Magical Girls? There's No Going Back! Chapter 22

"Um... Master, that wasn't what I meant by serious business. Have you considered the difficulties I mentioned earlier?" Qi Mo had no choice but to remind him, afraid the conversation would keep drifting off track.

"Hm? Did you say anything earlier?" Li Xuan asked in confusion.

"Master, you weren't listening at all, were you?" Qi Mo held her forehead and closed her eyes, nearly passing out from anger.

"Haha, I was only joking. I have been thinking about the inconvenience of going in and out. You girls go have fun for now. I'll come up with a solution later." As he spoke, Li Xuan tossed Lilika's silky plush magnet to Xu Rou. He then used his tentacles to roll up the two boxes of luggage and slowly entered the stone tower where Alulu was being held.

The Delusive Badlands skill was clearly far more complicated than any skill Li Xuan had acquired before. Its detailed description was nearly as long as the skill description for First-Generation God Sun Quan. He had not read it closely before because it was too long, but now that Qi Mo had raised the issue, he had no choice but to patiently look through it.

[Article 13: Explanation of Permissions: The master of the Delusive Badlands may designate up to X administrators. Administrators possess basic permissions such as opening passages to the Delusive Badlands and freely bringing people in and out. When administrators use the Delusive Badlands' permissions, only their own mental energy is consumed, placing no burden on the master's mental energy. Permissions may be revoked at any time. (X equals the system level.)]

"My current level is 4, so I can designate four administrators? It's great that it doesn't consume my mental energy, but if I entrust it to the wrong person, the risk would be huge."

After reading the important explanation, Li Xuan fell into deep thought. He could revoke an administrator's permissions at any time, but if something truly happened, it would probably already be too late by then. The Delusive Badlands was now his strongest life-saving skill. If he could not win, he could simply hide in here and lie low. He had to give this authority to someone he trusted enough.

He had not gotten to know Tan Xiang very deeply since her recent Demonfall, so she was definitely out of consideration.

Of the three girls from Clear Lotus City, Xu Rou had fallen the most thoroughly. People like her seemed to possess firm beliefs, but once the pillar supporting her heart was destroyed, the entire structure of her mind could be torn down and rebuilt. It would be easy to reshape her personality. However, her personality after Demonfall was too extreme, and she lacked sufficient judgment.

Qi Mo clearly had enough judgment. Her schemes had nearly caused even Li Xuan to fail. Yet ever since her Demonfall, she had been harboring guilt toward Xu Rou, making her timid and hesitant in everything she did.

After filtering them by elimination, Li Xuan realized that he could only give this authority to Wu Yan. Although Wu Yan looked like she was simple-minded and physically strong, anyone who spent time with her would discover that she was not stupid at all. She simply could not be bothered to think about overly troublesome matters. Besides, she occupied a relatively neutral position among the three girls and did not have Qi Mo's twisted feelings toward Xu Rou.

Once he made up his mind, Li Xuan granted Wu Yan one administrator slot, then took Alulu's luggage to the twelfth floor of the tower.

"Student Alulu, creepy uncle's here to see you." Li Xuan approached with a wicked grin, placed the luggage on the ground, then took out his phone and snapped a photo of her with the boxes. He intended to keep it as proof of delivery for Lilika later.

"Demon, what are you here for again? Haven't you tormented me enough with your lies?" Some of the medicine's effects still lingered in Alulu's body, making her tongue tremble as she spoke. The moment she saw Li Xuan, she shrank into the corner with a frightened expression.

"Your mother made a deal with me. From now on, you can live here comfortably. This is the luggage she asked me to bring you." Li Xuan pointed at the two large cardboard boxes on the floor.

"I don't believe you! This must be another one of your schemes! I won't trust you ever again!" Alulu shouted, bracing both hands against the wall.

"And your summer homework is in there too. Later, I'll have someone bring you a desk, chair, and lamp." Li Xuan pulled out a thick stack of homework from the box. To his surprise, three crooked Chinese characters were written on the cover: Tian Wenjing. That was probably Alulu's real name.

"Ah... I believe you now. That really is something my mom would do..." Alulu's eyes widened. She sat down on the floor like a deflated balloon, stayed silent for several seconds, then suddenly burst into loud tears.

Li Xuan was instantly dumbfounded. Alulu was a remarkably tough girl. She had not cried like this while fighting monsters in blood-soaked battles, nor had she cried like this when she learned she had been deceived and fell into despair. Why was she suddenly breaking down now?

"I kept comforting myself before: even though I was unlucky enough to get captured by monsters, at least I wouldn't have to do summer homework. That belief kept me going here. But I never expected I still couldn't escape the fate of doing homework! My life is so miserable, ahhhhh..." Alulu's wails echoed through the empty stone walls, making Li Xuan's eardrums tingle.

Seeing how sincerely she cried, Li Xuan could only go up and comfort her. "All right, all right. Tomorrow, I'll have someone bring you a handheld console. You can pick any game available on the market, okay?"

"Really, mister?" The moment Alulu heard she could play games, she immediately stopped crying and looked at him expectantly.

"But you have to finish your homework before you can play. I'll arrange a tutor for you, so don't even think about exploiting loopholes." Afraid she would make more unreasonable demands, Li Xuan left those words behind, opened a portal, and returned to the three girls.

Li Xuan had barely stepped halfway out when Wu Yan, her vivid red hair flying, pounced on him and nearly shoved him back through the portal.

"Master, Master! You're finally back! Just now, someone started talking inside my head, saying something like, 'You have become an administrator of the Delusive Badlands.' It nearly scared me to death! Are there other people here besides us?" Wu Yan asked with teary eyes.

"Don't worry. That was the authority Master gave you. From now on, you'll be responsible for opening the passages to the Delusive Badlands." Li Xuan held Wu Yan in his arms and announced it to the other two magical girls.

"Master is so biased..." Xu Rou muttered softly, while Qi Mo looked at Wu Yan with envy. Wu Yan herself was so flattered that she did not know what to say.

Li Xuan watched the reactions of the three magical girls with satisfaction. Creating a little inequality between them was exactly what he wanted. If the three girls were too united, it would not benefit his authority as their master, nor would it benefit the magical girls who joined them in the future.

"All right, let's put that aside for now. Which of you three has the best grades? I need someone to help Alulu with her homework." Li Xuan clapped his hands, interrupting the silent exchange of looks between them.

The moment Wu Yan heard the word "grades," she turned her head and began whistling. Xu Rou glanced at Qi Mo, then reluctantly took a step back. As a result, Qi Mo, who had not moved at all, became the only candidate.

"Qi Mo? Are your grades really that good?" Li Xuan asked curiously.

Before asking this question, he had always assumed Xu Rou would be the best student among the three. After all, she looked exactly like an honor student.

"Not too bad..." The moment grades were mentioned, Qi Mo's demeanor changed completely, and her tone became distinctly pleased.

"Oh, right, right. Our beloved Class Monitor Qi Mo's grades are only not too bad. She's only been guaranteed first place in the grade on every exam since enrollment, always beating me soundly every single time." Xu Rou spread her hands and looked at Qi Mo with deep resentment.

"So Xu Rou is the eternal runner-up? And while we're at it, Wu Yan's grades are..." Li Xuan laughed.

"My ranking... depends on how many people take the exam..." Wu Yan covered her face and spoke in a sorrowful tone.

Magical Girl Hunting Plan

After assigning tasks to the three girls, Li Xuan returned home and finally slept in.

When he woke up at noon, he discovered a long string of missed calls on his phone. After calling back to ask, he learned that Lilika was preparing to leave for Flower River City and had specifically called to ask whether he had any special arrangements.

Li Xuan had initially wanted to tell her to just go, but then another thought struck him. The magical girls in Clear Lotus City had already been ruined by him to the point where he could no longer sustainably drain the pond dry.

So why not take this chance to go to Flower River City with Lilika? There were surely far more magical girls there than in Clear Lotus City. Ideally, he could find an opportunity to unlock a few defeat CGs and quickly raise his magic power level to B-rank. Then, if the Church came to suppress him in the future, he would have the confidence to deal with them.

Moreover, the effects of Fallen Blood seemed to improve as his level increased. Maybe he could even pick up Li Sijie for free. Li Xuan had been craving those full, ample headlights of hers so badly his teeth itched.

After making up his mind, Li Xuan said, "No rush. I happen to have some business there too, so we can go together."

"Then come directly to my house once you're ready. It's not too far anyway, and I'm planning to drive there," Lilika replied.

Li Xuan nodded, but just as he was about to leave, he suddenly realized that it was not very safe to go alone. Never mind whether the hunting plan would go smoothly—if he ran into a powerful magical girl, it was hard to say who would end up being the prey.

So he quickly summoned Tan Xiang, who was temporarily staying at Qi Mo's house, through his consciousness. He had personally witnessed Tan Xiang's strength, and as usual, she had been strengthened somewhat after turning dark. As long as they did not provoke any overly powerful magical girls, she should be enough to handle things.

"Tan Xiang, you've stayed here long enough. How about I take you back to Flower River City now?" Li Xuan asked as soon as Tan Xiang hurried over.

"Tan Xiang doesn't want to leave Master, and there's no place for me in the Church anymore." Thinking that Li Xuan wanted to drive her away, Tan Xiang hurriedly shook her head.

"Don't worry, Master is going with you. There are so many magical girls in Flower River City, and this trip will be very dangerous for me. That's why I want you to accompany me." Li Xuan stroked Tan Xiang's head.

"So Master wants Tan Xiang to be his guard? That's wonderful!" Tan Xiang's face brightened. She had originally been living alone at Qi Mo's home. Watching her friends get summoned away by Master one after another while she alone was left behind, she had worried that Master had forgotten her. Now it seemed that not only had he not forgotten her, he also valued her strength greatly. That put her at ease.

Li Xuan packed some simple luggage and hurried with Tan Xiang to Sunshine Street. Lilika was there adjusting a blue convertible sports car. Even Li Xuan, who did not know much about cars, could tell at a glance that it was expensive. Even if he sold both his house and shop, it probably would not be enough for the down payment.

"You brought someone else? You should have told me earlier. This car won't fit everyone," Lilika complained. She backed the car into the garage, then brought out a roomier red four-seat sports car instead.

Li Xuan and Tan Xiang exchanged a glance, reading the same words in each other's eyes. So this is the world of the rich?

"Let's go. We can refuel on the way," Lilika said as she opened the door and waved Li Xuan and Tan Xiang inside.

Li Xuan unceremoniously took the front passenger seat. Seeing another man so easily occupy the seat that had once belonged only to her husband, Lilika's heart ached slightly. But then she remembered that he had already pushed into a far more excessive place, so why should she fuss over something so trivial?

"Fasten your seatbelt. I drive very fast," Lilika said.

"It's fine. I drive fast too, especially mini cars," Li Xuan replied seriously.

"You really love taking advantage of people..." Lilika glared at Li Xuan, then started the car and drove straight onto the road.

Lilika's car had pleasantly cool air conditioning and rhythmic music playing. Everything was so comfortable. Li Xuan felt utterly content and nearly fell asleep against the soft seat.

However, when the car reached the highway entrance, it suddenly braked hard and came to a stop. Li Xuan was jolted awake. Annoyed, he rolled down the window and saw two traffic police officers standing outside, looking at him with unfriendly expressions.

"Sir, how can you let such a young child drive? If she went onto the highway, wouldn't that cause a major accident?" one officer said, looking at Li Xuan reproachfully.

"A child? Who are you calling a child?!"

Before Li Xuan could say anything, Lilika in the driver's seat exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Only then did Li Xuan understand. Lilika's car had been stopped because she looked so young that the officers suspected he, the adult, had made a child drive.

Thinking of that, Li Xuan could not help letting out a snort of laughter. If he were a traffic officer and saw a blonde, blue-eyed doll driving a car, he probably would have stopped her to ask as well.

"Here. Try not to judge people by their appearance in the future." Lilika was, after all, a dependable adult woman. Once she realized she had lost control of her emotions, she took a deep breath to calm down, then pulled out her documents for the two officers to inspect.

After discovering that Lilika was genuinely an adult, the two officers looked as though they had seen something unbelievable. They apologized to Lilika, then waved them through.

This little incident successfully dispelled Li Xuan's drowsiness. After more than an hour on the road, he finally arrived at his new hunting ground: Flower River City.

Flower River City lay north of Clear Lotus City. A gentle river ran through it, dividing the entire city into northern and southern halves. Many flowering trees grew along both riverbanks, blooming in a riot of color during flowering season. Their petals fell into the water as though dyeing the entire river in vivid hues, and Flower River City got its name from that.

Perhaps because of the river, Flower River City's climate was milder than Clear Lotus City's. Even when the wind blew, Li Xuan could feel a faint chill.

Lilika parked in the lot outside the Sylvie Chain Hotel. She glanced at Tan Xiang, who was staring blankly in the back seat, then turned to Li Xuan. "How many rooms should we book? Three? Two? Don't tell me you want one? I still need to gather intelligence. I don't have time to play those young people's games with you."

Li Xuan looked at the tall, delicate Tan Xiang, then at the petite, adorable Lilika, and smiled cunningly. "Two rooms. One for each of you. Tonight, I'll decide which room I feel like sleeping in."

"Shameless!" Lilika glared at Li Xuan, but still booked two rooms as he requested.

After putting away their luggage, Lilika went out to meet an old friend. Since Li Xuan did not want to interfere with her serious business, he went out with Tan Xiang to wander around.

As a local, Tan Xiang naturally took on the responsibility of being a guide. She explained the highlights of each attraction to Li Xuan. She knew the flowers blooming along both banks of the Flower River in every season like the back of her hand, and Li Xuan found himself quite captivated.

Seeing that Li Xuan was interested, Tan Xiang took him for a walk along the street by the riverbank. Li Xuan held her small hand as they strolled through the sea of flowers. For a moment, it felt like he was on a date with his girlfriend. Walking around with such a beautiful woman also drew envious glances from passersby.

"Come to think of it, does anyone in the Church know your real identity?" Seeing how much attention they were attracting, Li Xuan was somewhat worried that Tan Xiang might be recognized, so he casually asked.

"Please rest assured, Master. The Church has always valued privacy protection. Even Yun Ye doesn't know my true identity," Tan Xiang explained gently, having guessed Li Xuan's concern.

"That's good. You're probably already on the Church's blacklist now, and getting recognized would be no joke. This is Church territory, after all. If a magical girl suddenly pops out while we're walking around, we'll be in danger." Li Xuan nodded.

The moment he finished speaking, a sweet voice suddenly rang out ahead of them. "Magical girl, transform!"

Magical Girl in the Spotlight? Looks Like She Needs a Proper Lesson.

Li Xuan was startled and quickly looked toward the voice. A girl in extravagant clothing was waving a wand and striking a flashy pose, yet his Hunting Radar did not react at all.

Could she, like Li Sijie, possess the ability to interfere with the Hunting Radar's detection? If that were the case, he and Tan Xiang might not be her match. But how had she discovered them? Hadn't they agreed that identities could not be detected without transforming?

A string of questions made Li Xuan clench his fists warily, ready to activate the Delusive Badlands and flee at any time. But then, the rapid clicking of camera shutters dispelled his worries.

"Balala Energy, Little Magic Fairy Transform!" The girl changed poses again. The photographers and spectators around her all followed along, raising phones and cameras to take photos nonstop. "So it's cosplay..." Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief. It seemed his nerves had become a little too sensitive. Looking carefully, he noticed quite a few cosplayers in various costumes around them. Some sort of event was clearly taking place.

"There's a convention nearby. Quite a few famous cosplayers are attending, and online says there are still tickets available at the venue. Do you want to take a look, Master?" Tan Xiang checked the information on her phone, then looked up to ask for Li Xuan's opinion.

"Let's go. But from now on, don't call me Master outside. Just call me Brother Xuan." Li Xuan nodded. He had come here to find magical girls in the first place, which was why he had been wandering through crowded attractions. Since a convention gathered so many people, it was naturally worth checking out.

Seeing that Li Xuan had no objections, Tan Xiang enthusiastically bought two tickets at the venue and pulled him around the booths. When she saw cosplay she liked, she even went up to take photos with them. She looked lively and carefree, with not a trace of her usual social anxiety.

"Why did you become so energetic the moment you got here?" Li Xuan asked curiously.

"Because I was so happy that I forgot to be scared. Does Master want to take some pictures too?" Tan Xiang said with a radiant smile.

"I'll pass." Li Xuan shook his head. Although he had encountered several magical girl cosplayers he really wanted photos with, he suppressed the urge to approach them in order to conceal his tracks.

As the two wandered around, hurried music suddenly began playing somewhere in the venue. Many people crowded toward the sound, as though a performance was about to begin.

Li Xuan had not wanted to join the commotion, but the Hunting Radar suddenly sent an alert.

[Magical girl detected nearby]

[Distance: 99 meters]

[Detailed information available after visual lock-on]

Li Xuan immediately perked up. He took a few steps around, using the changing distance to determine that the magical girl was near the performance stage. He then pulled Tan Xiang over.

However, there were too many people watching the performance, and the two could not squeeze in at all. They could only see, on the big screen, a petite beauty cosplaying Astolfo singing onstage. From time to time, she interacted with the crowd in a sweet voice, drawing waves of cheers. People constantly shouted below, "Bro, you smell so good!" and "Femboys are the best!"

"It's the famous online femboy G-chan! I've watched his videos. His feminine voice is amazing, just like a real girl!" Tan Xiang said excitedly.

"A femboy?"

"Exactly! He imitates one really well, right?"

"But that's obviously a girl." Li Xuan pointed at the pink-haired cosplayer on the screen with a puzzled expression.

"No way? He's posted his everyday appearance before. He's clearly a delicate-looking short-haired boy. Besides, what girl doesn't grow even a little chest?" Tan Xiang said disbelievingly.

"These eyes of mine can tell a male fly from a female fly ten meters away. How could I mistake a living person?" Li Xuan pointed confidently at his own eyes.

"But some femboys really can look completely real after makeup. How could you tell after only one look?" Tan Xiang asked skeptically.

"If you only look at the face, then of course it's hard to tell. But she's showing her whole body, so all you have to do is examine the bones at the shoulders, hips, and knees to determine whether she's male or female. If you don't believe me, let's get closer." Li Xuan was displeased that someone doubted his authority in gender identification, so he dragged Tan Xiang forward and forced his way through the crowd.

Yet before Li Xuan could begin distinguishing her using his theory, the system completed the task for him. The instant he looked at the cosplayer onstage, an alert sounded in his mind.

[Magical girl locked on]

[Name: Bing Rui]

[Magic Power Level: B]

[Type: Battle Type]

[Height: 156 cm]

[CUP Level: 2147483647 (Observed data exceeds the system's default minimum value. Please measure manually.)]

"Holy shit, did the data overflow?" Li Xuan stared in shock at the girl dancing and singing onstage. Her chest was completely flat, without the slightest rise or curve. Her mannerisms did indeed seem somewhat boyish as well. No wonder she had been able to pretend to be a femboy for so long without anyone noticing the flaw. That chest, flat enough to serve as an airport runway, was extremely deceptive.

Li Xuan even suspected that if someone posted a topless picture of her online, it would pass review without any censoring.

"What a talent. Her looks are decent, but in the fiercely competitive influencer world, she would only count as average. But once she switched to the femboy track, she became incredibly competitive." Li Xuan praised.

"Eh? Even after seeing him so closely, Master still thinks he's a girl?" Tan Xiang asked in surprise.