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Jiang Jiuli’s home, or more precisely, the orphanage where she resided.
During the construction of Dawn City, it was inevitable that some “registered citizen” couples would tragically pass away, leaving behind infants with no one to care for them.
Yet, in this new world, the importance of infants to a human civilization devastated by population loss was self-evident.
Neither the villagers outside the city nor the official city council could ever abandon a baby.
Consequently, numerous orphanages, supported by official funding, emerged to fill this need. Many of these, well-staffed, also served the function of “kindergartens” from the old world.
Jiang Jiuli sometimes wondered if, in her earliest days, she might have been lying in one of the grimy gutters she’d just walked past.
The thought alone made her realize how truly strange life could be.
Returning to the orphanage today, the girl’s thoughts were particularly restless.
Having seen her best friend’s mother, the child couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming surge of envy, bordering on jealousy.
Jiang Jiuli sighed, a wave of self-reproach washing over her for that fleeting moment of dark emotion.
‘That’s so mean, Jiuli.’
‘To actually envy your best friend.’
She sat on the orphanage’s swing, silently watching the children play on the distant lawn.
‘It was so good back then, all those carefree children, including me and Su Muxue.’
‘Back then, I envied this very swing, suitable only for elementary schoolers. Now, I find myself longing for my childhood again.’
‘Ah, growing up is truly a strange sensation.’
Jiang Jiuli suddenly blinked.
An inexplicable thrum of energy emanated from her chest, specifically from the magic core embedded there.
“What a strange feeling,”
The girl furrowed her brows slightly, turning to look at the older magical girl who had grown up with her in the same orphanage.
Yet, the high-school-aged blonde merely lifted her head a fraction, showing no other reaction.
‘Strange, didn’t my sister feel it?’
She felt as though something emanating a chilling magical energy was lurking, observing from a hidden corner.
****
The one secretly in action today was Su Qingyao.
After lulling Su Muxue to sleep, she finally had some free time to herself.
Earlier that afternoon, while Su Qingyao and Xu Yanqing were taking their afternoon nap, a small interlude had occurred:
[“Oh my, oh my, a magical girl, indeed.”]
The white cat, who called itself Xiaohua, addressed the entranced Su Qingyao:
[“While I can’t quite discern whose mark, among my kin, resides upon you…”]
[“I can sense that you are no ordinary individual, meow.”]
[“Eh?”]
[“I don’t quite understand what Senior Xiaohua is saying.”]
[“In any case, I would like to ask for your help in finding a certain missing magical girl. Should you succeed, I shall offer you a generous reward, meow.”]
“Lin Xiaobai.”
Su Qingyao spoke the name of the missing magical girl.
Though Xiaohua had no photograph to provide, it imprinted Lin Xiaobai’s image directly onto its fur for Su Qingyao to see.
‘Truly, a ‘fantasy creature’ indeed.’
“Where should I even begin to look…”
Su Qingyao massaged her temples, a headache beginning to bloom.
To be frank, even for magical girls, various accidents were a common occurrence.
At least within the five years she could remember, countless magical girls, both familiar and unknown, had sacrificed their lives.
Their magic cores, if piled together, could easily fill four or five candy jars.
While things should have improved in this new era of peace, Su Qingyao believed the actual improvement would be limited at best.
Therefore, Lin Xiaobai’s disappearance likely pointed to a public safety incident, whether major or minor. If Su Qingyao were to get involved, it would only worsen her already less-than-stellar record.
“Hmm… perhaps I should start by investigating around the Tower.”
Su Qingyao distinctly remembered that Xu Yanqing belonged to the so-called “Tower Faction,” and theoretically, Lin Xiaobai should be from the same lineage.
At the very least, the probability of finding clues near the Tower would be higher. Moreover, if her help was truly needed, the fantasy creature would likely appear there as well.
Su Qingyao summoned her spiritual attire, then, channeling her magic, allowed herself to slowly ascend into the air.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t flown since I awoke.”
Su Qingyao floated gently mid-air, several shimmering ribbons of light continuously circling and spiraling around her, silently demonstrating the principle of her levitation.
“Whoosh.”
In the blink of an eye, only an afterimage remained.
The light ribbons converged into a round, umbrella-like shield, constantly breaking through the wind before the girl.
Once Su Qingyao confirmed her surroundings were accelerating, she narrowed her eyes, dedicating more focus to controlling her magical output.
‘I hope I can still control this well after my revival.’
‘Otherwise, accidentally shattering a window would be incredibly embarrassing.’
The girl reined in her stray thoughts, painting an emerald green contrail across the night sky.
The surrounding scenery blurred by rapidly.
For a moment, Su Qingyao felt as though she was witnessing the evolution of architectural styles, measured in years rather than seconds.
However, her observation lasted only a brief while.
Racing like a meteor chasing the moon, Su Qingyao soon spotted the shard atop the distant Tower.
Highlighted by the night sky, even the flashing neon couldn’t conceal that exceptionally conspicuous light source, which wantonly burst forth with vibrant ribbons of light.
Su Qingyao halted mid-air, narrowing her eyes to sense if any familiar magical energy sources were nearby.
Although her sudden appearance as a magical girl drew a few gazes, the very existence of the Tower made her presence perfectly logical.
You see—
Another magical girl, who had ascended into the distance, descended once Su Qingyao presented her identification.
Based on the destructive potential of one’s supernatural abilities, identity IDs were granted varying degrees of usage permits after supernatural verification.
Incidentally, Su Qingyao’s healing ability appeared to be of the highest tier.
The sole restriction was a prohibition against casually releasing her full spiritual attire, as a magical energy cannon was, after all, the “underlying logic” for all magical girls.
Su Qingyao observed for a moment, just as she was about to circle the Tower once more, a somewhat familiar magical energy source actively illuminated itself.
‘It truly is that white cat.’
A faint smile touched her lips, and Su Qingyao deliberately lowered her altitude, flying towards the source of that magical energy.
“It’s really you.”
The impatient white cat squatted by a wall’s base, licking its front paws. “I knew it, you’re definitely a good child, meow.”
“Let’s put an end to the praise session here.”
Su Qingyao conjured a witch’s hat, strikingly similar to Muxue’s, onto her head, concealing the crown nestled within her hair.
“May I ask, where has Miss Lin been recently?”
Su Qingyao, seemingly out of habit, half-closed her eyelids, her hollow, half-hidden eyes peering through her lashes as she observed the seemingly ancient fantasy creature. “If there are any records, we’ll know where to start looking.”
“However, I’m hoping for some more discreet information.”
“Miss Xu Yanqing has likely already searched most of the obvious places, I presume.”
Su Qingyao recalled Chen Jingye’s casual mention of “these past two days” when describing the job. Reflecting on it now, Xu Yanqing might have already exhausted her options when she posted the part-time request.
“Eh, actually, the secretive locations have pretty much been searched too, meow.” Xiaohua propped itself on its hind legs, scratching its chin. “But, I do think a few of those places felt a bit suspicious.”
“But that child, Xiao Qing, I’m worried she’d rush in headfirst, meow. ‘If it were a relatively unfamiliar magical girl, they would surely investigate and act rationally,’ that’s what I thought, meow.”
“Senior, the praise session has concluded.”
Su Qingyao, with a helpless sigh, tugged at a strand of hair caught beneath her hat brim. “Please, just take me there yourself.”
You’ve got to see this next! Into the Halo will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : Into the Halo
