Chapter 309
The minister of the Donghuang Federation spoke with a somber tone.
Although the Dragon Witch belongs to the Holy United States, there are very few [Witch] of this caliber left in the entire Countermeasures Bureau, not to mention that this forbidden zone is located in the interior of the Eastern Empire.
Astrid sighed:
"This outbreak in the restricted area is far more powerful than the one at Mont Blanc; in terms of threat level, it's comparable to a fully-fledged A-Class Calamity Beasts."
"If the officer on duty had been a slightly weaker Captain-Class, this incident would have resulted in at least tens of millions of deaths and injuries, and the subsequent panic and public opinion would have been incalculable."
The members of the Holy United States said solemnly:
"The death of the Lantern Fairy was a huge blow to Iris, and coupled with the erosion of the plague, she has already shown signs of degeneration. [Full Bloom] is beginning to fail, and she can only rely on healing magic to sustain her life."
--Degeneration.
Normally, Magical Girl go through three stages: [Lighting Up], [Flower Bloom], and [fully blooming].
However, in extreme cases, [Full Bloom] will regress to [Flower Bloom], and then to [Lighting Up], causing a reversal of magical power, a decline in the soul, and the disintegration of the foundation of Idealistic Being.
Ultimately, those who are lucky will revert to being ordinary people, losing everything that belongs to Magical Girl; those who are unlucky will be directly transformed into nothingness Magic Particles.
The Captain-Class [Witch] who protected tens of millions of people in Donghuang is currently enduring an extremely cruel fate sentence, completely unknown to the world.
But during the meeting, no one had the time to grieve over this.
The Dragon Witch is already among the top- Combat Power Captain-Class, and even she had to pay the price of a [Great Full Bloom] to seal off a riot in the restricted area.
When [Pure White] collapses, all the restricted areas will erupt at once. With the current Combat Power of the Countermeasures Bureau, it will be impossible to stop the natural disasters stationed in the restricted areas.
In fact, if someone had failed to defeat the Disaster God in the illusion of the Sea of Truth, or if it had ended in a draw, ninety percent of the humans in the Donghuang Federation would have perished by now.
However, from another perspective, the Dragon Witch, who was able to successfully restrain some of the aftershocks of the Disaster God, is already an outstanding junior with an exaggerated combat potential. If it were Xiaoyu, she would have been killed long ago.
Astrid said calmly:
"The only lesson we learned from this is that the <FlashDance> project can only succeed; it cannot fail."
"If we cannot continue this miracle that has lasted for 17 years by following the trajectory of [Pure White], then neither [The Witch] nor Ether Technology can stop the chariot in the face of calamity."
This Super AI was also Iris's former mentor, but she seemed to have tacitly accepted the child's fate, and could only gloss over the other's circumstances, continuing:
"That's why we're discussing [Lighthouse]'s love life here, because they are the most central link in <Flashdance>."
During the meeting, a conservative sighed:
"The situation is becoming increasingly uncontrollable. Perhaps, just as that person predicted, we have less than three months left at most."
"Having children is the best way to tether the [lighthouse] and prevent accidents, but it's also the easiest way to run into problems."
In fact, the Countermeasures Bureau does possess similar magic.
Otherwise, these discussions would never have happened.
But those spells were either too abstract, didn't meet the requirements, or the pregnancy duration was too normal.
If, like in a certain game, you could adjust the speed and simply hold down F to hatch an egg, allowing new life to emerge, then there would be no need for discussion; everyone would wholeheartedly agree.
Astrid lowered her eyes and surveyed her surroundings, as if revealing her true intentions, and spoke frankly:
"Therefore, I propose that we continue developing the ideal state."
The Republic.
Without the treasures bestowed upon humanity by the Planet Consciousness, neither ether technology nor the [Witch] system could have developed so rapidly, completing several iterations and advancements in just over a decade.
In fact, most of humanity's understanding of calamities comes from fragments of information found in ancient ruins.
Astrid compiled ninety percent of the magic in the library, but she can only be considered half an original creator, because many of them are localized products of the magic of the ideal state.
This auspicious land, which has saved humanity from disaster, should theoretically have been thoroughly developed within the last decade or so.
But...
Once the ideal state is fully developed and its history and past are seen, it will completely vanish like a bubble, completely extinguishing any beautiful dream of using it to escape disasters and regard it as a second home.
The one who initially informed everyone of this information was Astrid, who had merged her soul and flesh into the [Celestial Instrument] and was in charge of the magic of fate.
The meeting fell into a silence brimming with human complexities. All those present held high positions of power, and if Noah's Ark truly existed in the end of the world, they would all be among the first to obtain a precious ticket.
The ideal state is precisely humanity's current Noah's Ark, and not everyone has the resolve to personally shatter it in order to gain more resources to combat calamities.
Astrid said softly:
Have you ever seen an everlasting Mortal Realm Barrier?
"The barrier created by Iris, even after exhausting the entire team's magical power, can only last for 67 hours and needs to be patched up periodically."
This former [Witch] displayed remarkable composure; her crimson eyes gleamed as she surveyed everyone, calmly stating:
"If the ideal state could last forever, it would not become dust of history, leaving behind ruins for future generations to excavate."
"Humanity must not drown in the wreckage of defeat. There is only one future for us to survive: to build Shining City with all of humanity and create a miracle comparable to [Pure White]."
After Astrid finished speaking, she closed her eyes and continued:
"In sixty seconds, let's decide the future of humanity with a vote."
As soon as the words were spoken, the data changes in the center transformed into constantly changing numbers.
The silence among the crowd was gradually broken.
"How cunning! This was your goal from the very beginning, wasn't it?"
"A do-or-die situation? Fine."
"The judgment of the Primal Witch is trustworthy."
"I don't believe the disappearance of the ideal state will create greater value than it still exists, but... humanity has no way back from the beginning, so why not give it a try?"
Aside from those who agreed, there were also strong opinions from neutral and opposing voices, and the meeting only fell silent after the sixty-second vote count was announced.
The number of votes in favor exceeded the number of votes against by exactly ten.
But after the results came out, they still weighed the details for a long time.
Only after a few conditions were finalized were they agreed upon.
First, before completing the full development, we must take away as many of the key resources of the ideal country as possible, such as the Temple, the origin of Unlimited Spell, or even the entire Myriad Phenomena City, which is full of magical heritage.
Although they may vanish into nothingness, knowledge can be recorded, and certain special items can be taken out.
Secondly, before the ideal state vanishes, bring in as many [Witch] as possible to rapidly advance using its environment and resources.
Due to a severe shortage of personnel, this program is destined to benefit only the new generation of Magical Girl, namely the reserve girls selected from <Flash Dance>.
Finally, Astrid, who made the proposal, needed to pass dozens of rigorous reviews, allowing professionals to enter the Dream Weaver mainframe to confirm that the 97 original covenants had not been tampered with, before the plan could be implemented.
The reasoning is very simple.
Astrid is no longer the "Witch" she once was. Her role is not that of a decision-maker or a high-ranking official, but rather a tool to maintain the unity of all humanity.
As a tool, it's normal for Super AI to be wary of a premeditated proposal, especially since Ideal State touches a nerve with many people and belongs to an extremely sensitive area.
But regardless of the outcome,
None of this will affect the Little Idol are working hard to train in singing and dancing.
Salzburg, Old Town.
The dim twilight bathed the streets and mountains in its light.
Despite feeling sleepy, Chu Yuanqing returned to the master bedroom on the third floor of the castle. Since she had taken a shower in the dance studio, she casually took off her sports jacket and put on her clean yoga clothes. She then lay down on the bed and relaxed.
Although those dances that require showcasing feminine charm, whether sexy, cute, or alluring, remain a significant challenge, physical fitness is no longer a weak point. Unlike in the beginning, when one still needed to fine-tune breathing to sing and dance smoothly.
So today's training wasn't actually that tiring; what made her feel sleepy was the feeling of depletion after providing [Quicksilver Blood] with a large amount of nutrients.
All I can say is that the magical power it devoured was so immense that it possessed a kind of powerful beauty. Charlotte had just sent over most of her magical power that morning, only to have it all used up during her training.
Chu Yuanqing lay in bed, barely managing to stay awake. She sent a message in her WeChat group chat with her Little Idol saying, "I'm sleepy, I'm going to sleep for a while," then turned around, wrapped herself in the blanket, and closed her eyes.
However, before losing consciousness,
Tang Liuli's somewhat forlorn expression and her reaction when the phone rang lingered in his mind like a replay, forming a knot in his heart that he couldn't shake off.
"I'll have to ask Dreamweave after I wake up."
The Pure White Witch whispered to herself, and then her consciousness faded into unconsciousness.
However, this is only a superficial sleep. Her current sleep is merely a way of focusing all her attention, which is usually reserved for maintaining daily life, on the lantern, accelerating the transformation of her willpower in order to provide for the modification of [Quicksilver Blood].
As for rest? In the past 17 years, she has had very few days off.
Today is nothing more than a repetition of yesterday.
Time passed, the church bells rang melodiously, a few white doves took flight, rustling the branches, and the shadows on the road were stretched long in the increasingly dim light of the day.
The girl, wearing a yellow hoodie printed with sunflowers and with her black hair flowing down her back, was squatting by the fountain feeding pigeons breadcrumbs. A cute, slightly disappointed expression appeared on her pretty face.
"I have no idea what Charlotte would like!"
Time was running out. As agreed, they were to travel to each other's hometowns in two days to attend a festival celebration specially prepared for Charlotte in the town.
Of course, Chu Wangshu had to prepare a birthday gift.
Even though Charlotte wasn't family, she felt obligated to reciprocate by giving her an expensive gift on their first meeting.
Moreover, her feelings for Charlotte are a complex mix of idol, mother, sister, best friend, confidante, and magic teacher... so she can't just dismiss them casually.
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket had no intention of letting up. She was determined to give Charlotte a birthday gift that would make Charlotte truly happy, as a way of thanking her for spoiling her so much.
So these days, after finishing her training and returning to the castle, she would almost always find an opportunity to sneak out alone and browse various shops in Salzburg, hoping to buy a suitable gift.
Unfortunately, each attempt ended in failure.
Charlotte is so approachable and adorable that it feels like you could give her anything a girl would like, but because of her dazzling aura and abundance of accessories, it also makes any gift seem rather ordinary.
Chu Wangshu was initially worried about the budget and even considered secretly asking Dream Weaver Rabbit for an advance on the Magical Girl's salary card, but later she realized that the budget was not a problem.
After all, blindly increasing the budget is just as pointless as giving luxury goods as gifts to wealthy people.
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket sighed. She touched the pigeon's feathers and inexplicably began to miss the feel of the Little Butterfly. She thought that Violet, that chattering Lantern Fairy, would definitely be able to give many wonderful suggestions.
"Hmm, should we ask everyone what they're going to give as gifts?"
"But apart from me, I don't think anyone else would be so conflicted."
Chu Wangshu was feeling down; she thought this gift-giving challenge was going to end in failure again.
But if Charlotte's gift was so difficult to give, did Dad also struggle with giving a gift to Mom, who has a personality exactly like Charlotte's?
Wait, right.
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket suddenly realized something. She stood up abruptly, the sunflower on her sweatshirt shimmering in the afterglow, the noise startling several pigeons nearby. She muttered to herself:
"Dad definitely knows what Mom likes."
"If I just take a look, maybe I'll get a clue."
PS: Waaaaah, I really want to play Paru, but I have to write. So sad.
Volume 1: Chapter 292. The Magical Girl's Feast: The Truth Gradually Revealed. (5K)
The night was deep.
When Chu Yuanqing woke up, it was already eight o'clock in the evening. She got up lazily, slipped on her slippers barefoot, and glanced at the balcony with her misty eyes. There was a beautiful view outside the window.
The colorful lights stretching across the mountains, rivers, bridges, and towns subtly illuminate the night, though not as grand as those of Sea Capital, retaining the hazy glow of dusk.
Austria boasts stunning natural scenery. Whether strolling along the Danube River in Vienna or wandering through the sun-drenched old town, there's a sense that time slows down.
Chu Yuanqing regulated her breathing, stretching her vibrant and beautiful body. In the brief moment of stretching, she used the oxygen in her blood to sense her limbs and bones, and then manipulated her magic power, down to the depths of her cells.
The Pure White Witch lowered her eyes to look at her delicate, slender hands. She had regained control of the body that had been modified by [Quicksilver Blood] and understood the current situation.