After the great battle, the ferocious roars of the Brutal Beast and the explosive sounds of magic power finally faded away.

The wetland park in the dead of night returned to its rightful tranquility.

The residual waves of magic power and the smell of gunpowder dissipated, leaving only the remnants of the monster in the forest.

A mysterious girl in deep blue retracted the magic threads spread around her, and the small scissors in her hand transformed back into a magic wand. With a few light leaps, she arrived beside the beast's skeleton and retrieved a brooch-like item from its neck. Star-like lights began to gather from the beast's body towards the brooch.

Not far away, Lin Xiaolu recognized what the girl was doing.

She was collecting the "Echo" of the Brutal Beast.

The so-called "Echo" refers to the residual magic power and soul fragments left behind after a Brutal Beast is defeated.

Magical Girls defeat Brutal Beasts, collect the Echo from their bodies, and hand it over to the Seeders. The Seeders then send the Echo back to the Magic Kingdom, which assesses the strength of the Echo to determine the Magical Girl's contribution and grants corresponding rewards.

This is the reward mechanism between the Magical Girls and the Magic Kingdom.

At this moment, although Lin Xiaolu was the first to discover the Brutal Beast and initiate the battle, it was undoubtedly the mysterious Magical Girl who appeared suddenly and delivered the final blow. Therefore, it was only natural for her to collect the Echo.

Lin Xiaolu approached the mysterious girl, not caring about the Echo but having something else on her mind.

However, before she could speak, the mysterious girl asked first, "Are you a newbie?"

"Ah? Uh, yes."

Caught off guard by the question, Lin Xiaolu instinctively responded, then remembered she had something to say, "Um, thank you very much for your help..."

"Where is your Seeder? Didn't it tell you not to challenge a Brutal Beast beyond your capability alone?"

The mysterious girl continued her barrage of questions, not giving Lin Xiaolu a chance to speak, "And where are your companions? Didn't you notify them before setting out?"

Lin Xiaolu felt dizzy from the questions, "Seeder? Companions? I'm alone..."

"Huh?"

The mysterious girl looked at her in disbelief, "You're alone? But aren't you a Magical Girl from Fangting City?"

Lin Xiaolu stammered, "Yes... that's right. Is there a problem?"

The mysterious girl didn't answer her. Instead, her gaze shifted to the fairy who had been trying to stay unnoticed beside them—Mo Ke.

"Hey, fairy over there, are you this kid's Seeder?"

Mo Ke, who had been hiding behind Lin Xiaolu, reluctantly came out when called, "Uh, hello?"

"That's not a proper greeting!"

The mysterious girl put her hands on her hips, looking somewhat aggressive, "I have a ton of questions for you. Why is Fangting City in this state?"

She pointed to the bewildered Lin Xiaolu, "In such a big city, there's only one newbie Magical Girl who can't even use her Magical Assembly?"

"This kid hasn't participated in more than five battles, right? In other cities, newbies like her would be led by Leaf Stage Magical Girls. Are you trying to get her killed by making her fight a Caterpillar alone?"

Mo Ke quickly shook her head, "No, I didn't mean to harm Little Lu!"

Lin Xiaolu also explained, "It's not Mo Ke's fault! I insisted on continuing tonight!"

"Why?"

The mysterious girl crossed her arms, determined to get to the bottom of it, "Where are the other Magical Girls of Fangting City?"

"I don't know..."

"Hmm?"

Mo Ke's voice was almost inaudible, "I mean, I don't know..."

"What are you saying? I don't understand."

The mysterious girl remained expressionless, "A Seeder doesn't know where the Magical Girls of their city are?"

"Yes."

"Even though you personally signed contracts with each of them?"

"Uh..."

"Even though each one must be registered with the Magic Kingdom?"

"Uh... there's no reason to tell you that, right?"

Mo Ke's face showed obvious hesitation, but she still stubbornly said, "Even though I'm a Seeder, I have no obligation to disclose the local personnel distribution to an outsider Magical Girl."

The mysterious girl nodded, "Indeed, you're right. Keeping information confidential is a good quality for a Seeder."

Hearing this, Mo Ke breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could fully relax, the girl's next words made her tense up again.

"Well, what if I said I'm an Inspector?"

"You're lying! Don't try to trick me!"

The pink cat fairy shouted, flailing her paws, "You-you-you can't fool me, I don't believe you are..."

Lin Xiaolu squatted nearby, clicking her tongue, "Mo Ke, you're shaking like you're electrocuted."

The mysterious girl looked at Mo Ke with suspicion but still seriously took out a badge from her collar. With a light touch, the magic circuits activated, revealing the pattern on its surface: a deep blue background with a flower design on top; a name inscribed in Favo runes on the left, partially covered by her finger; and a crown-like symbol with the number "41076" in floral script.

She flashed the badge briefly before putting it away.

"Although you probably heard it earlier, let me introduce myself."

She coldly surveyed the Magical Girl and the fairy in front of her, lifting her chin slightly, "I am an Inspector from the Magic Kingdom, Magical Girl certified by Flower Card number 41076, Cui Que. I am here to investigate the abnormal situation in Fangting City, and I hope you will cooperate."

The cat fairy's eyes widened, "Ah?"

"Ah-ah-ah..."

The shock left Mo Ke speechless, her voice reduced to a hoarse cry, "Meow meow meow? Meow meow meow. Meow meow meow meow!"

Lin Xiaolu also widened her eyes, "Mo Ke is starting to talk nonsense!"

"Ah—really!"

After a brief struggle, the cat fairy couldn't help but grab her ears and shout in frustration, "Fine! I admit it! I'm not the original Seeder of Fangting City, okay? I snuck out on my own!"

"I only arrived in this city last month, hoping to find a senior I knew. But when I got here, I found nothing!"

"Senior Nini isn't here! There's no other Magical Girl in this city, and I was immediately attacked by a Brutal Beast! Then I found myself inexplicably appointed as the Seeder here!"

Lin Xiaolu was shocked, "Huh? So, back then?"

Mo Ke laughed bitterly, "Yes, that Brutal Beast was after me. I was desperate and saw you had the potential to be a Magical Girl, so I chose you!"

"And you told me I was a once-in-a-century genius destined to be the greatest Magical Girl?"

"I made that up!"

"And you said that Brutal Beast randomly appeared to attack civilians?"

"That was a lie too!"

"What? You, you liar!"

"I'm a liar! I'm rotten!"

Seeing the relationship between the girl and the fairy on the verge of breaking, the Magical Girl who called herself Cui Que had to intervene, "Alright, you two, stop for a moment."

She pressed her palm down with a serious expression, "I need to confirm, the fairy... Mo Ke, right? You said you arrived in this city last month and found no Seeder or Magical Girls?"

Mo Ke, now completely resigned, nodded, "Yes, that's right."

"But you could still choose this girl..."

Lin Xiaolu raised her hand, "My name is Lin Xiaolu."

Cui Que turned back to Mo Ke, "You could still choose Lin Xiaolu and make her a Magical Girl?"

Mo Ke hung her head, "Yes."

Cui Que pressed on, "So, you weren't originally a Seeder, but after arriving in Fangting City, you found yourself appointed as the Seeder?"

Mo Ke nodded again, "Yes."

"Unheard of."

Cui Que rubbed her chin in thought, "The Magic Kingdom's orders shouldn't be so casual. Didn't you try to contact the Kingdom to understand the situation?"

At these words, Mo Ke's already gloomy face darkened further.

This made Cui Que suspect the worst.

"You... could it be..."

She couldn't help but point at the cat fairy.

Mo Ke turned her head, closed her eyes, and said:

"Yes, I cut off all contact methods when I snuck out."

"Damn, I'm starting to get a headache."

Hearing this, Cui Que couldn't help but hold her forehead, "So now all effective information sources are cut off, we have no idea what's happening in Fangting City, and the magical defense force is nearly zero?"

"That's right, exactly, Inspector, you have to help us!"

Mo Ke quickly tried to build rapport, using her cute fairy appearance to her advantage, tearfully clinging to Cui Que's shoulder:

"Tonight was already very dangerous. If you hadn't shown up, Little Lu and I would have been wiped out. We can't hold off the increasingly strong attacks of the Brutal Beasts like this!"

"Stop flattering! Let go!"

Cui Que frowned and pushed her away, "You need my help? How?"

Mo Ke, undeterred, put on a slightly ingratiating smile, "Well, if you could contact the Kingdom and request some support forces, maybe some other Flower Card holders..."

"Flower Cards? Dream on."

Cui Que gave her a sidelong glance, "And I'm sorry to tell you, I can't contact the Kingdom either because I don't have a usable magic mirror."

The cat fairy covered her mouth, "Can't contact? Are you also a runaway..."

"Of course not, I'm authorized by the Royal Court to act independently."

Cui Que lifted her eyelids slightly, cutting off her wild speculation, "The communication issue is my personal problem, and I don't want to explain it now."

The situation seemed to be at an impasse.

Mo Ke, realizing no reinforcements were coming, looked utterly defeated, while Cui Que seemed deep in thought.

Left on the sidelines, Lin Xiaolu finally found a chance to speak, hesitantly raising her hand:

"Um, Miss Cui Que... senior?"

Cui Que turned to her, looking puzzled, "Just call me Cui Que."

"Then... Cui Que?" Lin Xiaolu tentatively called.

"Why so hesitant?"

Cui Que raised an eyebrow, clearly dissatisfied with Lin Xiaolu's reaction but didn't press further, steering the conversation back on track, "If you have questions, ask them quickly. No need for formalities."

"Ah, well..."

Lin Xiaolu took a deep breath, her eyes wandering before she closed them, clasping her hands to her chest:

"I think it's amazing!"

"Huh?" Cui Que was stunned.

"I mean, you said to watch your battle, and now I feel amazing, my heart is racing! No, I'm really moved!"

After expressing her thoughts, Lin Xiaolu seemed to abandon all reservations, speaking faster and faster, "Until now, my heart hasn't stopped pounding, my heartbeat is so fast!"

"Since I was little, I've always loved Magical Girl animations. I thought the Magical Girls in the animations were cute and powerful, doing things I wanted to do but couldn't, they were so dazzling!"

"I wanted to change myself, forget the things I hated, escape from a suffocating life. So when I found out I could become a Magical Girl, I was thrilled, thinking my dreams could come true!"

She paused briefly, slowing her speech, "But after becoming a Magical Girl, I realized that besides fighting disgusting monsters, nothing changed. I still hated everything around me, even myself."

"But just now, when I was about to be killed by that Brutal Beast, thinking I was about to leave this hateful world, you appeared, Cui Que!"

"Your battle was so cool! So graceful! It was like a Magical Girl from an animation appeared before me, like a fantasy character became real, so I was really, really moved!"

Lin Xiaolu's heartfelt outburst left Cui Que somewhat moved.

Because she never knew her daughter felt this way.

Yes, her daughter.

Cui Que was Lin Yun.

She had driven dozens of kilometers from home to the park to save her daughter from the Brutal Beast, transforming into a Magical Girl for the first time in 19 years.

She didn't reveal her identity to her daughter immediately, instead adopting the persona of an "Inspector" and speaking in an overbearing manner to intimidate the Seeder named "Mo Ke" and extract information.

But she didn't expect that while she succeeded in intimidating, she gained no useful information.

Apart from knowing Mo Ke was incompetent and Fangting City's situation was dire, she learned nothing new.

Instead, her daughter Lin Xiaolu's words caught her off guard.

"And besides the battle, your weapon is very stylish!"

While Cui Que was silent, Lin Xiaolu continued, her eyes shining as if stars were twinkling in them, "It feels imposing and reliable!"

"Your face is cute, and your small stature is adorable!"

"Your outfit is very beautiful!"

"Your way of speaking is so cool!"

This series of almost sycophantic praises left Cui Que increasingly at a loss. Although her face remained cold, her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Lin Xiaolu's rapid-fire compliments continued until she finally bowed deeply:

"So, I want to become a Magical Girl like you, to become my ideal self. Can you teach me?"

This request was a huge shock to Cui Que.

She couldn't help but reflect on how things had come to this.

In the fourteen years since Lin Xiaolu was born, their father-daughter relationship had never been this close. Even during their best times, Lin Xiaolu had never expressed such admiration.

But now, these words that moved her deeply also put her in a difficult position.

The persona of "Cui Que" that she had created was so admired and aspired to by her daughter. Could she reveal the truth now?

If her daughter found out that the admired "Cui Que" was actually her annoying father, she might be very disappointed.

She might even hate her more, making future communication even harder.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, her vision blurred, and she saw Mo Ke tearfully approaching again, looking pitiful, "Inspector—"

"Cui Que!"

Lin Xiaolu also looked at her with starry eyes.

Both the girl and the fairy looked at her with pleading eyes, their faces close to hers, making Cui Que's thoughts increasingly chaotic.

Combined with Lin Xiaolu's earlier praises, which touched her deeply, her usually rational mind began to waver.

"Okay, okay?"

Cui Que, in this moment, made a promise she would never have agreed to before.