Chapter 124: No Appetite?
During the time when the few people were chatting, the Magical Girls who had flown a bit too high finally fluttered back down, with Fei Yue being the fastest to return.
Seeing the three of them engaged in harmonious conversation, Fei Yue’s eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly mustered her spirits and apologized to her senior.
“Sorry, Senior! I flew too high!”
From the beginning, it seemed as if she was deliberately ignoring her sister.
Fei Hongzhi seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.
The relationship between these sisters was indeed a bit strange. Luo Shuangyue’s gaze hovered between the two and reached a conclusion.
It felt awkward; despite being sisters, why did they interact almost like strangers?
Looking at it this way, Luo Shuangyue suddenly felt that her relationship with Luo Shuangxing was really quite good.
“While patrolling among the stars, you need to pay attention to…” Once all the Magical Girls regrouped, the senior started flying slowly with them while explaining the important things to note during cosmic combat.
The most crucial point was to pay attention to one’s speed.
Everyone listened earnestly; a lesson from a Blooming Level Magical Girl was not something you encountered every day, especially one that imparted extremely practical knowledge, which even related to their lives down the line.
If you didn’t pay attention now, you would really be going against yourself.
“Our patrol route is from here to there. Now follow me; we must complete this patrol within four hours.”
“Yes!”
…
“Nothing from the clones, the scouts we sent out seem to have been completely swallowed by darkness… What on earth is going on in that place?”
In the pitch-black expanse of space, a colossal black eye, like a planet, gazed out into the distance.
By its side, an enormous army of magical creatures, vast like an ocean, stood guard. This elite force had been created by it during its battles with the elves. Thanks to these reliable subordinates, it had easily crushed the proud elven civilization, erasing that civilization from the stars.
But now, it had suddenly noticed something very strange.
It had once split a clone to hunt down the last survivors of the elven race, and by this time, the clone should have completed its mission and sent back the message confirming the task’s completion.
Yet it had not received that information.
Moreover, several scouts sent toward the clone’s location had vanished without a trace.
Once or twice might be an accident, but with so many occurrences, it could no longer be called a coincidence.
The army under its command was already moving. No matter what existed in that place, it had to go and take a look.
A brigade of magical creatures carrying spatial beacons had already been dispatched as advanced forces. They would open a teleportation passage to this place so that it could instantly transport its army across an immense distance.
Spatial portals were precisely why it had been able to defeat the entire elven race in such a short time. The elves’ technology was indeed good, but ultimately it could not compare to the unscientific nature of magical creatures.
After all, each creature in its army possessed a traveling speed far surpassing light itself.
…
“Something feels off…” Halfway through the patrol, Luo Shuangyue suddenly furrowed her brows.
Since she relied on the omnipresent Ocean of Magical Power to accelerate and maneuver, her sensitivity to it was much sharper than that of others.
Now, she noticed that the Ocean of Magical Power around her was stirring, as if a massive object was passing through at a high speed somewhere nearby.
“There’s something in the Ocean of Magical Power!” Luo Shuangyue shouted loudly to the senior in front of her.
The senior was taken aback for a moment but quickly settled down to sense the magical power around her. After one second, she raised her hand high and slapped it down in a specific direction.
“Come out!”
An invisible wave of magical force rippled outward, and somewhere far away, a brigade of magical creatures was influenced by this wave, revealing their forms in the starry sky in a disorganized fashion.
Forced out of their marching state, a large part of them fell dead on the spot, leaving only a small fraction barely surviving.
They looked around, finding themselves in an open space, seemingly still a great distance from their destination.
But now they had no way to once again enter that high-speed traveling mode, and could only approach their destination using the most ordinary method.
Who knew how long it would take them to reach their destination… probably several days at least.
…
After delivering that powerful slap to who knew where, the senior clenched her fist and said to the puzzled crowd behind her, “Continue the patrol!”
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to deal with those magical creatures, but she had no idea where they might appear.
That slap was merely a powerful interference with their movement, akin to throwing a massive wave at a ship navigating through the Ocean of Magical Power. But where that ship was and whether it would be wrecked by the wave, she could not say.
However, she could now confirm that the magical creatures were indeed nearby and that they had a unique way of traveling.
After completing this patrol mission, she immediately took Luo Shuangyue to meet the other Blooming Level Magical Girls at the lunar base and laid out everything that had just happened.
Upon hearing her account, the few Blooming Level Magical Girls with no current tasks revealed their surprised expressions, never expecting the magical creatures to have such a way of moving.
If it weren’t for Luo Shuangyue’s quick reactions, wouldn’t the magical creatures have already rushed right up to them without anyone realizing the impending danger?
“How did you discover the magical creatures’ plot, Dark Butterfly?” Among the Blooming Level Magical Girls, there happened to be a senior familiar with Luo Shuangyue, namely Longwen.
It was very appropriate for her to ask Luo Shuangyue this question.
Other Blooming Level Magical Girls might still carry themselves with a bit of seniority, but she was not one bit pretentious; she was already quite close with Luo Shuangyue.
“It was just by coincidence. Because I need to constantly sense the movements in the Ocean of Magical Power while flying to fine-tune my wing performance, I felt the strange disturbances coming from other places,” Luo Shuangyue scratched her head, realizing she had truly stumbled upon this.
Other Magical Girls didn’t rely on the Ocean of Magical Power to accelerate or decelerate, naturally paying little attention to it, but she was different.
She was like a canoe sailing upon the ocean, with a keen sense of the winds and waves. It was only because she sensed something unnatural in the Ocean of Magical Power that she warned the senior leader that something might be wrong.
And indeed, it was true that the Blooming Level Magical Girls quickly noticed the disturbances in the Ocean of Magical Power and even launched an attack against the source of those disturbances.
“It seems that the magical creatures are relying on the Ocean of Magical Power to move, but I’m still not sure how fast they can reach.” The senior who had intercepted the magical creatures scratched her head, also belonging to the type of Magical Girl who prioritized practical experience over theory and was not very sensitive to such data.
She knew that magic does not adhere to science; the magical tide she unleashed with that slap certainly exceeded the speed of light.
“It can be determined that the attackers will not be Royal-class magical creatures; otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to stop it,” Longwen muttered while stroking her chin, “I will relay this information back to Earth so that people can calculate possible speeds, but the simplest way is to simulate it directly.”
“Have an Initial Bloom Level Magical Girl fly using the Ocean of Magical Power like the magical creatures; that way, we can roughly estimate the flying speed of the magical creatures.”
This proposal garnered unanimous approval from the Blooming Level Magical Girls. Regardless of whatever theory, direct practical proof would be far more accurate than arbitrary estimates.
After all, this involved a concept that had no theoretical foundation, making it quite difficult for ordinary people on Earth, who could not even sense magical power.
It was better to allow the Magical Girls to perform practical exercises to gather data.
So the question arose: where could they find an Initial Bloom Level Magical Girl who could rely on the Ocean of Magical Power to fly? After all, most Magical Girls’ understanding of the Ocean of Magical Power was limited to how they could draw power from it; they wouldn’t know anything else.
It was indeed hard to find…
Hmm… Hmm!
The eyes of the Blooming Level Magical Girls suddenly fell on Luo Shuangyue, as if thinking that this junior was a perfect candidate.
Initial Bloom Level, flying by relying on the Ocean of Magical Power, and understanding it better than the average Magical Girl.
A perfect choice!
Being stared at by these seniors, Luo Shuangyue suddenly felt her heart race—oh no, she felt she was in big trouble!
Then her premonition was confirmed.
Longwen stood up and gently patted Luo Shuangyue on the shoulder, her expression serious as she said, “Dark Butterfly, the organization has a task for you!”
“Ah?”
“Can you learn to completely integrate into flying with the Ocean of Magical Power like the magical creatures? We really need your help right now, and if you’re willing to assist us, there will definitely be rewards.” With an arm around Luo Shuangyue’s shoulder, Longwen whispered in her ear.
She didn’t engage in any pretentious talk but straightforwardly informed Luo Shuangyue that as long as she cooperates with their research, there would be considerable benefits.
As for material rewards, let’s not even mention that; the Magic Department still owes you a big favor, and in the future, whenever you need help from the Magic Department, feel free to ask. As long as it’s not unreasonable, we can help you with anything.
Even if you ask us to be your bridesmaids at your wedding, we can comply.
Luo Shuangyue’s throat moved.
In truth, she wasn’t really short of money at this moment. After helping the Magic Department a few times, she had become a well-off young lady without any worries.
However, compared to that material reward, the favor that Longwen mentioned was what truly piqued Luo Shuangyue’s interest. With that favor, the resistance she faced while searching for her parents in the future could be lessened, right?
If any insurmountable difficulties arose, she could call upon the Blooming Level seniors to cover her back.
Thinking of this, Luo Shuangyue no longer hesitated and nodded vigorously.
“Okay, I’ll do it!”
Upon hearing Luo Shuangyue’s reply, Longwen immediately displayed a happy expression. She liked such agreeable and sensible girls like Luo Shuangyue.
As for rewards and favors, it was all trivial for Longwen; it wouldn’t matter to her if without that favor, Luo Shuangyue would turn to her for help.
Of course not!
Magical Girls weren’t that heartless.
So Longwen felt that she was practically getting something for nothing this time.
“Then you should go back and rest. I’ll discuss with the others about how to proceed with this experiment. Just wait here tomorrow morning.”
“Mm, okay!”
After Luo Shuangyue left, the Blooming Level Magical Girls immediately formed a circle and began discussing what to do next.
After what seemed like an eternity of candid conversation, a few self-proclaimed clever Blooming Level Magical Girls finally came up with a testing plan.
“We’ll follow this plan tomorrow; is that alright?” Longwen crossed her arms, as she was the main initiator of this plan.
The other Magical Girls shook their heads.
“Alright, then it’s decided!”
…
When Luo Shuangyue flew back to the dormitory, Luo Shuangxing had not yet returned. After all, today Luo Shuangxing was receiving expert one-on-one guidance from a few teachers, and she probably wouldn’t come back until late.
Although Luo Shuangyue had completed a patrol mission with the Magical Girls from the Magic Department, it hadn’t taken much time.
Considering the time spent leaving and returning, it was only around five o’clock.
Even though day and night weren’t very distinct on the moon…
“Strange, where did Xia Mo run off to?” Luo Shuangyue was curious about Xia Mo’s whereabouts. Logically, she should have been waiting in the room for her, right?
Could it be that she couldn’t open the door without a room card, and not knowing when she would return, went next door to wait?
After careful thought, Luo Shuangyue felt this possibility was indeed quite significant, so she got up and walked to the door of the adjacent room, pressing the doorbell.
A few seconds later, Xia Mo opened the door, looking a bit embarrassed as she said to Luo Shuangyue, “Shuangyue, please wait a moment, I’ll be right there.”
“Mm? What’s going on?” Upon hearing Xia Mo’s words, Luo Shuangyue was taken aback. What could lead Xia Mo to say “wait a moment”?
“What happened that made Xia Mo need to say that?”
“Fei Yue seems a bit unhappy, and I’m comforting her,” Xia Mo glanced inside and explained helplessly.
After the patrol team disbanded, Fei Yue had rushed back to her room without looking back, burying herself deep under the covers.
Xia Mo, with her character that could not bear to see other girls feeling sad, naturally tried to ask Fei Yue what was wrong, but Fei Yue refused to speak and wore a look of “just let me suffer in silence.”
This left Xia Mo feeling a little speechless.
“Ah, well… good luck with that.” Since she wasn’t capable of helping with this, Luo Shuangyue was aware of her own limitations; comforting people wasn’t something this villain could do.
With that in mind, she planned to go back to her own room and wait for Xia Mo to finish and come find her.
However, as she turned around, she saw a bright red figure standing not far away. It was Fei Hongzhi, who had completed the patrol task with her.
From the look of it, she seemed to be watching her direction?
Seeing Fei Hongzhi peering suspiciously over this way, Luo Shuangyue was just about to ask what she was looking at when she noticed this genius girl from the Magic Department scurry away, almost as if guilty.
Hey, how strange; the relationship between these two red sisters is quite peculiar, isn’t it?
Luo Shuangyue couldn’t figure it out; perhaps this was just their unique way of relating to each other? In any case, she couldn’t be bothered with such things.
As long as it didn’t interfere with her and Xia Mo, it was fine.
But this clearly wasn’t going to be the case. Xia Mo ended up spending more than half an hour comforting Fei Yue before coming to find Luo Shuangyue. At this point, Luo Shuangyue had become bored enough to start snacking on Luo Shuangxing’s snacks.
“Sometimes I really doubt whether you two sisters are the real oddballs,” Xia Mo said, looking exhausted as she saw Luo Shuangyue casually munching on Luo Shuangxing’s potato chips.
“Hah? What’s wrong? Could it be that Fei Yue is unhappy because her relationship with her sister isn’t good?” Luo Shuangyue asked with a mouthful of chips.
Xia Mo nodded.
“Aren’t they sisters? What could have happened to make them seem that way?”
“How to put it, maybe it’s insecurities. With such an outstanding elder sister, the younger sister is bound to feel a bit inferior. Additionally, the elder sister likes to be near the insecure younger sister, and every time they meet, it reinforces the younger sister’s feelings of inadequacy,” Xia Mo said, pinching the bridge of her nose with a tone of helplessness.
Although Fei Yue didn’t explicitly state what made her sad, someone as astute as Xia Mo still managed to guess the underlying reasons.
Having an overly accomplished sister didn’t seem to be a good thing after all.
“She wants to chase after her sister’s shadow but finds she can’t keep up. Every encounter with her sister makes her realize this reality, and after repeated instances of this, she has become like this.”
Luo Shuangyue nodded in understanding as she listened earnestly to Xia Mo’s recounting. In her mind, such matters were not ones outsiders could meddle in.
As for why she and Luo Shuangxing had such a good relationship… Who really knows? Perhaps it was because since childhood, she had never spoiled Luo Shuangxing, and Luo Shuangxing had never changed her carefree and mischievous nature.
Luo Shuangyue and Luo Shuangxing belonged to the type where their relationship seemed poor at first glance, but in reality, it was as solid as a rock. Their everyday bickering was merely a fun aspect of their bond.
Luo Shuangxing would pull a prank, and Luo Shuangyue would use it to lecture her sister—that was their mode of interaction.
Regardless, the current Luo Shuangxing, no matter how mischievous, was much better than the state she had been in a few years ago when their parents had just gone missing.
“I saw Fei Hongzhi looking out for her sister, too. She was peeping over at the door earlier,” Luo Shuangyue shared with Xia Mo what she had observed.
Looking at it this way, it seemed the two sisters genuinely cared for one another; it was just that both were a bit awkward, leading to a failure in conveying their feelings to one another, right?
After contemplating for a moment, Luo Shuangyue realized that she probably couldn’t deal with this complicated, tangled relationship with her own abilities. She quickly decided to abandon her thoughts.
Sigh, Magical Girl matters are none of my business as a villain!
I might as well enjoy my little snacks.
Of course, Luo Shuangyue wasn’t such a selfish sister as to eat all of her sister’s reserved goodies. After finishing one bag of chips, she refrained from further sneaking.
By the time Luo Shuangxing returned with a tired body from outside, Luo Shuangyue was already discussing the insights from today’s patrol with Xia Mo.
“I have an experiment to attend tomorrow where I’ll be flying relying on the Ocean of Magical Power…” Luo Shuangyue held up her now ethereal right hand and said to Xia Mo.
At that moment, Luo Shuangyue’s right hand seemed to be enveloped in a faint black-purple glow, making it look somewhat unreal.
Curious, Xia Mo reached out to grasp Luo Shuangyue’s ethereal hand but found her hand simply passed through Luo Shuangyue’s.
“Eh?”
She then layered magical power onto her hand, succeeding only this time in grabbing Luo Shuangyue’s hand.
“How amazing…”
“Can’t you do it?” Luo Shuangyue, retracting from the ethereal state, asked with some confusion.
“I can’t. Your instantaneous movement ability also relies on the Ocean of Magical Power?” Xia Mo shook her head, realizing not all Magical Girls have Luo Shuangyue’s type of ethereal capability.
She definitely didn’t have it.
“Pretty much. To you, it seems like instantaneous movement, but in reality, the effect is that I become ethereal to enter the Ocean of Magical Power and then run to your side before exiting the ethereal state,” Luo Shuangyue explained how her transformation movement functioned.
The butterflies that scatter and disappear symbolize her complete transition into an ethereal state, and the butterflies reassembling into her body signifies her re-materialization.
All of this was a natural and instinctive action for Luo Shuangyue, something she grasped as soon as she became a Magical Girl.
She thought other Magical Girls were similarly capable.
“Did you snack on my treats?” Upon hearing a few details from the side, Luo Shuangxing realized they were all topics she couldn’t understand, so she promptly chose to bring up a different subject.
“It was just one bag of chips; don’t be so petty.”
“Brat, you shall pay for this!”
Seeing Luo Shuangyue’s face that screamed ‘this is no big deal’, Luo Shuangxing indeed chose to pounce on her and deliver retribution to her wicked sister.
After landing a few punches on Luo Shuangyue’s unperturbed chest while straddling her, Luo Shuangxing finally satisfiedly climbed off her sibling and huffed, “I’m going back to Earth with the seniors tomorrow. Do you have anything you want me to bring back?”
“Back to Earth?” Luo Shuangyue and Xia Mo asked in unison, puzzled. Hadn’t she just arrived a few days ago, why was she going back already?
Surely she wasn’t overwhelmed by the environment here or crushed under excessive training pressure, was she?
That didn’t seem likely. Looking at her sister, Luo Shuangyue’s impression of Luo Shuangxing was not that she would ever be the type to give up.
“Yes, after the seniors from the Magic Department learned about my abilities, they treated me like a treasure and begged to borrow me for a day from another senior,” Luo Shuangxing explained, clarifying that her trip back to Earth wasn’t for leisure but to complete a task.
Currently, the lunar base needed supplies from Earth, and human methods of sending cargo to the moon were rare, mostly relying on Magical Girls for transport.
At this moment, with Luo Shuangxing’s arrival, her sealing cards that could house large items into a lightweight card were precisely the ability that the Magic Department had been dreaming about.
Running back and forth with Luo Shuangxing, the efficiency of material transport could be multiplied many times compared to previously!
“So how much can you fit in one of your cards?” Luo Shuangyue asked, curious.
Previously, she had only seen Luo Shuangxing use the card to seal several large bags of snacks, but she had no clear idea of where exactly her limit lay.
This question made Luo Shuangxing scratch her head, “When sealing non-magical things, I should be able to fit many.”
The magic power consumed by her sealing was calculated based on the magical energy contained within the item being sealed; for example, costumes like her magical weapons consumed more energy for sealing.
Those snacks without any special powers consumed less magic energy.
Furthermore, she didn’t just use the sealing cards in one way; initially, she would create a card and then seal her weapons into it.
Now, she’s improved her card-making method, where she first creates the weapon and then makes the card together with it to maximize efficiency and avoid wasting magical power.
“For example, sealing a few bags of snacks like these would probably just consume this much magical energy,” Luo Shuangxing held up her pinky finger, indicating the magic power consumed was nearly negligible.
“…Your ability is truly amazing,” Luo Shuangyue couldn’t help but exclaim, finding Luo Shuangxing’s card power visibly strong. Once she fully developed, she would surely be a powerhouse comparable to herself.
What was even scarier was Luo Shuangxing’s strength could be accumulated. Other Magical Girls had their strength fixed, but Luo Shuangxing was different; her power would gradually rise over time.
This didn’t mean Luo Shuangxing herself was improving, but rather that she could grow stronger by collecting cards.
Even if she could only produce cards equivalent to a quarter of her power per day, after a hundred days, her power would directly become twenty-five times stronger!
In battle, this characteristic was nothing short of invincible!
“Make me a few empty sealing cards,” Luo Shuangyue said, firmly holding her sister’s shoulders and speaking earnestly.
“What for?”
“I want to see if I can create such cards too.”
Luo Shuangyue could obtain some abilities from eating; after consuming her mother’s magical power, she gained the ability to create counterfeit sealing cards, so by eating her sister’s power, she should be able to acquire her capabilities, right?
Hearing Luo Shuangyue’s thoughts, Luo Shuangxing puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction, feeling like her lousy sister was trying to take advantage of her.
The useful idea she had worked hard to come up with was being snatched away like this? How naughty!
But for all her irritation, Luo Shuangxing still made five empty cards and handed them to Luo Shuangyue.
Even if they didn’t contain anything, Luo Shuangxing didn’t skimp on the quality but made them to accommodate the specifications of her own magical weapons.
After making those five cards in a row, Luo Shuangxing’s complexion turned pale.
“I’m done; I need to rest,” she said, seemingly drained by producing those cards, and after shoving them into Luo Shuangyue’s hands, she dove into Xia Mo’s arms, rubbing against her chest and making faint sounds.
Holding the five cards, Luo Shuangyue’s expression was somewhat complicated. Why did it feel like these five cards were akin to a “bribe”?
As if it carried the implication of “Here are five cards for you, and tonight, Xia Mo belongs to me.”
Xia Mo also displayed a look of helplessness while being tightly embraced by Luo Shuangxing. She certainly couldn’t just put Luo Shuangxing down.
Luo Shuangxing wasn’t someone with whom she had a bad relationship; their bond was nearly as close as Luo Shuangyue’s and Xia Mo’s.
Xia Mo also viewed Luo Shuangxing as her own younger sister, and with Luo Shuangxing acting this way, how could she force her away?
“How about you stay with Shuangxing tonight? She’s clearly worn out,” Luo Shuangyue suggested to Xia Mo.
Considering the presence of those five cards, Luo Shuangyue didn’t mind letting Xia Mo share an evening with her sister.
While speaking, Luo Shuangyue took one of the cards, gently biting it.
Her enchanted teeth easily crushed the sealing card without causing it to explode like before.
Luo Shuangxing’s magical power tasted like vanilla cake, with a sweet hint. Among the magical powers Luo Shuangyue had tasted, it was the most delicious.
As soon as the first bite of magical power was swallowed, the little foodie within Luo Shuangyue leaped out.
Black mist gathered before her, forming You Lian’s shape. The little fellow blinked, appearing unhappy as she pointed at the card in Luo Shuangyue’s hand, voicing her complaint, “Steal food!”
Sure enough, You Lian popped out just for food.
However, Luo Shuangyue didn’t intend to hog all those cards. She placed an unbitten card into You Lian’s arms, signaling that she hadn’t forgotten about her.
Almost instantly, the little one transformed from being quite displeased to wearing a joyful smile, eagerly munching on the card in her embrace.
Before long, she had devoured that card entirely, her mouth full of white magical powder.
After finishing the card, she propped her chin in contemplation, as the black mist that formed her body started shapeshifting into various forms.
Luo Shuangyue noticed these transformations seemed to be attempts to replicate Luo Shuangxing’s sealing card. However, perhaps due to the minimal information within a sealing card, You Lian’s attempts failed after numerous trials.
Seeing this, Luo Shuangyue handed her another card.
After consuming the second card, You Lian’s attempts became closer to success, but ultimately, she still fell short.
At this moment, Luo Shuangyue had already finished two cards, but the tragedy was that she had no leads whatsoever; she could only reproduce some of Luo Shuangxing’s magical power but hadn’t made any progress in replicating the sealing cards.
With only one card remaining from what Luo Shuangxing had given her, Luo Shuangyue contemplated for a long while before biting the bullet and giving it to You Lian.
After all, this little one was advancing quicker than her, so she decided to see what You Lian would come up with in the end.
Yet when You Lian received that card, she didn’t immediately eat it; instead, she lay on the card, displaying a lack of appetite.
This left Luo Shuangyue quite surprised. It was just two sealing cards; she couldn’t possibly be full already, could she?
Surely, this little one’s appetite wasn’t that small? Hadn’t she been delightedly gorging when eating Royal-class magical creatures before? Why was she acting so differently this time?
