With the fall of the Twilight Giant, this wave of demonic beast attacks had clearly reached its last gasp.
As Commander Wang slew the last demonic beast attempting to scale the city wall, it signaled the apparent end of the battle.
Yet, had it truly concluded?
The Cloud Whale still hovered ominously nearby, its colossal eyes reflecting the cold light of death.
The war, far from over, would rage on as long as the Gateway persisted.
“Commander… we won…” A young warrior approached Commander Wang, their lips cracked from thirst.
“Do not grow complacent,” Commander Wang cautioned, his gaze sweeping over the battlements below. “They could return at any moment. We are still a very, very long way from true victory.” This formidable wall, forged from blood and iron, had stood for centuries.
“Commander, when will we truly win…?” The soldier’s voice was tinged with despair. In the recent battle, they had witnessed comrades, with whom they had shared countless days, reduced to bloody pulp by the demonic beasts’ onslaught.
“I do not know,” Commander Wang replied, “but I believe that day will not be too far off.”
****
Inside the lounge of the Gateway Magical Girl Command Center, Bai Zhiqiu sat in a chair, popping grapes into her mouth one after another.
“Master, aren’t you going to have some? They’re delicious!” Bai Zhiqiu exclaimed, promptly popping another grape into her mouth.
“You eat them,” Qian Moyu said, her gaze soft with indulgence as she watched Bai Zhiqiu. Appearing concerned that her little apprentice might not have enough, she subtly slid her own portion onto Bai Zhiqiu’s plate.
“Hey! These are Spirit Fruits! Be careful you don’t gorge yourself eating so many!” From an adjacent chair, Motong watched Bai Zhiqiu’s rather unrefined eating habits, her complaint utterly powerless.
This master and disciple pair seemed to treat her place like a supply depot; the master had taken a pure crystal, and now the apprentice was freeloading on her food and drink.
“Just a little bit! Must you be so stingy?” Bai Zhiqiu pouted, popping yet another grape into her mouth.
“So ‘a little bit’ means two-thirds of the Spirit Orb Grapes have already vanished into your stomach?” Motong asked, her smile not quite reaching her eyes as she looked at Bai Zhiqiu.
“Hehe~” Faced with Motong’s reprimand, Bai Zhiqiu simply feigned ignorance.
“Alright, alright, Motong!” Qian Moyu interjected, her timing impeccable. “Zhiqiu just single-handedly defeated the Twilight Giant and saved one of your Magical Girls; letting her eat a little is perfectly fine. Besides,” she added playfully, “if my little Zhiqiu isn’t happy with her snacks, I can’t guarantee that the wind won’t sweep through the canyon again, you know~”
With that, Qian Moyu extended her right hand, and a small whirlwind materialized in her palm.
At Qian Moyu’s words, a faint blush crept across Motong’s delicate face. Just moments ago, as Qian Moyu and Bai Zhiqiu were returning to the Gateway, a sudden gust of wind in the corridor had indeed billowed up her skirt.
Fortunately, no one else had been present, only the three of them; otherwise, she would have been utterly humiliated.
‘Next time I go out, I absolutely must wear panties!’
Motong silently reminded herself.
Before long, Bai Zhiqiu had devoured all the Spirit Orb Grapes. Feeling the surging magic within her, she leaned back in her chair with a contented sigh.
‘There was truly nothing more satisfying than a plate of Spirit Orb Grapes after a fierce battle…’
‘Unless, of course, it was a freshly defeated Magical Girl after the battle.’
“Now that you’ve finished eating, shouldn’t we discuss official business?” Motong remarked, casting a sidelong glance at Bai Zhiqiu.
Noticing Motong’s pointed look, Bai Zhiqiu wisely straightened up. Even with her master’s backing, she wasn’t truly afraid of Motong, the loli who didn’t wear panties.
‘However, she was genuinely quite wary of Jasmine and Yan Qingzhu. If Motong were to complain to them, she would be in for a world of trouble.’
“All done! All done!” Bai Zhiqiu declared, placing her hands neatly on her lap and batting her eyelashes at Motong in a playful attempt at cuteness.
“Since you’re finished, then let’s head to the conference room,” Motong announced, rising and leading the two towards their destination.
The conference room was located on the top floor of the building. By the time the trio arrived, everyone else had already gathered.
Some were familiar faces to Bai Zhiqiu, while others were strangers.
Before the colossal conference table, only two seats remained vacant.
Motong, without hesitation, claimed the head seat, while Qian Moyu settled into another. As for Bai Zhiqiu, once again, she found herself without a place.
“Bai Zhiqiu! Over here!” Yan Qingzhu clapped her hands together, then extended one towards Bai Zhiqiu, her invitation unmistakably clear: she wanted Bai Zhiqiu to sit with her.
At Yan Qingzhu’s bold gesture, nearly every eye in the room converged upon Bai Zhiqiu.
“So that’s the little deviless,” several Magical Girls who didn’t recognize Bai Zhiqiu whispered amongst themselves.
Having long guarded the Gateway, they had often heard tales of the little deviless’s fearsome reputation, yet had never actually met her.
“I heard she slew the Twilight Giant all by herself!”
“How powerful!”
“But I recall she was defeated by Senior Peony before, wasn’t she!”
“Was that really the case?”
“Indeed! Lady Peony even uploaded pictures of her defeat to the website back then. I saved them beforehand; I’ll show them to you after the meeting…”
****
“Master…” Bai Zhiqiu looked at Qian Moyu with a pitiful gaze, her meaning abundantly clear: she wanted to sit on Qian Moyu’s lap.
“Go on! Don’t be shy!”
Unfortunately, Qian Moyu misunderstood, believing Bai Zhiqiu wished to join Yan Qingzhu.
Realizing Qian Moyu had misinterpreted her intention, Bai Zhiqiu started to speak but swallowed her words instead. As she left, however, she muttered softly to Qian Moyu, ‘Idiot Master!’
‘What was that all about…?’
Qian Moyu couldn’t quite fathom it. ‘Wasn’t she just shy?’
Bai Zhiqiu walked to Yan Qingzhu’s seat and was promptly scooped up into her arms. Just as she was about to chastise Yan Qingzhu and Jasmine for betraying her, Jasmine, from nearby, handed her a bank card, tucking it into her embrace.
“This is the raise you were promised!” Jasmine whispered, “The password is the same as your last card!” After speaking, Jasmine expertly ruffled Bai Zhiqiu’s small head.
“Ahem! Jasmine, please pay attention; the meeting is about to begin!” Motong cleared her throat, lowering her voice, attempting to make it sound more mature.
“My apologies, Master!” Responding to Motong’s reminder, Jasmine opted for a more subdued demeanor. Before retracting her hand, however, Jasmine thoroughly enjoyed giving Bai Zhiqiu’s head a couple more playful rubs.
Those two extra rubs caused Bai Zhiqiu’s cheeks to puff out in a huff.
Observing Bai Zhiqiu’s annoyed expression, Yan Qingzhu leaned in and whispered into her ear, “Are you upset?”
“No!”
“Really not?”
“I said no, so it’s no!” Bai Zhiqiu retorted, glaring back at Yan Qingzhu. “Today, I faced Poppy all by myself!”
“That was my fault; what kind of compensation do you want?” Bringing up the matter, Yan Qingzhu’s face flushed slightly. While her actions in that situation were understandable, ultimately, she felt she had wronged Bai Zhiqiu.
Although she had valid reasons for her actions, she chose not to explain. An explanation might only provoke the little deviless’s rebellious streak; it was better to simply humor her, as she was, after all, quite easily appeased.
“Anything at all?”
“Anything,” Yan Qingzhu affirmed with a nod.
“I want you to…