Chapter 297

Chapter 297: The Solution, the Slowly Unfolding Prologue, Cognitive Impairment

The balcony on the third floor of the castle.

Esther’s silver hair floated as she lowered her crimson eyes, looking at the fireflies floating in the mountains. She stretched out her delicate hand, and a blue data cube hovered above it, expanding infinitely into a world map.

"This time, the Church of the Gods has deployed 24,981 Calamity Seeds worldwide, of which 15,753 are controlled by the Ether Satellite Fuxi, intercepting and destroying the defense systems of various cities."

"But aside from top-tier cities like Vienna, where every country has a designated area, the defense systems in other cities are not strong enough to intercept Fuxi."

To prepare for a future apocalypse, many years ago, the alliance proposed to concentrate resources and build Self-sustaining Cities as a way to keep the flame of human existence alive.

At this stage, every underground base in Dazzling Stage is, in essence, a prototype of a Self-sustaining City, and a significant portion has already been made with advanced EtherTech.

The core of this strategy is to bring fingers together to form a fist, aiming to protect as many people as possible with the same level of preparedness.

Therefore, it is reasonable to focus on top-tier cities and connect surrounding cities in a network-like progression.

However, this comes with elements of politics and power struggles, making it difficult to maintain fairness.

Because these areas are too far from the underground bases and are not economically flourishing, there won’t be any magical girls stationed there, nor specialized teams for disaster beasts, leaving only ordinary armed forces.

In such cases, it is impossible for those areas to intercept or even destroy the Calamity Seed from the air.

Esther paused and continued speaking,

"Although they had foreseen it in advance and, with the help of the Countermeasures Bureau’s portal and the mobility of some witch teams, managed to keep the aftermath of the Disaster to a minimum."

"But besides the airborne Calamity Seed, the Church of the Gods also revealed their hidden agents that were previously stationed in various locations."

The so-called hidden agents are Calamity Seeds that have been nourished and worshiped in advance, buried in different places, ready to awaken at any time. They are concealed in a special way to avoid detection and are extremely troublesome landmines.

The disaster beast that Liang Xiaoxiao and Lin Baor encountered was a classic hidden agent. The reason they were targeted was partly due to guidance from followers behind them and partly because both of them had magic and disaster aura around them, shining brightly like streetlights.

Esther sighed to herself; if it were ten years ago, the pure white dominance would have been enough to weaken the revived Grade E Disaster Beast to a mere threat like a lion or tiger, making it impossible to destroy streets or topple trams.

But now, just newly hatched Grade E Disaster Beasts require tanks, cannons, or even specially made sniper rifles to be defeated.

If it weren’t for Liang Xiaoxiao being an anomaly, Chen Yining probably would have had to work with the armed forces to kill that disaster beast.

After all, not every little idol is as extraordinary as the people around the lighthouse.

The amount of magic power Xie Qingxuan used to defeat the three-headed griffin was even enough for an ordinary magical girl to light a lamp, yet she herself has not yet fully accumulated her strength; her potential is truly unfathomable.

Tang Liuli seemed embarrassed, but actually, long before the disaster beast was miles above, she looked up at the sky and, feeling nervous, hugged a certain Stage Tyrant, realizing the crisis was coming early; she was a top talent on the battlefield.

As for Little Sakura, who was so nervous that she almost shattered half a street with Shadow Cutting after encountering the disaster beast, she was another unusual case.

These three have already surpassed the new generation of witch reserves; could this be the team destined by the lighthouse?

Indeed, without such potential, they would completely go off track in the future and would have no chance to team up with each other.

Chu Yuanqing looked at the bright fireflies in the mountains; she could sense the smell of blood through the information, leaving her with mixed feelings.

Even though these disasters were just small troubles compared to the first playthrough, it meant that the peace maintained for 17 years was ignited, leading to a path of chaos; the future would only become more troubled.

In this situation, can the Dazzling Stage plan really go as expected?

The Pure White Witch collected her thoughts and asked:

"It seems that your active exposure of the magical girl’s public opinion indeed disrupted their original plans, which proves the correctness of your decision-making. Is there anything you need me to help with?"

Although Charlotte’s birthday is only half a week away, if the disaster beast continues to rampage, no matter how lively the celebration day is, she will not feel happy.

Neither she nor Charlotte can just stand by and watch lives fade away and happiness shatter; rushing into battle has long become a part of their lives and is not something they cannot accept.

Esther replied:

"For now, we don’t need that, but I have a video I want you to see."

As she spoke, a holographic image popped up; in the video lasting less than three minutes, there were scenes of a tram being attacked, Lin Baor being swallowed by a beast, and Liang Xiaoxiao on the verge of death transforming into a disaster, yet fighting back and killing the disaster beast using its power.

The information in this video was full of ups and downs; even Chu Yuanqing did not expect Xiaoxiao to turn the situation around in such a desperate moment and miraculously save her teammate whose heart had stopped.

Pure White Witch didn’t have time to feel pity for the unfortunate child but instead rewound the video; combining the very familiar white light with the fact that Liang Xiaoxiao returned to normal, she sharply sensed the truth.

"Xiaoxiao has my… shine?"

Esther looked at Pure White Witch’s puzzled expression, feeling something subtle inside.

In a certain way, Liang Xiaoxiao was able to catch a bit of the lighthouse’s glow, all thanks to her planning.

"It’s like this; she does not have the talent to become a Disaster Shell. The reason she can create the Cocoon of the Heart is partly due to the chance of merging with your brilliance, making her a special case among special cases."

Chu Yuanqing listened, feeling very confused.

Speaking of which, it seems Liuli mentioned before that Xiaoxiao had her own unique scent.

But at that time, the two had little chance to meet each other, so she didn’t think much of it and let it go.

To her surprise…

Is Liuli’s nose really this sharp?

Also, Xiaoxiao actually used this shining trait to force the twisted and changed flesh into a pose like a masked hero, completing the prototype of blending enemies and allies, which is like the apple that fell on Newton, a true miracle.

"Magical girls are truly incredible."

Chu Yuanqing’s golden eyes sparkled with light as she whispered in amazement, revealing a bright and hopeful smile.

The Pure White Witch had once used the power of Disaster.

It was either through the balance of Undying to withstand it, or by merging and consuming the remaining blessings; even the powers of the later Thirteen Calamity Gods were controlled with similar methods.

Because, after she defeated the first Calamity God, the world’s destruction began to speed up; the closer it got to the end, the more urgent time became, and even the Slit World could no longer serve as a resting point.

Therefore, in the first playthrough, almost no one actively used the power of Disaster; even when they did, there was little time to refine it.

Although Xiaoxiao’s approach was also about balance and using her own strength, it revealed a precious potential for recovery.

With this idea, Chu Yuanqing nearly developed dozens of optimized solutions; if she could still use her past powers, she could now build a basic terminal with memes and start trying to create a disaster aura-driven transformation device.

Esther said:

"Liang Xiaoxiao is not really a magical girl; she just has idealist organs, and the fact that her foundation is your brilliance makes her a bit special."

Chu Yuanqing said seriously:

"The nature is the same."

Because the concept of idealist organs is the cornerstone of the witch system, even if the soul is strong in the first playthrough, no one can form the Cocoon of the Heart with mere obsession, will, or desire.

In other words, it is a gift from planetary consciousness and the foundation of local extraordinary beings. Liang Xiaoxiao, having it, already possesses part of the witch’s essence.

And it is this precious essence that allows for the control of disaster aura, creating a picture like armor.

Chu Yuanqing calmed her expectations and said with some worry:

"Xiaoxiao’s condition is indeed a bit troubling. If I am not mistaken, in at most 24 hours, she will start to lose control."

"Even if idealist organs can hold disaster aura, once it shines and cannot achieve balance with it, the part of the soul that is eroded will continue to deteriorate, causing distortions in thought, personality, and body."

And once Xiaoxiao goes berserk, Lin Baor, who holds the blood and bones of the other, will most likely face a tragic outcome due to the chaos inside her body from the disaster aura expanding wildly.

The relationship between these two right now is like a shared fate; if one is honored, both are honored, and if one is harmed, both are harmed.

Esther nodded and said:

"So, I came to find you."

Chu Yuanqing had no reason to refuse this request. She would help even strangers unconditionally, let alone a kind child like Xiaoxiao who looked so familiar. After thinking for a moment, she suggested:

"Esther, let Xiaoxiao come find me, and bring her friends along."

"Although it treats the symptom and not the cause, the same source of magic can still empower them enough to suppress the disaster aura and delay the outbreak."

Esther replied:

"No problem, their team just finished a performance yesterday, so their schedule is clear."

"Also, Chen Yining and Ji Shuzhu completed the [Lighting] task, so they can join your teammates for the beginner training in a few days."

Chu Yuanqing was a bit surprised; she was not shocked that this pair of childhood friends had become magical girls, but rather that Dream Weaver said this, which meant the officials planned to train all the new generation of magical girls.

This was like speeding up the pace of the "Dazzling Stage" project for everyone.

Pure White Witch thought for a moment and suggested:

"Since the five reserve members from the Sea City competition area are all here, why not bring the other kids who have completed the [Lighting] over too, and make a short training camp?"

"I want to take a look and see if there are any magical girls suitable for the Martial God Technique."

The super AI thought this was a good suggestion.

The beginner course for magical girls has always been based on a simulated world built by the "Planetarium," with her acting as the main mentor, selecting some experienced magical girls to assist in teaching.

But now, the Church of the Gods was making big moves; not only did they need to send witches for protection, but they also needed to take the opportunity to follow the clues and organize a global cleanup operation.

In this situation, there was a serious shortage of staff, so they could only merge all the reserve members from different competition areas for training.

Coming here, we can quickly gather two beacons, which is like having two captains personally protecting the seedlings.

Moreover, both Charlotte and Chu Yuanqing have their own special ways of teaching magical girls, making them exceptional mentors.

If these two beacons lead this new generation of magical girls, surely they will create many extraordinary sparks and bring even more surprises, right?

Esther thought about this and said seriously:

"Currently, there are only 3,679 reserve witches in all competition areas worldwide, and only 194 have completed the lighting ceremony."

"I will communicate with each of them and bring all the children who agree to join the Countermeasures Bureau for training."

This is undoubtedly a bold decision.

It’s important to know that, while new witches may still appear in future competitions, due to the timing of the pure white collapse, these over three thousand reserves are equivalent to the future of humanity.

If we gather them together and anything goes wrong, the Dazzling Stage project, which is meant to save us, would collapse, and the Countermeasures Bureau wouldn’t be able to fight the overwhelming Disaster Wave without new blood.

In simple terms, civilization has fallen.

Chu Yuanqing became serious and asked:

"Are you serious?"

"Even if Sankt Wolfgang is safe because of Charlotte’s blessing, with over three thousand participants moving around, the Church of the Gods would have no reason not to notice and could easily become a target."

Esther smiled and softly said:

"Did you forget the Möbius strip? Just like how you don’t need to go outside to enter the secret vault, the Countermeasures Bureau has the duty to protect these sparks of humanity and will ensure they are brought to the scene in the safest way."

"Moreover, the Countermeasures Bureau has newly developed a technique for cognitive impairment. As long as it is incorporated into the Magic Armor, even if their appearance doesn’t change, they won’t be recognized, preventing them from becoming targets after appearing in public."

In fact, this technique has always existed, but recently they figured out how to help newcomers integrate it into the Magic Armor, solving a problem everyone faced.

Dragon Witch Elise has never been recognized for who she truly is because of this, and the other magical girls pretending to be in a movie haven’t revealed their identities either.

The super AI continued:

"As for the training location, it is not Sankt Wolfgang."

"According to the agreement between the Human Alliance and Charlotte, her hometown is in the first line of defense and will not attract the enemy’s attention."

Chu Yuanqing did not ask any more questions; she only needed to know that the upper levels were well-prepared. She said goodbye to Dream Weaver Rabbit and jumped down from the balcony, ready to comfort a certain embarrassed cat who would likely be scared by the disaster beast.

However, because Xie Qingxuan was not at all worried about the disaster beast, she was still busy helping Liuli choose a birthday gift for Charlotte, which meant that Little Sakura was the first to return home.

Kirimi Miyuki walked into the castle hall with a dazed look on her pure face, her pink diamond-like eyes unfocused, and her lips naturally curved into a perfect smile, appearing like a beautiful doll that was almost out of battery, looking a bit spaced out.

Well, even though she won, it felt too easy and she accidentally knocked down a large supermarket, leaving her with feelings of defeat and guilt, without any joy from her victory.

Chu Wang Shu, on the other hand, did not think so; when she saw the Pure White Witch, she excitedly said:

"Little Qing Little Qing, listen to me, I just encountered a disaster beast outside with Sister Miyuki!"

The girl happily hugged Honey Qing’s arm and gestured as she said:

"It was a monster with a body ten meters long, a waist thicker than a person, and a forked tail with flower buds that looked slimy. It crashed down from the sky into the supermarket, looking super scary."

"At that time, everyone around was screaming in fear and running away. A little child was sitting in a shopping cart and got separated from his mother by the crowd, nearly bumping into the big snake’s mouth."

"Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Sister Miyuki bravely stepped forward, without a moment’s hesitation, drew her sword, and split the big snake and the supermarket in half!"

The lovely daughter described it vividly, clearly believing that Miyuki was really cool.

Chu Yuanqing listened, worried and scared. After a moment of hesitation, she asked:

"If the supermarket was split in half, how did you get out?"

Chu Wang Shu said with even more admiration:

"It was the magic amulet!"

"Sister Miyuki, just like Doraemon, quickly pulled out many folded charms and used them to create a huge temporary barrier that wiped out the supermarket and the remaining building wreckage!"

"Then, nearly a hundred people in the supermarket stood in the open area, completely unharmed, staring blankly at the piles of wreckage around them."

Chu Yuanqing was silent; she could imagine how panicked Miyuki must have been, not only using Shadow Cutting with all her might but also scattering the little gadgets made with Tempering of the Heart everywhere.

In the end, whether it was a waste or not, it did take a toll on the supermarket.

Kirimi Miyuki felt more and more embarrassed; she couldn’t hold back anymore and, seeing her adorable daughter’s puzzled expression, covered her mouth and quietly explained:

"Um, the Dream Weaver Rabbit said it would help me pay for it. If I take on more endorsements in the future, I will definitely be able to repay the money!"

Chu Yuanqing patted Little Sakura’s head and encouragingly said with a smile:

"Don’t worry too much. As long as no one gets hurt, just like Little Shu said, Miyuki really did a great job protecting everyone; she was amazing for her first battle."

In fact, without special training, most people, even with the powers of a magical girl, would not respond to a disaster beast by charging with a weapon; it would be more normal to run away.

Kirimi Miyuki did very well, but she was a bit too "careful," which made both her attacks and defenses overflow.

Chu Yuanqing said as a reminder:

"But in the future, when facing a newly hatched Grade E Disaster Beast, Miyuki just needs to use the paper-folded Ame no Habakiri."

As soon as she finished speaking.

Chu Wang Shu quickly pulled out a stack of paper knives from her small bag. She raised her innocent eyes and looked at Honey Qing, asking in surprise:

"The paper-folded ones, could they be the ones Sister Miyuki gave me? They can really deal with disaster beasts? That’s amazing!"

Chu Yuanqing felt a strange mix of emotions; she pinched her daughter’s soft cheeks, feeling like a wife secretly giving their child pocket money.

One can only say that the "Tempering of the Heart" can indeed do whatever it wants in this area.