Listening to Luozining’s indignant tone, Broken-Winged Butterfly couldn’t help but show some disappointment.
What a pity—she was so close to opening Erella’s box…
Even Manjusaka didn’t realize it, but the one most obsessed with opening the box right now was Broken-Winged Butterfly herself.
Her mind was entirely consumed with identifying the person behind Erella’s facade, and then exacting revenge for all the humiliation she had suffered!
“Senior, are you disappointed?”
Luozining asked absentmindedly.
“Is this really a test of my abilities? It’s not some kind of sacrificial ritual, right?!”
“No, don’t misunderstand!”
True to her professionalism, Broken-Winged Butterfly naturally adjusted her expression and said, “I just worry that without Erella’s help, we might not make it in time…”
“Not make it in time for what?”
“Sigh… forget it. It doesn’t matter now.”
She cast a sleep-inducing spell to block out vision and sound, then said:
Refresh complete.
“You saw me take that call just now, right? That was a communication from Headquarters of Xidehaimu.”
“Mhm! (swallows nervously)”
“The message from Headquarters reported that deep within the Dimensional Sea, there were traces detected of a Skimming-Level Dimensional Beast. It could be a monster on par with the Black Candle Giant Spirit, but its current location remains unknown.”
“On par with the Black Candle Giant Spirit!”
Luozining nervously tiptoed on her toes.
Is it really okay for me to be involved with such top-level secrets right now?
“B-but judging by the current state of magical development, although the Skimming-Level is still extremely dangerous, it’s not completely unbeatable, right?”
Luozining tried to voice her opinion. “I think that if all ten Seats went together, maybe—”
“You don’t understand. If it’s a normal Skimming-Level beast, then with all ten Seats plus the current fusion warriors, the combined strength of the Nation could indeed minimize losses, but…”
Broken-Winged Butterfly’s voice suddenly turned ominously dark.
“The Black Candle Giant Spirit is far stronger than any Skimming-Level we’ve encountered before. It’s a super monster that can withstand Zeroth-Order magic! That time, it took the whole country’s might to seal it away, but the losses were so great that no party could accept them.”
Seeing Luozining’s somewhat dumbfounded expression, Broken-Winged Butterfly gave a wry smile.
“Just saying it won’t help you understand. Let me put it this way: that expedition halted the momentum of our nation’s economic development, which still hasn’t fully recovered. The documented losses alone surpassed ten trillion, and the unaccounted losses were even greater. If another like the Black Candle Giant Spirit were to appear—and be exploited by someone with ill intent…”
Luozining was speechless on the spot.
If exploited by malicious forces, the disaster would be even worse than four years ago.
With enemies both inside and outside, social stability could truly face collapse.
[So the burden I was handed just now is that heavy?]
Luozining knew she had messed up and felt her mind grow fuzzy.
She subconsciously took a step forward, saying, “I’ll go talk to Erella again!”
“Wait.”
Broken-Winged Butterfly called after her but hesitated for a moment.
“There’s actually another special reason for bringing you all here.”
“What reason?”
Luozining blinked, half fearing that she was going to be sacrificed to Erella!
If that were true, Erella would have just kicked a steel plate—a metaphorical disaster.
“Well…”
Broken-Winged Butterfly briefly shared her and Manjusaka’s suspicions.
When Luozining learned that Erella’s daughter was highly likely a magical girl, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
“Oyster, oyster, that’s nonsense, right? Not even dramas dare to portray that!”
“But it’s not completely impossible, which is why you were selected from the Jiuwu Sea. They wanted to see Erella’s reaction, but unfortunately, there was no chance to observe.”
Broken-Winged Butterfly sighed, “So I want you to pay attention. Later, try to have your other team members casually appear in front of Erella as well, but don’t be too obvious—just let it happen naturally.”
“Hah…”
“Alright, that’s all I have to say. There’s an emergency remote meeting for the ten Seats right now, so I can’t look after you for the time being. Be careful. Although I don’t know why Erella hasn’t seized your Divinity Particles, you still need to watch your back.”
Broken-Winged Butterfly reached out and gently hugged Luozining.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Luozining felt those two enormous things pressing against her body, as if they could swallow her whole. Her eyes dulled as if dead inside.
Erella must love this kind of Broken-Winged Butterfly the most…
No, having those two massive things only increases the death rate in actual combat.
What else are they good for?
But as Luozining left the battlefield burdened with this extra weight, the sense of security called “Senior” instantly disappeared, and the pressure immediately landed on her shoulders.
The earlier heavy responsibility hadn’t been completed, and now an even heavier one arrived.
The imbalance made Luozining stagger as she walked.
Erella’s daughter is very likely in the Jiuwu Sea?
Ridiculous.
[The possible conditions are: recently transferred to the Jiuwu Sea, hasn’t been a magical girl for long, poor psychological resilience… Could it be me?]
Luozining chuckled to herself.
Impossible.
Only now did Luozining realize what nonsense Broken-Winged Butterfly had just told her.
Her suspicion about Erella’s death rekindled.
“No, it seems like I really fit the conditions!”
In the past, there was the story of Yu the Great passing by his own home three times without entering.
Now there’s Erella passing by magical girls three times without entering.
The former is understandable, the latter full of contradictions.
With that witch’s character, would she really let a magical girl who offended her slip by?
Luozining thought she hadn’t exactly shown Erella much respect—being intact this long was truly a miracle.
“No, what am I thinking?! I’m not the only one who fits the conditions!”
Luozining patted her cheek, though her mind was a chaotic mess.
[If Old Deng really is Erella, then did she intentionally go to the depths of the Dimensional Sea to quell the chaos for me?]
No, no, no, impossible.
From memory, Old Deng wasn’t the type to have any parental sense of responsibility.
But Erella’s repeated forgiveness of her was definitely suspicious!
Though Erella always mocked her figure and insisted she wasn’t interested in children like her, was that truly the case?
Had there ever been a magical girl with a similarly unimpressive figure who was still forcibly accepted by Erella?
“I’ll investigate when I get back… With my upcoming authority as one of the ten Seats, I should be able to find out.”
Luozining thought anxiously.
It’s better not to think about it, but once she did, everything was full of doubts.
The most suspicious thing wasn’t Erella passing by three magical girls without entering, but Old Deng suddenly transforming overnight from a queer into a stunning beauty.
That’s just way too strange!
[No wonder even a tiny bit of Divinity Particle could make her become a ferocious beast. If she originally had Divinity Particles, that would make sense!]
In any case, there are three main strategies now: one, probe during the negotiation with Erella later; two, investigate the body types of the magical girls who were harmed in the past; three, test Old Deng’s Divinity Particle compatibility after returning.
As long as two of the three align, there’s no escape!