Chapter 59: The Benefits are Explained, but What Is the Cost?

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The sound of knocking rang out at an inopportune time.

“Everyone, the banquet is about to begin. Please head to the venue as soon as possible.”

Before the two could respond, the urgent voice of a waiter came from outside the door. After finishing the sentence, the sound of footsteps gradually faded as he left the entrance of the private booth.

“It seems the host of this banquet doesn’t really want anyone staying outside the hall. What exactly are they trying to do?”

Ye Xingyao said with interest, stroking her chin. Then, she stood up and straightened her dress.

‘Forget it. Standing here and theorizing won’t help us guess their plan. It’s better to go see it with my own eyes.’

“Let’s go. Let’s see what ‘surprise’ the host has prepared for us.”

Ye Xingyao was the first to push the door open and leave, leaving a graceful silhouette in Qiansui’s vision.

“Heh, this girl is indeed quite interesting.”

Without realizing it, Qiansui recalled Hongye Qiu’s words. It seemed Big Sis’s evaluation of this person was quite accurate.

***

“Oh, Miss Ye Xin, you’re back?”

Chen Xiaoyan looked at the returning Ye Xingyao and spoke with some surprise.

However, since the other party had already given her name, there should be no problem with addressing her as “Miss Ye Xin” now, right?

“Yes. And may I ask who this lady is?”

Ye Xingyao was currently a bit puzzled. After all, she had no impression of the young lady in front of her, yet the other girl called her “Miss Ye Xin” quite naturally.

‘Wait, were we really that familiar before?’ Ye Xingyao complained internally.

“My name is Chen Xiaoyan.”

Chen Xiaoyan used her eyes to restrain the girl beside her, preventing her from starting with “Little Bi—” and leaving a bad impression of her real identity on Miss Ye Xin.

“Oh, I see. It is Miss Chen.”

Ye Xingyao nodded and played along.

After that, there wasn’t much communication between the two. After all, one was carrying a mission, while the other did not want to expose her identity as a Magical Girl.

Ye Xingyao and the members of her small group sat idly, waiting for the banquet to begin. During this time, she caught glimpses of Qiansui looking busy.

Well, he looked busy, but she had no idea what he was actually doing.

“Ahem. Distinguished guests, the banquet is about to begin. Next, we would like to invite our host, Mr. Mite, to give a speech.”

The host appeared in the center of the venue holding a microphone, and the banquet officially commenced.

The influential industry giants and their sons and daughters all became polite. Almost simultaneously, they set down whatever they were doing, interrupted their conversations, and looked toward the center of the hall.

This startled Ye Xingyao so much that she used her tongue to curl up the cream on her cake, unsure whether she should swallow it or not. When she realized that no one was paying attention to her, she stuffed the remaining sponge cake into her mouth. Using the members of her group as a shield, she quietly continued to enjoy her dessert.

‘It feels like sneaking food in school… it’s actually quite thrilling.’

‘Hmm… I wonder if eating like this will make me gain weight. Since I’m an Elf, consuming too much sugar shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

The desserts here were truly delicious.

Ye Xingyao patted her stomach and felt that it was still fine.

“Honored guests, you are all leaders in the field of biotechnology, so you surely have your own insights regarding technology.”

the voice of a middle-aged man rang out. He didn’t start with a typical opening. Instead, he asked the guests a question with a neither humble nor arrogant tone.

“I wonder, among everyone present, who here possesses a Superpower?”

Ye Xingyao’s interest was suddenly piqued. Could it be that this middle-aged man—oh, what was his name again? Mr. Mite, right—was going to propose some views regarding Superpowers?

She was actually interested in hearing this.

As for why Mite didn’t mention Magical Girls… regardless of the details, the various abilities of a Magical Girl could probably be classified as Superpowers. However, their growth had a bit of an Elven flavor to it.

Additionally, the number of Magical Girls was not large. Most research institutions would never choose them as targets for study, and whether a Magical Girl would even cooperate with their research remained an unknown.

In short, whether it was their status, their abilities, or their identities, Magical Girls occupied an awkward position in human society. Sometimes, Ye Xingyao would lament it.

‘Wow, why is this world so cruel?’

After the middle-aged man, Mite, finished his question, the audience remained silent. Those with Superpowers wouldn’t interrupt when he was about to speak, and those without wouldn’t casually shout things like “I don’t have one” as if they were in a classroom.

“Haha, then… would all of you like to possess a Superpower?”

The middle-aged man spoke with a smile, as if he had long anticipated the guests’ reactions.

As soon as he said this, the originally silent hall was suddenly filled with the whispers of several people.

Even Ye Xingyao was slightly stunned.

Superpowers… that was such a distant term. For Ye Xingyao, both Superpowers and Magic were things that had once been out of reach.

She began to feel a bit curious about what this guy would say next.

“A Superpower is more than just an ability. It can also prolong life, improve physical fitness, and even allow one to achieve things that ordinary people without Superpowers cannot.”

“So, everyone, where do you think the difference lies between those who have Superpowers and those who do not?”

Mite continued to lead the guests’ thinking.

“I don’t know if there are people with Superpowers around you, but there are many around me. Some are absolute morons, while others are geniuses who have made great achievements in certain fields.”

“So, is there any pattern to be found regarding whether they possess a Superpower or the strength of that power?”

It had to be said that this guy had successfully piqued everyone’s interest.

After all, if the people present possessed some world-defying Superpower, they likely wouldn’t be working in this industry, researching trade routes and products. Instead, they would be like Qiansui, acting as a Hunter or taking a stable job within the Human Alliance.

“…”

After a moment of silence, the middle-aged man adjusted his glasses, scanned the audience, and spoke again.

“Haha, unfortunately, I have not found any pattern among these people. It seems that every time we encounter a Superpower User, it falls under anecdotal evidence rather than objective laws.”

The middle-aged man gave a bitter laugh.

‘Wait, then what was the point of everything you just said?’

Ye Xingyao felt as though a significant portion of her life had just been wasted.

“However, I have found another way.”

Mr. Mite paused for a moment and raised his eyebrows, speaking with a very triumphant air.

“It was the Elves and Monsters that gave me inspiration. It turns out that humans can be just like them, possessing even more powerful abilities and a much stronger physical body…”

‘The benefits are explained, but what is the cost?’

Ye Xingyao sneered in her heart.

‘Don’t forget, Monsters possess nothing but instinct…’