Magical Girl Heavy Dependence

Chapter 38, [Miracle]

When the spotlights suddenly focused on the stage, the LED screen that had been playing promotional videos suddenly went out, and the entire stadium fell silent.

As the ten-second countdown began, screams erupted from the audience like a tidal wave, then quickly merged into a unified chant of countdown.

Bang.

All the lights were focused on the center of the stage, where an ordinary girl in a sailor uniform stood with her back to the audience.

She raised her hand and spoke in a low voice:

"Love time!"

A deep bass boomed, drumbeats pounded like thunder, and countless bursts of dazzling magic surged forth like a whirlwind, instantly showering the giant stage with a rain of fireflies. Amidst the shimmering waves of magic, Songlan transformed, a pink beam of light shooting skyward like a sharp sword piercing the darkness, freezing her in the center of everyone's attention.

In an instant, the cheers were deafening, almost lifting the entire dome off its height.

At the fire escape exit, a person shrouded in black robes clapped softly, remarking with admiration, "Truly remarkable!"

The security personnel around them stared blankly, drooling, their eyes filled with a deep purple light.

"Letting extraordinary people who should be high above others take the stage and treat them as actors to please ordinary people, in just a few years, this city has almost become a different place for me. Things have changed and people are no longer the same, which is truly lamentable."

The man in the black robe looked down at the light stick in his hand, which featured a cartoon illustration of Pineapple, and couldn't put it down.

"An idol? Adored by millions, with a hundred followers at your command, you don't have to be a cowardly rat hiding your head in the sand, nor are you hated by anyone. You firmly occupy the moral high ground, making us demons look like rats in the gutter... I'm almost impressed by Hiyori's methods. When she forced me out two years ago, I never imagined she could do this."

"……grown ups."

Someone called out to me from the side.

A muscular man, also wearing a hood, knelt on one knee. His muscles were bulging, his wrists and ankles were wrapped in bandages, and the number '08' was tattooed on his shoulder.

"A total of fourteen magical auras have been searched around the venue, and their locations have all been confirmed."

The man in the black robe grinned as he listened to the report.

"Fourteen! Once upon a time, we and they had to hide our heads and hide our tails, afraid of being found by the other. Who would have thought that fourteen magical girls could gather in such a small stadium!" The exposed teeth twisted into greed, like a ravenous glutton. "If we can gather enough food, the 'Holy Embryo' might be able to advance further and touch the legendary 'Apostle' level above the Star Calamity."

08. He lowered his head and remained silent.

The man in black robes suppressed his thoughts, looked up at the stage where the performance was about to begin, and said calmly, "Go and prepare. Let them go for now and proceed according to the original plan. Let today's appearance be a declaration of war against that woman, Fei Ying. It's time to take back what belongs to me."

08 lowered his head, and his whole body burst into flames like sparks, leaving only a clump of ashes shrouded in black robes in the blink of an eye.

……

Jiang Fei and Liang Ziyi chatted for a long time.

As the concert officially began, people started knocking on the door to visit, mostly to greet Liang Ziyi, the deputy mayor. Jiang Fei also took the opportunity to introduce the visiting guests to Cheng Chen.

Record distributors, GG brand owners, Yincheng newspapers and television stations... all of them, unsurprisingly, had once been magical girls.

These people surrounded Jiang Fei, a multitude of beautiful women, and every now and then a few hostile and obscure gazes fell upon him.

Is it a business relationship network centered around graduating magical girls?

Cheng Chen was secretly surprised.

The group of people present here today are probably the core figures of the entire magical girl community in Yincheng. The operation and expansion of the Magical Girl Association rely on their sponsorship.

However, identity is merely the opportunity to join a circle; what truly sustains a circle is mutual benefit.

"Sister Feifei, we won't disturb your concert, we'll be going now."

After exchanging pleasantries, people began to leave.

Cheng Chen was still immersed in Song Lan's performance when he suddenly heard Liang Ziyi snort not far from him.

"Come here first, then go over there. Do you really think you're about to die?"

He turned around: "What do you mean?"

Liang Ziyi picked up a piece of apple from the fruit plate and said casually, "Those who left should be at the 'Ball Party' area now, and they'll probably stay there until the concert ends."

The ball is a metaphor for the Xianmeng Group.

Regardless of any disagreements between Jiang Fei and Xianmeng Group, the latter remains one of Yinfu Entertainment's biggest partners and naturally sent people to the concert venue.

However, they were not seen among the crowd that came to visit Liang Ziyi.

"Sister Feifei brought you here because she wanted to take advantage of their visit to confirm the partners' positions. If we just waited in your private rooms, there would probably be very few people, maybe only a handful. So why not borrow my identity?"

"It now appears that the situation at Yinfu Entertainment is even worse than what was written in the reports."

Cheng Chen seemed to be deep in thought.

"Is that so?"

"Don't be fooled by their affectionate way of calling each other 'sister.' Businesspeople are very pragmatic. They'll help whoever can give them money, and whoever gives them the most money." Liang Ziyi watched from the sidelines with her arms crossed. "This concert only tells the outside world that Yinfu Entertainment isn't dead yet, but it confirms the rumors that they're all bark and no bite."

After all, everyone knows that the only idol the Yin Mansion can currently boast about is Song Lan.

Jiang Fei said she wanted to boost confidence through the concert, but most people believed that apart from Song Lan, Yin Fu Entertainment had no other bargaining chips.

"There are headhunters outside trying to poach Songlan, so be careful."

After Liang Ziyi finished speaking, she picked up her wine glass and took a small sip.

Cheng Chen's heart stirred slightly, and just as he was about to ask further, Jiang Fei leaned closer.

"The marketing director of Xianmeng Group is in another private room. I'm going to meet him next," she said.

Cheng Chen nodded and stood up.

Jiang Fei reached out to stop him: "Cheng Chen, why don't you stay and chat with Zi Yi more? Hui Ya... Yan Xi was sent to the company by Zi Yi. Now that you're her producer, you should have a lot to talk about."

She paused for a moment and then smiled, "It's too early for you to meet the people from the 'Ball' now."

Cheng Chen knew nothing about business operations, but he had no objection to her arrangements, so he nodded and sat down again.

Liang Ziyi waved to Jiang Fei: "Go quickly and come back soon~"

Jiang Fei winked at her and turned to leave the private room.

In the blink of an eye, only Cheng Chen and Liang Ziyi remained in the private room.

"Don't worry."

Before he could speak, the latter offered words of comfort.

Cheng Chen shook his head slightly. He wasn't worried that Jiang Fei would run into any problems. Before things got ugly, all the activities were just purely business transactions.

"I've only just started working here in Yinfu, and I don't yet have a deep understanding of the relationships and situation inside and outside the company. I need Mayor Liang's help to explain, please excuse my ignorance."

"There's no need to address someone by their job title outside of work settings."

Liang Ziyi responded casually.

She turned her gaze back to the stage beyond the railing and asked, seemingly casually, "Have we met before?"

Cheng Chen paused, about to speak, when she heard her say again, "I remember now, your photo is on the academic calendar released by the Seventh Academy of Yincheng, the only top scorer in Yincheng to be admitted to Tianqiong University?"

"You have a great memory."

"I just happened to see it recently." Liang Ziyi waved her hand. "So it seems we're alumni. I'm a year below you, so I should call you senior."

Cheng Chen knew, of course, that Liang Ziyi was a year below him.

They kidnapped her at the school when they had the chance.

But for now, I'll go along with what she said: "That's quite a coincidence."

"Is Senior Brother Cheng now the producer of Yanxi?"

"That's right."

"How is the child now?"

"That's great, you've made significant progress," Cheng Chen replied, tilting his head.

"Is that so?" Liang Ziyi nodded slightly. "She is my friend's younger sister. After my friend was killed by the demon, she could only rely on her grandmother. At that time, I was focused on finding and tracking down the 'Evil Lord' and was unable to help her sister in time. I only learned about this after I graduated from university, and then I started to support her."

"You just said that you, my junior sister, delivered Yan Xi to the company?"

"Including everyone else as well."

Liang Ziyi thought for a moment and said, "The daily management of the Magical Girl Association is handled by the Magic Affairs Bureau of the Municipality. Ever since the three major magical kingdoms emerged, we have been paying attention to the magical girls they have their eyes on. Sending them to the Music Palace for entertainment is better than watching them be controlled by those old fogies."

"So, does that mean the municipality and the three major nations aren't on the same level?"

Cheng Chen didn't have any particular feelings and just gave a perfunctory reply.

Liang Ziyi looked over, puzzled.

Cheng Chen was taken aback, then chuckled, "Did I say something wrong?"

"What do you think the three great kingdoms are, senior brother?" she asked solemnly.

"have no idea."

Cheng Chen shook his head casually.

In his understanding, the essence of the three great magical kingdoms is inferior or incomplete "miracles".

The so-called "miracle" is a completely sublimated magical realm, similar to the "dream ball" of fairies and demon princesses. It is magic that transcends the conventional magic system and is completely free from restrictions. Magical girls who create such a realm will no longer have the risk of losing their magic power and will become eternal "demons".

The three kingdoms are far less powerful than the real demon princesses, yet they have been passed down from ancient times to the present day; this is probably something similar.

However, Liang Ziyi's words seemed to be a test of his understanding of magic, so answering "I don't know" was the simplest option.

A moment of silence.

The two watched as the performance on stage continued, with one enthusiastic and cheerful song after another playing.

"Yan Xi isn't a bad kid," Liang Ziyi suddenly said.

"Oh?"

Cheng Chen raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "I know."

"She was forced to be strong because she lost her family too early... even if it was just pretending to be strong."

"..."

"Strong-willed and sensitive, yet unsure of what they want, they can only drift along, blindly stumbling around, and then accidentally cause trouble."

"..."

"Under these circumstances, she encountered the [Kaleidoscope Prison] and is to be judged by them." Liang Ziyi's tone turned somber. "Does Senior Brother think this is fair?"

"Hmm... what exactly do you want to say, Junior Sister?" Cheng Chen turned his eyes to the side and asked calmly.

"They are the outsiders!" Liang Ziyi replied decisively. "Antiques should be buried in the ground. There is no place for them in Yincheng now."

At this moment, the music in the center of the stage gradually faded, and the audience erupted in cheers that were deafening.

Cheng Chen and Liang Ziyi exchanged glances. The determination in the latter's eyes was rare. She extended her hand: "So, Senior Brother, what's your answer?"

Cheng Chen tilted his head, his gaze passing over her shoulder and looking behind him.

"What's wrong?"

Liang Ziyi keenly noticed his gaze.

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Chen slowly asked, "Are those people outside also here to visit you?"

Liang Ziyi was taken aback:

"What?"

……