Chapter 17: Dangerous Enemy

When the two of them left the highway, the Disaster Control Bureau and the police arrived one after another.

From a distance, Shion glanced at the crowded scene.

After collecting the mana crystal, the two had left the highway and were now observing the highway situation from a hill in the city with a good vantage point.

"Shouldn't we clear the traces of magic?"

"No need to worry, Su Shan is here."

Winter was holding her phone, frantically typing away at high speed. "Her professional skills are reliable. Among the outer disciples she’s one of the best. Not only does she have connections in the Disaster Control Bureau, she can handle matters in other departments too."

"What are you sending?"

Winter immediately handed her phone over.

The phone was pink, hung with a teardrop pendant, and the home screen was flashy and overdecorated. Although Winter looked mature most of the time and carried some authority within the Azure Cloud Sect, she was essentially a high school girl who loved fancy accessories.

The decorations stuck to this phone’s screen even made Shion a little baffled about how to operate it, so Winter came over and tapped one of the chat apps for her. "How did it close out? I must have mis-tapped. It’s here."

The chat app was developed specifically by Winter’s own company; the server was said to be overseas to avoid monitoring by the Disaster Control Bureau.

Azure Cloud Sect internal work chat (no casual talk allowed).

Winter: "@all members, disciples please note: the Witch Association snatched three Miracle Seeds from the Disaster Control Bureau before we could. Miracle Seeds are a crucial target for the Sect Master. Please prioritize surveillance of Witch Association movements immediately."

Shion's top fan: "Received."

Sect workaholic: "Received."

Want time off: "Received."

…

Yueji: "If you get the Miracle Seed, can it replace your position, Winter?"

Seeing the long line of "received" replies, Shion naturally noticed the most prominent one and asked, "Which one is Yueji?"

"That red-haired Magical Girl from before." Winter sighed as she replied. "She was captured by the Witch Association and rescued when you cleaned out one of their branches. She’s been trying to replace me inside the sect ever since, hoping to become your close aide."

"Oh, I forgot."

For Shion, she mainly hunted Disaster Beasts to harvest mana crystals. Occasionally she encountered people allied with the beasts and killed them along the way. Whether they were Witch Association members or not wasn’t something she paid much attention to.

"But her skills are great for reconnaissance, so she’ll probably try to claim credit again. Besides promotions and getting closer to you, she wants nothing else. It’s really a headache."

Saying that, Winter didn’t look bothered at all; instead she was all smiles, seeming very relaxed. "But she’s really useful. If you say you need something, she’ll be more proactive than anyone. Not like Qinghua—always slacking off yet asking for a raise…"

Shion didn’t concern herself much with internal sect affairs. As long as something helped her cultivation, she didn’t care about the rest.

She scrolled through the group chat messages; apart from work-related posts there was almost nothing else.

"Want me to post something too?"

"Not interested."

"Just a little encouragement." Winter admired Shion’s face beside her—no matter how many times she looked, she still found her breathtaking. "Everyone in the sect respects you. If you gave a motivational message they’d put more effort into tasks."

After some thought, it wasn’t a bad idea. Just as she reached to type, the phone shut off.

Stunned for a moment, Shion instinctively shook the phone with both hands. "Dead battery?"

"Uh, maybe it leaked power again on the road." Winter returned the phone with an embarrassed smile and took another phone out of her small bag.

Shion casually glimpsed inside and saw roughly a dozen similar phones…

A rich person’s whim?

"You know my ability will cool the air around me and my body temperature stays low after transformation, so the phone leaks power faster. Low temperatures make battery drain worse…"

So she bought a dozen phones? A blunt, straightforward solution.

Shion took the newly powered-on phone and immediately noticed the group chat looked off.

"Speculations on Shion’s measurements and outfit matching…"

Something was wrong. She checked the group name: Shion Fans Tea Party.

"What kind of group is this?"

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Wrong tap, wrong tap." Winter snatched the phone back in a panic and stepped away. "This group was built by disciples themselves and has nothing to do with me. I was worried they might disrespect you, so I used a burner account to sneak in and see what they were talking about…"

Each phone had a different phone number.

Shion wasn’t particularly bothered by the earlier chat. Being a magical girl idol was mainstream right now; of course she’d have fans.

Her identification with the Shion persona wasn’t particularly strong—people discussing Shion didn’t affect her much.

She just thought they were idle; their workload must be insufficient, and competition within the Azure Cloud Sect wasn’t intense enough…

After Winter switched groups she handed the phone back. Shion didn’t bother to look for long; with two small taps she typed a tired "Cheer up" and sent it, but the account was Winter’s burner so no one responded.

She handed the phone back to Winter and continued, "About the Witch Association’s action this time—did you get any intel?"

Winter had already explained in the group that the "Cheer up" message actually came from Shion’s account.

Once the chat became active again and Winter nodded in satisfaction, she put the phone away and said, "The Witch Association’s movements are hard to detect. Disciples embedded inside often can’t report intelligence in time. But there are a few points we can confirm."

"First, the Witch Association has infiltrated the Disaster Control Bureau and reached positions that can access the Miracle Seeds. The Bureau’s vetting is very strict; if someone’s identity were suspicious they wouldn’t pass their interviews. So their inside person was likely someone with a clean background—like Su Shan—who joined the Bureau and was later turned."

Winter held up a second finger. "Second, they can manufacture class B Disaster Beasts. We’ve always known they could create Disaster Beasts, but not at what rank. Now that we know they can produce class B beasts, catching their leader and seizing that capability is crucial. Azure Cloud Sect is short on Grief Seeds for producing class B Disaster Beasts."

Hearing this, Shion’s expression shifted slightly.

The idea of mass-producing Grief Seeds that spawn class B Disaster Beasts was tantalizing.

Although Magical Girl rank advancement is somewhat abstract and tied to will and spirit, everyone knows that quantity leads to quality.

If you have enough magical force, advancement is only a matter of time.

Power itself fosters strong will and resilient character.

"Unfortunately, we don’t know where the Witch Association hid the three Miracle Seeds. The class B Disaster Beast that burst out this time was likely just a distraction. I’d guess the real Witch Association members took the Miracle Seeds and left."

Winter lifted her chin with a hint of arrogance. "They dared to steal from Azure Cloud Sect—they’ll regret it!"

Shion glanced up at Winter’s expression. "Then I’ll leave it to you. Su Shan said Hyacinth might be one of the Witch Association’s turned members. Keep an eye on her movements and report to me at any time."

"No problem."

As Shion spoke she was about to cancel her transformation, but Winter quickly grabbed her wrist. "Wait."

"What’s wrong?" Shion looked around. "There’s no one nearby, right?"

Let me watch a little longer…

Winter couldn’t say that out loud. She thought a moment and said, "No one. I just wanted to mention there’s a nail salon on South Street having a promotion. Want to go?"

Shion looked at her like she’d lost her mind. "I’m a man."

"Just as a Magical Girl. The transformation won’t be undone." Winter showed the blue nail polish on her own hands. "See? Pretty, right? But I want to try a different set."

The pale blue wasn’t flashy—like frost flowers—indeed pretty.

But the Sect Master of Azure Cloud Sect shook her head. "I don’t do manicures."

"It’s fine. Come with me and just look. You don’t have to do it now; go if you want later."

"I won’t. I have classes this afternoon."

"But you’ve skipped so many already… Fine, after class then."

"My exercise plan for today isn’t finished either. Find someone else."

Watching Jiang Si nonchalantly cancel her transformation and walk away, Winter stamped her foot behind her.

"Stubborn blockhead!"

…

In a pitch-black room, a crystal flickered with a chilly white light.

Removing her glasses, she stroked the crystal as dark magic bled from her hands into it.

Soon, several people in black robes appeared inside the crystal.

The Witch Association’s meetings were always so gloomy and pitiable.

"Did you get the Miracle Seeds?"

"Got them, but we can’t move them out yet. The Disaster Control Bureau has tight surveillance."

"Can’t move them out?"

The tall woman on the left revealed a somewhat grotesque face, scars twisting like maggots across it. Her hoarse voice roared, "We lost a class B Disaster Beast! And one core member! We paid so much—how can you say we can’t move them out? What good are you?"

"Dujuan!"

The middle member, who obviously had higher status, snapped at her. "No one expected Azure Cloud Sect to intervene at that time. Their Winter and Shion both went, and that had nothing to do with Jiazhuyao. The result would have been the same whoever went."

Though the left woman looked unwilling, she shut up.

The small figure on the right let out a clear laugh. She was young. "Hu Lang was killed trying to negotiate cooperation with Azure Cloud Sect. Now everyone should understand—cooperating with Azure Cloud Sect wasn’t an option. They’re arrogant, even more arrogant than the Disaster Control Bureau."

The left woman’s expression softened and she nodded. "Yes. If the price is right, the Disaster Control Bureau would cooperate with us too."

She added, "The key is why they could reach Hu Lang. The fused Disaster Beast had both magic contamination and magic-sensing abilities. Even if it couldn’t win, Hu Lang should have run away."

"What if that Shion was herself tainted by Disaster Beast magic?"

"Nonsense! A Magical Girl contaminated by a Disaster Beast wouldn’t still keep that appearance! We’ve done experiments so many times…"

"Silence." The leader in the center finally cut them off. "This is not the time for such speculation. Whether Azure Cloud Sect can counter us can be discussed later. Right now the important thing is the Miracle Seeds. Jiazhuyao, when can you get the Miracle Seeds out?"

With both hands pressed on the crystal, Jiazhuyao finally spoke. "About three days. The Disaster Control Bureau’s alert will last three days. After that, when Su Shan relaxes her vigilance, there’ll be a chance to carry the seeds out."

"Three days? That’s a long time. What if something goes wrong?"

"I temporarily returned the Miracle Seeds to the safe room. They won’t expect the Miracle Seeds are still in the safe room now."

"You’re clever." Their leader praised and then worriedly asked, "You said there might be an inside person from Azure Cloud Sect in the Bureau—did you find them? Compared to the Disaster Control Bureau, an infiltrator from Azure Cloud Sect is more dangerous."

"Not yet. Currently there’s only one newcomer in the Bureau, Jiang Keke. Her background is very clean. Azure Cloud Sect wouldn’t plant a Magical Girl at this time—it would be too conspicuous. The others were old familiar members who joined the Bureau a long time ago, so they’re hard to confirm."

"Understood." The leader let out a sinister chuckle. "Just like you. No one expected you to join us, the Witch Association."

Jiazhuyao didn’t respond; she only rubbed the crystal.

Just as they were about to end the conversation she suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, I forgot to report one thing. Today when Jiang Keke came, she brought her brother. Her brother seems a bit strange."

"How so?"

Although the other two had little interest at that point, the leader asked perfunctorily, "Anything unusual?"

"He jumped six meters at the station." Jiazhuyao thought a moment and added, "He almost fell out of the clouds and was suspected by Su Shan to be one of our members."

"Normally relatives of Magical Girls can absorb part of the Magical Girl’s power and some gifted people can thus enhance their physicality." The leader stroked his chin. "You should know this well. But falling from the clouds shows he probably didn’t receive power from his sister. Rather, he was contaminated by Disaster Beast magic."

"He said he just ran into a Disaster Beast on the road."

"Do you believe that?" The leader sneered. "No one knows Disaster Beast contamination better than us. More likely than contamination, he’s becoming a vessel for a Disaster Beast’s birth, hence the tainted magic."

When negative emotions intensify to a certain level, they nourish Disaster Beasts.

The birth of a Disaster Beast requires not only emotion and magic but also a physical carrier.

Usually animals serve as carriers—cats, bats, dogs—or sometimes plants.

The beasts’ forms are influenced by the carrier, so most look animal-like.

In rare cases, when a person becomes a carrier from extreme negative emotion, they can become a human-borne Disaster Beast. Although rare, once born they become extremely powerful.

Every human-carrier Disaster Beast caused huge disasters.

After learning this from the Witch Association, Jiazhuyao couldn’t help but marvel that even the Disaster Control Bureau didn’t know as much about Disaster Beasts as the Witch Association did.

They understood Disaster Beasts too well; she even suspected the original source of Disaster Beasts might have come from the Witch Association itself.

"Oh? So you’re saying that Magical Girl’s brother has a high probability of becoming a Disaster Beast?" The left woman finally took interest. "Turning relatives of Magical Girls into Disaster Beasts is wonderful. I can’t wait to see those pretentious girls break down!"

"Then this matter is assigned to you, Dujuan. Go capture him."

The leader smiled coldly. "Even if he can’t become a Disaster Beast, he can be used to threaten and control this new Magical Girl. She’s still naive—maybe we can make her join the Witch Association."

"Leave it to me!"

Dujuan’s lips moved, but she said nothing. She sighed for Jiang Keke’s sake and turned off the crystal.

The room fell into darkness.

Then someone opened the door and turned on the light, and the room was suddenly bright.

"Sis, why don’t you turn on the light?"

"It’s more atmospheric, and saves power."

…