Chapter 12: A Tour of the Weichangzhe Branch

After the Awakening Ceremony concluded, Haikin Middle School dismissed students early for free activity, allowing them to settle down and gather their thoughts.

Naturally, Bai Li wouldn’t let such a perfect opportunity for a date slip by.

“It’s been a while since we’ve leisurely left school like this.”

“About thirty-nine days, I’d say.”

“You truly have an incredible memory, Xiao Bai…”

Bai Li instantly recalled how many days had passed since Lin Xi last hadn’t left school early, which even surprised Lin Xi.

While she was aware of Bai Li’s personality, remembering even such minor details with such clarity was a little unsettling.

Yet, this was simply Bai Li. Lin Xi had initially wondered how she would tease her if she had forgotten, but it seemed Bai Li had passed the test.

“Speaking of which, now that you’ve awakened, Xiao Bai, how about we visit the Weichangzhe Organization’s branch? We can consider it preparation for the future.”

Given the nature and intensity of Bai Li’s awakened ability, it was practically designed for combat—a coveted goal for many. After all, in an era where Otherworld Beasts exist and individual power can sweep aside countless foes, who wouldn’t desire to grow stronger? Joining an official awakened organization and battling enemies was the fastest and most stable path to power. Aside from a few major families and factions, these official organizations possessed the most abundant resources.

Though Lin Xi’s parents were also powerful magical girls, they had their own work to attend to and hadn’t reached the scale of what could be called a ‘family.’ Thus, Lin Xi relied more on her personal effort.

It was often said that Lin Xi owed her current status and strength to her parents, yet those who said so overlooked the fact that even with talent, one still needed to diligently train to grow.

Awakened individuals were not beings who could simply brute-force their way to power through talent and resources alone. Nearly every powerful awakened individual had endured countless battles, emerging from a crucible of slaughter. Even between a peak and a bottom-tier individual of the same rank, battle experience could drastically sway the outcome of a fight.

Even Bai Li’s formidable strength was built upon her prior foundation in martial arts and various combat techniques.

“That’s fine, but are you sure you’re okay with it? It’s a rare holiday, after all.”

It wasn’t that it was *fine*; if possible, Bai Li still wanted a normal ‘date’ with Lin Xi. While visiting her workplace could be considered a date, it didn’t feel quite relaxing enough.

“It’s nothing. The sooner we’re prepared, the sooner we can team up. Then, we can spend as much time together as we want.”

“You’re right.”

Convinced by Lin Xi, Bai Li followed her out of the school and headed to the Weichangzhe Tiangong City branch, which was not far away.

Ever since the Otherworld (TL Note: The ‘Otherworld’ refers to a separate dimension or realm that has intersected with the current world, bringing about supernatural phenomena and creatures) converged with this world, many phenomena transcending all scientific theories humanity had established emerged. Coupled with the appearance of a common enemy, technology rapidly advanced under the influence of awakened abilities. Among the most prominent manifestations of these advancements were the awakened organizations.

As one of the more renowned organizations in the area, the Weichangzhe Organization’s branch was naturally majestic and grand. Numerous DNA-like helical structures encircled the central building, rising from the ground before converging at the very top. At its core stood a pillar of light piercing the sky, serving as a beacon for the city.

The actual purpose of this light pillar was indeed much like a ‘beacon’ in a famous game; it would periodically scatter snowflake-like specks of light from the sky, granting various beneficial effects to the city’s residents.

Similar devices existed in some of the more recently established cities, which was one of the reasons why the residents of this city could live such stable and secure lives.

“Now, let me show you around, Xiao Bai. First up is the Otherworld Concentration Index Detection Department. It is thanks to the diligent efforts of this department that we can accurately detect the appearance of Otherworld Beasts.”

Lin Xi gestured towards the staff typing on keyboards in a room filled with displays and instruments. While utilizing AI for monitoring, they also employed human power to eliminate any remaining potential errors, minimizing the possibility of mistakes as much as possible.

The so-called Otherworld Concentration Index referred to the degree of the Otherworld’s erosion into their world. It was typically higher in areas already assimilated by the Otherworld, near Otherworld Gates, and in the vicinity of Otherworld Beasts, thus making it useful for detecting their emergence.

According to current research, the essence of power wielded by Otherworld Beasts and awakened individuals was identical—a concept known as ‘enemies from the same source.’ The only difference lay in the fact that the energy of Otherworld Beasts caused the Otherworld to erode this world, whereas the energy of awakened individuals did not.

This could be understood through an analogy: the power of awakened individuals and Otherworld Beasts was like a bucket of water. The amount of energy was akin to the volume of water within it, and whether one could awaken was determined by the bucket’s capacity or the amount of water. Early awakening meant the water inside overflowed without artificial intervention, allowing it to manifest externally. Increasing the strength of one’s ability was like enlarging the bucket. Learning more abilities was like dividing the bucket into several smaller buckets of different capacities. Increasing the total amount of energy was like adding more water. Whether the energy caused Otherworld erosion depended on whether the Otherworld Beast’s or the awakened individual’s bucket contained a purifier or a source of pollution, which would either purify or contaminate the energy.

——The above was the analogy used in the latest paper, and this explanation method, humorously dubbed ‘Mizumi-shiki’ (TL Note: A term from the manga *Hunter x Hunter*, referring to a method of discerning one’s Nen type, often involving water) by students, was even introduced into new textbooks.

Incidentally, the author of that paper also posited a hypothesis: that Otherworld Beasts might very well be humans from a different world. If humanity were to travel to the Otherworld, they might, in turn, erode *it*. However, this theory had yet to be certified, and humans were currently unable to travel to the Otherworld to confirm it.

From Bai Li’s perspective, however, regardless of other regions, the current Otherworld Beasts were coexisting peacefully with humans. Her own subordinates, for instance, hadn’t caused much destruction before she subdued them; at most, their former leader would cause trouble when they took a disliking to certain awakened individuals, but there were no reports of casualties. It was just their bad luck to affect Lin Xi, which prompted Bai Li to deal with them personally.

It was rumored that in gray areas like the black market, quite a few Otherworld Beasts were living among humans while concealing their identities.

Looking at it that way, these people weren’t doing enough; they hadn’t even discovered so many Otherworld Beasts.

Of course, it was also possible that the higher-ups tacitly allowed it. After all, since they were already coexisting peacefully, meaninglessly provoking war would repeat the mistakes of many years past.

“So, next up is…”

After briefly explaining the Otherworld Concentration Index Detection Department, Lin Xi headed towards the corridor’s corner.

Just then, however, a familiar figure blocked their path.