Chapter 348: The Sacrificial Child

As the saying goes, one wrong step leads to many wrong steps; for Bohe, once the arrowroot in the maze found her, many things had already begun to spiral out of control.

This loss of control ultimately led her to choose this current method to "lay her cards on the table" with her two teammates, and then, things went wrong in an unexpected way.

Looking at the two before her who had already shown signs of wariness, Bohe's expression froze, as if pondering something; after a moment, she slowly lowered her hand from rubbing her hair, closed her eyes, and muttered to herself: "Forget it, there's still room for negotiation; it's not quite a dead end yet."

"You two, if you have any questions, just keep asking."

She let out a long breath, seemingly trying to calm herself down: "I won't deny that if you really are unassimilated Sacrificial Children, true Magical Girls, then in your current eyes, I am the enemy. But before things really blow up, you probably still have something you want to ask, right?"

This strange, self-directed performance left Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan utterly confused; after exchanging a glance, they realized neither of them could figure out what Bohe was up to.

"Buying time?" Lin Xiaolu guessed aloud.

"A trap?" Bai Jingxuan had her own idea.

The two of them made no effort to hide their thoughts from Bohe; after all, with the situation having evolved this far, there was no need for either side to conceal anything.

"Neither," Bohe therefore gave a straightforward answer.

Moreover, she pulled a blocky object from her hoodie pocket, placed it on the coffee table, gave it a gentle push, and sent it directly to Lin Xiaolu's front.

This startled Lin Xiaolu so much that she almost instinctively gripped the Heart's Sprout and transformed, wanting to guard against a possible attack. But very quickly, she realized the situation was not what she had imagined.

Bohe had really just thrown her an object.

Lin Xiaolu focused her gaze and finally saw what Bohe had pushed over—it was actually a Heart's Leaf shimmering with magical light. Judging from the magical fluctuations within, this was Bohe's own Heart's Gem.

"... What does this mean?" Lin Xiaolu asked aloud.

"To show my sincerity. I don't want to fight you; rather, I hope we can have a proper talk."

Bohe, now fully rational again, picked up her drink in front of her and took a sip, her expression calm: "You can check; this is my Heart's Gem, the real deal. If I intend to fight you later, you can directly attack my gem and disable me."

"What? You're... huh? People from Black Ember Dawn really do have something wrong with their brains." Holding Bohe's Heart's Gem, Lin Xiaolu didn't even know what to say for a moment.

"If I didn't do this, you'd probably call the Peacekeepers immediately, or even notify other Magical Girls, right?"

Bohe sneered: "That girl over there, Bo Xue, although you hid your movements well, my ears are sharp; I heard the sound of you using your phone, you know?"

Bai Jingxuan looked at her with an innocent expression.

"Cut it out, don't play that act."

Bohe rolled her eyes: "In any case, can we continue talking now? Once this opportunity passes, there won't be another chance."

"Having the Research Institute people capture you would also let them extract the so-called secrets from your mouth, wouldn't it?" Lin Xiaolu held Bohe's Heart's Gem but still did not agree immediately.

"Hmm, probably. They would find out, but you definitely wouldn't."

Bohe remained calm; obviously, she had already thought through everything Lin Xiaolu had just said: "And, they would also know that I met two other Magical Girls possessing Beast Remnant Magic in the Emerald District today."

Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan's breathing hitched slightly.

"... I'll say it again: I don't know what Beast Remnant Magic you're talking about on my body; don't pin strange labels on me."

Lin Xiaolu's expression turned unfriendly: "As for Bo Xue, her situation is special; members of your kind from Black Ember Dawn have no right to drag her into this."

"I get it, I get it. Your captain is that Cornflower, after all; she still has some influence within the Realm."

Bohe looked like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water: "But are you sure you want to escalate things to the point where she, the old lady, has to sell a favor? Listen to me for a couple more sentences; perhaps there's a better way? After all, look, my gem is still in your hand, right?"

Lin Xiaolu fell silent.

After thinking for a while and exchanging another glance with Bai Jingxuan, she finally made a decision and looked at Bohe again:

"First question: what is your purpose in coming to this city?"

"My own purpose is to take the exam and get my White Card."

Bohe answered without hesitation: "As for Black Ember Dawn's purpose, I only know that among the several Beasts traveling with us this time, someone's mission is to execute something during the fourth assessment."

"Don't you have a mission?" Lin Xiaolu frowned.

"If I say 'no,' you probably won't believe me anyway," Bohe shrugged. "But I can tell you the honest truth: Black Ember Dawn is actually a very large organization. Just as a group of Magical Girls often have different purposes, we are actually the same."

"You want to say that although you are from Black Ember Dawn, you aren't participating in any operations this time in the Realm, but are just a passerby here to take the exam?" Lin Xiaolu looked completely unconvinced.

"If I were really participating in a mission, would I not even know who my teammates were? Would I have mistaken you two?"

Bohe looked thoroughly unlucky: "Rather, I thought you two were here to execute some mission; I was originally planning to enjoy the spectacle."

This answer left Lin Xiaolu and the other speechless.

If Bohe really knew more inside information, she indeed seemed to have no reason to make such a basic mistake; rather, the fact that she was now in this coffee shop, trapped in such a standoff, was itself a manifestation of "unprofessionalism."

"... Then let's change the question. You say I have Beast Remnant Magic on my body; what exactly does that mean?" Fortunately, Lin Xiaolu quickly adjusted her mindset and continued asking.

"If there is, there is; what else could it mean?"

Bohe continued drinking: "Didn't I say? In the eyes of a Beast like me, the fluctuation of Beast Remnant Magic is like an electric light bulb; it's impossible to mistake."

"But how do I not know?"

"Then you ask me? Isn't it because you're too useless?"

Bohe wore a mocking expression: "But then again, sensorially speaking, if the Beast Remnant Magic on Bo Xue is like a 100-watt household light bulb, then the Beast Remnant Magic on you is probably just a nearly burnt-out matchstick. Although stronger than an ordinary person, it's so faint that it should be the weakest kind among Sacrificial Children."

"Huh? Who are you calling weak?"

Lin Xiaolu immediately became somewhat unhappy, but quickly realized she had no reason to compare herself on this matter: "Having more Beast Remnant Magic isn't a good thing, is it? Less is better!"

"When Wang Ting comes to take people, they don't care whether the Beast Remnant Magic on your body is concentrated or not; if it exists, it exists," Bohe said in a tone that was neither cold nor warm.

"So you're saying I really have Beast Remnant Magic on me?" Lin Xiaolu still persisted in asking.

"Yes; rather, if you let Bo Xue perceive it seriously, the answer should also be 'yes,'" Bohe stated with conviction.

So Lin Xiaolu looked at Bai Jingxuan.

Bai Jingxuan hesitantly looked at Lin Xiaolu, then at Bohe, and finally leaned closer toward Lin Xiaolu, closing her eyes. After a long while, she slowly lifted her eyelids:

"... I'm also a bit unable to explain clearly; it's really too faint."

"What do you mean by 'faint'?" Lin Xiaolu's mouth twitched.

"... It seems like there is, but it's so weak it feels like an illusion," Bai Jingxuan said quietly.

"Hahahaha!"

This made Bohe burst out laughing: "As a Sacrifice Child, you are a complete dead last!"

"So what exactly are 'Sacrifice Children' and 'Beast Children'?"

Lin Xiaolu glared at her fiercely: "What reason do I have to be happy about having talent for being a villain?"

"Wrong, wrong. A Sacrifice Child is not some talent for 'being a villain'."

Bohe wore an expression of "you don't get it": "It should be said that, although the name isn't very pleasant, a Sacrifice Child is actually a talent one in a hundred among humans possesses."

"How so?"

"The so-called 'Sacrifice Child' is actually a talent that 'allows one to use the residual beast's magic as their own magic source without affecting the mind or body'."

Bohe said with a proud face: "In other words, only a Sacrifice Child can wield the power of a residual beast while remaining human."

"... What's the difference between that and the so-called Claw Marks?" Lin Xiaolu frowned: "Don't they also maintain a human form after transforming?"

"Superficially similar, but actually completely different. Claw Marks merely replace a Magical Girl's magic source with a residual beast's power; essentially, there is only one base color of magic within the body, but they use the residual beast's magic to simulate a Magical Girl's power."

Bohe shook her head: "Their abilities as Magical Girls become defective, they master very little of the residual beast's abilities, and their efficiency in using residual beast magic is extremely low."

"Then what about Sacrifice Children?"

"Just like Magical Girls. Just as Magical Girls can, through Blooming, sequentially obtain the power of Seed, Sprout, Leaf, Bud, and Flower..."

Bohe set down her cup: "A Sacrifice Child can, while maintaining a human form, through Feeding Sacrifice, progress step by step from Egg, Caterpillar, Pupa, Molting... until finally possessing abilities fully equivalent to the entire lifecycle of a residual beast."

"Not only that, if a Sacrifice Child is a girl, and under the premise of being a Sacrifice Child, has the opportunity to sign a contract and become a Magical Girl, guess what path this Sacrifice Child will walk?"

She placed her hands on either side of the cup, revealing a rather refreshing smile: "The answer is, she will become an existence like us."

"Don't use words like 'us'. Even if I have this disgusting potential within me, I have never accepted any residual beast's magic."

Lin Xiaolu looked displeased: "Then what about Beast Children? What is the difference between a Beast Child and a Sacrifice Child?"

This time, Bohe did not answer immediately.

She looked at Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan with a gaze so calm it was eerie, but Lin Xiaolu stared back at her quite stubbornly. Only after a long while did Bohe speak again.

"The essence of a Beast Child is also a Sacrifice Child; it's just that a Beast Child is a Sacrifice Child who has completed round after round of Feeding Sacrifice, surpassed the selection, and been chosen."

She lowered her voice, speaking in a tone as if recalling something: "Mixing hundreds of residual beasts with a Sacrifice Child of equal rank, locking them in a cage, and for the next month, this cage remains sealed."

"After one month, the last few surviving residual beasts become materials for the Ash Guards and even Ash Attendants to make Beast Organs."

"And if the one who survives is a Sacrifice Child..."

"Then she will become a Beast Child."