“The Council, or rather, I personally, am in great need of your help right now, Miss A Li.”
The Astrologer’s tone was so sincere that Xiaoxi felt something was off.
No matter how strong she was, the Association had never fallen apart without her these past years.
Why did they suddenly need her now?
“I’ll be blunt, Miss A Li. I hope you can help investigate the matter with Black Rose. She stole something from the Association’s Hidden Bone Hall that’s become a huge headache for the Council.”
“Hidden Bone Hall is in Summersea City?”
Xiaoxi quickly caught the key point.
She only knew that the Association had a Hidden Bone Hall, a place meant to imprison and store dangerous items—along with running some experiments best left in the shadows—but she never knew where it actually was.
“It’s both true and not. Actually, the Hidden Bone Hall is an independent space constructed with spatial magic. It’s not in the real world. One of its entrances is in Summersea City.”
“That Black Rose, she stole a small Meteorite Fragment from the Hidden Bone Hall.”
Xiaoxi was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing the Astrologer was talking about the meteorite that crashed decades ago—the very event after which magic began to slowly appear in the world.
But Xiaoxi had never seen the Meteorite itself, nor did she know what it was actually used for.
“I can only tell you the most direct effect of the Meteorite Fragment: it can turn any ordinary person into a Magic Girl. As for the rest, I can’t say more. In short, losing such a treasure this time has left all Six Seats of the Council with a terrible headache.”
“Even so, you don’t have to come to me, do you?” Xiaoxi spread her hands.
“The Association has plenty of S-Rank Magical Girls under its wing. Why insist on using me, someone who isn’t even part of the Association?”
The Astrologer gave a wry smile. “Because there’s a traitor—I’m not talking about Shandie, who infiltrated the Summersea City Divisional Branch in this incident, but someone even higher up in the Association.”
“There aren’t many in the Association who know the secrets of the Hidden Bone Hall. And when Black Rose entered, she used an Access Card with no identity record. That’s not something she could have gotten from the outside, so the problem must be internal.”
“The only ones who could get her that are the higher-ups in the Association, and those with very high authority at that. The worst-case scenario…”
The Astrologer shook her head and didn’t go on, but Xiaoxi immediately understood her meaning.
Her heart couldn’t help but tremble—the worst-case scenario was that the traitor could be among the Six Seats, each with their own hidden agenda!
“Now do you understand why we’ve come to you? The Council needs a powerful ally now, and that person has to be from outside the Association and absolutely trustworthy—you are the best candidate.”
A weight lifted from Xiaoxi’s heart. So the Association really needed her help.
That was good; if they needed her, she had leverage to negotiate with the Council, instead of having to consider using force to resolve the matter with Ye Xinglan.
If they needed her… Could the Council, in the dark, still dare to set conditions for her? Shouldn’t she be the one making demands?
“All the members of the Council are shrewd,” the Astrologer said with a smile, patting Xiaoxi on the shoulder.
“They want your help but aren’t willing to give up the initiative in negotiations, so they try to put pressure on you, offering conditions to keep you under their control.”
“I don’t expect Miss A Xing to trust me completely right now. In any case, I will help resolve Miss Ye Xinglan’s issue. There’s plenty of time, and the Council won’t install a safety device on Miss Ye Xinglan just yet.”
“Whether you help the Council is up to your own will, Miss A Xing. If it’s something you don’t want to do, we won’t force you. This is my private phone number—if you need anything, just contact me. How about that? Does that show enough sincerity?”
The Astrologer handed over a slip of paper, emphasizing the word “private” as if to stress that she was offering help not as one of the Six Seats, but personally and sincerely.
Xiaoxi, however, didn’t take the paper immediately.
“If there’s a chance the traitor is among the Six Seats…” Xiaoxi looked the Astrologer in the eyes. “How can you guarantee that person isn’t you?”
The Astrologer smiled gently.
“To be honest, I have a daughter about your age. She’s a huge fan of the Magical Girl [Eternal Star]. I believe the Magical Girl my daughter admires must be on the side of ‘righteousness.'”
“You’re doing well—it’s right not to trust me. As long as I can trust you, that’s enough. Keep that distrust, and you’ll have the chance to uncover the real traitor within the Association, Miss A Xing.”
“As for Miss Ye Xinglan, I’ll give you an answer in the next couple of days.”
The Astrologer tucked the slip into Xiaoxi’s hand, greeted the other two, and turned to leave the tent.
“L, what do you think?”
“Ms. Astrologer usually stays in North Blossom City and rarely gets involved in the Association’s affairs, but this time she came all this way to meet you. I brought her because I know her character and reputation within the Association.”
“I don’t think you should resolve Ye Xinglan’s problem with force, either, A Xing. If Ms. Astrologer can handle it, so much the better.”
Xiaoxi nodded silently, then gently nudged Fox Momomo, who was squatting in the corner with her back to the group, covering her ears.
“Stop pretending. Still covering your ears like that, but your tail is wagging so much—I know you’ve heard everything!”
“Hehe, don’t worry, Miss A Xing, I won’t say a word about any of this. But… So you’re really in love, Miss A Xing?”
The little fox’s eyes spun mischievously, and Xiaoxi instantly knew something was wrong.
Fox Momomo was clearly more interested in gossip than anything else.
She definitely wouldn’t dare leak anything about the Six Seats, but “Eternal Star’s romance”—that kind of juicy news—couldn’t be guaranteed!
“If you dare tell anyone about this…” Xiaoxi made a slicing motion across her neck, “I just might consider making myself a nice fox-fur coat!”
“Alright, Miss A Xing! Trust me, my lips are sealed!”
Miss L, who had been standing with her arms crossed, watching Xiaoxi threaten Fox Momomo, suddenly spoke up.
“Seriously, A Xing, why can’t you just be honest with Ye Xinglan that you already know her identity?”
Xiaoxi paused. “I’m just not ready to face it yet. I’ll talk to her… after some time.”
“Is it really that you’re not ready, or is there another reason? A Xing, we’ve known each other for years, and you’re clearly not acting like yourself today. Are you afraid…”
Xiaoxi patted Miss L on the shoulder, stopping her from saying more.
“Don’t overthink it, L. I’ll handle my own feelings.”
Watching Xiaoxi’s back as she left the tent, Miss L shook her head… Handle it yourself?
Of all people, you’re probably the least capable of handling relationships, A Xing.