"Relax, this place is completely sealed off. Even if you scream and shout, nobody outside will hear you. No need to be so tense."
Susan picked up the cup beside her and poured Jiang Si some hot water. "Still, I was a little surprised Lady Bingtang would recruit a man. I thought the Azure Cloud Sect only had magical girls."
That wasn't actually wrong.
But he couldn't possibly explain anything, so Jiang Si simply picked up the cup and took a sip.
He wasn't the one managing the Azure Cloud Sect anyway. Most of the time, Bingtang managed the entire organization.
Although most people in the sect knew Ziyuan was the true sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect, and quite a few had even met her, very few knew he was the person who transformed into Ziyuan.
Likewise, Jiang Si didn't know most of the organization's lower-ranking members.
For example, this mole in the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau didn't hold a high position in the Azure Cloud Sect, so there was no chance they had met.
Jiang Si looked Susan over again. "Miss Yinluo said you can no longer transform into a magical girl."
"That's how things stand at the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau." A little softness entered Susan's originally icy expression. "But Lady Ziyuan and Lady Bingtang have already helped me resolve that problem. Lady Ziyuan and Lady Bingtang are where magical girls truly belong."
As sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect, Jiang Si-or rather, Ziyuan-rarely appeared, but plenty of people knew Ziyuan was the sect master. Bingtang had also been diligently publicizing the Azure Cloud Sect's true leader.
And teaching them to remain loyal to and in awe of their sect master.
For Jiang Si, the sect had been established to make it easier for him to obtain the mighty power to stand alone above all eternity.
The so-called cultivation sect existed to serve him alone, monopolizing most of the cultivation world's resources. The value of low-realm disciples lay in gathering resources and delivering them to those at higher realms, who would then let a little surplus trickle down to reward their advancement.
In other words, those who advanced first would drive the advancement of those who came later.
"Did you steal the Miracle Seeds?"
Jiang Si had no intention of discussing the Azure Cloud Sect's internal affairs with her, nor was he interested in how Bingtang had helped her regain her magical girl powers. "The mission Ziyuan and Bingtang gave you should have been to steal the seeds, right? Did you succeed?"
"Watch your tone." Susan frowned. "Lady Bingtang wouldn't mind. She doesn't care about such trifles. But show Lady Ziyuan some respect. Someone like you has no right to address her by name."
"...Have you met Ziyuan?"
"Our sect master attends to countless affairs every day. With her exalted status, how could a nobody like me meet her? Such trivial chores shouldn't trouble her, either. Lady Ziyuan considers matters concerning all magical girls and the safety of the world! The matters she considers and must handle are far beyond what outer disciples like us can imagine. You're not a magical girl, so you don't understand Lady Ziyuan's greatness. I'll forgive you this once, but there won't be a next time."
Looking at the murderous edge to Susan's expression, Jiang Si shrugged. "Have you already secured the Miracle Seeds? Lady Ziyuan and Lady Bingtang sent me to collect them from you."
Forms of address were inconsequential anyway. Jiang Si didn't want to waste time on something so meaningless.
Hearing Jiang Si change his form of address, Susan's expression eased somewhat. "I did receive orders to take the Miracle Seeds, and I made thorough preparations. Had everything gone according to plan, I would have been able to send them out around this morning."
"From your tone, something went wrong."
Susan briefly faltered, then drew a breath. "I knew the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau leaked like a sieve, but I didn't know it was this bad! I found traces of the Witch Association. They infiltrated the bureau and stole the Miracle Seeds before I could."
"Is the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau some public toilet?"
Jiang Si couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead. "Were all the Miracle Seeds taken?"
"The bureau had three Miracle Seeds in total, all distributed by headquarters. They were a fallback in case not enough magical girls emerged and Calamity Beasts ran rampant, and each one possessed the power of full blossom. Ordinarily, they wouldn't be used, because they would cause irreversible harm to a girl's body."
"The Witch Association didn't leave a single one. They stole them all!" A murderous look appeared on Susan's icy face. "They won't get away with this!"
"Then you'll be writing the report on this mission's failure."
The Azure Cloud Sect used a points system. Every failed operation required a dedicated failure review report and incurred a points deduction. Points were linked to wages-yes, the Azure Cloud Sect paid wages, and Bingtang paid them all. Although Jiang Si really wanted to call it a sect stipend, and replacing "points" with "contribution points" would have been more appropriate, Bingtang insisted they couldn't change it.
Bingtang said the rules and regulations had been copied straight from her family's business, and ancestral laws must never change. Since she was footing the bill, Jiang Si could only yield.
Unlike the other disciples, Jiang Si, as sect master, received no wages.
According to Bingtang, the entire enterprise belonged to him. Whatever he wanted, he could simply take from the sect. Failing that, he could ask Bingtang for it. She wasn't short of money.
But Jiang Si wasn't about to actually do that. The sect's funds were meant to build it up so it could better seek a path to the heavens for him. He absolutely couldn't pull the firewood out from under the cauldron.
Asking Bingtang for money was even more out of the question. Aside from needing money urgently for Keke's tuition last year, he generally avoided borrowing from Bingtang and owing her favors.
The Azure Cloud Sect sought a path to the Dao for magical girls, which benefited Bingtang herself. Whether in increasing her strength or finding a direction for advancement, the sect had helped her considerably. Her spending money on it was mutually beneficial.
But asking Bingtang for money for his private life was another matter entirely.
Back at the funeral, their relatives had chattered on and on, seemingly concerned about the siblings and grieving their parents' passing, while actually discussing how to divide up the family's assets.
Even with his best efforts, he had barely managed to retain half their parents' inheritance. Three years had passed, and he still tried not to seek help from relatives. Favors were expensive, after all.
That had left the household increasingly short of money. Both Keke and he worked odd jobs during their holidays to supplement their living expenses.
Jiang Si had also asked Bingtang whether her family had any jobs that needed filling, but Bingtang thought the Azure Cloud Sect's sect master shouldn't be working for someone else.
Sometimes, communicating with Bingtang was rather difficult.
Hearing that she had to write a mission failure review report, Susan immediately clutched her head. "Lady Ziyuan and Lady Bingtang will definitely be disappointed in me... There's still room to salvage this mission. I don't want to write a failure report this soon."
Ziyuan barely knows you. What would she be disappointed about?
Jiang Si took a sip of water. "What do you mean?"
The girl laid out a photograph. "The black magical girl, Hyacinth. The Disaster Countermeasures Bureau's third magical girl, and Yinlian's former captain. Seventeen, in her final year of high school. She had contact with the Witch Association before and let some Witch Association members escape. Many people suspected she was involved with them. Later, she resigned as captain and Yinlian took over. She hasn't come to the bureau for a long time, but she checked in once this morning."
"Oh, that does make her very suspicious."
"But she hasn't approached the secure room so far. Plenty of people in the bureau keep an eye on her, so doing anything here would be difficult. Still, the timing is too convenient. She happened to visit today, and the Miracle Seeds were stolen."
Jiang Si suddenly remembered something. "The black magical girl? Didn't the bureau hold a retirement ceremony before? The black one-that was her, right?"
"It was." Susan nodded. "Because she had contact with the Witch Association, the bureau held a retirement ceremony for her without her consent. Although Hyacinth obediently attended to keep things from becoming embarrassing, she has insisted ever since that she hasn't retired, and refuses to hand over her Miracle Seed."
"Another suspect is Aqin, who manages the secure room. She happened to be absent this morning, saying something had come up at home. That's suspiciously convenient too. The last one is you. Before Bingtang notified me, I really did think you belonged to the Witch Association..."
"When did Bingtang notify you?"
"While you and Yinluo were coming downstairs."
Susan casually flicked her blond hair, exuding bold confidence. "As long as you watch Hyacinth and I watch Aqin, the Witch Association won't escape even if they have heaven-reaching abilities! This time, we'll catch them and really..."
"I never said I'd help." Jiang Si shook his head. "My mission was only to collect the Miracle Seeds. Anything else has nothing to do with me."
Susan froze at Jiang Si's refusal. "You're an Azure Cloud Sect disciple. How can you lack even this little willingness to contribute? This concerns the sect's future development! As disciples, we should take the initiative to ease Lady Bingtang's worries..."
"Don't joke around. I joined the Azure Cloud Sect for the wages. I don't work unpaid overtime." That was the catchphrase of a certain member close to Bingtang, and Jiang Si borrowed it without hesitation. "Our Azure Cloud Sect doesn't have a wolf-culture corporate mindset. Bingtang said she doesn't encourage involution."
"This isn't involution. It's correcting a mistake at work."
"It wasn't my mistake. Why should I correct it?"
Susan was taken aback. True, it really didn't have much to do with him.
Because they were both Azure Cloud Sect disciples, she had instinctively assumed the mission's failure was both their responsibility.
But in reality, stealing the Miracle Seeds was her mission alone.
Jiang Si waved a hand. "Whatever you say, I won't work overtime. My mission is over. I just need to go back and report to Bingtang. Figure out the rest yourself."
"Wait."
Susan gritted her teeth. "I'll give up my mission bonus. You can have all of it. And this month's wages, from both the bureau and the Azure Cloud Sect-I'll give you half. Please."
But then again, I was the one who gave Bingtang the mission to obtain the Miracle Seeds from the bureau in the first place.
It was to better help me advance, too. There's no reason not to lend a hand.
Jiang Si sat back down. "As a fellow Azure Cloud Sect disciple, I'm not heartless. Since you're so sincere, refusing again would be rather unreasonable."
Susan immediately snorted. But since he was willing to help, she didn't dare mock him, lest he get angry enough to refuse even the money. "Hyacinth is in her final year of high school and will soon be moving on to higher education. She spends most of her time at school, so she won't be hard to find. Follow her and investigate whether there are signs of contact with the Witch Association. Contact me as soon as you find the slightest thread of a clue. Leave the rest to me."
Too much trouble.
Besides, tailing people and investigating had never been Jiang Si's forte.
I'll outsource it to Bingtang, then give her half of the half of Susan's wages I get.
Bingtang knew the most about high school students. Since many magical girls came from middle and high schools, she paid attention to girls at every secondary school in BH City, occasionally watching promising boys too.
After all, with an exception like Jiang Si having appeared, nobody could guarantee there wouldn't be another male magical girl.
Susan clearly had no idea that the boy before her, nodding earnestly with a serious expression, was already planning to dump her assignment on the Lady Bingtang she respected most...
"That's all I have to say. The entire bureau is currently under emergency investigation. They might find the Witch Association members and recover the stolen Miracle Seeds before you even investigate Hyacinth. In that case, though, you won't get half my wages. Wages are for people who work, after all. Wouldn't you agree?"
Looking at Susan, who was clearly displeased about sharing her wages, Jiang Si simply nodded as though he hadn't understood her implication.
Who cares about all that as long as I get paid? Renovating the Illusory Moon Cave Abode still required quite a lot of money, and he was also planning to buy some supplements to improve his workout results.
After exchanging information, the two rose to leave. "Oh, right. The clouds outside are actually just an illusion. Beneath them is a bridge constructed from mana. However, that mana reacts specially to Calamity Beast mana, causing it to neutralize and vanish. So when you step down, you just need to plug the gap with mana... Do you have mana?"
Jiang Si's expression didn't change. "Not at the moment."
"Earn some more performance points in the future. The sect has mana bracelets even ordinary people can use. Exchange for one. It'll make missions easier. Didn't Lady Bingtang tell you? Oh, someone of your low standing probably rarely gets to see Lady Bingtang, let alone Lady Ziyuan. You probably won't have a chance to meet her in your entire life. Heh, how rude of me."
Ultimately unable to resist mocking him, she then took out a bracelet.
A pure white seed rested on it.
She shook the seed, and a wand appeared in her hand.
Generally, magical girls could only use mana and magic after transforming. But once they advanced to the new sprout stage, diligent practice would allow them to use a portion of their mana and magic even without transforming.
And it was very discreet.
She tapped Jiang Si's shoes with her wand, and he felt something icy attach itself to his soles.
Walking felt like stepping on ice cubes.
"I've condensed some mana under your feet. You'll be able to walk across without problems, which will clear you of suspicion. Of course, after my interrogation, nobody would have suspected you anyway. This is just in case."
Clapping her hands, Susan put away the seed, and the wand vanished with it. "It'll last about forty minutes. Remember, it stops working after forty minutes."
She had intended to teach him a little lesson and deliberately lowered the temperature, but Jiang Si seemed not to feel it at all. He merely tapped the floor with his toe, then said, "Thanks."
That left Susan feeling a little frustrated.
She hadn't gotten her revenge, and instead felt a little guilty.
Secretly taking hold of the seed again, she hid the wand behind her back and lowered the temperature a little more. Only then did she walk to the door and open it, her expression returning to its earlier coldness, looking disgusted. "Get moving. Why are you still hanging around?"
Her acting is a little too convincing. She'd make a great actress.
As Jiang Si left the interrogation room, he considered having Bingtang suggest that she enter the film and television industry to earn more money for the Azure Cloud Sect.
The soldiers Susan had brought had sealed off the second floor, leaving Yinlian and the others only able to peer over from the first-floor stairs.
When Jiang Si emerged, delighted expressions appeared on all their faces. Yinlian immediately asked, "That old witch Susan didn't lay a hand on you, did she?"
"Who are you calling an old witch?"
Susan followed close behind Jiang Si. Hearing Yinlian's words, she immediately challenged her. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an imposing authority. Yinlian immediately shrank back and hid behind Yinluo.
Yinluo patted her younger sister's head and smiled. "Children don't know any better. She was only joking. Please bear with her, Miss Susan. Are you all right, Mr. Jiang Si?"
"I'm fine. Miss Susan didn't do anything out of line. She simply followed the rules and regulations and has cleared me of suspicion..."
Before Jiang Si finished, Susan interrupted him. "I haven't cleared you of suspicion. I merely haven't found evidence yet. The fact that you fell through the clouds remains unchanged. If you come again and still can't stand on them, I'll arrest you again."
"Don't think you can get away with it," Susan said frostily.
Hiding behind Yinluo, Yinlian immediately said, "See? If that isn't an old witch, what is..."
Susan snorted but didn't pursue it, merely looking at Yinluo. "Get him out of here within thirty minutes. Don't let me see him."
"Of course. No need to tell me. Forget thirty minutes-I'll get him out within three."
While Yinluo politely retorted, Yinlian added like her sister's little follower, "We won't let him come here again!"
"That would be best."
Only after Susan left did the fully armed special forces soldiers sealing off the second floor follow her away.
For a moment, it was as though a great mountain pressing down over their heads had vanished, and several of them let out a breath simultaneously.
They felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted.
Then Yinluo looked at her sister and Keke, and all three laughed.
Yinlian spoke first after laughing. "Finally, she's gone. Everywhere she goes, the atmosphere turns oppressive."
Yinluo flicked her little sister's forehead, then looked at Keke and Jiang Si. "Ever since Miss Susan lost her magical girl powers, she's been in a terrible mood and had a very volatile temper. Nobody in the bureau dares provoke her. But don't take it to heart. Although she's somewhat unlikable, her fairness is beyond reproach. She always follows the rules and regulations. As long as you haven't broken them, you needn't fear her."
Yinlian commented from beside her, "She looks like the sort who'd make you wear tight shoes."
"Not to that extent." Yinluo shook her head. "At least, I've never seen it."
Jiang Si lowered his head to look at his shoes, feeling that Yinluo didn't seem to understand Susan very well either.
Maybe not tight shoes, but ice shoes, certainly. They're right in front of you.
"One minute has already passed." Beside them, Jiang Keke suddenly interjected in a faint voice. "Two minutes left. Is that enough to get out?"
Somewhat embarrassed, Yinluo immediately pulled the two girls along toward the exit. "Right away, right away."
"But Keke, you're officially a magical girl now. Would you like to meet your other companions? It'd be best to get acquainted..."
"Let's send Jiang Si off first."
Yinlian said helplessly, "Why do you sound like you're sending your brother off to be cremated?"
Keke turned her head away. "When it comes down to it, isn't he the reason we wasted so much time at the bureau?"
"That wasn't your brother's fault, though, was it?"
Jiang Si followed at the back, feeling the diminished chill. It didn't seem very strong anymore. He wondered whether the mana was running low.
It probably won't last forty minutes.
As they left the corridor, one of the magical girl portraits even gestured goodbye to them.
Reaching the clouds, he tested them. Just as Susan had said, he really could stand on them without falling.
This had been intended to clear his name, and he had wanted the bureau to see it.
Then he discovered that he had started falling again after barely two steps.
While Jiang Si tried to leap back onto the bureau's marble floor, inwardly wondering why Susan had set him up, he discovered that Keke and the Yinlian sisters had started falling too!
Enormous wings gently beat in the sky, blowing away almost all the clouds. A crimson body radiated terrifying heat like the sun, and a piercing cry nearly made them faint.
A Calamity Beast-and a B-rank one at that. Without magical girls to fight it, it could destroy a city within three days.
For one to appear here at the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau... This place really has been infiltrated until it's riddled with holes...
The next second, the Calamity Beast charged straight at the four of them!