Vol 2 Chapter 69 White Wolf
In the Donghua Province of the Material World, people are used to treating the New Year as a special holiday.
Whenever the new year approaches, no matter how busy people are with work or school, they always take a few days off to spend ti with family.
Because of this, when December draws to a close and Fangting City is blanketed in snow and ice, schools and workplaces alike enter a several-day holiday break.
“Ti off?”
But not everyone is thrilled about the break—at least not Yuan. For her, this wasn’t good news at all. “What do you an, I don’t have to work for the next few days, but I also don’t get paid?”
“Yeah. Gotta go ho for the New Year, right?”
The middle-aged man in construction gear and a hard hat let out a breath, vapor slowly rising in the cold air. “I know you love working, but it’s ti to go ho and be with your family—your parents, boyfriend, whatever.”
“I an, I know you’re supposed to go ho for New Year’s... but do we really need to take ti off?”
Yuan scratched her head with a troubled look. “Honestly, I really need the money right now.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” the man said. “The equipnt needs to be sent back for maintenance, and the rental doesn’t cover holidays... even if you wanted to work, you can’t do it all by yourself.”
He waved her off. “Alright, if there’s nothing else, clean up the site and head out. We’re packing up too.”
Yuan was shooed away before she even had the chance to argue.
She looked out at the nearly deserted construction site, glanced at her dust-covered uniform, then at her pitch-black white gloves, and finally leaned helplessly against a wall, letting out a sigh.
“Ugh... making money in this day and age really is tough.”
—“Well whose fault is that, you idiot! You blew all the money the Counterasure Bureau gave you on lottery tickets and slot machines!”
A sharp, slightly shrill voice piped up beside her. The fairy in the form of a black cat—Semi—had sohow floated up without her noticing. “Now you finally realize money’s hard to earn? Why didn’t that cross your mind when you were spending it? What the h*ll is even going on in your head?”
“It’s just bad luck, alright? What if I win next ti?”
Yuan muttered under her breath. “If nothing else, I could go back to that place where I used to bet on fist fights. I made a decent little sum last ti…”
“You’re seriously thinking of going back?”
Semi’s fur puffed up in alarm. “No way, no way, no way! We’ve only got enough money left to eat for a few more days!”
“But if I win, we can go to that fancy restaurant we saw, right?”
Yuan flashed a confident smile. “I’m pretty much sick of boxed als. It’s ti to dream a little bigger.”
“And if you lose, we’ll be back to dumpster diving behind the shopping street again!”
Semi shook her head frantically. “I’m not doing that again!”
“It’s not like we’d starve. Missing a few als isn’t that big a deal for us.”
Yuan responded casually, clearly not taking Semi’s concerns seriously. She strolled along a side path out of the construction site. “If you’re really that hungry, just go copy those other stray cats. Wait for soone to toss you so kibble.”
“We can eat properly if we try!”
Semi trailed behind her, arguing with all her might. “And for the last ti—I’m not a cat! I don’t even like cat food...!”
“Then it’s all good. Once I win big, you can eat whatever you want.”
“I said there’s no next ti! No lottery! No fist fights! No slot machines!”
Semi snapped. “If it happens again, I’m done! I’ll go back and apologize to the boss myself!”
“Yeah yeah, got it—”
Yuan dragged out her words in a lazy, half-hearted reply as the two of them left the site. She strolled down the sidewalk, eyes fixed blankly on the passing cars, her expression unreadable.
It had been over a month since she arrived in Fangting City.
At first, she was duped while job hunting, then chased off by city patrol while trying fortune-telling on the street. Eventually, she landed a steady gig at a construction site—she’d seen a decent slice of this city’s reality.
Even though she hadn’t really assimilated into modern life, she didn’t feel uncomfortable. If anything, she enjoyed trying new things she hadn’t seen before.
Whether it was gambling, which Semi always criticized, or legit work to earn money, this city’s food, fun, and transportation were all things she loved exploring.
And when she ran out of stuff to do, she could always go pick a fight with one of Fangting City’s Magical Girls. It was the perfect mix of work and play.
It hadn’t been long, but she was already kind of fond of this lifestyle. Honestly, she was starting to feel reluctant to leave. Compared to the era she was born in—or her ti in the Interworld—life in the Material World was way more fun.
Walking over the snow-covered sidewalk, she felt the crunch beneath her boots, the subtle sound climbing up her legs and into her ears. Yuan stopped walking.
“What a sha.”
She murmured quietly.
As much as she wanted to stay here a little longer, too many things were pulling her away.
Under her black white gloves, she could feel a faint warmth spreading across the back of her hand.
She raised it and pulled off the glove. A faint glow shimred from a red falcon emblem etched into her skin.
That symbol marked her status within Claw Mark. It was the emblem of a core officer. And when it lit up, there was only one aning: the leader was calling.
Semi saw it too. Her face grew serious in an instant. The two of them exchanged a glance and moved simultaneously.
They scanned the area to make sure no one was watching. Then Yuan ducked into a nearby alley, transford in the darkness, and leapt into the sky, heading toward the roof of a nearby high-rise.
Semi followed close behind, bouncing from building to building—her fairy form invisible to ordinary people—before landing beside Yuan.
Once everything was in place, Yuan pulled out a red-and-black magic mirror from her bag. Squatting down in the freezing wind, she followed the pull of her hand’s glowing mark and established contact with the other end.
Almost imdiately, dark purple magic spilled from the mirror, engulfing the area in shadow.
Yuan watched the magic swirl silently, saying nothing. Semi lay perfectly still on the ground, also silent.
The dark purple aura moved like it had a will of its own, drifting, probing, brushing against the air. It wasn’t just a soft glow—it carried an oppressive weight, thick enough to steal your breath. It churned around them, forming currents like it was scanning the environnt.
Eventually, the spreading magic stopped expanding. It sealed off the rooftop, forming a barrier no outsider could penetrate.
Only then did the mirror in Yuan’s hand begin to shine.
——“Long ti no see, dear Yuan.”
A gentle, slightly girlish voice drifted out, and a girl who looked about fifteen appeared on the other side of the mirror. Her smile was warm and pure, like an innocent girl untouched by the world.
She had delicate features, a soft pink complexion, and deep violet eyes brimming with tears. Her long, fluffy lavender hair draped over her shoulders like down feathers in a coat.
She wore an ornate white princess gown and a dazzling diamond necklace, as if flaunting her status.
From looks to outfit to deanor, she was the textbook fairytale princess—adorable, elegant, graceful. She embodied every word.
That is, if you ignored everything around her.
The desert sands, blood-red sunset, the massive Ravager barely clinging to life behind her… the dismbered limbs, the Ravager fluids splattered everywhere, the scorched remains of what must’ve once been a Nest.
It looked like the aftermath of a brutal battle—at least, that’s what anyone would think upon seeing it.
But seeing her, standing pristine in the middle of that wreckage with not even a speck of dust on her dress, broke that illusion completely. Her white gown shimred untouched by blood or gri, and her hair looked freshly brushed.
Then there was the most striking thing about her—floating atop her head were a pair of magical beast ears, likely canine, semi-transparent and upright.
“Long ti no see, Boss.”
Yuan didn’t react to the strangeness at all. She greeted the mirror calmly and smiled politely. “Did you go out hunting yourself today?”
“Mhm. Been doing this for a while now.”
The girl glanced back at the nearly dead Ravager. As she did, the creature finally gave up its last breath. “We’re short on people. You’re all out on missions, so I’ve been left with all the grunt work.”
“Short on people… huh?” Yuan lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact with the girl in the mirror.
“Yeah. You’re in the Material World, Black Cat returned to the Kingdom, Kui went with her... it’s just and so logistics folks now. It’s lonely, you know?”
She giggled softly, her cheeks pink with a shy smile. “That’s why I called. Hope I’m not interrupting anything important?”
“Of course not. You calling is the most important thing.”
Yuan forced a crooked grin. “It’s our fault for staying out so long. Must’ve been miserable being stuck there alone.”
“It’s fine. I was the one who asked you to do it. Rushing things won’t bring good results either.”
The girl shook her head and looked gently at Yuan. “I’m just a little worried. Have you run into trouble with your mission?”
Yuan pressed her lips together.
She glanced sideways, hoping Semi would bail her out—but the fairy just lay there like a corpse, not making a sound.
Sighing inwardly, Yuan had no choice but to speak. Carefully picking her words, she said, “Things… haven’t gone smoothly. Based on what I found, the Beast Core from Moth is currently in Erald’s hands.”
“And Cornflower... while she’s injured like the reports said, the old mbers of the Fangting City Squad are stationed here protecting her.”
“And that kid, Bai Jingxuan... she’s been holed up in the squad’s secret base. Rarely cos out. Even when she does, she’s always with others—there’s never a good chance to strike.”
She wracked her brain, cobbling together every fact she could rember to form a report.
All of it was true—but none of it was the real reason she hadn’t completed her mission. The truth was, she’d been treating this whole thing like a vacation.
“Erald, huh?”
Luckily, that na caught the girl’s attention—especially because it was the alias of a current Gem Scepter of the Court of Research.
Yuan had only learned this after dueling Veronica. Knowing that, she gave up on the mission altogether and settled in Fangting for good.
After all, robbing an injured candidate Gem Scepter was one thing. Robbing a fully active one? That was suicide.
Hearing the na, the girl blinked, then frowned, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. She looked like she was pouting—but sohow still adorable. “That bookworm. She’s always got annoyingly sharp instincts when it counts.”
“You said the Beast Core is in her hands—how sure are you? Is it actually with her, or just her overstepping librarians? Is it already in the Kingdom, or still in the Material World?”
Her voice flowed like a verse, crisp and rhythmic. “So if the Beast Core went to her, Cornflower must’ve made a deal with her, right?”
“Seems like it.”
Yuan answered with a mix of honesty and careful phrasing. “I confronted Cornflower and asked for the Beast Core. But the other Fangting mbers interrupted , and that’s when I found out Erald already had it.”
“I don’t know when the deal was made, but it must’ve been behind our backs.” She added that last part to soften her failure.
“So you don’t know the tiline... but you’re sure she took it? Are you sure it wasn’t a bluff?” the girl asked.
“I couldn’t sense any Beast Core residue on Cornflower. I searched the city—nothing. If it’s not with her, and not here, then it must’ve left.”
Yuan gave the only real report she had. “I haven’t confird it beyond doubt. That’s on .”
“It’s alright. Let’s assu it’s true. It doesn’t change our overall goal.”
The girl nodded gently. “That just leaves bringing Cornflower and Bai Jingxuan back. Those two alone are worth more than a Beast Core. Got any leads?”
Yuan hesitated. “With the old Fangting mbers here, it’s not exactly easy…”
“Should be pretty easy though, right?”
The girl interrupted her, leaning closer to the mirror with curious eyes. “Twenty years ago, the Fangting Squad was legendary because of Cornflower and Sakura. But Cornflower’s injured now, and Sakura’s dead. The rest can’t threaten you, can they?”
“I tried fighting them, but Cornflower can recover with their help. Plus, her teammates are Flower-tier...” Yuan’s voice trailed off.
“Still beneath you though, right?”
The girl suddenly bead. Pure and dazzling. “You’re my most trusted warrior. Even at their peak, Cornflower or Sakura would’ve been a match for you.”
“...Yes,” Yuan could only nod.
“If a frontal attack’s too much trouble, why not use the city’s people? It’s almost their New Year, right? How about we light a few pretty fireworks for them?”
Her tone stayed sweet, her words chilling. “A million might disrupt the city too much. Not good for the Apostle to inherit later... how about a hundred thousand? That should be enough to make them accept so unfair rules.”
“...What do you an?”
“Kill them,” the girl said breezily, like she was picking dinner.
Yuan went silent again.
That was always how it was when dealing with White Wolf, the forr Gem Scepter, and leader of Claw Mark.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
The girl tilted her head in confusion. “Did I butt into your mission too much? Are you mad at ? I’m sorry, I just wanted to help you finish your task and co ho. It’s my fault for being so naggy. Don’t be mad, okay?”
“It’s just... really lonely by myself.”
She looked at Yuan with eyes like spring water, her shy smile soft and girlish. “I’d be so happy if you all ca ho soon.”
Yuan couldn’t lift her head.
Even knowing exactly what expression she’d see—White Wolf’s signature gentle gaze—she still couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She only bowed lower, like a subject before a monarch in the Royal Court.
——“As you command.”
The words ca out like a puppet’s, stiff and chanical.
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