Chapter 291

Chapter 291: Dragon Witch, Ideal State, the Trouble of Gifts

Donghong Federation.

Sacred United Country.

The meeting involving both sides encompassed the will of hundreds or thousands of countries, and the decisions made here could weigh on the fate of all humanity, creating a serious and solemn atmosphere.

Although for safety and convenience, the meeting was still held online with virtual projections, the super intelligence codenamed "Dream Weaver" ensured that there was no possibility of any confidential information being intercepted.

Esther said softly:

"Everyone should know how critical this issue is, right?"

While Charlotte’s desire for Chu Yuanqing to become pregnant was clearly a playful joke meant to be taken lightly, it was something that no one would easily dismiss.

However, their identities were simply too important, important enough that no potential development could be overlooked.

The problem is that if you think carefully, you will see that the benefits of this development far outweigh the drawbacks.

Someone nodded and said softly:

"The relationship of lovers introduces too much uncertainty and risk when placed between the two ‘lighthouses.’"

"I believe this is a shared understanding among everyone."

Regardless of personal wishes, and when viewed from a broader perspective, the ‘lighthouses’ that determine the future of humanity should possess great love in their hearts, overlooking the world with a divine love, much like wise beings.

In fact, both Chu Yuanqing and Charlotte, individually, can fulfill the requirements; the emotions and beliefs that shine within them serve as compelling reasons for convincing everyone to entrust the future of civilization to one another.

This is precisely where the ‘witch’ possesses the most magic; they have received a curse that prevents them from lying to their own hearts, and also a blessing that true feelings can earn trust.

Yet, human hearts are fickle, or rather, the individuals present are not wise beings; they are naturally inclined to doubt that after the two develop a deeper bond of love, they would be reluctant to sacrifice for one another, thus shaking their original resolve.

This is the perspective of mortals, as well as their personal desires.

Even though they recognize this inherent flaw, those in higher positions hope that Chu Yuanqing and Charlotte will never become acquainted, and it would be best if they remained far apart until the "Dazzling Stage" project reaches its conclusion.

Esther calmly added to everyone’s thoughts:

"But if there are children born between the ‘Lighthouses,’ they will love this world even more and regard the child as a continuation of their lives, which would greatly stabilize the situation and enhance the likelihood of success for the project."

A minister from the Donghong Federation said softly:

"If we can achieve this ideal outcome, I believe everyone would gladly welcome the ‘Lighthouses’ choosing to do this of their own free will."

"But this is the most optimistic perspective; in reality, humanity no longer has the time to welcome new infants."

Another person interjected:

"Since the Monte Cristo incident, another restricted area was shaken by the ‘Pure White’ explosion. If it weren’t for the stationed ‘witch’ team, which swiftly contained the deadly outbreak, the population of that continent would have perished."

As the words were spoken, a holographic map appeared in the center of the meeting.

The pure white Miracle Wall enveloped the world, with black mist, white dots, and red lines illustrating the concentration of disaster aura, individual disaster beasts, and the thirteen forbidden zones.

Esther manipulated the data, and an infinitely realistic map continued to enlarge within the local space, quickly arriving at the Donghong Federation’s section, moving to a remote area, and stopping at a mountain outlined by a red line.

In an instant, many documents and photos surfaced.

Ultimately, presented before everyone’s eyes was a terrifying whirlpool that swallowed the mountains, flowing backward into the sky, alongside a magical girl hovering above this disaster, seemingly confronting it.

The girl’s face was youthful, her features distinct, and her deep gray eyes were layered, mysterious and proud. Her delicate frame, standing less than one and forty centimeters tall, wielded a terrifying magic that used the sky as a corridor.

The vast area covered by mist-like clouds transformed into the majestic ancient dragon from myth.

This witch stood on the dragon’s head, wearing a fantastical light gray lace dress, while chains like ribbons twirled around her, and a traveler’s cloak swayed freely, like a rebellious princess who had run away from home.

—Elise.

"Dragon Witch."

"Even she, who had once fought against a Grade B disaster beast, paid the price of sacrificing the Lantern Elf to use Full Power Mode, twisting all the deadly plagues into the concept of a dragon, forcefully taking control and sealing it away in a different space based on the Mortal Realm Barrier."

The minister of the Donghong Federation spoke with a heavy tone.

Although the Dragon Witch belonged to the Sacred United Country, there were hardly any witches of that level left in the entire Countermeasures Bureau, let alone in this restricted area deep within Donghong.

Esther sighed and said:

"The outbreak in this restricted area is much stronger than the one at Monte Cristo; in terms of threat, it can completely match a fully-formed Grade A disaster beast."

"If the on-duty captain had been slightly weaker, this incident would have caused at least millions in casualties, leading to panic and public unrest that would be even harder to measure."

A member of the Sacred United Country said solemnly:

"The death of the Lantern Elf has hit Elise too hard. With the encroachment of the deadly plague, she is already showing signs of regression. Blooming Flowers is starting to fail, and she can only rely on healing magic to maintain her life."

—Regression.

Normally, magical girls go through three stages, "Lighting Up," "Fully Blooming," and "Full Bloom."

But in extreme cases, "Full Bloom" can fall back to "Fully Blooming," and then back to "Lighting Up," causing magic to backflow, the soul to weaken, and the foundation of their very being to crumble.

In the end, those with good luck may turn back into ordinary people, losing everything that belonged to the magical girls; those with bad luck might turn directly into empty magic particles.

The captain-level witch, who has protected millions of Donghong people, is enduring an extremely cruel fate while the world knows nothing about it.

Yet, during the meeting, no one has the luxury to feel sorrow for this.

The Dragon Witch is already a top-tier power among the captains, and even she needs to pay the price of "Full Power Mode" to suppress a riot in the forbidden zone.

When "Pure White" truly collapses, all the forbidden zones will erupt at once, and with the current strength of the Countermeasures Bureau, it’s impossible to stop the disasters residing within the forbidden zones.

In fact, if someone failed to fight the Calamity God in the illusion of the Sea of Truth, or ended in a tie, ninety percent of the people in the Donghong Federation would be dead by now.

However, from another perspective, the Dragon Witch, who could successfully bind some of the Calamity God’s aftermath, is an extremely talented junior with remarkable battle potential. If it were Little Yu, she would have certainly met a terrible fate by now.

Esther calmly said:

"The only lesson we learn from this matter is that the ‘Dazzling Stage’ project can only succeed, not fail."

"If we cannot continue this miracle that has lasted for 17 years through the path of ‘Pure White,’ then, whether it is the Witch or EtherTech, they are helpless in the face of Disaster."

This super AI was also a mentor to Elise in the past, but she seemed to accept the child’s fate and could only skip over the other party’s situation and continue speaking:

"That is why we are here discussing the love life of the ‘Lighthouse,’ because they are the most central part of the ‘Dazzling Stage.’"

During the meeting, a conservative sighed:

"The situation has become increasingly uncontrollable; perhaps just as that person hinted, we have less than three months left."

"Reproducing is the best way to secure the ‘Lighthouse’ and prevent accidents, but it is also the easiest way to encounter problems."

In fact, there are indeed similar magic spells in the Countermeasures Bureau.

If it were not for this, the discussion based on it would never happen.

But those spells are either too abstract, do not meet the requirements, or the gestation period is just too normal.

If we could speed up the process like in a certain game, simply by long-pressing F to hatch the eggs, then this matter would not need any discussion, and everyone would agree wholeheartedly.

Esther looked down at her surroundings, as if revealing a hidden truth, and said openly:

"So, I propose that we continue to develop Ideal State."

Ideal State.

Without this treasure of planetary consciousness given to humanity, neither EtherTech nor the witch system could have developed so rapidly, completing several iterations and advancements in just over a decade.

In fact, most of humanity’s understanding of Disaster comes from bits and pieces found in ruins.

Esther has compiled ninety percent of the magic in the library, but she can only be considered a partial creator, as many of them are localized products of Ideal State magic.

This kind of special land that saves humanity from danger should have been fully developed in the past decade.

But…

Once the Ideal State is completely developed, after seeing its history and past, it will turn completely into a dream, completely blocking the hope of using it to escape from Disaster and seeing it as a second home.

At first, the person who communicated this information to everyone was Esther, who had infused her soul and flesh into the celestial device and controlled the magic of fate.

This meeting fell into a silence filled with tangled human emotions; all those present were highly important figures. If there were a Noah’s Ark during the apocalypse, they would all definitely be the first to get a precious ticket.

And the Ideal State is precisely the Noah’s Ark that humanity currently possesses; not everyone has the determination to break it to gain more resources to fight against Disaster.

Esther said softly:

"Have you ever seen the eternal Mortal Realm Barrier?"

"The barrier created by Elise consumed all the magical power of her whole team and could only last for 67 hours, needing regular repairs."

The former witch displayed great courage; her crimson eyes flickered as she looked down at everyone and said softly:

"If the Ideal State could last forever, it would not become the dust of history, leaving behind only ruins for others to discover."

"Humans must never drown in the wreckage of failure. The only future we have is to create the Shining City, a miracle as bright as pure white, built by all mankind."

After Esther finished speaking, she closed her eyes and continued:

"In sixty seconds, let us decide the future of humanity by voting."

As her words echoed, the central data changed into constantly shifting numbers.

The crowd’s silence began to break.

"So clever! This has been your goal from the very beginning, hasn’t it?"

"Burning your boats, is it? Very well."

"The judgment of the Original Witch is trustworthy."

"I don’t think the disappearance of the Ideal State will create more value than its existence, but… humanity has had no way back since the beginning, so it might be worth a try."

Aside from supporting comments, there were also many strong neutral and opposing opinions, and only after the vote results were announced at sixty seconds did the meeting fall silent.

The number of supporting votes was exactly ten more than the opposing votes.

However, even after the results were out, they spent a long time weighing the details.

Eventually, a few conditions were finalized.

First, before the complete development is finished, they must take as many key resources from the Ideal State as possible, such as the origin of the Unrestricted Technique—sanctuary, or even an entire city filled with magical heritage.

Even though they will turn into bubbles, knowledge can still be recorded, and some special items can be taken out.

Second, before the Ideal State turns into bubbles, they should try to bring more witches inside to rapidly progress using the environment and resources available there.

This item, due to a lack of personnel, is destined to benefit only the new generation of magical girls, specifically those selected as reserves in "Dazzling Stage."

Finally, Esther, who made the proposal, needs to pass through many strict checks to allow professionals to access the main server of "Dream Weaver" to confirm that the original 97 agreements have not been altered before the plan can be carried out.

The reason is simple.

Esther is no longer the "witch" she once was; her role is not as a decision-maker or an executive, but rather as a tool to unite all of humanity in solidarity.

It is normal to be cautious about a super AI, which acts as a tool and initiates a proposal with intention, especially since the Ideal State touches many sensitive nerves.

But regardless of the outcome,

These matters do not currently affect the little idols who are working hard to train in singing and dancing.

Salzburg, the old town.

The dim evening light casts a glow over the streets and mountains.

Chu Yuanqing, feeling sleepy, returned to the master bedroom on the third floor of the castle. After taking a shower in the dance room, she quickly took off her sports jacket and, wearing only her clean yoga outfit, lay down on the bed and relaxed.

Although those dances, which required a display of feminine charm, whether sexy, cute, or enchanting, still posed a big challenge, her physical ability was no longer weak. Unlike before, when she had to adjust her breathing just to sing and dance smoothly.

So, today’s training wasn’t very tiring; what made her feel drowsy was the emptiness after providing a lot of nutrients to the Mercury Blood.

It can only be said that its power to consume magic was so great that it had a kind of beautiful intensity. Charlotte had just sent most of her magic over in the morning, and it was all used up during training.

Chu Yuanqing lay in bed, forcing herself to stay awake, and in a group chat with her little idols on WeChat, she typed, "I’m sleepy, going to sleep for a bit," then turned to wrap herself up in the blanket and closed her eyes.

However, before her consciousness faded,

Tang Liuli’s lonely expression and her reaction when receiving a call lingered in her mind, forming a knot of concern.

"After I wake up, I need to ask Dream Weaver about this."

The Pure White Witch whispered to herself, and her consciousness fell into a faint.

However, this is only a surface sleep. Her current sleep only focuses all her attention on the lantern, speeding up the transformation of her will to provide the change of Mercury Blood.

As for rest? In 17 years, the days she could rest are very few.

Today is nothing more than a repeat of yesterday.

…

…

Time flows by, the church bells ring gently, a few white doves flutter up, creating a soft rustling sound among the branches, and the shadows on the road grow longer in the darkening light.

The girl is wearing a yellow hoodie with sunflowers on it; she has a hood on, and her black hair spills out. She is crouching by the fountain, feeding the pigeons with breadcrumbs, showing a slightly deflated but cute expression on her pretty face.

"I have no idea what Sister Charlotte likes at all!"

There isn’t much time left. According to their agreement, everyone will go to each other’s hometowns in two days to join the festival celebration specially prepared for Charlotte in the small town.

Chu Wang Shu must prepare a birthday gift.

Even though Charlotte is not her family, because she gave her an expensive gift when they first met, she feels she must return the favor.

Moreover, her feelings for Charlotte mix together like an idol, a mother, a sister, a good friend, a trusted mentor, and a magical teacher… This combination means she cannot treat it lightly.

The lovely daughter has no intention of slacking off; she is determined to give a birthday gift that will truly make Charlotte happy, as a thank you for being so kind to her.

So, these past few days, after finishing her training and returning to the castle, she has almost always found a chance to sneak out quietly to explore the shops in Salzburg, hoping to find the perfect gift.

Unfortunately, each time ended in failure.

Charlotte is so kind and lovely that it feels like anything a girl would like would be acceptable, but because of her shining presence and the many accessories she already has, everything seems too ordinary.

At first, Chu Wang Shu worried about her budget and even thought about asking Dream Weaver Rabbit for an advance on her magical girl’s salary card, but later she realized that the budget shouldn’t be a problem.

After all, raising the budget blindly is like giving luxury gifts to a rich person; it doesn’t really mean anything.

The lovely daughter sighed as she touched the dove’s feathers and suddenly began to remember how the little butterfly felt in her hands. She thought that the chatty Lantern Elf, Violet, could surely give many great ideas.

"Hmm, should I ask everyone what they might give?"

"But besides me, others probably won’t be so troubled."

Chu Wang Shu felt sad. She thought that this gift battle would surely end in failure again.

But speaking of it, if it’s so hard to give Sister Charlotte a gift, then does Dad struggle just like this with Mom, who has the same personality as him?

Wait, that’s true.

The lovely daughter suddenly realized something. She stood up, and the sunflowers on her sweatshirt sparkled in the twilight, startling a few nearby doves. She muttered to herself:

"Dad must know what Mom likes."

"If I just look for some clues, I might figure it out."