Chapter 280
To be honest, she doesn't believe the authorities can effectively implement high-intensity cleanup of the debris.
Therefore, it is highly likely that this batch of wrecked remains was urgently cleaned up by the research department using various methods to prevent Dream Weaver Rabbit from getting hurt, and then sent over.
"I think I know why the delivery was so slow."
The Pure White Witch felt a little guilty. It was the first time she had ever made someone go to such lengths for her private affairs, and she was still a bit unaccustomed to it.
But soon, Miss Savior got to work on the inspection.
This batch of wrecked remains is a gift for Little Sakura to practice on. [Heart Forging] only needs the crystal itself as a blessing carrier, so it's best to remove all the calamity energy.
As for the cleanup methods...
Although she can't use Laevateinn's Lingering Fire, she can use [Echoes of the Past] combined with [Killing Karma of Annihilation] to recreate a flame tainted with the concept of fate, which is essentially a youthful version of the Lingering Fire.
Moreover, with its magic power increased more than tenfold, [Echoes of the Past] can borrow even more power, making it perfectly capable of clearing away the calamity.
Chu Yuanqing was in no hurry to use her ultimate move. The gilded heat in her eyes was like molten lava that had been revived. The fierce killing intent of the Cambrian period rose and burned from her soul. A Heart Tide, enough to annihilate calamities, suddenly erupted and transformed into a strange force field that Reality Interference.
The next second, a series of crackling sounds erupted simultaneously.
The gray crystals seemed to have encountered a natural enemy etched into their instincts. The calamity within them seemed to possess tangible emotions, trembling incessantly as they were scorched by the flames. In the end, they all overflowed on their own like wandering black snakes, shattering the containers and trying to escape to other places.
To the naked eye, it would appear as thousands of black lines bursting forth from the table in an instant. Unfortunately, as they fled to the perimeter of the room, they collided with the barrier that had just been erected, triggering the spell's self-counterattack, and were burned to ashes in the black and red magic.
With a wave of her hand, Chu Yuanqing swept all the broken glass into the wind and threw it into the nearby trash can. She patiently picked up these low-level wreckage pieces, which had turned into dark gray, quite transparent, and exceptionally beautiful crystals after losing their calamity energy.
The Pure White Witch placed them into a wooden box, and murmured with some surprise:
"I do Heart Tide a bit strange; I didn't expect to feel so relaxed."
He finished speaking.
Chu Yuanqing opened the next layer; this was the last piece of wreckage in the box.
Unlike the gray crystals of the E-Class, it not only has a blade-like shape, existing between solid and mist, like a fleeting black shadow, but also has rotating scarlet eyeballs embedded at its tail, just like a snake moving in a water tank, making it look extremely terrifying.
This is C-Class Disaster Remnant - Crimson Shadow Blade, and also a high-quality material given to Yayoi to reforge Ama-no-Habakiri.
P. S.: What kind of photo theme do you think would suit Qing Bao?
P. S.: Swimsuits are definitely out of the question; we can't have Qing Bao giving away freebies to the whole world, can we? We'll save that for the swimsuit party.
P. S.: I'll be writing about Little Sakura's music party tomorrow; I've been neglecting her a bit lately!
Volume 1: 266. How could Qing Bao be so cute? (6K)
Inside the suitcase,
The crimson shadow blade moved at a very low frequency, as if it were in a slumber, breathing naturally, wriggling like a living creature. The eyeball embedded at its end seemed to be intentionally avoiding Chu Yuanqing's gaze as it rolled, rotating with his eyes as if instinctively fearful.
Chu Yuanqing was not surprised. The Calamity Beasts were monsters created by the distortion of their souls, and their remains after death would inherit some remnants, resulting in terrifying vitality.
Normally, these residues fall into two categories.
One is an energy-state gene chain. After receiving enough calamity energy, it will grow into a Calamity Beasts, much like a grafted branch, which can be considered a disguised means of resurrection.
Secondly, the fragments formed by the mixture of calamity energy and soul remnants, when infused with a large amount of calamity energy, will not cause the Calamity Beasts to "revive," but will form extremely tiny vortexes of calamity energy that will explode and pollute a large area.
Currently, the Magic Countermeasures Bureau can eliminate the former and prevent the rebirth of the Calamity Beasts, but it does not have a good means to deal with the remnants of the soul.
Although in theory mental magic has the effect of annihilating souls, there are very few [Witch] who are suited to this type of magic, and they would have no time to clean up these disaster remains used for research by the research department.
Chu Yuanqing naturally wouldn't give it directly to Little Sakura. She entered a state of deep concentration, her pupils burning with intense heat, her soul filled with the killing intent of the past. In an instant, she completed the [Killing Karma of Annihilation], and the cool and quiet magic power within her soul, like moonlight, suddenly transformed into a blazing, red-black sea of fire.
The girl's palms were wreathed in flames, her skin displaying red and black patterns. She touched the specially reinforced material with her fingertips, instantly melting and destroying it, and then directly grasped the Crimson Shadow Blade, stimulating it to revive and struggle, emitting a sharp and terrifying roar.
The Pure White Witch looked down at the struggling remains and whispered:
"It's too noisy, be quiet."
As soon as he finished speaking, Heart Tide surge of red and black magic erupted, binding the misty blade with flowing fire. The intersecting lines of fire enveloped the scarlet eyeball, instantly forcibly taming the monstrous corpse.
Then, using the Crimson Shadow Blade as her body, she directly condensed the Fiery Blade into the Annihilation King Sword, which expanded to touch the ceiling, requiring the protective walls of the barrier to insulate it from the heat—a twisted giant blade.
In an instant, the temperature of the flames soared to an extreme, and the vessel in the center nearly melted. It struggled and howled in its confinement, releasing large amounts of calamity like thick smoke, and the remnants of the soul continued to be annihilated.
1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds.
Chu Yuanqing anticipated the C-Class catastrophic remains's resilience. Just as its eyeballs were about to necrotize and its misty body was on the verge of collapse, he shut down [Killing Karma of Annihilation], causing the inner fire to subside. The magic power of Yin Hua replaced the flames, as if coolant had completely shut down the catastrophic remains.
Thus, the bizarre and monstrous weapon in his hand was completely transformed, no longer resembling its original ferocious appearance.
The elusive, misty blade, in turn, maintained a fixed shape like flowing water, absorbing the surrounding light and giving it a texture close to dark crystal. Even the scarlet eyeballs appeared as expensive gemstones adorning the tip, making it look like some kind of work of art, exceptionally beautiful.
"Hmm, this should prevent Yayoi from being scared, right?"
Chu Yuanqing nodded in satisfaction. She deliberately controlled the force, only expelling most of the residue to prevent accidentally burning it. This way, she could leave something behind so that Yayoi could try to baptize herself, which would help her accumulate or, in other words, awaken past experiences.
Chu Yuanqing opened her phone. She didn't check Weibo or pay attention to the outside world's turmoil; she merely glanced at the date and time and mentally estimated:
"Today is the day I sleep with Liuli, but it's only 7:30. Going to Yayoi's to deliver a gift shouldn't be a problem, but... I still need to wrap it up."
Chu Yuanqing first hid the suitcase under the bed, then took out a rectangular gift box she had prepared beforehand from her Small backpack. She looked at the ribbon given by the merchant with a serious expression, thought carefully for a while, tied a pink bow on the handle of the blade, and then put it inside.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about it."
The Pure White Witch pulled out the wooden box containing the gray crystal, placed it at the end of the gift box, and smiled happily. Mission accomplished!
Chu Yuanqing hugged the gift box, which was half her height, and walked straight out the door towards Kiriwake Yayoi's room, ignoring the still-operating Ten Directions Prison Domain.
This type of conceptual magic requires red and black reverse magic to use, and it will disappear on its own once the reverse magic used as fuel is exhausted.
A short while later, the Pure White Witch stood in front of Little Sakura's door. She knocked politely a few times, and after hearing a response, she opened the door and went inside.
Indoors, the girl wore a cool tank top, her full breasts forming a beautiful and soft shape in the fabric, with ambiguous wrinkles squeezed out by the old guitar. She wore athletic shorts, exposing almost all of her thighs, and her delicate skin looked exceptionally white in the lamplight.
Kiriwake Yayoi was practicing guitar on a small sofa. Her pale pink fingertips swept across the strings, producing a series of melodious sounds. Hearing the sound, she looked up at Chu Yuanqing who had walked in, and her cherry-pink eyes suddenly rippled with unexpected joy.
"Xiao Qing, what brings you here?"
After habitually closing and locking the door, Chu Yuanqing sat on the bed, placed the gift box beside her, and said earnestly:
"I've come to return the greeting and also to check on Yayoi's progress in blessing training."
During this week, based on the information she received from Charlotte and some of her own memories, she told Yayoi all the precautions for [Heart Forging].
At the same time, just like when he talked to Liuli, he mentioned the origin of his first timeline memories.
Of course, Little Sakura had regained more memories than Liuli, which meant she wasn't fooled by Qing Bao. Instead, she became even more convinced that the other person was the boy from her memories. However, because she was more understanding, she never took the initiative to expose him.
After listening, Kiriwake Yayoi put down her guitar, walked briskly to the table, took out a glass jar half-filled with origami cranes from the storage compartment, and handed it over with a serious, expectant look, saying:
"I folded so many! More than a thousand! This should be enough to upgrade my Paper Crane Can!"
Chu Yuanqing took it with amusement. The moment her fingertips touched the glass jar, the paper cranes inside transformed into thousands of streams of light, all flowing into the Paper Crane Can lying on the Soul Flower.
In a daze, soft whispers gradually arose, and the cherry blossom-pink flames suddenly blazed brightly, scorching the glass walls. The origami cranes collided in the jar, then bloomed like flowers, falling around the periphery of the deepest part of the soul.
In an instant, those whispers became clear, intertwining in my ears:
[I hope Xiao Qing gets better soon. Whatever the deity or god, can help her?]
[Hmm, as expected, the paper crane becomes more sentient after being infused with more magic. You'll protect her for me, right?]
[I've become a bit clumsy lately, always playing the guitar wrong. I can't afford to mess this up if I need to use it on stage sometime. Come to think of it, Xiao Qing doesn't seem to know any instruments. Should I remind her to choose one she likes to learn?]
[Waaaaah, German is so hard! When will I ever be able to understand Charlotte's whispers to Xiao Qing face-to-face? I want to learn magic like translating konjac!]
[If I could be as powerful as the Witch in my dream, could I protect her?]
Joyful, sorrowful, expectant, weary, distressed, happy...
These fragments, recorded in paper cranes through longing, wove together in my consciousness the moment the glass jar shattered, filling the depths of my soul with falling cherry blossoms.
Whether it's a second or a Planck's time, all the flames merge into one, transforming into an adorable amulet with a cherry blossom pattern and the shape of origami cranes. It floats quietly on the rose, as if telling the girl's wish.
Chu Yuanqing came back to her senses after a long while. Looking at the expectant Little Sakura in front of her, she didn't know what to say. More than being moved, she felt a pang of bitterness and guilt. She knew that she was destined to disappoint Yayoi and that the other person was destined to be sad and upset because of it.
But... it can't be shown.
At least not now. This trip is the last time we can all be happy and carefree. Revealing the truth prematurely won't solve the problem; it will only ruin the atmosphere. So let's wait until our daughter is reunited with her family before telling her everything.
The Pure White Witch's thoughts raced, her eyes crinkling into a joyful smile. Her pink lips lightly touched Yayoi's cheek, and she looked at her earnestly, offering her sincere thanks.
"Thank you for going to so much trouble for me. I really like Yayoi's gift, but please don't work so hard in the future."
As Chu Yuanqing spoke, she pinched Little Sakura's cheek and earnestly reminded her:
"Even if you secretly force yourself, you can't. The paper cranes you fold are very spiritual; they will tell me Yayoi has been behaving well."
Kiriwake Yayoi's quiet efforts were abruptly cut short before they could even take shape, leaving her deeply shocked and feeling as if she had been cruelly betrayed.
How strange, how could such a thing happen? She actually complained to Xiao Qing about the origami cranes she folded?
Little Sakura wanted to use it as a scare tactic, but the thought of the paper cranes dancing on their own after seeing Qing Bao made her lose confidence. She could only obediently say that she was very well-behaved, and then change the subject:
"By the way, didn't Xiao Qing want to return the favor with a gift?"
Chu Yuanqing nodded and said:
"Yes, I asked the Countermeasures Bureau for some things that might be helpful to you. They're all in this box. Open it and take a look."
Kiriwake Yayoi tried to pick up the gift box, but couldn't manage it for a moment. A cute look of confusion appeared on her pure and beautiful face, which made Chu Yuanqing, who was standing next to her, find it somewhat amusing.
Although the weight of the suitcase and the wreckage container is less than 20 kilograms after deducting the weight, the gift box is indeed much heavier than it looks due to its density.
Little Sakura became even more curious. She felt that the things in the Countermeasures Bureau must also be magical. She opened the exquisitely packaged gift box, inside which was a short blade that looked like a work of art, yet had a strangely fantastical feel. The end was inlaid with red agate and tied with a rather girlish pink ribbon.
Surprised and delighted, Kiriwake Yayoi recalled the image of Qing Bao tying a bow, and couldn't help but smile. She looked at the Pure White Witch beside her, and after confirming that she could touch it, she grasped the hilt with her small hand and examined it carefully.
"What beautiful handicrafts! Thank you, Xiao Qing!"
The girl liked it more and more as she looked at it. She was surprised to find that the short blade was exceptionally light, and she wondered where the weight of the gift box came from.
The gift showed almost no signs of human intervention; its smooth, flowing blade had a strange texture, and when she touched it with her finger, it went right through, reminding her of lightsaber videos she'd seen on short video websites.
Chu Yuanqing explained earnestly:
"This is a remnant left behind after the death of Calamity Beasts. The Countermeasures Bureau calls this kind of thing a calamity remains. What you have in your hand is a C-Class calamity remains, codenamed Crimson Shadow Blade. You can easily cut through steel with it as a weapon, and it also has some strange functions."
"Of course, its most important significance to you is to become excellent material for [Heart Forging], to recreate the Mythical Weapon in your memory— the Ama-no-Habakiri."
Disaster Remnants?
Upon hearing these familiar yet unfamiliar words, Kiriwake Yayoi's eyes, clear as Pink Diamond, lost focus, as if her vision was being pulled back to the distant past in one breath.
The dark dome covered in volcanic ash, the broken veins of the earth surging with magma, the rolling heat waves melting flesh and blood, the purple poisonous mist mixed with large amounts of sulfur shooting straight into the sky, forming a ferocious giant snake, and the sturdy chains that forcibly dragged it back into the furnace inside the mountain.
Upon careful recollection, it seems the Witch used the natural terrain to forge a massive Calamity Beasts called Hyakki on East Flow Island, creating a weapon using [Heart Forging].
The remains of a disaster, they must be something similar, right?
The Pure White Witch continued her explanation:
"Although it's unrealistic to forge Ama-no-Habakiri in one go, since magic can compensate for the cost of blessing, we can treat it as the blank for Ama-no-Habakiri first, and then slowly add other materials and infuse it with magic day and night. Sooner or later, we can recreate the glory you remember."
As Chu Yuanqing spoke, he took out a small wooden box, opened it, and said:
"This contains E-Class wreckage. You can use it as basic material to forge some things to test your skills before forging the Crimson Shadow Blade."
Little Sakura put down her knife, curiously took the wooden box, thanked the NPC, and observed the sparkling crystals inside. Suddenly, she had a strange sense of déjà vu, like when a special NPC in a mobile game gives her a gift box of high-level materials.
So... in some parallel world, or perhaps in the past, would Xiao Qing also be delivering materials for forging weapons to the Witch, just like she is now?
Kiriwake Yayoi couldn't remember, yet her heart inexplicably fluttered. She savored this joy, her naturally droopy eyes lifting slightly. She clenched her fist happily, a renewed determination to become stronger ignited within her, and said excitedly and expectantly:
"Great! I'll try it now. Xiao Qing, can you stay with me for a while?"
Chu Yuanqing hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. She was indeed a little worried about letting Little Sakura forge things using the remains of the disaster alone, not because she was worried that there might be something dirty inside.
These crystals are extremely hard, unlike the colored paper the other party used before, and even with magic, they are difficult to properly shape.
If she leaves, Yayoi will have to rely on [Heart Forging] to grind things down. If she gets too focused and exhausts her magic, causing her to pay the original price for the blessing, something bad could easily happen.
Hmm, now that you mention it, perhaps I should also talk to Esther about Yayoi's abilities and ask her to help me create a forging workshop specifically for Witch using magic and ether technology.
As for how to prove its value, let Little Sakura forge a few more special equipment that can store magic power and be integrated into the soul. Even if it's not as useful as the Paper Crane Can —now it's Sakura amulet—it's enough to make Astrid take it seriously.