Chapter 348: Sacrificial Child

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

This loss of control ultimately led her to choose this current method to "show her cards" to her two teammates, and subsequently, she crashed in a completely unexpected way.

Looking at the two people in front of her who were already showing signs of vigilance, Bohe’s expression was dazed, as if she were pondering something. A moment later, she gradually lowered her hand from rubbing her hair, closed her eyes, and muttered to herself: "Forget it, there is still room for negotiation; it’s not like I’ve reached a dead end."

"You two, if you have any questions, go ahead and ask."

She let out a long breath, seemingly trying to calm herself down: "I won't deny it; if you two are truly unassimilated Sacrificial Children, true Magical Girls, then in your eyes right now, I am the enemy. But before we truly have a falling out, you probably still have things you want to ask, right?"

This strange, self-directed performance left Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan utterly bewildered. After exchanging glances, they realized that neither of them could understand what kind of medicine Bohe was selling in her gourd.

"Stalling for time?" Lin Xiaolu guessed.

"Is there a trap?" Bai Jingxuan had her own thoughts.

They made no attempt to avoid Bohe; after all, with the situation having devolved to this point, there was no need for either side to hide anything.

"Neither." Bohe gave a direct answer.

Not only that, she pulled a block-shaped object from her hoodie pocket, placed it on the coffee table, and gave it a gentle push, sliding it directly in front of Lin Xiaolu.

This gave Lin Xiaolu a start, to the point where she almost subconsciously grasped her Heart Bud to transform, wanting to guard against a potential attack. But she quickly realized that the situation was not what she had imagined.

Bohe had really just thrown something at her.

Lin Xiaolu looked closely and finally saw what Bohe had pushed over—it was actually a Heart Leaf shimmering with magical light. Judging by the magical fluctuations within it, this was Bohe’s own Heart Gem.

"...What is the meaning of this?" Lin Xiaolu asked aloud.

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

Having regained her composure, Bohe picked up her drink again and took a sip, her expression calm: "You can check it. This is my Heart Gem, it’s the real thing. If I try to fight you later, you can directly attack my gem and cripple me."

"What? You are... huh? You people from Cinder Dawn really all have something wrong with your brains." Holding Bohe’s Heart Gem, Lin Xiaolu didn't know what to say for a moment.

"If I didn't do this, you'd probably be ready to call the peace officer or even notify other Magical Girls, right?"

Bohe sneered: "Little sister Boxue over there, although you hid your movements well, my ears are very sharp. I heard the sound of you pressing your phone, didn't I?"

Bai Jingxuan looked at her with an innocent expression.

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

Bohe rolled her eyes: "In short, can we continue talking now? You won't find this opportunity again if you miss it."

"If I let the Research Institute people catch you, I could still find out the so-called secrets from your mouth, right?" Lin Xiaolu held Bohe’s Heart Gem but still didn't immediately agree.

"Hmm, probably. They would know, but you certainly wouldn't."

Bohe remained calm; clearly, she had already thought about what Lin Xiaolu just said: "And, they would also know that I met with two other Magical Girls carrying Remnant Beast magic in the Emerald District today."

Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan’s breathing hitched.

"...I’ll say it again, I don't know what kind of Remnant Beast magic I have on me, stop pinning strange labels on me."

Lin Xiaolu’s expression was unfriendly: "As for Boxue, her situation is special. Members of Cinder Dawn like you aren't qualified to drag her into this."

"I get it, I get it. Your captain is that Cornflower, she does have some influence in the Kingdom after all."

Bohe had the look of a dead pig not fearing boiling water: "But are you sure you want to let things escalate to the point where she has to sell a favor? Listen to me a bit more, maybe there’s a better way? After all, look, my gem is still in your hands, right?"

Lin Xiaolu fell silent.

She thought for a while, and after exchanging glances with Bai Jingxuan again, she finally made a decision and looked at Bohe once more:

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

"My own purpose is for the exam, to get my White Badge."

Bohe replied without hesitation: "As for Cinder Dawn’s purpose, I only know that among the few Beasts accompanying me this time, some have tasks to execute during the fourth assessment."

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

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I said 'no'." Bohe shrugged: "But I can tell you the honest truth. Cinder Dawn is actually a very large organization. Just as a group of Magical Girls can often have different goals, we are actually the same."

"You want to say that even though you are from Cinder Dawn, you aren't participating in any operations and are just a passerby here to take the exam?" Lin Xiaolu looked disbelieving.

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

Bohe looked annoyed: "If anything, I thought you two were the ones here to carry out a mission, and I was even looking forward to watching the show."

This answer left the two of them speechless.

If Bohe really knew more inside information, she indeed had no reason to make such a low-level mistake. If anything, the fact that she was in this cafe, caught in this standoff, was in itself a manifestation of being "unprofessional."

"...Then let's change the question. You said I have Remnant Beast magic on me; what exactly do you mean?" Fortunately, Lin Xiaolu quickly adjusted her mindset and continued to ask.

"If it's there, it's there. What else could it mean?"

Bohe continued to drink her beverage: "Didn't I say? In the eyes of a Beast like me, the magical fluctuations of a Remnant Beast are like a lightbulb; it's impossible to mistake them."

"But how come I don't know?"

"Then you're asking me? Isn't it just that you're too useless?"

Bohe showed a mocking expression: "But then again, from a sensory perspective, if the Remnant Beast magic on little sister Boxue is like a 100-watt household lightbulb, then the Remnant Beast magic on you is probably just a matchstick about to burn out. Although it's stronger than an ordinary person's, it's so faint that it should be the weakest kind among Sacrificial Children."

"Huh? Who are you calling weak?"

Lin Xiaolu was immediately unhappy, but she quickly realized that she had no reason to compare herself in this matter: "Is having more Remnant Beast magic even a good thing? Less is better!"

"When the Royal Court comes to take people, they don't care if your Remnant Beast magic is thick or thin; if it's there, it's there." Bohe said sarcastically.

"So you're saying I really have Remnant Beast magic on me?" Lin Xiaolu still asked, unwilling to give up.

"Yes. If anything, if you let little sister Boxue try to sense it carefully, the answer should also be 'yes'." Bohe said with certainty.

So Lin Xiaolu looked at Bai Jingxuan.

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

"...I can't really say for sure, it's just too blurry."

"What does blurry mean?" Lin Xiaolu’s mouth twitched.

"...It seems to be there, but it's so weak it feels like an illusion." Bai Jingxuan said in a low voice.

"Hahahaha!"

Bohe burst into laughter: "As a Sacrificial Child, you are a total bottom-feeder!"

"So what are these 'Sacrificial Children' and 'Beasts' you're talking about?"

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

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

Bohe had an "you don't understand" expression: "I should say, although the name doesn't sound very good, being a Sacrificial Child is actually a one-in-a-hundred talent for humans."

"How so?"

"The so-called 'Sacrificial Child' is actually the talent of 'being able to use the magic of a Remnant Beast as one's own source of magic without affecting one's sanity or body'."

Bohe said proudly: "In other words, only a Sacrificial Child can exercise the power of a Remnant Beast while in a human body."

"...How is this different from the so-called Claw Marks?" Lin Xiaolu frowned: "Don't they also maintain human form after transforming?"

"They look similar on the surface, but they are completely different in reality. Claw Marks merely use the power of a Remnant Beast to replace the Magical Girl's magic source. Essentially, there is only one base color of magic in their bodies, but they use the Remnant Beast's magic to simulate the power of a Magical Girl."

Bohe shook her head: "Their abilities as Magical Girls become incomplete, and they haven't mastered much of the Remnant Beast's abilities either. Their efficiency in using Remnant Beast magic is very low."

"Then what about Sacrificial Children?"

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

Bohe put down her cup: "A Sacrificial Child can, while maintaining human form, improve step by step through Sacrificial Feeding, from Egg, Larva, Pupa, to Molt... until they finally possess abilities completely equivalent to the entire life cycle of a Remnant Beast."

"Not only that, if a Sacrificial Child is a girl, and on the premise of becoming a Sacrificial Child, she has the opportunity to sign a contract and become a Magical Girl, guess what kind of path this Sacrificial Child will take?"

She placed her hands on either side of the cup and revealed a rather refreshing smile: "The answer is, they will become existences like us."

"Don't use words like 'us'. Even if I have this kind of disgusting potential, I have never accepted any Remnant Beast magic."

Lin Xiaolu looked unhappy: "Then what about Beasts? What is the difference between a Beast and a Sacrificial Child?"

This time, Bohe did not answer immediately.

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

"The essence of a Beast is also a Sacrificial Child, but a Beast is a Sacrificial Child who has completed round after round of Sacrificial Feeding, transcended the selection, and been chosen."

She lowered her voice and said in a tone as if she were recalling something: "Mix hundreds of Remnant Beasts with a Sacrificial Child of the same rank, lock them in a cage, and for the next month, this cage will remain sealed."

"A month later, the last few Remnant Beasts that survive will become Cinder Guards, or even the materials for Cinder Attendants to make Beast Viscera."

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

"Then she will become a Beast."