In the distance, the city’s outline was already faintly visible. After flying a few more minutes, the two of them would reach their destination.
They had set out at eight in the morning, so when they arrived in Jidong City, they’d even have time for lunch.
That’s just how fast a Magical Girl could be.
“But your transformation is acting up, too.” Looking at the transformed Lord Dark Moth version of Luo Shuangyue, a trace of worry flashed in Xia Mo’s eyes.
Compared to her previous transformation, which was purely butterfly-themed, the current Lord Dark Moth had added features that didn’t belong to a butterfly.
The ribbons wrapped around her calves and feet had been replaced by thorns, and the hair tie that bound Lord Dark Moth’s gray-white hair into a whip had also turned into a spiky branch.
All of this told Xia Mo that Lord Dark Moth was changing.
“I don’t really feel anything wrong, just that I can’t quite control the power in my body.” More accurately, Luo Shuangyue’s body was suddenly flooded with a huge amount of Magic Power, far beyond what she could handle.
In those old fantasy novels, it’d be like she overdosed on Dan Medicine and ended up with an unstable foundation.
An unstable foundation was a small matter—she could fix that with more training.
The real problem was that the Dan Medicine was toxic, so she had to come to Jidong City and find a doctor who could detoxify her.
“But I can’t even touch you now. Are you sure there’s no problem?” Xia Mo’s eyes were uneasy.
Luo Shuangyue was basically a hedgehog at the moment, unable to take any external stimulus.
Even the slightest touch would cause her to unconsciously lash out with spikes.
It was okay if she herself knew this, but if someone who didn’t know patted Luo Shuangyue’s shoulder, their hand would get run through by her spikes.
That’s not something you could explain away easily.
“As long as no one touches me, I’ll be fine. My safety these days is in your hands, Miss Rosemary.” Luo Shuangyue playfully winked at Xia Mo.
For some reason, Lord Dark Moth-mode Shuangyue seemed to be getting more and more into character… Xia Mo’s gaze grew even more uncertain.
That charming look just now made her seriously question Luo Shuangyue’s current mental state.
Right now, it felt like Lord Dark Moth was the truest, most unrestrained version of Luo Shuangyue.
And that older-brother/childhood-friend version of Luo Shuangyue was the real act.
Was Lord Dark Moth possessing Luo Shuangyue? How could she have such a dream?
“When we get back, go shopping with me.” Xia Mo suddenly said.
“Why?”
“I came all this way with you. Aren’t you going to give me some reward?”
“Just say what you want. You make it sound like I’m some kind of ungrateful scoundrel.” Luo Shuangyue was a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t considered this at all and just took it for granted.
It was only after Xia Mo reminded her that she realized—oh, right, I really should thank Xia Mo.
“All I want is for you to spend a whole day with me. That day, you can’t put on a sour face, you can’t act impatient, and whatever I say, you do. Whatever I ask you to wear, you wear.” Xia Mo crossed her arms and spoke with utmost seriousness.
“That’s quite a lot of demands…”
“Hmm?”
“I promise to meet your demands!”
“Okay.”
After agreeing to Xia Mo’s request, Luo Shuangyue felt a little weird inside. Why did Xia Mo’s demands sound so strange?
It felt like these demands should be made of Luo Shuangyue the lover, not Lord Dark Moth.
Surely Xia Mo hadn’t fallen for Lord Dark Moth instead, had she?
Am I really that impressive? This was a brand new experience for Luo Shuangyue.
Actually, for anyone else, it would be a first too…
“Hey, you two up ahead—stop right there!”
Just as the two were discussing what to do after returning from Jidong City, a strong, clear voice called out in front of them.
“This is Jidong City up ahead. What are you doing here?”
A girl in a blue-and-white long dress blocked Xia Mo and Luo Shuangyue in the air.
In her hand she held a distinctive magic wand, and the aura she gave off was similar to Luo Shuangxing and Xiao Mimi.
A New Bud Level Magical Girl?
Compared to talent-scarce Xinghai City, Jidong City had a lot more Magical Girls.
Between those in the Magic Department and those outside it, there were probably twenty or thirty.
With so many Magical Girls, it made sense that a few would be sent to patrol the city’s outskirts every day.
“We’re Magical Girls from Xinghai City, here to look for Senior Soul Summoner Princess.” Xia Mo replied with a warm, spring-like smile.
Seeing Xia Mo’s friendly attitude, the Magical Girl blocking their path relaxed a bit. So they were just looking for someone.
“You picked a bad time. Right now, Jidong City is letting people in but not out. If you go in now, there’s no telling when you’ll be able to leave.”
“Why?” Xia Mo asked in confusion.
The lockdown in Xinghai City was almost over, so why was Jidong City still under martial law? Had something happened here?
Had another Royal-Class Magic Beast sneaked in?
“You’re from Xinghai City, you can’t not know what the biggest news has been lately, right?” The Magical Girl from Jidong City rolled her eyes.
Wasn’t it all because of that Royal-Class Magic Beast?
Sure, that Magic Beast ran away, but the sprawling organization it left behind was still lingering.
To root out the whole group, Jidong City’s Magic Department had been busy for days.
To prevent members of the organization from escaping, the Magic Department had firmly sealed the city, and no one could leave until it was over.
If Xia Mo and Luo Shuangyue entered Jidong City now, there was no telling when they’d be allowed out.
“With the strength of Jidong City’s Magic Department, you should be able to handle a leaderless organization, shouldn’t you? It’s been over a week since the Royal-Class Magic Beast fled…” Doubt flickered in Luo Shuangyue’s eyes.
How could an organization without a leader survive over a week under the Magic Department’s investigation?
Shouldn’t it be over in a day or two?
“That Royal-Class Magic Beast’s organization is really hard to pin down. Even after a week of hard work, the seniors have only uncovered a few scraps.” The blue-and-white Magical Girl scratched her head, troubled.
It was bizarre—the Magic Department had found the Royal-Class Magic Beast, but couldn’t get a handle on the organization it left behind.
“Anyway, are you coming in or not? If not, you’d better head home. The seniors in the city are in a bad mood right now—they won’t go easy on you.”
That much was clear.
Even this little New Bud was snapping at two Initial Blooms; clearly, she’d been worn out these past few days.
Luo Shuangyue and Xia Mo exchanged a glance. No matter what, they had to enter Jidong City to find the Soul Summoner Princess.
As for the “only in, no out” rule, that was probably for ordinary people. As Magical Girls, they just had to give the Magic Department a heads up if they wanted to leave.
No way they’d actually be held captive, right?
Even if they really couldn’t leave, Luo Shuangyue doubted the Magic Department would take that long to handle a headless evil organization.
Maybe as soon as they finished with the doctor, the city would be open again.
So, “We’re going in!”
Xia Mo nodded in agreement with Luo Shuangyue’s thoughts.
No matter what, they’d see the doctor first. Even if they got trapped in Jidong City, so what?
At worst, they could treat it as some time alone together. Xia Mo certainly didn’t mind being with Luo Shuangyue for a few extra days.
“This Royal-Class Magic Beast is useless at everything else, but it sure knows how to mess with people.” About ten photos were stuck to the White Board, crisscrossed by Black Thread, a tangle that made the eyes swim.
A girl dressed in a Red Shrine Maiden Outfit glared helplessly at the impossibly complex web of connections and let out a long, frustrated sigh.
The lines ran top to bottom, each using secret Magic Creature codes—impossible to imitate even if they tried.
Some people involved didn’t even know they were working for Magic Creatures; by the end, all the clues just broke off.
“Flame Princess, you’re still looking at that stuff?” Another girl walked in from outside, poking her head in to look at what the shrine maiden was studying.
“Xuan, how did you do today?” The girl called Flame Princess looked toward the newcomer, not answering her question.
The girl shrugged. “I found a few more small fry, but nothing decisive.
Also, my name is Lin Xixuan. Can you just call me Xixuan?”
This friend of hers was fine in every way except for not calling people by name.
“One syllable rolls off the tongue easier, Xuan-chan.”
“Hey!”
“The Magic Creatures were about to launch a big plan before we discovered them. We need to figure out exactly what they were up to.” Flame Princess naturally changed the subject.
Lin Xixuan could only give a helpless “Here we go again” face.
What else could she do? This girl just loved to do that.
As for the matter Flame Princess mentioned, Lin Xixuan knew all about it, but the details they’d found so far were nowhere near enough to piece together the truth.
The Magic Creatures had a plot, but the Magic Creature was already dead. What exactly it was planning was now an unknown.
“That thing’s already been taken out by White Night in Xinghai City. Without a leader, their scheme is over. All the main people in its organization have been arrested—shouldn’t we lift the city lockdown?”
“No, not yet. Look here.” Flame Princess shook her head firmly.
She pointed to the tangled relationship web on the White Board and spoke each word clearly: “There’s still a key person we haven’t caught!”
“I’ve already found a clue. If we follow this thread, we’ll definitely catch that guy’s tail!”
Demon One through Demon Four were the Royal-Class Magic Beast’s loyal guards, but they weren’t the ones actually doing the dirty work.
The person who built bridges for the Royal-Class Magic Beast and singlehandedly connected with all the captured lackeys was still hiding in the shadows, not yet apprehended.