Inference

Besides these matters stemming from the assessment results, Xia Liang did not forget that she had other things to explain to Larkspur.

Its content, of course, is her encounter with the examiner Rose after escaping the maze, and the things Rose said to her.

These were all problems that she couldn't handle or make up her mind about at this stage, so Xia Liang naturally didn't hide anything and described everything she saw and heard at the time in great detail.

--"I see."

Xia Liang's description of these things, especially the information that "something might have happened on the viewing platform," made Larkspur think of many things. It wasn't hard for her to guess that perhaps the people from the Civil Governance Institute and the Finance Institute wanted to take advantage of the situation, or even that the power-hungry new Diamond wanted to extort something from the Magic Affairs Institute and the Research Institute. But these things were not suitable to explain to the children and could only be discussed with the people from the Magic Affairs Institute later.

Aside from the undercurrents behind this, perhaps what Xia Liang needs most right now is Larkspur's opinion on Rose's invitation.

"If the other party is from the Research Institute, then we can tentatively trust them. Her invitation is most likely sincere and genuine."

With her hands clasped in her arms, Larkspur pondered for a moment, "Having professionals help research the principles of Magic Armament would probably be a good thing for you, Little Brocade, but it also means your Magic Armament abilities will become completely transparent to the Research Institute... Do you have any preferences?"

"Ah, me?"

Xia Liang was surprised that the ball she had kicked out had been thrown back by Larkspur. After blinking twice, she said honestly, "If you think they can be trusted, then this kind of thing should be more beneficial to me, right?"

She stretched out her hand, counting on her fingers as if analyzing something. "After all, the better you understand your Magic Armament, the closer you get to the core of its power, and maybe you can develop more uses for it, making yourself even more powerful..."

"Indeed."

Larkspur nodded in agreement. "The researchers at the Research Institute are all the most outstanding scientific scholars. In terms of knowledge and achievements in their respective academic fields, they are actually much more capable than me and even Morning Glory. Your learning ability is also very strong. If you study with them, you will definitely make progress."

"So, should I go?" Xia Liang lowered her hand, her expression slightly tense as she awaited Larkspur's decision.

Without a doubt, she wanted to go.

Xia Liang no longer hides her desire to become stronger. She is never satisfied with being ahead of the team in terms of progress in Blossoming, so she is determined to seize this opportunity.

Larkspur could see this and understand it, but when it came to actually making the decision, she still hesitated for a moment.

She knew that once she accepted Rose's invitation, her interests would be further intertwined with those of the Research Institute and the Magic Affairs Institute.

Although it's absolutely impossible to back down now, Larkspur only faces two possible outcomes: either helping Emerald and the others get things done, or being exposed and becoming a wanted criminal for trespassing. But sending Xia Liang to the Research Institute means that the children will also be involved in this matter to some extent.

If the truth eventually comes out and Royal Court discovers this connection...

The Larkspur knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help having such thoughts.

So, before she could say it, she didn't. Instead, she said it again, "After the assessment is over, I'll take you all to the Research Institute."

If things go smoothly, I'll naturally have time to take Xia Liang to find Rose after the assessment.

If things don't go smoothly, both she and Rose will probably be waiting for the verdict in court, so naturally she won't let Xia Liang get involved in her relationship with the Research Institute.

As long as no overt evidence is found, even if one is the captain of the Fangting City Squad, if the captain is arrested, the team members will not be implicated, and there will be some leeway.

Of course, she also knew that when it came to the Queen, all Rule in the Magic Kingdom could be Rule, and the Queen had the power to ignore all laws and regulations. If the Queen really intended to punish everyone involved, then no matter how justified she was or how she tried to exonerate herself, it would be to no avail. But it was always better to be prepared than to be completely unprepared.

Xia Liang had no way of knowing what she was thinking. Even though she could sense some subtleties from the atmosphere, she couldn't possibly guess anything out of thin air about things that the Larkspur hadn't revealed at all.

After discussing the issues related to Xia Liang, Lin Xiaolu was the next to speak up.

"Speaking of which, I've also run into a bit of trouble..."

Lin Xiaolu described her new teammate, Mint, whom she met when she formed a team, as well as the peculiar examinee Arrowroot, whom she encountered in Mint maze. She recounted the strange conflict between these two and Bai Jingxuan, and also mentioned the "promise" she had with Mint. After finishing this long explanation, she eagerly asked, "Larkspur, what do you think we should do next?"

If the news from Xia Liang made Larkspur realize the Kingdom strife she might face next, then what Lin Xiaolu said was undoubtedly the prelude to some event related to a foreign enemy.

"A magical girl capable of devouring remnants of Aberrant Beast, and Bo Xue can also sense an aura similar to that of remnants of Aberrant Beast emanating from her?"

She summarized the series of events Lin Xiaolu had recounted, her brow furrowing slightly. "You mean, that child might be the one with the Claw Mark?"

"Even more annoying than Claw Mark!"

Bai Jingxuan, standing nearby, corrected, "Or rather, it smells a lot like that wicked bureau chief!"

"Bad bureau chief? Who?"

"The one on the night of the Full Moon Festival!"

Now Larkspur understood; Bai Jingxuan was talking about Moss.

When the clues pointed in this direction, and combined with Lin Xiaolu's description, the answer became obvious.

"... Black Ash Dawn?" Not only Larkspur, but Xia Liang also came to this conclusion almost at the same time.

As far as everyone knows, the only organizations that have mastered the use of the Aberrant Beast's magic are Black Ash Dawn and Claw Mark. Compared to Claw Mark, Black Ash Dawn's "beastification" is undoubtedly more thorough, which is consistent with what Bai Jingxuan said, "More like Aberrant Beast."

Although Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu are unaware of this, Larkspur is very clear about the source of Bai Jingxuan's Aberrant Beast magic.

The so-called "Holy Child Project" of Black Ash Dawn, as well as the existence of terms like Sacrificial Child, Beast Child, and Holy Child, undoubtedly indicate that children like Bai Jingxuan are probably not isolated cases in this world.

If Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan's descriptions are true, then Larkspur would have to offer an even more startling, even shocking, conclusion:

"Are there actually members of Black Ash Dawn among magical girls?"