Not long after.
“Here.”
Suddenly, Ling Qinghe materialized behind Silvia, her fingers elegantly holding two… room cards.
Beside them, Ling Cheyin hung her head, the rapidly dwindling balance on her screen still flashing red as continuous deductions occurred.
She looked utterly aggrieved, yet remained silent.
Ling Qinghe then led everyone outside, gesturing with her chin towards the west.
“You’ll stay over there.”
Upon hearing this, Silvia gazed at the building shrouded in a faint mist, a frown creasing his brow.
“Uh… aren’t we staying on a high floor in the main building? You know, the higher up, the more…”
Before he could finish, a room card spun through the air, flying towards him.
Silvia instinctively raised a hand to catch it. As a coolness spread through his fingertips, the words ‘Platinum Annual Card’ embossed in gold lettering leaped into his vision.
He flipped the card over, his pupils constricting.
Below, a concise line of smaller text read: ‘Full autonomous access to the West Wing.’ A phoenix totem, outlined with icy patterns, shimmered faintly across the card’s surface.
“This… has been booked entirely?”
Silvia looked up, only to see Ling Qinghe with her back to him, gently teasing a strand of her falling black hair with her fingertips.
“The entire West Wing is yours to choose from.”
“Ah~?”
Silvia was stunned. This side wing, comparable to a sprawling estate… could they really all stay there?
At that moment, Ling Cheyin bounced forward, lightly poking Silvia’s shoulder. She then clasped her hands behind her back, swaying on one foot.
“Let’s go, Silvia… ‘sis’~”
She tilted her head, giving a mischievous wink.
Being called by his name for the first time by the ‘little devil,’ Silvia felt a slight awkwardness.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably, which only earned him the girl’s clear, ringing laughter.
****
Immediately after, the four of them transformed into streaks of light, appearing above the side wing in an instant.
Silvia finally saw its full appearance.
It was like a crystal palace… ‘carved’ directly from a glacier.
Watching the expansive side wing, Silvia felt that perhaps this was the true meaning of going abroad.
Otherwise, having spent years in the skyscraper-laden Ephemeral City, ‘he’ would never have witnessed such a grand, palatial mansion.
****
Next, the four landed outside the deserted side wing. Ling Qinghe first swiped a card at the entrance, and the indicator light flashed green.
This ensured no alarm would sound upon entry; otherwise, any slight transgression by an outsider would trigger a blaring alert that echoed in all directions.
Then.
Passing through a corridor, the main building’s double doors automatically slid open.
The first floor was vast and towering, featuring a grand, swirling suspended staircase and a colossal chandelier hanging from the domed ceiling.
Ling Qinghe inserted another room card into the slot behind the door, and instantly, everything within the building illuminated.
The ceiling frescoes shimmered in the play of light and shadow, and even the ice-sculpted rosebuds in the corners seeped with faint luminescence.
“Come here~”
Ling Qinghe then beckoned to Silvia, a gesture of invitation.
Recalling that he was now Ling Qinghe’s ‘possession,’ Silvia obediently walked over.
Before he could even draw near, his cheeks were cupped by cool hands.
“I’ll need a bit more time to prepare the gender transformation array, perhaps a few hours. During this period, you need to restore your magic to its full capacity. Keep yourself in peak condition to minimize any risks.”
With that, Ling Qinghe gazed deeply at Silvia. As she released him, two faint red marks lingered on his cheeks.
She then turned, took her sister Ling Cheyin’s hand, and walked towards the swirling staircase, preparing to ascend.
Now, only Silvia and Xia Naxin remained.
At this moment, Xia Naxin stretched languidly. Having been awake all night orchestrating the invasion of the Monan Fortress, she was mentally exhausted, having overused her psychic abilities.
“I’m going to pick a room, then?”
Her voice echoed, drawing closer.
“Do you want to come along~”
Upon hearing this, Silvia quickly waved his hands.
He could feel his heart pounding violently in his chest. Ever since transforming into a male, he found himself uncontrollably flustered whenever he faced Xia Naxin.
“No… no need!”
‘How could he? He hadn’t changed back into a woman yet.’
‘Before that, cohabitation or sharing a room was absolutely out of the question.’
“Mhm~ Alright then, see you later.”
Xia Naxin, of course, understood; she preferred Silvia in his female form.
After a brief goodbye, her figure gradually vanished into the depths of the sprawling corridors.
Only the crisp click of her heels against the icy floor still echoed through the empty hall.
With that, Silvia was left alone in the grand hall. With nothing else to do, he simply collapsed onto a sofa.
As his breathing steadied, the ‘unobstructed’ magical circuits, which had doubled in capacity due to his gender transformation, began to emit a faint hum.
****
Meanwhile.
Upstairs, in the master bedroom.
Just as Ling Cheyin emerged from the bathroom, she heard the distinct ‘click’ of the door locking.
Ling Qinghe was leaning against the doorframe, stretching languidly. Perhaps only in this private space did she allow her ‘lazy’ side to show.
“Sister, why did you lock the door?”
Hearing this, Ling Qinghe merely chuckled softly. ‘Is my little sister worried I’ll ‘devour’ her?’ she thought.
‘She isn’t that wicked…’
“When you’re out and about, locking the door is always a bit safer. And~ with just the two of us here, it feels more comfortable this way…”
Ling Qinghe then settled onto the sofa, patting the spot beside her, signaling for Ling Cheyin to join her.
Seeing this, Ling Cheyin immediately scurried over, curling up into her sister’s embrace and leaning against her shoulder.
Suddenly, Ling Cheyin’s phone vibrated. She quickly pulled it out to check, only to find it was just a spam notification.
‘Oh, come on~’ she thought, her anticipation deflating. Her gaze once again settled on her chat interface with Qiye, which still showed she was blocked.
“What’s wrong? You’re~ missing Qiye again?”
Ling Qinghe’s arm, draped around her sister’s shoulder, tightened slightly.
Ling Cheyin gave a soft hum, then playfully rubbed against her sister’s arm, practically screaming ‘Please set me up with Qiye’ with her actions.
Seeing this, Ling Qinghe felt helpless. ‘Surely Qiye, that little girl, must have calmed down by now, after all this time?’ she mused.
With her other hand, she lightly swiped through the air.
Instantly, a magical phantom shimmered up from the ground. Ling Qinghe’s fingers delved into the phantom’s ‘abdomen,’ retrieving a tablet screen.
After a few presses, she typed only a few words: ‘Contact my sister.’ As she hit send, she returned the tablet to the magical phantom’s ‘abdomen.’
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a crisp phone ringtone sounded.
It was… Qiye calling!
Ling Cheyin was naturally delighted. After answering, silence fell on both ends of the call.
Soon, however, Ling Cheyin softly said:
“Sister Qiye~ After all this time, have you finally decided to call me?”
Yet, from the other end of the line, Qiye’s voice was cold, tinged with deliberate detachment:
“Is there something you need?”
Hearing this, Ling Cheyin immediately launched into ‘chatterbox’ mode.
She poured out her grievances, from crying under her covers when she was blocked, to her strenuous efforts writing ‘long essays’ late into the night. She questioned why she was blocked, asserting that she merely wanted to invite Qiye out for a night at a hotel, wondering what was wrong with that, and so on.
But as time wore on.
Qiye’s replies grew increasingly terse, her tone tinged with impatience. ‘Is this… any different from sexual harassment?’ she wondered, still on patrol in Ephemeral City.
Just as she was about to hang up, Qiye suddenly paused, pondering for a moment before asking:
“By the way, is Professor He with you?”
Hearing this.
Ling Cheyin looked at her sister, who was beside her, smiling faintly with her chin resting in her hand.
Seeing this, Ling Qinghe took the phone and pressed the speaker button.
“I’m here.”
A brief silence followed.
Qiye’s voice became hesitant:
“Uh… I wanted to ask, Senior Silvia… is he alright?”
Hearing this, Ling Qinghe did not rush to answer, but instead countered with a question:
“Mhm~ What’s the situation like back home now?”
Qiye sighed upon hearing this, then recounted the recent events.
“Sigh~ All the national news outlets are reporting that Zhennu Yibai is a traitor… and has been expelled from the Magical Girl Association.”
“Also, Xia Naxin, and you two… your identities have been exposed. Your household registrations have been revoked, and you’ve all been added to the latest wanted witch archives…”
After finishing, Qiye once again attempted to inquire about Senior Silvia’s well-being.
What she received, however, was Ling Qinghe’s laughter.
“Him? Heh~ He won’t be coming back… No one really cares about him anyway.”
“Silvia… he’s already embarked on his journey, traveling far away, wandering the world… So, give up hope, you three little juniors who didn’t properly ‘cherish’ him. You’ll never have a chance to see him again~”
Hearing this, Qiye’s voice was clearly choked with a sob, and for the first time, she yelled at Ling Qinghe:
“You’re lying!!”
After yelling, she hung up, followed immediately by a harsh dial tone.
Meanwhile, Ling Cheyin, who had taken back her phone, repeatedly refreshed the friend request interface, yet Qiye still hadn’t added her back.