Transform into a magical girl after getting off work-Chapter 662 - 220: Observation

Emerald Sparrow didn't make a decision on her own.

It wasn't because she couldn't take charge of this matter, but because she felt that this kind of thing should be discussed together with "allies" from the Magical Affairs Institute and the Research Institute, to avoid any misunderstandings that might arise in their cooperative relationships.

The information Mint provided was undoubtedly valuable, and their request for the Research Institute not to immediately cast the net was entirely reasonable.

In fact, even if she hadn't made this request, the people from the Research Institute and the Magical Affairs Institute had no intention of acting immediately.

After all, if they were to uproot the Black Ash Dawn's undercover agents directly now, who would cause trouble next? Rely solely on those Claw Marks whose whereabouts are still unknown? If no one causes trouble, where does the Research Institute's credit lie? How can the Magical Affairs Institute reclaim their Gemstone Scepter?

The previous situation was that the enemy was in the dark and we were in the light, so naturally, the Research Institute had to find every possible way to ferret out the potential infiltrators. But with Mint's defection, the roles were reversed, with the enemy in the open and us in the dark, allowing us to actively control the pace.

A list revealing the Beast children of the Black Ash Dawn is enough to greatly enhance the stability of the follow-up security plan, providing the Research Institute a starting point to trace back the Black Ash Dawn personnel.

As long as the authenticity of this list and the reliability of Mint's defection can be verified, the value of keeping the people on this list far exceeds the immediate capture.

As for the disposition of Mint herself, it depends on the outcome of the investigation.

If post-investigation it is found that she has engaged in anything harmful involving the Black Ash Dawn, the Magical Affairs Institute would undoubtedly show no mercy, directly sending her to the Investigation Bureau. At most, they would consider her voluntary confession and contribution to her former crimes, giving her a relatively lenient treatment.

But if what she said is true, and she indeed hasn't done any wrongdoings, then Emerald Sparrow and Emerald wouldn't trouble a child, providing assurance that she could continue her activities as a Magical Girl; offering security protection for her family in the Material Realm; and possibly even giving her certain rewards, which can all be considered promises fulfilled.

Of course, these are considerations that will only be addressed after the assessment is completed. Currently, the Research Institute won't take any measures against Mint.

She can, and indeed needs to, continue participating in the certification exam, and even if things get done, her exam results can be retained. The only thing she needs to do is to act as if nothing has happened, proceed with the exams normally, and not alert the enemy.

One might say, after Mint made contact with Emerald Sparrow, although many things have changed in the shadows, on the surface, Mint merely went out for a meal with her teammates, and nothing more.

Except that she got in touch with Emerald Sparrow to get the Magic Mirror's contact information, and took a signed note.

Her strange screaming behavior over the phone wasn't scrutinized by Emerald Sparrow, even though she found herself baffled by young people these days. On the surface, she maintained the demeanor of an elder, choosing not to criticize but rather to first commend her for her "defection to the light." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

So when Mint asked for her signature, after some thought, she obliged.

However, for safety considerations, even with a signature, as she transported magic power through the Magic Mirror, she actively eliminated her residual magical power fluctuations. Also, the name she signed was Emerald Sparrow, not "Cornflower."

The first precaution is against special magic techniques capable of tracing targets by name and magical power fluctuations alone, while the second is to prevent unauthorized use of the name "Cornflower."

As for how to verify the authenticity of the list next and adjust plans with Emerald, those are matters that need not be discussed with the children.

...

...

After a brief day of rest, the second project of the practical assessment began as usual.

The Magic Armor test does not require team participation, with examinees needing to enter the venue in batches according to their exam number order. Therefore, with her exam number placed towards the back, Emerald Sparrow could actually arrive at the examination venue later without any issue.

Yet, Emerald Sparrow still arrived early.

Upon arriving at the venue, Emerald Sparrow didn't immediately meet up with Dogtail Grass, Tu Dinggui, and others, but instead pretended to stroll casually around the Silver Corridor, blending into the crowd, discreetly observing certain Magical Girls.

Arrowroot, Drunken Fish Grass, Sheep's Foot, Snake Whip Chrysanthemum.

These are the code names of the four other Beast children participating in the assessment besides Mint. Interestingly, counting Mint, all these five Beast children were placed high on the so-called "golden thigh list."

In a sense, Mint, in creating this list, showed very little discretion indeed.

Additionally, according to Mint, there might be some Sacrificial Children among the Magical Girls present. However, the Sacrificial Children of the Black Ash Dawn tend to quickly change. The Sacrificial Children have only a brief year or two of training upon entering the Black Ash Dawn, and then either survive the ritual to become Beast children or perish for various reasons, so even she does not recognize them all.

However, Emerald Sparrow had no need to seek out those so-called Sacrificial Children.

For high-risk tasks like infiltrating the Kingdom's examination to cause trouble, the Black Ash Dawn wouldn't entrust those to immature Sacrificial Children. In the end, it should be the Beast children who lead, while the Sacrificial Children just follow, making small moves. So keeping an eye on these Beast children should suffice to trace the situation to its core.

From appearances alone, these Beast children indeed show no signs of possessing Residual Beast Magic.

In this aspect, they are like Mint, and even Bai Jingxuan; not using Residual Beast Magic renders them indistinguishable from ordinary Magical Girls. Unlike Claw Marks, once they use magic power, they can't hide the Residual Beast Magic fluctuations.

Possessing such traits is likely the reason Black Ash Dawn dared to use them as undercover agents during the examinations.

But although able to conceal identities in terms of magical power fluctuations, the personalities, or rather the demeanor of these Beast children, indeed differ from that of general Magical Girls. Although mixed among the many examinees, observing them long enough reveals a different aura around them.

Not to mention Arrowroot who appears truly outstanding, exuding an unparalleled confidence as if being the world's best; or Drunken Fish Grass, who, like a wolf in a sheep pen, causes others to steer clear even when sitting alone; even those like Sheep's Foot and Snake Whip Chrysanthemum, who seem less abnormal, maintain an imperceptible distance from the examinees around them.

Specifically, they may stand among the crowd, but it seems they have no desire to integrate with or communicate with those around them at all.

Honestly, this couldn't help remind Emerald Sparrow of what Lin Xiaolu told her yesterday, about Mint saying Lin Xiaolu was also a "Sacrificial Child."

If everyone else in the world could take it as a joke, Emerald Sparrow is the one person who couldn't simply brush it aside with a laugh.

Because she remembered that in the summer of last year, during the Black Ash Dawn's attack on the Fangting City Orphanage, a deserter of the Ash Army escaping from the orphanage said something similar.

Though the man was muttering to himself at that time, Emerald Sparrow approaching nearby heard him speak - "two Sacrificial Children."

Emerald Sparrow never mentioned this to anyone else.

Back then, she didn't know what "Sacrificial Child" meant in the mouths of those lunatics, later assuming it was just a term akin to "Shifters." However, now she understands, the Sacrificial Child refers specifically to those "born with a better affinity for Residual Beast Magic."

Never had Emerald Sparrow linked this to Lin Xiaolu.

Despite continuously remembering the notion of "two Sacrificial Children," even contemplating whether it referred to her subordinate Xiao Tian from the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, she had never considered Lin Xiaolu as the second "Sacrificial Child."

As her own daughter, could Lin Xiaolu possibly be a "Sacrificial Child"?

Though reluctant to delve into the thought, Emerald Sparrow silently acknowledged it as a possibility.

Her own child, or rather the child of her and An Ya, possessing an unusual talent on the Magic Side is not too surprising.

Yet, she chose not to tell Lin Xiaolu about it either, feigning ignorance in this matter.