Chương 147: An Unexpected Trump Card, the True Value of Silent Shadow

"Is this the only way to make such a claim?" Xingxian's eyebrows rose slightly, her eyes filled with scrutiny and inquiry, and her tone was somewhat stern.

"What do you mean by 'having to make this claim'? You mean she's still in the city, but deliberately not showing up for some reason?"

Her voice, though still melodious, carried a new air of authority befitting a patrol officer: "I think I need to remind you, Silent Shadow. While I'm pretty much convinced that you and she are collaborators, you are ultimately—not one of us magical girls."

"As the only remaining Crescent Moon-level magical girl in Jiangchuan City, she has abandoned her post in this critical moment and may even be deliberately concealing her whereabouts—"

"This behavior can be classified as serious dereliction of duty. As the inspector of the Magic Kingdom, I have the authority to discipline and hold people accountable."

Xingxian paused, her gaze falling on Jiying's exquisite face, and shook her head slightly: "So, I advise you not to get too involved in her affairs. This has nothing to do with you."

Despite Xingxian's words, which were clearly a warning and had a businesslike tone, Jiying did not back down.

She shook her head firmly, her dark red eyes calmly meeting Xingxian's gaze, her tone sincere and earnest: "Miss Xingxian, please believe me, every word I say next will be based solely on the facts I know, and I will not show any favoritism or deliberately protect her."

"I just hope that you can patiently listen to my explanation."

"Is that so?" Xingxian looked at the composure and determination in Jiying's eyes. Although her doubts had not diminished, her tense attitude had eased a little.

She paused for a moment before slowly nodding: "However, I will make a final decision on the nature of this matter based on my own investigation and judgment."

"I will only use your account as one of the references, not as the sole and decisive basis. I hope you understand that."

"Of course." Ji Ying nodded without hesitation.

"Whether or not to believe these things is ultimately your decision."

"I just feel that, given the current dire situation, the magical girls of this city, and you, the inspector who has come from afar, need to unite and face the enemy lurking in the shadows together."

"I don't want our relationship to become unnecessarily strained because I didn't tell you some key information in a timely manner."

She paused, her expression slightly complicated: "To be honest, I had promised to keep this matter strictly confidential from everyone else."

"Cooperation? —" Hoshizune murmured unconsciously upon hearing this word.

As a genius that appears only once in a century in the magic kingdom, and as an inspector bearing heavy responsibilities, she is used to solving problems on her own and relying on her own strength to remove all obstacles.

That confidence and pride made her feel that she didn't need to work together to eliminate the hidden enemy—especially that seemingly negligent Crescent-level companion.

But this emotion was fleeting; she quickly regained her composure, nodded gently, and gestured for Jiying to continue: "I understand. Please begin your narration."

Ji Ying breathed a slight sigh of relief, knowing that she had at least won a chance to explain. She organized her thoughts and said in a deep voice, "Before telling you the specific reasons, I first need to let you know a crucial piece of information—I know who the enemy hiding behind this city, who created all this chaos, is."

"He is a Void Realm Apostle codenamed 'Mirror Lord'."

"You mean—Mirror Lord?!"

Xingxian's expression changed slightly, and for the first time, such obvious shock was revealed in his usually calm and composed silver-gray eyes.

"Why is he here?!"

Seeing Xingxian's shocked reaction, Jiying immediately made a judgment.

It seems that this inspector is also aware of the name "Mirror Lord," and—it seems that she harbors a deep sense of dread towards him.

Instead of immediately answering Xingxian's question, she countered, "It seems Miss Xingxian also knows this Mirror Lord? How much do you know about him?"

Xingxian took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her emotions that had been turbulent since hearing the name "Jingjue".

She frowned, carefully recalling the scarce information about this dangerous entity in her mind, her voice carrying a hint of solemnity: "Mirror Lord—I have indeed seen this code name in some archives of the Magic Kingdom."

"According to records, he was a Void Apostle who was extremely skilled in using mirror images and spatial jumps, and his style of doing things was exceptionally mysterious and cunning."

"The kingdom rarely manages to catch a glimpse of his exact activities. Even when he is discovered, he always manages to disappear without a trace, like the slipperiest eel, before the hunt even begins, leaving all attempts to capture him to fail."

"Because of his unique abilities and extremely cautious approach, the kingdom has always lacked an accurate assessment of his true strength and specific schemes, only knowing that he is an extremely dangerous and difficult enemy to deal with."

Listening to Xingxian's narration and carefully inquiring about some of Jingjue's physical characteristics as she knew them, Jiying was already certain in her heart.

The illusory apostle he had encountered in the abandoned factory was definitely the same person as the "Mirror Lord" Xingxian mentioned; it wasn't just a coincidence that they shared the same code name.

After recounting the information she knew, Xingxian fixed her gaze on Jiying again, her tone filled with obvious urgency and confusion: "But Jiying, how did you know that this enemy is Jingjue? Could it be—that you've fought him before?"

Ji Ying slowly shook his head, correcting, "No, to be precise, it wasn't a fight."

She paused, then said in a slightly subtle tone, "But—I had a conversation with him."

And quite coincidentally—he mistook her for one of his own kind.

Immediately afterwards, Ji Ying recounted how he appeared in the void bubble as a heavily armored knight in black, how he took the initiative to "invite" Jing Jue out, and how he disguised himself as another powerful and mysterious void apostle.

He then engaged in a negotiation with Jingjue that was full of psychological games and verbal probing, and finally semi-coerced the other party into making a vow of "not interfering with each other's plans," thus causing the other party to temporarily retreat. He briefly and clearly recounted the whole process to Xingxian.

After listening to Jiying's thrilling and suspenseful account, Xingxian was completely stunned.

Her silver-gray eyes widened in shock as she stared in disbelief at the petite girl before her.

A moment later, an overwhelming surge of excitement welled up from the depths of Xingxian's heart.

Almost instinctively, she moved closer to Ji Ying, her hands instinctively reaching out to grasp his tightly. Her voice trembled as she asked, "What you said—is it all true?! You really—did it all?!"

The moment Xingxian finished listening to Jiying's account, Jiying's status and importance in her mind underwent a radical change.

All her attention had been focused on the ethereal energy fluctuations of Ji Ying, which were similar to those of the Void Realm Apostles, and her unusual act of showing mercy at the end, but she completely overlooked a crucial point that could change everything.

An existence that could be mistaken for a "kindred spirit" by a cunning and cautious Void Realm Apostle like Mirror Lord!

An entity capable of engaging in equal dialogue with Jingjue, and even forcing him to retreat voluntarily through psychological warfare and the constraints of "oaths"!

An existence that does not seem to be completely bound by the oath of the Void Realm Apostles, yet is well-versed in the rules of conduct and psychological weaknesses of the Void Realm Apostles!

Although the apostles of the Void Realm are generally treacherous and ruthless, their loyalty to the great being they serve is an ironclad rule etched deep within their souls.

The oaths they made to them were incredibly binding, and breaking them would come at the terrible cost of their souls being annihilated.

For this reason, unless there are special orders or conflicts of interest, the apostles of the Void Realm usually have a certain degree of trust in the oaths they have made to each other that involve loyalty to the existence.

Just like Jingjue back then, even though he was full of vigilance and suspicion towards the suddenly appearing "Silent Shadow", after both sides made a vow not to interfere with each other, he still chose to retreat temporarily instead of immediately breaking off relations.

And such a special being—who naturally gains the trust of the Void Realm Apostles to a certain extent, and who also seems to harbor goodwill towards the magical girls— Its strategic value and importance are self-evident!

On a smaller scale, with Ji Ying's assistance, she is highly confident that she can relatively easily eliminate the elusive and difficult-to-deal-with Jing Jue, thus removing this huge hidden danger for Jiangchuan City.

On a grander scale—this might even be the first time in the history of the Magic Kingdom that it has had such an in-depth understanding of the true information within the Void Realm, and perhaps even—a unique opportunity to sever the evil wings of the Void Realm that are constantly reaching out to the real world.

That would be an unprecedented and historic turning point in the entire war against the Void Realm.

The key to all of this is the black-haired, red-eyed girl in front of us, with a playful black side ponytail, wearing a slightly revealing combat outfit, who looks petite, cute, and even somewhat endearing.

Recalling how, not long ago, he had launched such a fierce attack on her without any mercy, almost actually injuring her— Xingxian felt her cheeks burning, wishing she could go back to that time immediately and give that version of herself, who almost made a big mistake because of prejudice and stubbornness, a few hard knocks on the forehead!

Upon hearing Xingxian's sudden, emotionally charged, and overly intimate reaction, Jiying instinctively shrank back.

She didn't understand why the other person suddenly became so excited after hearing her story.

That look, that posture, suddenly reminded her of the night before last, when Su Yuqing discovered her true identity, she also showed a similar excited expression that left her completely uncertain.

—No way? Could it be that this seemingly serious patrol officer might share some strange hobby with that girl?

Seeing the fleeting confusion and wariness in Jiying's eyes, Xingxian immediately realized that her actions just now seemed to have been a bit too excited and out of control.

She coughed lightly, a little embarrassed, and reluctantly but had to loosen her grip on Ji Ying's wrist, but her gaze towards Ji Ying, filled with burning expectation, did not diminish in the slightest.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her rapid breathing caused by excessive excitement, before saying with utmost seriousness, "In that case, I hope that you will also be able to attend my upcoming meeting with those two Stardust-level junior magical girls."

Jiying asked疑惑地, "Although I do know them, and they know my identity, that was, after all, a formal meeting within your magical girls' circle. Someone like me—"

"Hmm, is it really alright for such a special being to appear in that kind of situation?"

Xingxian shook her head without hesitation and said firmly, "Of course it's related, and it's a very important relationship!"

"Silent Shadow, since you possess such special abilities and identity, I believe you can play a decisive role in dealing with Mirror Lord."

"To be honest—in my eyes now, your importance far outweighs that of those two inexperienced Stardust-level juniors."

"Of course—that includes the business partner you mentioned who is currently 'missing'."

Upon hearing this, Ji Ying finally understood the source of Xing Xian's extraordinary attention to him.

So, it turns out she was after my "special ability" to "disguise" myself as an apostle of the Void Realm and to maneuver and strategize with Mirror Lord.

She shook her head slightly, showing no pride or complacency at the sudden "high praise." Instead, she analyzed in a calmer and more rational tone, "Miss Xingxian, I think you may have overestimated the actual binding force of the vow between me and Jingjue."

"Although we did make a vow to each other not to interfere with each other's plans, the specific meaning of this vow was actually very vague, and it was difficult to accurately judge the extent to which it could restrain him."

"Moreover, he didn't tell me at the time what his specific plans were in this city."

"Theoretically speaking, he could easily interpret everything he does as part of his grand plan, thereby preventing any interference from me."

"That guy—is extremely cunning, far more difficult to deal with than you imagine."

"We currently lack reliable methods to accurately determine whether the next time he appears will be a mirror image with independent thinking capabilities or his original self."

"Therefore, if we really want to deal with him, we still need to develop a more detailed and thorough plan. We must not let our guard down just because he made a concession once before."

Listening to Ji Ying's calm and insightful analysis, Xing Xian's expression turned serious again. She knew that what Ji Ying said was an unavoidable reality: "You're right, I was a bit too optimistic."

But she still insisted on her opinion: "Even so, I believe that the role you can play in the following actions will be far greater than the two of them, and even greater than mine."

"This is not a denigration of their or my abilities, but an objective fact based on your special status and capabilities."

"And as you said, when formulating follow-up plans, we also need your presence to provide some key opinions and suggestions, so—" Xingxian looked at Jiying, her silver-gray eyes filled with anticipation once more.

"I still hope that you can come with me when I meet those two juniors later."

Looking at the sincere expectation and unwavering determination in Xingxian's eyes, Jiying pondered for a moment.

She knew that Xingxian's request was not simply about wanting her to participate in the meeting.

On a deeper level, it means hoping to truly bring this special "Apostle of the Void" into the ranks of magical girls, making her a reliable ally against Mirror Lord and other unknown threats in the future.

And this is also what she hoped for.

She—truly needs an ally like Xingxian, who understands the situation in the magic kingdom and possesses both great strength and unwavering will.

So she nodded gently and agreed to Xingxian's request: "Okay, I promise you."

When Xingxian saw Jiying finally nod in agreement, her tense nerves finally relaxed completely, and a bright, relieved smile appeared on her face.

However, just as the atmosphere was beginning to lighten, Ji Ying suddenly looked up and revealed a serious expression.

Her dark red eyes were fixed on Xingxian, and she asked clearly, word by word, "Miss Xingxian, before continuing our previous topic, I would like to confirm one thing."

"When you meet them next ——————"

"You're planning to tell them all about how those new moon-level magical girls have disappeared one after another in Jiangchuan City, and it's very likely they've met with some misfortune, right?"

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