Dreamer

The car started moving as Ink Lotus asked the question.

She pressed the accelerator, placed her hands on the steering wheel, paused for a few seconds, and without waiting for a reply from Larkspur, continued, "For me, no matter what happened, I still consider the captain a comrade. So, I want to help you."

"You've said that word several times already."

Larkspur fastened the barely functional seatbelt on the side of the car seat, the sound of the metal buckle mingling with her words: "But I don't feel I need help, and I don't think you need to help me either..."

"It is necessary."

Ink Lotus suddenly interrupted Larkspur, saying solemnly, "For me, this is absolutely necessary."

"... Alright, then consider this a favor we owe each other because of our past relationship."

Larkspur sighed, deciding not to argue with Ink Lotus any further. "What exactly makes you think I need help? And how do you plan to help me? Are you going to tell me that you know who killed Ying?"

If you were to ask her to analyze what she needs help with that the other person could possibly know, the only answer would be Anya's death.

She never forgot this grief, and the hatred and anger that followed it. However, she was seriously injured and had to consider her daughter's future, so she was unable to put this matter into practice.

Now that she has healed her injuries to some extent, Lin Xiaolu's magical girl life has gotten back on track without any major incidents. Therefore, the idea of revenge has become more active in her mind.

It doesn't mean she'll set off right now to recklessly find the murderer and make them pay for their crimes; rather, it means she's considering making some preliminary plans.

"Sorry, I don't know."

However, Ink Lotus shook her head quite decisively. "I know that the captain will seek revenge for Miss Ying one day, and I will definitely help you then. But what I want to talk about now is not that."

Her words made Larkspur sigh, whether from disappointment or a sense of "as expected" relief was hard to tell.

"So what do you want to say?" Realizing that the help the other party mentioned had nothing to do with her future revenge, the last bit of interest in Larkspur's heart was already on the verge of dissipating.

"The captain's Magic Armament only has one piece left, right?" Ink Lotus said softly, her voice almost indistinct in the wind.

However, the Larkspur still managed to hear what she was saying clearly.

These words made her eyes widen suddenly.

"... This doesn't seem like something you would know."

She looked at Ink Lotus, and even though the Ink Lotus before her was completely different from the one she had seen twenty years ago, she had never felt such a stranger to her as she did at this moment. "There shouldn't be too many people in this world who know about this."

"The 'Ephemeral Bloom' technique is no secret in our legion. The legion commander taught this skill to everyone she thought would 'go to their deaths,' although very few people actually mastered it."

Ink Lotus's expression remained calm. "But, Captain, you should remember, I've learned it too."

"I know, but you shouldn't know this much." Larkspur was not convinced by this answer.

"Because I have my own team, I'm able to gather a lot of information about the Material Realm."

Ink Lotus then explained further, "You've already used the Ephemeral Bloom three times... Last year was the third time."

The Larkspur did not reply immediately.

She leaned back slightly in her chair, closed her eyes and thought for a moment before opening them again and saying, "Continue."

"If you, Captain, could join our team, we are confident we can restore your Magic Armament."

Realizing that the Larkspur had acknowledged her statement, Ink Lotus continued, "Although, technically, it might not be exactly the same as before; the form and abilities of the Magic Armament may undergo some changes..."

"What are the conditions?"

Larkspur remained expressionless, seemingly unmoved by Ink Lotus that "the Magic Armament could be restored": "Or rather, what exactly does your team do? This kind of technology isn't even available at Research Institute."

"... because we also have our own dedicated technical team, which includes very talented Research Institute members."

Ink Lotus answered honestly, much like a recruiter facing a key talent at a job fair. "As for what we'll do... at least as I understand it, we want to build a home."

By this time, Ink Lotus's car had gradually left the busiest part of the city and entered the express lane connecting the streets, so the speed began to increase further.

"Homeland?" Larkspur raised an eyebrow in the car.

Yes, home.

Ink Lotus nodded. "A home that can accommodate visitors from anywhere, carrying any experiences... Of course, for now, the majority are abandoned magical girls and homeless humans."

"An abandoned magical girl?" Larkspur seized on the key phrase in her words.

"They are all kids like us."

Speaking of this so-called "homeland," Ink Lotus's tone softened slightly. "Because we weren't accepted, we gathered together like family, building, cultivating, and slowly constructing our future together."

"We found a stable place in the Wasteland of the Material Realm, and prepared houses, farmland, energy... Then, if any magical girl can no longer survive in the Kingdom, she can come here. Everyone will welcome her, and we can build a home together."

"We'll also take in those who have wandered into the Wasteland or those who can't be accepted by any city. Of course, criminals might require stricter restrictions..."

It had turned completely dark.

The night sky in the Kingdom was a beautiful blue-purple, with stars dotting the rich, oil-painting-like colors. The starlight and moonlight illuminated their path together, gentle and serene.

In the evening breeze, Ink Lotus used her less-than-stellar speaking skills to describe the "team" and "home" in her words to the best of her ability. Although she didn't always speak very well, the enthusiasm in her words was genuine.

The other party was not lying.

The Larkspur was able to confirm this.

For Ink Lotus, she was genuinely, from the bottom of her heart, and even with a very simple emotion, striving towards her dream. She also genuinely trusted and cared for the "team members" she mentioned.

This made Larkspur, who had once wondered if the other party's "team" was Claw Mark, gradually put that suspicion aside.

There's no other reason than that it simply doesn't resemble the real thing.

She had met or heard of many members from Claw Mark. Among them were pure villains like Sparrow; people like Kite who didn't care about good or evil and had no taboos; and schemers like the former Diamond Scepter and Purple Diamond... But in any case, there was no reason for a dreamer like Ink Lotus to exist.

Yes, what Ink Lotus described was practically a "dream" to Larkspur.

The other party's actions are very close to undermining the Kingdom and establishing their own "Magic Kingdom." If the scale of such behavior is small, the Kingdom might tolerate it for a while. But once it takes hold, it will most likely be stopped, absorbed, or even worse.

Besides this, Ink Lotus's statement about being "abandoned by the Kingdom" is also very concerning.

Larkspur herself was permanently confined to the Kingdom, forbidden from entering, which could indeed be interpreted as "abandonment." But what about Ink Lotus? What exactly happened to her, and to those "abandoned magical girls" she spoke of?

Larkspur has always had a low level of trust in the existence of the Magic Kingdom itself. She believes in the character of most magical girls and that the Magic Kingdom is a paradise for most ordinary people. However, she doesn't trust the royal court that has been entrenched in this country for thousands of years, Royal Court is notoriously harsh, corrupt, and arrogant. So even if the Royal Court has done things to oppress the lower-class magical girls in recent years, Larkspur is not surprised at all.

Now, the Larkspur is almost certain that during the years she has been away from the Kingdom, Ink Lotus has definitely had some experiences that are beyond her imagination.

But to be honest, even if she wanted to know what Ink Lotus had encountered, she couldn't bring herself to ask.

Because she already carries too many burdens on her shoulders: Anya's hatred, the children's future, the safety of Fangting City, the deal with Emerald and others... She doesn't know, or rather, can't guarantee, that she still has the ability to get involved and take on more.

If she were to ask Ink Lotus here and receive an answer, she didn't know if she could simply ignore it.

She might not be able to turn a blind eye to injustice, but she also couldn't bring herself to deceive others and make promises she couldn't keep. She realized that what Ink Lotus had encountered over the years might be more complex than she had imagined, and if she got involved without authorization, she might find herself unable to extricate herself.

"So, it's not just me who wants to help the captain; I also need the captain's help."

"Because the captain is very strong and kind. So, if it were you, you could definitely join me in protecting those children and this home."

"That's what I believe."

When Ink Lotus finished recounting her visions and looked at Larkspur with a certain expectation, asking a question, Larkspur once again realized her limitations.

I guess I'm not a hero after all.

Feeling the hesitation within her, Larkspur closed her eyes, then spoke with a bitter tone:

"... Sorry, I need to think about it."

These few words are all she can say.

This chapter was originally scheduled for 7:50, but I had some new ideas, so I made some changes before releasing it. Sorry for the wait.