Chapter 45: Huang Lingzhao's Reward

"Can this really be solved?" Huang Lingzhao's voice trembled slightly, her hands unconsciously gripping her notebook tighter.

Although "she" from yesterday had meticulously recorded this matter in the journal, she still found it hard to believe at this moment—that this knotty problem which had plagued her for so long was actually turning around?

Lin Xiao smiled and turned sideways. "Come on in and talk."

With Lin Xiao leading the way and Huang Lingzhao following closely behind, the two entered the same reception room as yesterday.

Freshly brewed coffee was exuding a rich aroma. Lin Xiao expertly poured a cup for himself, then naturally poured another cup of plain water.

He kept the coffee for himself and placed the plain water in front of Huang Lingzhao.

She froze for a moment. "How did he know she only drinks plain water?"

Yet, Huang Lingzhao quickly realized that "she" from yesterday must have told him.

A subtle feeling welled up in her heart:
To him, she was already an acquaintance he had met several times, someone who could even be considered a friend.
Yet to her, he was an absolute stranger.

This made her feel somewhat impolite, stirring up a desire to know more about Lin Xiao.
Only... what would be the use of knowing?
Wouldn't she just forget everything the very next day?

Ever since she turned eighteen, she had been virtually incapable of normal human socialization.

Right at that moment, Lin Xiao took out an exquisite wooden box, and from the velvet lining, retrieved the memory bracelet.

The Holy Spirit Wood bracelet shimmered with a warm, soft luster in the morning light. Its flowing cloud-like patterns and starlight were so captivating that one couldn't help but look away.

"How beautiful..." Huang Lingzhao couldn't help exclaiming softly.

"This is the memory bracelet I made for you. It can store ten hours of memories," Lin Xiao said earnestly, "and you can read the memories stored within it at any time."

"Really?"

This sentence acted like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of Huang Lingzhao's long-suppressed emotions. Tears gushed forth without warning.

To demand accountability from the ultimate culprit of back then, and to let her comrades who died in agony rest in peace, she had chosen the most agonizing ritual.

But had she obtained what she wanted?
No!
She and her successors had marched forward bravely and stubbornly, trying to advance the investigation. However, as the amount of information that needed to be re-memorized every day grew, they were reaching their wits' end.

Asking this question was not because she doubted Lin Xiao, but because she could hardly believe that she had truly waited for a turning point.

"I knew it would be difficult..." She choked back a sob, her tears falling onto the back of her hand. "But I never expected it to be this hard... Thank you..."

Lin Xiao silently pulled a pack of tissues from the drawer, placed them before her, and then stood up from his chair, closing the door behind him as he left.

Leaving the space to her alone, Lin Xiao quietly waited outside the door.

Not even a minute had passed when Huang Lingzhao's voice came from inside the conversation room: "Mr. Lin, I'm okay now. You can come in."

Had she adjusted her emotions so quickly?
Lin Xiao immediately realized that for her, every second was precious; perhaps this had simply become an instinct.

Returning to the conversation room, Lin Xiao began, "This bracelet has another very important feature: during the storage and retrieval of memories, the flow of time is accelerated by a hundred times. It will only take you six minutes to digest ten hours of memories."

As soon as those words fell, Huang Lingzhao raised her head, looking at Lin Xiao with reddened eyes.

If the earlier introduction had brought Huang Lingzhao hope and joy, then this current remark made her feel a profound, genuine care.

If he hadn't considered things entirely from her perspective, how else could he have thought of such a considerate detail?

This warmth was something she had never experienced in her past life, save for her adoptive father Yue Chongguang.

With careful, tentative anticipation, she asked, "Mr. Lin, may I... give you a hug?"

Ever since crossing over, Lin Xiao had heard this request far too many times, and he had always politely declined those overly enthusiastic women.

Yet at this moment, Lin Xiao answered without hesitation: "Alright!"

He knew this embrace was utterly pure—merely a young girl's gratitude, devoid of the slightest trace of impurity.

Huang Lingzhao took a small step forward, her movements so light as if she were afraid of disturbing herself.

She slightly opened her arms, her posture reserved and restrained—a social distance that clearly carried a tentative air.

Understanding her intent, Lin Xiao leaned forward slightly, maintaining a decorous gap.

Their embrace was light, resembling two leaves briefly brushing against each other in the breeze.
Huang Lingzhao's hands merely rested gently on Lin Xiao's shoulders, without exerting any real pressure;
while Lin Xiao similarly guarded her back with an open palm, not even pressing firmly against her clothing.

The embrace lasted less than three seconds. A faint gardenia scent lingered in Huang Lingzhao's hair—the scent of morning shampoo, clean and completely devoid of romance.

When they parted, the corners of Huang Lingzhao's eyes were still tinged with red, but the corners of her mouth had already curved into a bright arc.

She took half a step back and nodded in gratitude: "Thank you!"
Her voice was soft, yet every single word was clear.

Lin Xiao noticed that she quietly tapped the bracelet with her fingertips—the action used to store memories into it.

Was she storing the memory of this very embrace?

"Thank you for the memory bracelet! I love it very much!" Huang Lingzhao expressed her gratitude once more.

"I'm glad it's useful to you!" Lin Xiao smiled and said.

Hesitating for a moment, Huang Lingzhao spoke softly, "About the compensation for this bracelet..."

"You don't need to put any psychological burden on yourself. Just take the bracelet and use it for now. Don't worry about owing me; you are someone who possesses an Eighth-Tier Agony Ritual, and your favor is extremely valuable. Even if you can't afford the compensation right now, you will definitely be able to pay me back with interest in the future," Lin Xiao said with a smile.

He knew very well that Huang Lingzhao could not possibly afford the value of this Tier 4 transcendental artifact at present.

However, that did not mean Lin Xiao intended to give it away for free. Small gifts between friends were harmless, but when it came to such precious transcendental artifacts, accounts had to be settled clearly even between brothers.

In all likelihood, Huang Lingzhao would eventually become a top-tier Eighth-Tier esper, and might even have the chance to step into the legendary Ninth-Tier supreme realm. Lin Xiao had zero doubts about her ability to repay the debt.

Although Lin Xiao relaxed the repayment timeline, Huang Lingzhao shook her head. "No, I want to repay you right now. There are too many uncertainties in the future, and I can't let you take a loss."

"Then how do you plan to repay me?" Seeing her persistence, Lin Xiao grew rather curious.

"When you used the Holy Spirit Wood to make this bracelet, you must have had quite a bit of material left over, right?" Huang Lingzhao asked with a confident tone.

"Mhm, half a piece of material is left," Lin Xiao nodded.

"Give me the remaining half piece, and I will use my innate ability to make a transcendental artifact for you," Huang Lingzhao declared.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao burst into amusement: "You know how to craft transcendental artifacts?"

"No!" she answered quite righteously.

"Then you're still going to help me make one? What if you ruin the material?"

"Don't worry, I plan to 'borrow' your ability to make it."

Lin Xiao: "???"

What kind of magical ability was this supposed to be?
Was she planning to turn this ability into a transcendental artifact and give it to him?