“You saw the giant snake? How is that possible?”
Later.
Once the Cat and Rabbit duo had played enough, and the villain quartet had untied Hyacinth and left, Su Tianqing recounted what she had just seen.
Golden Fox’s gaze fell upon Xia Taotao, trying to find matching information within the Magic Girl enthusiast's knowledge base.
Pink Rabbit pondered for a long time, finally shaking her head after her Rabbit brain overloaded.
“Sorry, I haven’t heard of such a thing as a giant snake.”
“Did Inari’s magic affect you? Theoretically, magic used on a Monster shouldn’t allow you to see a specific object.”
“I don’t know either…”
Su Tianqing pouted and mumbled softly, thinking carefully for a long time but failing to come up with any reliable conclusion, so she could only sigh helplessly.
Not long ago, after obtaining Inari’s limited badge item, she unlocked a new skill and also saw Inari’s past memories.
But whether in Inari’s memories from over twenty years ago, or in the super-powerful analysis magic she was currently using, 【Inari’s Analysis】, she saw the same scene on the Whale Monster’s remains.
This was absolutely theoretically illogical!
“The essence of a Monster is Star Realm Magic gathered on a specific object. Why would it make me see such a clear scene…?”
The four villains exchanged glances, each shaking their heads.
Not to mention the newly appointed Cheshire Rabbit, even Hellcat, who had three years of villain experience, had never used any magic of significant scale, let alone analysis magic, which consumed an enormous amount of Magic.
For villain Magic Girls, Magic was always the biggest problem limiting the use of magic.
Lack of Magic meant being unable to use magic frequently, which in turn meant a significant reduction in proficiency and understanding of magic, forcing them to rely mainly on close-range combat, which consumed very little Magic.
“All in all, let’s go back and rest today. We’ll discuss what exactly happened tomorrow.”
“Mm, good night, Rabbit and Doggy~ Remember to be on time tomorrow~”
“I’m a wolf!!”
…
After parting ways with the two, Su Tianqing and Nan Jiayu walked side by side on their way home.
Golden Fox clung to Cat Girl’s side. Neither of them spoke, but the fox tail continuously swaying beside the cat’s tail fully indicated their mood at the moment.
“Tianqing.”
“Mm~?”
“Was that giant snake you saw today very scary?”
“A little, but not particularly scary,” Su Tianqing nodded.
“Actually, I think it’s not as scary as the super-giant jellyfish Monster Ben Hu summoned before,” Su Tianqing thought.
“But why did you analyze that scene from the Whale Reef? I don’t understand.”
Cat Girl said, pinching her chin, her cat tail swaying back and forth, sweeping a fluffy wave through the fluffiness of the fox tail.
“How about we think of other methods? Or… pay more attention when collecting Inari’s items later?”
“Actually, I really want to ask someone, but Senior Inari disappeared without a trace after she retired over ten years ago, so we can’t go ask her.”
Su Tianqing sighed.
But before she could finish sighing, Golden Fox suddenly inhaled sharply the cool night air and turned to look at the Cat Girl beside her.
Her fox ears and tail stood extremely high, as if she had discovered a very important clue.
“Hey! I have an idea!”
“What idea? Tell me.”
“I really do have someone I can ask! And she might actually know!”
Cat Girl raised an eyebrow, seemingly catching a strange scent in the air.
“You really have someone to ask?… Then who is it?”
“That person is—!”
…
“Didi dudu di dudu—”
“Click… Hmm? Hello, Miss Xin Yuehu, long time no see.”
The next morning.
After breakfast, the Cat and Fox duo arrived at Hong Kong City’s temporary villain rooftop. While letting their Palu familiar, who was responsible for video editing, handle last night’s footage, they opened a long-unused item in their magic space:
【Star Realm Spirit Core · Perfect Projection】
【Once a day, with the permission of the Stars and the Magic Girl herself, a perfect projection of a Star Shadow can be manifested in the present world.】
This was the good stuff used when summoning Senior Mercury last time!
Actually, Fox Fox originally wanted to use it to directly contact Senior Inari, but the other party couldn't be reached at all, so she had to turn her attention to another seemingly more reliable senior.
That is—Senior Red Rose!—who was planning to enjoy a rare vacation in Hawaii but was suddenly attacked by a Volcano Monster, which overturned the entire resort along with her.
But why couldn’t the Spirit Core contact Senior Inari? Su Tianqing really couldn’t understand.
“Silly child, because Inari has never shown her Star Shadow at all. It would be a problem if you could contact her with the Spirit Core,” Red Rose said with a smile through the magic communication.
“Ah? Senior Inari… she… she actually doesn’t have a Star Shadow?”
“That’s right. I talked to her a long time ago, and she said that the massive Magic brought by the Star Shadow would affect her precise control over magic, so she never truly entered that state.”
Fox Fox and Cat Cat exchanged glances, as if they once again felt the unusual side of Senior Inari.
“Don’t you think Inari is strange? She has a Star Shadow but doesn’t use it. It’s very illogical, right?”
“A little bit…” Golden Fox scratched the back of her head, saying with a wry smile.
“That’s normal, after all, Inari is widely recognized as a magic genius, and she has her own unique understanding and ideas about magic.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, I got off topic. What brings you to me specifically today, Miss Xin Yuehu?”
Noticing that the topic had veered off by eight hundred miles, Red Rose quickly brought the conversation back, actively asking.
Su Tianqing recounted what happened last night in detail, naturally omitting the scene of hanging the five Hyacinths and whipping them.
Anyway, Ben Hu didn’t do the whipping! Rabbit did the whipping!
However, upon hearing the description “giant snake eyes,” Red Rose, on the other end of the communication, fell into a long silence.
Su Tianqing almost thought the communication had accidentally disconnected and tentatively called out a few times:
“Senior? Are you still there?”
“I am.”
Red Rose said softly, her words full of thought.
What could make her, the most senior of the seniors, fall into such deep thought? It seems I’ve encountered something extraordinary, Su Tianqing thought.
“Miss Xin Yuehu, do you mean that when you were collecting Inari’s items left in Hong Kong City, you saw her past memories from those items?”
“Yes, Senior Inari used very delicate magic to leave memories in the items, but I can’t figure out what she was trying to convey.”
“Those aren’t the main points. Theoretically, you’ll know once you’ve collected all her items. What I want to ask is what you just mentioned.”
—“You, are you sure what you saw was the 【Snake Eye of Molten Gold】?”
After a brief thought, Su Tianqing nodded with certainty.
“Mm, I’m very sure. What I saw was exactly the same as what Senior Inari saw in her memories—a reptilian eye emitting a golden light.”
“…”
After a long silence, a teleportation magic suddenly unfolded before Su Tianqing.
The crimson Magic Girl instantly appeared before the two. She answered the call of the Star Realm Spirit Core, manifesting herself.
Then immediately released her Mindscape World.
“Senior? What is this…?”
Nan Jiayu was slightly nervous, shielding Golden Fox behind her.
Although the three had fought side by side against the Giant Beast Monster not long ago, they were still villains, so they had to be wary of Red Rose, a top-tier righteous figure.
But the other party seemed to have no hostility at all, saying softly:
“Don’t be nervous, I just want to ensure that what I’m about to say is known only to the three of us.”
Red Rose’s gaze fell on the Golden Fox behind Cat Girl, then she spoke again,
“As far as I know, the characteristic 【Golden Snake Eye】 only appears on one thing.”
“It is one of the strongest Giant Beasts that once roamed the Star Realm…”
“The Star Realm Giant Beast, 【Jörmungandr】.”