Chapter 527: Chapter 528: A Major Crisis in Life_1
In the afternoon, everyone found a place for themselves to rest one last time before departure. Qiqimora entered the treehouse, Lamia simply climbed up to the treetops, and Tony was sitting under a tree. Only Aiden sat alone by the campfire, calmly gazing at the flames.
The Goddess of Vengeance appeared next to Aiden, sitting beside him with her legs hugged to her chest.
"This atmosphere isnāt bad, a brush with death, and the male and female leads snuggle together by the campfire. If it were some other story, this would be the heartwarming grand finale," the Goddess of Vengeance chuckled teasingly.
"With an evil smile like that, the female leadās character seems a bit off," Aiden said as he poked the firewood, "Get to the point, youāve been pretty quiet all the way through dinner."
"I just wanted to find an opportunity to have a good one-on-one chat with you."
"What do you want to ask?"
"When you were nearly killed by the double-edged sword of vengeance, did you notice anything unusual?" the Goddess of Vengeance asked.
As expected... Aiden thought.
After being injected with medicine by Lamia, which pulled him back from the brink of death, the Goddess of Vengeance seemed like she had something to ask him.
Now Aiden was sure that the unfamiliar memories he had seen when he was close to death were not illusions. The Goddess of Vengeance had clearly sensed something too, but she probably hadnāt seen those memories.
"What did you sense?" Aiden asked in return.
"So I have to go first?"
"Of course."
"All right. At that time, I sensed the aura of an enemy on you," the Goddess of Vengeance replied.
"Havenāt you always complained about the scent left by the Conspiracy Goddess on me?" Aiden queried.
"Itās not the same. That moment, I felt that the aura on you became much more intense, to a degree that would normally make me want to kill you on the spot," said the Goddess of Vengeance, "I donāt think it was an illusion of being close to death. Your turn, what did you sense?"
"Life flashing before my eyes. I saw fragments of my lifeās memories," Aiden answered.
"Thatās it?"
"Some of the fragments were unfamiliar to me, memories I have absolutely no recollection of," Aiden continued, "I canāt quite remember them now."
Thinking back, those memory fragments had become incredibly vague, like waking up and forgetting a dream, only retaining the impression that they had once existed clearly.
There was just one image he had some memory of, in which he saw Aiden Galahadās face, but not in a mirror.
This memory clearly wasnāt his, nor did it belong to the previous Aiden.
"It seems your memories have been tampered with by the Conspiracy Goddess," the Goddess of Vengeance concluded almost immediately.
"Memories that donāt exist, either implanted or hidden, or forgotten and suddenly recalledāsuch things are a piece of cake for the master of āWisdomā. And because it was her doing, thatās why I suddenly sensed the presence of the enemy," the Goddess of Vengeance said.
"Implanted memories?" Aiden frowned.
The memory wasnāt originally his, so there shouldnāt have been any issue of forgetting.
So had the Conspiracy Goddess implanted this piece of memory in his brain and then sealed it away? Why?
"Then why did it suddenly come back to me?" Aiden voiced his suspicion.
"She must have set a trigger to make you remember it."
"Near-death experience?" Aiden was taken aback.
"Itās probably death. I fear those memories would resurface as you die. The closer you are to death, the clearer they become. Thatās my guess," the Goddess of Vengeance replied, "To verify this, itās quite simple actuallyājust let me conduct a deep psychic investigation."
"Forget it," Aiden chose to decline without hesitation.
The premise of someone probing the depths of oneās spirit is that the individual has let down all their mental defenses. In such a situation, the actively probing party can not only glimpse the other personās memories but also subject them to hypnosis or suggestions.
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Even if the Goddess of Vengeance canāt do anything harmful to him right now, she may take the opportunity to see some confidential information.
"Is there a way to unlock these memories?" Aiden discussed with the other party.
"Die once." The Goddess of Vengeance answered, "Becoming a lich through the use of top-tier necromancy should do it. Your prison surely doesnāt lack such talent, does it?"
"I still prefer having a living body..." Aiden declined.
In truth, dying once wasnāt impossible for himāif Abigailās resurrection technique was indeed reliable, he should have been able to cross over death once.
But without a life-threatening crisis, he really didnāt want to take the risk lightly. Moreover, he wasnāt clear if the memory block was worth the effort or even if the memories might be a trap.
"Forget it, letās talk about it when I get back to the prison," Aiden finally shook his head.
There is no need to obsess over issues that donāt yield answers after much thought.
"Has the prison turned upside down in my absence?" the Goddess of Vengeance asked with a smile.
"No, I trust that Veronica can handle most of the work," Aiden added more wood to the campfire.
...
Three days earlier, at the gates of Rose Iron Prison in the autonomous region of Silvertown, Veronica was worrying about a problem at hand.
After Aiden left for his "vacation," she managed to complete almost all the tasks entrusted to her very smoothly. The prison continued to operate stably even without the warden.
But unexpected events always occur, and to her, they were particularly troublesome.
"Well, the warden hasnāt returned yet," she said hesitantly to the visitor, "Maybe... you should come back later, standing here affects our work."
"Has he really not mentioned when he will return?" like the day before, the visiting lady held a ridiculously large bouquet that covered her face.
"Yes... he took a full ten-day long leave, and itās uncertain when heāll return," Veronica responded with a lack of confidence.
"I see, then Iāll come again tomorrow," the lady put the bouquet down, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face.
It was like a piece of art, Veronica thought.
Even seeing it for the second time, and despite being a woman herself, Veronica couldnāt help but be overwhelmed by the beauty of that face.
"What should I do? The flowers canāt be preserved for too long. If you donāt mind, please accept them, Officer," the lady said, offering the bouquet with a beaming smile.
"Thank you?" Facing such a smile, Veronica didnāt know how to refuse for a moment.
"If Mr. Galahad does return tomorrow morning, please give him this gift for me," the woman took out a small gift box.
"Okay..." Veronicaās instinctive response made her want to punch herself.
Why did I agree to that!?
"Ah, wait a moment." The lady suddenly took back the gift box she had extended, kissed it, and left a clear lipstick mark on it.
Veronica froze on the spot.
She felt completely thrown off.
"Now, itās okay." She smiled and handed the gift to Veronica again, "Hmm? Officer?"
Veronica, twenty-three years old, after clearing her false charges, once again faced a major crisis in her life.