“What are you two whispering about?”
Jin Luan interjected. She and Yin Lin had finished their roughhousing.
Yin Lin was fixing her disheveled clothes and hair, while Jin Luan interrupted their private chat.
“We were discussing why Yin Lin is so strong,” Huan Hong said bluntly.
“That’s simple—I’m different from you all. There’s a gap in talent between people. Even if it’s just a one percent difference, it’s a chasm that’s hard to cross in a lifetime.”
Yin Lin looked smug.
“Oh, how impressive, Lady Yin Lin,” Huan Hong teased her.
Among the Sisterhood, Jin Luan was probably the most anxious lately.
Yin Lin was frighteningly strong already, and Huan Hong had just entered the Resonance State, her power slowly increasing.
Only Jin Luan was still stuck in place. The pressure she had just shaken off was weighing on her again.
The delivery arrived quickly—eight dishes and a soup, enough for a feast. Jin Luan didn’t respond to the topic, staying silent for a while. Huan Hong went downstairs to bring the food up.
After setting out the new dishes, everyone ate and chatted cheerfully.
Old Wang couldn’t help bringing up the earlier topic at the table.
“Yin Lin, I’m very interested in your magic. Do you have a teacher teaching you magic?”
Jin Luan grew serious upon hearing this, listening carefully.
‘What does he mean by that? Teacher? Are there other Magical Girls in Yiri City besides the four of us?’
Yin Lin answered, “Diamond taught me.”
Old Wang asked, “What’s that spear-like magic called?”
“It’s a lance,” Yin Lin corrected.
“Called the Spear of Creation.”
Old Wang pressed on, “Let me ask you this: Did Diamond teach you that?”
“Yes.”
No matter how suspicious Old Wang was, he couldn’t go confront Diamond.
“One more thing: you have a wall-like magic too. What’s that?”
Old Wang had clearly investigated Yin Lin.
“Diamond taught me that as well. She said it can be used as a windshield for flying through the air, or as a Shield to block attacks.”
Yin Lin answered fluently.
Old Wang continued, “Why didn’t you use it before? It seems you only started using the Spear of Creation and Earth Wall in the last two months, right?”
Yin Lin replied, “I hadn’t mastered them yet, so I didn’t use them in real combat.”
“Cut it out—eat quickly, or it’ll get cold,” Jin Luan interrupted their exchange.
She sensed something was off about Yin Lin, like she was hiding something.
Having interacted with Yin Lin for so long, she knew that woman never answered questions so obediently. The fact that she had gone back and forth with Old Wang without starting an argument almost certainly meant she was lying.
Seeing them stop, Huan Hong grew curious and asked other questions.
“Old Wang, where did Li go? He said he wanted to see the world, then went quiet. What exactly did he do?”
“Ah, this!”
Old Wang opened his mouth wide in a pose that clearly expected to be fed.
Huan Hong understood, picking up nine pieces of meat for him.
He ate to his heart’s content, then slowly revealed some details of his travels.
“After the Ganlong Island incident, I left. That battle with the Cadre-level Demonic Creature had other Magical Girls die. After that, I went on a journey, saying I wanted to find promising girls and see the world while I was at it.”
“I went to two regions in the east, which are also part of the Eastern Alliance—former Old Japan and Old Goryeo.”
“How did I get there? I sneaked onto a boat. Even though I can’t fly, I have a permanent Invisibility Ability.”
Old Wang rambled on about what he had seen and heard in those two places.
“Hey, Old Wang, can you sum it up in under a hundred words?”
Yin Lin quickly cut him off, sensing a long-winded speech coming.
“Huh?”
His excitement came to a screeching halt.
“But my journey was long—not something you can sum up in a hundred words.”
“Then stick to the highlights,” Yin Lin said.
Huan Hong urged otherwise, “No, let him talk. We’re eating anyway—no rush. It’s nice to listen.”
Old Wang had no choice but to continue, artificially shortening it to avoid going too long.
“In terms of both quantity and quality, they aren’t great. After the Ganlong Island incident, I realized that Magical Girls as a whole are too weak now, so I planned to check out other cities.”
“My first stop was Old Goryeo next door, because it was close. Busan City is the most important city in that area—it’s on the coast, convenient for trade.”
“They have Magical Girls protecting them too—four active members. Their customs are a bit strange—they’re half on the Public Meal.”
At that, Huan Hong grew curious.
“What do you mean by Public Meal? Tell me more.”
Old Wang perked up and continued:
“The Eastern Alliance pulled some strings in Busan City. They said it was to repay the Magical Girls for their contributions to humanity, so they decided to provide for their food and drink.”
“Instead of using the Special Task Force to suppress them, they lured them with benefits.”
“It worked very well—it’s extremely effective on teenage girls.”
“They basically have those Magical Girls under control through financial ties, though they haven’t been formally inducted into the organization. Their current model is more like the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Busan City issues them missions, and they get paid after completing them—that’s the commission.”
“On top of that, they have a base salary—a monthly allowance.”
“So they’re half on the Public Meal, not fully civil servants.”
Yin Lin frowned.
“I don’t get it. How can such a simple tactic be effective? Would a Magical Girl really fall for a money scheme?”
Old Wang shook his head.
“I don’t know why you Humans are so complicated.”
Jin Luan put down her chopsticks, sat up straight, and said, “It’s the Herd Effect, isn’t it?”
Old Wang was taken aback.
“What do you mean?”
Jin Luan recalled, “I’ve heard about that situation too. It’s that Magical Girl—Lan Xiuzhen.”
“She’s the leader in Busan City, the most senior and strongest—a rare Magical Girl who has survived six years. But she hasn’t been as active in the last two years, probably due to injuries.”
“Six years ago, almost all her comrades died. After that, she gradually became the most senior person in Busan City, shifting from active to semi-active. Most of the time, she guides the younger generation, and thus accumulated great prestige.”
Yin Lin thought it over.
“So the Eastern Alliance won her over first?”
Jin Luan nodded.
“It might not exactly be bribery, but they definitely put a lot of effort into her to get her to accept the Public Meal system.”
“Once she took the lead in accepting the subsidies, the other Magical Girls followed suit.”
Old Wang said, “I talked to them. They’re not very enthusiastic about supporting Yiri City, nor about private alliances. They neither agreed nor opposed it.”
Jin Luan’s expression soured. So did Yin Lin’s. Both had the same thought.
What Old Wang wanted to do was what the Human Alliance feared most—having Magical Girls form their own faction.