“The time has come to deliver a ‘gift’ to headquarters.”
Ling Qinghe murmured softly, gazing at her communicator. It was time to move that crucial chess piece.
A short while later.
A woman with long hair cascading over her shoulders gradually materialized within the pale blue holographic projection. She was clad in a gown embroidered with stars, and a pink, diamond-shaped mark on her brow pulsed with an ethereal glow.
“Oh, Professor Ling, seeking me out so late… what brings you here? Could it be that my beloved daughter has gotten herself into trouble again?”
The woman raised an eyebrow, a cold smile playing on her lips. Her daughter was currently studying under Ling Qinghe, a subtle relationship that served as the most natural ‘shackle’.
“No, not at all…”
Ling Qinghe adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, then produced a plain white sheet of paper she had prepared beforehand. Upon it, several crucial words were inscribed:
“The Witch Cult, Dawn, Monan Fortress…”
“I merely have some information I wish to convey to Ms. Yue Nüqinghuan…”
“Oh?”
This transcendent-level magical girl, codenamed Yue Nüqinghuan, was clearly intrigued. After all, Professor Ling of Qinghe High had previously demonstrated her ‘divination’ abilities, and her prophecies had proven quite accurate.
Yet, as the woman discerned the white paper and black characters in Ling Qinghe’s hand, her pupils subtly contracted.
“Wait… the Witch Cult, Monan Fortress? Is this the result of your divination?”
“Yes, Tanhua City has been quite chaotic lately. The media even exposed Zhennu Yibai as a man… The more I thought about it, the more vexed I became, so I secretly decided to divine Zhennu Yibai’s fate, didn’t I? But the result was these very words…”
Ling Qinghe held the white paper, filled with the prophecy, before her.
“I surmise these words are certainly connected to Zhennu Yibai… That’s the Witch Cult, a menace to the world, likely meticulously planning a pre-dawn assault. I heard your daughter mention your identity, so I thought I’d make a contribution and report it to you?”
“Hmm~”
Upon hearing these words, the woman fell into contemplation. She roughly understood the situation: Professor Ling Qinghe had divined a prophecy ‘beyond her comprehension’ and wished to report it directly to her… which showed a certain ‘decorum’. Moreover, she was aware of Jialian, the Lily Goddess’s prophecy concerning Zhennu Yibai. Could it be that it was about to come true so soon? And to think, Professor Ling, a mere mortal with a knack for divination, had deduced it… Did this not imply that Zhennu Yibai’s ‘calamity’ was fast approaching?
Yue Nüqinghuan remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking:
“I will personally compile this intelligence and report it.”
“However, Professor Ling, you had best pray this prophecy isn’t mistaken. Otherwise, if it’s false intelligence, a waste of manpower… your position as professor won’t be guaranteed, you know.”
Hearing this, Ling Qinghe immediately ‘hurried’ to add:
“Wait a moment! Uh, I can’t guarantee that… However, great individuals don’t fuss over minor details. Besides, this is an opportunity for you; if you can shatter the Witch Cult’s conspiracy, you… will be the foremost contributor. At that time, simply give me a small boost, that’s all.”
“Heh heh~”
The woman chuckled, her image gradually blurring, and then the communication was severed…
****
A short while later, after ensuring the communication was truly severed.
Ling Qinghe’s tense back gradually relaxed. She crumpled the white paper into a ball, tossed it upward, and it dissolved into a scattering of starlight…
‘Informing’ carried risks. ‘The ‘false prophecy’ she had conveniently provided was sure to draw the attention of the Association’s headquarters. ‘After all, when did an unremarkable Qinghe High produce such a talented woman capable of divination? ‘They would have to investigate. If it proved useful, she wouldn’t need to be a professor; she’d be directly conscripted to work for the Association…
‘However.
‘Ling Qinghe wasn’t particularly afraid. She had always been cautious, preferring to work from behind the scenes, and few people knew her true identity. ‘Moreover, her magic was ‘hidden’ exceptionally well… ‘She could, at any moment, remotely distribute all of her magical energy to her magical phantoms. ‘This way, she would temporarily have no magical energy within her, appearing truly no different from a mortal.
****
Not long after.
Plum Blossom City, Magical Girl Association Headquarters.
In a long corridor, Yue Nüqinghuan strode forward in high heels, her pink hair falling to her waist, radiating invisible magical energy… When she paused before the secretary’s office door.
The two female guards stationed at the entrance found their pupils unfocused, suppressed gasps escaping their throats ♥. Their bodies pressed against the cold wall, their legs clasped tightly…
“Yue… Lady Yue Nüqinghuan, please… please come in…”
“Mm…”
Yue Nüqinghuan pushed open the door, her voice like a silken thread coated in honey.
“Come here~”
At her words, the female secretary, who had been organizing documents, trembled uncontrollably. A subtle sensation ❤ washed over her~ Her pen clattered to the carpet. An unnatural flush bloomed on the secretary’s cheeks. Her gaze grew hazy, her legs weakened, and she stumbled into Yue Nüqinghuan’s embrace, beginning to shiver delicately…
Now, Yue Nüqinghuan hooked the secretary’s chin with her slender fingers.
“Listen closely, my dear~”
Her voice, at times tender, would then shift to the seductive allure of a lover.
“I’m calling a self-initiated meeting. Help me convey this to the other transcendent-level female secretaries, won’t you~ ♥”
Yue Nüqinghuan’s words carried magic of the lust-inducing type, capable of influencing ‘lower-tier’ beings—mortals or those whose magic was significantly weaker than hers. It would cause the target to enter a state of unconscious pleasure and desire.
Immediately after, Yue Nüqinghuan briefly explained the situation, reserving the main points for the meeting itself.
Soon, the female secretary, her steps unsteady, left the office…
Yue Nüqinghuan, meanwhile, settled into the secretary’s office chair, picked up a compact mirror, and touched up her lipstick. She could hear the stirrings from the corridor—the female secretary was dutifully relaying the intelligence, her voice trembling and stammering ♥ as she repeated the information. This experience was not unpleasant; rather, it was a ‘joyful’ indulgence.
A short while later.
After delivering the message, the secretary even tagged all members in the secretary group chat channel… Afterwards, she practically fled back to the changing room, which contained not only clean clothes but also pleasure items ♥—it was simply too unbearable…
****
The meeting room was still quite empty. As holographic projections cast the images of various branch heads into the room.
To one side, Yue Nüqinghuan swiped across the magic touchscreen on the table, reporting her findings immediately. She deliberately claimed the credit for herself, omitting the divination details and marginalizing Ling Qinghe’s prophecy. Whenever peers inquired about the source of the intelligence, she would vaguely dismiss it as a ‘confidential channel,’ claiming she had simply caught wind of something. ‘As long as those at headquarters, whose rank surpassed hers, didn’t press for details, she wouldn’t readily ‘betray’ Ling Qinghe…’ ‘How could something like credit be ‘easily’ shared?’
And so.
The meeting had been underway for almost a minute. The staff member responsible for liaison with the Southern Border hastily drafted a document, tapping on their terminal to dispatch lockdown orders to various locations. The general instruction was for Monan Fortress, along with the entire Southern Border, to enter lockdown and be placed on first-level combat readiness… But just as the urgent dispatch was about to be sent—on the strategic map, the area around Monan Fortress… was suddenly engulfed in a crimson alert, and all communication channels displayed ‘connection interrupted’.
“What’s happening?”
“The signal was normal three minutes ago. Now even the backup communications have been severed…”
****
The urgent report quickly reached Vice President Kloxia’s ears. This usually calm woman arrived in the meeting room. Gazing at the flashing alerts, her pupils subtly contracted. She gave a slight nod.
Instantly, several transcendent-level holographic projections in attendance extinguished… They understood the implication: they were to head to Monan Fortress ahead of everyone else.
****
A few minutes earlier.
Over at Monan Fortress.
Xia Naxin, residing in the Inner World, had already covertly recorded… the locations and routes of all magical reactors. She had even located the core reactor. However, before disabling them, Xia Naxin also paid a visit to Monan Fortress’s main control room. This was the hub for receiving and transmitting signals. From the perspective of the Inner World, what appeared before her was—a colossal honeycomb briquette connected by countless pipes, which was the information nexus of Monan Fortress. These pipes maintained the fortress’s connections with various parts of the Iris Feather Kingdom…
And Xia Naxin, naturally, was there to wreak havoc. In the Inner World, she could freely manifest objects using soul energy—essentially, wish fulfillment—though it came with limitations… Immediately, a multitude of bombs, born from her will, materialized. But Xia Naxin was still not entirely at ease. She produced a small box containing the aurichalcite powder provided by Ling Qinghe… She intended to ‘enhance’ the bombs. Once detonated, they would not only destroy and affect reality but also disrupt the magical field within a hundred-meter radius… This way, all communications would be severed.
****
On the other side, ten kilometers beyond Monan Fortress.
The air fractured like a shattered mirror, and in the next instant, a crimson silhouette and a black silhouette emerged from it. It was Lina and Ling Cheyin; the two of them swiftly arrived at the Southern Border. This was thanks to Lina’s cross-spatial teleportation… Having recently consumed a considerable amount of blood and gradually recovering her strength, her blood-qi transcendent power could now sustain short-distance spatial teleportation.
“Keep up.”
Lina surged towards the fortress without a backward glance, a crimson afterimage trailing behind her. She caught the scent of countless fresh, sweet blood traces from that direction… Ling Cheyin tightened her grip on her magic whip, recalling her elder sister’s admonition, and followed suit, though she consciously maintained a ‘safe distance’ from Lina.
****
Meanwhile, at headquarters.
Kloxia personally convened the meeting; previously, it had been a self-initiated gathering of transcendent-levels. Watching the holographic projections of those arriving light up once more, she stood before the strategic map.
“It appears the Witch Cult’s attack is more urgent than anticipated.”
As she spoke, Kloxia called up the last footage transmitted by the fortress before it lost contact. There were no discernible clues; the troublesome enemy was hiding in the shadows… And had employed some unknown method to sever communications.
“Deploy ten transcendent-levels to immediately gather at the Southern Border. Ensure defensive preparations are completed before dawn.”
“As for regular transcendent-levels, well, guard your cities and be wary of mimetic beast attacks. Perhaps… the Monan Border situation is merely a diversion.”
Following this, Kloxia further discussed mobilization and deployment matters.
A short while later.
Kloxia paused, her gaze sweeping over the assembled figures, her fingertip pressing on Tanhua City’s location on the map.
“Additionally, notify Tanhua City Prison that they can begin preparing the teleportation array…”