novelno Chapter 656 Clear and Honest Eyes
Chapter 656 Clear and Honest Eyes
The Hyacinth Squad launched a thorough search of the mountain town.
The Hero Association thought this was a good thing, since the people of Yamashiro had a relatively low level of understanding of the rather special villainous magical girl squad, Kokoro, and it was most appropriate for Hyacinth to conduct the investigation.
At least residents won't have thoughts like "Are they about to attack?" because they don't understand the logic behind Xin Yuehu's actions, which can effectively alleviate unnecessary anxiety.
"But do you really think these locations that Xin Yuehu gave us are legitimate locations?"
Hyacinth maintained her flight magic, weaving through the buildings of the mountain city, and spoke to Nightingale, who was following closely beside her.
The latter shrugged and spread his hands in reply:
"I don't understand the mental world, and I don't know which location might be the entrance or exit. I might as well trust Xin Yuehu and the others."
"Hmm... even you, Nightingale, say that..." Hyacinth stroked her chin thoughtfully.
If even Nightingale, the key tactical figure in the team with the highest mastery of magic, said this, then this matter does seem quite troublesome—especially since they have to search step by step according to Xin Yuehu's pace, which is giving Nan Xiaofeng quite a headache.
However, he really didn't have any good ideas. Even though he knew that Xin Yuehu might be setting a trap for him, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go in. This was the huge disadvantage he faced when the other side was in the dark and he was in the light.
Especially when the two landed in a small garden deep in a park, as indicated by the map, and looked at the dilapidated pavilions and benches covered with ivy and moss, Hyacinth's conflicted and hesitant expression was palpable.
"Could this really be the place where Qiu Gui and the others opened the entrance to their mental world?" Hyacinth couldn't help but ask Nightingale.
The latter did not rush to answer, but silently unleashed his magic, covering the entire pavilion, and carefully investigated the magical fluctuations left over from the unfolding of the mental world.
Hyacinth quickly shut up, not daring to disturb Nightingale's investigation, and began to wander around the abandoned pavilion, observing the scene.
The mountain town seems to have many small gardens like this, and naturally there are also resting places like this one that have been deserted for a long time and are covered with moss. Usually, hardly anyone comes here, making it very quiet and secluded.
If that's the case... if Qiu Gui and the others want to avoid being noticed, setting up a kind of cognitive shield magic barrier in such a remote place seems like a good choice? Hyacinth couldn't help but make her own analysis.
Soon, Nightingale's investigation into the magic of the nightingale came to an end. She exchanged a glance with Hyacinth, shook her head slightly, and felt a little disappointed.
"No, no trace of magic was found here."
"Oh, thank you for your hard work. Why don't we rest here for a bit?"
"Taking a break or something..."
Nightingale said this, but when she heard the word "rest," she still subconsciously stretched out her arms and body, feeling tired and couldn't help but yawn.
"Hoo-hoo—, umm, I think I'm a little tired."
"Exactly! In my opinion, Xin Yuehu simply doesn't want to investigate herself and is making up some excuse to get us to run errands for her. She's really wicked!"
Hyacinth said indignantly, while using her magic to make a makeshift chair for Nightingale. The two of them sat in the secluded and deserted pavilion and enjoyed a moment of peace.
"That's not entirely true. The Mountain City Heroes Association seems to approve of Fox's approach as well."
"Is that so... but I feel like something's not quite right..."
"There are plenty of strange things going on. Like the mysterious disappearance of Senior Qiu Gui and the others this time. If it weren't for Xin Yuehu and the Mountain City Association providing us with information, who would have known that they were actually trapped in the Illusionary Dreamscape?"
Nightingale leaned back in her chair, squinting and resting, while exchanging a few words with Hyacinth as she recovered her magic.
Hyacinth pondered for a moment, as if she had thought of something, and quickly replied:
"I'm quite curious, is Xin Yuehu's mental world really that fun? Nightingale, you seem to have been playing in there a lot lately, didn't she set up any dangerous traps in it?"
"Yes, there are very dangerous traps."
The nightingale opened its eyes, glanced at the hyacinth with a serious expression, and nodded earnestly.
"Huh? How dangerous is it?" Hyacinth was startled by Nightingale's serious expression and quickly asked.
"Once you go inside and start playing, you quickly become so engrossed that you lose track of time and play until 2 a.m. before realizing you have class at 8 a.m. the next day. Then you get woken up and made to stand as punishment for falling asleep during class."
"It's absolutely horrible!" Nightingale exclaimed indignantly.
Hyacinth's expression gradually changed from astonishment to calm, and finally she pursed her lips helplessly, deciding to ignore Nightingale's words.
On the other hand, although he usually disliked the wicked fox Xinyuehu, he still respected the Mind World, which was recognized as the strongest magic in the world, and had no doubts about its effects.
After all, she had been captured by Xin Yuehu and spent time alone with him in the world of mental images several times. Just thinking about those unbearable memories made her want to bury her head in the ground.
...No, why am I thinking about these things? It makes me seem like a stubborn child. The most important thing right now is to find and rescue Qiu Gui's team, who are trapped in the dreamlike mind image!
Feeling they had rested enough, Hyacinth and her companion got up and headed to their next destination, no longer dwelling on the thoughts that had just crossed their minds.
With Hyacinth's powerful assistance, the thorough search of the entire mountain city quickly yielded results: Sakuya found a location with traces of magic, and could even "see" a rift leading to a sub-plane directly from there.
Of course, it's not about observing with the naked eye, but about "seeing" through magical exploration.
Upon receiving this important message, Hyacinth immediately sent a message to Iris and Arum, instructing the five members of the Rongcheng group to meet at the place Shuoye had found.
Similar to the other locations given by Xinyuehu, this is also a rather secluded and quiet place: the rooftop of a shopping mall on the outskirts of the city.
There were no other tall buildings around, and the rooftop was covered with outdoor units of central air conditioning. All the outdoor units were highly automated. There were no stairs leading directly to the place, only a steel ladder set up at the edge for maintenance personnel to carry out inspections. Hyacinth was even a little impressed with the way Qiugui and the others chose their activity location.
After all, it's quite difficult to find a place like this in a metropolis like Shancheng where almost no one comes. Only Sakuya, with her outstanding eyesight and superb ability to hang in the air, could have found this place. Normally, how could a magical girl possibly pay attention to such a low rooftop?
"And don't forget that Qiu Gui and the others are an idol group. If they were to appear in public, it would definitely cause a huge crowd of fans to gather," Nightingale said.
The girls' discussion quickly came to an end. After a few chattering and bickering, their attention soon focused on the open space in front of them that was radiating magical energy.
This place appears to be empty, but as long as you use magic to enhance your eyes and add a spell that allows you to see the fluctuations of magic, you can clearly "see" the rift space floating in the air.
"This is the rift leading to the world of mental images..."
The arum wagged its tail curiously and approached, boldly trying to peek through the crack.
But a powerful force suddenly pulled at the Bernese Mountain dog girl, causing her to lose her footing and be dragged towards the crevice ahead—
"Woof?!" "Watch out!"
Hyacinth reacted very quickly, grabbing the dog girl's ankle with lightning speed and throwing her from in front of the crack to behind her. After letting out a terrified puppy-like whine in the air, she crashed to the floor not far away with a thud.
Seeing this, Shuoye silently took two steps back, tucking his wings in and not daring to advance rashly, fearing that he would be the next one to be dragged into the rift.
"This portal actually sucks people in when they get close?" Nightingale exclaimed in surprise.
Surprised, the girls faced two choices: should they enter first to carry out the rescue operation, or should they, for the sake of caution, contact Xin Yuehu and the others to investigate the condition of the rift?
Hyacinth instinctively wanted to rush in and rescue her, but when she saw Arisaema whimpering and shrinking into Nightingale's side to be comforted, and when she recalled the absurd scenes she had encountered in the dreamlike vision when she intercepted Garuda, her originally fiery heart instantly calmed down.
...Indeed, I should contact Heartmoon Fox first. Hyacinth muttered to herself.