The Way to Solve It

"Eggshell." "Hey, it's eggshell."

At the sight of Eggshell Fragments scattered across the ground, the three did not rush forward. They kept their distance, wary of anything unexpected.

This was the Mortal World, not a Phantasm Dream Mindscape they could escape whenever they wished. Even shattered, the shells still held enough residual magic to weaken the Cognitive Veil in the surrounding area.

"...Its magic has settled completely. We can take a look."

Inari quickly assessed the magic lingering around the fragments, then nodded with certainty and stepped forward.

Su Tianqing and Nan Jiayu followed close behind.

An on-site investigation was an essential part of gathering intelligence, and Su Tianqing knew it. But the recent string of Phantasm Dream Mindscape attacks had kept her from even considering it. Only when Inari brought it up did she realize she had overlooked such an important source of information.

Hopefully, investigating the site a few days late can still recover what we missed, Su Tianqing thought.

"Miss Inari, do you see anything?"

The golden-haired fox woman moved beside the red-haired fox and peered at the scene before them:

The ground was only slightly sunken. Every patch of grass and every shrub nearby had withered. Though spring growth was flourishing elsewhere, this clearing was inexplicably barren, starkly different from its surroundings.

"So far, I can only go by what I can see. Now that I'm closer, I realize the magic here is absurdly chaotic."

Inari remained composed. Rather than seeming troubled by the barren clearing, she moved toward the pile of Eggshell Fragments to examine the magic lingering on them.

Su Tianqing did not stop her—

If Alice or Jack-in-the-Pulpit had gone up, Su Tianqing would probably already be calling Cat-Cat over to pull them back. But this was Inari. Her mastery of magic made