Festival Warm-Up

In the former Magic Kingdom, the process of commemorating the dead was extremely complicated.

The origin of the Kingdom funeral lies with the royal family. It is said that it began because the Queen was saddened by the passing of a certain Fairy, so she held a seven-day, seven-night funeral for it. The eulogy and flower offerings were merely appetizers, and the Soul-Calming Hymn and funeral music performances were just embellishments. Afterwards, there were countless extravagant procedures, such as personally carving the tombstone, making wreaths together, playing videos, and invoking the stars. It is said that even after the funeral had lasted for seven days, the Queen was still crying incessantly and even wanted to extend it for another seven days, which led to many Royal Court and even the Gem Scepter advising against it, and only then did things quiet down.

These rituals were subsequently recorded and became a reference for the entire Magic Kingdom. The complexity of a funeral or memorial service was determined by the deceased's status, family background, and the degree of affection the relatives had for them. Some even went so far as to completely replicate the Queen's seven-day, seven-night ritual to express their grief.

Later, as times changed and the Kingdom's population steadily increased, the pace of life also gradually accelerated. Ancient rituals could no longer adapt to modern life and naturally had to be improved. Thus, after several rounds of simplification and revision, the memorial service process that is now widely circulated and recognized by the Civil Governance Institute has been reduced to only three steps.

The first step is to sweep the grave. Regardless of whether the grave is abandoned or not, those who come to pay their respects should clean the area around the grave before the ceremony, using a gentle breeze and a moistening Spell Formula to remove the dust. In Memorial Cemetery, this step is done by Fairy, and each tombstone receives careful care from the Fairy in the park, so this step can be skipped.

The second step is to write a letter. The mourner can write their message to the deceased on prepared paper, seal it in an envelope, and seal it with wreath-shaped sealing wax. Then, place it under the offerings brought with them in a box in front of the grave. These items, whether letters or offerings, will be affected by the Wind-Erosion Spell Formula engraved in the box, and over the next two weeks, they will gradually decompose into the most primordial magical particles, returning to the origin of this world.

The third and final step is to chant Soul-Calming Hymn to comfort the spirit of the deceased. This step must be performed by someone who can use magic, with magical girls' Soul-Calming Hymn being the most effective, followed by Fairy, and Mage the least effective.

And that's what the Larkspur is doing right now.

Larkspur took a piece of the Cloud-Qi Cake) she carried with her and put it into the box in front of her. While softly reciting Soul-Calming Hymn, she glanced at Ink Lotus) beside her out of the corner of her eye.

To be honest, compared to the Nina Craigios she remembered, the Ink Lotus before her was quite different.

It's not that her appearance has changed much; in fact, apart from her clothes and demeanor, the magical girl in front of me is not much different from Ink Lotus in Larkspur's memories.

She was thin and frail, with a figure that looked as if it could break at any moment, and the only fleshy part of her body was her cheek, which made you want to pinch it. Her slightly frizzy black hair, due to lack of styling, was tied into a single ponytail. Beneath her jet-black bangs were a pair of slightly droopy, amber-colored round eyes that gave her a somewhat weak appearance, and thin lips that were pinkish-white and completely unadorned, giving her a sense of fragility.

Everything was exactly the same as Ink Lotus in Larkspur's memory, except that back then Ink Lotus had long hair and her magical girl outfit was a black dress with a witch-like style, while now Ink Lotus no longer had long hair and her clothes were a set of black school uniforms with red embellishments.

However, the problem is that the Ink Lotus in Larkspur's memory is the Ink Lotus who is only fourteen years old and just a girl. Normally, magical girls in the Kingdom will adjust their magical bodies when they come of age, that is, around the age of eighteen (for magical girls in the Material Realm, this means when their term of office is ten years old), to make them look closer to their appearance at seventeen or eighteen years old, and their appearance will be closer to that of a "girl" rather than a "young girl".

This approach not only aligns with the aesthetic preferences of most magical girls—who desire eternal youth while avoiding perpetually looking like children—but also ensures a degree of physique consistency before and after transformation. This allows magical girls to maintain a uniform build in both daily life and combat, eliminating the need for additional adaptation after transformation and maximizing their combat effectiveness.

It was entirely accidental that Larkspur was still in the form of a child; it couldn't be explained by the usual rules of magical girls. So what about Ink Lotus? Why did she also remain the same as before? Didn't she undergo any adjustments to adapt to adulthood?

It's important to understand that, aside from a very few magical girls who retain a childlike heart and prefer to continue fighting in their childlike form, most magical girls wouldn't object to such an adjustment, as it's entirely beneficial. So why is Ink Lotus doing this? Is it simply because of her personal preference?

Ink Lotus's appearance has raised far more questions for Larkspur than just these. In addition to her simple appearance, the change in her temperament is even more striking.

The former Ink Lotus, though somewhat introverted and perhaps even described as gloomy, still maintained a relatively normal demeanor and didn't seem unusual. Now, however, Ink Lotus's aura has evolved beyond gloom; she's become utterly dejected, with heavy dark circles under her eyes giving her a melancholic impression. Coupled with her almost unchanging facial expressions, she can practically be described as an "oddball."

Despite these negative factors, Ink Lotus's appearance can still be described as "cute," and her fragile and gloomy temperament even makes her seem somewhat endearing. However, it is undeniable that her condition is far from "good."

Perhaps it was because the Larkspur hadn't moved for too long, or simply because Ink Lotus's senses were sharp; in any case, while the Larkspur was quietly observing and thinking, Ink Lotus had already finished chanting the Soul-Calming Hymn and looked at the Larkspur.

"Team leader."

She waited until the Larkspur finished singing before brushing her bangs aside and saying, "You... you seemed to have been looking at me the whole time?"

It was because of this action that, at this moment, Larkspur could finally see the other person's right hand, which had been hidden in their sleeve.

Or rather, the right claw.

During the Garden Defense War, Ink Lotus was wounded in his True Form by the enemy and had his right hand severed. This kind of injury to the soul cannot be healed naturally like ordinary damage to the magical body, so Ink Lotus almost permanently lost his hand.

At least, that's how it should be in the Larkspur's memory.

Right now, protruding from Ink Lotus's right sleeve is a paw covered in black fur, resembling some kind of animal, or more like a cat's paw.

Whether it's the short toe joints, the slightly exposed claw tips, or the paw pads and fleshy balls, they all undoubtedly resemble the shape of a cat's paw.

"Ah, no... um, that's right."

Unexpectedly, the other person would so directly expose her actions, or perhaps she was simply drawn to the other person's hands. So, after a brief hesitation, Larkspur chose to admit it directly and then asked, "What happened to your hands...?"

It's a prosthetic limb.

Ink Lotus blinked, then placed her cat-paw-like right hand next to her face and clenched it slightly. "It just looks like Fairy's claw because some Fairy techniques were used."

Is she Fairy?

To be honest, Larkspur always felt that this was different from Fairy's claws, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the difference.

"If you're curious, Captain, you can touch it."

Seeing that Larkspur remained silent, Ink Lotus extended her right hand. "To me, it's no different from a normal right hand; it works very well."

"Thank you, but no need." Larkspur's eyes twitched twice, but she didn't actually reach out to touch it; instead, she chose to refuse.

"Is that so...?"

Ink Lotus He withdrew her hand expressionlessly, but her already downturned eyes gave her a hint of disappointment. "I thought you liked it."

"It was just pure curiosity; I had no intention of offending anyone."

Larkspur coughed lightly twice and looked away. "To be honest, I feel you've changed a lot compared to before."

"You're right, I am indeed different now than before."

The topic was thus shifted, and Ink Lotus stopped staring at Larkspur and turned her gaze to the tombstone in front of her. "On the contrary, the captain seems to be the same as before, no change at all."

"... No, I've changed too."

Larkspur looked at the Cloud-Qi Cake in the box. Although it was very slow, scattered magical particles had already begun to dissipate from its surface, like sand blown by the wind. "It's been a long time, Ink Lotus."

"I know."

Ink Lotus nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the tombstone. "Before the captain left, he told me that he wanted to find a life and happiness that belonged only to himself. Did you find that?"

The Larkspur did not answer immediately.

She couldn't remember if she had actually said those words, but she remembered what she was thinking at the time, which was undoubtedly similar to what the other person claimed she had said.

As for the answer to this question, if you asked Larkspur a few years ago, she would probably have answered "yes" without hesitation. After all, Lin Yun at that time had completely let go of the past and had no intention of becoming a magical girl anymore. But now, she opened her mouth, but couldn't give a suitable answer.

"... Found it."

After a long pause, all she could say was, "I have indeed found what I wanted, and I have found my own happiness."

This statement can only be considered half of the true answer, but the Larkspur did not elaborate further, nor did it seem to intend to reveal the other half of the answer.

She could sense that Ink Lotus's mental state wasn't very good. Rather than describing her situation in too much detail and letting her negative emotions affect the other person, it was better to give a more general answer. Besides, at the moment, she and Ink Lotus were just old acquaintances who had bumped into each other by chance. The other person had no right or responsibility to listen to her experiences.

Although Ink Lotus still refers to herself as "Captain," and doesn't know why she was able to see through the disguise Emerald had made for her, recognizing her identity at a glance from under the "Gentian" makeup, this doesn't mean that she can rightfully assume the title of "Captain," truly consider herself a superior, and unconditionally pour out too many of her ideas.

Now, twenty years have passed since the Garden Defense War. Neither I nor Ink Lotus are old enough to be called teenagers anymore. Calling someone "Captain" is mostly just a social formality to bridge the gap. Just like when I meet up with the Material Realm classmates I haven't seen in ten years, I still use old titles like "Class Monitor" or "Academic Committee Member." It's just that the long span of time has made us forget the specific ways we used to interact, and we can only hope that these titles can help us quickly rediscover some of our old friendship.

Admittedly, back then, she and Ink Lotus were quite close friends. They weren't just superiors and subordinates in the army; they were practically intimate. However, she had been away from the Kingdom for twenty years afterward. Over the years, the friendship of that time had become distorted, making it difficult for Larkspur to treat him as a complete stranger, yet also to shamelessly try to cultivate a relationship and immediately treat him as a close friend.

Therefore, it's best to stop there.

The two fell silent, and Ink Lotus didn't press the matter further. They lingered in front of the tombstone for a while longer before moving on to the next site with their offerings.

Larkspur didn't intend to pay tribute to many people; they were mainly her comrades who had died in the war. Ink Lotus seemed to share the same idea, so the two traveled together. During the ceremony, Larkspur noticed that Ink Lotus was quite skilled at both writing letters and reciting Soul-Calming Hymn. Clearly, she had done this quite often over the years.

Considering what happened twenty years ago, this is not surprising.

The entire memorial service lasted for more than an hour. When Larkspur offered all the Cloud-Qi Cake she had brought and prepared to leave the cemetery, it was already afternoon, almost evening.

As Larkspur walked out of the cemetery gate with Ink Lotus, she began to think about how to get back to the inn. This place wasn't exactly close to Rainbow Cloud Wetlands, and even if she just found a random takeoff point to leave the Mana-Free District, it would still take a long time to reach her destination.

Should we call a ride-hailing service again? Take the city's airship? Or simply use a teleportation Spell Formula?

Just as she was considering this, Ink Lotus suddenly turned into a side alley, and a short while later, a small car slowly emerged from it.

Calling it a car is a stretch, as this "car" is less than half the size of a car in the Material Realm, and it has no roof; it's a miniature convertible with only two seats.

The reason it's hard to call it a "convertible" is that this car has no mechanical structure at all; it has no engine or ignition system. From its appearance alone, it looks exactly like a go-kart for children in an amusement park.

Ink Lotus parked the children's go-kart right in front of her, Larkspur could even see a cartoon cat face painted where the car logo should have been.

"Captain, where do you live? Let me take you home."

Ink Lotus spoke expressionlessly, as if she were driving a luxury convertible rather than a go-kart. Larkspur could actually see a hint of pride on her otherwise expressionless face.

Should I take this back?

The Larkspur fell into deep thought.

The issue wasn't whether or not to sit down, but rather what reason would be reasonable to refuse without offending anyone.

Unfortunately, before she could find an excuse, Ink Lotus had already driven up next to her, and even opened the car door to reveal another seat.

Ah, she seems genuinely looking forward to it.

The Larkspur became aware of this fact.

Finally, under the gaze of the other person's eyes, which were devoid of emotion yet seemed to glow, Larkspur silently sat in the "passenger" seat of the go-kart.

She told herself that since she was now the magical girl Gentian, even if someone saw her riding a toy car, it wouldn't have anything to do with the magical girl Larkspur...

Ink Lotus, standing to the side, probably didn't notice Larkspur's resistance, or perhaps she didn't think there was anything wrong with her "convertible." She simply gripped the steering wheel, pressed the clutch, and started her car, looking as if she thought she was very cool.

Larkspur could even see the cartoon cat face that lit up in front of the car as it started, which made his already expressionless face even more stiff.

Two expressionless magical girls sped along the roads of Luen Nore in a go-kart, each lost in their own thoughts. In this rather strange atmosphere, Ink Lotus suddenly spoke:

"Um, Captain, are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

"Um?"

Realizing that the other person was asking her a question, Larkspur gradually came to her senses and belatedly replied, "No, not at the moment. Is there something you need?"

"There's a very famous dessert restaurant in the south of the city that I wanted to go to, so I made a reservation a day in advance. I was originally going alone, but I ran into the captain today."

Ink Lotus kept her eyes on the road ahead, her left knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly, yet she spoke as if it were nothing out of the ordinary:

"So, if it's alright, would you like to come over there with me for a meal?"

In the divide between the Magic Kingdom and the Material Realm, what most shocks newcomers from the Material Realm is naturally the existence of magic. And after that, if they have some social experience, they will further realize that this place is fundamentally different from the Material Realm they live in.

Due to the widespread availability of magical tools and basic Spell Formula, the necessary labor time in the entire Kingdom has been compressed to an unbelievable degree. Every adult citizen only needs to master the use of magical tools, or simply become a Mage, to achieve the autonomous production of necessities through standardized basic Spell Formula —whether it's clothing, food, or even housing and transportation, from food production to building materials, all basic needs can be met with the assistance of Spell Formula. This decentralized production model is completely different from the social division of labor in the Material Realm, making more than 70% of the population more willing to become self-employed individuals.

In this production model, the most valuable thing is naturally the Spell Formula itself, followed by the technology of how to package and encapsulate the Spell Formula —what people call magical artifacts—and then the ability to produce magical artifacts. Only then do we get the secondary and tertiary industries as defined in the Material Realm.

Creating or improving Spell Formula is difficult; it's a task only the most gifted Mage can accomplish. Inventing or integrating magical items is also not easy; it's a feat only an extremely skilled and experienced team of magical artisans can achieve. As for producing magical items, it's probably the job with the lowest barrier to entry; Mage of at least the level of Contact Stage can independently engage in production. Therefore, magical item shops are always a common sight in the streets and alleys of Luen Nore.

The vast majority of citizens tend to choose creative or experiential work, with family workshops being quite popular. This flexible employment model makes time management highly personalized—when a small number of people can complete production with the help of Spell Formula, the boundaries between workdays and holidays naturally disappear.

Thus, it seemed that on every day, someone was working in the Kingdom, and on every day, it seemed that it was celebrating a Kingdom. This was amplified even more in this Queen Year.

This conclusion was reached because Lin Xiaolu had already made herself dizzy from tasting and sampling chocolates all the way.

From the moment they left the Examination Institute reception area and began wandering around the Mana-Free District, they almost never stopped eating, drinking, and having fun. Besides stopping at all sorts of interesting magic item shops, pet shops, toy shops, and even Fairy- themed service shops, the various snack shops along the street kept stuffing things into their hands.

For some reason, it seems like all these shops are selling chocolate today.

As mentioned earlier, in the Magic Kingdom, the production of food ingredients is made exceptionally simple thanks to magical artifacts; even some relatively crude foods can be made using these artifacts. Therefore, opening a successful pastry shop or restaurant in a place like Luen Nore is extremely difficult.

Or, to put it another way, the competition among dim sum shops here is actually very fierce and cutthroat.

Learning the craft, researching flavors, and developing secret recipes is not enough; almost every pastry shop that can establish itself in Luen Nore has its own specialty. In order to make their business more prosperous and stable, the merchants are not stingy in providing customers with opportunities to sample and taste, while striving to provide impeccable service and make customers feel at home.

Therefore, while everyone was busy promoting chocolate, Lin Xiaolu, a passing "customer," would naturally eat chocolate until she became numb.

Every restaurant was delicious, every restaurant had its own unique features, and every restaurant made her want to order... But Xia Liang would always stop her at this moment, and then forcibly take Lin Xiaolu away like a parent pulling a child.

This pattern of behavior was repeated indefinitely until, after more than ten times, it finally came to an end in front of a dessert restaurant.

There's no other reason than that this time, even Xia Liang was won over by the chocolate from this shop.

The perfect sweetness, the melt-in-your-mouth texture, the creamy yet non-sticky consistency, and the perfectly balanced blend of various nut and fruit aromas create a complex yet harmonious flavor... It's safe to say that the moment the three girls took their first bite of the chocolate, it was already destined that they would buy one.

"So, do you like this flavor? If not, we have five other flavors to choose from, two of which are new additions to our chef's menu this year."

Seeing the girls' interested expressions, the shop assistant promptly began his sales pitch. "If you want an even more festive atmosphere and want to make it yourself, we also have pre-made magic sets and ingredient kits. We guarantee that what you make will taste exactly the same as what we sell in the store, and you can even make it into the shape you want!"

"What holiday?" was Xia Liang's response.

"What magic set?" That was Lin Xiaolu's reaction.

"What flavor?" That was Bai Jingxuan's reaction.

"Hmm... The one you're eating now is our fruity mixed flavor. We also have classic royal flavor, Fairy secret recipe flavor, and classic era flavor... The magic set is a custom-made magic dessert tool. Just pour in the corresponding raw material package, and it will make the corresponding dessert for you according to the preset process. It's like you're making it yourself."

Despite being asked three questions in a row, the shop assistant remained calm and answered them skillfully in turn, "As for the holiday, it's Valentine’s Day, of course."

What is Valentine’s Day?

This immediately drew the attention of all three girls. Lin Xiaolu even blurted out a question.

"Oh, you guys didn't know? Ah, after all, you're all still young."

After a brief moment of surprise, the shop assistant quickly composed themselves, demonstrating a high level of professionalism.

"This is a traditional festival in our Magic Kingdom. There should be one in the Material Realm too, it's tomorrow. Girls can give chocolates as gifts to their crushes to subtly express their feelings, or friends can exchange chocolates to thank each other for their care throughout the year—that's all fine!"

"Give me chocolates..." Bai Jingxuan opened her mouth slightly.

"For someone I like..." Xia Liang nodded.

"To express my feelings..." Lin Xiaolu blinked.

They fell silent in unison.

Lin Xiaolu was still too young to experience romantic feelings, so she had never paid attention to the concept of Valentine’s Day before; Bai Jingxuan had learned some information about it from Lin Yun, but her only memory of the holiday was that "there would be chocolate on Valentine’s Day"; and Xia Liang, although relatively precocious and somewhat aware of the concept, had never been in a relationship herself, and her old friends had never discussed such a topic with her. So surprisingly, she had never really understood what kind of holiday it was.

In this way, the three girls present were actually seriously considering whether this festival had any connection with them.

Then, just when the staff thought they needed to discuss things further and stopped talking, preparing to go back and tidy up the tasting samples, they found themselves surrounded without realizing it.

"Excuse me, could you please explain the Valentine’s Day part in detail?"

As the one among the three who was responsible for communicating with the outside world, Xia Liang stood in front of the shop assistant and asked with a smile.

Besides her, two other girls stood firmly on either side, nodding in agreement.

Thank you all for your continued support. After some thought and decision-making, I will be able to devote more energy to the creation of this book starting in March, and the update speed should be faster.