Chapter 324

Chapter 324: Intracastral Sea, Unspoken Truths, Each Showing Their Talents

Time passed, like fireworks brightening the night sky.

The midnight bells rang gently, as the clear Lake Wolfgangsee reflected the colorful sky, joining the cheerful song of happy birthday, while the flickering bonfires slowly went out.

Thus, Charlotte’s birthday celebration came to an end under the fireworks that covered the whole town.

White Horse Hotel, bathhouse.

Chu Yuanqing walked barefoot on the marble, sitting on the cold ground, clearing her mind, frowning as she coughed, raising her slender, pretty ankle, wanting to take off the crumpled nightgown.

The Pure White Witch bent slightly, her curves trembling with gravity, her fingertips just touching the light gray lace nightgown, and the silver threads pulled away, turning the ground into swirling, dreamlike ashes.

"Is the curse still affecting me?"

Chu Yuanqing wondered aloud, looking down to see the fabric that held its shape falling apart, creating more gaps in the snowy mountain ridge, which caused the Lantern Gem lying on it to slide off.

However, before the chain around her neck could move, the Lantern Gem floated gently, brushing against her palm, rolling around as if a tired little animal was trying to cuddle with its owner.

Chu Yuanqing was lost in thought as she poked the little creature that was only 1% lit. After listening to its complaints, she finally understood the reason.

Before this, her insides and limbs had basically shattered, even her clothes were the same. However, the Lantern Gem’s spirit had magically helped to temporarily stitch her together. Once she planned to take a bath, she relaxed, causing her clothes to completely fall apart.

Chu Yuanqing rubbed her forehead; her focus became worse again. The 1% of the lantern’s light made her thoughts sometimes clear, sometimes slow, like a fool easily fooled, not even noticing such things.

The Pure White Witch sighed helplessly as she looked at the little yellow duck floating in the bathtub. She walked in to soak her whole body in the warm water, listening to the soft sound of splashing water, her mind becoming sticky, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The mist in the room was hazy, like snowflakes in winter, rising from the steaming hot water. The orange-red light danced on the surface of the water, reflecting in her unfocused eyes.

The girl’s delicate face was stuck with strands of hair, while the rest of her wet white hair floated in the water, slightly covering the curves that naturally rose and fell with her breathing.

She lifted her wrist and glanced at the unhealed crack, suppressing her dazed emotions. She stood up to fish out the little yellow duck, the silver light washed over her whole body, shaking off the splashed water marks as she walked out of the bathroom and returned to her room to sleep.

However, as soon as she stepped into her room, the sight before her made her feel scared.

Kirimi Miyuki was sitting at the desk, wearing a summer-style tank top and shorts. A large area of her fair skin was exposed, her slender curves clearly visible, showcasing the beauty of youth.

The girl tied her hair up. Her long eyelashes touched her cheeks, and she wore black-rimmed glasses. She looked smart, but also a bit like a student. Her eyes sparkled like pink diamonds as she looked at the design on the table.

Little Sakura was comparing the design she received from Dream Weaver.

This was a strategic weapon created by the Countermeasures Bureau using our EtherTech and some information gathered from the Ideal State.

—The Hupeirion magic energy cannon.

Kirimi Miyuki wrote and drew seriously on a piece of white paper. The glow of "Tempering of the Heart" mixed with pink magic fell onto the paper and pencil, as she freely modified the stack of designs with different inspirations.

After she learned that the name of the Patronus Magic was "Perfect Rule," she guessed a brand new possibility and was currently testing this idea.

Tang Liuli wore an elegant and formal black-and-white maid outfit. She had cat ear accessories resting on her thigh, while one hand skillfully manipulated green threads that jumped, bounced, and reflected. Her other hand used the same thread to lift the flower rope.

—"Spirit Power."

Although she did not understand the actual effect of this Patronus Magic, it definitely included the Emotional bond.

At that moment, the dark green silk threads were the embodiment of the Emotional bond. If one could use this medium, it would be possible to do things even more exaggerated than before.

For example, controlling emotions unilaterally.

Going deeper would lead to more dangerous areas, like hypnotizing Honey Qing to only like cats.

Xie Qingxuan sat by the bed, holding a collection of Kahlil Gibran’s prose poems, her nails shaped smoothly as if painted with rose essential oil, a beautiful and healthy deep pink.

The girl’s platinum hair was tied into two low ponytails with thin ribbons. Her rounded legs were gracefully closed together, and her over-the-knee socks revealed just the right amount of porcelain-white skin, creating an enticing allure, with a demeanor that resembled that of a noble lady.

Of course, what drew the eye even more was her well-developed fullness; the same style of maid outfit was being stretched tightly, clearly defined in shape. If it weren’t for the waist design on her lower abdomen, which highlighted her slim waist, one might think her figure was overly plump.

Xie Qingxuan was not just reading; like her teammates, she was experimenting or guessing the effects of Patronus Magic. Even if it was still a fledgling form, knowing the true name in advance meant they could already use part of the power, although they were not yet able to control it freely or extend it into branch magic.

Xie Qingxuan did not turn the page, but the writing on the paper twisted and trembled like jumping tadpoles, gliding to another page and completing an exchange with the words on the next page, as if they were flattering subjects before a lord.

With the dark magic flowing in, the speed of the word exchange felt as if it had returned to the printing house, turning everything upside down from start to finish, completing a delightful "reading."

"Stray Birds."

The words hung in the air.

The cover of the selected poems by Khalil Gibran changed color, the writing twisting into Tagore’s "Stray Birds," while the chapters inside transformed into one different poem after another.

During this process, the sitting meditation was synchronously turning through past memories, and only when the memory of "Stray Birds" was fully written out did the changes in the book come to a halt.

Xie Qingxuan seemed deep in thought, and she softly said:

"The Book of Sand."

The dark magic crawled, revealing the original text on the cover; the pages flipped rapidly as if they were glitching, with the words floating erratically, splattering into irregular patterns like spilled ink.

This is the limit before the formal birth of the "Royal Power."

"The Book of Sand" is a collection of poems by Borges. Xie Qingxuan had never read it, and she could not recall the original text, so this command had become just empty words.

It is obvious that the Patronus Magic, which has not truly matured, cannot show its potential or its true power.

But…

"A shy photo of Honey Qing."

After speaking, the ink on the pages transformed into vivid colors, instantly depicting the cute image of Honey Qing with white hair and golden eyes, blushing and with a racing heart.

It looked like a printed poster, with a clear texture and an almost 3D effect, appearing very lifelike.

Well, things imagined can easily appear in this form if you understand them well enough.

If there were no obstacles, she could easily order the book to continue the story about herself and Honey Qing, so even without "Fully Blooming," the basic form of Patronus Magic was very useful.

Click.

"Don’t use magic carelessly."

Chu Yuanqing, using her instinct for danger, quickly took away the Golden Retriever’s tools. She looked at the ponytailed Honey Xuan, holding back her feelings of being charmed, and asked:

"How did you and Liuli come over in those maid outfits?"

"And Miyuki, I’ve already taught you everything you need to know; let Esther take care of the rest."

Xie Qingxuan’s delicate nose wrinkled as she sniffed the scent of the Pure White Witch. She raised her pure eyes and looked at the pretty face blushing after the bath, honestly and straightforwardly saying:

"I miss you, and I want to do naughty things."

Tang Liuli, upon hearing this, gritted her teeth in anger. The thread in her hand broke, and her bright green eyes filled with shame and anger. She immediately put on a cat ear headband and said furiously:

"Xie Qingxuan, can you please be normal!"

"We are here to help Little Qing with magic, not to do inappropriate things!"

Xie Qingxuan thought for a moment and honestly "corrected" herself:

"I am here to help Little Qing with magic; I am the main doctor."

Before the green-eyed cat could get angry, Little Sakura, who was seriously drawing nearby, looked over. She took off her black-framed glasses and revealed a frightening smile, saying softly:

"Little Qing’s condition is very bad, isn’t it?"

Chu Yuanqing felt guilty upon hearing this; she hesitated for a moment and asked:

"…How did you tell?"

"Did Charlotte tell you?"

Tang Liuli puffed out her cheeks.

Xie Qingxuan tilted her head.

Kirimi Miyuki’s pink eyes were deep, her smile was even more dangerous, and she calmly replied:

"Does Little Qing mean that only Charlotte understands you the best?"

"Since we finished our performance, you have spaced out 19 times at the dinner table, a mysterious wave of magic has surrounded you, even the paper crane Amulet in your soul has lost its magic, and your eyes and mood are clearly not right."

Little Sakura said this and didn’t want to argue anymore; she pressed her lips together in concern and continued:

"With so many signs, even a fool would know you are hurt."

Xie Qingxuan spoke very frankly:

"Even so, Charlotte did come to find us."

Tang Liuli nodded in agreement. As the self-proclaimed genius of deduction known as Sherlock Liuli, she had sensed something was off even when she returned to the table.

Of course, there was more that she sensed.

The green-eyed cat looked up and said:

"Sister Charlotte told us not to ask you why, which means Little Qing doesn’t want us to know some things yet, right?"

Chu Yuanqing nodded in acceptance.

Some truths cannot be shared; they are better left concealed. While she would never lie to those close to her, she would still choose to hide certain things.

This was neither arrogance nor distrust, and it certainly wasn’t just being considerate of others; it was… her final wish.

Instead of seeing everyone with sad faces and heavy hearts in the last part of her life, she would rather spend her final days in a bright and cheerful place, filled with joy and lightness every day.

This might seem selfish, but she had never been unreasonable.

So, if it’s a rare occasion, it should be forgiven, right?

Kirimi Miyuki sighed and said:

"I won’t ask, but if Little Qing ever wants to talk, I’m always here to listen."

Xie Qingxuan said softly:

"Everyone has secrets, and I respect your choice."

Tang Liuli felt that everyone was very sly.

If she stepped forward to ask, wouldn’t she just become the only bad person?

The green-eyed cat was tightly wrapped and could only accept it honestly. She looked at Chu Yuanqing’s face, opened her hands, and the dark green threads danced back and forth, revealing a complicated flower pattern. Changing the subject stiffly and awkwardly, she asked:

"Do you want to play?"

Chu Yuanqing was surprised, she nodded in agreement and stepped forward.

As soon as her fingertips touched the flower string, Liuli Cat grabbed her hand with both hands and kissed her lightly, leaving a faint minty scent.

Wait, is the real game not the flower string, but this?

The Pure White Witch looked at the naughty bold cat in confusion. She hadn’t thought about punishment yet, but the cat’s sneaky action had already started a series of unexpected events.

Xie Qingxuan took the initiative, pulling the other person into her embrace. The soft weight pressed against Honey Qing’s shoulder was completely natural, giving true warmth and a memorable impression.

Hmm, if Honey Xuan grows a bit bigger, it will surely turn into an embarrassing situation.

Kirimi Miyuki bit her lip in shame. She clearly wanted to take it slow, so why did Liuli jump right in? Even the shy cat was starting to get bold, huh?

But seeing Honey Qing, like a sandwich, her feelings of jealousy and desire scratched at her heart, making her restless.

On the other hand, sitting still and doing nothing is the strangest thing. The sakura girl is used to reading the "air" and easily pushes herself to do things to fit in.

At the naughty party, not joining in meant not fitting in.

So, Little Sakura quickly gave up struggling with her morals. She decided to take back control, to teach the misbehaving green-eyed cat a lesson, and to overcome the scandalous Honey Xuan. Soon, she willingly fell from grace and became a slice of bread stuck between Honey Qing.

Time passed.

As the colors of the four magical powers slowly faded in the room, a certain Miss Saintess, who had to calm her nerves, confidently walked in, stepped onto the soft big bed, and claimed a spot to sleep soundly.

The next morning.

Chu Yuanqing woke from her dreams, her lantern progress restored to 9%. The daydreaming and dull ache from her bath yesterday had mostly disappeared, marking her initial recovery from the aftereffects.

In fact, the level of the curse’s erosion was quite serious. Restoring her to "full health" in one go was thanks to the little idols who held the naughty party, as they had already reached the state of "awakening," becoming magical girls with transformed life forms.

Simply put, after "awakening," everyone’s feedback magic increased by 7 to 9 times, just enough to offset the imbalance, creating a unique mutual benefit.

Once Chu Yuanqing returned to normal, she began to think again about teaching and learning.

And it just so happened that,

Esther arrived first, coming to the door to announce a big event:

"This training session will send four captain-level witches and 73 active witches to participate."

"We have assembled the largest number of people possible. The upper council hopes that these children can bear responsibilities while undergoing your training."

Chu Yuanqing felt a bit of a headache. She hoped to have students who would carry on her legacy, but managing the training plan for the new generation of witches was already a huge task.

As for teaching the four captain-level witches?

Even if they all had a good temperament like Little Yu, no need to take time to convince them, training would still need serious real combat.

The most critical point is that, based on the dates of the three performances, the officials only planned to hold two weeks of training, which meant time was very tight, and there was no way to consider it.

However, Esther seemed to have anticipated this. She said softly:

"Don’t worry, the place for training is very special, and there should be enough time."

"The reason I came to find you was to let you see it in advance, so you could plan your training project."

Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and asked,

"What place?"

Esther smiled and calmly said,

"Intracastral Sea, Ideal State."

"You might have heard this name from Charlotte, and before this kingdom fell apart, it was the safest place."

Chu Yuanqing was a bit surprised.

Intracastral Sea referred to a protective planet or even the special shell of a star group concept.

Previously mentioned, the blessing was a product born from the thirteen Calamity Gods binding planetary consciousness, forcing it to connect with the Sea of Truth and abandon the rules of a magic-free material world.

During this process, the Sun, Moon, Earth-Moon system, Milky Way, and even the universe concept came together to form a larger concept of star clusters for survival, and the Intracastral Sea emerged as a protective mechanism.

One could only say that the Calamity God, upon arrival, dove deep into the star core and forcibly bound everything, which indeed caused serious PTSD.

Since then, humans who could be actively connected represented just one thing.

That was, the planet was willing to crown you.

Chu Yuanqing had once had the freedom to enter and exit the Intracastral Sea.

It should still be the same now, as long as this world remembered her.

In any case, since the Ideal State was in the Intracastral Sea, it must have been moved there by the planetary consciousness.

And to allow humans to make good use of this wealth during the sleeping period, the other party likely selected a representative and granted access to the Ideal State.

The answer to this question was very close, so there was no need to guess.

Chu Yuanqing looked at Esther, who had lost most of her humanity, with mixed feelings.

So…

Whether it was to blend into the planetarium or to actively become a super AI, being bound like a tool and giving up the body while emotions faded—was that all just to gain the recognition of planetary consciousness?

Indeed, tools did not betray, so there was no selfish desire. To earn Its trust, this was the easiest and fastest way.

Esther, if she had been born in some magical civilization, her actions might have been worthy of being called a Sage. Even today, she would still be a respected wise person, a pioneer who could be named for stealing fire.

Her existence also proved that there would surely be more successors in the future.

Chu Yuanqing felt both comforted and sad. She set aside her extra thoughts, smiled, and said seriously,

"Take me there."

"I will do my best to nurture this generation of children."