Chapter 346: Inference

Aside from the matters that branched off from the exam results, Xia Liang hadn't forgotten that she still had other things to discuss with Senior Cuique.

The content was, naturally, about encountering the chief examiner Moonrose after leaving the labyrinth, and the things Moonrose had said to her.

These were all problems that, at her current stage, she couldn't handle and couldn't make up her mind about, so naturally Xia Liang held nothing back, describing everything she had seen and heard at the time in meticulous detail.

—"I understand."

The things Xia Liang described—especially the information that "something may have happened at the viewing stand"—made Senior Cuique think of many things. It wasn't hard for her to guess that perhaps people from the Civil Affairs Bureau and the Treasury Bureau wanted to take the opportunity to do something, and it was even quite possible that the newly appointed Diamond, with her burning desire for power, wanted to use the chance to extort something from the Magic Affairs Bureau and the Research Institute. But these matters weren't suitable to explain to the children, and could only be discussed later with the people from the Magic Affairs Bureau.

And beyond the undercurrents stirring behind the scenes, perhaps what Xia Liang needed most right now was Senior Cuique's opinion on Moonrose's invitation.

"If the other party is from the Research Institute, then they can be trusted provisionally. Her invitation is most likely sincere, and there's a real matter behind it."

Senior Cuique folded her arms across her chest, a thoughtful look on her face: "Having a professional help research the principles of your magic gear would probably be a good thing for you, Xiaojin, but it also means your magic gear abilities become completely transparent to the Research Institute's side… Do you have any leanings yourself?"

"Ah, me?"

Xia Liang hadn't expected the ball she'd kicked out to be thrown right back by Senior Cuique. After blinking a couple of times, she answered honestly: "If you, little senior, feel they can be trusted, then for something like this, shouldn't it be more of a benefit for me?"

She stretched out her hand, counting on her fingers as she analyzed: "After all, understanding my own magic gear better means getting closer to the core of the ability, and maybe I can develop more uses for it, make myself even stronger…"

"Indeed."

Senior Cuique nodded in agreement: "The Logic Officers of the Research Institute are the most outstanding research scholars. Speaking purely of their knowledge and achievements in their respective academic fields, they're actually far more impressive than me, than Chaoyan. Your learning ability is also very strong—if you go study with them, you're bound to make progress."

"So, should I go?" Xia Liang lowered her hand, her expression slightly tense as she waited for Senior Cuique's decision.

Without a doubt, she wanted to go.

The current Xia Liang wouldn't conceal her desire to become stronger. She had never been satisfied just because her Bloom progress was more advanced within the squad, so she was bound to want to seize this opportunity.

Senior Cuique could see this point, and could reason it through, but when it really came time for her to make the call and agree, she still hesitated for a moment.

She knew that once she agreed to Moonrose's invitation, her own interests—and those of the Research Institute and the Magic Affairs Bureau—would become further bound together.

Although at this point saying anything about wanting to back out would be an absolute fairy tale, what lay before Senior Cuique had long been only two possible outcomes: seeing things through to the end alongside Emerald and the others, or having things exposed and becoming a wanted criminal for illegal border entry. But sending Xia Liang to the Research Institute meant letting the children become involved in this matter to a certain extent as well.

If in the end things still came to light, and Wang Ting traced this layer of connection…

Senior Cuique knew she shouldn't, but she still couldn't help having such thoughts.

So when the words reached her lips, she still didn't say them, and instead changed her phrasing: "After the exam ends, I'll take you all to the Research Institute together."

If things went smoothly, the post-exam version of herself would naturally have the spare time to take Xia Liang to find Moonrose.

And if things didn't go smoothly, she and Moonrose would probably both be waiting in court for a verdict, and naturally wouldn't let Xia Liang get tangled up in any ties with the Research Institute.

As long as no overt evidence could be found, then even if she was the captain of the Fang Ting City squad, once the captain was arrested, the squad members wouldn't be implicated by association, leaving a certain degree of room to maneuver.

Of course, she also knew that when matters involved the Queen, every rule in the Magic Kingdom could cease to be a rule—the Queen held the power to override all statutes and regulations. If the Queen truly intended to punish by association, then no matter how justified their side was, no matter how they tried to argue, it would all be useless. But preparing a little more for such things was always better than being completely unprepared.

The calculations in her heart were naturally unknowable to Xia Liang. Even though she could sense a certain subtle something in the atmosphere, she couldn't possibly guess at things Senior Cuique had never revealed.

After the discussion of matters concerning Xia Liang was finished, the next one to speak up of her own accord became Lin Xiaolu.

"Speaking of which, something happened on my end too…"

Lin Xiaolu described the new teammate Mint she'd encountered when forming her team, as well as the peculiar examinee Arrowroot Yam she'd run into inside the labyrinth. She laid out the strange dispute that had arisen between these two people and Bai Jingxuan, and didn't forget to mention the "appointment" Mint had made with her going forward. After finishing this long string of things, she also asked impatiently: "Senior Cuique, what do you think we should do next?"

If the news Xia Liang brought made Senior Cuique aware of the internal Kingdom disputes they might have to face next, then what Lin Xiaolu described was undoubtedly the prelude to some incident involving an external enemy.

"A magical girl who can devour Remnants, and Boxue can sense an aura similar to Remnants from her?"

She summarized the string of events Lin Xiaolu had described, her brows slightly furrowed: "You're saying that child might be one of Clawmark's people?"

"Even more annoying than Clawmark!"

Bai Jingxuan, who was nearby, spoke up to correct her: "Or rather, the smell is a lot like the one on that bad bureau chief!"

"Bad bureau chief? Who?"

"The one from the night of the Full Moon Festival!"

Now Senior Cuique understood—Bai Jingxuan was talking about Mousse.

And once the clues pointed in this direction, combined with Lin Xiaolu's description, the answer was already on the verge of presenting itself.

"…Ash Dawn?" Not only Senior Cuique, but Xia Liang as well arrived at this conclusion almost simultaneously.

As far as everyone currently knew, the organizations that had mastered the use of Remnant magical power were none other than Ash Dawn and Clawmark. Compared to Clawmark, the degree of "beastification" Ash Dawn displayed was undoubtedly more thorough, and also fit what Bai Jingxuan had said—"more like a Remnant."

And although Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu didn't yet know, Senior Cuique was very clear about the source of this Remnant magical power on Bai Jingxuan.

The existence of Ash Dawn's so-called "Holy Child Project," and this series of terms—Sacrificial Child, Beast Child, Holy Child—all undoubtedly indicated that children like Bai Jingxuan were probably not isolated cases in this world.

And if Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan's descriptions were true, then Senior Cuique had no choice but to offer an even more shocking—indeed, horrifying—inference:

—"There are actually people from Ash Dawn among the magical girls too?"