Chapter 170
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Chapter 170: An Unlikely Coincidence and the Evolution of Magic Clone
The atmosphere inside the room was heavy.
Among many projections, an elderly man, dressed impeccably and standing tall, stated:
"So far, only this child from the Donghong Federation has shown the potential to advance to the Kline level of a witch. No matter how small the details about her are, they are important."
No one present disagreed with this.
The Disaster that came 17 years ago and the Pure White High Wall that sheltered humanity struck with a magical blow, forcing countries around the world to unite and find a way to ensure the survival of human civilization.
The Donghong Federation, the Sacred United Country, and other new governments completed a series of exchanges, agreements, and alliances during this time, barely twisting the strength of human civilization into a single rope.
Naturally, this period was not without its dirty deeds and the usual power struggles; however, under the common crisis known as the Sword of Damocles, a salvation plan called "Spark" emerged and gradually took shape over the years, officially launching with "Dazzling Stage" at its core.
The core of the "Dazzling Stage" plan is, simply put, a large training ground for nurturing witches, Disaster Shells, and fuel.
Among them, ignoring the unstable Disaster Shells and the supporting fuel, it is the witches who possess unique powers and do not carry the aura of Disaster that are the true heart of the plan.
In short, a witch is equivalent to a new era of nuclear weapon.
Each witch nurtured in the "Dazzling Stage" competition naturally belongs to the local national government, and considering the current international situation, the importance of Chu Yuanqing is evident.
Although the Donghong Federation and the Sacred United Country are in a state of diplomatic relations and both sides spare no effort to assist various small countries with manpower, resources, and technology to help build the framework for the "Dazzling Stage" (underground shelters), it seems like they are very close and cooperating well.
However, when it comes to strategically important talents like witches, it becomes a completely different matter. To put it simply, the saintess of the Sacred United Country is a witch expected to reach Kline (magic level).
This brilliant idol will naturally uphold her duty to eradicate the Disaster, but being in the Sacred United Country, will she first go to eliminate the Calamity Seed on her side, or will she travel a great distance to the Donghong Federation to eliminate the disaster there?
The answer is obvious.
This does not even count as cunning schemes; it is merely a matter of priority.
In this moment, when the pure white world is about to collapse and disaster gradually awakens, time is becoming more urgent, and no one can guarantee whether the salvation plan will be perfectly carried out.
So, the priority of this matter may determine the lives and deaths of millions, tens of millions, or even billions of people.
In this context, who would overlook Chu Yuanqing, who was born in Donghong?
It is only natural that everyone would take this matter very seriously.
Soon, the room was filled with a series of discussions:
"Chu Wang Shu, will there be any problems with this newly added reserve witch?"
"Chu Wang Shu’s father has disappeared without a trace, yet he has made contact with Chu Yuanqing for no apparent reason; this is clearly a frame-up by the Church of the Gods."
"The one with a problem cannot be Chu Wang Shu; you all know very well that the security checks and all the equipment in the underground base make it impossible for a disaster beast to slip in, especially since she used Heart Flow, which cannot be faked."
Someone posed a hypothesis:
"Could this be a plot made by that group of crazies? If we can replace the trainee’s family, we could disguise ourselves as them and get close to the others. Even if we can’t get close, the death of a relative could twist the minds of the reserves."
Someone calmly countered:
"If that’s the case, Chu Yuanying is just a victim of their plan."
"But the question is, how do you explain why they didn’t target Chu Wang Shu? Even if it’s to reel in the big catch, with this level of disguise, they could easily hide without showing any flaws. It makes no sense for us to find such an obvious loophole."
This matter was too strange and too abstract; applying regular logic wouldn’t lead to the truth.
This group of big shots from the Donghong Federation spent the next hour battling their wits against the air, proposing hundreds or even thousands of hypotheses, imagining countless terrifying and abstract plots. Even the similarity between the names "Chu Yuanying" and "Chu Yuanqing" was brought up for debate.
During this time, they listened to both phone calls between the father and daughter but still didn’t hear anything amiss.
The only conclusion they could reach was that Chu Yuanying promised to appear at the second performance, making them feel threatened and prompting them to think whether they should increase security, cancel the relative tickets, or even call off the live performance altogether.
Someone sighed:
"Do you think there is a chance that Chu Yuanying is not connected to Disaster, or to those crazy people who worship Disaster, but that something is simply wrong with him?"
Dream Weaver Rabbit closed his eyes and carefully read through all the available information, then said softly:
"Chu Yuanying indeed has a problem. In this world, he has only left traces for the 17 years that Chu Wang Shu has existed. There is no information before that, as if… he was born on that very day 17 years ago."
— 17 years.
This is a very sensitive number.
Because both Disaster and Pure White arrived exactly 17 years ago on that day.
And coincidentally, the first day Chu Yuanying left his mark in the world was this special day that changed the fate of humanity.
Could this be a coincidence?
On the other hand, Chu Yuanqing, who got involved, has a name that is very similar to that man, and during the last stage explosion of Heart Flow, it resonated with the great wall that protected humanity, causing the towering Pure White to shudder in time.
Are these two people related to the event from 2017? Or is it just a coincidence that doesn’t matter?
If we investigate closely and discard some logic, we may discover hidden secrets, a secret… that could affect the fate of the world.
Dream Weaver Rabbit couldn’t come to a conclusion right away; a flow of data appeared in its crimson eyes like the ocean, ready to start using the main computer’s power.
In an instant, the keywords "Chu Yuanqing" and "Pure White" activated a pre-set rule, granting it the highest level of autonomy, causing everything to come to a halt.
The super AI fell silent, casually blocking related data, and said indifferently:
"Since we can’t come to a conclusion for now, let’s continue to observe. Increase the protection for the related ‘witch’ reserve, and create a new list of those who qualify as ‘fuel’ and include them in the monitoring and protection program."
"Additionally, other competition areas need to strengthen their defenses. It was okay when ‘Dazzling Stage’ was buried in the shadows, but now that it’s global with open competition areas, it’s a huge target for attacks. Perhaps… we should assign more ‘witches’ to the city for readiness."
The crowd fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
This is certainly a very cautious and safe approach.
But the problem is that there is a serious shortage of witches around the world. Most of them are busy hunting down the malfunctioning Calamity Seeds and regularly monitoring the thirteen forbidden zones that can reproduce disasters, cleaning them up to maintain control.
In this situation, trying to place a witch in each of the hundreds of regions worldwide as a backup is nothing but a fantasy. Moreover, splitting forces like this makes them vulnerable to being defeated one by one, which is hardly safe.
On the other hand, the recent movements of the Pure White have become more noticeable. If they hatch some troublesome disaster beasts, there is a real possibility they could join forces with the Church of the Gods to attack the contestants and their families.
Even if it is just a possibility, imagining the consequences if it were to happen sends shivers down everyone’s spine. If a reserve witch, comparable to a saintess, were to be crushed, it would be like extinguishing the flame of civilization’s survival in advance.
Thus, a new round of discussions about safety began in the room.
It is worth mentioning that from beginning to end, no one questioned Chu Yuanqing, even the obviously flawed communication records were completely overlooked.
The reason is simple: magical girls are idealistic, and Heart Flow has inherited this trait. Its displayed character and the sensations it provides are directly related to its host’s true self.
Chu Yuanqing’s background is so pure that it reveals no flaws, her sacred and compassionate nature is like the special Heart Flow of a nun, even her faint connection to the Pure White is enough to prove that she is unrelated to the disaster beasts.
Besides this, everything else is unimportant to them.
Regardless of whether that call was made by her or not, Chu Yuanqing remains the only treasure of the Donghong Federation. All they need to do is protect each other’s safety and prevent any outside influences from disturbing this young idol’s heart.
This has long been the consensus of everyone.
…
…
On that day, during lunch time.
Chu Yuanqing had no idea she had just gone through a thrilling crisis; she was tidying up the dishes, placing them all in the sink, using her delicate, rosy fingers to hold a sponge, dipping it in dish soap, and slowly washing the dishes.
Kirimi Miyuki stood next to her, diligently helping as well. She placed a clean plate aside, looked up at Chu Yuanqing’s lips, and calmly said, as if not caring at all:
"Liuli, you went into your room yesterday, right?"
Chu Yuanqing’s hand froze while washing the dishes, and her beautiful, serious face revealed a hint of embarrassment. She tried hard to act as if nothing had happened and calmly replied with a yes, as if that was an answer.
The girl sighed softly, her gaze complicated, as if she were a foolish girl enduring the pain of watching her boyfriend cheat every day while still doing his laundry and cooking for him, even going out to work so he would have money to spend on other women. Her feelings were extremely complicated.
At times, there was love, at times, sadness, at times, jealousy, at times, loneliness, at times, pain, and a cold feeling like a knife being sharpened. All of this mixed together was quite twisted.
Chu Yuanqing felt very guilty and didn’t know how to explain.
Although… although it was Miyuki and the others who made the schedule, it really was unfair for her to benefit, wasn’t it?!
Chu Yuanqing thought that tonight she would visit a golden retriever, and she felt even more afraid, so she hurried to wash the dishes, wanting to escape from the eyes that made her conscience ache.
Little Sakura was very emo. She whispered quietly:
"I don’t blame Little Qing; I only blame myself for not being able to make her like me."
Chu Yuanqing couldn’t help but comfort her:
"Miyuki is great; she is kind, beautiful, very reliable when she’s mature, and adorable like a little penguin when she’s silly…"
Little Sakura felt that something was not right; she inexplicably felt a bit embarrassed and could not help but interrupt:
"Wait, what little penguin!"
Chu Yuanqing answered honestly:
"When we first met, you almost fell while bowing, looking just like a little penguin. It was very cute."
Kirimi Miyuki couldn’t help but smirk. She remembered that awkward moment and suddenly felt very annoyed with Honey Qing for remembering it so well, but then she thought this showed how much Honey Qing cared about her, which felt a bit sweet.
The girl’s mood changed from sunny to cloudy, and she corrected him somewhat indignantly:
"I’m very slim! You’ve hugged me so many times, how could I be as plump as a little penguin? Also… I’m not childish; it was just… just a slip of the foot!"
Chu Yuanqing couldn’t help but laugh, and she said:
"It wasn’t me who gave you that name; someone took a picture of us that day. Your almost-fall while bowing was made into a GIF by fans, and they said you looked like a little penguin."
Kirimi Miyuki was greatly shocked. She had a memory of the famous rainy scene from "Meet You in the Mist," but she had no idea that it held her own hidden past. Feeling a bit puffy with anger, she said,
"I will have more wonderful stages soon, and fans will forget about this!"
Chu Yuanqing nodded and said she believed she could do it, but in her heart, she felt that the better and more mature Miyuki performed on stage, the more fans would notice the contrast in that gif that showed her innocent side.
In the end, it might even turn into a "tragic" ending that would not be forgotten until the idol graduates.
After this distraction, the tense atmosphere faded, and their conversation became much more natural.
This was also Kirimi Miyuki’s intention.
Although she missed the wonderful times in the private cinema, enjoying every part of Honey Qing, she knew that if she kept acting like a little complainer, people would find it annoying, maybe even dislike her.
It was similar to a girl’s little stubbornness; a bit of it is cute, but too much is called "princess syndrome."
Of course, some complaints in her heart had to be expressed; otherwise, how could others see the unfairness she felt? Showing just a little bit would make people feel guilty, even lead them to want to make up for it.
The clever little trick of the cherry blossom girl is so subtle and gentle!
Kirimi Miyuki wiped the dishes clean, carefully placed them in the cabinet, stood up, untied her apron, and glanced at the green-eyed cat sitting on the sofa, who was playing a game, and said:
"By the way, the month is up today at five o’clock, and we can’t start Stage Battle anymore. I wonder how many teams will make it through."
Chu Yuanqing didn’t have much to say about this.
Ever since she learned about the things behind "Dazzling Stage," her view on being eliminated has changed.
Well, if she could, she would love to eliminate her adorable daughter right then and there.
Chu Yuanqing bit her hair tie and skillfully turned her braid into a ponytail, getting ready for afternoon practice, and casually said:
"The best result would be for 33 teams to advance, right?"
"Today, Dream Weaver Rabbit should announce the new rules. I wonder when the second performance will be. Little Shu said it seems bigger than last time; it should be very lively."
That said, she herself has complicated feelings about the second performance.
Because…
No one knows if Chu Yuanying’s presence in the audience will trigger a reaction from the official team of "Dazzling Stage." If her Magic Clone were to be shot dead by a sniper on the spot, how much psychological trauma would that cause Little Shu?
"That’s unlikely, right? Even if they don’t think about the audience, they have to consider what Little Shu, the future magical girl, would think. So, if they do take extreme measures, they will most likely do it secretly."
Chu Yuanqing thought to herself and was not too worried.
"Dazzling Stage" cannot bring certain things to light, and once a secret solution is decided, she just needs to let her clone hide in the bathroom after watching Little Shu’s stage and complete the magic of vanishing.
Whether this magic will be discovered is the least of her concerns.
The Magic Clone skill seems simple, but once you understand the core mechanism of the magical girl, you realize it is far superior to conventional magic.
Because the desire to "still meet with her father as a daughter" was unconsciously made when she first held the lantern. It was born alongside her transformation into a witch, holding a high status and growth potential, evolving with her magical power level.
The Pure White Ode is the same.
Although at first the magical power was not very obvious, now that she has reached the Pool level, her control over the clones has extended to 50 kilometers. She can even deploy them from a distance of 20 kilometers, and the realism of the clones has continued to improve, even beginning to have the five senses.
Chu Yuanqing has a feeling that when she advances to the River or Blooming level, this magical technique can be refined two more times. By then, the clones might have real flesh and blood, and perhaps even the ability to switch back and forth between the main body and the clone.
Moreover, her current Magic Clone can take on not just Chu Yuanying’s form; she can try appearing with a different face and shape, significantly increasing her freedom and no longer stuck in the earlier situation of having no power at the Lamp level.
"Now, the flaws that required magical threads for control are gone; they can be embedded into the body’s habits and settings, allowing for semi-automatic control with her mind."
"The most important thing is that the buff from the Magic Armor can also be transferred to the clones, making them fully capable of fighting."
Chu Yuanqing murmured to herself, and with this thought, she felt excited to try.
If the Dazzling Stage officials plan to make a move against her in the second performance, could she also test her current strength?
