The Association didn’t manage to extract any useful information from Scar-Eye’s mouth. According to Scar-Eye, he had never met Black Rose in person.
All communication between them was carried out through a slime monster, which took on different appearances each time to relay messages.
Therefore, the Association could only confirm for now that this Black Rose likely had the ability to control monsters.
She commissioned the Wolf Gang to carry out the monster attack, entrusted Scar-Eye to help sell the Summoning Church’s magical devices, but herself remained hidden in the shadows, never showing her face.
“This Black Rose came to the Xiahai City black market just over a month ago and did only one thing—secretly hired Scar-Eye to move the Summoning Church’s stuff. But she’s so mysterious!”
“That woman is about this tall,” Hu Molai gestured with her hands, wrapping herself tightly as she spoke, “because she always wrapped herself in a black cloak, I never saw her face. But her figure was pretty good…”
Hu Molai gesticulated wildly as she described, but Xiaoxi couldn’t help interrupting her.
“You said she wrapped herself up tight, so how could you be sure she had a good figure?”
“Because the black cloak she wore was really loose, but…” Hu Molai drew two prominent arcs with her hands, one in front of her chest and one behind her tail, “it didn’t cover anything at all! So she must have a great figure.”
“…Fair enough. But you’ve never seen her face—are you sure that was Black Rose?”
“Of course. I, Hu Molai, never sell uncertain or fake intel! But I definitely can’t tell you where my information came from… then again, maybe I could!”
Seeing Xiaoxi cracking her knuckles, Hu Molai suddenly changed her tone.
“If Miss A Xing really wants to know, I guess it’s not impossible to say—although Black Rose never shows up at the black market, she does occasionally go to that bar near the residential district to drink. Combining that with some other info, I’m pretty sure I got the right person.”
The moment Xiaoxi heard “residential district,” her mind stirred, and she suddenly asked an unrelated question.
“Hu Molai, do you still live in the Underground Residential District?”
“Of course! I’ve been doing business around here, and I’m used to living here. Moving above ground just isn’t my style. Don’t worry about me, Miss A Xing.”
Hu Molai knew Xiaoxi was kind-hearted, otherwise she wouldn’t have repeatedly let her off despite the information betrayals over the years.
L, who was tidying up the information nearby, chipped in: “Hu Molai, do you think Black Rose might be someone from the higher-ups of the Summoning Church?”
“Hmm… probably not.”
Hu Molai tilted her head and thought for a moment.
“I know all the Summoning Church’s higher-ups pretty well from back when I sold intel. I don’t remember any women like… ” Hu Molai drew a wide arc again with her hand, “like that among their top ranks.”
Xiaoxi and L exchanged a glance. This was strange. Since Black Rose could control monsters, she was likely a monster herself.
She also possessed Summoning Church technology and was selling it on the side—but wasn’t actually part of the Summoning Church.
What to do? L, should we stake out that bar and try to catch her?
“No. We still have too little info. She’s extremely cautious—acting rashly would only scare her off.”
L shook her head, then looked at the Little Fox Spirit nearby. “Hu Molai, can you help me continue gathering intel on Black Rose? You won’t lose out on your cut.”
Hu Molai shrank her shoulders unhappily, clearly reluctant.
“Sister Lin, I’ve told you all I know, but helping the Association out… you know, I’m an information dealer. People like me value our credibility above all.”
“If word got out I was working as an informant for the Association, who would dare buy intel from me in the future? That’d be shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Xiaoxi almost laughed in disbelief. Credibility?
When Hu Molai had just knelt in front of her swearing not to betray her again, she turned right around and sold her info to the Summoning Church—no talk of credibility then.
Before Xiaoxi could threaten her, L patted Hu Molai’s shoulder and spoke earnestly.
“Hu Molai, do you know what the best informant really is?”
“W-what?” Hu Molai suddenly felt a bad premonition.
“Think about it. You don’t really believe the Association let you out because you behaved well, do you? I always knew you were still doing your old work after you got out. Why did I never come down on you? Because your behavior was tacitly approved by the Association.”
“So the best informant is the one who doesn’t even realize she’s an informant. Do you still think you have the right to refuse?”
Hu Molai whimpered, her ears drooping, no longer resisting.
And just like that, the matter was happily settled.
Xiaoxi finally understood why L had dragged her along tonight—to play the role of deterrence for Hu Molai.
Before leaving, Hu Molai suddenly suggested, “Since I’m here, how about I do some divination for you two sisters?”
Xiaoxi glanced at the clutter in the tent and the mannequin there. “Aren’t those props just to cover your identity as an info dealer?”
“True, but acting requires sincerity. I seriously studied divination, just never had a chance to try it.”
Xiaoxi sighed but agreed. Following Hu Molai’s instructions, she touched the crystal ball and drew Tarot cards.
“Hmm…”
Hu Molai frowned thoughtfully over the three Tarot cards, then slowly spoke, “Miss A Xing… your love life isn’t going very smoothly, is it? Seems like you’ve been having some romance troubles recently.”
L beside them laughed so hard her glasses almost fell off. “What? Miss A Xing, did you have a fight with your little girlfriend? This divination is pretty accurate!”
“What? Miss A Xing actually has a girlfriend?” Hu Molai’s eyes lit up too.
Xiaoxi scowled, tossed out a dry “That’s not right,” and turned to leave.
There was no way she could tell L that the “little girlfriend” was someone who had recently confessed and been rejected by her… and what romance troubles? She and Ye Xinglan weren’t even a real couple. That’s not a romance problem!
Xiaoxi just thought Hu Molai’s divination skills needed more work. It was simply not accurate!
——
The next morning, at the park clearing, Little Red Riding Hood panted heavily, hands on her knees, resting after training and sparring.
Though she looked disheveled, Xiaoxi knew this was much better than the first time they sparred, when Little Red couldn’t even stand afterward.
Xiaoxi stood with her hands behind her back, face stern, still wearing the serious military drill expression—but inside, she was panicking.
Honestly, Xiaoxi considered canceling today’s training.
After yesterday’s Ranking Test, Little Red Riding Hood already knew she’d been lied to, leaving Xiaoxi in a bind.
Making excuses to cancel would seem suspicious; continuing training meant risking questions Little Red might ask that Xiaoxi wouldn’t know how to answer.
Xiaoxi hadn’t expected things to develop this far—mainly, she didn’t expect her little sister to have such perseverance.
Back when she attended Wan Keke’s parent-teacher conference, the teachers complained that the girl always slept through first period classes!
This was a problem. Xiaoxi knew how much her sister admired the Eternal Star.
Being deceived by her idol would surely hurt—worse if Little Red Riding Hood sensed something was off.
Sure enough, Little Red’s hesitant, stammering expression showed her struggle, but after a moment she gathered courage and stepped in front of Xiaoxi.
“Um… Senior, there’s something I want to say. Actually… I already know you’ve been lying to me!”
Xiaoxi’s heart sank. She started thinking how she would comfort Little Red if questioned why she lied.
But Little Red didn’t look angry. She bit her lip tightly and said, “But I don’t blame you. You only did it for my own good, right…?”
Understand? Xiaoxi froze. What did “for my own good” even mean?
Xiaoxi admitted she wanted to force Wan Keke to quit for Little Red’s sake—but she hadn’t expected Little Red to guess that.
This stubborn girl—had she figured out Xiaoxi was the Eternal Star?
Xiaoxi swallowed nervously and nodded, turning away with hands behind her back, trying to look like a sage detached from the world—really just trying not to show how nervous she was.
“I know you usually say I’m weak, that I’m below average for my level, but I also understand your good intentions… You want me to progress faster, right?”
“You fabricate lies and hide my true strength just to stimulate me, to push me to train harder under pressure. Only someone who doesn’t know how far the finish line is will keep sprinting at full speed… That’s what you mean, isn’t it?”
“Senior, thank you for your guidance!”
Silence settled, a few leaves drifting down from the trees. From behind, Little Red Riding Hood could only see her senior’s shoulders trembling slightly, as if holding back tears of emotion…
After a long moment, Xiaoxi exhaled heavily and slowly spoke, “You’re absolutely right. I’m glad you understand my intentions…”
Xiaoxi hadn’t been silent because she was brooding, but because she was barely holding back laughter—the shaking shoulders betrayed it.
She wanted to call Ye Xinglan over and say, “This is what a real Eternal Star fan looks like.”
Though it was a bit odd to say about her own fan and sister, it was thanks to Little Red’s trust in the Eternal Star that she’d come to such a ridiculous conclusion from such simple logic.
“Yes, yes, exactly. You’re so right. That’s exactly how I feel!”
“It’s like this, Senior. Yesterday, the Association conducted the Ranking Test. I found out my exact stats…”
“Don’t say more—I know your level. You are definitely very talented. You’re the most gifted Magical Girl I’ve ever trained.”
Little Red wanted to explain more, but thinking back to yesterday’s test, Xiaoxi felt a strange sense of relief and waved her off.
This wasn’t flattery. Little Red Riding Hood truly was the most promising Magical Girl Xiaoxi had seen. Her progress in just one month was beyond ordinary.
Now, if she encountered the monsters that had tormented her before, she wouldn’t be powerless like last time.
That gave Xiaoxi some peace of mind. Though her plan to make the stubborn girl give up being a Magical Girl had failed, the girl’s rapid progress meant she could protect herself better—so in a way, the goal was achieved.
After all, Xiaoxi never truly opposed Wan Keke becoming a Magical Girl. As her sister, she just didn’t want to see her in danger.
“Starting tomorrow, you don’t need to come see me every day for training. Once a week will be enough.”
Xiaoxi said this not because she’d lost motivation after her plan fell apart, but because there was nothing left she could teach Little Red right now.
Little Red had already mastered everything a Magical Girl at her level should know.
The rest would have to wait until she reached at least C-rank; otherwise, Xiaoxi’s teaching would be pointless.
“…Senior, wait!”
Seeing Xiaoxi about to leave, Little Red gathered her courage to call after her.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a long time. Of course, it’s okay if you don’t want to answer…”
Little Red chose her words carefully. Although in the past month they’d hardly talked outside training, she felt they had grown somewhat close—or rather, Xiaoxi always gave her a strangely familiar feeling.
“Why did you choose to retire? After the Great Chaos Era ended, I always thought you would join the Magical Girl Association as its top star. I worked hard to become a Magical Girl dreaming we’d fight side by side.”
Xiaoxi stopped in her tracks. This question wasn’t just from Little Red—online speculation was rampant and wild.
“Sigh…”
Xiaoxi sighed, her expression resigned.
There were many reasons she chose to retire, and the main one she couldn’t make public. But she could share that key reason with Little Red.
Since Little Red had no plans to quit the Association, Xiaoxi thought it was time to tell her the truth—to show her the Association wasn’t as… noble as she imagined.
“To put it simply, the Association and I have different paths. I couldn’t accept the direction they chose after the Great Chaos, so I refused to join them. That’s it.”
“Besides, the world after the Great Chaos is much more peaceful than before. Whether I’m here or not makes little difference. I also want to spend more time with my… family.”
Xiaoxi found a patch of grass and sat down facing Little Red, looking seriously at her sister’s face.
Little Red’s transformed look was very lively—red cloak, hunter-style outfit, knee-high leather boots.
No wonder she was called Little Red Riding Hood.
“Little Red, do you know what a Magical Girl needs to do to improve her strength, to grow?”
Little Red blinked, not understanding how this question connected with what Xiaoxi just said about the Association.
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