Trade

Death is a serious topic for everyone.

Lin Yun was not afraid of death, but he knew how to respect it. If possible, he did not want his life to end prematurely, even though the days he had left were not long to begin with.

Of course, he wouldn't show these thoughts, so in Emerald's eyes, he remained completely calm.

"Aren't you afraid? Young man, you'll die."

The doll's face showed a suitable expression of doubt. "I specifically presented the most extreme consequences. If you still don't react, our deal will be difficult to proceed."

"You said these things not to make me worry."

Lin Yun crossed his arms. "You said it yourself, this is a transaction, so let's state your price first."

"Don't young people these days know how to negotiate prices when doing business?"

The doll behind the desk sighed in a manner reminiscent of an old person, "Forget it, I'm really not good at this kind of thing. Let's get straight to the help I can offer."

"First of all, I must make one thing clear to you: the damage to your True Form caused by overdrawing your power is irreversible. The Magic Armament and magical power you lost have disappeared forever, they no longer exist conceptually, so there is no way I can help you retrieve them."

"Just like a disabled person who has lost their limbs, the wounds left after losing limbs will scab over and heal, but the limbs will never grow back. Your True Form is like that; you are currently an injured disabled person, and right now, even the wounds haven't healed."

"So?" Lin Yun asked back.

"So, what I can do is allow you to recover from your current injuries and safely use your remaining power in this situation," Emerald's voice came from the doll.

"... The remaining strength?"

Lin Yun frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with the answer, "This doesn't seem to meet my needs."

He was well aware of the level of his remaining magical power. In his view, even if he could use it safely, such a small amount of power was insufficient to deal with truly dangerous enemies.

"Why do you think that 'Leaf Rank magic' is all the power you have left?" the doll suddenly asked.

"The magic we have now... isn't all of it?"

This statement surprised Lin Yun slightly, so he loosened his arms. "Isn't that right? The magical power I sensed myself is not wrong, the Wonderland is no longer usable, and I don't seem to have any more residual power in my body."

"Wonderland is Wonderland, Magic Armament is Magic Armament."

Emerald's voice was melodious. "Do not forget the essence of Wonderland, young one. Magic Armament is born from magic, and Wonderland is born from the soul. Magic and soul correspond to each other, so Magic Armament and Wonderland are two sides of the True Form. Although your Magic Armament is damaged, it still retains some of its threads, which means that your Wonderland has not disappeared, but has simply fallen into silence."

"But I can't feel it at all," Lin Yun retorted softly.

"That's normal. Just like when a person is injured and bleeding, they subconsciously curl up or cover the wound to stop it from bleeding, your True Form also has its own protective mechanism. Your subconscious judges your True Form to be incomplete and vulnerable, so you don't want to expose your wounds."

Emerald explained, "If I'm not mistaken, even before this battle, you were already struggling to use your Wonderland, and it must have been quite painful for you, right? That's the reason."

"In short, you are currently disabled in terms of magic. To regain your powers, you need a complete rehabilitation process, and possibly surgery."

"Using the analogy of treating an illness, I can offer you two kinds of help: First, I can help you heal your wounds, recover from your injuries, and make up for True Form damage so that you can stabilize your current condition; second, I can provide you with a good enough prosthesis so that you can move around normally after recovery."

"Your existing power will become a new whole. As your injuries heal, you will be able to stop the decline of your magic and once again unfold your Wonderland."

A smug expression appeared on the doll's face. "Of course, and not just in Wonderland, you might very well... reclaim your own Flourishing Bloom."

Flourishing Bloom.

Lin Yun silently repeated the word in his heart, and slightly tightened his grip on the Heart Gem in his hand.

How long has it been since I last thought about this concept?

As an ability that magical girls gain in the Flower Rank, the Flourishing Bloom is incredibly important to each Flower Rank; in fact, the vast majority of their combat power is composed of Flourishing Bloom.

As a magical girl's trump card, "Flourishing Bloom" is a very special state. In more layman's terms, "Flourishing Bloom" is a magical girl's "second transformation".

In the Flourishing Bloom state, a magical girl's abilities evolve, and her magical power and the strength of her soul will receive an unprecedented boost. According to the records of the Kingdom, the most exaggerated Flourishing Bloom state can even reach ten times the magical power before Flourishing Bloom.

Such a terrifying boost comes at no cost to the magical girl; the only consequence is a period of weakening after its use.

This is one of the reasons why the combat power of Flower Rank magical girls is so vastly different from that of Blossom Rank magical girls. No matter how weak their magical power is, a magical girl who uses the Flourishing Bloom technique can easily surpass her peers in magical power.

It is certain that if Lin Yun can use Flourishing Bloom in her magical girl form, the boost to her combat power will be enormous, far exceeding that of her previous self who was unable to use Flourishing Bloom.

He was also confident that if he could regain this ability, he would not fear any enemy in battle.

This offer appealed to him.

What should I do?

So he looked at the doll in front of him and asked seriously, "Or rather, what are you going to do?"

"Hmph, it's simple. First, you need to stabilize your injury; then, come to our Research Institute, and I'll personally perform a minor surgery on you; finally, I'll fit you with the most advanced 'prosthetic limb'."

The doll said somewhat smugly, "Don't worry, this is my unique technique. It won't affect your original power; it's just a little trick on the damaged areas."

"I can't do it." Lin Yun said expressionlessly. "Don't tell me you didn't know."

"You can't do it? Oh, it seems you really can't."

The doll then suddenly seemed to realize something. "Oh right, after all, you rejected His Majesty's favor to his face, so you were placed under house arrest and forbidden from entering the Magic Kingdom. With the code name 'Cornflower,' you probably won't even be allowed to cross the border. I don't know whether to call you rebellious or what, this is troublesome... Ouch!"

Before it could finish speaking, it let out a small scream. The reason was that Lin Yun reached out and pulled the chair away from it, causing it to fall to the ground on the spot.

"Stop pretending, dolls don't feel pain, do they?"

With one hand gripping the back of the chair and the other on the desk, Lin Yun said, "Being as pretentious as our Dean isn't suitable for you, Your Excellency Chief. Let's cut the fluff and make our communication more efficient."

"That's too rude... Even so, you shouldn't pull a chair out from under a lady's butt, right? I'm a staunch opponent of violence, and treating me like this will lower my opinion of you, junior."

The doll grumbled as it stood up, trying to brush the dust off its bottom with its short paws. "Sigh, the Material Realm is really going to the dogs these days. Don't the younger generation know anything about respecting the elderly and caring for the young?"

"Hello, is this Security Department? Come to my office and help me throw this large, unidentified plush toy into the trash."

"Hello, hello--"

Emerald's usually leisurely and lazy tone suddenly rose several octaves. "Don't rush, wait a minute, I haven't finished yet. There is a way."

Lin Yun held her phone, glanced sideways at the doll on the ground, and said nothing.

"Well, in short, I can offer you a solution. As you probably know, the annual certification exam is just around the corner."

Emerald cleared her throat. "At that time, a large number of new magical girls will flock to the Kingdom from all over the Material Realm. You can blend in with the new candidates to infiltrate the Kingdom, and then come to Luen Nore to find me."

"Blending into the crowd won't change my identity," Lin Yun reminded him expressionlessly.

"Then we won't use your original identity; we can forge one."

The doll climbed back up the chair leg and onto Lin Yun's office chair, lying down once more. "Starting today, create a new magical girl file at the Magic Affairs Institute, fabricating the existence of a new magical girl. Next year, you can use this identity to register for the exam."

"Your Gem Scepter now has the power to directly create a magical girl that doesn't even exist?"

Lin Yun raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, but upon reflection, she wasn't surprised. "The Four Great Academies' infiltration of the Magic Affairs Institute has reached this level? Does she know you're doing this?"

"Alas, the so-called power struggles and political games always involve some unspoken things."

The doll on the armchair also crossed its arms. "As long as everyone agrees and insists that something doesn't exist, then politically speaking, it doesn't exist."

"It seems you've included yourself in the insult."

"Sitting in a position that isn't yours and enjoying power that isn't yours will inevitably lead to actions you don't like."

The doll looked up at Lin Yun: "The Gem Scepter is not an identity you can enjoy with a clear conscience, especially when your colleagues are all reaching out to seize their own power. To stand by and watch is tantamount to waiting for your doom."

Emerald's words were cryptic, but Lin Yun understood her meaning: there is a balance and struggle of power among the Gem Scepter, and in this struggle, there is a character who constantly puts pressure on everyone else, forcing the gems to expend more effort.

The Gem Scepter is so meticulous in manipulating power could only belong to the director of the Investigation Institute.

"It seems you really dislike our Dean." Lin Yun said thoughtfully.

"As I said, we can skip some unpleasant topics."

The doll spread its paws. "And to help you sneak into the Kingdom, such power is indispensable; at least for now, it has become our asset."

"Undeniably."

Lin Yun nodded. "Although I don't want to accept your glorification of this behavior."

"Oh? You mean 'those things were originally mine'? How cute."

Emerald's voice trailed off again, sounding meaningful. "If you really want to say that, I won't deny it."

"I'm not that naive."

Lin Yun shook his head. "Power in the Magic Kingdom is built upon corresponding strength. Even if I had accepted that invitation back then, I wouldn't have had the confidence to successfully gather and manage so many people."

"That's not necessarily true."

A strange smile suddenly appeared on the doll's face, "But if you agree to this deal, after you finish your surgery in Luen Nore, I'll hand over this part of the power of the Magic Affairs Institute to you, how about it?"

A moment of silence fell over the office.

Lin Yun stared at the doll on the chair, its furry face beaming with a genuine smile. Its lazy and contented expression suggested it was completely unconcerned about the "powers" he had mentioned, as if unaware of the shocking nature of its words.

Before today, if someone had told Lin Yun that someone could so casually use the power of the Kingdom organs as a bargaining chip, he would have thought that person was joking.

He didn't believe it was simply preferential treatment for him; the other party must have made such a request for other reasons.

"... What exactly is the Beast Source? What secrets does it hold?"

And that was the only reason Lin Yun could think of.

The Emerald trade was aimed at the Beast Source, and the fact that she was able to offer such terms must mean that she considered the Beast Source to have corresponding value.

So, what kind of value could be equivalent to a quarter of the Magic Affairs Institute? Lin Yun didn't know, but he could vaguely imagine it.

"Do you agree to these terms? If you do, I can tell you." The doll remained lazily leaning back in its chair.

"... If you don't tell me, I might find it difficult to agree." Lin Yun slowly shook his head.

"Really? I've given up my ability to retrieve Flourishing Bloom, your remaining lifespan, and even a quarter of the Magic Affairs Institute! And you're not even tempted by that?"

"A deal that seems like a sure thing always has hidden risks and costs. I don't want to make a big mistake by being greedy for a moment's gain."

"'Making a grave mistake'? I can't pretend I didn't hear such harsh words. Do you think that because I obtained the Beast Source, I was destined to do bad things? What kind of image do you have of me?"

"Gem Scepter"

"Ugh! To use words that should symbolize honor as a euphemism for malicious criticism is utterly despicable, young man!"

Emerald seemed quite displeased with this description, but Lin Yun remained silent, calmly gazing at the doll in front of him.

He didn't believe in easy money; he needed the other party to give him a reason to feel at ease.

After a brief silence, Emerald finally broke the silence again. "That's fine, we still have plenty of time. There are still five months until next year's certification exam, you have ample time to get to know me before deciding whether to go through with this deal. Trust me, my personal charm will convince you, and you will accept my terms after feeling my sincerity."

"What do you mean?" Lin Yun asked, puzzled.

"That means I will leave this doll-like clone in Fangting City for the foreseeable future and set up a small private research institute here."

Emerald said slowly, "If you encounter anything that piques your curiosity, or if there's anything you want to know, you can come to me."

"Research institute? When?"

"It's not built yet, and the location is undecided."

"... Is this also the reason you came to see me?"

"Yes, that's why I came here today. I think the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau shouldn't lack such resources."

Seemingly having had enough of lying in the armchair, the round, chubby Fairy Doll finally sat up again, even if it looked like just a ball rolling across the chair. Its deep, dark green pupils fixed on Lin Yun once more, a lazy yet subtly mocking expression in them:

"Then, I'll have to trouble you to find an auspicious location for my research institute, young man, no... I should say, Director."

I was in meetings all morning and at noon, so the update is late!