The next day, the sky was clear and refreshing.
The abnormal weather brought by the Volcano Monster was gradually receding, and Hong Kong City's weather became cool again, which made today's mountain climbing plan much more comfortable.
Su Tianqing stood in the resting pavilion halfway up the mountain, leaning on the railing, looking at the concrete forest of Hong Kong City in the distance, and the cargo ships coming and going in the trade port.
“Xiaoyu, look quickly, that cargo ship is so big!”
“That’s an ocean-going cargo ship. I heard it can cross several oceans along the coastline and transport goods to the other side of the world.”
“It’s truly an industrial marvel.”
The Fox Girl happily wagged her tail, her fluffy tail bringing a fresh scent of gardenia in the cool breeze, occasionally intertwining with the taut Cat Girl's tail beside her, as if deliberately teasing.
Nan Xiaofeng stood silently not far away, acting as a fox-attracting Monster, as if her face was plastered with the words “Why haven’t these two gotten married yet?”
“Xiaofeng, are you… secretly watching Tianqing Jie and Jia Yu Jie again?”
Hua Ling came over, handed Nan Xiaofeng her thermos, and said with a smile.
“I’m not secretly watching! I’m… I’m watching openly!” Nan Xiaofeng argued.
Nan Xiaofeng took small sips of the warm water in her thermos, her gaze shifting from the affectionate Cat Girl and Fox Girl duo to Hua Ling, taking the opportunity to change the subject:
“Fortunately, the weather is cooler today, otherwise the water we brought might not be enough.”
“Yes, yes, yes, openly watching. So, Xiaofeng, do you think Tianqing Jie and Jia Yu Jie are having fun in Hong Kong City?” Hua Ling chuckled softly.
“They should be quite happy, look, they’re even taking pictures.”
Nan Xiaofeng pouted, but immediately noticed their matching phone cases.
The Golden Fox wrapped her arm around the Cat Girl’s neck, pressing close, their fox ears and cat ears tightly touching, and smiled joyfully at the camera.
The Cat Girl was clearly shyer, but having experienced so much together, her posture appeared much more natural than before.
At least her tail wouldn’t straighten out due to such intimate gestures anymore.
“Seeing their relationship so good makes me feel happy too,” Nan Xiaofeng replied honestly.
She understood Jia Yu Jie very well.
Although she and Jia Yu Jie were not related by blood, Jia Yu Jie had grown up with her and was no different from a biological older sister.
The only difference was that when she was little, she liked to pull Jia Yu Jie’s tail to play, and then she would get a beating from Jia Yu Jie, and her grandparents would also give her a good lecture.
And before Jia Yu Jie came to Rong City to study, she wouldn't laugh so leisurely as she did now. Outside, she always looked unapproachable, and her personality was very reclusive. She had never seen her have any friends.
But this little Fox Fox in front of her only took a few months to transform the once fierce Jia Yu Jie into her current lively appearance. What a miraculous healer, Doctor Fox Fox!
Nan Xiaofeng sighed inwardly.
Tianqing Jie, not only understanding, but also very cute, with an incredibly fluffy tail. Every gesture and smile was captivating, even giving her an inexplicable urge to get closer to her.
But her relationship with Jia Yu Jie might be even more intimate than she imagined, and besides, she was Jia Yu Jie’s younger sister, so there was no way she could…
“Tianqing Jie, she is a very charming person.”
Hua Ling suddenly said, her voice very soft, only Nan Xiaofeng beside her could hear clearly,
“Xiaofeng, do you still remember, when we encountered hesitation and difficulties, as long as we went to her, we would definitely find a solution.”
“Of course I remember, I’ve chatted with Tianqing Jie several times,” Nan Xiaofeng nodded honestly.
She still remembered it very clearly, especially that heart-to-heart talk during the merchandise exchange, which strengthened her belief as Magical Girl Hyacinth.
That was to protect her friends and loved ones around her, and to protect this peaceful and tranquil life!
“Speaking of which, they said there’s a famous scenic spot on the mountaintop, what was its name again?” Hua Ling asked.
After watching the affectionate interaction between the Cat Girl and Fox Fox for a while, Nan Xiaofeng felt her mouth filled with dog food. She took a few sips of water to swallow the dog food and answered Hua Ling’s question.
“Inari Memorial Hall.”
“Memorial Hall? Why commemorate Inari?” Hua Ling tilted her head curiously.
Nan Xiaofeng replied with a smile:
“Hehe… we’ll go up and see later, then you’ll know why.”
…
Everyone arrived at the summit of Tai Ping Mountain.
What met their eyes, besides the greenery and spacious square on the summit, was the building standing at the edge of the square—
The emblem of the Hero Association, a promotional standee of Magic Girl Inari, and a few scattered tourists entering and exiting, comprised everything of this simple building.
Inari’s design was that of a red Fox Girl. The standee displayed her classic debut pose, lively and clever, just like a nimble little Fox Fox.
“The Memorial Hall, this is it,” Nan Xiaofeng murmured to herself.
“Hmm… From its appearance, it doesn’t seem very special,” Hua Ling also murmured along.
To be honest, Nan Xiaofeng herself felt this memorial hall was a bit too simple.
Who was Inari? She was the veteran Magic Girl who once single-handedly protected Hong Kong City. Although she had faded from public view due to retirement, no one would forget her achievements:
The magic barrier she set up brought over a decade of peace to Hong Kong City. For so many years, no powerful Monster had appeared in Hong Kong City, and even if they did, they were of a level that the subsequent Hailanshi Team could easily handle.
Nan Xiaofeng felt that Inari should at least have a marble statue to be fitting.
Everyone entered the memorial hall.
The interior style was much more magnificent than it appeared from the outside, with exhibitions of Inari’s past deeds everywhere, numerous and dazzling.
“The Hong Kong City Defense Barrier, it sounds so powerful…”
Hua Ling looked at the explanation on the display board in surprise, her mouth slightly agape.
As a new Magic Girl enthusiast, Hua Ling had never heard of Inari’s model-worker level deeds and was too surprised to close her mouth.
“I heard it prevented powerful Monsters from being born in Hong Kong City. It’s a super powerful magic.”
“That’s right, it’s because of this barrier that Hong Kong City has been able to pass so many years safely. We all have to thank Inari for her hard work and dedication!”
Nan Xiaofeng enthusiastically acted as a tour guide for Hua Ling, and Lin Muyao also joined in the explanation. The two veteran fans spoke with great animation, even attracting curious tourists around them.
Compared to the excited Nan Xiaofeng and the others, Su Tianqing was more purposeful, going directly to the glass display stand wrapped in bulletproof glass at the center of the memorial hall.
The Golden Fox looked up, focusing her gaze on the splendid display stand illuminated by spotlights.
In the center of that display stand, a shining golden cross star stood prominently on a transparent stand, with a fox mask placed beside it, exuding a mysterious aura.
“guardian star?”
Nan Jiayu followed the Fox Girl, asking curiously.
“That’s Inari’s guardian star, and also the fox mask she often wore when she was active as a Magic Girl,” Su Tianqing replied.
A message came from the familiar spirit:
“Egg Task: Inari Harvest, Updated”
“Investigate Inari’s Harvest Magic, find a way to optimize it, 0 / 1”
“Reward: Inari’s Starry Farm”
“Additional Condition: Obtain Inari’s fox mask, 0 / 1”
“Additional Reward: Unlock Xin Yue Magic Wand’s new form”
What? What reward is this?
Su Tianqing was momentarily stunned, ordering the familiar spirit to re-check the text on the secret codex to confirm she hadn’t misread it, then looked at the fox mask with an even more peculiar gaze.
The Golden Fox’s lips suddenly curved into a joyful smile.
Using a grand heist as the opening ceremony for this Hong Kong City Magic Girl cop and robber blockbuster was truly… exciting.