Chapter 365
The child's parents were scientists working at the Countermeasures Bureau who tragically died in an experiment researching obsidian and the [Disaster Bell].
After that, because Aili had a good relationship with the other party's parents, for a long time Aili's team was responsible for taking care of the child's daily life.
Incidentally, Astrid was also in it; back then, she was still the Primal Witch, not yet the cold AI she is now.
Therefore, it's understandable why Iris values the AI teacher who teaches all the Magical Girl so much, and sees it as one of the reasons she wants to live.
Furthermore, seemingly because she lived in the Countermeasures Bureau and occasionally came into contact with the Obsidian, Iris unexpectedly gained the Obsidian's approval at the age of 9, thus qualifying her to become Magical Girl.
At that time, the <Flash Dance> project had already taken shape. After discussing it with Elise, Astrid and Aili followed Iris's personal wishes and arranged for her to become an idol trainee in advance to prepare her for becoming an idol in the future.
This results in the fact that this child's experience in idols and Magical Girl is indeed comparable to that of many Captain-Class seniors.
Yes, that includes Xiaoyu.
Iris blinked and answered the question about Xie Qingyu seriously:
"Did Sister Chu ask me about Sister Xiaoyu? She's very kind to me, so... I always feel really bad when I'm drawn against Sister Xiaoyu in the practice battles."
Book 1: 338. I wish you happiness, Your Majesty. (5K)
Chu Yuanqing pondered for a moment, imagining Xiao Yu being beaten up by Iris riding a giant dragon in the practice battle after drawing her as his opponent. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he smiled, patting the child's head as he said:
"Don't feel bad. Next time you draw Xiaoyu, Iris, just go all out. Trust me, Xiaoyu has improved a lot recently and will definitely surprise you."
Although I think Xiaoyu is sometimes a bit slow and clumsy, she is trying to face her past and won't be so half-hearted anymore. With the challenges of training, she has made a lot of progress.
Chu Yuanqing still had a bit of a soft spot for his students.
Well, that's what they say, but she didn't really think Xiaoyu could beat Iris.
Because she had personally traced back the child's Soul Flower, she could accurately determine the quality and nature of the child's magic, as well as the many characteristics that had awakened in the [River] Realm.
Xiaoyu has six awakened characteristics.
Iris possesses nine exaggerated abilities, including [Magic Furnace], [Heart of the Red Dragon], [Lonely Rebellious Scale], [Blessing of the Stars], [Undying Flame Extinguished], [Spiral Dragon Eye], [Blessing of the Elemental Dragon King], and [Domain of Arrogance].
These nine traits are all basically related to dragons. Not only can they be linked together to produce terrifying cumulative effects, but they are also all combat-specific, making them truly armed to the teeth and deserving of the title of Dragon Witch.
You could say this child is a humanoid dragon hatchling, only capable of beating up most legendary dragon hatchlings.
Therefore, the regrettable sacrifice of the Lantern Fairy, in terms of Combat Power, only accounted for one or two tenths of the Dragon Witch. This is why the Countermeasures Bureau felt very sorry about Iris's degeneration.
Captain-Class Witch are rare, and those who are strong enough to Dragon Witch, yet whose potential hasn't been fully exploited, are even rarer.
Iris nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Actually, during previous drills, she was always afraid of hurting her older sister Xiaoyu, who often brought her clothes and snacks, so she would always postpone the drills until the time was up, engaging in friendly friendly competition.
But since Sister Chu said that, it means Sister Xiao Yu has become very strong. Going easy on her would only hurt her pride, so let's fight seriously.
Chu Yuanqing asked:
"Iris, how is your recovery going?"
The Lantern Gem shatters, the Soul Flower reverses its nature, and all meanings—spells, characteristics, magic, and even the Flower Language's blessing—will revert to their original state, until they return to the level of ordinary people.
Chu Yuanqing was able to save the other party because her magic was of a very special nature.
The possibilities for Magical Girl are limitless, and they are categorized into six types—elemental, spiritual, temporal, conceptual, rule-based, and life-based—based on their compatibility with spells.
Even though they all correspond to the same category, the nature of magic remains unique.
Just like Iris's magic, which is repeatedly optimized and corrected due to the birth of its characteristics, leaning towards the concept of a dragon, the same is true for the other Magical Girl.
At the same time, these characteristics will be apparent from the very beginning. For example, when Xie Qingxuan performed at a commercial event in a small town, the magic she displayed also carried a violent destructive force.
Chu Yuanqing's magic is more special. Firstly, her identity as Savior and her experience in the first timeline have given her an incredibly strong and terrifying killing intent towards the Calamity Beasts, enough to Reality Interference.
In magic, these are transformed into specialized baptisms, destructions, annihilations, and cleansings.
Secondly, as a Soul Gem, its true color is pure white. When intact, it is compatible with all spell types and can directly control ether particles. The Pure White Witch can correct the Little Idol ' [Cocoon of the Heart] when Magic Replenishment, thus subtly enhancing their potential.
If Magical Girl were a race, she would be the Emperor among them, the most perfect individual, possessing a kind of dominance that even she herself cannot explain.
This time, saving Iris and pulling her out of her degenerated state was achieved by leveraging his unique abilities and making a wish using immense spiritual power.
Chu Yuanqing himself didn't know if he could succeed, so he naturally didn't know if there would be any side effects.
Iris tilted her head and answered obediently:
"Sister Chu has asked me many times, I'm really fine. Although I've dropped from [Full Bloom] back to [Lighting Up], and only have three traits left, this should be a side effect of the regression."
As the little girl spoke, she glanced at the crimson Lantern Gem, picked it up, and a hint of sadness appeared on her expressionless, childlike face, as if she were remembering the lively, playful fairy from the past. She pursed her lips and continued:
"I can feel it, just like when things are degenerating, everything is slipping away. Now everything is slowly coming back, and it should be fine in a few days."
Chu Yuanqing keenly sensed Iris's emotions, and considerately refrained from mentioning the matter further, simply smiling and saying:
"In that case, Iris, come back to Saint Roland with me. Your Teacher Dream Weaver is there too, so let's go to the academy together."
Iris nodded obediently, then suddenly frowned. Her small face looked at her slender arm with confusion. As her magic gradually returned, obscure and incomprehensible patterns began to appear on it, spreading and intertwining like flowing water.
"This is..."
Chu Yuanqing took the little girl's hand, and fragmented memories of Lucy Tiffany surged through her mind, causing her to blurt out unconsciously:
"A reverse technique Human Transmutation?"
The Pure White Witch wasn't stupid; her mind was quick. Connecting this to Iris's peculiar position in the Tiffany Family, she almost instantly guessed what was going on. Her expression turned cold, and she said softly:
"August, or perhaps the rest of the Tiffany Family, inscribed this spell on you, most likely intending to use your flesh and soul as the core material to forge a special Philosopher's Stone."
The Philosopher's Stone, also known as the Red Potion, the Stone of the Heavens, the Philosopher's Stone, the Great Alchemical Elixir, and the Fifth Entity.
Legend has it that during the Second Divine Age, in the process of fighting against the gods and conquering all races, the Emperor, in order to resurrect fallen heroes and strengthen humanity's advanced Combat Power, used a forbidden alchemy technique, using the souls of Alien Race and even gods as materials, to create the Philosopher's Stone.
The three most precious of these coins were used to forge three sages from the Age of Gods.
Chalk, Forest Moon, Black Sun.
The next level, created from the souls of non-gods, was used to create the invincible Emperor Guard, with a portion reserved for resurrecting heroes who had distinguished themselves in battle.
The core of this alchemy is the Transmutation Circle that returns all things to their origin. However, no one in later generations could learn the Emperor's Transmutation Circle. Instead, they developed a simplified version that could decompose the souls of their own kind and create the Philosopher's Stone.
However, when it was discovered, the Divine Sentient Body was still active, and it was soon judged to be harmful to humanity, immediately listed as taboo, and completely destroyed, thus preventing a major disaster.
It is worth mentioning that the inventor of this device was a genius alchemist sponsored by the Tiffany Family.
This is easy to understand.
The Calembert Empire was not in the information age, where one could easily find information about the theory and manufacturing methods of nuclear weapons online.
The Tiffany Family has been an alchemical family for generations and is one of the Three Covenant Families. Only by joining such a prestigious family can one hope to come into contact with the Emperor's alchemy.
Given that Iris is part of the Tiffany Family and is protected day and night by Lucy's Alchemical Creation, the fact that such tampering could be carried out against her naturally suggests the presence of a mole within the organization.
Not to mention, August Grand Duke's attitude towards his daughter was indeed strange.
Iris felt no affection for the new, adopted father in her ideal world, nor was she saddened at all. Looking at the magical traces on her arm, which were slithering like snakes and being devoured by her own magic, a hint of curiosity appeared on her lovely face as she guessed:
"Could it be that Iris Tiffany from Historical Echo possesses some special physical constitution?"
"Normally, Transmutation Circle should only require the soul; flesh and blood are impurities that affect its purity."
"And Sister Chu, do you remember the contents of Tiffany's vow?"
Chu Yuanqing recalled for a moment after hearing this.
Tiffany is the oldest alchemical family in the empire, but those who walk the path of alchemy often lose their humanity due to excessive thirst for knowledge, pursuing unrealistic and extreme things, and committing heinous crimes.
Therefore, the oath made by the Tiffany Family included a clause that their descendants must never violate the taboos of alchemy.
In other words, members of the Tiffany Family are not allowed to use such spells; doing so would be a breach of contract, and even if the Divine Sentient Body is dormant, its remaining mechanisms would be triggered, resulting in a judgment.
Chu Yuanqing suddenly realized:
"No wonder that bishop's memories were so confident of turning the Tiffany Family against him. It turns out that Duke Tiffany himself wanted to break his oath and betray the empire?"
"But why? Does August want immortality, or does he want to control the Divine Sentient Body and rule over everything himself?"
Iris also racked her brains, because in the original setting everyone was asleep, she had very few memories granted by the Historical Echo, but she quickly found a clue:
"Sister Chu, that uncle likes to come and check on me while I'm sleeping, and then he'll say he's sorry he can't cure my illness, and that he'll apologize to me for the Tiffany Family's long-cherished wish."
Chu Yuanqing raised his eyes in confusion and murmured:
"The Tiffany Family's long-cherished wish?"
Saint Roland, Rose Street.
Outside the Tiffany Manor are Alchemy Workshop and the family library, a landmark building.
This is probably the second most magnificent building after the Imperial Library. Its entire body is like a black glass shell, forged from Magic Energy Crystal that is more expensive than gold, and from a distance it looks like a huge Black Diamond.
Upon entering, one discovers a hidden world within: rows upon rows of bookshelves stacked endlessly, resembling staircases leading to the sky. At the very top sits a giant Sky Island atop the dome, corresponding to the spires of the outer buildings.
This design, based on alchemy and magic, possesses a surreal beauty that defies architecture and physics. The murals beneath the Sky Island blur on their own, revealing their hazy forms, while the murals at their edges are incredibly clear, with exquisite inlay and carving.
However, unlike the statues of the Goddess of Wisdom that stand in the corridors of normal libraries and bestow blessings, this one does not contain any belief in or power related to gods.
Thousand Faces walked through this historically significant building, admiring its immense main reading room, he ran his hand over the relief carvings on the marble pillars and smiled in praise:
"Incredible, just how many books are stored here?"
August said indifferently:
"78.19 million volumes—compared to the Imperial Library, these collections are insignificant."
Thousand Faces shook his head and said:
"As far as I know, the Tiffany Family's collection leans towards alchemy, and if 70% of it is related to alchemy, the amount of reserves is already quite staggering."
As for comparing it to the Imperial Library? That's completely unreasonable.
It's important to understand that the Imperial Library is built at the roots of the Giant Thought Tree, naturally connected to the Divine Sentient Body. Even the Imperial Council is located on the top floor of this building, making it a completely different concept from normal architecture.
If possible, he would like to steal all the knowledge about this type of architecture before destroying it to prevent the Countermeasures Bureau from obtaining it and thus gain a greater advantage.
The man's mask concealed a broad smile. Unlike the other Archbishop, he had no faith in the Disaster God and belonged to the middle class who were simply looking for fun.
Thousand Faces did not want the Disaster God to be revived because it was too boring. One could see the end of humanity's defeat and the destruction of civilization at a glance, and there was no fun or beauty in it.
Similarly, he didn't want the Magical Girl to win, to completely wipe out the cultists, to keep the Disaster God sealed away, and to create a one-sided Peaceful Era, which would only deprive them of the space to have fun.
Therefore, he wouldn't kill Magical Girl in the ideal country, nor would he let the other Archbishop live a comfortable life. He would take a middle ground, design a death scenario for both sides, and make each side lose half of their population. That would be interesting.
Look, Archbishop Russell's death was quite remarkable.
The man did indeed use some of [Herdi's ] authority to find out the location of the Dragon Witch.
But this is limited to knowing, not seeing.
To be precise, when he glimpsed the future, all he saw in his pupils was red and black firelight. Then his head exploded, and he had to use 18 alternate personalities to die in his place to avoid the subsequent consequences.
Thousand Faces is very rational. He used up all the remaining chips he had obtained after the Alien Race nations evaporated with just one glance, which shows that something is very wrong with the Dragon Witch.
The strongest member of the Tiffany Family, Grand Duke August, is on their side, so he is most likely unrelated to the natives. He is a backup plan of the Countermeasures Bureau, either a terrifying character at the level of General Captain or something far beyond comprehension.
Therefore, if the other party goes to find the Dragon Witch, forget about reaping any spoils; they will most likely never return.
Thousand Faces couldn't help but be curious about this, since the former General Captain of the Countermeasures Bureau was the Primal Witch known as the source of all magic— Astrid.
This object had long since become part of the planetarium, reduced to a tool for upholding the covenant, uniting humanity, and gaining the trust of Planet Consciousness.
So, after so many years, has the Countermeasures Bureau found a replacement for her?
Magical Girl are truly terrifying. I wonder if his "precious daughter," Tang Liuli, also possesses such potential?
Thinking about it this way, it's really quite lucky that Ai Huasi's alter ego didn't die in his place.
Thousand Faces seemed to have thought of something pleasant, and her smile became filled with anticipation.
August ignored the unknown "guest," leaving him behind. He climbed the steps alone, walked to the area displaying family history, took out his ancestor's notes, and fell silent.
The man's hard face betrayed complex emotions as he whispered:
"The Tiffany Family's oath was made for the Emperor, and it is also broken for the Emperor."
He finished speaking.
August placed the journal back on the table, his icy blue eyes returning to tranquility, as if he had made a firm decision. He removed the oath ring and turned to leave.
On the table, old handwritten notes containing excerpts from the memories of their ancestors fluttered in the breeze.