Chapter 10: The Appraisal and an Unexpected Offer

“As you can see.”

The newly arrived staff member, cradling a half-meter-long ‘alien,’ appeared somewhat awkward.

This creature, once a pet dog, had been grotesquely twisted, its flesh mutilated.

With most of its brain structure removed, only pulsating flesh and fur remained, a gaping wound artificially carved into its body and simply wrapped in gauze.

Originally, this was meant to be Su Qingyao’s ‘test subject.’

The reason for ‘originally’ was soon apparent.

“Miss, my benefactor, ohhh ahhh—!”

The young girl, who had been sobbing and clinging to Su Qingyao’s leg, had her right hand—once charred and flayed—casually healed by Su Qingyao, much to the astonishment of the two staff members present.

‘Ugh.’ Su Qingyao felt an imaginary bead of cold sweat trickle down her forehead.

She found herself ill-equipped to handle such fervent enthusiasm.

“There, there. Lan Ke, your hand has been healed by your sister. Now, let your sister finish her appraisal, alright?”

The staff member standing behind the girl, sensing Su Qingyao’s discomfort, gently but firmly guided her away.

“My apologies, Miss Su.”

Before leaving, she even offered an apology on behalf of the child named Lan Ke.

However, Su Qingyao’s designated test proctor remained standing in the room.

The implication was clear.

“In that case, do I still need to heal it?”

Despite her polite inquiry, Su Qingyao’s demeanor towards this so-called ‘alien’ differed sharply from her warmth with Lan Ke.

While one could still discern the faint outline of a former pet dog, perhaps even eliciting pity from others, Su Qingyao’s attitude remained consistently cool, disdainful, and even bordering on revulsion.

“Given that it’s official instructional property, we’ll trouble you to repeat the process,” the new staff member replied, lowering their gaze to the rapidly fading ‘alien,’ a hint of regret for their testing allowance in their voice.

“Very well.”

Su Qingyao did not refuse, instead offering a slight nod.

Simultaneously with her words, an aura of pristine white and vibrant emerald light emanated from Su Qingyao, enveloping the girl and instantly revitalizing the air within the room.

The white light outlined an opulent gown before settling on her head, transforming into a pristine crown interwoven with golden threads, while the emerald light coalesced into a wooden staff clutched in her hand.

A sand-timer shaped pendant floated above her snow-white neck.

Within its silver frame, the emerald gem, once perfectly symmetrical, now only filled the upper half.

Out of courtesy, the girl, whose hair had transformed into pure white, performed a graceful curtsy, elegantly lifting her skirt.

Then, she slightly raised the unfocused, yet warm, eyes that Su Muxue would have found so familiar.

Those eyes reflected the pitiful ‘alien’ before her.

****

‘Indeed, no one recognized it.’

Su Qingyao settled beside Luzhichuan, a thick stack of documents cradled in her arms, feeling utterly exhausted after navigating the lengthy procedures, even with a magical girl’s enhanced physique.

‘Can this be considered a benefit of dying early?’

Su Qingyao mused aloud, a touch of melancholy in her voice.

Before the test, Luzhichuan had specifically discussed with her whether to manifest her ‘Magical Girl Spirit Attire.’

Linked to their core magic, every magical girl developed a unique [Spirit Attire] influenced by various factors.

It was only in this Spirit Attire state that magical girls could freely cast spells and employ a myriad of abilities.

In the past, without means to obscure information, Spirit Attire was essentially a [Magical Girl]’s identification card, leading Su Qingyao to initially consider concealing hers entirely.

Luzhichuan then brought up her unique situation:

Most of the people who had truly witnessed Su Qingyao’s Spirit Attire had perished during the five years of the apocalypse and the subsequent twenty-five years of the prolonged counter-offensive—the vast majority were gone.

More precisely, they were all dead.

In this new world, most adult residents ranged from twenty to forty years old, making for a remarkably young society.

“Ugh.”

Su Qingyao slumped backward, utterly spent.

‘So, this is the new world? No wonder Senior Luzhichuan made hiding my identity sound so easy.’

“Here, your ID card,” Luzhichuan said, casually slipping a card into Su Qingyao’s hand.

His touch was fleeting.

‘Why does it feel like I, Su Qingyao, am the one being disliked?’

Her delicate brows furrowed in a subtle frown of displeasure.

Suddenly, the girl realized the strangeness of such a thought.

‘Isn’t this perfectly normal?’

Su Qingyao curiously held up the magnetic card.

The white front bore a complex blue emblem, while the back displayed a headshot of Su Qingyao and dense lines of basic information.

Logically, wasn’t it a good thing for Senior Luzhichuan to actively observe proper boundaries between genders?

‘Hiss…’

‘Could it be… the so-called desire to be admired by the opposite s*x?’

A shiver of revulsion ran down Su Qingyao’s spine.

“Thank you. Once I hand this ID card to the front desk, the first certificate will be complete.”

She subtly rubbed her wrist, betraying nothing.

Regardless, with the ‘Supernatural Rank Appraisal’ done, she was officially registered in the government database.

One could simply visit any local security bureau to obtain a ‘Supernatural Registration Certificate.’

The law’s requirements for supernatural rank essentially mandated that parents possess the ability to discipline their ‘supernatural’ children.

“…In any case, thank you for everything today, Senior Luzhichuan.”

“Then, shall we go ahead and register our marriage while we’re at it?”

Senior Luzhichuan blinked, rubbing his hands together before Su Qingyao. “The registry office is just thirty meters past the side door.”

The outcome was inevitable:

“Ah, I’m a bit tired today.”

Su Qingyao maintained her smile, simply tilting her head and resting her free hand on her chin.

“Didn’t Senior Luzhichuan say there was no rush anyway?”

“Let’s talk about it later, shall we?🎶”

Kukukuku.

‘The sight of Senior Luzhichuan’s crestfallen expression definitely added twenty-five years to my lifespan.’

The girl, silently chuckling to herself, rose from her seat with an elegant and dignified posture.

Though her inner thoughts were instantly seen through by Luzhichuan.

“Oh, right.” Luzhichuan pushed up an imaginary pair of glasses. “Qingyao, what rank did you end up with?”

“Originally, I intended to suppress it to Rank Three.”

Su Qingyao recalled the girl who had cried endlessly while clinging to her leg, her tone somewhat peculiar.

“But during the test, there was a small mishap, and it seems I ended up as a Rank Four Magical Girl.”

“You’ll have to work hard, Mr. Luzhichuan, a Rank One Awakener~”

“That’s so formal,” Luzhichuan said, deliberately lowering his voice, letting it drift perfectly into Su Qingyao’s ears.

“What should you call me when we’re out?”

The girl playfully winked, raising her voice slightly and reciting in a saccharine tone:

“Goodbye, my dear Senior Luzhichuan—”

Su Qingyao was not one to be easily taken advantage of.

****

The final step proceeded smoothly as well.

Yet, as the first ray of the midday sun kissed Su Qingyao’s dark hair, she found herself unexpectedly detained at the security bureau due to an invitation, despite having completed her objectives.

Upon hearing Su Qingyao mention her destination, Luzhichuan adopted an understanding expression, placing his final wager on Su Qingyao, who was feigning reluctance.

And so, Su Qingyao ascended to the second floor of the security bureau.

Even though her procedures were complete, she had been summoned to an unfamiliar place.

It certainly sounded like an unsettling development.

Su Qingyao’s leisurely steps carried her across the threshold of an office, and her keen eyes immediately spotted her own records laid out on the sole desk.

The ‘big shot’ sitting opposite her appeared like an overworked corporate drone, his dark eye circles so profound they could rival ten Luzhichuans.

“Rank Four Magical Girl, Miss Su Qingyao.”

He slowly recited Su Qingyao’s basic information.

“Your ability is healing?”

His style was clearly direct and to the point.

Confirming this, the Blue Witch’s mask promptly adjusted.

Su Qingyao’s smile faded.

“Indeed. And you are, if I may ask?”

“A small fry,” the young corporate drone said, holding up his employee badge. Inscribed below illegible small print were three large characters: “Chen Jingye.” “In the parlance of the old world, I suppose I’m a ‘personnel’ staff member. Have you heard of employment guidance?”

‘How very much like the previous generation.’

Su Qingyao’s eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

“You help us supernaturals find jobs?”

Su Qingyao could sense no trace of ‘supernatural’ energy from the man opposite her; he was a thoroughly ordinary person.

The corporate drone seemed to have misinterpreted the reason for Su Qingyao’s twitching eye, scratching his head with a helpless sigh.

“Ah, ‘assigning’ sounds a bit harsh.”

“We merely offer employment suggestions to supernaturals like yourself, who are new to Dawn City and possess sufficient potential.”