“Although they say the city is under lockdown, it doesn’t seem like the residents’ daily lives have been affected much?”
Walking down the still bustling main street, Xia Mo, having reverted to her original form, muttered softly.
Compared to Xinghai City, Jidong City was noticeably more prosperous, and the streets carried a distinctive local charm unique to Jidong.
“Well, nowadays hardly anyone leaves their own city for others, so a lockdown doesn’t have much of an impact on ordinary citizens,” Luo Shuangyue said, showing no surprise. After all, how many people could just casually travel between cities these days?
For the vast majority of ordinary people, whether the city was locked down or not didn’t really make a fundamental difference.
As for Magical Girls tirelessly hunting down villains day and night…
Come on, ordinary people don’t see those things anyway. At best, they get a brief mention on the news or TV.
These matters related to the Magic System hardly affect regular people at all.
As long as they don’t do anything wrong, what do Magical Girls fighting villains have to do with them?
“I think the school uniforms here in Jidong City look better than the ones back in Xinghai City,” Xia Mo quietly remarked, glancing at a few students walking by.
The school uniforms in Xinghai City were pretty plain—just ordinary sportswear, completely lacking any distinctive style, very much of its time.
But here in Jidong City, it was different.
Small blazers paired with plaid skirts perfectly showcased the youthful charm of the girls.
“That’s their local tradition. After all, this place used to be formed by merging three separate countries, so naturally they’d compromise and absorb each other’s cultures,” Luo Shuangyue glanced at those girls before quickly looking away.
Hmm, still not as pretty as my Xia Mo.
“We’re currently in the West District of Jidong City. The people living here are much like us, but the Soul Summoner Princess is in the East District, which is a completely different story.”
Jidong City was divided into three districts: East, West, and South.
The West District covered half the city’s area, the East District one-third, and the South District was the smallest, occupying just one-sixth of the city.
The West District was the most developed and had the best overall security.
The East District was more technologically advanced, with regulations favoring tech companies.
As for the South District, it was practically Jidong’s slum—chaotic, impoverished, crime-ridden, with authorities barely bothering to manage it.
Or perhaps, the administrators there profited from the disorder.
“In short, we should avoid the other two districts, especially the South District,” Luo Shuangyue warned Xia Mo seriously.
She wasn’t worried about Xia Mo being ambushed, but more concerned that Xia Mo might accidentally kill someone in a fight—and that would cause big trouble.
“Yeah, yeah.” Xia Mo nodded quickly.
She didn’t know much about Jidong City, and seeing how knowledgeable Luo Shuangyue was, she certainly wouldn’t be reckless.
Only a fool would be.
After explaining the general situation of Jidong City, Luo Shuangyue planned to first check into a hotel and settle down.
But just as she pulled out her phone to navigate, Xia Mo said she had already booked a luxury hotel owned by the Magic Department.
Not only was it free, but it also offered the best accommodations.
According to the Magic Department, Magical Girls traveling to other cities on missions were already being shortchanged, so while they couldn’t help much with other things, making sure the Magical Girls lived comfortably and ate well was no problem.
The Magic Department owned countless businesses, so having Magical Girls stay in presidential suites only cost them a few coins—it wasn’t even considered a travel expense.
“This doesn’t count as a business trip, does it?” Luo Shuangyue gasped after hearing this. The Magical Girls really were living the good life!
“It does. I even have a business trip certificate from the Director,” Xia Mo said with a grin, pulling out her phone and opening the Magic Department’s internal app to show her certificate.
“My mission is to accompany you to find the Soul Summoner Princess and safely bring you back to Xinghai City.”
“Can something that looks so personal really get approved?” Luo Shuangyue asked.
“Of course. Senior Long Wen and the Director applied for it together.”
A Full Bloom-Class Magical Girl and a city-level Magic Department official working together—if it didn’t get approved, that’d be suspicious.
The Magic Department’s hotel was easy to find. After casually walking through the bustling city, they soon arrived at the hotel Xia Mo had chosen.
Tall, grand, and luxurious—the kind of place clearly meant for the upper class.
“In a place like this, I’m afraid to even breathe loudly,” Luo Shuangyue whispered to Xia Mo.
“Do you even have moments like that?” Xia Mo, on the other hand, looked much more confident.
She boldly approached the hotel reception and showed her reservation.
The receptionist glanced at the booking, then respectfully handed Xia Mo a black-and-gold card. “Miss Xia, your room is on the twenty-first floor.”
Xia Mo nodded and returned a gentle smile before leading Luo Shuangyue to the nearby elevator.
Luo Shuangyue saw a different side of Xia Mo—this childhood friend of hers had, in a way, the air of a true heiress.
“You just now acted like a rich girl,” Luo Shuangyue commented.
“I think you can take out the word ‘like’—all Magical Girls are wealthy,” Xia Mo smiled.
Before becoming a Magical Girl, she might have been shy here, but now that she was one, those feelings were gone.
Money was just a number to her now. No matter how much she enjoyed or spent, she could hardly finish her salary.
Realizing this, Xia Mo’s mindset leveled up instantly.
Now she was like any heiress—if money could solve it, it wasn’t even a problem.
She, Xia Mo, was a rich woman!
Ding dong~
The elevator doors opened, and a girl wearing a black trench coat and a light gray newsboy cap hurried out.
Luo Shuangyue, who was whispering to Xia Mo, didn’t notice and was heavily bumped on the shoulder by the girl, nearly stumbling.
The girl staggered, then quickly apologized, “Sorry, sorry, I was in a rush.”
Luo Shuangyue didn’t reply immediately; her face flushed bright red.
More than ten seconds later, she squeezed out a voice cold enough to freeze, “It’s okay, it’s fine.”
The bump didn’t bother Luo Shuangyue, but don’t forget her current state.
After such a heavy collision, to prevent the protective spikes automatically activating and hurting the black-clad girl, she had to forcefully restrain them.
In this state, it was no wonder her voice sounded harsh.
Spikes!
Pitch-black spikes pierced through her clothing, shooting out half a meter from Luo Shuangyue’s shoulder.
Then, at about five centimeters per second, they slowly retracted back into her body.
“Great, this shirt is ruined,” Luo Shuangyue sighed, looking at the big hole in her shoulder.
She wanted to take off the shirt before losing control, but women’s clothes weren’t as easy to remove as men’s.
She’d barely gotten halfway when her Magic Power lost control, and the spikes tore the fabric open again at the impact spot.
Having no choice, Luo Shuangyue removed the shirt.
Surprisingly, she found herself neither happy nor sad about this—she could now calmly undress in front of Xia Mo.
Originally, she would have felt a bit embarrassed, but after being forced by Xia Mo to strip naked in the bathroom last time, her psychological resilience suddenly improved.
Now she didn’t feel shy at all!
Of course, it might also be because she knew Xia Mo wouldn’t do anything to her now.
“You should wear looser, more affordable clothes for now, and if possible, stay inside,” Xia Mo advised, her eyes twitching at Luo Shuangyue’s display.
Luckily, they hadn’t lingered with that apologetic girl earlier, or Luo Shuangyue might have accidentally sent spikes flying in the hotel lobby.
That would have caused a serious problem.
The ruined clothes didn’t bother Xia Mo much—it wasn’t anything precious.
She understood Luo Shuangyue’s situation and knew some things were beyond her control.
If the clothes got ruined, just buy some new ones.
“Yeah, except for going out to find the Soul Summoner Princess, I’ll just stay here,” Luo Shuangyue nodded repeatedly.
This hotel room was bigger than her home, so staying a few extra days wasn’t an issue.
“Okay, I’ll go buy you some new clothes now, so just wait here.” Xia Mo put her things aside.
“You pick the room first, and I’ll take whatever’s left,” Luo Shuangyue said.
“Two Initial Bloom-Class Magical Girls, one with unstable Magic Power… here to find the Soul Summoner Princess, huh?”
A silver blade twirled between the fingertips of a black-clad girl whose eyes gleamed with calculation.
Having dealt with Magical Girls many times, she could easily identify their strength levels.
The two she just encountered emanated an aura that made her shiver—this was typical of Initial Bloom-Class Magical Girls.
Thinking back on how she had spaced out and collided with that white-haired Magical Girl, she felt a sudden chill of fear.
Fortunately, Magical Girls were hopelessly kind-hearted, or she wouldn’t have been able to leave that place.
With her identity, once caught by the Magic Department, the only outcome would be humane destruction.
Because she was a Transhuman who obtained Demonic abilities through forbidden technology.
Beneath her black trench coat, her body was far from human now.
Beep beep beep!
Her phone vibrated twice in her pocket.
She pulled out the phone, but the screen was pitch black.
Still, she put it to her ear.
“Mission complete. Key target eliminated. All Magic Department traces cut off.”
“One of the targets is him? Understood.”
“Should we keep an eye on the two new Magical Girls?”
“No need. Understood.”
She put the phone back in her pocket, her black eyes narrowing.
She was a blade—a blade without self-awareness.
Her only task was to kill.
To eliminate anyone who might threaten the plan.
“Jidong City Magic Department! Open the door immediately, or don’t blame us for being rude!”
When the loud, firm knock came from outside, Luo Shuangyue was stunned.
What’s going on? I just changed into my pajamas, why is the Magic Department here conducting an inspection?
Could it be that Xia Mo’s business trip certificate was rejected by the Jidong City Magic Department?
Still puzzled, Luo Shuangyue slipped on her slippers and went to the door.
She opened it.
Outside stood two girls in Black Uniforms.
Behind them were several Magic Department staff wandering the corridor with instruments.
“Are you a guest staying here?” One of the Black Uniform girls narrowed her eyes upon seeing Luo Shuangyue. “You look unfamiliar, quite suspicious.”
Magical Girls out of their Transformed State generally looked like ordinary people.
Except for those with especially sharp senses, no one could tell who was a Magical Girl.
But Luo Shuangyue’s current aura was restless, the kind that made anyone nearby notice something was off.
“Uh, can we talk about this here?” Luo Shuangyue’s eyes flickered nervously. The identity of Magical Girls was supposed to be secret.
The uniformed girl nodded slightly and glanced at her companion behind her before saying, “Then let’s come inside.”
“Okay.”
Leading the Black Uniform girls inside, Luo Shuangyue asked with a puzzled look, “What’s going on? Judging by the situation outside, did something big happen here?”
Seeing the Magic Department staff outside, Luo Shuangyue knew it wouldn’t be a simple matter.
It certainly wasn’t about arguing over Xia Mo’s travel certificate.
The last time she saw the Magic Department mobilize like this was during the hunt for a Royal-Class Magic Beast in Xinghai City!
…though that wasn’t too long ago.
Anyway, the Magic Department rarely got this serious about anything.
And the atmosphere in Jidong City wasn’t relaxed.
They had just recently uncovered a Royal-Class Magic Beast.
“There’s been a death—an important witness,” the uniformed girl said after scrutinizing Luo Shuangyue for a long time, then explained the current situation.
From Luo Shuangyue’s clear eyes, she could tell this girl was genuinely unaware and even curious about what had happened.
“The time of death was about half an hour ago. Did you hear anything strange? Encounter anything unusual around then?”
Half an hour ago… that was exactly when Xia Mo and she checked in.
The only odd thing she could recall was almost getting bumped by a girl in black trench coat coming out of the elevator in a hurry.
“I and my friend just moved in half an hour ago. If I had to say anything strange, it was someone rushing out of the elevator when we were going up, almost knocking me over.”