Catching the Wind

(Ceruno)

I initially thought that the inside man my father left behind was forced to sell Contaminated Crystal to make money because he lacked operating funds.

But that doesn't seem to be the case.

If it wasn't for money, then what was their purpose in spreading the Contaminated Crystal?

Are they cooperating with "the Other Side's" plan to create panic?

They deliberately chose dangerous individuals who might break the law, like Dantai Zhengchu, a fallen gangster. They believed that once he regained his health with the Crystal, he would definitely have ideas like using magic to revive his former glory.

While I was thinking, Xiaoling continued to play her social butterfly role, asking in a coquettish tone, "Uncle~ was the person who gave you the Crystal a man or a woman? Did she ask you for anything?"

"The person who gave me the Crystal was also a magical girl. She was wearing a black hood and walked out of a magically opened door..."

Magic Gate?

I casually opened a teleportation portal leading to the central courtyard.

He asked, "Is this the kind you're talking about?"

Dantai Zhengchu nodded.

"Yes, exactly the same as this one."

Miss Anjie did indeed master this magic first. Although she felt she was unique at the time, it wasn't surprising that her informants knew the same magic.

Approaching the target by teleportation and leaving by teleportation again, without even knowing where the other party came from or where they went, it's no wonder that Aunt Lin Xi's magic was useless.

"When did you meet that magical girl? And how did she appear?"

Dantai Zhengchu recalled.

"About two weeks ago, in the west wing."

Half a month Past long; it's likely that no trace will remain.

If it were within a few days, perhaps I could reopen that door from the lingering magic...

"What's in that side room?" Xiaoling asked.

Dantai Xue replied, "There's nothing important, just some exercise equipment for physical rehabilitation. My dad goes there to exercise every afternoon at three o'clock, accompanied by... by Grandpa Gong."

Huh? Why did you stutter a little?

My life is quite regular, but this raises a question.

"But how did that magical girl know about this?"

"Um?"

Dantai Xue didn't seem to have considered this question. I gently stroked my chin and paced back and forth in the bedroom, guiding them to think about it.

"According to Uncle, the magical girl who gave him the Crystal appeared directly in that side room. This means that she is very familiar with Uncle's routine. Either someone in your circle is an informant, or someone has been monitoring you all along. Either way, it's not good news. This was premeditated."

Skyreach City is Old Man's base. Although crimes caused by Contaminated Crystal occur all over the world, Old Man's power is more stable here than at headquarters, so it's normal for there to be more insider activity.

Dantai Zhengchu frowned, his already distressed expression becoming even more serious.

"You mean, someone is spying on me?"

"Hmm, was that old gentleman someone I could trust?"

When asked about the old man who had just been pushed away by Dantai Xue, Dantai Zhengchu paused for a moment before confirming:

"Of course, Master Gong has worked diligently in the Dantai Family for over fifty years. Even Ah Xue calls him Grandpa. He couldn't possibly have anything to do with those people."

Once Fake Magical Girl transforms, she cannot undo the transformation, which is actually detrimental to concealing her identity as an informant.

Therefore, the Fake Magical Girl who gave the Crystal to Dantai Zhengchu and the informant secretly monitoring Dantai Zhengchu should be two different people...

I was organizing my thoughts when the beautiful detective Xiaoling interrupted my train of thought.

"Sister Ceruno, look at the structure of this yard."

She leaned over the bed and peered out the window at the courtyard, then looked up at the eaves above, as if she had made a discovery.

"The eaves here are very wide! And there are verandas that lead directly to the side rooms. If someone wants to monitor Uncle, unless they have some kind of magic or drones, they probably can't do it without coming in, right?"

"Oh?"

In front of the main house, there is a covered corridor connecting the side rooms and wing rooms, so you can walk through every room in the inner courtyard without wearing outdoor shoes.

However, drones flying in the air would be obstructed by the eaves, making it impossible to pinpoint Dantai Zhengchu's location. Yet, flying to eye level under the eaves would make him easily spotted, and there were no buildings of suitable height nearby...

To monitor Dantai Zhengchu, we definitely need to get inside.

Following Xiaoling's train of thought, I continued by asking:

"Besides Grandpa Gong, are there any other members of the Dantai Society suspected?"

Dantai Zhengchu shook his head.

"To be honest, due to my poor health, the business has become increasingly sluggish in the two years since I took over the gang, leading many members to leave and seek better opportunities elsewhere... But those who remain are the backbone of our Dantai Society. They will not betray the gang, much less become lackeys of 'the Other Side'... Cough! Cough cough!"

Dantai Zhengchu coughed for a while to catch his breath, and then, as if recalling something from the past, his gaze jumped out of the window and looked at the blue sky framed in the courtyard.

"Young lady, would you mind if I said something unrelated to this topic?"

"You said."

"Although I am bedridden, I am not entirely oblivious to what is happening outside my window, and I have heard some of the calamities unfolding in the world. In my humble opinion, since those people are not after money, their goal is the same as 'the Other Side' —to try to reignite the chaos of twelve years ago... Although my Dantai Society is of humble origin, with such a deep-seated blood feud, we are irreconcilably opposed to those demons."

A blood feud...

It seems there's some story behind it.

"What happened in the Past?"

"In the early stages of the twelve-year war, this Skyreach Northern Outskirts was attacked by Monster, and many people died. My wife... Ah Xue's mother was also seriously injured in that attack and passed away soon after."

This story is heavy, yet also ordinary and simple.

Too many similar stories happened during that era, only the people and places were different.

Because there were no magical girls, every early invasion was accompanied by tragic sacrifices; that was truly the darkest era.

"That was an invulnerable demon. Back then, there weren't so many magical girls, so no one could stop it..."

Dantai Zhengchu paused here.

Xiaoling then asked, "Huh? So how was it resolved in the end? Did you defeat the Monster using only your human body?"

Dantai Zhengchu shook his head and asked in return:

"Little girl, were you born after the war?"

Xiaoling paused for a moment, then answered softly:

"No, I was only a little over a year old then, I don't remember clearly."

"Is that so? It's fine if we only have memories of the Heian Era."

Dantai Zhengchu looked at me as he spoke...

They want me to give them the answer.

"Xiaoling."

Simply stating the facts is already a heavy burden.

"Back when there were no magical girls, each invasion would cause hundreds or thousands of casualties. Human lives were as worthless as grass, but they would leave once they had killed enough."

People always assumed those Monster went back because they were tired of killing.

But considering their objectives...

The Monster left some survivors to sow panic and nurture darkness.