Chapter 175 - 4.1

After her eventual death, Xu Jiaqi's soul was rescued by the System and brought back to the System space, where her consciousness came back online.

[Welcome back, Host. How are you feeling? Would you like to take a rest first?] The System inquired, running a safety check over Xu Jiaqi and making sure that nothing was out of the ordinary.

The agent in question plopped her body down on the bed. Although travelling through the spatial dimensions was supposed to take a toll on her body, her perks as a transmigrating agent covered all of it to the point that she actually felt rather refreshed now that she was back in the space.

The space had a special feel to it that consoled her soul. She could tell that in here, her soul would be in its most stable state. Which was obviously understandable, since this was the place her soul was bound to in reality after having died in her original world.

Oh, that statement should be false. 'One of' her original worlds.

She still hadn't figured out a single thing about her absurd past, so there was that.

"Yeah.. I'll take a rest. You're going to receive the assessment, right? Do wake me up once you return." Xu Jiaqi could still feel that her entire being was heavier than normal after returning, so she closed her eyes shut to rest.

[Alright, Host! This world.. your death was from a natural cause, and you didn't cause that much trouble since you bothered to fix and balance everything after each move you made. The System should be kind to you and give you the highest grade, since I don't see anything wrong with the mission!]

"Mm. Good night, System." Not caring too much about the results at this point, she fell asleep, basking in the pleasurable feeling of her soul getting healed.

The System then left the vicinity to gather their profits from the Main System, as well as doing some other stuff.

[I am terribly sorry, Host.] The System wanted to apologize profusely, but he was unable to say it straight to her face for fear of what she would think of him.

As far as he was concerned, the only way to securely move around this matter is to make the Host forget about what happened with 'that soul' entirely. Now that they were both back here, and the Host was fast asleep, he would be able to perform the magic he had prepared for a long time.

_____

[Reporting. Agent Xu Jiaqi has returned, and her soul is in a vulnerable state. Requesting authority to overwrite parts of her memories to control the damages done by the 'target'.] The System spoke to an Administrator with great respect.

The Administrator was also a System, but one with much larger power over the Main System. In truth, the Main System was an inanimate object, unlike him. The Main System, which was created by the Creator, existed as an autonomous power who continued to spawn more Systems, which would then look for a task taker to work with.

This continuous cycle was what maintained the entire universe's balance, since there was tons of small worlds that had problems with it. The Administrator was someone who could tweak things in this system using the power invested in them. Naturally, their authority was also a gift from the Creator who bred these special entities to take charge.

Outside of it, he existed. The prototype System designed specifically for catering to Xu Jiaqi's situation. At first, he thought that he was the same with the others part of the System legacy, but his existence was a deviation from them in entirety. He was born from the Origin, not from the Main System.

A System designed by the Creator. He had a name, one that signified his purpose. But it wasn't time for that to be revealed just yet.

The Administrator received System's input and approved of it, picking up Xu Jiaqi's data and processing the world results.

[Mn. I have looked over your case. Good work for bringing her back here. She is competent, just like always. The missions were cleared with stellar results, Grade SS+. You will receive a generous upgrade if you maintain this streak of victory. However, regarding the matter of your authority, I'm afraid that I can't grant you the power. The Creator has said that her memories shall not be erased, but rather should be locked instead.]

[What?! But.. weren't her memories locked already from the start? She's beginning to break through whatever seals we placed on her. If we just continue to lock it up, then it's only going to be escalating the situation. When she finally realizes what's happening, it'll be all too late to fix!] The System was still adamant on his idea.

It was for the safety of his Host, no matter how cruel it was to rip the fateful pair apart. There was too much bad luck that surrounded them, no matter if they liked it or not.

Locking it up? This solution was dumb, and would only work temporarily!  Look at how pitiful his Host were! Complaining about her terrible dreams.. While he could only sit there listening to her pleas without contributing any help at all.

It was suffocating.

[Erasure is a bit of a tough topic. In the worst case, it could lead to the both of them being harmed. Her memories are incomplete, and her head is full of jumbled information. If it was only simple memories, then it would be fine, but the target was present in her life for so many years. What do you think could have happened in those times, especially if Xu Jiaqi is starting to recover her memories with clarity?]

[...Is it because their souls carved a bond?!] The System was shocked. If that was the case, then it would make sense.

A bond meant that their souls now contained a part of each other, being tied together not just physically, but also spiritually through divinity.

[Yes. Now that you've figured that out, you should know why erasure is not a viable solution for us.] The Administrator had no emotions as he talked, only paying attention to Xu Jiaqi's data as he confirmed the System's suspicion.

[Do not fret too much. The Creator has managed to form a seal that would be effective for at least one world. In this period of time, even if the target could wield his divinity and tries to break the seals, he won't be able to. This is a surefire method which we will use for the time being.] The Administrator added.

[..There better be a good, permanent solution ready by the time the seal is close to breaking.] The System was still vexed at the ending he had to take, but there was nothing he could do to defy the System's will. He didn't have enough authority to alter Xu Jiaqi's memories by himself anyway, he had to obtained permission.

[The Creator is working on it. You only need to supervise her and report any anomalies you spot. Your job is not to fix the problem, but rather as an 'overseer'. You might have gotten cocky after spending three worlds with her, but disposing of you is as easy as pressing a single button and exchanging you with another advanced prototype. I hope you know this well enough.]

[...Yes.]

[Now go back and tend to her carefully if you don't have anything else to do, child of Origin.]

[Ah.. One more question, please. Will the seal lock all of her memories? Then, the past three worlds will be overwritten as well?]

[That is true. The previous memories will be corrupted ahead of time, and locked up by the seal. She will still remember the concepts of divinity and such, but she won't recall anything about the target. In fact, as we are speaking right now, she is undergoing updates on her soul's seals.]

The System was silenced. 

The Administrator's words meant that the decision was already made even before the two of them returned here, but none of the news were relayed to him. 

They were dead set on sealing Xu Jiaqi's memory up from the start, his opinions did not matter to them. The reveal was a bit painful to handle.

The System thanked the Administrator and excused himself, going back to report to the Host with a heavy heart. He had to be extra careful with his actions, lest he get caught playing a suspicious act.

His Host was sharp, and it made him feel like he was treading along the lines of a cliff's edge, waiting to be pushed up by just the slightest gust of wind.

______

[Host! I have returned. I will present you with the results now, is that fine with you?] The System asked. He was worried on how effective the seal was, but he forced himself to trust the Creator's seal.

Xu Jiaqi didn't notice the System's anxious state and nodded in return. A text window packed with information instantly dropped down before her eyes. Looking over her results, she felt satisfied. It wasn't a futile thing for her to thoroughly pave her path to success before leaving.

This was her third time getting an SS+ grade, the maximum rank one could achieve.

Along with the announcement, she also began to feel like something was missing from her. What was it?

It irked her.

______

Xu Jiaqi: System, did you do anything strange to me while I was asleep?

System: N-no.

Xu Jiaqi: System, do you know that you are very cute? Bad children who lie will get punishments, you know~

The 'target': I'll serve the punishment in your stead, Qiqi.

Xu Jiaqi: ...Who is this again?