T/N: Iä! now will be translated as Ain
Chapter 402: The Chosen Girl
After the party, Adele took a taxi to the Enforcement Bureau building.
Even though it was the weekend, the Enforcement Bureau building was still bustling with activity. There were simply too many matters concerning Foreign Races to handle.
The most important of these was undoubtedly the containment of the Evil God Ain, who had brought the “Dark Day” to the Magical World.
And the biggest contributor to the containment of the Evil God, Adele, made a rare overtime appearance at the Enforcement Bureau building.
The girl was immediately greeted with a warm welcome, along with the envious and admiring gazes of many operatives.
They didn’t know the truth, that Adele had inexplicably gained the power left behind by the Vampire True Ancestor, Ron.
Instead, they believed the story currently being circulated by the Enforcement Bureau and Headmistress Winona.
That is—Adele was the legendary “Chosen Girl.”
This explained why she possessed a Refinement Level far exceeding that of someone her age, just a step away from becoming a Legendary Mage. And it was very possible she would surpass the record for the youngest Legendary Mage, previously set by Winona.
It also explained why the Enforcement Bureau had made an exception for her, a first-year student at Cromwell Academy, making her a mid-level operative. A single step that surpassed many Cromwell Academy graduates by years, even decades.
It further explained why First Snow, Headmistress Winona’s Cat-Bird, was so attached to Adele, becoming her adorable pet.
Finally, Adele’s incredible feat of containing the Evil God Ain cemented her status as the “Chosen Girl.”
Now, no one questioned her identity, or her qualifications as a mid-level operative.
Even Adele’s previous image at Cromwell Academy as a “Sequence Five Vampire” was now reinterpreted by everyone as “Adele was playing the fool!”
That’s right, playing the fool, a classic move of the Chosen Girl!
A Chosen Girl’s life without playing the fool and defeating higher-ranked opponents is incomplete!
Lastly, and crucially, there was one more point that proved she was the Chosen Girl.
The affection shown towards her by many girls, including several Sequence One Vampires, perfectly matched the characteristic that a Chosen Girl must have a harem.
And if Adele wasn’t outstanding enough, attracting them with her absolute charisma, how could these proud girls be willing to be a flower in her garden, waiting to be picked?
It could be said that the Elf True Ancestor, Lislotte, and the Legendary Mage, Winona, had jointly used their authority to create a plausible identity for Adele, explaining her rapid progress and promotion.
But Adele just wanted to say… This was slander! Slander!
How did she become the Chosen Girl…
Even if she was, they shouldn’t be spreading it around! Don’t they understand social etiquette?!
Don’t they understand playing the fool?!
Now everyone knew she was a pig… ahem, ahem, a dragon among men.
It would cause her a lot of trouble.
However, Adele also understood that the purpose of True Ancestor Lislotte and Headmistress Winona, seemingly high-profile, was actually to protect her. To protect her from the hostility of the entire Vampire Clan.
Because no matter what, no matter what True Ancestor Ron had done, he had died and perished in a human city as a member of the Vampire Clan, and a very important one at that.
Currently, the repercussions within the Vampire Clan were significant, and nationalistic sentiment was running high.
If it weren’t for Lady Chen Xi’s continuous speeches and lobbying, along with the joint suppression by several other True Ancestors who approved of the peace agreement between Vampires and humans, the consequences would have been… unimaginable.
And this anger from the Vampire Clan was something Adele absolutely couldn’t bear.
Therefore, absolutely no one could know that Adele was the “culprit” behind True Ancestor Ron’s demise.
The reason for the quotation marks, those who understand will understand.
True Ancestor Ron clearly “brought it upon himself.”
Moreover, the appearance of the Hell Queen was a low-probability event that no one could have predicted.
Adele, with a forced smile, passed by many unfamiliar colleagues, greeting countless people, and finally arrived at Director Yashi’s office.
Upon entering, she immediately collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion, and heard an elegant female voice ring out.
“Well, well, isn’t this our Evil God Container, Vampire Sequence One Harvester, Enforcement Bureau Rookie of the Year, Celebration Party Absentee… the Chosen Girl, Miss Adele?”
Adele waved her hand.
“Don’t tease me, Director Yashi. And it’s not like I intentionally skipped the party; I had my own very important date…”
“Besides, you absolutely know what’s going on with my ‘Chosen Girl’ title! Stop calling me that!”
“Hehe, alright, alright, I’ll stop.”
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“No, I don’t like bitter things.”
“Young people should learn to endure hardship~” Yashi said with a smile.
To this, Adele just stuck out her little pink tongue and ignored her.
“Young people should endure hardship,” she wasn’t buying that kind of toxic positivity!
Life was so short, if enduring hardship brought great rewards, then fine.
But if enduring hardship was just purely suffering, or shouldering burdens for the “peaceful days” of others, wouldn’t that make her a sucker?
After resting for a moment, Adele quickly stated the purpose of her visit.
“Director Yashi, I want to know… how is Teacher Victoria doing?!”
“Also, the Evil God Ain, she shouldn’t be able to escape again, right?!”
“And also, the rats in the sewers…”
Director Yashi replied with a gentle smile in her voice.
“Alright, I’ll tell you one thing at a time. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
“Mhm!” Adele nodded vigorously and immediately sat up straight on the sofa.
She knew when to be well-behaved.
Otherwise, Yashi rarely saw her serious.
The girl had gradually adapted to the atmosphere within the Enforcement Bureau, no longer as timid as she was during her first visit, afraid to look up and meet anyone’s gaze.
Now, she even dared to address True Ancestor Lislotte directly by name.
And the key was that the Elf True Ancestor, Lislotte, didn’t mind, or rather, indulged the girl.
“First, about Mage Victoria’s situation.”
“Her current state isn’t bad, but it isn’t good either. We have the best medical team and healing mages maintaining her bodily functions.”
“Ensuring she can ‘live’ healthier than most people in this world.”
Director Yashi emphasized the word “live,” and Adele’s heart immediately sank.
“Does that mean… Teacher Victoria, she hasn’t woken up?”
Yashi nodded.
“Yes, her soul is still lost somewhere in the corners of her mind.”
“As you know, when it comes to matters of the mind, we are powerless.”
“Humans can explore the entire material world, they can invent and create.”
“But we know nothing about the innate spiritual world.”
“Including the soul, this thing that has been confirmed to exist, and is the very foundation that sustains our lives and prosperity, is still elusive.”
“Mage Victoria’s current state is like being in a vegetative state, medically speaking.”
“In the short term, perhaps only she can save herself.”
“…Then in the long term, is there any other turning point?!”
Adele keenly sensed something and asked anxiously.
Director Yashi adjusted the hat on her head, her eyes sharp as a fox’s beneath the brim.
“Perhaps. After all, we finally have a soul available for research.”
“In the past, we couldn’t study the soul because it was ethereal and elusive, existing only in what is said to be another dimensional spiritual world.”
“I think you’ve heard this theory, that the mind and soul are untouchable because they exist in a different dimension from the physical one.”
“Just like how people in reality are destined to be unable to touch characters in 2D.”
Hearing this, Adele guiltily averted her gaze.
Because she couldn’t tell Yashi that she was actually a transmigrator from a higher dimension.
And she had touched the “paper people” of this world within the book.
And even… ahem.
“Then, the soul available for research, could it be…”
Adele tried to guess.
Director Yashi snapped her fingers before she could finish.
“That’s right, it’s the Evil God Ain.”
“Creatures from another world are truly amazing. You defeated her and drove her out of Mage Victoria’s body!”
“And what you drove out was her soul, the soul of the Evil God Ain, a gelatinous fluid similar to slime!”
“Her soul, in this dimension! Touchable, kneadable!”
“Knead…able?”
What a strange way to put it, it sounded like she was talking about playdough.
Yashi nodded and added, “Of course, she hates it when we deform her soul in various ways.”
“She has her own form, and you’ll be surprised when you see it.”
“We’ve now established a dedicated department to research the soul of the Evil God Ain.”
“Perhaps through her, we can find a way to explore the spiritual world and the soul.”
“Including waking up Victoria, of course.”
As she spoke, Yashi stood up from her desk, took her coat from the hanger, draped it over her shoulders, and strode forward with long, graceful strides, the automatic doors parting for her.
Adele hurried to catch up.
“Oh right, you don’t have to worry about the sewer rats either.”
“We will provide them with proper resettlement. Any Foreign Race, as long as they obey the rules, will have a place here.”
Hearing this, Adele breathed a sigh of relief.
Chapter 403: Yashi’s Warning
Director Yashi led Adele to Mage Victoria’s recovery room. Surprisingly, but not entirely unexpectedly, someone was already waiting inside.
It was the Headmistress of Cromwell Academy, Mage Winona, finally free on the weekend.
She had already sensed Yashi and Adele’s arrival. The former’s high heels clicking against the floor were distinct, while the latter’s steps were slightly hurried and youthful, easy to distinguish.
“He-Hello, Headmistress!”
Adele offered a rare polite greeting, using honorifics. Although she often gave the impression of being rebellious and disrespectful of authority, the girl knew in her heart that the current peace and prosperity of the Human Race couldn’t have been achieved without the support and selfless help of those like Headmistress Winona, representing the Magical World, and the Elf True Ancestor, Lislotte, representing other Foreign Races.
So, at her core, did she still consider herself a member of the Human Race? Even though her Vampire identity seemed more fitting.
“Yes, you’re here, Adele.”
Winona bypassed Yashi, only acknowledging Adele. The reason might be that she and Yashi had been meeting daily recently, making greetings each time too cumbersome. Or perhaps their relationship was familiar enough to comfortably coexist without formalities.
Adele hurried past Director Yashi and arrived at Teacher Victoria’s bedside. She crouched down, gazing with worried, cherry-colored eyes at Victoria, who lay peacefully as if asleep.
The beautiful blue-haired woman rested on the white sheets, her lips pale, her serene face seemingly indifferent to the world’s joys and sorrows.
She wondered if this was a good or bad outcome for Teacher Victoria. In that instant, many thoughts crossed Adele’s mind.
Perhaps Teacher Victoria wasn’t attached to this world anymore? So, instead of waking up to face the reality of being alone, she preferred to remain in slumber. Finally ending her erroneous revival in this wrong era within a long dream.
As these thoughts continued, tears unconsciously flowed from the corners of Adele’s eyes, streaming down her cheeks. Teardrop after teardrop fell, wetting her clenched fists and the floor.
The saying that women are made of water was indeed true.
Winona and Yashi exchanged glances, choosing to let Adele vent her emotions.
A long while later, Adele accepted the tissue offered by Headmistress Winona and wiped her tears. Though her eyes were still red, she declared with a strong expression, “…I’m alright now.”
“Let Teacher Victoria continue to rest peacefully.”
“Director Yashi, take me to see the Evil God Ain.”
“I want to interrogate her myself!”
Yashi nodded. “Follow me. But I think when you see her…”
“You’ll be very surprised.”
………………
Passing through the security doors and entering the elevator descending deep underground, Adele stared intently at the surroundings, her small cherry mouth agape in astonishment.
This was her first time witnessing a secret base built by the Human Race. More fantastical than any science fiction novel, its grandeur left Adele speechless.
The elevator was transparent, revealing a hollowed-out subterranean world, similar to a honeycomb structure. Each space was interconnected, with countless pathways crisscrossing. Various high-tech robotic arms, robots, and humans in protective suits busily worked and experimented.
Strange sounds faintly permeated the elevator glass, like chanting or the whispers of ancient gods.
The elevator continued downwards; Adele and Director Yashi were heading to the special containment facility on the lowest level. Those who knew, understood – the original author had definitely based it on the SCP Foundation.
However, they could never have imagined that this world would develop to this extent on its own. Or perhaps it wasn’t self-development. Perhaps this world existed before the novel, and the novel merely depicted its stories, outlining one of its many timelines? It wasn’t impossible.
But for Adele, a “character in the book,” further contemplation was meaningless.
Finally, the elevator reached the containment facility on the lowest level. As soon as they stepped out, the place gave Adele a huge… fright, but no delight.
“Roar!”
A roar like a prehistoric beast resounded beside her like a thunderclap. Adele startled, nearly falling into Director Yashi’s arms.
However, she glanced around, realizing it wasn’t Celeste, Dorothy, Hermione, or any of the other girls she trusted beside her, so she refrained.
Adele, the epitome of self-control!
Yashi led her forward, and they saw the true face of the monster. A… miniature Godzilla?
From Adele’s perspective, inside a transparent containment cell made of an unknown material stood a small Godzilla, only half a person tall.
Noticing Adele’s gaze, the little monster, feeling provoked, unleashed an atomic breath in her direction.
“Whoa!”
Adele braced for the laser, dodging quickly. Unexpectedly, the laser hit the inner wall of the containment cell and vanished like a drop in the ocean, absorbed by the rippling, shimmering surface.
The containment cell absorbed the monster’s power. Would it become stronger or dissipate the energy?
Beyond the Godzilla, various containment cells held countless incredible monsters and Foreign Races.
A talking octopus with three eyes, a ferocious bird with flaming wings. A nine-tailed… Shiba Inu? It even smiled when it saw them.
Why wasn’t it a fox?!
There was also a dangerous werewolf, said to be a brutal general of the werewolf tribe. Upon seeing them, he instantly swelled, his muscles bulging, sharp claws extending from his fingertips like indestructible blades. However, his frenzied charge was directed at Director Yashi.
Perhaps because she was the one who apprehended him? Yashi’s later explanation to Adele confirmed this.
It turned out that the werewolf was a notorious warmongering terrorist among the werewolves, responsible for planning werewolf attacks that caused massive casualties in human cities. Yashi personally apprehended him.
He was currently being held here temporarily, pending transfer to the Foreign Races Court for sentencing.
Continuing further, they reached the deepest part of the containment facility, where the most important subjects were held. Adele finally saw the form of the Evil God Ain, the one Yashi said would shock her.
Undeniably, Adele was, as Yashi predicted, greatly surprised.
Inside a reinforced containment cell was a naked human girl with long black hair. She looked quite delicate, hugging her knees with a disgruntled expression, staring blankly ahead.
Adele observed her through the light blue curtain of electricity. The girl looked… familiar.
Suddenly, Adele’s eyes widened as she looked at Director Yashi. The latter nodded.
“She looks a lot like a young Victoria, doesn’t she?”
“That’s because she intentionally mimics her.”
“If we didn’t know her true form, we might actually mistake her for… Mage Victoria in her youth.”
Director Yashi’s tone was meaningful. Adele’s heart skipped a beat.
She understood Yashi’s implication… It was Xiao Ai. She meant that Xiao Ai, like the Evil God Ain, might be… some unknown creature from another world. She wanted Adele to be cautious.
Although it was well-intentioned, Adele’s heart felt like an overturned spice rack, filled with mixed emotions. No matter what others said or thought, she would never doubt her “daughter” Xiao Ai. She had spent the most time with Xiao Ai and knew she wasn’t a bad child!
Moreover, she had a vague feeling about Xiao Ai’s origins… She was fundamentally different from otherworldly creatures like the Evil God Ain!
But Director Yashi meant well, and she only offered this veiled warning because she considered Adele an ally. Therefore, Adele wouldn’t fault her for speculating.
“…Can she see us now?” Adele asked after a moment of silence, observing that the Evil God Ain hadn’t shown any emotional fluctuations since their arrival and remained silent, as if unable to see them.
Director Yashi nodded and walked to a nearby machine, pressing two buttons.
First, the light blue electrical grid surrounding the containment cell, like a curtain of rain, deactivated. It was designed to prevent even a mosquito from entering; any living matter would be annihilated.
Next, the one-way mirror function of the containment cell was deactivated.
The Evil God Ain was startled, realizing she was no longer facing a white wall but transparent glass revealing the outside world. She looked up.
“…”
At first, there was dead silence. Then, the Evil God Ain demonstrated what it meant to “blur in place from fright.”
The youthful features of Victoria distorted and collapsed, merging into a puddle of ink-like slime. Her long black hair transformed into countless small tentacles with suckers, flailing wildly. This transformation occurred throughout her body. Finally, she reverted to her original form, a slime-like soul.
Cowering in the corner of the containment cell, she trembled, large ink-like sweat droplets falling from her. The droplets fell, merging back into her body, then falling again… She seemed to exist in both solid and liquid states simultaneously.
Adele wondered if there was also a “gaseous” state?
So, this was the so-called… “soul” of an otherworldly Evil God. It was simply unbelievable.
Also, why did she display such “fear,” from a human perspective?
Adele tilted her head in confusion, unaware that Director Yashi was experiencing a shock no less than the Evil God Ain within the containment cell.
They had previously interrogated the Evil God Ain individually, including the Elf True Ancestor, Lislotte, but none could extract any information from the arrogant Evil God; they were even mocked and ridiculed.
But when she saw Adele… she reacted like a mouse seeing a cat.
To put it bluntly, she was “scared shitless.”
What was going on…?
