Chapter 69: The Price of Control

By the time Ila’s mind fully returned, it was already too late.

Shackle-like patterns, identical to the magic sigils on her own body, now covered Leng Xiruo’s arms. The woman herself stood frozen, a lifeless puppet devoid of soul.

‘What exactly had I just done?’

Ila’s body went limp, collapsing onto the sofa.

She had, with her own hands, controlled her former teammate.

“Mom, I’m back with the drumsticks! Has the big sister woken up?”

Lan Bingbing pushed open the front door. As she stepped into the living room, she saw Ila, who should have been in the sickbed, now sitting ominously on the sofa. Her mother, meanwhile, stood utterly blank beside her.

‘Huh?’

‘What had happened here?’

Ten seconds later.

Another doll, ready for the slaughter, now stood in the living room. Lan Bingbing’s shoulder bore the same shackle mark as her mother.

Her own consciousness.

It was slowly being influenced by the Dark Demon Princess’s Origin.

Ila sat languidly on the sofa, gazing at the ‘shackles’ in her palm. She could distinctly feel her own consciousness being rewritten and twisted, little by little.

She had even taken advantage of Lan Aimin’s absence, using the shackles to control his wife, Leng Xiruo, and their daughter, Lan Bingbing, who were alone at home.

‘How could I have fallen so far? Does this even make me a qualified Magical Girl anymore?’

‘That despicable Leila!’

‘The so-called Origin exchange for investigation was nothing but a lie, wasn’t it? She probably just took my Origin to satisfy her own desires, not to search for clues in the secret chamber.’

‘No, I must find that old hag right now!’

‘Even if it costs me my life, I absolutely must reclaim the Origin that belongs solely to White Rose!’

[Master!]

Suddenly, a mechanical bat flew out of the room, landing anxiously in Ila’s palm.

“Yaya? Have you woken up?”

[Uh, Master, please don’t even think about exchanging Origins with the Grand Master right now!]

“Why? This thing will only cloud my mind, dragging me step by step into the Abyss. I’d tear open my chest and rip it out right now if I could.”

Ila snorted coldly, the joy of Yaya’s awakening instantly overshadowed.

After all, despite Yaya’s kindness, they ultimately belonged to the Abyss.

[Origins, much like Sacred Relics, both stem from the tree’s essence. They are entities cherished by the tree’s essence, ever-flowing, ever-changing, endlessly cycling through reincarnation. A mere fragment can bestow extraordinary power, and these Origins are often chosen by Sacred Relics. For instance, the shackles you just used are one of the Grand Master’s most common methods.]

[Your body and the Grand Master share the same source; your capacity to contain this power is inherently unusual. The power of the shackles will gradually merge with your very being. However, the Grand Master’s acquisition of the White Rose Origin is fundamentally antithetical to her nature. Not only will she gain no power, but she will suffer a backlash, harming her physical body. Furthermore, having lost her own Origin, her strength will slowly wane.]

[Moreover, and most crucially, to read the memories within the Black Mud of the Cadaver Beasts, the Grand Master’s Origin as the Dark Demon Princess is indispensable.]

‘This fellow…’

Ila narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the incessant stream of information Yaya poured into her mind, details she had never heard before.

‘This little one was born at the same moment as me, so why do they know so much?’

‘Hmph, as expected, only creatures of the Abyss would crave the Dark Demon Princess’s vile and despicable power. Controlling others? Who would want that?’

Ila glanced at Leng Xiruo and Lan Bingbing, standing obediently before her. A wave of profound guilt washed over her. Not only had she controlled Leng Xiruo, but she had also controlled her daughter, who had admired her so much.

‘This…’

‘What kind of situation is this turning into?’

‘This is utterly disgraceful.’

[You can release their shackles at any time, and the commands given during this period will not affect their minds. Shackles are merely control, not hypnosis or brainwashing. If you wish to gain power, you can, you just need to…]

[Go, go, go! Who needs such filthy power that only an old hag would use?]

[Moreover… if it’s detrimental to her, why would Leila exchange Origins with me? Given her personality, she wouldn’t do anything that would harm herself, would she?]

[The Grand Master’s devoured disguise ability is ultimately only a small part. To perfectly deceive the Magical Girls of Haidu without a trace, your Origin is required. All of this is for you…]

‘This utterly self-serving individual is putting on such a melodramatic show. Does she really think I’ll happily become her little sister and fall into darkness as the Dark Princess?’

‘Impossible!’

‘Even if I’ve lost the White Rose Origin, the Gungnir Sacred Relic, and my human body, and am constructed entirely of Black Mud, I will absolutely never fall into darkness and become the Dark Princess!’

[You needn’t persuade me. The day Leila fears death, the day she tries to appease me to change my mind—it will never happen!]

Yaya: [Grand Master, Wingman One has crashed. The wooden head cannot be swayed, truly cannot be swayed.]

‘But first, let’s go back to the hotel and check on Mona and the others. If Leila doesn’t return in time, those three little ones will surely be worried sick.’

The moment Ila stood up, Leng Xiruo and Lan Bingbing’s gazes shifted in unison, robotically, staring eerily at Ila like living puppets.

To be honest, it was a little unsettling.

‘But should I release the shackles now?’

Ila bent down, picking up the pistol Leng Xiruo had pressed against her forehead moments ago. Her mind raced, unsure how to decide.

Even with her mind restored, she still couldn’t face her former teammates directly.

If she released the shackles now, before she could prove her “innocence” to them, conflict would surely erupt again. And having already used the Dark Princess’s power, it would be even harder to explain.

Moreover, the entity that had been watching them had never diverted its gaze. To deceive that entity, a necessary disguise was absolutely essential.

“Madam, when will your husband return?”

“He’s working overtime until next Monday,” Leng Xiruo replied, her voice devoid of emotion.

‘I see.’

‘Then, I apologize, Sister Cannon.’

‘I can only inconvenience you for a while longer.’

“You will resume your lifestyle from last night, beginning to operate. When hungry, you may prioritize satisfying your hunger.”

“Yes!”

“Yes…”

This was the power of the shackles, entirely different from hypnosis. Shackles represented ultimate control; though they couldn’t implant suggestions to rewrite a target’s personality, they were unaffected by emotions, compelling the target to perform any action through commands.

Just as Ila prepared to leave, she noticed Leng Xiruo strangely walk directly back into her room. From inside, she retrieved a laptop.

And under Ila’s watchful eyes, she opened…

“Hahaha, this is hilarious.”

The black-and-white-haired girl crossed her legs, reviewing everything that had transpired in her mind, bursting into laughter.

‘I never thought it would be so easy to spark a conflict between those two. I’d imagined it would be much harder; turns out it was nothing special.’

Self-destruction through infighting.

It was indeed far more captivating than the disaster that had occurred in Yaodu.

“Lord Wuyu, someone is looking for you. They’re from Haidu.”

“Oh, it seems things are going smoothly on their end as well.”

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