Chapter 328
At that time, she was frustrated and saddened, even hating herself for her hesitation. If she hadn't been worried about not being able to contact her loved ones in the future, she would have engraved the epic with her soul long ago to obtain the full power of Laevateinn, and such a tragedy would not have happened.
Weakness is a sin, cowardice is a sin, and so is greed.
From then on, the tenderness in my heart was swallowed up by the coldness, and I became as hard as iron.
Therefore, we will not repeat the same mistakes.
Whether it's the Disaster God or the Sea of Truth, no one can take away what she cherishes from her.
This perfect ending, achieved through everything, must not be broken by any factor, not even by oneself, even if the one who tries to overturn it is oneself.
Chu Yuanqing smiled gently and asked softly:
"If that day ever comes, may I call you Mom?"
Sister Ellie took Chu Yuanqing's hand. She was clearly in a great mood; even though her tone remained mature and steady, the last syllable of her voice couldn't help but rise in pitch.
"Actually, it's fine right now. I'd love to have more lovely daughters like you."
Seeing the other person's happy expression, Chu Yuanqing suppressed her shyness and whispered:
"Aili's mom?"
Sister Ellie happily hugged Qing Bao. Compared to her previous blessing embraces, this one felt more like petting a small animal. She said contentedly:
"Mmm~ So cute!"
"She's so sweet, soft, and well-behaved. I feel like Xiao Qing is even more likable than Charlotte."
Chu Yuanqing felt a sense of familiarity; this hug was exactly the same as Charlotte's reaction after discovering she had become a girl, only lacking a bit of awkwardness.
But soon, she keenly realized something was wrong and quickly tried to cover it up:
"No, no, Charlotte is much cuter."
Charlotte became even more embarrassed and annoyed upon hearing this. Jealous, she pinched Qing Bao's soft waist and complained:
"Being fickle and easily bored is not a virtue, Sister Ellie herself said so!"
Sister Ellie released Chu Yuanqing, pinched Charlotte's cheek, and began to lecture her seriously:
"Charlotte, you're not allowed to bully Xiao Qing."
"She's different from you, who's mischievous, prankster, and sometimes likes to throw tantrums. She seems very honest and the kind of child you can easily make things difficult for."
Charlotte looked at Sister Ellie in shock, bewildered as to why her home protection period was so short. Then she glanced at the innocent Pure White Witch beside her—the culprit—and puffed out her cheeks.
How could someone steal Sister Ellie's affections so easily?
Although... although Sister Ellie did like Xiao Qing the most in the first playthrough, now that she has no memories and her gender has changed, this outcome is just too unfair!
Chu Yuanqing held Charlotte's small hand to prevent her from getting upset and changed the subject, asking:
"Sister Ellie doesn't seem surprised at all by Charlotte's sexual orientation?"
You have to call her "Mommy".
Sister Ellie first corrected the form of address, then explained somewhat uncertainly:
"Well, I wouldn't say it's not surprising, but Charlotte has always been very free-spirited, and if the object of her affections is Xiao Qing, there's always this feeling that she'll like her regardless of whether the person is male or female."
Sister Ellie's philosophy was very simple. In her eyes, the only difference between heterosexuals and people in a contact list was whether or not they could reproduce normally.
But compared to being unable to have children, abandoning them is the real sin.
So, as long as Charlotte is happy, that's all that matters. Her life belongs to her, so why should she be restricted because of her own preferences?
Not to mention, she also harbored a strange fondness and pity for Chu Yuanqing.
Charlotte, having overcome her jealousy, hugged Sister Ellie's arm and said happily:
"I brought some other friends with me this time. Shall we have dinner together tonight?"
Chu Yuanqing nodded in agreement, but then belatedly realized something and pulled out her phone. Looking at the 99+ WeChat messages, she felt a chill run down her spine and realized there was a big problem.
Feeling guilty, the Pure White Witch replied to the angry Little Idol in the group chat, then tugged at Charlotte's sleeve and said:
"Charlotte, let's not go tonight, let's meet at noon. Xiao Xuan and Yayoi have been waiting for us at the hotel for a long time."
"Furthermore, I also need to find time to arrange training tasks for Xiaoxiao."
Charlotte turned around and smiled, and said:
"Then let's all come to our house! The dining table here is very big so that the children can eat together."
Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and said:
"That table can seat about twenty people, and the children are quite small, so they can squeeze in. But if we include Xiaoxiao and the others, there will be 11 people here alone, and the table definitely won't be big enough."
Sister Ellie's lips curled up. She groped in mid-air, found Qing Bao's head, touched it, and said happily:
"It's alright, the weather is so nice today, why don't we all sit on the lawn and have a picnic? What does Xiao Qing like to eat? I can make it for you."
Chu Yuanqing felt a sense of being treated like a child, but seeing her adoptive mother's happy expression, she glanced at the shopping bag that the other woman had put aside and that was hanging in the air with a few musical notes, and obediently picked out some of the foods she liked.
Charlotte, witnessing this scene, had already decided not to be jealous. She would save these emotions for the night and then unleash them all on the hateful Pure White Succubus!
Chu Yuanqing was unaware of the Saintess's wicked intentions. She sent the addresses to the Little Idol and also reminded them of the situation here.
So, half an hour later, both groups of Little Idol arrived at the chapel.
What's rather amusing is that, seemingly out of mutual appreciation among the [Witch], the dazzling light covering the town created a subtle chemical reaction among everyone.
The most abstract of these is the situation of the Little Cotton-padded Jacket.
A chibi Charlotte stands on Chu Wangshu's head, one on his shoulder, three in his arms, and even three different Doomsday Diva are hidden in his backpack. He is also accompanied by Flowing Light and Bubbles, as well as musical instruments forged from Radiance.
Piano, cello, violin, tuba, guitar...
These numerous musical instruments are mostly covered with cute stickers, some even featuring cartoon versions of the Doomsday Diva. They huddle around the Little Cotton-padded Jacket, hopping and skipping forward, forming a complete orchestra and cheerfully playing music.
Chu Yuanqing heard the commotion from several hundred meters away. Seeing her daughter's helpless, embarrassed, and bewildered expression, she couldn't help but laugh.
Charlotte, watching this scene, excitedly took out her magic camera and captured this amusing sight invisible to the naked eye. She took pictures from over a dozen angles, admiring her daughter's embarrassed expression, and commented with satisfaction:
"Xiao Shu is so cute."
When Chu Wangshu saw the culprit, she angrily accused her own mother for a long time before the band around her disappeared, leaving only a Charlotte sticker on her bag.
Yes, these stickers can even move; they randomly transform into anime characters, which is really cute.
Kiriwake Yayoi, Xie Qingxuan, and Tang Liuli were also freed from the strange things around them.
As for Chen Yining and Ji Shuzhu, this childhood sweetheart couple...
Because of the wondrous phenomenon created by the Saintess, which is fickle in every sense, the chibi Charlotte figure didn't stay long before disappearing without a trace.
Liang Xiaoxiao probably had the scent of Pure White Witch on her, and she even had a pixelated saintess-like Saintess on her head.
The little guy would sniff Xiaoxiao's hair every now and then, as if he had found catnip and wouldn't let go.
But upon arriving at the church, it turned its head to look at the Pure White Witch, and pixelated red hearts appeared on its head. It quickly walked over, ready to jump onto Qing Bao and stick to her.
Charlotte immediately scooped up the pixelated version of herself and tucked it back into her pocket. She felt a little shy; weren't these sparkling self-portraits a way of indirectly showing how much she liked Xiao Qing?
Although she is the type who can confess her feelings without hesitation and express her affections at all times.
But if left unchecked, all sorts of versions of myself will soon be crawling all over Qing Bao, and upon closer inspection, they'll be so nauseating that they must be eliminated!
Chen Yining glanced at the choreographer next to her, who was intoxicated by the dazzling light, and looked at Charlotte, the culprit. In her mind, she had already labeled Charlotte as a monster just like Chu Yuanqing.
How much magic would it take to permanently solidify such a dazzling blessing? It seems far too exaggerated.
Chen Yining strongly suspected that the [Calamity Species] couldn't hatch inside at all. Even if an E-Class Calamity Beasts were forcibly sent inside, it would be overwhelmed and purified by the bubbles and musical notes.
Unfortunately, even a top-tier city like Tokyo doesn't have such a barrier.
Therefore, even without asking, one can guess that the other party must have gone to such great lengths to create this barrier in order to protect their hometown; it is a special method that cannot be widely adopted.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many casualties in this attack.
This also suggests that Charlotte's identity might be quite special.
Chen Yining's thoughts flashed by, and she quickly followed the others into the church, mingling as a guest.
Afterwards, the Little Idol introduced themselves to the children in the church, courtyard, and residential area, getting to know each other for a while, during which the atmosphere was exceptionally warm.
Firstly, the children in the church rarely see so many beautiful older sisters.
Secondly, since everyone had been informed by Chu Yuanqing in advance that this was an orphanage, almost everyone bought some small gifts or snacks before coming and distributed them as greetings, which led to a rapid increase in goodwill towards them.
But after playing for a while, considering the time constraints, everyone went to prepare lunch together.
Sister Ellie selected a few of her Little Idol to help in the kitchen, while the others either played with the children or laid out picnic blankets on the lawn.
About two hours later, by noon, the picnic blanket under the shade of the trees was covered with sandwiches, apple pies, baked potatoes, burritos, campfire bacon, pizzas... all the kinds of food suitable for a picnic.
Sister Ellie listened to the children's laughter, then walked back to the chapel alone. She sat before the statue of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, bathed in the light streaming through the stained-glass windows, her smile serene.
Astrid, in her original form with silver hair and red eyes, sat beside the nun. She turned her head to look at her old friend, her exquisitely beautiful face, like that of an AI, revealing complex emotions, and whispered:
"Long time no see, Aili."
Volume 1: Chapter 307. The Old Past, Little Jasmine, An Illusory Embrace. (5K3)
The stained-glass windows in the dome of the chapel shimmered in the light.
The round rose window is a beautiful crimson, symbolizing the blood of Christ and representing heaven. Next to it is a blue stained-glass window, which represents the Kingdom of Heaven.
Logically speaking, the mosaics on the side wall lattice windows would also mainly depict biblical stories and local miracles, silently proclaiming doctrines.
However, if you look closely at the top, you will find that when the light shines in, whether it is the rose window representing Christ, the blue stained window symbolizing the Kingdom of Heaven, or the other mosaics, thousands of pure white cracks will appear in the light.
These pure white cracks, in the light, severed God's neck and broke Judas's chains, seemingly overturning humanity's past myths, weaving the outline of the city wall in the panoramic view.
Sister Ellie, bathed in the sunlight filtered through the dome, did not immediately acknowledge her old friend beside her. Instead, she solemnly and devoutly expounded the doctrines as if performing Catholic Mass.
--The Pure White Cult.
This is the product of a group of people who were awestruck and amazed by the miracle that the That High Wall was built after it descended upon the world.
After all, even if the existence of the calamity is unknown, the [pure white] that spans the entire world is no different from a miracle.
Of course, "Pure White Cult" is the name used by those in the know. The person who originally created this sect named it after the high walls, making it more straightforward.
The human elite, including the staff of the Countermeasures Bureau and most of the [Witch], have a natural devotion to it, and occasionally they will utter those words full of gratitude and expectation in prayer.
"I swear to the high walls, I praise the gift of [pure white], and I give thanks to the unknown Creator."
Sister Ellie felt the warmth of the light on her body before ending this daily routine that she had been doing for many years. She placed the Braille book she was holding back on her lap and said with a smile:
"Is there something you need from me this time, Little Jasmine?"
Astrid didn't correct the overly cute nickname. Like a departed ghost, she sat beside the blind nun in an ethereal manner, her slender figure conveying a sense of loneliness.
The girl's expression was calm. She raised her scarlet eyes and looked at the dome of the church. For a moment, complex physical quantities came from all over the world. They carried traces of the past and, like the falling sunlight, embraced the soul with thinning humanity.
The more beautiful those feelings were, the more piercing the past pain became.
Astrid is neither human nor a "Witch." She is an AI that is gradually losing its humanity and becoming a tool, a piece of data that can be copied sooner or later.
But as a human, and in my life as a [Witch], there are many things I can't forget, and don't want to forget, just like this... old friend beside me.
But this emotion was too extravagant for her, so extravagant that in the instant when information overwhelmed her consciousness, the nostalgia, joy, loneliness, solitude, and sorrow that arose were investigated by the covenant, regarded as factors influencing decision-making, and instantly cleared away and evaporated.
The light in Astrid's eyes dimmed, and she regained her mechanical coldness. She silently looked at her former teammates and said softly:
"Aili, Iris suppressed the forbidden area with [Great Full Bloom], but the price is that she is undergoing irreversible degeneration."
"If nothing unexpected happens, her Soul Flower will reverse and form a cocoon within a month. This process is very dangerous; if it fails, she will be completely destroyed and turned into Magic Particles."
Sister Ellie was taken aback by these words. Her expression was sorrowful. After a moment of silence, she said:
"That child has also fallen to this state? No wonder you came to find me."
Astrid remained silent. Even without emotions, she was unwilling to reopen old wounds for her friend, let alone... to suggest that the other's decline was directly related to her.
If her emotions hadn't been forcibly frozen, she might still not have dared to face Aili.
As mentioned before, the degeneration of Magical Girl is an extremely terrifying phenomenon. It is like a genetic disease in humans, but even worse and faster. It can lead to the reversal of magical power, the decline of 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.
In reality, there have been fewer than a hundred cases of degeneration over the past decade or so. Only a handful of these "Witch" have returned to being ordinary people. The vast majority of them turned into Magic Particles and embraced death within a year or two.
Of those who have survived to this day, only one remains.
That is Aili Tyrell, the former top-ranking Captain-Class Witch, one of the oath-makers who forged the Covenant, Astrid's teammate, and now the blind nun.