Chapter 301

Chapter 301: Control, Awakening, Charlotte’s Prophecy

Do you remember what it feels like to be held in your mother’s arms?

Liang Xiaoxiao does not remember; she cannot recall anything from her baby days. She only remembers the disappointed, disdainful, and even hateful looks, and her mother’s tenderness seems to belong only in the pages of a storybook.

But when the Blood Crystal fell into the Cocoon of the Heart, the momentary sea of light swallowed the soul.

This was different from the numbing relief offered by The Power of the Titan; the dazzling magic, like shimmering silver, was nurturing the brilliance in the cocoon, raising its purity and beginning to heal the parts eaten away by the disaster aura.

Even if the disaster aura could not be completely removed, the broken and damaged soul still found wholeness in the other’s grace, allowing perception and spirit to become ever clearer.

The girl was lost in a gentle hug; she was wrapped in warmth and love, as if holding her mother’s finger in a cradle, seeing her mother’s happy and hopeful eyes, feeling the comfort of being a child.

That divine love for the world, embracing all with tenderness, felt like building walls against death while filling them with seas of clouds, honey, candy, and spices, to show you all the beauty in the world.

In the sea of divine sense, the cocoon thread spread infinitely, reaching every corner, the pure white sparkle turned into nourishment, pulling this ordinary soul to continue to elevate, evolving into a realm beyond its own.

If it is said that her ability to create the Cocoon of the Heart before was a coincidence caused by Chu Yuanqing, relying purely on luck and hard work to barely cross the threshold of talent.

Now, this gift’s chemical reaction is indirectly raising her talent, giving her the qualification to create the Cocoon of the Heart.

Liang Xiaoxiao woke up as if from a dream, savoring the warmth still lingering in her body, with tear stains all over her delicate face, and the gray-white strands of hair losing their lifeless texture.

Lin Baor unconsciously mumbled:

"It’s just like… mom."

Chen Yining looked at her childhood friend with a suspicious expression that seemed filled with shining jealousy, quickly pushing away the thoughts in her mind, and immediately pulled Ji Shuzhu back, playfully pinching her waist.

Ruan Wutong took a deep breath and whispered:

"I think I can understand why so many of your mom fans have slowly turned into daughter fans."

Chu Yuanqing chose to selectively ignore these little ones’ reactions, coughed a few times, squeezed Liang Xiaoxiao’s soft face, and reminded the child to pay attention before smiling and continuing:

"Xiaoxiao, you now have two choices."

"One is to use the blood, magic, and shine I give you to cleanse the disaster aura from your body."

"With this plan, you could probably cleanse the disaster aura from your soul and flesh in about a month and return to a normal life."

Lin Baor showed a happy expression.

The young lady didn’t care about being jealous anymore and stopped bothering Miss Choreographer.

Ruan Wutong shouted with joy, then quickly covered her mouth, not wanting to disturb this important moment.

Ji Shuzhu sighed with relief, viewing this matter rationally; compared to a future of being watched, contained, imprisoned, or executed, returning to being normal was simply wonderful.

Chu Yuanqing looked down at Lin Baor, gently touching the child’s head, and said lovingly:

"I can help Baor with this too; both of you can return to normal."

Lin Baor felt a little shy and was drawn to the warmth of the other person’s fingers. She could completely understand why Xiaoxiao admired Chu Yuanqing.

Liang Xiaoxiao calmed down and asked hesitantly:

"What is the cost?"

Chu Yuanqing stopped petting the small animals and said bluntly:

"The cost is that your Cocoon of the Heart will shatter. Whether it is the Disaster powers you have by chance or being a magical girl, you will have nothing to do with them."

"Esther must have told you some of the secrets about the ‘Dazzling Stage’ plan, right? In terms of outcome, you are destined to be eliminated later on."

"Because… ‘Fuel’, ‘Disaster Shell’, and ‘witch’ will close the doors of possibility for you, and there cannot be purely ordinary people in the team that will debut in the future."

Chen Yining stepped into the room and said seriously:

"Compared to the outcome of a disaster going out of control, this small cost is nothing at all."

"Xiaoxiao, I am already working on the matters of your company. Even if you cannot be an idol, with your continued popularity, you can still become an artist under Yunlan Group and will no longer be held back by those restrictions."

Chen Yining did not want to bring this matter to light. She had learned from a young age that when feelings between friends get mixed with interests, they are bound to become unnatural and impure.

But at the same time, she knew how much Xiaoxiao wanted to change her fate.

If the price of becoming an ordinary person meant she had to withdraw and could not sing her way to freedom from that dark contract, then she would most likely choose to refuse.

Because living like this is more suffocating than death.

Chu Yuanqing added:

"Chen Yining doesn’t need to intervene. Just with your achievement of defeating the disaster beast, a mention from ‘Dazzling Stage’ can solve this."

In fact, even without this matter, a certain super AI planned to offer this convenience to Liang Xiaoxiao after she endured several rounds of the Nightmare Corridor.

Liang Xiaoxiao’s lips moved, and she wanted to speak, but the words did not come out. She was surprised and paused for her hesitation.

How strange, why is there hesitation? Unlike most of the other contestants, she was sold to the company by her parents. Whether it was to learn singing and dancing, or to join "Dazzling Stage," everything was arranged by the company.

Liang Xiaoxiao doesn’t have many thoughts about her idol; she just sees this as her only way forward. If she really thinks about her personal wishes, she would prefer to go back to high school, attend college, and slowly think about her future.

Now, as long as she nods to show her willingness, she can definitely be both an artist and a student, living the life she has always dreamed of.

But when this path is right in front of her, a strong sense of reluctance rises in her heart.

Liang Xiaoxiao is reluctant to leave her true friends and to give up the feeling of standing on stage. If she leaves everyone, the home she finds again will feel empty.

And, most importantly, she cannot watch her familiar friends become magical girls, stepping onto the harsh path of fighting disaster beasts, with peace of mind.

The girl looked up at the Pure White Witch, took a deep breath, and asked seriously:

"Little Qing, can you tell me about the second choice?"

Chu Yuanqing lifted her gaze to this child’s face and saw the tender sprouts of understanding loss, enduring pain, and facing fears while still choosing to move forward with courage.

The Pure White Witch’s golden gaze faded softly, like the blooming colors of rose magma. She appeared as a deity who deeply loved the world, transformed into a powerful emperor. She looked directly at Liang Xiaoxiao and gently said,

"It’s wonderful. I like your gaze."

"Since you have inherited my blood and light, you should have this awareness."

Liang Xiaoxiao couldn’t speak; her soul trembled violently, and the disaster aura in her flesh cried out in fear under that gaze. The instinctive sense of oppression nearly overturned Chu Yuanqing’s impression deep in her heart.

Lin Baor felt a little of that sensation before collapsing onto the bewildered Ruan Wutong behind her. She took a deep breath, her gaze distant, afraid to remember the feeling she had just experienced.

That was just a glimpse of the tip of an iceberg, enough to make someone surrender, like the imposing brilliance of the sun. The video Esther showed was nothing compared to the real-life terror.

Is Chu Yuanqing really just a simple magical girl?

This sense of oppression cannot be recreated by power easily gained, can it?

At least she thought that even if the captain became strong enough to use magic to destroy a city, she wouldn’t have such a terrifying aura.

Chu Yuanqing did not mean to scare the little ones; she was still trying to change her habit of practicing with Little Yu. She quickly held Liang Xiaoxiao’s arm, smiled apologetically, and continued speaking:

"The second choice is to harness the power of the disaster beast and take on the special role of the Disaster Shell, fighting alongside the other magical girls."

In Liang Xiaoxiao’s sea of divine sense, white light continued to cleanse her soul. She leaned on this warmth and managed to turn the horror of Honey Qing into her mother’s authority, calming her physical tremors.

The girl adjusted her breathing rhythm, and once she relaxed, she showed a surprised expression and curiously asked:

"What is a Disaster Shell? And can I really fight alongside everyone?"

Although Esther had already explained this common knowledge on the plane, she had been sleeping in the medical sleep chamber and knew almost nothing about it.

Ruan Wutong, upon hearing this, raised her hand brightly and answered:

"I know! I know! The Disaster Shell is a filter. Unlike the magical girls, their Cocoon of the Heart is made from disaster aura."

"So, during the process of unleashing Shining Magic, their Cocoon of the Heart can absorb the negative parts, purifying the shine and protecting their teammates."

Chen Yining nodded with satisfaction, her posture as perfect as a textbook, proving that it was worth it to have Esther make this silly person practice it over a dozen times.

In the current team, the only one positioned as a Disaster Shell, aside from Xiaoxiao, is Ruan Wutong, who stepped into the Heart Flow area through the development room.

Esther mentioned that Ruan Wutong also has a chance to become a magical girl, but the condition is to purify the foundation of the Cocoon of the Heart through stage after stage, until only magic power and wishes remain.

However, this process is too slow and is almost impossible in a short time.

Therefore, from this perspective, the children who can become Disaster Shells all have the potential to be witches, but considering the situation, the authorities can only classify them as talentless people.

The position of Fuel is actually higher than that of Disaster Shell. They belong to those who do not rely on disaster aura, have entered the Heart Flow area, but have yet to build the idealist organs—the Cocoon of the Heart.

Lin Baor is currently in this state; she has entered the Heart Flow area with her will and can add extraordinary enhancements to the stage, but her talent is not that strong, and she can’t cocoon herself for a while.

Therefore, at this stage, those who can become witches in the Dazzling Stage are all geniuses standing at the top of the pyramid worldwide.

Liang Xiaoxiao replied thoughtfully:

"Then I can indeed handle the position of Disaster Shell."

Chu Yuanqing continued:

"Theoretically, as long as your witch part is always stronger than the disaster beast part, or perfectly balanced, you can control this power safely."

"This is not hard; as long as you train your body, strengthen your will, amplify your soul, and support it with a continuous stage and the magic I give you, you can easily make the witch part overpower the power of the Disaster."

Liang Xiaoxiao’s current power is too weak; the weight of a Grade E Disaster Beast needs to be increased a thousandfold to match the magic in that drop of blood.

If you stop here, there would be no need for Chu Yuanqing to do anything at all, even allowing the other party to devour thousands of E-class Calamity Seeds would not matter.

"But Xiaoxiao, you must understand that the power of the disaster beast is considered uncontrollable by the Countermeasures Bureau for a reason; the higher you climb, the more magic you will need, and it will increase significantly."

"Also, this way of fighting is too rough."

"To put it simply, if a magical girl fights with 1 unit of magic, then you are using 1 unit of magic to suppress 0.9 units of disaster aura, squeezing out less than 1 unit of power in a changing balance."

Liang Xiaoxiao suddenly understood. She had tried fighting this way before, so she naturally knew this truth. She murmured:

"So, Little Qing, you mean that the usefulness and cost-effectiveness of this method are too low, and the returns and risks are completely unbalanced?"

"Especially since I am not a magical girl and it’s already hard for me to increase my magic power. If I do not show a value greater than 1 plus 1 equals 2, it will be difficult to keep up with the team’s pace in the future."

Chu Yuanqing looked up in surprise. She gently touched Xiaoxiao’s grayish-white hair and glanced at her red ears, smiling as she said:

"Yes, that’s exactly what I mean."

"At the same time, the power of the disaster beast is changeable and wonderful, with fire breathing, Divine Control, flesh mimicry, material creation, and body specialization… just as varied as magic."

"Xiaoxiao, the disaster beast power you control comes from the [Calamity Seed] at the very bottom of the base. After selection and investigation, it was found that this corresponds to the ability of mimicry, which is the most basic ability."

"And you devoured the Grade E Disaster Beast in Nakashima Park. According to video analysis and observation, it should have a power enhancement ability."

"In theory, you have already mastered it, and the cost of merging this ability is an instant inflation of distortion efficiency by countless times, leading to disaster rampage."

Liang Xiaoxiao suddenly realized; no wonder she lost control back then. It turns out that in addition to her growing disaster aura, the key factor was merging the abilities of another disaster beast.

Chen Yining understood and said:

"Magical girls can use the Cocoon of the Heart, and even the future blooming Flower of the Soul, to learn various spells to become stronger."

"But Xiaoxiao is much more straightforward; by devouring other disaster beasts, can she merge their abilities?"

Chu Yuanqing corrected her:

"It’s straightforward but not simple at all. Each time an ability is merged, the gene chain in the disaster aura becomes complete and optimized, making it even more troublesome."

"If we compare, that’s like the levels of magic power."

"Cup, Pond, River, Sea, Kline; with the same amount of magic power, 1 drop of River level magic is like an entire sea at the Cup level."

Liang Xiaoxiao quickly connected the dots and said:

"So, it is necessary to carefully choose the abilities to control the direction of their evolution and then maximize the benefits of absorption, to prevent useless upgrades."

"Moreover, the most important thing is that if I want to upgrade, it is difficult to keep the increase in magic power at the same pace as the disaster aura."

This is very simple; she has the essence of a witch but not all the traits of a witch, making it impossible to follow the path like a magical girl that leads to ‘lighting up’ and ‘Fully Blooming’ with smooth progression.

To upgrade the disaster aura, all she needs to do is eat and eat; with the resources from the Countermeasures Bureau, she might be able to achieve a disaster aura comparable to a captain’s level in just a few days, which is an entirely different level of efficiency.

Looking at it this way, in terms of versatility, controllability, plasticity, and even cost-effectiveness, she is far inferior to a magical girl, yet she still bears a huge risk. It is completely reasonable for the Countermeasures Bureau to want to execute her.

Chu Yuanqing’s expression was calm, and she said softly,

"So, you need to take control."

Liang Xiaoxiao said in confusion,

"Take control?"

The Pure White Witch continued:

"Disaster aura or magic power, they are just different forms of energy."

"Magic power is a miraculous concept, while disaster aura is a puzzle that unites the essence of life."

"Your soul has the foundation of a miracle; you can use the framework of conscious life to shape your body, filling it with the genes of disaster aura and creating a unique self."

Liang Xiaoxiao did not understand, but she felt that Little Qing was talking about something both frightening and amazing, completely beyond common sense.

Lin Baor cautiously asked:

"So, how can we achieve that?"

Chu Yuanqing continued to share her past rough experiences, speaking earnestly:

"It’s simple; as long as you learn the most basic Martial God Technique, you will have the ability to fully control the Disaster Gene in a conscious way, maintaining both the inner self and the body, and holding the power to unite the two, reaching the limits below the gods."

Chen Yining complained:

"No, no, no. When Esther showed us your battle video, she carefully added the names of each special move just like in the animation."

"That Martial God Technique is definitely not a normal technique; it looks really bad and it’s not something a human can learn."

Chu Yuanqing felt a bit down, but since Charlotte had challenged her several times, she quickly cheered up and said:

"It’s okay; it’s impossible to succeed all at once."

"Xiaoxiao just needs to touch the edge of the Perfection Realm."

"As long as you do that, you can try to control it during battle."

"Control the disaster aura, control the magic, and control the energy field mixed with both; in that moment, one plus one will be far greater than a hundred, like a powerful chain reaction."

"Even if it’s just for a moment, once you achieve that, you can prove your worth is just as good as anyone else’s."

In the room, even the silliest Ruan Wutong fell silent.

Though I do not know what Perfection Realm is, controlling disaster aura and magic to that degree seems incredibly difficult; probably impossible to learn even after a thousand attempts.

Liang Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and said:

"Little Qing should know that I am very ordinary; my talent is average. This is true for studying and sports, and it’s the same for being an idol and a magical girl. I’m just halfway there and not reaching the mark."

"Whether it’s the Martial God Technique or the Perfection Realm, they feel very far from me, like they belong to a different world."

"I cannot learn it, but even thinking this way, even without confidence, even knowing that hope is slim, I still… I still want to give it a try."

The girl’s beautiful face shone with courage; she was ready for what was to come. The white light in her sea of divine sense was nourished, her gaze became determined, and she sincerely said:

"I want to keep up with everyone, I want to become stronger, I want to protect more people from being harmed by disaster beasts, and I want to respond to Little Qing’s expectations."

"So, can you help me?"

Chu Yuanqing said seriously:

"Of course."

"But let me make one thing clear; if nothing unexpected happens, with your talent, Xiaoxiao, to even touch the edge of the Perfection Realm, you will have to go through tens of thousands of painful near-death experiences."

"So, before the preparations are complete, you have the right to back out at any time."

Ruan Wutong was greatly shocked; was it really not enough to die a thousand times? She quietly stepped back a few paces and instinctively hid behind a certain young lady to feel a little safer.

Chen Yining had a very bad feeling.

Something was wrong; isn’t it true that a person can only die once? How can Xiaoxiao experience the pain of dying tens of thousands of times?!

Ji Shuzhu said softly:

"Xiaoxiao, Chu Yuanqing does not lie."

Lin Baor tugged at her best friend’s sleeve and whispered:

"I also believe Chu Yuanqing is definitely not joking; Xiaoxiao, you should think about it some more."

Liang Xiaoxiao shook her head and said:

"I know that, but once you choose this path, there is no other way to go."

"Little Qing has already warned me; to join the Countermeasures Bureau with the power of a disaster beast, you must have something valuable that matches the risks in the eyes of the officials."

"And if you choose to stop here, you won’t be able to open up more possibilities; you’ll have to abandon the Cocoon of the Heart and become an ordinary person who is powerless when facing a disaster."

As her words ended, a flash of light swept past the little idol standing near the door.

The Last Diva sat on the bed, like a beautiful fairy from a fairy tale, her frosty blue eyes sparkling with joy as she looked at these unfamiliar little idols, nodding happily and thinking to herself:

"Hmm, are they all possibilities buried in the past? These children are truly the real new generation; just seeing them brings colors of hope."

"The New Game Plus that Little Qing has created is slowly blossoming with all kinds of possibilities, which is really reassuring."

Ignoring the reactions of others, Charlotte admired the beautiful girls, then looked back at Liang Xiaoxiao, showing a soft and cute smile, and said in the Daxia language:

"Your name is Liang Xiaoxiao, right? I really admire your awareness."

"So, what do you think we should call Little Qing now? What she is going to teach you is something that is considered top-secret in the Countermeasures Bureau, a truly forbidden technique."

"It may be said to be dangerous, but it is also truly precious."

Liang Xiaoxiao felt shy at these words, looked seriously at the Pure White Witch, blushed, and, trying to control her nervousness, asked with a serious expression:

"Little Qing, may I call you Master?"

Chu Yuanqing glanced helplessly at Charlotte, showing a gentle expression. She reached out to lightly tap Liang Xiaoxiao on the forehead, and seeing her cute reaction as she covered her head, smiled softly and said:

"Don’t listen to Charlotte’s nonsense; I will try my best to teach more people."

"As long as someone can learn, I will be very happy, so there’s no need to be so formal, just call me teacher."

Liang Xiaoxiao’s little face turned red, and she said a bit awkwardly:

"Teacher, please guide me in the future."

Lin Baor looked at Xiaoxiao with suspicion; she always felt that instead of calling the other person teacher, Xiaoxiao would prefer to call Chu Yuanqing mom.

But strangely, this kind of attachment made the sourness in her heart lessen.

And…

Lin Baor shook Ruan Wutong, who was lost in Charlotte’s beauty, and sighed inwardly.

No matter how you look at it, Chu Yuanqing is super popular, okay? Even Charlotte, such an exceptionally beautiful person, has great chemistry with her in their daily lives. Xiaoxiao has no chance of being Chu Yuanqing’s best friend!

Chen Yining hid Ji Shuzhu behind her; she was so jealous that she couldn’t help but grind her teeth. How could there be another shining fountain in human form, making Little Shuzhu so hungry that she couldn’t resist stealing someone else’s sparkles!

Ji Shuzhu looked at her waist, pressed down by Little Ning, and showed a very regretful expression. The pocky was still in her pocket, without any dip, completely not matching the epic deliciousness of Charlotte.

Miss Choreographer rarely tasted the flavor of disappointment. If she could enjoy this level of shine more often, her magic growth speed could increase several times, right?

Chu Yuanqing pinched Xiaoxiao’s cheek and suggested:

"Alright, let’s leave it at that for now? You have been through a lot today, and you need to relax and rest well."

"This castle is a hotel; it is cleaned every day. There are many clean rooms on the first floor, so you can sleep here."

Liang Xiaoxiao could not help but ask:

"Is the training tomorrow?"

Chu Yuanqing calmly replied:

"No, your training is in a week. Esther should have talked to you about it; she will hold a group training for the reserves of each competition area."

"Charlotte and I should be considered the instructors, or should I say mentors? So it was just right to teach you then, as the environment and facilities are all perfect."

"Besides, I still have to make a lot of preparations."

There’s no way, Liang Xiaoxiao isn’t even a magical girl, let alone able to take a beating like Little Yu in ‘Blooming Flowers.’

So, before the official training, we must have Esther gather disaster beasts with regeneration, immortality, and healing abilities.

This way, if Xiaoxiao absorbs and merges their abilities, she will have the foundation to take hits, and to enhance the other’s talents, like super intuition, thought enhancement, mental control, and imitation abilities, we also need to merge them together.

Even with the power of the Counter-Magic Bureau, gathering disaster beasts with these abilities that are also low level enough for her to absorb is quite a troublesome task.

Not to mention, it is still a special time, so it will take about a week to gather them all.

"But before that, I will still teach you a few things, although due to recent performances and helping Charlotte celebrate her birthday, the class times will be quite random."

After hearing this, Liang Xiaoxiao politely expressed that she would look forward to it and, along with her teammates, went to the first floor to find an empty room to settle their luggage and prepare for sleep.

On Charlotte’s delicate face, a gentle motherly glow shone with love. With a heart full of compassion, she looked at the innocent Pure White Witch and couldn’t help but sigh softly, saying:

"In a week, this child will surely start crying."