Chapter 303
PS: I should have gone to the hospital for minor surgery a long time ago, but my cold has gotten worse these past two days. I woke up today with tonsillitis, my uvula is practically touching the base of my tongue, and I also have a slight fever. I can't even move on from the storyline. I think I should rest a bit. I'm really not feeling well lately.
Volume 1: 286. Qing Bao, the cosplaying young widow, and Charlotte's unease. (5K)
The castle's back garden.
The silver-haired, red-eyed bunny girl knelt on the neatly manicured green lawn. She took a sip of her data-generated coffee and said softly:
"In terms of potential, Xiaoyu is already among the top [Witch] in the Countermeasures Bureau. Her talent is considered average, and there aren't many other Captain-Class who are particularly intelligent."
Chu Yuanqing sat on a wooden chair in the garden, bathed in sunlight. Her features were clearly defined, and her golden eyes gazed at the Super AI. A smile appeared on her face, and she moved her lips slightly, whispering:
"You know, I'm not referring to talent in the [Witch] system, but rather talent in the combat techniques I teach."
"Xiaoyu's talent in this area is indeed quite ordinary, not bad at all. It's just that she has always worked very hard and has good perseverance, which is a plus."
Astrid was silent for a moment, then sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
Do you really know what you're saying?
Chu Yuanqing not only behaved abnormally, but he no longer bothered to hide it.
Charlotte is revered as Saintess for three reasons: first, her unique talent of almost permanently and consistently shining; second, her Magical Girl potential far exceeding that of everyone else; and third, her <Shine Meditation Method>, which allows a fully-developed Magical Girl to continue to improve, as analyzed by the [Planetarium].
Of these, the first two are innate talents, while the third is somewhat beyond the scope of the curriculum. However, considering that the other party has been a member of the Countermeasures Bureau for a long time, has read a lot of Meditation Method, and finally created it on their own in the environment of the ideal state, it is still within the reasonable range.
On the other hand, Chu Yuanqing was strongly promoted by the Donghuang Federation as a "beacon".
Although the potential of Magical Girl is obviously outrageous, with Charlotte as the historical basis, these issues are not really problems.
However, ever since this person, who overcame a magical power difference of thousands of times and used all sorts of incredible combat skills to defeat a Captain-Class [Witch] head-on, the nature of things has undergone a subtle change.
If we stop here, what other ridiculous talent could be used to perfectly manipulate Magic Particles and drastically amplify their power?
That statement from the other party is tantamount to admitting that they possess a different combat technique from the [Witch] system, which is completely different from the <Shine Meditation Method>, which is theoretically derived from other Meditation Method.
Chu Yuanqing was naturally aware of this. Her exquisite and perfect face remained calm, her golden eyes radiating a majestic aura. With just a glance, she exuded an air of control over the atmosphere. She then spoke calmly and without hesitation:
Does it matter?
"Our time is running out."
"Just consider this something I learned from [Pure White]."
Since obtaining the position of [Lighthouse] and meeting Charlotte, who is also a [Lighthouse], Chu Yuanqing realized that there was no need to hide her identity too tightly. She used to hide her identity to protect herself and prevent unnecessary accidents.
As for now? No one will hold her accountable for acting too exaggeratedly.
Even if Astrid and the other upper echelons guessed her connection with Chu Yuanqing, so what?
Rather, once suspicion is placed in this direction, her influence and the credibility of her statements will only increase further.
Therefore, if you want to do something, get something, or get the other party's cooperation, just communicate openly and honestly. There's no need to beat around the bush and waste time.
As expected, even after revealing the sensitive information of "pure white," which alluded to Chu Yuanqing,
Astrid didn't press further, but instead carefully answered the previous question:
"It's difficult for Captain-Class to find time, the calamities have been fluctuating more frequently lately, and with the need to be stationed in the restricted area, personnel arrangements are very tight. We also have to be responsible for the lives of the remaining [Witch] in their teams."
"It's already an exceptional case that Xiaoyu can stay here for another week. This situation can only be partially alleviated with the addition of the first batch of fresh blood from <Flash Dance> to the Countermeasures Bureau, but as you know, time is the biggest problem."
Chu Yuanqing's proposal was undoubtedly very tempting.
If spending just one week could double the Combat Power of all the Captain-Class [Witch] in the Countermeasures Bureau, then as long as the higher-ups aren't completely out of their minds, they would be happy to let them participate in the other side's training.
But ideals are ideals, and reality is reality. Rashly withdrawing a large Captain-Class for further training is like dismantling a dam during a flood, which could easily cause irreparable massive casualties, causing the success rate of the <Flash Dance> project to plummet.
Therefore, we can only proceed gradually.
Astrid calmly uttered the standard capitalist statement:
"I can only guarantee that even if it means squeezing all those kids' holidays out of the way, I will transfer people over when there are free time. But the exact time is hard to say, and it might even conflict with the format of the competitions you'll be participating in later."
"On the other hand, you also need to consider whether you can outdo the other Captain-Class."
There are three conditions for the Magic Countermeasures Bureau to grant Captain-Class.
First, [fully opened].
Secondly, you need to have Lantern Fairy so that you can use [Great Full Bloom] once and survive.
Third, after training in the ideal state, one enters the temple, undergoes corresponding trials, and obtains Unlimited Spell belonging to oneself from the blessings received.
Among them, the [Great Full Bloom] technique, which can almost only be used once in a lifetime, should absolutely not be used in civil wars, nor can it be considered part of the normal Combat Power.
Therefore, only the Unlimited Spell truly determine the Combat Power gap between Captain-Class and other normal [fully activated] characters.
What sets it apart from other spells is that the Unlimited Spell is a vast framework, essentially an evolutionary formula that can infinitely refine its own magic.
Xie Qingyu has been stuck in a rut for a long time due to psychological issues. Her development of Unlimited Spell is very superficial, and she has only developed a branch technique to compensate for the output - Butterfly Burial.
But the top-ranking Captain-Class are different; they have almost all updated and iterated their magic.
Some have evolved their Magic Armor constructs to rival Forbidden Spell; others have combined Flower Language and Heart Tide to create incredibly overpowered conceptual techniques; still others have evolved their Magic Domain to resemble celestial realms, controlling any energy within their range...
The power that the Pure White Witch has shown so far may not even be enough to secure a victory against Xiao Yu in a real life-or-death battle, let alone use that training method to educate those [Witch].
Chu Yuanqing nodded upon hearing this, not feeling that he was being looked down upon.
Rather, if the strongest tier of Magical Girl only included half-baked girls like Yu, humanity would probably have been wiped out long ago. Just look at that A-Class calamity in the Mobius Ring mark; the Calamity Beasts behind it doesn't seem like something Yu alone could defeat.
Of course, the strength of [Great Full Bloom] is unknown and needs to be calculated separately.
Chu Yuanqing seemed to be deep in thought, and asked:
"I have a question. Since [Full Bloom] is [Full Bloom]'s exclusive skill, then even if they aren't Captain-Class, shouldn't many Magical Girl know [Full Bloom]?"
"As long as there are [Full Bloom], the hardware requirements for training can be met, and they can be brought over."
Astrid had clearly considered this point as well, and she stated frankly:
"While not everyone can withstand that kind of training, there are indeed quite a few [fully awakened] Magical Girl who yearn to take it a step further and gain even greater power."
"If conditions permit, I will recruit a few volunteers who are willing to sacrifice their holidays and have sufficient awareness. I will mention it to you then."
Chu Yuanqing felt a little regretful. It was clear that the Countermeasures Bureau was really short of Magical Girl; otherwise, they would have immediately sent over a few more Dream Weaver Rabbit to test the waters.
All I can say is, hopefully this situation will change quickly during the <FlashDance> project.
Astrid looked at the dejected Pure White Witch and delivered some good news:
"By the way, we've basically finished shooting all your photos these past few days, and we'll release them together with the seventh episode."
Chu Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, revealing a relieved smile. She had been spending three or four hours here every day for the past few days to shoot photos, sacrificing a lot of sleep.
During the process, hundreds of outfits were changed. Without the aid of magic, changing clothes alone would have taken at least half of the total time, which was terrifying.
This goes far beyond the level of playing a game where Charlotte is used as a dress-up doll.
Dream Weaver Rabbit said that day about just wearing the Magic Armor was a complete lie. Her Magic Armor only appeared on the cover, which meant she only saved one chance to change clothes.
There's nothing we can do about it; since it's positioned as a fashion magazine, it naturally won't feature repeated clothes or outfits.
Chu Yuanqing couldn't remember how many brands of clothes she wore, nor what kind of photos she took, but in any case, those nightmares and gloom were over, and what awaited her was a beautiful and relaxing day.
However, her happiness didn't last long.
Dream Weaver Rabbit then listed a series of items and continued to add to them:
"So, now it's time to fulfill the fans' wishes."
Why?
Chu Yuanqing stared blankly at the screen, which displayed the poll results from the previous photo shoot on the official website of <Flash Dance>: cheongsam, knight outfit, maid, princess dress, punk, office lady, Lolita...
The Super AI said seriously:
"In order to maintain the style, many proposals that did not fit the theme were rejected."
"While we won't include them in the official photobook, we can use them as free gifts, which is a way to give back to your fans and also serves as a good promotional effect."
The Pure White Witch was completely unable to resist the persuasive tactics and could only reluctantly agree.
Fortunately, because the conditions were set in advance, all the requirements involving suggestive or risqué content were passed over, making the shooting of these photos not as difficult as I had imagined. It only took two and a half hours of overtime to finish shooting them all.
Of course, many difficulties were still encountered during the filming process.
In the video, the girl shyly tugged at the collar of her sweater. Her white hair was tied into a ponytail with a black ribbon, and her well-developed softness was wrapped in the fitted gray sweater, outlining a round and beautiful full curve.
Although she wore a formal blazer over her outfit, it actually drew attention to her curves. She paired it with a classic pencil skirt, perfectly fitted black tights, and high heels that subtly accentuated her figure.
This outfit, which is inexplicably highly sought after by office ladies, is worn by a normally serious and earnest young widow. The impression she gives on camera is that she is very ascetic and serious, yet she is very arousing to others.
Dream Weaver Rabbit really understands people's hearts. It even took pictures of this outfit with different styles: whether the ponytail is loose or not, whether the name tag is on or not, whether glasses are on or not, different Daniel stockings, and versions of the outfit in various poses such as working, standing, sitting, getting water, stretching, and barefoot. It perfectly matches the XP of various people.
At the same time, in order to evoke more emotions in someone, she was required to maintain her original white hair and golden eyes throughout the filming, giving it a feel of a Magical Girl quitting her job to go to work.
After that, the overly cute princess dresses and the Lolita fashion, as sweet as cake, made the middle-aged father, who had no girlish heart, feel a strong sense of unease and shame.
Well, on the contrary, the maid outfit, which theoretically implies obedience, showed no emotion in front of the camera because she had already worn the super erotic type. The shooting process was as efficient as flowing water, and she had a kind of beauty that Charlotte had trained.
There were also some cosplayers mixed in.
In theory, the number of cosplay votes requested by some netizens was not very high, with the highest number being only a few hundred thousand. However, Dream Weaver Rabbit, under the pretext of drawing comments from lucky viewers, forcibly added more workload for Qing Bao.
One of them is Lucy from Cyberpunk: The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, because she becomes a young widow in the end, which in a sense fits the Pure White Witch quite well, and she also has some similarities with Motoko Kusanagi, who was mentioned in the comments section before.
Both characters will wear high-slit bodysuits, which are both retro and fashionable.
Wearing this alone would definitely fall into the category of being too revealing. However, when paired with side-cutout hot pants, an off-the-shoulder top, and fitted trousers with similar cutout designs, it falls into the range of being barely acceptable.
To be precise, revealing only the shoulders, part of the waistline, and the side of the thigh can be categorized as the ambiguous aesthetic of "half-concealed beauty."
In short, the training session, which involved skipping almost half of the afternoon, was barely finished before it came to an end.
Chu Yuanqing, clinging to the belief that he could eat as many fans as possible, managed to persevere to the end under Astrid's persuasion, and ended up taking hundreds of photos purely as freebies.
Dozens of different versions of each of the Pure White Witch's outfits were photographed. According to this unscrupulous Super AI, it will tell fans during promotions that only the first 10,000 copies of the fashion photobook will include physical photos, including ten autographed photos of her.
Even without this later plot of paper, one can imagine how many Yuan Fan would have been there, collectively waiting in line to pre-order and snap up the complete set of Qing Bao's photos.
Bathed in the afternoon sun, Chu Yuanqing walked along the streets of the old town, her hands full of things. In the bag on her left were matcha milk tea and strawberry sundaes for her Little Cotton-padded Jacket and Charlotte, as well as the small cake that Liuli Cat Cat wanted to eat.
On the other side were bouquets of pink roses bought to give to each of the Little Idol, and a bouquet of sunflowers specially reserved for her daughter.
This was for no other reason than a small celebration after completing a task.
Along the way, one could occasionally see residents staring at the Pure White Witch, and some cats and dogs that were originally lounging in the sun taking a nap, but came over to rub against her feet after seeing her, creating a sense of harmony as if she had lived in this place for many years.
The dance studio is only fifteen minutes away from the castle, and it can be even faster by taking a shortcut.
Chu Yuanqing took a slightly roundabout route to buy things, but still quickly arrived at the dance studio. When she walked in, Charlotte was sitting on a chair cheering on her Little Cotton-padded Jacket, and everyone was rehearsing their dance.
The Pure White Witch sat down next to Charlotte, handing her a pink rose and a strawberry sundae, which earned her a delighted smile and a kiss on the lips as a reward.
Charlotte, in a cheerful mood, ate her strawberry sundae while watching her daughter dance, and confidently declared:
"Xiao Qing, Xiao Shu must have guessed the truth, because her attitude towards me today was obviously strange, and our relationship suddenly became much closer."
When the Doomsday Diva said this, her eyes sparkled, a smile played on her lips, and her heart was overflowing with maternal love, yet also concealing a hint of nervousness, like a young mother about to be judged by an examiner, exuding a very youthful and girlish charm as a wife.
Chu Yuanqing was overwhelmed by this cuteness; her heart pounded. She immediately looked away, following her wife's gaze to her daughter, took her hand, smiled, and said earnestly:
"Don't be nervous, I told you, Charlotte will be a wonderful mother."
"Xiao Shu will definitely like you, and she won't blame you at all; there's no doubt about that."
This is what she truly felt.
Even if my Little Cotton-padded Jacket is a rebellious child, she would still choose to forgive this shocking reality after learning the whole story and that her own mother is the same age as her and couldn't participate in her childhood.
After all, you can't expect a baby to hold another baby and then maturely call herself a mother.
That probably won't become a warm memory; it's more likely to morph into a childhood trauma later in life.
Charlotte said somewhat shyly in a low voice:
"I know our daughter is very well-behaved and sensible, but... I just have a feeling that we're not quite ready yet."
This mentality is easy to understand. To draw an analogy, imagine a guy who keeps talking about going to a hotel with a girl he likes, but when it comes to actually going to a hotel with her, he starts to hesitate because he worries that he might be disliked for not being good at it.
Charlotte was the same. After spending some time with her daughter as a friend and a close older sister, her initial eagerness to immediately acknowledge her as a mother was tempered with a more rational approach, as she was afraid of not properly gauging her role as a mother.
Chu Yuanqing also felt this was difficult, after all, her daughter was already grown up. If she were still a baby, she could have looked at professional books on childcare.