindrops from the sky landed on her forehead and cheeks, sliding down slowly.

Although the sky remained gray, she could already see bright light behind the clouds.

Tiny water droplets condensed on her face and wrists, then transformed into transparent, spherical crystals and rolled away.

Crystalline Synthesis [Mythic Grade]: Everything gathers, crystallizes, and purifies in your hands; chaotic and torn wounds are restored to their original state. (Maximum bonuses to abilities related to gathering, freezing, crystallization, purification, and healing.)

Voice of Time's Strings [Mythic Grade]: Feel the rhythm of all things and pluck the strings of time. (Unknown; currently, one can restore scenes from the past by borrowing fragments and remnants of time, and even briefly reverse time to a limited extent.)

These two talents—Crystalline Synthesis was likely her original, inherent talent, two sides of the same coin as her sister's; if she was Crystalline Synthesis, then Temixia was likely Annihilation Quicksand. The second talent was related to being a "divine singer," and it contained many unknowns; she had only happened to use a portion of it that day.

The descriptions of these two talents were known to her after she queried the Federation's standards for talent ratings and various literature, followed by a self-inquiry through a special ritual.

The Sea of Ajeka was, in a sense, an imperfect wish-granting machine. It allowed the Sea of Matter to respond to the prayers of life, though such responses were limited and imperfect.

When another universe collided and overlapped with the current one, special particles from that other dimension seeped into the present reality. They acted as a medium, allowing the spirits of living beings in the present to interfere with the material world, thus giving birth to various magic and transcendent abilities. This was also the reason for humanity's rapid rise and subsequent destruction.

Human civilization has now experienced three great destructions and extinctions: the first occurred in the 21st century of the Primordial Era, the second after the Dusk Era, and the third in the Fifth Epoch.

[Page 2 of 3]

The matter had reached a conclusion. After that day, she had been forced to take three days off to recover and heal, and to look up the information she had left behind.

Now that she had dealt with all of this, it was time to return.

She found a public StarNet terminal and used its services to call a hover-car.

Minutes later, a black hover-car emerged from the rain.

Stepping into the vehicle, Hexia leaned against the seat and quickly fell asleep. She had been very tired lately, and no amount of sleep seemed to dissipate the fatigue—likely a side effect of using her talent powers.

Two hours later, Hexia returned to her front door and found two people standing there, seemingly waiting for her.

She shook the water off her umbrella, gripped it in her palm, and walked over.

"Who are you?" She wasn't as afraid as she used to be.

"Miss Hexia! We... we are Brother Long's subordinates." The chubby man introduced himself, and it was clear he was nervous.

"Hmm?" Hexia tilted her head. She knew who Qiao Long was; he was the man who had attacked her that day.

"What did Qiao Long send you here for? I said that our grievances were settled. Is he still dissatisfied?"

"This..." The chubby man was anxious, and his companion stepped in to explain.

"It's like this: our boss wants to apologize and offer compensation, but he is still in the hospital recovering, so he entrusted us to come." Seeing that Hexia remained unmoved, he spoke a bit faster.

"The boss said he accidentally broke your things, so he asked us to bring these to you." He kicked the man next to him.

"Yes, yes, let me open it for you to see." The chubby man picked up a silver case from his side and opened it horizontally, revealing three transparent boxes. Inside each was a flagship-model personal terminal.

"This is the 'Ink Painting: Grasping Things 2707' from the Moyun Workshop. Based on the flagship 2700, it adds a phoenix motif and the 'Condensed Ink' frame system, which can generate a transparent barrier of up to 20 square meters to block sound, rain, attacks, and harassment."

"This is the 'Splendor: Rorella H4-Blue' from the Sheria Group, a custom version of the latest 'Splendor: Rorella H4.' It features a quicksand-blue coating, can isolate various interferences, and maintains stable, efficient operation. It's a great assistant for all kinds of work."

"And the 'Anthem: Opera F-192' from the Seven-Melody Sacred Sound. Its included Seven-Fold Calming Altar inscription system allows you to set up a calming altar anywhere to assist in your cultivation of transcendent sequences and meditation."

They had really put some thought into these selections, Hexia thought to herself.

The Moyun Workshop's product focused on elegance and versatility in daily life; the Sheria Group's product was famous for professional precision and analytical assistance; as for the Seven-Melody Sacred Sound, it wasn't even a Federal product but an import from a distant land, highly beneficial for cultivation. Hexia had heard of it before but had never seen one.

"Are you asking me to pick one?"

"No, no, they are all for you as an apology." The two replied in succession.

"This is a bit too much." Hexia shook her head. The cheapest one was probably worth 30,000 to 40,000 Federal Credits, and the last one might be over 100,000.

"Please accept them, otherwise we really don't know what to do."

"Are you forcing me?" Hexia turned the umbrella handle, sending a few droplets flying.

"No, no, it's just... we're not good with words. We don't know how to explain it. It's just that if you don't accept, we'll feel sad. Brother Long doesn't want to make you angry; he just wants to express his sincerity. If the apology is too light, we see it as an insult..."

In their rules and worldview, an apology wasn't just about compensating for losses. If it were merely compensation, how would it differ from a court judgment? That would be an insult. Therefore, an apology in their circles had to be at least triple the value to count as basic courtesy and sincerity.

"Is that so..." Hexia listened to the explanation and fell into thought.

In truth, she didn't want to have any more dealings with people like Qiao Long. She might not be afraid herself, but Grandma He's family, with whom she was staying, had to live in this area for a long time. She didn't want to offend anyone to the point of no return.

"Alright, I can accept them, but on the condition that you never come looking for me again and do not disturb the people around me. Do you understand?"

"We understand!" The two replied immediately, appearing relieved and happy.

[Page 3 of 3]

"Good. Put the case down and you may leave."

"Yes!" The two immediately left from the other side. Although it was a longer way around, it meant they wouldn't have to pass by Hexia.

Watching their retreating figures, Hexia wondered how Qiao Long had described her to his men. By all accounts, with her current appearance—a normal 16-year-old student—she had no deterrent power. These two looked like street thugs who were often involved in violence; why were they so afraid?

Hexia had actually miscalculated this point. Qiao Long hadn't described her with many words. It was simply that after the two subordinates had sent him to the hospital, they were terrified by the massive wounds that had torn through his chest and arms. They had never seen their boss suffer such severe injuries, and the person who had supposedly done it was just an underage girl.

Moreover, Qiao Long's subsequent behavior was also surprising. He had repeatedly warned his men never to provoke that girl, to be humble, cautious, and extremely careful. This had made the already suspicious and fearful men even more panicked, assuming the girl was some kind of hidden peerless figure or had a terrifying background. That was why the scene just now had occurred.

Taking the silver case into the house, Hexia put away her umbrella and returned to her bedroom. After lying on the bed to rest for a while, she remembered something, sat up, and went to the living room to open the case.

She did indeed need a personal terminal; the second one she had bought had been destroyed in Qiao Long's attack.

Were all master-apprentice pairs specialized in breaking personal terminals?

She took out the one from the Moyun Workshop, started it up, began charging it, and entered her information to imprint it.

Minutes later, she dialed a familiar number.

"Grandma? I'm staying at my own place tonight to sort some things out. I'll come over tomorrow."

...

"Yes, okay. I'll be careful. You take care, too... Alright, I'm hanging up now."

After finishing, she placed the brand-new personal terminal aside, leaned back on the bed, and looked at the familiar ceiling. A wave of drowsiness hit her again.

I'll sleep a little longer.

The black-haired girl curled up on the bed, using the edge of the quilt as a pillow, and slowly drifted into sleep.

Her breathing gradually leveled out. A few soft, black strands of hair curved across her face, adding a touch of tenderness to her dreamy features. Her dark eyebrows would furrow and then smooth out in her sleep, and only after a long time did she become completely calm.

At 11:00 PM, Hexia woke from a deep sleep. She sat on the bed with misty eyes, dazed for a moment and nearly falling back asleep before she finally stood up to go to the washroom and splash her face to wake up.

As water splashed, Hexia looked at herself in the mirror. A faint blue light shimmered in her black eyes, which then transitioned into a hazy purple. She blinked, returning everything to normal.

Opening the automatic cooker in the kitchen, Hexia took out an old diary and wrote on the dining table.

"April 28th, Rain.
Fought with my sister the day before yesterday. It hurt a lot.
But I won, so I'm happy."

After thinking for a moment, listening to the steaming sounds from the kitchen, she continued to write.

"I need to learn how to cook, to make it as delicious as Mom's."

Then, she closed the diary and walked toward the kitchen.

Let today be the first step in learning.