Secret Base

"Secret Base?"

After taking Bai Jingxuan home, Larkspur, who was at Xia Liang's house, was somewhat surprised by the two girls' suggestion. "Why did you suddenly think of this?"

"Well, how should I put it? Our team has so many people now, and everyone has different things to do, so wouldn't it be better to unify the activity location... or something like that?"

Lin Xiaolu nervously clutched her sleeve, forcing herself not to look away, and feigned guilt. "Look, it's still summer vacation. Wouldn't it be better to meet at a fixed place after school starts? Always being outdoors feels a bit..."

Her behavior seemed highly suspicious to Larkspur, but she couldn't figure out why. So she crossed her arms and turned her gaze to Xia Liang beside her.

Seeing Larkspur's questioning expression, Xia Liang couldn't help but twitch her lips and subconsciously glanced at Lin Xiaolu. However, when she saw Lin Xiaolu's timid appearance, she knew that she couldn't count on her at all.

Looking away, Xia Liang could only try to compose herself and pretend to be calm as she said:

"In other words, with us constantly moving around, we waste a lot of time traveling every day, which Xiao Lu and I feel is affecting our efficiency."

"If we had a Secret Base, we could all live together there, which would make special training and tutoring much more convenient, right?"

Although it was a made-up reason, she was actually right.

During summer vacation, the magical girls would train at Lin Xiaolu's house during the day and go to Xia Liang's house for tutoring at night. In between, Larkspur would occasionally pick up and drop off Bai Jingxuan, and the group would often have to go out to hunt down Aberrant Beast. With so many activities piled up, the magical girls spent a lot of time traveling.

It's fine during the holidays, but once school starts, such a schedule will become very problematic.

Larkspur was actually considering this matter, but she didn't expect that before she could even formulate a plan, the two newcomers had already taken the initiative to propose one.

"Secret Base..."

Having tentatively accepted Xia Liang's explanation and begun to seriously consider it, Larkspur rubbed her smooth chin with one hand and glanced upwards. "It's not impossible, but couldn't we just set the location at one of your houses?"

These words caused the two girls to turn their faces in opposite directions simultaneously.

"... What's wrong?" Their strange reaction made Larkspur slightly raise her eyelids.

"Actually, we've already discussed it, but let's be honest, hahaha..."

Xia Liang laughed somewhat awkwardly, "We couldn't reach a consensus on this matter."

Lin Xiaolu, who was standing to the side, nodded almost imperceptibly, indirectly confirming her statement.

The two women had already had a disagreement about whether this "Secret Base" should be set up in someone's home or somewhere else.

Lin Xiaolu felt that her home was much larger and could easily accommodate more people; Xia Liang, on the other hand, emphasized that there was no one else in her home, making it more free for her to conduct semi-secret activities like those of magical girls.

However, although Lin Xiaolu's house is larger, she lives with her father, so Bai Jingxuan might feel uncomfortable; Xia Liang's house is almost empty, but it is very small, and it would be a bit crowded for four people to live there.

The two argued back and forth, each sticking to their own version of events. They argued all the way from the dining table to Xia Liang's house, and finally to Larkspur's.

This has led to the current situation: the problem is presented to the Larkspur, and the Larkspur is left to make the decision.

"Speaking of which, where does the young senior live now?"

Xia Liang asked with some curiosity, "I remember Xiao Lu said you came from out of town, but you should be living in Fangting City now, right?"

This statement also piqued Lin Xiaolu's interest.

"Oh right! Is there enough space where the Larkspur lives?"

For some reason, Lin Xiaolu showed unusual enthusiasm for "being able to stay at Larkspur's house," even more so than for having the Secret Base at her own home. "I haven't been to Larkspur's house yet!"

"Where I live..."

The Larkspur's expression stiffened, and she couldn't help but draw out her words.

Such a place certainly doesn't exist, since "Larkspur" doesn't need to live anywhere, and "Lin Yun" only needs to go back to her own home.

Of course, she wasn't unprepared for this situation, Larkspur quickly came up with a pre-arranged explanation. "That probably won't work, because I'm renting a very small studio apartment, which definitely can't accommodate four people."

Although this statement was a lie, Larkspur had indeed once considered it.

During the initial period when Lin Yun and Lin Xiaolu formed a team, Lin Yun, who still had various worries about the future, considered renting a small apartment to disguise it as "Larkspur's residence" in order to deal with any suspicions Lin Xiaolu might have.

However, as time passed, Lin Xiaolu never mentioned this matter again, and there was not even a trace of "suspicion." This plan remained just an idea and was thus shelved.

"I see." Upon hearing Larkspur's reply, Lin Xiaolu visibly lost her enthusiasm.

"Um..."

Xia Liang, standing to the side, nodded with a somewhat ambiguous expression and said, "In that case, we'll have to find a special venue, won't we?"

"Yes, if we really want to set up a Secret Base, we'll probably need a dedicated location."

Following Xia Liang's lead and subtly changing the subject, Larkspur secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "If we follow your previous requirements, considering the needs of special training, it might still have to be a detached building; that would be a more suitable environment."

Her suggestion left both newlyweds speechless for a moment.

"A detached house..." Lin Xiaolu blinked blankly, "Isn't it a bit too luxurious?"

"It must be very expensive, right?"

Xia Liang also said with some concern, "It's just for an event venue, do we really need to choose a place like that? Besides, we don't have the money..."

"Aren't you guys underestimating the value of the identity of a magical girl?"

The Larkspur raised an eyebrow. "Putting everything else aside, just look at the Egg Rank Aberrant Beast you've defeated over the past few months. If you took all those Echo and exchanged them for money with the Kingdom, how much do you think that would be?"

"Uh... fifty thousand?" Lin Xiaolu said uncertainly, "I don't really have a concept of that."

"Do you have 100,000?" Xia Liang's estimate was clearly more optimistic. "I remember seeing rumors online that magical materials are very valuable."

"They're all wrong."

Releasing her hands from her chest, Larkspur opened her palms in front of the two girls and gestured. "The answer is, considering only Egg Rank Aberrant Beast, over 300,000."

"In other words, as long as we go to the Kingdom to exchange these Echo for money, we can rent a villa in a not-too-remote place for a whole year."

"Hey!"

"Real?"

This answer clearly exceeded the two girls' expectations.

"However, I don't recommend doing that."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Larkspur shook her head. "Just as Little Brocade said before, magical materials are quite expensive, and exchanging them with the Kingdom using Echo is the most cost-effective way. No other channel is cheaper than exchanging them with contribution points in the Kingdom."

"Magical girls can rely on resources to quickly increase their magical power; they need to consume large amounts of magical materials to research and develop Spell Formula; and they need even more materials to make equipment or conduct experiments."

"No magical girl in the prime of her power would exchange her Echo for money. At most, she might use a small portion to supplement her daily expenses, but she would use the majority to improve her own strength."

"So I'm just telling you about the value of the Echo. As for the location of the Secret Base, we can choose another approach—to request it from the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau."

This is also the safest approach.

If you rent or purchase a site privately to set up Secret Base, it's hard to guarantee that all sorts of problems won't arise. The renovation of the property, daily utility bills, and surrounding security can all cause some minor but significant troubles.

With the help and background of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, this matter will be much easier to handle, and the location will be more discreet, better preventing it from being discovered by ordinary people.

While doing so would reveal the location of the Secret Base to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, making it less "secret," sometimes prior communication with local government agencies is necessary to avoid further disturbances.

"The Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau can actually do something like this?" Lin Xiaolu asked with a sense of wonder, as if she had just discovered a new world. "Wait, you can make such a request to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau?"

"Of course, in fact, such requests are quite reasonable official duties."

Larkspur slightly raised her chin. "Providing venues for magical girls' activities is perfectly normal for the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau; don't get me wrong, they actually benefit more from facilitating this than we do."

"Because this means our cooperation with the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau has deepened, and we've also reached an initial exchange of benefits."

"The Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau has no right to command or manage magical girls, but personal relationships and interests can. Through the exchange of benefits, the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau knows what conditions will make a magical girl act on its behalf."

"So they're not afraid of magical girls making demands of them; in fact, they're more eager than anyone to hear you asking them for something."

"I actually hope you don't rely on this mutually beneficial relationship. After all, we are still people living in the Material Realm society, and personal relationships can constrain our actions. The more times you reach out to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, the more embarrassed you will be to refuse Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau requests."

"Of course, there are also magical girls who treat the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau like servants, driving them around like slaves, taking only benefits and never helping out. While this is certainly possible, it will eventually damage the cooperative relationship between the two parties."

"The Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau has neither the authority nor the ability to do anything to you on major issues. However, they are an official institution, representing the government to a certain extent, and wield considerable power in the city. They can easily make things difficult for you and cause you trouble over trivial matters."

Her words made Lin Xiaolu suddenly realize. "Ah, so that's why the liaison officer from the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau always asks me if I need any help?"

"So, senior, that's why you wanted me to establish contact with the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau as late as possible?" Xia Liang pondered further, "I still haven't secured a contact person with the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, but they're actually more anxious?"

"The Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau is a partner, but it can only ever be your partner."

Nodding in approval of their reactions, Larkspur said earnestly, "Don't underestimate the intricate power relationships within city governments, or even the complex web of interests between cities."

"If you get too close to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, or even the government, you'll often have to focus your energy on some very troublesome things, and I don't want that for you."

"We eliminate the Aberrant Beast and do our job; the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau handles the aftermath, maintains the city's stability, and does their job. Everyone doing their part is the best and healthiest relationship."

"A proper sense of mystery and distance can actually help us maintain enough goodwill and tacit understanding between us."

"Of course, simply requesting a venue for an event is a trivial matter for the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, so we must also adopt the same attitude and treat it as a 'trivial matter.' Even if you feel it's a large sum of money and secretly consider it a big deal, you must force yourself to act as if you don't care."

"If both sides think it's just a small matter, then it really is just a 'small matter,' and the favor gained is just a 'small favor.' It can only smooth things over between us, and we don't need to worry about the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau making any requests of you."

After saying all that, to ensure the two girls could follow and understand, she paused and asked Lin Xiaolu for confirmation, "Can you understand the logic I'm explaining?"

She didn't ask Xia Liang, because she knew that Xia Liang's sensitivity to these matters was enough for her to quickly understand what she was saying.

"You can probably... understand?"

Lin Xiaolu was clearly a little guilty, and could only stammer, "Anyway, asking the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau for help requires thinking about a lot of things? It's just... uh, the adults' thoughts are so complicated."

Clearly, she didn't understand.

The Larkspur sighed inwardly.

Although she knew her daughter was probably at this level, and the other person's performance was not far from her expectations, she still felt somewhat complicated.

Parents always hope their children will be innocent and naive, preserving their child's purity and innocence. However, they also worry: what if they raise a naive and easily deceived child?

"Alright, just remember one thing: try to solve things yourself whenever possible; if you need the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau for help, be sure to act confidently and don't be shy."

With her eyelids drooping, she raised her index finger and said, "So if we want a Secret Base, we should naturally ask the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau for it, and we should act as if we don't care."

Slap slap

"Only at times like this do I realize that this young senior truly lives up to his reputation as an adult," Xia Liang clapped softly from the side.

"Hmm... Anyway, Larkspur is really amazing!" Lin Xiaolu clapped her hands belatedly.

"Ahem, enough of this small talk."

A little embarrassed by the praise from the two children, Larkspur cleared her throat twice with a serious expression. "Now it's time to get down to business. Take out your textbooks, let's begin!"