Chapter 96: Cordyceps
The Royal-class Magical Creature was slain by Bai Ye, and after a whole day of chaos, Xinghai City finally returned to calm.
After battling magical creatures with her seniors for an entire day, Xia Mo dragged her tired body home, planning to rest well for the day.
However, as soon as she stepped into the room, she saw a girl with white hair and red eyes sitting cross-legged in the living room, eating snacks while watching TV.
Her posture and expression made it feel like she was right at home.
“What are you doing here?” Xia Mo threw her bag at Luo Shuangyue.
Luo Shuangyue raised a hand to catch the bag that Xia Mo threw, “What? Can’t I come to see you?”
“I’m very tired today, I don’t have time to chat about nonsense with you.” Xia Mo walked over to Luo Shuangyue, placed a hand on her shoulder, and threatened in a grim tone, “If you came to find me for some trivial matter, do you believe I’ll strangle you?”
The pent-up resentment in those words made Luo Shuangyue shiver; her intuition told her that Xia Mo was not joking this time.
After a long day of exhaustion, Xia Mo was indeed feeling quite resentful.
Fortunately, she actually did have a serious matter to discuss with Xia Mo this time.
“You should know about that Royal-class Magical Creature, right?”
“Yeah, it was defeated by Senior Bai Ye, right?” Xia Mo nodded; everyone knew about this by now.
“The creature originally came to find me. After it hit me, your Senior Bai Ye appeared and started fighting it…” Luo Shuangyue stood up, lifted her shirt slightly to show Xia Mo the faint blue bruise on her abdomen.
Combined with Luo Shuangyue’s pale complexion and weak voice, it was as if she was shouting, ‘I am very weak’.
However, Xia Mo wasn’t too worried; since Luo Shuangyue could wait for her here, it suggested she wasn’t in any serious danger.
She might as well listen to why Luo Shuangyue sought her.
“After your Senior Bai Ye defeated the creature, she sealed the residual magical energy, and then she left the scene. I only dared to come out after I saw her leave.” Luo Shuangyue slightly modified the sequence of events, “Then I found a few beautiful black crystals on the ground and picked them up.”
“Uh-huh, so you plan to hand those over to our Magic Department?” Xia Mo tilted her head.
“I would like to, but as soon as I picked them up, they melted into my body. I can’t even sense their presence.”
Luo Shuangyue spread her hands, revealing her true purpose for seeking Xia Mo: she wanted to ask Ye Lin what was going on.
It was obvious that questions regarding magical creatures should be directed at magical creatures; if you ask a Magical Girl, they wouldn’t know either.
After hearing Luo Shuangyue’s words, Xia Mo quickly grabbed her wrist, showing a worried and anxious expression. “How do you feel now? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Those were remnants of a Royal-class Magical Creature; it didn’t seem right to just treat it as non-existent.
“I’m fine for now. I just want to let Ye Lin take a look, just to be safe,” Luo Shuangyue responded, feeling that the distance between her and Xia Mo was a bit too close. What kind of relationship did they have that allowed such proximity?
Wasn’t it quite inappropriate?
Instinctively breaking free from Xia Mo’s grip and taking a step back, Luo Shuangyue solemnly declared she was a well-bred girl and that this Magical Girl shouldn’t act so touchy-feely.
Hurry up and let Doctor Ye take my pulse; once the pulse is done, I’ll go back and rest, don’t waste time.
This remark made Xia Mo roll her eyes internally; wasn’t your home right next door? Why act so grand?
Nevertheless, she obediently took out Ye Lin’s Sealing Card and called her over to check on Luo Shuangyue.
After hearing about Luo Shuangyue’s condition, Ye Lin immediately exclaimed, “You really are something else, aren’t you?” Picking up remnants of a Royal-class Magical Creature, you really aren’t afraid of trouble.
“Based on your description, I suspect those black crystals are the source magical power of that Royal-class creature; Bai Ye’s shot didn’t completely kill it.” Ye Lin quickly formulated a hypothesis since she was also a magical creature, one with memories of having died once.
She knew precisely what constituted a creature’s true death.
Evidently, the Royal-class Magical Creature had not completely perished.
Its body was thoroughly purified, and its magical energy fled uncontrollably. On a more superficial level, it was indeed dead.
But as long as the source magical power remained, the creature’s consciousness could be preserved; placing this source power in a magic-rich setting, after a long duration, this Royal-class Magical Creature could rejuvenate.
“Bai Ye actually didn’t destroy the source magical power directly?” Ye Lin expressed her confusion.
Given Bai Ye’s personality, she shouldn’t have been so careless. In her previous life, the Serpent King’s source magical power had been completely destroyed by Bai Ye, so although Ye Lin possessed memories of the Serpent King, her consciousness was entirely distinct from that of the Serpent King.
Luo Shuangyue pressed her forehead in frustration; of course, Bai Ye wouldn’t be so careless, but the Bai Ye that defeated the Royal-class Magical Creature wasn’t the real Bai Ye.
And she truly didn’t know magical creatures had this kind of mechanism.
“This is a thing?” Luo Shuangyue gazed at Xia Mo, thinking a professional Magical Girl like her should know this setting, right?
But the confusion in Xia Mo’s eyes mirrored Luo Shuangyue’s entirely.
“Uh? I didn’t know either. Once I finish with a creature, I just leave it be… I think it was mentioned in class once, but the teacher told us the logistics department would handle these things, and we didn’t need to worry about such small matters.”
This couldn’t be blamed on Xia Mo; it was just that the current Magic Department thought the Magical Girls had enough to handle already, they couldn’t expect them to search for tiny magical crystals among the ruins after the battle.
These dirty jobs were left to the Magic Department; Magical Girls just had to topple the creatures.
So Xia Mo had never seen the source magical power of a creature and hadn’t realized the importance of this setting.
“Not skilled enough, huh, Rosemary!” Luo Shuangyue lamented, how could these Magical Girls from the Magic Department be so careless?
As a non-professional Magical Girl, she had no idea about such a setting; she thought the creatures would just end upon defeat.
Previously, she had trampled the magical creature and ran away, leaving the cleanup work to the Magic Department, which wasn’t much different from other Magical Girls. Who knew this time she had accidentally picked up the creature’s source magical power, and that magical power had melted into her body?
“Is there any way to extract it now?”
“Unclear, but I advise you to thoroughly check your body first. As long as you don’t develop any oddities, there shouldn’t be significant issues,” Ye Lin suggested.
Transforming into a creature would certainly affect the body; as long as there were no issues, it signified that Luo Shuangyue’s predicament was not severe.
“I checked before, and there were no issues…”
“Checking yourself won’t suffice. Your perception might have been distorted by the source magical power of the Royal-class creature, and some things that seem abnormal to us may appear normal to you,” Ye Lin promptly refuted Luo Shuangyue’s opinion; if you check alone, it would be surprising if you identified any issues!
“Then should I get someone else to help me look?”
“I think you should just let this girl help you check.”
Black mist emerged from the Sealing Card, forming a hand that pointed at Xia Mo.
Look, isn’t this girl the perfect choice? A Magical Girl, pure of character, with no conflicts of interest or emotional disputes, possessing the ability to give you a detailed check-up from head to toe.
With such a perfect option before you, how could you even consider asking someone else?
“I think that’s not too good; she definitely wouldn’t be willing…” Luo Shuangyue immediately shook her head; this wouldn’t work!
Even if she thought about it, she knew that the physical examination Ye Lin was mentioning would require her to strip bare, letting Xia Mo check her body from top to bottom.
Although she was currently using the identity of a Dark Butterfly, to her, Xia Mo was still Xia Mo. She found it hard to cross that emotional barrier!
“I don’t mind; this is a serious matter, I can’t turn her down!” Xia Mo gazed intensely at Luo Shuangyue.
She honestly didn’t have any ulterior motives; she was merely worried that Luo Shuangyue might genuinely have a problem. Having someone else check wouldn’t be as reassuring as doing it herself.
“This can be discussed later…”
“No more time to discuss! Come with me!”
Xia Mo directly grabbed Luo Shuangyue’s wrist, dragging her toward the bathroom; what were you hesitating about at a time like this!
You’re currently a Dark Butterfly, not Luo Shuangyue; what are you afraid of? Am I going to eat you?
Being forcefully dragged into the bathroom by Xia Mo, Luo Shuangyue felt her throat drying up. Wasn’t this the first time she stood face to face with Xia Mo in such a place?
Although they both had mutual feelings before, their relationship had always remained in a somewhat ambiguous dimension. They had never done the things couples typically do.
“Strip!” Xia Mo fixed her gaze on Luo Shuangyue, her voice leaving no room for refutation.
The strength dynamic here was somewhat different from what Luo Shuangyue had previously imagined.
“Can’t we do this through clothes?”
“We’re both girls; what are you afraid of? Don’t be so fussy; are you scared I’ll eat you?” Xia Mo stamped her foot in frustration, disregarding whether this was appropriate or not, and directly moved to strip Luo Shuangyue’s clothing.
The clothes on Luo Shuangyue were those Xia Mo bought for her during their last shopping trip, so Xia Mo was deft in removing them.
Before Luo Shuangyue could react, she felt a chill on her upper body as her clothes were tossed aside by Xia Mo.
It was summer; thus, she wore fewer and thinner clothes, and once those were off, she was left with only a bra covering her somewhat scanty chest.
“Should I take off my remaining clothes or would you like to do it?”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” Luo Shuangyue quickly pleaded, realizing that Xia Mo’s aura had pressured her significantly. She considered resisting but, for some reason, as soon as the thought crossed her mind, her instincts began to scream in alarm.
It was as if someone beside her was repeatedly whispering, “Don’t resist, don’t resist…”
Forget it; after all, I’m a Dark Butterfly. With that in mind, Luo Shuangyue suppressed her deep-seated embarrassment and removed the rest of her clothes.
The discarded clothing was neatly folded by Xia Mo and set aside. Xia Mo walked around Luo Shuangyue, who stood rigid as a pole, and exclaimed softly.
“You’re really thin; I think you’re not much heavier than that Luo Shuangxing girl.”
Among peers, Luo Shuangxing wasn’t known for her size, yet compared to her, Luo Shuangyue felt slightly less prominent in certain areas.
However, Luo Shuangyue was also a bit taller than Luo Shuangxing; their weights were similarly matched.
From the outside, Xia Mo could see nothing unusual; rather, she thoroughly confirmed that Luo Shuangyue was indeed a girl and an adorably shaped one at that.
“Relax; I’ll let my magical power flow into your body to take a look.” After checking the external, Xia Mo proceeded to examine the insides of Luo Shuangyue’s body.
Her hands pressed on both sides of Luo Shuangyue’s body, subsequently infusing her with magical energy.
The feeling of having an external force invade her body made Luo Shuangyue very uneasy. Almost instinctively, she activated her magical power.
“Eh?” Xia Mo quickly withdrew her hands, having spotted a sudden burst of glimmering red at her fingertips.
A small, entirely black spike had emerged at the spot she had just touched, and it was this sudden spike that had pricked Xia Mo’s finger.
“You can grow spikes too?” Xia Mo looked at the black spike that appeared on Luo Shuangyue’s skin, worry filling her eyes.
Isn’t this what Ye Lin mentioned about bodily changes?
“I… I don’t know, it’s never been like this before.” Luo Shuangyue was also in a fog; no one had ever used magical power to delve deeply into her body, so this situation was unprecedented.
Adding to the mystery was why such spikes appeared; she was a Dark Butterfly, a butterfly!
How could a butterfly grow spikes?
Her animal form shouldn’t carry spikes, after all.
As she gazed at the black spikes protruding from her body, Luo Shuangyue recalled the thorny whip used by the magical creature not long ago; it indeed had such barbed spikes.
Oh no!
Am I in real trouble now?
“I shouldn’t be turning into Cordyceps, right?” Luo Shuangyue pressed on the spikes on her body and discovered that they seemed to cause her no harm; she could even push them back in.
For the time being, these new appendages were quite obedient, but she couldn’t guarantee they would always remain so.
After all, they weren’t something she had willingly consumed, which made her feel unsafe.
“Maybe let Senior Longwen take a look?” Xia Mo proposed.
Clearly, this situation had exceeded their capability and could only be resolved by a more capable senior.
Coincidentally, there was such a senior right in Xinghai City.
Should she let Longwen examine her?
After brief contemplation, Luo Shuangyue temporarily declined the suggestion. She and Longwen belonged to entirely different factions; if Longwen learned she absorbed the source magical power of a Royal-class creature and deemed her a threat, what would happen next?
She didn’t want to die young for picking up something carelessly.
“Not for now; I’ll have our leader take a look at me.”
Moreover, Longwen had always come off as a combat-oriented Magical Girl; her knowledge would surely be limited, whereas she felt she might as well consult Monise.
Monise was the true expert here.
“I’m still a bit uneasy… Dark Butterfly, do you live alone?”
Although she knew who was hidden beneath the Dark Butterfly identity, Xia Mo still had to feign ignorance and ask.
“Yes, of course, I live alone.” Luo Shuangyue nodded without much thought.
Then suddenly, Xia Mo pressed down on her shoulder.
“You can either have me come over to keep you company, or you come here. Decide.”
“Huh?”
“If you live alone and something goes wrong, no one will be there to help you, right?” Xia Mo had a solid argument; you, Dark Butterfly, living alone means no one watching over you. Who knows when your body might have issues?
If I come to stay with you, at least I can prevent you from silently turning into Cordyceps.
Luo Shuangyue couldn’t agree to this; the identity of the Dark Butterfly was an ephemeral existence. Where would she accommodate Xia Mo?
Even if she moved to live with Xia Mo, how would she explain it to Luo Shuangxing? She couldn’t just slip back home in the evening to prepare dinner and then run to the bathroom, pretending to sleep before transforming into Dark Butterfly to sneak over to Xia Mo’s place, right?
That was too convoluted and unnecessary.
“No need, I’ll stay at the base.” Luo Shuangyue adamantly stated she wouldn’t corrupt herself by living with a Magical Girl.
Although she lived alone, the Polar Night was her home; residing in the Polar Night base was no worse than cohabiting with you, a Magical Girl.
Seeing Luo Shuangyue use this reasoning, Xia Mo couldn’t force her to stay at her place. However, she wasn’t disappointed; she had merely been asking casually.
After all, right now, Shuangyue still had to juggle several roles; if she truly lived with her, wouldn’t her act fall apart?
“Alright… But if you feel anything uncomfortable, you must tell me immediately!”
…
“You better have a good reason for calling me back, do you know how critical my research is at the moment!”
Monise returned with a deeply displeased expression after receiving a call from Luo Shuangyue, her face clearly stating, ‘If you don’t give me a suitable reason, I’ll fire you on the spot.’
She was at a crucial juncture in her research on the captured subject; if she could break through, it might elevate Jiuye and the others’ powers significantly.
Just then, the Dark Butterfly called, saying she had something extremely urgent to find her.
Monise nearly thought the Polar Night base had exploded, yet upon returning, everything seemed peaceful. How could she not be angry?
“I feel like your research is less critical than my side… Ahem, boss, you know about what happened yesterday, right?” Luo Shuangyue muttered quietly, and after Monise shot her a piercing look as if to say, ‘Say another word and see what happens,’ she quickly adjusted her tone.
“Yeah, that Royal-class creature was taken down by Bai Ye; pretty standard. Anyone who gets handled by Bai Ye doesn’t survive.” Although she had been conducting research over at the Magic Department, Monise remained aware of such significant events.
So how did this tie into the urgent matter the Dark Butterfly mentioned?
“Actually, that creature came to attack me. After it hit me into the ruins… when I crawled out, it had already been defeated by Bai Ye, and I found a few black, gas-emitting stones on the ground…”
“Source magical power? Where is it now? That’s very dangerous stuff.” Monise immediately named what it was.
In this specific field, her foundation was much stronger than Xia Mo’s and Luo Shuangyue’s.
And upon mentioning the source magical power, she became curious about why Bai Ye hadn’t casually disposed of these things.
Under normal circumstances, Bai Ye shouldn’t make such errors.
“I picked them up.” Luo Shuangyue’s voice grew noticeably softer.
“Oh, you should have stored them safely, right? They’re not that terrifying; it takes a lot of time to recover even when exposed to abundant magical energy…”
As Monise spoke, she noticed Luo Shuangyue’s expression was somewhat off.
This expression resembled someone whose dog had stolen food they had expressly forbidden; it was a mix of guilt and evasion.
“Wait… you haven’t eaten it, have you?” Drawing on the Dark Butterfly’s distinct habits, she began to form an ominous suspicion.
Theoretically, it could be ingested, but was the source magical power of a Royal-class creature something a beginner-level Magical Girl could digest safely?
“I didn’t eat it; how could I directly consume something of unknown origin?” Luo Shuangyue defended herself; she wasn’t that foolish, “But as soon as I touched those things, they melted into my body!”
“And then I discovered I seem a bit different now; look, like this.”
Focusing her mind, Luo Shuangyue imagined a spike growing from her palm.
And indeed, a spike began to sprout from her palm.
Although it emerged slowly, it truly appeared.
“What the heck,” Monise gasped, “you, Dark Butterfly, can really create some bizarre fancy tricks, can’t you?”
“So, I’m not going to have any problems, right? The creature won’t be hidden inside me trying to possess me, will it?” Luo Shuangyue asked, worry painted on her face.
“I can’t say for sure, but I can guarantee that the issues you’re facing are definitely significant. No Magical Girl has ever absorbed a creature’s source magical power; this situation I’m witnessing is unprecedented for me.” Monise rubbed her chin, her face filled with deep concern.
Forget it; let’s conduct a complete examination on the Dark Butterfly first!
There were plenty of instruments at the Polar Night, they didn’t need to go anywhere else.
With a heavy slap on Luo Shuangyue’s shoulder, Monise was about to suggest taking a look at her when suddenly, a ten-centimeter black spike erupted from the spot she had just slapped; had she not pulled back in time, that spike would have surely injured her.
“Hm?”
…
This was the first time Luo Shuangyue witnessed Monise’s connections.
Following Monise confidently into the Magic Department building, she gaped as Monise produced a card to unlock a series of doors, guiding her into a place filled with lab-coated individuals.
On the other side of a transparent screen, she saw a person tied to a bed, completely unconscious—it was the magical creature she had previously defeated.
Meanwhile, on her side, a silver-haired girl sat boredly in a chair, staring at her phone.
“Longwen, come here.” Monise waved at Longwen.
From the tone with which Monise called her, Luo Shuangyue felt that their relationship should be decent, not a recent acquaintance.
Longwen glanced up at Monise and Luo Shuangyue, pocketed her phone, and walked over.
“Do you have any idea how hard I had to work to get you in here? And now you decide to bring this little one along. Don’t tell me she understands all this as well.”
Longwen’s words carried a hint of grievance, yet lacked any serious reprimand, instead resembling complaints between friends.
“There’s an urgent matter. Look, this is the little one I was talking about; she absorbed the source magical power of a Royal-class creature.” Monise helplessly pointed at Luo Shuangyue, directly sharing the situation at hand with Longwen.
Longwen blinked.
Then her brows furrowed in alarm.
“Absorbed?! Can it be regurgitated? That stuff isn’t meant to be eaten!”
“It’s impossible. I just conducted a few checks, and I couldn’t find any trace of the source magical power,” Monise pulled several reports from her bag and handed them to Longwen.
Longwen took a look at the reports and immediately returned them to Monise, “I can’t comprehend this; what’s your conclusion?”
Her expertise lay in combat, not in these cognitive realms.
She only knew that the source magical power was extremely important, and consuming it was absolutely inadvisable.
Especially the source magical power from a Royal-class creature, which required utmost caution as there had been precedents where members of the Magic Department dealing with source magical power had fallen from grace.
Now, Luo Shuangyue had directly consumed the source magical power of the creature…
“Should I ask? She is still herself, isn’t she?” Longwen’s gaze onto Luo Shuangyue was wary.
“I can guarantee this point; she’s definitely still herself. You know that those affected by magical energy tend to experience various abnormalities, but there are none present on her.” Monise spoke swiftly before Luo Shuangyue could say anything.
The black spikes protruding from Luo Shuangyue’s body weren’t a physical mutation but a result of her diminished control over her magical power.
In simple terms, Luo Shuangyue’s magical power suddenly surged, granting her extra functions that exceeded her manageable limits, leading to her inability to control her magical energy smoothly.
And these uncontrollable energies operated according to her subconscious, which explained why Monise and Xia Mo had been spiked in retaliation.
Their movements had made Luo Shuangyue uncomfortable, triggering her body to exhibit a natural reaction of expulsion.
“If I weren’t myself, I wouldn’t even be able to reveal this secret…” Luo Shuangyue muttered defensively.
“That makes sense, so why bring her to me? Are you just trying to inform me that she ingested undesirable substances?”
“That’s not it. While all the indicators show no issues, I still feel uneasy since the consciousness of the creature relies on the source magical power.” Monise shook her head.
It was always wise to take precautions; she felt that additional safety measures were better.
“The Soul Guide over in Eastern Extreme City has a good relationship with you, right?”
Indeed, Monise brought Luo Shuangyue to Longwen for this very reason.
Monise herself was not familiar with the Soul Guide, but Longwen was!
With Longwen’s introduction, they should be able to have that Magical Girl check on Luo Shuangyue, helping ensure any potential creature consciousness within her body could be cleared out.
“Are you suggesting she should go to Eastern Extreme City to find the Soul Guide? That’s actually a good approach,” Longwen pondered for a moment, slightly nodding.
That Magical Girl specialized in soul-level matters. If even she couldn’t identify any issues with Luo Shuangyue, it would prove that Luo Shuangyue was indeed fine.
“Here’s the plan: I’ll send her a message, and you directly head to Eastern Extreme City…” Mid-sentence, Longwen hesitated momentarily, realizing that it might not be wise to send a Dark Butterfly alone on this expedition.
After all, she had absorbed the source power of a Royal-class creature; who could say whether the Dark Butterfly was still a Dark Butterfly now? If she had been possessed by the Royal-class creature, sending her out alone would be akin to letting the tiger loose in the mountains!
Someone needed to accompany her, someone not weak…
Theoretically, that would fall to either Monise or Longwen, but both were currently preoccupied. That left them with no option but to choose from among beginner-level Magical Girls.
Most of the current beginner-level Magical Girls in Xinghai City were deployed from other places, thus making it improper for them to accompany the Dark Butterfly on a simple outing to Eastern Extreme City.
Therefore, it would have to be one of the local Magical Girls accompanying the Dark Butterfly.
Oh, just perfect; there was indeed a local beginner-level Magical Girl who had a decent relationship with the Dark Butterfly, making it quite feasible for the two of them to go together.
“Let Rosemary accompany you to Eastern Extreme City. Do you have any objections?” Longwen looked at Luo Shuangyue.
Huh? Xia Mo? Luo Shuangyue was momentarily taken aback, quickly grasping Longwen’s intent.
So she’s still wary of me. But that’s understandable—after all, even she can’t definitively ascertain what issues she might face.
Having a familiar companion isn’t a bad thing at all.
Given the Magical Girls’ flying speed, a round trip to Eastern Extreme City and back would just take a day. Considering time for finding someone and commuting, four or five days would be enough.
“No objections,” Luo Shuangyue replied.
Seeing her respond decisively, satisfaction emerged in Longwen’s eyes. Sigh, this Dark Butterfly girl is surprisingly understanding; it’s just a pity she can’t seem to control her mouth. Did she think that source magical power was something delightful to consume?
How could she possibly shove anything into her mouth so carelessly? Now look at the situation!
“Alright, follow me. Rosemary happens to be here; you two can discuss it and get going sooner rather than later.”
With that, Longwen turned around, escorting Luo Shuangyue towards the exit.
As for Monise, after handing Luo Shuangyue over to Longwen, she immediately returned to her research on the precious transformed person materials.
