Chapter Nine: An Encounter Neither Dreamt Nor Fated, Neither Inevitable Nor Accidental

“Hello, sister, I’d like a pudding milk tea, but no pudding—I’m trying to lose weight.”

The newly opened milk tea shop was cool and fresh, the pristine decor still faintly scented with paint. It was the middle of the afternoon, still school hours, so naturally, there weren’t many customers.

Hearing the voice, the attendant lowered her gaze and saw a little girl stretching on tiptoe, only able to reveal a pair of pretty eyes. She found it hard to keep a straight face, then gently said, “Little one, at your age, eating more pudding will help you grow taller.”

The little girl made a shy face and mumbled after a moment, “…Then half the pudding, and I’m sixteen years old.”

Behind the girl, Jiang Keke watched silently, staring at the small figure in front of her.

Indeed, this little girl was the same one who had earlier appeared like a battle-hardened veteran—a pink magical girl.

Jiang Keke had expected her to be more serious.

“I’ll have a glass of lemon water,” Jiang Keke said, rummaging through her pocket and discovering a discount coupon she had saved earlier, letting out a relieved sigh. Her allowance was limited.

The little girl, leaning on the counter, tilted her head and glanced at her, “Lemon water doesn’t taste good.”

“But it’s cheap.”

The attendant smiled warmly and said, “Sisters should take care of each other.”

“We’re not sisters,” Jiang Keke denied, “And she’s older than me.”

“Oh, haha, I see…” The attendant laughed awkwardly. “It’ll be ready soon; please wait a moment.”

This was a newly opened milk tea shop near a school, where competition was fierce. To attract customers, new shops often offered big discounts.

With the discount coupon, lemon water cost just eighty cents—the cheapest price on the entire street.

Before long, the pudding milk tea and lemon water were served. Watching the petite senior girl stretch on tiptoe to hold her milk tea, Jiang Keke helped her lift it.

Sixteen years old and still so short—there was really no hope.

She thought this somewhat rudely but was also amazed that magical girls’ transformations could increase height.

Though she had some knowledge about magical girls, she obviously didn’t know such details.

The two found a secluded spot by the window to sit. Jiang Keke put down her backpack but didn’t rush to drink her lemon water. Instead, she looked at the magical girl sitting opposite her.

The girl sat on the stool with her feet dangling.

Her attire was actually quite mature—a black turtleneck tucked into an ultra-high-waisted black mini skirt that emphasized her slender waist and lengthened her legs.

Though the effect was minimal.

The skirt rose above the knees, paired with thick-soled lace-up combat boots, maintaining a mature, aloof style while adding height.

Unfortunately, her happy expression—eyes squinting as she bit the straw to drink milk tea—was somewhat childish, completely negating the mature impression her outfit aimed for.

Noticing Jiang Keke’s gaze, Silver Lotus confidently broke the silence first.

“Congratulations, Jiang Keke, on becoming a magical girl.”

Jiang Keke smiled wryly. “Thanks, but I don’t think it’s something to be congratulated on...”

“Alright then.” Silver Lotus’s casual, lazy expression turned a bit more serious.

“In that case, I’ll be straightforward. Jiang Keke, would you like to join the Disaster Response Bureau?”

Jiang Keke hesitated before asking, “Can I choose not to join?”

“Of course you can refuse, but you’ll still have to be under the Bureau’s supervision. Every transformation requires reports, and leaving BH City involves complicated procedures…”

Though she had expected this, Jiang Keke felt a bit disappointed.

She asked reluctantly, “So even independent magical girls are controlled…”

Silver Lotus nodded seriously, “Of course. Acting alone leads nowhere. Defeating disaster beasts doesn’t come with a salary, and some criminals target magical girls’ powers. Without transforming, magical girls are fragile and vulnerable to surprise attacks—very dangerous. You have to think carefully.”

“But isn’t there a group of independent magical girls?”

“Listen carefully.” Silver Lotus’s tone suddenly grew stern. “That’s an illegal organization! Getting caught means prosecution and imprisonment. Don’t go astray!”

Jiang Keke was startled.

She knew the Disaster Response Bureau was cautious and strict with magical girls’ powers, but this harsh attitude was beyond her expectations.

“You don’t know them at all. The only illegal magical girl group in BH City—the Azure Cloud Sect! Do you know how terrible they are?”

Jiang Keke shrank back, though despite her small stature, her resolve resembled that of a teacher. She softly retorted, “But the Azure Cloud Sect hasn’t harmed civilians and has been fighting disaster beasts…”

“Fighting?” Silver Lotus sneered, “That’s not fighting, that’s hunting! They see disaster beasts as prey, competing with official magical girls for them, even attacking magical girls!”

“Healthy market competition, then…”

Silver Lotus gave her a sharp look, and Jiang Keke fell silent.

Taking a deep sip of her milk tea, the official magical girl continued, “What’s truly frightening about the Azure Cloud Sect is not just hunting disaster beasts—they breed them. Their members claim these beasts can be tamed into guardian spirits for the sect. It’s utterly absurd. A large gathering of disaster beasts could lead to disastrous consequences if they lose control.”

“What are guardian spirits?”

“How would I know?” Silver Lotus snorted. “They’re a bunch of lunatics who’ll eventually be dealt with by the Disaster Response Bureau. I’m not trying to scare you, but since you’re a newcomer, I can’t let you go down the wrong path. They don’t just steal disaster beasts; they also steal magical girls’ miracle seeds and use them to tame the magical girls into their tools.”

“Oh, I see.” Jiang Keke was taken aback, rubbing the cold lemon water in her hands. “Has the Bureau found any trace of the Azure Cloud Sect?”

Realizing her earlier excitement had made the mood tense, Silver Lotus softened her tone. “Not yet. The Azure Cloud Sect has been very good at hiding.”

“Dong Jun has been active openly, right? Is he hard to trace?”

“Dong Jun isn’t the main focus.” Silver Lotus shook her head. “The leader of the Azure Cloud Sect—the one they call the Sect Master—is a purple magical girl, the only blooming-level magical girl in the sect. She’s the Bureau’s greatest concern—not only powerful but elusive…”

“A purple magical girl?”

Jiang Keke murmured, immediately thinking of the one who taught her to transform today.

So the leader of the independent magical girls’ group?

Impressive.

A sense of pride blossomed in her heart.

“The purple magical girl is very dangerous.” Silver Lotus’s face darkened. “She has actually killed magical girls.”

Jiang Keke froze, stammering, “That’s… not possible, killing magical girls…”

“The Bureau has records. If you see a purple magical girl, it’s best to stay away. But don’t worry too much—she rarely appears, so you probably won’t encounter her.”

But I did meet her…

Jiang Keke thought silently but didn’t say it.

Compared to this girl she was meeting for the first time, she preferred to believe in Shion, the one who saved her.

She couldn’t be a villain.

…

The Seed of Lament.

Holding the black seed, Jiang Si, still mid-transformation, watched the dark mist swirling inside under the sunlight.

When magic passed through the Seed of Lament, the black mist melted and dissolved into colorful light.

Jiang Si called this magical light the Magic Crystal.

Though at first he thought of it as a demon pill, disaster beasts resembled magical beasts more than demon beasts.

So, in the end, he felt the Seed of Lament was closer to a Magic Crystal.

By experience, Magic Crystals could be used for cultivation or as currency.

Unfortunately, BH City had no mercenary guilds offering bounties for Magic Crystals—it lacked a certain flavor.

Early cultivation in the magical world differed somewhat from immortal cultivation, but in the end, they were similar: understanding laws and opening paths.

This is called reaching the same destination by different routes.

Jiang Si tried many cultivation methods. Pure physical training rarely improved a magical girl’s power, since their strength was already formidable.

Meditation and enlightenment were somewhat advanced and unsuitable at his current level.

Absorbing spiritual energy was difficult in this world—there was much pollution, and magical girls couldn’t absorb spiritual energy.

Moreover, sensing and refining spiritual energy required innate talent, which Jiang Si lacked. He didn’t have it before transforming, but after transforming, he probably had a spiritual root.

Since his magic resembled fire, he guessed he had a fire spiritual root.

Other cultivation methods—like fighting spirit, fruit stages, sequences, roles, potions—were even less likely.

Aside from magical girls, this world didn’t have many strange things. Or perhaps he just hadn’t encountered them, like how he hadn’t encountered magical girls before.

The final method he found was absorbing Magic Crystals to accumulate magic power.

Primitive yet widespread; whether magic or immortal cultivation, similar methods existed.

Experience proved the wisdom of predecessors was sound—web novels weren’t made up but based on theory and facts.

Magic Crystals contained the power of disaster beasts, akin to magical girls’ power, though possibly differing slightly in nature.

For Jiang Si, it made no difference—he absorbed them all the same.

Once fully absorbed, the Magic Crystal—the Seed of Lament—shattered like glass, scattering shards everywhere.

Jiang Si flicked his fingers, sending a purple flame to burn the fragments into ash, which drifted away in the wind.

His power had not increased much.

About half a year ago, after absorbing the Magic Crystal’s power, he had stepped into the blooming level. Since then, gains from absorbing Magic Crystals had diminished.

This was recorded in novels too: pure power accumulation had limits.

Next, breaking through would depend on enlightenment or extraordinary luck.

The purple flame gradually faded from his body. Ending his transformation, Jiang Si felt his vision was slightly higher.

Losing height after transforming was a bit hard to accept—small differences could be fatal in battle.

He spent much time training to adapt so neither form’s height would reveal flaws.

Holding the purple miracle seed, Jiang Si wiped it clean.

The pure purple flame inside had been tainted with dirt.

Black spots covered the seed’s surface like stains.

Absorbing Magic Crystals polluted one’s magic—a long-outdated concept that still lingered here.

This place was clearly behind the times.

Jiang Si didn’t mind and put it away casually.

Pollution could be eliminated by further advancement—not worth worrying about.

Just a little wear and tear.

Returning to the factory, Ice Sugar had already left—she was a model student who never skipped more than half a day.

Jiang Si continued his training.

Having just absorbed the Magic Crystal’s power, he wanted to try transferring the magic power’s effects to his physical body.

Since transforming three years ago, he discovered his body’s limits had been unlocked.

Before, once he reached a physical peak, he could no longer improve.

With the magical girl’s power, he never faced such bottlenecks.

Clearly, the magical girl’s power influenced this.

So, if he could transmit the Magic Crystal’s magic into his body, perhaps he could break through further.

He tried lifting weights and pull-ups.

The results were disappointing.

Magic power was unbearable for ordinary humans—large amounts caused death.

One danger of disaster beasts was their unconscious spreading of magic power; staying near them polluted ordinary people, weakening their bodies.

But small amounts of magic power couldn’t even condense inside the body—they dissipated quickly.

He needed another method.

He heard the Disaster Response Bureau used miracle seeds to pass on power.

But once a seed was used for inheritance, the original owner lost their transformation powers and all memories related to being a magical girl—a cruel fate.

Moreover, forcibly taking a magical girl’s miracle seed was troublesome and didn’t fit the Azure Cloud Sect’s style.

Main characters in web novels usually had a righteous worldview, though sometimes their families had three coffins standing upright—but Jiang Si wasn’t into wanton killing.

Either way, seizing vacant miracle seeds from the Bureau was much easier than stealing from magical girls directly.

Ice Sugar had been planning this for a long time; results should show soon…

After training, Jiang Si got off the pull-up bar, wiped sweat, glanced at the time—it was almost time to go home.

A bird suddenly flew in from nowhere.

Looking closely, it was composed of threads of flowing magic lines, woven into a vivid little bird that perched on Jiang Si’s shoulder.

“Master,” it chirped sharply, almost like a bird’s call but intelligible.

“Disaster Response Bureau personnel have contacted your sister. Should I stop them?”

Jiang Si, having just rinsed sweat under the waterfall in the Illusory Moon Cave, shook his head. “Leave her be.”

Joining the Bureau would be beneficial to them.